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A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 2, 2025

A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend

The Japan Meteorological Agency has taken to social media to caution that "any such predictions should be considered unreliable.”
Residents cool themselves in Parc Andre Citroen's fountains in Paris on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 2, 2025

Europe’s climate resolve faces big test as EU unveils 2040 goal

The European Commission is set to propose a binding law to slash emissions by 90% by 2040 as part of its overarching goal to reach climate neutrality by the middle of the century.
Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Jul 7, 2025

A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan

Owning a dog in Japan may seem daunting, but having these tools and tips in mind can ease your journey and bring you lots of joy.
Hiroshi Masuda (left), head of the Memorial Museum for Soldiers, Detainees in Siberia, and Postwar Repatriates, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2025

Japanese war memorial network unites to pass on memories to youth

The facilities will work on strengthening their capabilities to disseminate information and provide content for schools.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speak as they stand with Mayor of Hiroshima Kazumi Matsui in front of the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima in May 2023.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2025

Hiroshima mayor urges Trump to visit after atomic bomb comments

U.S. President Donald Trump should visit Hiroshima to see the effects of nuclear weapons, the city's mayor said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday
WORLD
Jul 3, 2025

Swiss say foreign spying threat high, citing Russia and China

The global context has direct implications for Switzerland, a militarily neutral country which hosts multiple international organizations.
A billboard in Tehran showing a variety of missiles. U.S. military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22.
WORLD
Jul 3, 2025

Iranian nuclear program degraded by up to two years, Pentagon says

The announcement suggests the U.S. operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public.
In adapting Masataka Matsuda’s 1998 play “On Summer Sand” to film, director Shinya Tamada decided to age up the central character, played by Joe Odagiri (left), by 10 years to bring out a deeper sense of despondency and grief.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 1, 2025

From stage to screen, a story of quiet connection in the still heat of Nagasaki

Director Shinya Tamada adapts "On Summer Sand" for film by filling the silences between scenes with heartbreak and slow healing.
Data compiled by the Japan Department Stores Association shows that tax-free inbound sales at over 80 department stores across the country fell by 41% in May from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2025

Japan’s department store shares lag as tourist splurge slows

Tax-free inbound sales at over 80 department stores across the country fell by 41% in May from a year earlier.
Pro-democracy activist Jimmy Sham speaks at a League of Social Democrats news conference at their headquarters in Hong Kong on June 29.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Hong Kong proposes limited recognition of same-sex couples' rights

The move comes as the Hong Kong government seeks to comply with a landmark court ruling from September 2023.
Toyota only lifted prices on some models by a few hundred dollars in the U.S. market in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2025

Japan’s carmakers absorbing tariffs may bolster Trump's position

Just three of Japan’s six major automakers have raised prices in the U.S., and only Subaru’s hike has come close to the 25% tariff imposed on imported vehicles.
CIA director John Ratcliffe departs after a briefing with members of Congress in Washington on June 27.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Trump’s CIA backs 2016 assessment that Putin wanted him to win

The latest findings put CIA director John Ratcliffe in a bind with Trump, who has called Russian election interference "a total hoax” and blasted the original conclusions.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, on June 12. Pezeshkian formally enacted the suspension of Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Iran ends cooperation with U.N. nuclear watchdog after Israel and U.S. strikes

Washington has described the decision as "unacceptable."
A demonstrator carrying the Israeli flag walks past a portrait of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an anti-government protest in front of the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on June 7.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed

The Israeli leader had yet to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Israel had backed a plan for a 60-day truce in its offensive against Hamas.
Tadej Pogacar celebrates after winning the men’s road race at the world championships in Zurich on Sept. 29, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Jul 3, 2025

Tadej Pogacar looking to join greats with fourth Tour de France crown

The 112th edition of the race begins in Lille on Saturday.
Recent preprint research suggests students who use ChatGPT to write essays engage in less critical thinking, with different areas of their brains connecting less often.
WORLD / Society
Jul 3, 2025

'Writing is thinking': Brain study prompts debate on ChatGPT use in education

The recent preprint research suggests students who use ChatGPT to write essays engage in less critical thinking, with different areas of their brains connecting less often.
Norway's Ada Hegerberg reacts after scoring against Switzerland during Euro 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Jul 3, 2025

Norway rallies for win over Switzerland in first match at Euro 2025

Ada Hegerberg's close-range header and a Julia Stierli own goal, both in the second half, gave Norway all three points.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends tactical training by military special forces and a firing drill by tank units at an unknown location in North Korea on May 13.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Russia could soon get up to 30,000 more North Korean troops, reports say

The addition would almost triple the total number of North Korean soldiers directly fighting alongside Russia in its war against Ukraine.
The U.S. Commerce Department has told the world’s top semiconductor design software companies that government license requirements for business in China are no longer in place.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 3, 2025

U.S. lifts chip design software curbs on China in trade deal

The move is a sign that an accord reached by both countries in London is indeed being implemented.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Oct. 24. Rio de Janeiro will host the two-day BRICS  Summit starting July 6, where leaders from 10 member states and others will explore ways emerging economies can 
shape global development. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2025

A BRICS+ development agenda for the Global South

An effective BRICS+ development agenda will require a coordinated mobilization of resources and institutional efforts.
Solar panels and wind turbines at the Huaneng Binzhou new energy power generation project in China's eastern Shandong province on June 11
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jul 3, 2025

China leading BRICS clean-energy boom with shift into solar, report shows

Most countries in BRICS remain major fossil fuel producers, but the group together produced 51% of the world’s solar energy in 2024 — up from 15% a decade earlier.
The Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk, seen holding the Stanley Cup after Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, was included on the United States' preliminary roster for the 2026 Olympics.
OLYMPICS
Jul 3, 2025

NHL players officially cleared to compete at 2026 Olympics

The agreement also covers NHL players taking part in the 2030 Winter Games in France.
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (fourth from right, front row) gestures after signing U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 4, 2025

U.S. Republicans muscle Trump's tax-cut and spending bill through Congress

The 218-214 vote is a significant victory for U.S. President Donald Trump that will fund his immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent and deliver new tax breaks.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event hosted by America250 in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 4, 2025

Trump extends his political power with 'big, beautiful' win in U.S. Congress

With its narrow passage of U.S. President Donald Trump's self-styled "big, beautiful bill," Congress has delivered a victory that will further extend his power.
Palestinians inspect the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, on Thursday.
WORLD
Jul 4, 2025

Hamas seeks ceasefire guarantees as scores more are killed in Gaza

Israeli officials said prospects for reaching a ceasefire and hostage deal appeared high, nearly 21 months since the war between Israel and Hamas began.
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (right) poses with U.S. Rep. John Rutherford on the day of a vote on final passage of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 4, 2025

Republicans and Democrats look at how to use Trump's tax-cut bill in 2026 elections

Democrats view the cuts to Medicaid and food assistance in U.S. President Donald Trump's bill as ready ammunition for their future campaign.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin remain at odds over ending the war in Ukraine.
WORLD
Jul 4, 2025

No progress at all, Trump says after phone call with Putin

The two leaders did not discuss a recent pause in some U.S. weapons shipments to Kyiv during the nearly hourlong conversation.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One as he departs for Iowa at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Thursday.
WORLD
Jul 4, 2025

Trump eyes simple tariff rates over complex talks, sending letters on Friday

President Trump said he preferred to notify most countries of a specific tariff rate, skipping detailed negotiations.
Outlays by households in Japan, adjusted for inflation, gained 4.7% from a year ago in May, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 4, 2025

Japan’s households boost spending by most since summer of 2022

Consumption makes up more than half of Japan’s economic output and could determine whether the economy will enter or avoid a technical recession.
Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (right) shakes hands with Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, during their meeting at the foreign ministry in Kabul on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 4, 2025

Russia becomes first country to recognize Taliban government

Moscow has taken recent steps to normalize relations with the Taliban authorities.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years