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An Indian Air Force pilot gets out of a Rafale fighter jet during its induction ceremony at an air force station in Ambala, India, September 2020.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Aug 4, 2025

How Pakistan shot down India's cutting-edge fighter using Chinese gear

Central to the May downing of a French-made Rafale fighter jet was an Indian intelligence failure concerning the range of the China-made PL-15 missile.
A worker fumigates for mosquitos on a rooftop sewer in Guangzhou, China, on July 30.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Aug 4, 2025

Hong Kong sees first mosquito-borne illness from China outbreak

Foshan, a city just 90 minutes away by high-speed train, has seen over 6,500 people affected in the past few weeks.
Although the idea is still small in scale, Kitepower flying a giant kite to generate renewable electricity — with Padraic Doherty acting as the "pilot" on the ground — could yet prove to be a mighty plan as Ireland seeks to cut its reliance on fossil fuels such as oil and gas.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 4, 2025

'Let's go fly a kite': Capturing wind for clean energy in Ireland

A sparsely populated spot in Ireland near the stormy Atlantic coast is home to the world's first designated airborne renewable energy test site.
Twelve months on from Aug. 5, 2024, when Japan’s stock benchmarks plummeted 12%, the broader Topix index is once again hovering near record highs.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Aug 5, 2025

A year after Japan's stock meltdown, markets show resilience and promise

Clearer BOJ messaging, corporate reforms and a better-than-feared U.S. tariff deal has traders in Japan's markets betting against a repeat of last year's crash.
People cool off under water jets in Madrid on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 5, 2025

'Silent killer': the science of tracing climate deaths in heat waves

Heat can claim tens of thousands of lives during European summers but it usually takes months to count the cost. Scientists are aiming to change that with faster studies.
Italy's competition watchdog said on Monday that it has fined Chinese fast fashion brand Shein €1 million ($1.15 million) for false and confusing claims about the e-commerce giant's efforts to be environmentally friendly.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 5, 2025

Italian regulator hits Shein with €1 million greenwashing fine

The watchdog took issue with the environmental sustainability and social responsibility messages on Shein's website, which it described as "vague" and "misleading."
Journalists next to heliostat mirrors at the site of Dunhuang Shouhang 100 megawatt Tower Solar Thermal Power Generation Project in Gansu province, China, in 2024
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 5, 2025

China struggles to capitalize on record renewables build-out as grid work lags

The biggest renewables hubs, in the sparsely populated interior, rely on power lines stretching thousands of kilometers to the major cities of the east.
A tour group on the Cornell University campus. About a quarter of Cornell’s student body is international.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 6, 2025

Trump’s visa havoc strands students weeks before classes start

International students are struggling to secure visas as the Trump administration aggressively moves to curtail immigration.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (center) chairs a meeting of a Cabinet session to discuss the issue of disarming Hezbollah at the presidential palace of Baabda, east of Beirut, on Aug. 5.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 6, 2025

Lebanon plans to disarm Hezbollah by year-end

The unprecedented move forms part of a November ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hezbollah following months of hostilities.
A mushroom cloud from the atomic bombing on Hiroshima taken from a U.S. military aircraft on Aug. 6, 1945. Copying the photo without permission is prohibited.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Aug 6, 2025

80 years on, a Japanese American hibakusha recalls the day the bomb dropped

As a 7-year-old boy in Hiroshima, Howard Kakita was hoping to catch the vapor trail of a B-29 bomber. A sudden blast knocked him out.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami-class frigate. Australia's selection of an upgraded version of the Mogami-class warship for its next frigate class could prove to be a watershed moment for Japan’s defense industry.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Aug 6, 2025

Australia's warship selection signals Japanese defense industry's arrival

Japan's successful bid will serve as a confidence booster and could set a precedent for other countries to consider Japanese capabilities for their own militaries.
The National Tax Agency at the Ministry of Finance, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. Japanese tax authorities can bill foreign residents in Japan for assets inherited globally.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 7, 2025

Japan's inheritance tax is high, unforgiving and sometimes avoidable

Under certain circumstances, overseas inheritance can pass tax-free to foreigners who are residents in the country.
A geothermal energy station in Geretsried, Germany, on Aug. 24, 2023
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 7, 2025

Germany moves to fast-track geothermal energy projects

According to a 2023 study, Germany holds some of Europe's largest geothermal reserves, with the potential to supply over a quarter of its annual heating needs.
Scottie Scheffler speaks to the media after his win at the British Open on July 20.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 7, 2025

Scottie Scheffler 'rested, ready' for FedEx Cup playoffs

Scheffler, the world's No. 1 golfer, captured his fourth major with a four-stroke victory on July 20 in Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland.
A Cardinals fan fans himself during the seventh inning of a game against the  Pirates in St. Louis, Missouri, in June 2022.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 7, 2025

Cheer with caution: Expert advises sports fans have game plan for extreme heat

The consequences of extreme heat exposure range from dehydration to heatstroke and even death.
A game ball with the WNBA Commissioner's Cup logo sits on the court during a game between the Valkyries and Lynx at Chase Center in San Francisco.
BASKETBALL
Aug 8, 2025

WNBA sex toy incidents linked to cryptocurrency group

The group has claimed that their memecoin's goal was to combat a "toxic" environment in the cryptocurrency world and insisted that its members did not "dislike women's sports.
At Himawari Shokudo 2, chef Hozumi Tanaka serves Italian-inspired fare with a focus on Toyama produce, such as this appetizer of lightly blanched "hotaru ika" (firefly squid) served atop mixed wild plants and a crepe prepared from "yamato-imo" yam.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Aug 8, 2025

At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul

Punching above its own weight, the intimate restaurant is one of the growing number of quality establishments that are helping to cement Toyama's status as a dining destination.
Doves are released during a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, at the city's Peace Park on Saturday.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2025

Nagasaki marks 80 years since atomic bombing as hibakusha numbers dwindle

The anniversary comes amid frustration among the dwindling number of survivors that their powerful calls for eradicating nuclear arms are falling on deaf ears.
The Republic of Nauru is one of the world's smallest nations, with a total landmass of just 21 square kilometers.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 9, 2025

Pacific microstate sells first passports to fund climate action

The remote Pacific nation has approved just six applicants since early this year, but officials say interest in joining the low-lying, largely barren island is increasing.
The Financial Services Agency Commissioner Yutaka Ito is interviewed in Tokyo last week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 10, 2025

FSA eager to back regional bank realignment

Ito, who took office in July, stressed that cooperation with nonfinancial businesses is also crucial for the management of regional lenders.
A cyclist looks at the Montreal skyline on Aug. 3 as a smoky haze from wildfires blankets the city.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 10, 2025

How Canadian wildfire smoke is jeopardizing health across North America

Canadian provinces have evacuated towns and struggled to contain the second-worst wildfire season in 30 years.
MLB umpire Jen Pawol stands on the field before a game between the Braves and Marlins in Cumberland, Georgia, on Sunday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 11, 2025

Pioneering female MLB umpire Jen Pawol makes debut behind plate

A day after her historic debut as the first woman to work as an umpire in an MLB contest, Pawol was behind the plate in another milestone effort.
Wind turbines beyond an array of solar panels on the hillside in the Canical district of Madeira, Portugal, on Feb. 9, 2023. Renewables are now among the cheapest forms of electricity, especially after an energy crunch and the Ukraine war bolstered gas, oil and coal.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 11, 2025

Hedge funds flip on green energy and start betting against oil

The outlook for solar and wind stocks is starting to improve.
Four units at the Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France were shut down on Monday due to the "massive and unforeseeable presence of jellyfish" in the pumping stations for the water used to cool the reactors.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 12, 2025

Jellyfish shut down French nuclear reactors as heat wave builds

A marine heat wave, like the one intensifying off the west coast of France, can help jellyfish populations "bloom," and several beaches have been closed due to their invasion.
An Emerald Toucanet. Nearly half of all bird species are found in biodiversity-rich tropical regions.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 12, 2025

Climate heat extremes driving tropical bird decline: study

Intensifying temperatures caused a 25% to 38% reduction in tropical bird populations between 1950 and 2020, compared to a scenario without global warming.
Steel exports from China, the world’s largest producer, have surged this year, weighing on prices.
BUSINESS
Aug 13, 2025

Japan starts anti-dumping probe into Chinese and South Korean steel goods

The investigation will probe flows of hot-dipped galvanized coil, sheet and strip, the trade and finance ministries said.
The government is considering requiring handheld fans to be recycled, in the wake of a host of fires caused by rechargeable electric devices during disposal work.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2025

Japan may make recycling handheld fans mandatory

The consideration comes in the wake of a host of fires caused by rechargeable electric devices during disposal work.
A worker at Stetman LLC repairs a damaged Starlink terminal in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on July 14.
WORLD
Aug 13, 2025

Starlink techies keep Musk’s network running, even in a war

Despite his on-and-off feud with Trump and the subsequent exile from the White House, Musk remains a central figure in the war.
The Parque da Cidade, the main venue for the COP30 summit, under construction in Belem, Brazil, on May 5.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 14, 2025

Lula’s plan for COP30 in Amazon risks becoming a logistical mess

With fewer than 100 days to go, Brazil is under fire from countries concerned about a shortage of hotel rooms and soaring accommodation costs.
Employees work at the apparel manufacturing unit at Bhiwandi in the Thane district of India's Maharashtra state on July 30.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 14, 2025

Trump’s 50% tariff threatens India’s manufacturing ambitions

The U.S. is now India’s biggest export market and one of its top sources of foreign investment.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes