Tag - europe

 
 

EUROPE

In the European Parliament, the plan for urgent consideration of the greenhouse gas reduction law aimed at cutting emissions 90% by 2040 from 1990 levels was backed by the Socialists & Democrats, Renew and Greens.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 10, 2025
EU’s far right to help shape 2040 climate goals after vote fails
An initiative to fast-track legislation, which would have stripped power from the climate-skeptical Patriots of Europe group, on the European Union's 2040 climate goals failed.
The European Parliament's censure vote against Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlights backlash over her rightward shift and, if passed, could force a choice between centrists and nationalists.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 9, 2025
Ursula Von der Leyen faces a moment of truth
Von der Leyen’s ongoing political ambiguity has become a strategic liability at a time when Europe’s allies need clarity.
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends the EU-Japan summit in Brussels in July 2023. Economic cooperation between the EU, Japan and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is showing promise but faces political and structural hurdles that could limit progress.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2025
EU-CPTPP talks highlight shared goals and stubborn obstacles
EU economic cooperation with Japan and the CPTPP shows promise but could face political and structural hurdles that limit progress.
A person wears a mask depicting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on the back of the head during the Budapest Pride March on June 28.
WORLD / Society
Jul 7, 2025
Inside Budapest Pride: How organizers defied Orban's ban
The team behind the parade in Budapest went offline, meeting in private behind closed doors with everyone leaving their laptops and phones outside.
A front-page article from July 1950 reported that Kyoto's historic Kinkakuji had been "totally razed" in a fire.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Jul 5, 2025
Japan Times 1950: Kyoto’s ‘Golden Temple’ burns to the ground
The historic Kinkakuji was destroyed in an act of arson in July 1950, a shocking event that would serve as the inspiration for a novel by Yukio Mishima.
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.
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.
A tourist holding an umbrella to protect himself from the sun walks at Trocadero square next to the Eiffel Tower as an early summer heat wave hits Paris on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jul 1, 2025
France shuts schools as heat wave grips Europe
The Mediterranean Sea was up to 6 degrees Celsius warmer than usual for the time of year.
German Ambassador to Japan Petra Sigmund says that Tokyo and Berlin "face similar security challenges," and that they must "invest in defense, deterrence and diplomacy alike."
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2025
‘No time to lose’: Germany aims to boost defense-industrial ties with Japan
Berlin’s ambassador to Tokyo says her country is looking to quickly ramp up cooperation amid a growing Russian threat.
People buy ice cream in Rome, near the Vatican, on Saturday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jun 29, 2025
Europe bakes in summer's first heatwave as continent warms
According to Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Europe has been warming at roughly twice the global average since the 1980s.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stands next to U.S. President Donald Trump as alliance leaders pose for a group photo during a NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 25, 2025
NATO lines up ‘big success’ for Trump with new defense spending target
The new target for NATO member nations could give more ammunition to the U.S. in its calls for Japan to spend more money on defense.
Migrants are rescued from a wooden boat by Doctors Without Borders in international waters off the coast of Tunisia in the central Mediterranean Sea in July 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 24, 2025
Hard EU line on migration rose from the ashes of compassion
A decade ago, the image of a 3-year-old Syrian boy washed up dead on a beach prompted an outpouring of emotion and renewed commitments to take in refugees.
An employee welds lithium batteries in Verrieres-en-Anjou, western France, on June 10.
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2025
Europe's lithium quest hampered by China and lack of cash
The bloc's broader energy security and climate goals could depend on securing a steady supply of the key mineral, used in batteries and other clean energy supply chains.
The Russian military is preparing for a war of attrition, Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in Kyiv on Saturday.
WORLD
Jun 23, 2025
Ukraine says Russia not winding down and now eyeing Europe
Russia is "preparing new military operations on European territory,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
An Iraqi woman walks past a portrait of Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani (left), and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during protest march in the Kadhimiya district of Baghdad on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 23, 2025
Iran stands alone against Trump and Israel, stripped of allies
Following the U.S. bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities, its partners in Russia and China are sitting on the sidelines, while its proxies are unable or unwilling to join the fray.
Military personnel secure the perimeter around the World Forum hosting the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 21, 2025
Can NATO keep Trump on-message about Russia threat?
When leaders from NATO's 32 countries gather for a summit in The Hague, most want to send a clear message: Russia is the main threat to their alliance.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez addresses the media in Madrid on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 20, 2025
Spain risks derailing NATO summit by resisting 5% defense spending goal
At an estimated 1.28% of GDP, Spain had the lowest proportion of expenditure on defense in the alliance last year, according to NATO estimates.
Mourners attend a funeral for those killed in Israeli strikes, in Qazvin, Iran, on Thursday.
WORLD
Jun 20, 2025
Israel-Iran air war enters second week as Europe pushes diplomacy
The role of the United States remains uncertain. The White House said on Thursday President Trump would decide in the next two weeks whether to get involved in the war.
The Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Fiumicino, near Rome, in 2024
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2025
Airfares from Western Europe to United States drop amid pullback in U.S. travel
In March, travel to the United States from Western Europe fell 17% year-over-year, according to U.S. data
Jeremy Allaire, chief executive officer of Circle Internet Financial (center) celebrates during the company's initial public offering on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 5.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 18, 2025
A digital dollar is a trade war weapon, and Europe may be a primary target
Stablecoins could serve to entrench the existing tech and monetary order dominated by the U.S., as 95% of them are dollar-denominated. The euro commands less than 1%.

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