- 6h ago
Japan and US launch first joint yen intervention since 2011 to halt slide to 40-year low
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama will announce Monday that Tokyo and Washington took coordinated action in currency markets after the yen hit its weakest since 1986. Analysts estimate Japan sold somewhere between about $53 billion and $59 billion, and the US Treasury told banks to prepare for further steps.
- 2d ago
Alphabet pulls Earth AI image tool after 24 hours as users fabricate warzone and disaster scenes
Users generated fake aerial scenes of a nuclear facility in Iran, a bombed Moscow, and a plane crashing into a Manhattan skyscraper, all layered onto real coordinates inside Google Earth. Google reversed the feature on Friday while it works on stronger guardrails.
- 3d ago
Bank of Japan holds rate at 1%, warns it could accelerate hikes as yen intervention talks intensify
Governor Kazuo Ueda said the central bank could speed up interest rate increases after keeping borrowing costs steady, while Japan and the US appeared to coordinate on propelling the yen higher.
- 5d ago
Japan quake death toll reaches 35; search continues at collapsed mall with rescue dogs amid heat wave
Rescuers used sniffer dogs on Friday to search the collapsed Aeon Mall in Kashima, where seven workers died in a post-quake explosion, as the confirmed toll from Tuesday's magnitude 7.1 quake in Kumamoto prefecture climbed to 35.
- 5d ago
Seven & i abandons Żabka takeover after price disagreement, shares plunge 14%
Japanese retail giant Seven & i Holdings ended talks to buy a stake in Polish convenience chain Żabka, citing inability to agree on terms. The stock fell as much as 14% on Monday, erasing gains from the takeover speculation.
- 5d ago
Global tech rout deepens as KOSPI plunges 10.8%, AI spending fears rattle markets
South Korea's benchmark index suffered its worst session in months, triggering a trading halt, as fears over AI infrastructure spending and Chinese competition rippled through global markets.
- 6d ago
Italy's fourth heatwave pushes red-alert cities to 25, with 41°C peaks and no relief until 8 August
The health ministry's maximum alert covers 25 of 27 monitored cities on 3 August, with Terni hitting 41°C and Rome nearing 40°C. No significant cooling is expected before 8 August.
- 6d ago
Keigo Higashino, Japanese crime writer and author of The Devotion of Suspect X, dies at 68
The author of over 100 works, including the award-winning The Devotion of Suspect X, died of colorectal cancer on 23 July. His funeral was held privately, publisher Kodansha announced on Monday.
- 6d ago
Oil prices fall below $90 after US pauses strikes on Iran, markets steady
Brent crude fell as much as 7% to under $90 a barrel after two nights without US attacks on Iran, while Tehran signalled it would also pause. Asian markets were mixed, with Seoul ending lower, and European futures pointed up.
- Jul 27
Lyles cramps out of 200m, Kaalund wins US title; Jefferson-Wooden clocks 21.69 at nationals
Noah Lyles pulled up with a cramp in the 200m final at the US championships in New York, handing the title to Garrett Kaalund, while Melissa Jefferson-Wooden cruised to a 21.69 victory in the women's race.
- Jul 24
Trump imposes 10–12.5% tariffs on 60 trading partners, citing forced labour, as temporary levy expires
The United States will impose tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on imports from about 60 trading partners at midnight Washington time, replacing a temporary 10% levy that expires on 24 July 2026. The move invokes Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, citing forced labour in supply chains.
- Jul 21
Japan protests China's first live-fire drill in its EEZ as Russian frigate looks on
A Chinese destroyer conducted a machine gun test 180 km southwest of Okinotori island early Sunday, with a Russian frigate nearby. Tokyo filed a diplomatic protest, calling the drill a danger to navigation.
- Jul 18
England beat Argentina 31-24 in chaotic Nations Championship clash despite four yellow cards
England overcame four yellow cards and a late Argentina surge to win 31-24 in Santiago del Estero, with Ben Earl scoring twice and the TMO denying the hosts a dramatic finish.
- Jul 18
France beat Japan 42-15 in Tokyo to top Nations Championship group, with doubles from Jalibert and Lamothe
Six tries, including doubles from Matthieu Jalibert and Maxime Lamothe, powered France to a 42-15 victory over Japan at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday, securing top spot in the northern hemisphere group of the Nations Championship.
- Jul 17
Apple briefly overtakes Nvidia as world's most valuable company amid AI sentiment shift
Apple's market value edged past Nvidia's on Friday, reaching $4.88 trillion, as investors reassess AI spending and reward the iPhone maker's lower capital expenditure approach.
- Jul 17
Japan's parliament keeps throne male-only, adopts distant relatives to rescue the imperial line
Japan's parliament revised the Imperial House Law on Friday to allow the adoption of distant male relatives and let princesses keep their status after marriage, but left the ban on female succession intact despite polls showing over 70% public support for a woman on the throne.
- Jul 14
Global chip stocks plunge into bear market as AI doubts and US-Iran strikes rattle investors
Semiconductor shares tumbled worldwide, dragging the Philadelphia index down 11% for the week and pushing Japan's Nikkei into correction, while escalating US-Iran clashes lifted oil prices.
- Jul 14
WA denies reported Russian spy hub, plans tighter intel coordination
A New York Times investigation has revealed that dozens of Russian intelligence operatives expelled from Europe are now active in Japan, exploiting weak espionage laws to feed Moscow's war effort in Ukraine.
- Jul 12
France overturns 21-12 deficit to beat Australia 42-26, rises to second in Northern Hemisphere standings
The French scored 30 unanswered points in the second half at Suncorp Stadium to claim a bonus-point 42-26 win, climbing to second in the Northern Hemisphere table behind Ireland.
- Jul 11
Japan flies reusable RV-X rocket for the first time, a 40-second hop that lands intact at Noshiro
The RV-X prototype lifted off, hovered, moved laterally, and landed at JAXA's Noshiro Testing Center on Saturday, placing Japan among the few nations to demonstrate rocket reuse technology.
