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March 31, 2025
 

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John Irish
European leaders pose for a family photo during a meeting on Ukraine at Elysee Palace in Paris on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 28, 2025
Europeans back strong Ukraine army but differ on future 'reassurance force'
Progress on what role Europe might play in providing peacetime security guarantees is proving difficult with the prospect of a ceasefire distant.
France's President Emmanuel Macron (second from left) shakes hands with Ukraine's Colonel General Ruslan Khomchak, First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, at the Musee de la Marine, in Paris on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 12, 2025
In rare meeting without U.S., Western army chiefs meet to show Ukraine unity
The talks aimed, in part, to assess options and capabilities to guarantee Ukraine's security in the event of a ceasefire.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with the media on his military airplane as he flies to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 11, 2025
U.S. wants no G7 Russia antagonism as allies fear blockage
The U.S. opposes language in a joint document that could harm its efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
France's President Emmanuel Macron addresses the media during a news conference at the end of a Special European Council to discuss continued support for Ukraine and European defense at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / EXPLAINER
Mar 7, 2025
How realistic is France's offer to extend its nuclear umbrella?
France has only a fraction of the number of airborne nuclear weapons the U.S. can provide, and any upgrade of its systems would be costly.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters in Washington on Tuesday morning. Vance’s comments on the Anglo-French proposal to protect Ukraine have sparked criticism in Britain.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 5, 2025
JD Vance denies disrespecting U.K. and France over Ukraine peacekeeping force
Vance's comments caused politicians in both countries to say he was dishonoring troops killed fighting alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer before an informal summit of European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine and European security at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 18, 2025
Europe talks up more defense spending as Ukraine peacekeeper plan divides
The leaders also said they were ready to provide security guarantees to Kyiv "depending on the level of American support."
A Syrian fighter with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham patrols the gate as men wait outside a reconciliation center in Damascus on Dec. 30.
WORLD
Jan 11, 2025
Western powers warn Syria over foreign jihadis in army
HTS and allied groups have hundreds of foreign fighters in their ranks, many of them followers of hard-line interpretations of Islam.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi (left) meets the deputy chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, upon his arrival at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024
Europe pushes for resolution against Iran at IAEA, diplomats say
Such resolutions risk further diplomatic tension with Iran.
French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte deliver statements during their meeting in Paris on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024
NATO chief warns of threat from Russian ties with China, Iran and North Korea
The warning appeared to be a message to the next U.S. administration as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.
Ukrainian service members rest in a dugout near the front-line city of Toretsk, Ukraine, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 30, 2024
As U.S. election nears, Europe worries over impact on Ukraine war and NATO
A Donald Trump win remains a concern given his strong criticism of the military alliance and his ambivalent view of Kyiv's fight against Russia's invasion.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands on the day of a bilateral meeting inside 10 Downing Street in London on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 11, 2024
Zelenskyy outlines 'victory plan' to allies and discusses long-range weapons
The Ukrainian leader is keen for the West to give further support to try to change the balance on the battlefield ahead of a U.S. presidential election and winter.
Houthi fighters march in a parade during a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Houthi takeover in Sanaa, Yemen, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 25, 2024
Iran brokering talks to send advanced Russian missiles to Yemen's Houthis, sources say
Seven sources said that Russia has yet to decide to transfer the Yakhont missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others at a position of Ukrainian servicemen in the town of Kupiansk last November.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 13, 2024
Being Volodymyr Zelenskyy: How war has changed Ukraine's leader
His ambition when he was elected in 2019 had been to help Ukraine become a modern democracy, before that was shattered by Russia's invasion in 2022.
French President Emmanuel Macron holds a press conference on the sidelines of the NATO 75th anniversary summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 12, 2024
Macron tries to reassure NATO allies despite French political limbo
Behind the scenes, French President Emmanuel Macron was keen to tell allies the result of the parliamentary election was not as bad as had been feared.
The effort by the United Kingdom, France and Germany to ramp up pressure was also visible this week at the International Atomic Energy Agency, where they successfully pushed a resolution critical of Iran despite U.S. reservations.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 7, 2024
Europeans detail Iran's nuclear violations in diplomatic gambit
The move by Britain, France and Germany is said to be aimed at pressuring Tehran into resolving the issue diplomatically.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Orthodox Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
May 7, 2024
U.S. and most EU nations to boycott Putin's inauguration over Ukraine war
France and some other EU states were expected to send an envoy despite a plea by Kyiv.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 5, 2024
NATO allies aim to send more air defense aid to Ukraine but make no concrete pledges
The alliance's 75th anniversary has been overshadowed by the war on its borders.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presents the alliance's annual report at NATO headquarters in Brussels on March 14.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 3, 2024
NATO ministers mull €100 billion military fund for Ukraine
The plans will be discussed during a two-day meeting in Brussels.
A screen at the headquarters of the Central Election Commission in Moscow shows the preliminary results of Russia's presidential election on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 19, 2024
West decries Putin's reelection while China and India vow closer ties
The contrasting reactions underscore the geopolitical fault lines that have gaped wider since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
French President Emmanuel Macron's comments fitted with his reputation as a diplomatic disruptor who likes to break taboos and challenge conventional thinking.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 28, 2024
Macron's Ukraine troop talk shakes up NATO allies
The French president's idea of possibly sending troops to Ukraine was so ambiguous that he sparked confusion and irritation among some allies.
Japan's biggest beef bowl chain Sukiya to shut nearly 2,000 stores after rat and bug contamination
Zensho Holdings, operator of fast-food chain Sukiya, said it will close all of its stores in Japan, except for a small number in shopping centers, between Monday and Friday following recent contamination incidents.
School-age suicides in Japan hit all-time high
A volunteer handles an incoming call at the Tokyo Befrienders call center, a suicide hotline center in Japan's capital.
Japan considers all possible options as Trump threatens new auto tariffs
Subaru cars awaiting export at a port in Yokohama on Thursday.
In Tokyo, Pentagon chief provides assurances that Japan-U.S. alliance remains robust
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (left) and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo ahead of their talks Sunday.
Alert raised for volcano in southwestern Japan
Shinmoedake, a volcano located between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, in November 2019
Recent spate of wildfires in Japan and South Korea linked to climate change
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.
Hanami season to have record ¥1.39 trillion economic impact on Japan
Cherry blossoms along a road in Tokyo on Tuesday. The 2025 cherry blossom season is expected to have an economic impact of around ¥1.39 trillion on Japan.
Rise and shine with ‘The Wakey Show’
“The Wakey Show” is NHK’s first new daily children’s program in three years, and it carries on the station’s storied past in youth-centric educational entertainment.
Tokyo Series proves to be big business for MLB — and Japanese companies
An advertisement featuring Shohei Ohtani in Tokyo.
New SDF command will be key for contingency planning, Australian commander says
A Maritime Self-Defense Force SH-60K "Super Auk" from JS Shiranui prepares to land on HMAS Brisbane during Exercise Malabar 2023 while off the coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone. 
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
By Johan Brooks

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