Japan targets 60% emissions cut by 2035 from 2013 levels

Japan set fresh climate targets on Tuesday, pledging to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent in the next decade from 2013 levels.

Under the Paris Agreement, each country is supposed to provide a steeper headline figure to the UN for cutting heat-trapping emissions by 2035, and a…[Read more]

Mizuho Bank says worker stole safe-deposit box valuables in 2019

Mizuho Bank said Tuesday safe-deposit box valuables worth tens of millions of yen belonging to two customers were stolen in 2019 by an employee, following a similar incident reported by another Japanese megabank last year.

Mizuho Bank had not made the incident public “in…[Read more]

Frozen in time: Hospital room preserved since 1945 Tokyo firebombing

Time seems frozen in this severely charred hospital room in Tokyo, left much as it was almost eight decades ago after U.S. B-29 bombers unleashed a firestorm that incinerated vast areas of the Japanese capital.

While workers bustle outside, the small, drafty room remains eerily…[Read more]

Tech titans and government leaders gather in Paris for landmark AI summit

Political and tech leaders convene at the Grand Palais in Paris on Monday for a summit on artificial intelligence co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The goals of the two-day event are to promote ethics and accessibility in…[Read more]

French PM François Bayrou survives another no-confidence vote over social security budget

France’s National Assembly on Monday rejected another no-confidence vote tabled by the left-wing France Unbowed party against the minority government of centrist Prime Minister François Bayrou. Bayrou had used Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass asp…[Read more]

Macron says France will apply ‘Notre Dame strategy’ on AI

President Emmanuel Macron says France will “commit to a clear timeline” and “deliver” on AI development, as Europe risks falling behind the US and China. He likened it to the rapid Notre Dame cathedral rebuild.

On the opening day of an AI summit in Paris co-hosted by India, French…[Read more]

Why more young men in Germany are turning to the far right

“What my parents taught me is that they used to live in peace and calm, without having to have any fear in their own country,” says 19-year-old Nick. “I would like to live in a country where I don’t have to be afraid.”

I meet him in a small bar on a street corner in the ex-mining town of…[Read more]

Germany’s neoliberal FDP’s desperate fight for survival

Germany’s neoliberal Free Democrats have a long history of being junior partner in federal governments. But this year, they may may fail to get into parliament.

The business-oriented, neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) have put campaign posters up across the country reading: “Everything can be…[Read more]

Germany’s ambassador condemns raid on Palestinian bookstore

After Israeli police raided a well-known Palestinian bookstore in east Jerusalem, ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert has said he is “concerned” about the arrest of the owners.

Germany’s ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, has joined diplomats and journalists in condemning a raid by…[Read more]

Efforts continue to clear debris in sinkhole, rescue trapped truck driver

Rescue personnel continued efforts to clear debris in an expanding sinkhole in Saitama Prefecture on Friday in the hope of saving a man trapped as the crucial 72-hour threshold of survival passed.

Preparations continued to install a ramp leading into the sinkhole, now…[Read more]

Japan’s jobless rate in 2024 falls to 2.5%

Japan’s average unemployment rate in 2024 fell 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier to 2.5 percent, as fewer workers were dismissed amid a labor shortage, government data showed Friday.

The average job availability ratio last year fell 0.06 point from the previous year to 1.25, marking the first…[Read more]

Japan records biggest jump in foreign workers in 2024

Japan saw its biggest year-on-year jump in foreign workers since records began, government data showed Friday, as the country seeks to address labor shortages exacerbated by its aging population.

In October 2024, the nation’s foreign workforce stood at 2.3 million — an increase of around…[Read more]

Turkish intel secures release of 5 Thai hostages in Gaza

The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has coordinated with Hamas to secure the release of five Thai hostages on Thursday held in the Gaza Strip, Turkish security sources reported on the same day.

The agency, which has mediated the release of some foreign hostages held in Gaza…[Read more]

Türkiye poised to become a UN humanitarian aid hub

Türkiye is preparing to become a central hub for the United Nations humanitarian aid operations.

While regional crises in Syria, Gaza and Ukraine have underscored its strategic role, Türkiye’s involvement extends beyond its immediate neighbors, playing a key part in peace efforts in Ethi…[Read more]

Türkiye aims to be center of high-tech investments in 2025

Türkiye is striving to establish itself as a global hub for high-tech investments, with significant advancements anticipated in areas ranging from biotechnology to industrial robotics.

In a recent interview with Anadolu Agency, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır de…[Read more]

Germany and Denmark say Europe must toughen up

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned of the threat posed by hybrid warfare from Moscow after an underwater Baltic Sea cable was severed. Scholz was speaking as he met Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

Germany and Denmark’s political leaders met on Tuesday in a show of unity amid concerns…[Read more]

Musk Says Germany Has ‘Too Much of a Focus on Past Guilt’

His comments to the hard-right Alternative for Germany party escalated efforts by the billionaire to influence the country’s election for chancellor next month.

Elon Musk told a gathering of the hard-right Alternative for Germany party this weekend that the country has “too much of a fo…[Read more]

Germany reaffirms support for Denmark in Greenland dispute with Trump

Chancellor Scholz meets with Danish Premier Frederiksen in Berlin, stresses ‘inviolability of borders’ is fundamental principle of international law

Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday reaffirmed Germany’s support for neighboring Denmark in its ongoing dispute with US P…[Read more]

Fire ravages Paris district town hall, leaving spire ‘in danger of collapsing’

A fire in Paris’s 12th district town hall broke out overnight from Sunday to Monday, ravaging the roof and bell tower of the 19th-century building. Paris police prefect Laurent Nunez warned the 36-metre spire was ‘in danger of collapsing’ after firefighters extin…[Read more]

France imported record amount of US crude in November

French crude imports in November included a new high from the US.

Customs data show imports at 4.3mn t (1.04mn b/d), up by 7pc on the year and down from 4.5mn t a month earlier.

Deliveries of US crude were just over 1.25mn t, up from the previous record of slightly more than 1.2mn t in…[Read more]