Germany: Police raids target Eritrean terror group

The nationwide police operation targeted suspected members of the so-called “Brigade N’hamedu” in Germany. The group is believed to have been responsible for violent riots at Eritrean cultural events.

Police in Germany are carrying out a major nationwide raid against opponents of the government…[Read more]

German top court upholds reunification solidarity tax

A judge ruled that Germany’s solidarity tax is still necessary to cope with the costs of reunification. Just 10% of the highest income earners are still subject to the tax, in addition to businesses and investors.

Germany’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday upheld the solidarity tax that was…[Read more]

Window crack found on Tokyo-Osaka bullet train

A window crack on a Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka forced a temporary slowdown, the operator said late Saturday.

A steel plate on communications equipment in a tunnel in central Japan is believed to have detached and hit a window on the No. 16 car of the Nozomi 317 train…[Read more]

Japan hot springs facing water shortages as tourism booms

Hot spring resorts across Japan are facing water shortages as the influx of foreign tourists drives up usage, forcing some onsen to shut down due to inadequate supplies, local authorities say.

Municipalities have restricted new drilling and called for water conservation, though no…[Read more]

Legacy Media Still Trusted in Japan, But Portal Sites Main Source for Latest News

What media do you trust most? The Tokyo-based Kioichō Strategy Institute conducted an online survey of 1,000 people in Japan aged 18 and older to ask this question. The responses, which allowed for multiple answers, showed that traditional media were overwhelmingly…[Read more]

Japanese firm’s rover ends mission on moon, gives up surface exploration

Japanese startup Dymon Co said Saturday its ultra-compact, lightweight rover, which reached the moon aboard a U.S. lander, will not proceed with its planned lunar exploration, bringing its mission to an end.

The Tokyo-based firm’s 498-gram rover, Yaoki, measuring around 14…[Read more]

Japanese university unveils AI program for medical student training

Nagasaki University in southwestern Japan and a local systems development company have unveiled an artificial intelligence program that lets medical students practice interviews with virtual patients on a screen.

The development comes as regional universities struggle to secure…[Read more]

Japan ranks 3rd worst place for working women in 2024 int’l ranking

Japan ranked the third worst place among developed nations for working women for the second year in a row, according to the 2024 index compiled by British magazine The Economist released to mark International Women’s Day on Saturday.

Based on the glass-ceiling index, which…[Read more]

Germany: Hamburg airport cancels flights over sudden strike

Ground staff walked out “without prior notice,” hours before a 24-hour strike was due to begin at a dozen German airports.

Almost all flights to and from Germany’s Hamburg Airport were canceled on Sunday due to a strike by airport workers “without prior notice,” the airport operator…[Read more]

Germany: CDU/CSU alliance and SPD finish preliminary talks

Election winner Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU, its Bavarian sister party CSU, and the Social Democrats (SPD) have taken a major step toward forming a coalition government, the heads of the parties said.

The parties negotiating Germany’s next coalition government have reached an…[Read more]

German election winner Merz moves a step closer to forming government

Conservative bloc and SPD to start full coalition talks as chancellor-in-waiting plans to revive ailing economy

Germany’s conservative election winner, Friedrich Merz, came a step closer on Saturday to forming a government that he says will revive Europe’s top economy and its…[Read more]

Wary of Trump, Germany’s Merz warns it’s ‘five minutes to midnight for Europe’

Germany’s election winner Friedrich Merz warned the United States on Monday against turning its back on allies but also urged Europeans to build up their own defence capabilities, saying it was now “five minutes to midnight for Europe”.
His comments underscored the…[Read more]

UN general assembly backs resolution condemning Russia for Ukraine war

US, Russia, Belarus and North Korea vote against resolution as 93 countries vote in favor, spurning rival US resolution

The United Nations general assembly has backed a resolution drafted by Ukraine and the European Union condemning Russia on the third anniversary of its…[Read more]

A country divided: Five key takeaways from the German election

A detailed look at the results reveals a divided nation increasingly drifting to fringes as dissatisfaction with mainstream parties mounts

German voters yearning for a steady hand in troubled times handed a clear victory to the conservative opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, in…[Read more]

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]

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]