Far right eyes Europe vote surge and ditches German AfD

Far-right parties are on the rise in much of Europe, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni senses a big moment.
“We are on the eve of a decisive election,” the Brothers of Italy leader tells a packed hall in Madrid by video link. Marine Le Pen of France’s National Rally is in the front…[Read more]

Macron makes rare state visit to Germany to boost ties, defend democracy

Emmanuel Macron has begun the first state visit to Germany by a French president in 24 years, to boost ties between the two countries and to emphasise the importance of defending democracy against nationalism in upcoming European elections.

“Franco-German relations are i…[Read more]

Gov’t honors war dead at Chidorigafuchi cemetery

The government on Monday held a ceremony to honor the nation’s war dead at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo, where the unidentified remains of Japanese soldiers are interred.

Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Keizo Takemi attended the formal service of remembrance. The imperial family w…[Read more]

High-profile opposition figure Renho to run for Tokyo governor

High-profile opposition lawmaker Renho said Monday she will run in Tokyo’s gubernatorial election in July, setting the stage for a likely showdown with incumbent Yuriko Koike, who is seeking reelection for her third term.

The bid to run for governor by the 56-year-old House of…[Read more]

North Korea fires apparent ballistic missile, not to reach Japan

North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile on Monday, the Japanese government said, with Japan’s J-Alert early warning system indicating the projectile was unlikely to reach Japan.

The incident came after North Korea notified Japan of a plan to launch a…[Read more]

Heavy rains trigger floods in parts of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands

Heavy rains caused flooding in parts of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands overnight into Saturday, swamping streets and buildings and sparking evacuations.

In the southwestern German state of Saarland, streets were deep underwater and images on social media showed…[Read more]

Court confirms German intelligence surveillance of ‘extremist’ AfD

A German court has ruled that domestic security services can continue to treat the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a potentially “extremist” party.

The ruling, delivered on Monday, means that intelligence services retain the right to keep the party under surveil…[Read more]

The statistics behind Leverkusen’s historic unbeaten Bundesliga title win

Bayer Leverkusen sealed a historic unbeaten Bundesliga season as they lifted the title with a 2-1 win against Augsburg on Saturday.

Here are the numbers behind the remarkable run of manager Xabi Alonso’s team in the 2023-24 season:

0: Bayer Leverkusen did not lose onc…[Read more]

Saudi crown prince seeks soft power in game hub Japan

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Japan this week, where he will hold talks on energy while hunting more opportunities in gaming as he seeks to improve Saudi Arabia’s image.

The reputed “Call of Duty” fan has launched a multi-billion-dollar push into the gaming sector — from tiny…[Read more]

Japanese foreign minister retracts controversial childbirth remark

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Sunday retracted her remarks the previous day about the importance of women giving birth, saying her choice of words was liable to cause misunderstanding.

In a campaign speech in support of a Shizuoka gubernatorial election candidate…[Read more]

Locals in central Japan near Mount Fuji count on UFO craze for tourism

Local residents in Yamanashi Prefecture, at the foot of Mount Fuji, are striving to make their city Kofu a tourist magnet with extraterrestrial help from an alien.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of an incident in which two elementary school children claimed to have…[Read more]

Rat parts found in sliced white bread in Japan, sparking recall

A major Japanese food supplier has recalled more than 100,000 packs of a popular brand of sliced white bread after rat parts were found inside some loaves.

The latest scare adds to a raft of food safety scandals plaguing Asia’s second biggest economy, which has a longstanding r…[Read more]

Japan enacts revised law for swift removal of defamatory online posts

Japan’s parliament on Friday enacted an amended law aimed at facilitating the swift removal of defamatory content on social media platforms like Facebook and X with more transparency.

The revised provider liability limitation law mandates the operators of such platforms to set…[Read more]

Germany: Jewish and Muslim communities search for solidarity

Six months of Israeli retaliation in Gaza for the October 7 Hamas terror attacks have put Jewish-Muslim relations in particular peril. Germany’s hypersensitivity to antisemitism adds an extra layer of difficulty.

Violence in the Middle East brings with it a tragic predictability. For…[Read more]

Germany: COVID rule ‘armed resistance’ group to face trial

The Landgericht Koblenz court in western Germany announced on Friday that it had accepted the charges against the trio.

They are accused of forming a group they called “Paladin” that allegedly planned to offer armed resistance to COVID-related “lockdowns” and other restrictions in…[Read more]

Germany: Former Russian consulate targeted by protesters

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it would lodge an official complaint with the German government after six people threatened to take over a building that once served as a Russian consulate in the eastern city of Leipzig.

It said two staff members from the Russian Embassy had…[Read more]

Gaza updates: Germany joins US in hint at Israel arms pause

Germany’s defense minister, visiting the US, said he could “understand” President Biden mooting potential Israeli weapon exports changes. Netanyahu said the country would use its “fingernails” if necessary.

UN General Assembly backs Palestinian bid for membership in symbolic vote
The…[Read more]

Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ keeps baffling experts by waking up. It has shared images from its latest lunar ‘day’

Japan’s “Moon Sniper” lander has defied the odds for a third time, surviving yet another long, frigid lunar night despite not being designed to endure such harsh conditions, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Temper…[Read more]

Toyota posts record ¥4.94 tril net profit

Toyota said Wednesday that it achieved a record net profit of 4.94 trillion yen in the year to March on revenues of 45.1 trillion yen, which was also an all-time high.

But the world’s largest automaker by sales warned net income would fall 27.8 percent this financial year to 3.57 trillion yen because of…[Read more]

Environment minister apologizes for interruption of Minamata victims’ remarks

Japan’s environment minister apologized Wednesday after his officials interrupted remarks by some victims of the Minamata mercury-poisoning disease by muting their microphones at a meeting in Kumamoto Prefecture last week.

“It is regrettable that the microphones were…[Read more]