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July 09, 2026
 

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Joe Wertz
A woman uses an umbrella to protect herself from the sun during a heat wave in Valencia, Spain, on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 8, 2026
Europe’s third major heat wave raises grid and water risks
The latest spell of hot weather is being driven by a high-pressure heat dome, similar to the one that shattered records across much of the continent last month.
Scorched land following a wildfire in the village of San Vicente de Leira, in Galicia, Spain, on Aug. 21
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 5, 2025
How Europe lost an area the size of Cyprus to wildfires this year
Climate change is playing a major role in Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent, as searing heat and drought fueled this summer’s blazes.
Four units at the Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France were shut down on Monday due to the "massive and unforeseeable presence of jellyfish" in the pumping stations for the water used to cool the reactors.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 12, 2025
Jellyfish shut down French nuclear reactors as heat wave builds
A marine heat wave, like the one intensifying off the west coast of France, can help jellyfish populations “bloom,” and several beaches have been closed due to their invasion.
Trees burn during a wildfire near in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse in southern France on Wednesday.
WORLD
Aug 7, 2025
Deadly wildfires in southwest France burn area larger than Paris
The fire, which has killed one, has cut power to thousands of homes and is being tackled by around 2,100 firefighters assisted by aircraft.
A marine heat wave has led to boom in the octopus population.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Jun 3, 2025
Octopus invasion in English Channel flags marine heat wave risks
Warming waters have suited the octopus but when one part of the natural ecosystem changes, there can be knock on effects.
Excavators to be used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to remove debris from homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / FOCUS
Mar 10, 2025
Cascading extreme weather events unleash billions in damages globally
Compound weather, when two or more concurrent events that collectively yield a result worse than if each had occurred on its own, are occurring more frequently.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Long-stalled maglev line finally gets green light from Shizuoka Prefecture
Environmental concerns relating to the construction of Central Japan Railway’s high-speed maglev line had contributed to years of delays for the project.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.

Podcast

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

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Restaurant list highlights Japan’s emerging contours
Restaurant list highlights Japan’s emerging contours

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