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July 12, 2026
 

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MIDDLE EAST

Real gross domestic product rose 2.1% on an annualized basis in the first quarter, according to a Cabinet Office report on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 19, 2026
Faster economic growth supports BOJ’s case for hike
Real gross domestic product rose 2.1% on an annualized basis in the first quarter, according to a Cabinet Office report.
A man brings an empty liquefied petroleum gas canister to a depot in New Delhi on Monday. India is the second-largest importer of LPG in the world and is suffering acute shortages of the fuel, used in cooking gas and industrial processes.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 19, 2026
How India’s cooking fuel shortage is driving up California’s gas prices
Both symptoms of the worst-ever energy supply disruption, they are directly connected and evidence of the effects across the global economy of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
A street in Tehran on Monday. "Surrender is fundamentally incompatible with Iran's identity," one senior Iranian official said.
WORLD / Politics
May 19, 2026
Growing risk of fresh conflict in Middle East as deadlock and pain deepen
The concern among policymakers is not whether a deal is near, but how long tensions can persist before a miscalculation triggers renewed hostilities.
A tourist watches the MT Desert Kite oil tanker carrying Russian oil in the Arabian Sea, Gujarat, India, on March 11.
WORLD / Politics
May 19, 2026
U.S. extends sanctions waiver on Russian oil to aid vulnerable countries
The action marks the second time the Treasury has allowed the sanctions waiver to lapse and subsequently extended it.
A woman walks past an anti-U.S. billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
May 19, 2026
Trump says he paused attack on Iran as negotiations continue
An Iranian source said the U.S. may agree to release some of Tehran’s frozen funds and show more flexibility toward peaceful nuclear activity under supervision of the IAEA.
ANA President and CEO Koji Shibata speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on April 30.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2026
Japanese firms post AI-driven rosy profits, but Iran woes remain
Many companies opted not to reflect the impact of the conflict in their earnings projections, as it could affect various aspects such as procurement, manufacturing and consumer sentiment.
Cargo ships in the Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, on March 11
BUSINESS / Economy
May 18, 2026
Iran war saddles global companies with $25 billion bill — and counting
Businesses are grappling with soaring energy prices, fractured supply chains and trade routes severed by Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during an Upper House budget committee meeting on May 11.
JAPAN / Politics
May 18, 2026
Takaichi calls for extra budget amid Middle East shock
The planned supplementary budget is expected to function as an emergency relief measure rather than a broad economic stimulus program.
A ship remains anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
U.S. and Iran far from Hormuz deal as Trump says clock is ticking
Iranian threats on shipping in the Persian Gulf have brought the region’s energy exports to a near-standstill, giving Tehran significant leverage in talks with the U.S.
Leaders and other officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 48th ASEAN summit in Cebu, Philippines, on May 8.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2026
Why ASEAN chose silence amid the growing Gulf crisis
In Cebu, much of the summit’s energy went into drafting a statement broad enough to avoid offending any member state.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a dinner event in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on May 11.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 16, 2026
Trump’s geopolitical brinkmanship has hit a wall with Iran
The continuing impasse with Iran comes as Trump faces domestic pressure over high U.S. gasoline prices and his own low approval ratings.
A Palestinian boy inspects the site of an Israeli strike in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
May 16, 2026
U.S. may ask Israel to put Palestinian tax money toward Trump’s Gaza plan
The prospect of the Palestinians’ own tax money being repurposed toward Trump’s Gaza rebuilding plan could further sideline the Palestinian Authority.
Smoke rises behind buildings following an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Tyre, in Lebanon, on Friday.
WORLD
May 16, 2026
Israel and Lebanon say extending ceasefire despite new strikes
Envoys from Israel and Lebanon’s government met for two days in Washington and said they would extend the ceasefire that was set to expire Sunday.
U.S. President Donald Trump inspects a guard of honor during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.
WORLD
May 15, 2026
Trump says he is losing patience with Iran after talks with China’s Xi
Talks aimed at ending the conflict have stalled, with Iran refusing to end its nuclear program or relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium.
A Volkswagen e-Golf charges at a kiosk outside an elementary school in Escondido, California. A group of corporate bosses and senior bankers has issued a report underlining how clean energy systems are structurally immune to the type of shock caused by the current Middle East crisis.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
May 15, 2026
Clean energy seen as ‘structurally immune’ to Hormuz-style shock
The war in Iran may ultimately strengthen the case for renewables.
A man fuels up his vehicle at a gas station during a gas giveaway event in Chicago last month. More than 6 in 10 Americans say their household's finances have taken a hit from higher gas prices, according to a poll taken in May.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2026
White House scrambles for gas-price relief as Iran war drags on
Gasoline prices are averaging more than $4.50 a gallon nationwide, and historically, $4 per gallon has been a level that triggers public backlash and economic anxiety.
Pokka, Sapporo’s flagship soft-drinks brand, is central to its overseas beverages business.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2026
Sapporo halts exports of Pokka brand to Middle East
Pokka, Sapporo’s flagship soft-drinks brand, is central to its overseas beverages business.
The Reserve Bank of India headquarters in Mumba on April 8
BUSINESS / Economy
May 14, 2026
War turmoil saps Asian reserves with Philippines and India hit most
The slide in reserves adds to evidence that Asia has been one of the biggest losers from the Middle East conflict due to its reliance on energy imports.
Fighters with the Kurdistan Workers' Party line up during a disarmament ceremony marking a significant step toward ending the decades-long conflict between Turkey and the outlawed group in the Qandil mountains, Iraq, on Oct. 26, 2025.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2026
Iran war throws wrench in peace process between Turkey and Kurdish militants
Ankara and the ‌Kurdistan Workers’ ‌Party have dug in to watch the fallout of the Iran war, each refusing to move next and stalling ​efforts to end the four-decade conflict.
F-15SA fighter jets in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 25, 2017. The Saudi strikes on Iraq were carried out by Saudi ‌air force fighter ‌jets on Iran-linked militia targets near the kingdom's northern border with Iraq, one Western official says.
WORLD
May 14, 2026
Saudi warplanes struck militias in Iraq during war, sources say
The strikes are part of a broader pattern of military responses around the Persian Gulf that stayed mostly hidden during a conflict that began with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
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.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
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.

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
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