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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at a news conference in the White House in Washington on Tuesday.

WORLD / Politics

May 6, 2026

Rubio calls Hormuz resolution a test for U.N., urges against vetoes

Russia and China vetoed a previous U.S.-backed Bahraini resolution that appeared to open a path to legitimize U.S. military action against Iran.

A residential building damaged during a March 4 strike in Tehran on April 14

WORLD / Politics

Apr 20, 2026

Allies fear a rushed U.S.-Iran framework deal could backfire, leaving technical deadlock

Mistrust and different negotiating styles raise the risk of a fragile framework neither side can sustain politically, diplomats with past experience dealing with Tehran said.

A U.S. Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft is seen damaged following an Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia in this picture obtained from social media released on March 29.

WORLD / Politics

Apr 7, 2026

Russian satellite imagery used by Iran to target U.S. forces, Ukraine reports

Military bases and headquarters were targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones within days of being surveyed by Russian satellites, the assessment says.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Davos, Switzerland, in January. As recently as February, Rutte had dismissed the idea of Europe defending itself without the U.S. as a "silly thought."

WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS

Apr 3, 2026

Trump’s anger over Iran thrusts NATO into fresh crisis

Angered that European countries have not sent their navies to open the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. President Donald Trump declared he is considering withdrawing from the alliance.

French President Emmanuel Macron chairs a video conference of G7 leaders in Paris on March 11 to discuss the impact on the world economy of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

WORLD / Politics

Mar 26, 2026

G7 chief envoys meet amid deepening conflicts and erratic U.S. policy shifts

Allies and adversaries alike have spent the past year scrambling to respond to abrupt moves by Washington.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addresses delegates during a session at the Bundestag in Berlin on Wednesday.

WORLD / Politics

Mar 19, 2026

‘Not our war’: Europe says no to Trump

European leaders have rejected direct involvement in U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran, wary of getting sucked into an unpredictable conflict.

About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has dropped by 97% since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began on Feb. 28, according to United Nations data.

BUSINESS / Economy / EXPLAINER

Mar 14, 2026

Why is it so easy for Iran to shut the Strait of Hormuz?

About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the strait, where traffic has dropped by 97% since the Iran conflict began.

French President Emmanuel Macron (center) meets the crew of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle deployed in the Mediterranean Sea following Iranian drone strikes on Cyprus, on Monday.

WORLD

Mar 10, 2026

France to deploy almost a dozen warships and mull Hormuz mission, Macron says

European states have been largely sidelined as the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has escalated, and they are grappling with how to defend their interests.

Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy soldiers wave Chinese flags next to a model of a military vehicle carrying anti-ship missiles during an event ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the country's navy, in Qingdao, China, in April 2019.

WORLD

Feb 25, 2026

Iran nears deal to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles from China

A deployment of the CM-302 missiles would significantly enhance Iran’s strike capabilities and pose a threat to U.S. naval forces in the region, experts said.

People walk past an anti-U.S. billboard in Tehran on Jan. 26.

WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS

Feb 21, 2026

U.S. and Iran slide toward conflict as military buildup eclipses talks

Two Israeli officials said they believe the gaps between Washington and Tehran are unbridgeable and that the chances of a near-term military escalation are high.

A Danish soldier stands at a checkpoint in the harbor of Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 26.

WORLD

Feb 16, 2026

Europe aims to rely less on U.S. defense after Trump’s Greenland push

In another sign of the nervousness surrounding U.S. security commitments, Merz said he had ‌begun talks with Macron about a European nuclear deterrence.

A Ukrainian soldier shoots during training at an undisclosed location in the country's Zaporizhzhia region on Jan. 30.

WORLD

Feb 7, 2026

U.S. aims for March peace deal in Ukraine followed by quick elections

Sources say that timeline is likely to slip given a lack of agreement between Russia and Ukraine on the key issue of territory.

Members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps salute during a military parade in Tehran in September 2019. The European Union has designated the Guard a terrorist organization.

WORLD / Politics

Jan 30, 2026

EU designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization in policy shift

A brutal crackdown on a nationwide protest movement in Iran earlier this month, killing thousands, increased momentum ‌for the move.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday

WORLD / FOCUS

Jan 23, 2026

‘Trump whisperer’ Rutte steers NATO around Greenland crisis

The NATO chief’s strategy with Donald Trump is not subtle — it is built on lavishing praise on the U.S. president even as other European leaders grow increasingly critical.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left), French President Emmanuel Macron (center) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a news conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the Coalition of the Willing summit on security guarantees for Ukraine in Paris on Tuesday.

WORLD / Politics

Jan 7, 2026

U.S. backs security guarantees for Ukraine at summit of Kyiv’s allies in Paris

Talks to bring the almost four-year war to an ‌end have accelerated since November.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual end-of-year news conference, in Moscow on Friday.

WORLD / Politics

Dec 20, 2025

U.S. intelligence indicates Putin’s war aims in Ukraine are unchanged

The reports present a starkly different picture from that painted by U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukraine peace negotiators.

A model of a Future Combat Air System (SCAF), a European aircraft developed by France, Germany and Spain is displayed during the 54th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris on June 19, 2023.

WORLD / Politics

Nov 26, 2025

France and Germany step up pressure on arms firms to resolve fighter impasse

The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) has been mired in disputes between Airbus and France’s Dassault Aviation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint press conference with Greece’s prime minister following their meeting in Athens, on Sunday.

WORLD / Politics

Nov 17, 2025

Zelenskyy in France to seal air-defense and warplane deals

The Ukrainian president is in Paris for talks with Emmanuel Macron as heavy Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine have increased in recent weeks.

An Iranian woman walks in front of a billboard depicting slain Lebanese Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah (center), his successor Hashem Safieddine (right) and the late Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, in Tehran on Sunday.

WORLD / Politics

Sep 29, 2025

Iran’s clerical leaders face existential crisis amid nuclear deadlock

The United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran on Saturday.

A banner stating, "If they commit any acts of evil, they will definitely get a harder blow back," is displayed in Tehran in April.

WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS

Sep 28, 2025

‘Snapback’ sends West back to the drawing board on Iran’s nuclear program

Despite a last-minute rush of diplomatic activity at the U.N., Iran has done little to stop the sanctions from going back into effect.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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

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