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July 01, 2026
 

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MIDDLE EAST

The Stroud crude oil rail terminal in Stroud, Oklahoma. The price of benchmark Brent oil has fallen below its prewar closing price.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 25, 2026
Brent oil erases wartime gains as Hormuz reopening boosts supply
The global benchmark pushed lower for a fourth session, dropping below $72.48 a barrel — its pre-war closing price — before fluctuating around that level.
Japanese liquefied natural gas-related stocks stand to benefit from the Middle East supply risk.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 25, 2026
Japan’s LNG stocks seen to benefit from Middle East supply risk
The country’s firms are an indispensable part of every stage in the LNG supply chain, which includes plant contractors and turbine suppliers.
People drive past an anti-U.S. billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran on May 17.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 24, 2026
Trump and Iran at odds over nuclear inspections and frozen assets
The two countries also offered conflicting accounts about ​financial incentives, the Strait of Hormuz and Israel’s parallel war in Lebanon.
Hitoshi Nagasawa, president of the Japanese Shipowners' Association, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2026
Japan shipping industry sees safety as key to Hormuz navigation
All ships will likely resume navigation once hostilities have fully ended and details of mine removal operations are confirmed, Nippon Yusen chair Hitoshi Nagasawa added.
The Iranian capital Tehran on Monday, when the United States temporarily suspended sanctions on Iranian oil after Vice President JD Vance said Iran would allow UN nuclear inspectors to return to the country following talks in Switzerland.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 23, 2026
Unraveling U.S. sanctions on Iran unlikely to be quick or easy
At issue is whether an interim U.S. deal with Iran can translate into lasting economic relief.
An Iranian flag flutters in the wind near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran, on May 16.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 23, 2026
Iran oil waiver offers lifeline to Tehran as talks proceed
Hanging over the delicate discussions is the status of the Strait of Hormuz and the continued fighting in Lebanon.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance (back right) looks on next to U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner (back center), as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi shakes hands with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif before the start of a quadrilateral meeting between the U.S., Iran, Pakistan, and Qatar aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict, at the Buergenstock resort near Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 22, 2026
U.S. and Iran make ‘major progress’ in talks aimed at lasting peace deal
Plenty of obstacles remain, however, including Israel’s war in Lebanon against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group.
The J-20S (right) and J-35A stealth fighter jets are exhibited at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, China, in November 2024.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2026
In selling arms, China is still no superpower
In fact, China’s strategy of avoiding military entanglements and binding security commitments is one of the reasons why it struggles to break through in the export market.
Applicants for overseas domestic work train at Right Focus Training Center in Manila in March.
WORLD
Jun 22, 2026
Iran war puts $124 billion Persian Gulf remittance lifeline at risk
Migrant workers in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries sent an estimated $124 billion home in 2024, supporting families from Asia and the broader Middle East to Africa.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to attend the Group of Seven summit, in Evian, France, on June 15.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 21, 2026
Trump’s fears about economy undercut U.S. leverage in Iran talks
U.S. President Donald Trump cited the prospect of global economic collapse as a big reason he signed an interim peace deal. That could cost him in talks.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance disembarks Marine Two as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Saturday before traveling to Switzerland for talks with Iran.
WORLD
Jun 21, 2026
U.S. and Iran set for new talks with status of Hormuz in question
U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland on Sunday for peace talks with Iran as both nations seek a durable end to their war.
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, last October.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 21, 2026
Meloni’s spat with Trump shows readiness to risk a bigger fight
In just 24 hours, Meloni has done three things that some U.S. allies may have thought privately, but never said publicly.
People cross the street past a large billboard showing portraits of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (left) and his slain successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in central Tehran on June 8.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jun 20, 2026
Iranian Guard’s business empire to win big if U.S. sanctions lifted
As the two sides eye a deal to end the war that could unlock billions of dollars ​for Iran, the elite Revolutionary Guard is poised to be one of the biggest beneficiaries.
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from the city of Nabatieh on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 20, 2026
Trump envoy and Iranian minister head to Switzerland for talks
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday after escalating fighting cast doubt over U.S.-Iran talks.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 20, 2026
For U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Iran talks could shape political rise
The Iran war discussions are a high-risk scenario for ​all sides in the conflict, the broader Middle East, and for Vance’s political ambitions.
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 19, 2026
U.S. and Iran delay start of nuclear talks as Lebanon clashes resume
The foreign ministry of Switzerland, where talks are to be held, announced on Friday morning that they were “postponed,” without giving a reason.
All Japan-linked vessels ​carrying ‌Japanese crew members have now evacuated the Gulf, Japan's Foreign Ministry ‌said.
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2026
Japan-owned vessel passed through Strait of Hormuz on Friday
All Japan-linked vessels ​carrying ‌Japanese crew members have now evacuated the Gulf, the Foreign Ministry said.
Bank of Japan Deputy Gov. Ryozo Himino warns that the central bank could be forced to conduct more rapid interest rate hikes later on if it is late with necessary adjustments.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 19, 2026
BOJ’s Himino sees risk of price trend rising above 2% target
The central bank deputy governor warned that it could be forced to conduct more rapid interest rate hikes later on if it is late with necessary adjustments.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shows off the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding in Tehran on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2026
This U.S.-Iran MOU will likely be a ‘memorandum of misunderstanding’
In conclusion, this MOU is, at best, a product of compromise, if not a failure.
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as the portrait of former U.S. President Barack Obama can be seen in the background, at the White House in Washington on June 26, 2025.
WORLD / Politics / EXPLAINER
Jun 19, 2026
How Trump’s deal with Iran compares to Obama’s
Trump’s critics say at this point he has gotten much less and given up much more to Tehran.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.

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

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