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July 02, 2026
 

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Alex Wickham
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer walks as he visits a housing development in north London on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 22, 2026
Starmer expected to set out resignation timetable within days
A statement from Starmer conceding power could come as soon as Monday.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts a roundtable meeting for leaders of National Health Service trusts, at No. 10 Downing St. in London on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jun 10, 2026
U.K.’s Starmer to announce social media ban for under-16s in days
Two broad options are being considered: a “blanket” ban on under-16s using social media, or age restrictions on key features of social networks and apps.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits a children’s activity center in Essex, England, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
May 24, 2026
Starmer’s lame duck status risks policymaking paralysis in U.K.
Starmer’s political support has collapsed in the wake of a devastating round of local elections for his governing Labour Party this month.
In the aftermath of this month’s elections, Labour members of Parliament pointed to voters’ dissatisfaction with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as a contributing factor to the party’s performance.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
Labour’s Starmer revolt revives thorny debate over rejoining EU
The development follows heavy losses by the party in local elections earlier this month to the rightwing Reform U.K. and the leftist Green Party.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets construction apprentices during a visit to London South Bank Technical College in London on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2026
U.K.’s Starmer clings on as rivals try to build coup momentum
About 90 Labour Party lawmakers called for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to stand down, saying they believed the governing party needs new leadership.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Paris on April 17. He promised on Saturday he would "listen to voters" after his Labour party received a historic drubbing in local and regional elections.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
May 11, 2026
Starmer’s U.K. rivals circle before make-or-break reset speech
The speech in the wake of the Labour Party’s sweeping defeat in local elections on Thursday is the most consequential event of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s political career.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer steps outside No. 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 25, 2026
Starmer’s rivals need everything to go wrong for him all at once
Labour members of Parliament say a series of events need to take place in quick succession to make the prime minister’s position untenable.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives for a reception at the British Museum to view the final design for the Queen Elizabeth Memorial, on the 100th anniversary of the late queen's birth, in London on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 22, 2026
Mandelson vetting fiasco leaves Starmer looking like lame duck
The chances of a leadership challenge against the British prime minister after local elections in May have increased.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street in central London on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2026
Starmer’s political fate rests with top U.K. official he fired
The fate of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s premiership may rest with Olly Robbins, whom Starmer last week fired as the Foreign Office’s top civil servant.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer boards a plane at an airport in Doha, Qatar, on April 10.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 17, 2026
Starmer in crisis after Mandelson scandal roars back to life
New details about the Starmer’s appointment of the former U.K. ambassador to the U.S. are rekindling doubts about the British prime minister’s grip on power.
An aerial view of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. A U.K. government plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and retain control of the joint U.S.-U.K. military base of Diego Garcia through a lease has been put on hold.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 13, 2026
U.K. government shelves Chagos Islands plan opposed by Trump
The plan involves handing over the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius while retaining control of the joint U.S.-U.K. military base of Diego Garcia through a lease.
As U.S. President Donald Trump launches the first open-ended military campaign of his presidency, Europe's leaders find themselves holding something he needs: their bases, airspace and strategic geography.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 6, 2026
Trump finds he needs Europe now that he’s waging war in Iran
Europe’s bases, airspace and strategic geography are crucial for the first open-ended military campaign of Trump’s presidency,
Anti-drone netting near the front line in Izyum, Ukraine, on Sunday
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 24, 2026
Four years into Putin’s war, the Ukraine peace push is stalling
Allies say the U.S. is pushing for a deal before its 250th anniversary celebrations on July 4. But there’s no hint Russian leader Vladimir Putin is budging on his central demands.
A Starlink satellite-internet communication system antenna and router
WORLD
Feb 19, 2026
Russia’s frontline communications hit by curbs to Starlink and Telegram
Senior European diplomats said that they saw the impact of Russia’s communications struggles as significant.
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping via video link from Moscow on Feb. 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 15, 2026
China expanding aid for Russia’s war, Western officials say
The war couldn’t continue without ongoing Chinese support, particularly the export of dual-use components and critical minerals used in Russian drone production.
A Russian service member aims a weapon while undergoing an intensive combat training course at a firing range in the Rostov region, Russia, on Jan. 19.
WORLD
Feb 12, 2026
Russian war losses now exceed recruitment, Western officials say
Moscow sustained around 9,000 more battlefield losses in Ukraine than it was able to replace last month.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to stay on as leader on Monday, as another top aide quit and he prepared to face lawmakers furious that his government has become embroiled in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 10, 2026
Starmer shores up position for now as U.K. rivals bide time
None of the British prime minister’s potential challengers is said to be ready to launch a bid to replace him.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2026
Starmer’s U.K. premiership teeters on brink after key aide quits
No. 10 officials were bracing for cabinet ministers to privately tell the premier to stand aside or threaten their resignations if he doesn’t.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghai on Friday.
WORLD
Feb 2, 2026
Trump warns U.K. on ‘dangerous’ China moves after Starmer trip
London seeking a reset with Beijing, but the U.K. prime minister has been careful not to present it as an effort to hedge against the U.S. under Trump.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during an interview at Downing Street in London on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2026
Starmer says U.K. won’t be forced to choose between U.S. and China
Starmer’s trip to China comes on the heels of a similar delegation by Canadian counterpart Mark Carney.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
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.
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.
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.
Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized that the government will promote reforms of regulations and systems that fit the artificial intelligence era.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

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