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July 03, 2026
 

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U.S.

The war in Iran is fueling currency crises in energy-importing countries, underscoring the need to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy to shield economies from fossil-fuel shocks.
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2026
The energy crisis is becoming a currency crisis
The biggest losers include the Egyptian pound, the Philippine peso, the South Korean won and the Thai baht.
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.
A farm in Ruleville, Mississippi, on March 31. While the fresh disclosure of China agreeing to purchase agricultural products from the U.S. will likely be welcomed by farmers, the amount may not be large enough to satisfy growers looking to turn around tough economic conditions.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
U.S. says China agrees to spend billions on agricultural goods
Previous efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to get China to purchase more U.S. goods have fallen short, raising questions about whether the latest pledges will be fulfilled.
The U.S.-China rivalry is increasingly centered on semiconductor and rare-earth chokepoints as Japan tries to revive its chip industry and secure a strategically vital role in global supply chains.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 18, 2026
Semiconductor chokepoints define U.S.-China rivalry
Two chokepoints now stand out: advanced semiconductors for China and rare-earth minerals for the United States.
A truck transports a Maersk container at APM Terminals at the Port of Los Angeles on March 4.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
G7 finance chiefs seek to tackle imbalances as trade strains unity
The two-day meeting follows a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing that yielded few concrete economic breakthroughs.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, attend the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, the day Russia celebrates the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in WWII.
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2026
How Moscow lost friends and global influence
With even Russia’s closest friends hedging their bets, the Kremlin’s ability to project power and shape world affairs has been severely weakened.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during their meeting at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul on May 13.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
Trump briefs South Korea’s Lee after summit in Beijing
Trump made a rare state visit to China last week, where the two sides discussed trade, the Korean Peninsula and tensions in the Middle East.
Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez speaks during a news conference in Havana in October 2025.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
Cuba says U.S. fabricating pretext for conflict after report on drone purchase
The report, which cited classified intelligence, came days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials during a rare high-level visit to the island.
Unlike his predecessors, U.S. President Donald Trump didn’t divest or move his assets into a blind trust with an independent overseer.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 18, 2026
Trump’s more than 3,700 trades astonish Wall Street insiders
In the first quarter, the U.S. president bought at least $1 million each in companies including Nvidia, Oracle, Microsoft, Boeing and Costco Wholesale.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks at an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taipei on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 18, 2026
Lai says Taiwan won’t be sacrificed as Trump weighs arms deal
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te rejected characterizations that Taiwan seeks independence, and repeated his position that the island is already a sovereign democratic state.
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.
The United Arab Emirates' Barakah Nuclear Power Plant near Abu Dhabi
WORLD
May 17, 2026
Drone strike starts fire outside UAE nuclear plant
The statement did not say from where the drone was launched, but the UAE has recently accused Iran of being behind attacks on its energy and economic infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press aboard Air Force One en route to the U.S. following his official visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 17, 2026
Trump says ‘nothing’s changed’ on Taiwan. But his words belie a big shift.
The U.S. president has warned Taipei on independence moves and called American arms deals a “negotiating chip” in talks with China.
A stagnating labor force driven by aging and reduced immigration is emerging as a bigger long-term threat to U.S. economic growth than short-term labor market conditions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2026
America’s demographic stagnation will make it poorer
The U.S. labor force is not expanding at all, with the adult population growing at an annualized rate of just 0.4% in the first quarter.
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.
People walk outside the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai in October 2024
BUSINESS
May 17, 2026
India missed out on AI and now its run as market darling may be over
In a stark shift, India’s stock market is on the verge of dropping out of the world’s five biggest for the first time in three years.
Russian President Vladimir Putin walks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing last September.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 17, 2026
Putin to visit China for talks with Xi, days after Trump trip
During the trip, the Russian leader will discuss with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping how to “further strengthen the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.”
Amy Van Duyn at the liquor store where she works in Wiggins, Colorado, on May 11
WORLD / Politics
May 17, 2026
Trump says Iran war is worth the economic pain. These rural voters agree.
In two dozen recent interviews along Colorado’s Highway 52, Trump voters echoed the president’s logic.
A ranger from the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group rides across the sea ice as the unit makes its way from Cambridge Bay to Gjoa Haven on a long-range patrol on March 18.
WORLD
May 17, 2026
Canada deepens Arctic defense ties with Nordics after Trump threats
Alliances are shifting in the Arctic as climate change makes it more accessible.
A farm in Nanzui village in China's Gansu province in March
BUSINESS
May 17, 2026
China says it will cut levies and expand farm trade after talks with U.S.
The outcome shows that both countries “can find solutions to the problems through dialog and cooperation,” China’s Commerce Ministry said.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
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.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ¥11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
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.

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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