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July 12, 2026
 

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Jennifer A Dlouhy
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Tuesday erroneously posted — and then deleted — a message that the U.S. Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, causing oil prices to plummet.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 11, 2026
Trump officials’ mixed Iran messages prompt more volatility
Oil prices plummeted almost 20% after an erroneous post by the U.S. energy secretary, only to pare those declines as more information emerged.
Tankers are seen off the coast of the Fujairah, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2026
Trump says U.S. will escort and insure oil tankers amid the Iran war
U.S. and Israel’s attacks on Iran have effectively brought oil flows through the critical Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s energy supplies transit, to a halt.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive moves to roll back emissions regulations and pour funding into the coal-power industry seem unlikely to boost the sector’s long-term prospects.
BUSINESS
Feb 13, 2026
Coal will need more than the army to pull off a U.S. revival
U.S. President Donald Trump is making another major bid to bolster the shrinking U.S. coal-power industry.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the signing ceremony for a coal mining executive order in the East Room of the White House on April 8, 2025.
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2026
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy coal in bid to revive industry
The move is expected to tap special Cold War-era authorities under the 1950 Defense Production Act that gives the White House sweeping power to direct private industry.
A vehicle carrier cargo ship is docked near the Hyundai Motor plant in Ulsan, South Korea. The carmaker would be severely affected if the U.S. raises its tariffs on South Korea to 25%.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 28, 2026
U.S. trade spat with South Korea driven by tech laws and gridlock
South Korea is the latest nation to be singled out by U.S. President Donald Trump for moving too slowly on its trade promises.
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki reacts at a polling station inside Al-Rasheed Hotel during the parliamentary election in Baghdad on Nov. 11, 2025.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 28, 2026
Trump warns U.S. will no longer help Iraq if al-Maliki is premier
Iraq’s largest parliamentary bloc announced Saturday that it had nominated the former prime minister for his old job.
The El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2026
Trump’s Venezuela oil revival plan is a $100 billion gamble
Oil output in Venezuela plummeted during the 12-year term of President Nicolás Maduro, who was captured early Saturday by U.S. troops.
A boy sits amid the rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike in Nuseirat, in the Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Oct 30, 2025
Israeli army says ceasefire in Gaza resumed after strikes
The flare-up in hostilities on Tuesday was one of the worst since Israel and Hamas signed a truce in mid-October.
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week as part of a trip to Asia.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 24, 2025
Trump seeks elusive trade deal with Xi in high-stakes meeting
Analysts expect any agreement reached at the South Korea summit would simply dial down tensions.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2025
Trump declares U.S.-China trade war as Bessent floats long truce
The dueling remarks underscored the whiplash investors have felt as tensions have flared in the relationship between Washington and Beijing.
U.S. President Donald Trump insisted he was committed to ending the war in Ukraine and repeatedly expressed his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 19, 2025
Trump says Putin ‘let me down’ and allies must stop buying Russian oil
While Trump said he’d be willing to consider other efforts to punish Putin, he signaled such moves would be contingent on allies ending purchases of Russian energy.
Trucks heading toward the Jianxiawo lithium mine, in Yichun, Jiangxi province, China. The U.S. government said it will increase scrutiny of lithium, steel and other materials imported from China.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 20, 2025
U.S. targets Chinese steel and lithium for forced-labor scrutiny
The move fits within Trump’s trade goals and previous government action against alleged forced labor in China.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks during the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing. Nvidia, along with Advanced Micro Devices, has agreed to pay 15% of revenues from Chinese artificial intelligence chip sales to the U.S. government.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 14, 2025
Trump’s deal with Nvidia offers path forward in global trade war
The deal provides U.S. firms a path to enter the Chinese market despite various trade barriers.
A container ship approaches the Busan Port Terminal in Busan, South Korea, on July 23. Seoul's trade agreement with the U.S. brings one of the world’s biggest exporters into Washington’s emerging trade framework just a day before the deadline.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 31, 2025
U.S. sets South Korea tariff rate at 15% with energy and shipbuilding investment
The agreement brings one of the world’s biggest exporters into Washington’s emerging trade framework just a day before the deadline.
A soldier operates from an artillery position in the Sumy region of Ukraine on June 19.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 15, 2025
Trump threatens 100% Russia tariffs and vows arms for Ukraine
The threats echo punishment spelled out in a bipartisan bill in Congress that would impose 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and gas.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington in April.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2025
Trump floats Japan tariff as top adviser says deals to come after July 4
The U.S. president cited what he said was Japan’s unwillingness to accept U.S. rice exports, the latest round of brinkmanship before a July 9 deadline for higher tariffs.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick attends an event at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025
Lutnick says U.S.-China truce signed and 10 trade deals imminent
The move includes a commitment from China to deliver rare earths used in everything from wind turbines to jet planes.
U.S. President Donald Trump came into office promising to radically remake the U.S.-China trade relationship.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 13, 2025
For Trump, resolving U.S.-China trade fight comes at a cost
The back-and-forth to seal a deal with Beijing exposed that key U.S. industries are reliant on magnets largely sourced from China.
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline along the Dalton Highway near Stevens Village, Alaska
ASIA PACIFIC
May 31, 2025
Trump officials set for talks with Asia leaders on Alaska energy
Foreign officials from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, India and the United Arab Emirates are expected to be included in the talks.
A Donald Trump 2024 campaign hat on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange
BUSINESS / Markets
May 29, 2025
‘It’s called negotiation’: Trump bristles at ‘TACO trade’ betting on him backing down
The acronym — which stands for Trump Always Chickens Out — was coined by a Financial Times columnist and has since been adopted by traders.
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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