(Adnkronos) – An overnight agreement reached in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt during indirect Hamas-Israel talks on the first stage of US president Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan represents “a new season”, Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.  “But signing an accord is

(Adnkronos) – Italy on Thursday thanked mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey who worked with senior US mediators at indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, which led the warring sides to announce agreement on

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–The estimated number of people who jog at least once a year fell by about 3 million in 2024 from the 2020 level, a survey by the Sasakawa Sports Foundation showed Thursday. The survey, conducted in 2024, found

(Adnkronos) – North Korea will host high-ranking officials from China and Russia tomorrow for the 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party rule, a celebration expected to feature a large military parade to showcase its most advanced weapons. The event comes as North

(Adnkronos) – The Global Gateway, the EU program aimed at promoting investments around the world based on the Chinese BRI model, “is based on mutual benefits. Our initial goal was to mobilize 300 billion euros in five years. Today we have already

(Adnkronos) – The IDF has begun preparations for a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, based on the agreement reached last night with Hamas on a ceasefire and the release of hostages. In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that, “based

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Seven & i Holdings Co. said Wednesday that its group net profit for the six months through August surged 2.3-fold from a year earlier to 121.8 billion yen, reflecting lower costs in the supermarket division and higher margins

Shizuoka, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Iwao Hakamata, a former death row inmate who was acquitted in a retrial for the 1966 murder of a family in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on Thursday filed a damages lawsuit against the central and prefectural governments. Hakamata,

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office arrested Kazutaka Yonekura, 48, the founder of Japanese artificial intelligence developer Alt Inc., and three others on Thursday on suspicion of violating the financial instruments and exchange law by window-dressing the company’s

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Keiji Furuya, head of a suprapartisan group of Japanese lawmakers aiming for stronger Tokyo-Taipei relations, and others left for Taiwan on Thursday to meet with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Friday. The Taiwan visit by Furuya, a member

Kyoto, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Susumu Kitagawa, a 74-year-old Japanese researcher who has won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has words of Chinese thinker Zhuangzi to live by–something apparently useless is actually important. A metal-organic framework, or MOF, also known as porous

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Fast Retailing Co., the operator of Uniqlo and other casual clothing brands, on Thursday reported record-high group sales and profits for the year that ended in August, on the back of robust demand both in and outside Japan.

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average finished above 48,500 for the first time on Thursday, lifted by a surge in heavyweight component SoftBank Group. The Nikkei average closed at 48,580.44, up 845.45 points, or 1.77 pct, from Wednesday.

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–The leaders of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, will hold talks again on Friday to discuss whether to maintain the current coalition government between the two parties, Komeito executives affirmed Thursday. At the

Osaka, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Osaka High Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that the central government’s decision to cut its special tax grants to Izumisano due to the western Japan city’s huge “furusato nozei” donation revenues was illegal. Presiding Judge

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average finished above 48,500 for the first time on Thursday, lifted by a surge in heavyweight component SoftBank Group. The Nikkei average closed at 48,580.44, up 845.45 points, or 1.77 pct, from Wednesday.

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a heavy rain emergency warning for the remote Tokyo island of Hachijojima in the Izu Island chain in the Pacific at 6:20 a.m. Thursday. The agency downgraded the special warning to a warning

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Jiji Press Ltd. said Thursday that it has strictly reprimanded a photographer of its Photo Desk for making inappropriate remarks apparently related to new Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi. The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon, when the photographer

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday welcomed the first phase of a peace plan aimed at halting the conflict in Gaza, which has been agreed upon by Israel and the Islamic group Hamas. “It is an

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Mizuho Bank said Thursday that it will raise its long-term prime lending rate for October by 0.1 percentage point from the previous month to 2.4 pct, effective on Friday, in line with rising bond yields. The Japanese bank

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–The late Japanese Empress Kojun received many lectures from academics and other experts, according to official records of her life published Thursday. The lectures included some 250 sessions conducted by legal scholar Shigeto Hozumi from 1924 to 1950.

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Masazumi Wakatabe, the brains behind new Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi’s economic policies, has expressed his skepticism about a need for an early interest rate hike in Japan. “If you ask me whether we’re in a situation

Kobe, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Yanmar Energy System Co., a subsidiary of Yanmar Holdings Co., said Wednesday that it will launch a high-capacity emergency power generator for data centers for the first time in Japan. The Japanese company will put some of the

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. have concluded an agreement on the mass production of cathode materials for all-solid-state batteries for electric vehicles. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, the two companies aim to accelerate joint development

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Some 80 pct of households in Japan have felt the impact of rising prices on their family budgets, a survey conducted by Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. in early September showed Thursday. The online survey, which covered 5,484 people

London, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–The British daily Financial Times has said that Sanae Takaichi, the new leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, should pursue her own economic policies instead of inheriting the “Abenomics” growth strategy. Takaichi, likely to become the next

Narita, Chiba Pref., Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Zipair Tokyo, a low-cost carrier of the Japan Airlines group, operated its first charter flight between Narita International Airport near Tokyo and Taipei on Wednesday. “We hope to launch (regular) flights someday because demand from customers

London/New York, Oct. 8 (Jiji Press)–The dollar briefly climbed above 153 yen in London trading Wednesday for the first time since mid-February, as the Japanese currency remained under selling pressure amid growing concerns about an increase in Japan’s fiscal spending. The trend

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–The late Japanese Empress Kojun received many lectures from academics and other experts, according to official records of her life published Thursday. The lectures included some 250 sessions conducted by legal scholar Shigeto Hozumi from 1924 to 1950.

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Imperial Household Agency on Thursday released the full text of the official records of the 97-year life of the late Empress Kojun (1903-2000), the wife of Emperor Showa, which include details of her experiences during World War