The July 19 World Cup final in New Jersey will be the first to include a Superbowl-inspired "Halftime Show," with performances from American veteran Madonna, the Colombian voice of the 2010 and now 2026 World Cup Shakira, and South Korean boyband BTS.
Human rights in Tunisia are a growing case for concern. On Tuesday, courts upheld the sentencing of two prominent Tunisian journalists accused of financial crimes. But media rights group say the ruling was a case of "judicial harassment," and argued that the charges leveled lacked evidence.
Japan is facing a rising number of "lonely deaths," or people dying in isolation, despite government efforts to stem the tide. The issue has become such a part of modern society here that it even has its own term, "kodokushi" — making up close to 5% of Japan's overall death rate.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina on Thursday said she was resigning in response to her coalition government breaking up. "I am resigning, but I am not giving up," Silina said in a televised statement.
Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Angela Merkel has urged Germans to judge the government with "moderation and balance" The former chancellor said she wished the conservative-center-left coalition success but declined to comment in detail on its policies.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar called for "safe, unimpeded maritime flows" through international waters, including the Strait of Hormuz, as the politically divided BRICS nations gathered in New Delhi on Thursday. "We meet at a time of considerable flux in international relations," Jaishankar said in his opening remarks.
Japan's second largest carmaker Honda on Thursday confirmed its first operating loss since 1957, before it started selling mass-produced cars in the early 60s.
China is undergoing a renewable energy revolution. In 2025 alone, it added nearly 450 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy capacity, which was more solar and twice as much wind as the rest of the world combined. Before 2010, China had only limited renewable energy.