Latest news with #Hiroshima
NHK
42 minutes ago
- Climate
- NHK
Scorching heat grips much of Japan, expected to continue on Sunday
Much of Japan was gripped by sweltering heat on Saturday, with temperatures soaring to 35 degrees Celsius or higher especially in western parts of the country. The hot weather is expected to continue on Sunday, prompting warnings of heatstroke. The Meteorological Agency says a high pressure system prevailed over wide regions from western to northern Japan. A daytime high of 36.4 degrees was recorded in the town of Akiota in Hiroshima Prefecture. The mercury reached 33.8 degrees in central Tokyo and 33.5 degrees in Osaka City. Tokyo Fire Department officials say that as of 3 p.m. on Saturday, 15 people in the capital between the ages of 18 and 99 had been taken to hospital with symptoms of heatstroke. Temperatures are likely to remain high mainly from the Kinki to Kyushu regions in the west. Overnight lows are not expected to fall below 25 degrees in some areas. Another scorching day is forecast for Sunday. A daytime high of 37 degrees is expected in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture. Highs of 36 degrees are likely in the cities of Saga, Yamaguchi, Okayama, Kyoto and Kumagaya, while Kumamoto, Takamatsu, Osaka and Fukushima cities can expect a high of 35 degrees. Heatstroke alerts have been issued for the prefectures of Shimane, Tokushima, Kochi, Fukuoka, Oita, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Kagoshima excluding the Amami region, as well as Okinawa's main island and Yaeyama regions. Temperatures are expected to remain high for the coming month. People are advised to use air conditioners, take liquids and salt and rest frequently during outdoor activities.
The Hill
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
House Democrats not convinced Iran nuclear capabilities wiped
The Big Story A House briefing from Trump administration officials on last weekend's strikes against Iranian nuclear sites has done little to mollify the concerns of Democrats, who say they were presented little evidence that the attacks will prevent Tehran from producing nuclear weapons. © Greg Nash Skeptical Democrats had gone into the briefing with two pressing questions: Did Iran pose an imminent threat to Americans, thereby justifying President Trump's move to launch the strikes without congressional approval? And did the attacks 'obliterate' Iran's capacity to make nuclear weapons, as Trump has claimed? Leaving the closed-door gathering, Democrats said they got satisfactory answers to neither question. 'I would say that that particular briefing left me with more concerns and a true lack of clarity on how we are defining the mission and the success of it,' said Rep. Katherine Clark (Mass.), the Democratic whip. Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.), a former nuclear physicist, said the U.S. strikes likely knocked out Iran's centrifuges and other infrastructure required to enrich uranium in the future. But there's no evidence, he said, that the attacks destroyed Iran's existing stockpiles of enriched uranium. If those are intact, he warned, Iran could still produce weapons with the strength of a Hiroshima bomb in 'a very small breakout time.' 'The goal of this mission, from the start, was to secure or destroy that material,' he said. 'That's where they're hiding the ball. And that's what we have to keep our eyes on.' Friday's House briefing came six days after Trump ordered strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites in an effort to dismantle Tehran's ability to produce nuclear weapons. The briefing was conducted by top administration officials — including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — who had also briefed Senate lawmakers a day earlier. Trump has repeatedly said the mission was an unqualified success, 'obliterating' Iran's nuclear capacity and setting the program back by years. And the president's GOP allies in the Capitol echoed that message after the briefing. 'It is clear, everyone can see by the videos, that these massive ordinance penetrating bombs did the job,' Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said. 'I think their key facilities have been disabled, and I think Iran is now a long time away from doing what they might have done before this very successful operation.' A preliminary report from the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) reached different conclusions, finding that the strikes set back Iran's nuclear program by months, rather than years. More recent statements from the CIA and Trump's head of national intelligence have disputed the DIA report, creating mixed messages from the administration about the success of the mission. Read the full report at Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future: Iran's foreign minister: Israel had to run to 'daddy' Iran 'showed the world that the Israeli regime had NO Choice but to RUN to 'Daddy' to avoid being flattened out by our missiles,' wrote Seyeb Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, on X. This comes amid a back and forth between Iran and the U.S. after the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei spoke for the first time since the U.S. strikes. 'My congratulations on our dear Iran's victory over the US regime,' … Senate blocks Iran war powers resolution The Senate blocked an effort Friday to prevent President Trump from taking future military action against Iran without authorization from Congress, less than a week after he directed strikes aimed at the country's nuclear capabilities. Senators voted 47-53 largely along party lines against the war powers resolution. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the lone GOP lawmaker to vote with Democrats. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), … Schiff: 'Too many unknowns' to claim 'victory' in stopping Iran nuclear weapons Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Friday it's 'premature' for anyone to be claiming that Iran will not try to continue its nuclear program. 'The Iranian regime had not made a decision to build a bomb, was not pursuing the mechanism of a bomb, even though it was enriching uranium,' he said in Friday comments on ABC News Live. Over the past week, there has been heavy debate over whether the U.S. strikes in Iran on June 21 … McConnell: Trump has 'some pretty rabid isolationists over at' DOD Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took a swipe at President Trump's national security team in a rare interview as part of a recent pattern of public comments urging the president to consider military intervention in Iran and elsewhere more favorably. 'He's got some pretty rabid isolationists over at [the Department of Defense] — you could argue the vice president is in that group,' the former Senate Republican leader told Politico. … On Our Radar Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Senators diverge sharply on damage done by Iran strikes after classified briefing WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators emerged from a classified briefing Thursday with sharply diverging assessments of President Donald Trump's bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, with Republicans calling the mission a clear success and Democrats expressing deep skepticism. CIA Director John Ratcliffe, … On Tap Monday Events in and around the defense world: What We're Reading News we've flagged from other outlets: Trending Today Two key stories on The Hill right now: GOP leader sets Saturday vote on Trump 'big, beautiful bill' despite Republican pushback Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told Senate Republicans to expect to see the legislative text of the budget reconciliation package on Friday … Read more Trump approval underwater, voters say US is on wrong track: Poll President Trump's approval rating is underwater and a majority of voters believe the country is on the wrong track, according to a poll released Friday. … Read more Opinions in The Hill Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: Check out The Hill's Defense page for the latest coverage. You're all caught up. See you next time! Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here
NHK
12 hours ago
- Politics
- NHK
Russian ambassador to attend Nagasaki peace ceremony
Russia's ambassador to Japan is set to attend an annual peace ceremony this August in Nagasaki. It's the first time Russia has been invited since invading Ukraine. The event will take place on August 9, exactly 80 years since the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city in western Japan. The Russian Embassy in Tokyo says Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev will attend. The city had not invited Russia and ally Belarus since 2022. But officials say they plan to invite all countries and regions with diplomatic missions in Japan this year. Russian Embassy officials told NHK that the ambassador decided to attend after receiving an invitation signed by the Nagasaki mayor. They also say they received an explanation about previous circumstances. The embassy says Ambassador Nozdrev will not attend a ceremony on August 6 in the city of Hiroshima. NHK has learned that Norwegian Nobel Committee Chair Joergen Frydnes plans to make a four-day visit to both cities starting July 21. He is expected to exchange opinions with atomic bomb survivors, known as hibakusha. The committee awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, an organization that represents survivors of the atomic bombings and calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Republican senators propose slashing size of Gabbard's intel office
Tulsi Gabbard is facing another blow after President Donald Trump sidelined her during the Iran nuclear strikes. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas , the Republican chairman of the Intelligence Committee, has proposed legislation to slash the size of her agency in half. 'ODNI was intended to be a lean organization to align America's intelligence resources and authorities, not the overstaffed and bureaucratic behemoth that it is today,' he said in a statement announcing his proposal. Cotton's bill - if passed - would provide a sweeping overhaul of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), including cutting its staff from 1,600 to 650. It would also shutter the National Intelligence University, a federally chartered research university dedicated to national security. There are indications Trump would sign it into law. He's privately mulled scrapping the ODNI because of his frustrations with Gabbard, The Atlantic reported . And that would hamper Gabbard's political ambitions. Her allies told the magazine that Gabbard sees the director of national intelligence role as a stepping stone to a second run for the presidency after her failed attempt as a Democrat in 2020. Trump has had an uneasy relationship with Gabbard, particularly after she posted a video to social media earlier this month describing her visit to Hiroshima, Japan , and warning of the dangerous threat of a nuclear war. The president berated her for the video, reported The New York Times, saying that a discussion of nuclear annihilation would scare people and she shouldn't discuss it. That meant Gabbard was already on thin ice when Trump began to look at striking Iran's nuclear sites. She had privately expressed concern about the fears of a wider war. And Trump flat out said 'she's wrong' when he was asked about Gabbard's testimony in March that Iran had not decided to build a nuclear weapon. While Gabbard was in the Situation Room during the strike, she became sidelined in the aftermath of the attack. And Gabbard didn't join the classified intelligence briefing for senators on Thursday nor did she join the one for House members on Friday. Her defenders say she is still doing important work for the administration. She has publicly supported the airstrike and she has defended Trump's declaration that Iran's nuclear capabilities were destroyed. 'New intelligence confirms what @POTUS has stated numerous times: Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed,' she wrote on X. But that doesn't mean the two are close. Her position in Trump's world was precarious from the start, given her position. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is a smaller agency with a short-lived history. It was created to improve coordination among U.S. spy agencies after the September 11 attacks.
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Spy chief Tulsi Gabbard faces new crushing blow after Trump sidelined her over Iran nuclear strikes
Tulsi Gabbard is facing another blow after President Donald Trump sidelined her during the Iran nuclear strikes. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the Republican chairman of the Intelligence Committee, has proposed legislation to slash the size of her agency in half. 'ODNI was intended to be a lean organization to align America's intelligence resources and authorities, not the overstaffed and bureaucratic behemoth that it is today,' he said in a statement announcing his proposal. Cotton's bill - if passed - would provide a sweeping overhaul of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), including cutting its staff from 1,600 to 650. It would also shutter the National Intelligence University, a federally chartered research university dedicated to national security. There are indications Trump would sign it into law. He's privately mulled scrapping the ODNI because of his frustrations with Gabbard, The Atlantic reported. And that would hamper Gabbard's political ambitions. Her allies told the magazine that Gabbard sees the director of national intelligence role as a stepping stone to a second run for the presidency after her failed attempt as a Democrat in 2020. Trump has had an uneasy relationship with Gabbard, particularly after she posted a video to social media earlier this month describing her visit to Hiroshima, Japan, and warning of the dangerous threat of a nuclear war. The president berated her for the video, reported The New York Times, saying that a discussion of nuclear annihilation would scare people and she shouldn't discuss it. That meant Gabbard was already on thin ice when Trump began to look at striking Iran's nuclear sites. She had privately expressed concern about the fears of a wider war. And Trump flat out said 'she's wrong' when he was asked about Gabbard's testimony in March that Iran had not decided to build a nuclear weapon. While Gabbard was in the Situation Room during the strike, she became sidelined in the aftermath of the attack. And Gabbard didn't join the classified intelligence briefing for senators on Thursday nor did she join the one for House members on Friday. Her defenders say she is still doing important work for the administration. She has publicly supported the airstrike and she has defended Trump's declaration that Iran's nuclear capabilities were destroyed. 'New intelligence confirms what @POTUS has stated numerous times: Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed,' she wrote on X. But that doesn't mean the two are close. And Gabbard's position is not helped by Trump's inherent distrust of the intelligence community, which goes back to his first presidential campaign and allegations Russia interfered to help him win the White House. A Trump ally told The Atlantic the president appreciates Gabbard's political appeal to disaffected Democrats but doesn't seek her advice on foreign policy or national security. 'She's a nonplayer,' the person said. 'When I want to call someone to influence Trump, I don't even think of her.' Her position in Trump's world was precarious from the start, given her position. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is a smaller agency with a short-lived history. It was created to improve coordination among U.S. spy agencies after the September 11 attacks. It oversees all of the country's 18 intelligence services, including the CIA. But CIA director John Ratcliffe served in Trump's first term and has his own strong relationship with the president. Gabbard has already cut the agency by 25% in line with Trump's efforts at slashing the size of the federal government.
