Latest news with #Nobel
Kyodo News
7 hours ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: June 28, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 17 minutes ago - 09:00 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan, U.S. agree to continue tariff talks as July deadline looms WASHINGTON - Japanese and U.S. negotiators agreed Friday to continue talks toward a tariff deal that will be beneficial to both countries. Japan's government said its top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick held talks in Washington, with each side reaffirming its position during "fruitful" discussions on trade expansion, nontariff measures and economic security cooperation. ---------- Japan gov't asks operators to address disinformation before election TOKYO - Japan's government on Friday asked major platform operators to help counter harmful social media posts in an effort to prevent disinformation and defamation targeting candidates ahead of a nationwide parliamentary election next month. The request by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications came as both the ruling and opposition camps emphasized the need to address disinformation during elections, though they have yet to agree how strictly the issue should be regulated. ---------- Nobel committee chair to visit Hiroshima, Nagasaki in July TOKYO - Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, will visit the atomic-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki next month and may meet with atomic bomb survivors, a source close to the matter said Friday. Frydnes will arrive in Hiroshima on July 21 and later head to Nagasaki, likely visiting memorial museums and other sites related to the bombings, according to the source. ---------- Senior China military officer removed from top defense body BEIJING - China's parliament has voted to remove senior military officer Miao Hua from the nation's top defense body during its session through Friday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. In November, Miao was suspended from his position as a member of the Central Military Commission for "serious violations of discipline." The Chinese military leadership has been engulfed in a corruption scandal since around the summer of 2023. ---------- U.S. State Secretary Rubio's 1st visit to Japan eyed for July TOKYO - Japan and the United States are arranging for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to make his first visit to Japan early next month, a Japanese government source said Friday, with U.S.-imposed tariffs and the Middle East situation expected to be key topics. The trip is being arranged as part of Rubio's travel to Asia to attend a series of foreign ministerial meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Malaysia from July 8 to 11, according to the source. He also plans to visit South Korea. ---------- Iran envoy urges A-bombed Japan to stand against U.S. attacks TOKYO - Iranian ambassador to Japan Peiman Seadat has urged Tokyo to stand against U.S. and Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities in his nation after President Donald Trump's remark likening the U.S. attacks to the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The ambassador said in a recent interview with Kyodo News that the comment is an "insult" not only to Iran, but also to Japan, the world's only country to have suffered atomic bombings. ---------- U.S. tariff rate hits historic level of 25.9%: Japan trade report TOKYO - The effective U.S. tariff rate on all imports rose to as high as 25.9 percent under President Donald Trump, surpassing levels not seen since the protectionist policies of the Great Depression, the Japanese government's annual trade report showed Friday. The U.S. tariff measures as of early April, including an increase in the levies on China to 145 percent, reached a "historic scale," the Japanese trade ministry said, adding that frequent changes in Trump's trade policy are creating "heightened uncertainty." ---------- Rice imports to Japan surge in May, 3.5 times FY 2024 total TOKYO - Private sector imports of tariffed rice to Japan in May were 3.5 times the total volume brought in during all of fiscal 2024, revised government trade data showed Friday, as soaring prices of domestic rice have spurred demand for cheaper alternatives. According to the Finance Ministry's trade statistics, revised from a preliminary report issued earlier this month, 10,605 tons of tariffed rice were imported in May, a sharp increase from 115 tons in the same period last year. The United States, which accounted for 7,894 tons, was the largest source, followed by Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Video: Masahiro Matsuoka from disbanded pop group Tokio meets the press
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘New chapter of hope': Marco Rubio hails Rwanda-DRC peace deal; credits Trump for claimed truce of India-Pakistan
US secretary of state Marco Rubio (AP) US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Friday hailed President Donald Trump 's diplomatic approach to global conflicts, crediting his leadership for breakthroughs in some of the world's most complex conflicts. 'Whether it's been in Ukraine and Russia, whether it's been Pakistan-India, whether it's been Iran and Israel, and in the continent of Africa, President Trump's priority has been on peace and today we see this come to fruition,' Rubio said at the White House. Rubio's praise is part of a larger pattern of the current administration's efforts to end global conflicts, including a claimed truce between India and Pakistan and reduced tensions in the Middle East, all under what Rubio describes as Trump's 'peace-first' approach. His remarks came during a media briefing with Trump and Vice President JD Vance following the signing of a landmark peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one of Africa's deadliest and most complex conflicts in recent decades. The deal, signed in Washington on Friday, commits both nations to end support for armed rebel groups, notably the M23 and FDLR militias, and sets a timeline for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from eastern Congo. It also establishes a joint security coordination body and lays the groundwork for regional economic cooperation. Trump, who welcomed the foreign ministers of Rwanda and DRC to the White House, called it 'a wonderful day,' adding, 'Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity.' The conflict had escalated earlier this year after M23 rebels, widely believed to be backed by Rwanda, captured swathes of territory in mineral-rich eastern Congo. While Rwanda has denied direct involvement, the deal now calls for the "neutralization" of the FDLR, a Hutu rebel group with links to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Rwandan foreign minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said ending support for Hutu militants should be the 'first order of business,' while his Congolese counterpart Therese Kayikwamba Wagner said the deal offers 'a rare chance to turn the page.' Trump also emphasized the strategic benefits to the US, noting it would gain 'a lot of mineral rights from the Congo,' a region rich in cobalt and lithium. The agreement drew wide but not universal praise. Bintu Keita, a senior UN official in the DRC, said it "marks a decisive step toward peace and stability," while Germany hailed the "excellent news" and called for implementation. UN envoy Bintou Keita called the deal 'a decisive step toward peace,' though Nobel laureate Denis Mukwege warned it risked rewarding 'aggression' and legitimizing 'plunder' of Congolese resources.
Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
On demolition of temple, Bangladesh says it was set up last year on rail land
NEW DELHI: A day after India denounced the destruction of a Durga temple in Dhaka, the Bangladesh government said on Friday that the shrine was demolished, along with many other unauthorised structures built along railway tracks, but only after the idol was removed and immersed in a nearby river. The removal of unauthorised structures to recover government land is a 'regular and lawful administrative activity'. Against the backdrop of a sharp downturn in bilateral ties since the installation of a caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus last August, the external affairs ministry criticised Bangladeshi authorities on Thursday for the demolition of the Durga temple in the Khilkhet area of Dhaka. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that 'extremists were clamouring for demolishing the Durga temple' and the interim government had 'projected the episode as illegal land use' instead of providing security to the temple. Bangladesh's foreign ministry said in a statement that during last year's Durga Puja, the local Hindu community installed a makeshift 'puja mandap' on a piece of land owned by Bangladesh Railways without prior permission. The railways permitted this on the condition that the organisers would remove the mandap as soon as the puja celebrations were over. 'Regrettably, after the Puja was over in October 2024, the organisers declined to remove the makeshift Mandap violating the mutual agreement. Rather they established a 'Maha Kali' (Kali Murti) there,' the statement said. In December 2024, the railway authorities held consultations with local community representatives and organisers of the mandap and issued a notification asking for the removal of all unauthorised installations, including vendors, hundreds of shops and offices of political party 'illegally built' on either side of the rail tracks, the statement said. After repeated reminders to those who illegally occupied the land, Bangladesh Railways asked for the removal of all unauthorised installations during June 24-25. 'Finally, on 26th June, following due process, Bangladesh Railways proceeded to peaceful eviction of all unauthorised structures along the rail track in Khilkhet area,' the statement said. 'In the course of the eviction process, the idol of the makeshift Mandap was immersed in the nearby Balu River, in due reverence, with the participation of the members of the local Hindu community,' the statement said. The removal of unauthorised structures to recover government land is a 'regular and lawful administrative activity'. The statement added, 'While the laws of the land ensure full protection to all places of worship without discriminating against any built in conformity with law, it is not permissible for any to build any religious structure encroaching public land under any circumstances.'
Montreal Gazette
16 hours ago
- Health
- Montreal Gazette
The Right Chemistry: There are skeletons in the Nobel Prize closet
Carleton Gajdusek was only five years old in 1928 when he and his entomologist aunt wandered through the woods overturning rocks, looking for insects. Then, they observed in petri dishes how some insects succumbed to insecticides while others were unaffected. That's all it took for Carleton to be bitten by the science bug. As a boy, he read voraciously and was so taken by Paul de Kruif's 1926 Microbe Hunters that he stencilled the names of the scientists in the book on the steps leading to the chemistry lab he had set up in the family's attic. Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, Élie Metchnikoff and Paul Ehrlich got steps, but the last step was left blank for himself. Like his heroes, Carleton was going to become a microbe hunter and earn his own step. He did that in 1976, when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of a novel type of infectious agent that was causing a terrible ailment among the Fore tribe in Papua New Guinea. Known as 'kuru' in the language of the Fore, meaning 'shaking,' the disease starts with tremors and progresses to total incapacitation and then death within months. Gajdusek, who had obtained a medical degree from Harvard and further trained under Nobel laureates Linus Pauling, John Enders and Frank Macfarlane Burnet, believed that kuru was transmitted by a ritualistic practice followed by the Fore. As a form of respect and mourning, family members consumed the brains of deceased relatives. Gajdusek proved that this was the mode of transmission by drilling holes in the skull of chimps and inserting mashed tissue from the brains of kuru victims into their cerebellum, the part of the brain that coordinates voluntary movement. The chimps developed symptoms of kuru. Gajdusek was unable to isolate an infectious agent but theorized that it was 'unconventional virus.' That turned out to be incorrect. In 1997, Stanley Prusiner received the Nobel Prize for his discovery of a novel type of infectious agent, a misfolded protein he called a 'prion' that triggers normal proteins in the brain to fold abnormally. This turned out to be the cause of mad cow disease as well as kuru. The Nobel Prize is the most significant recognition of a scientist's work, but it also shines a spotlight that follows the recipient for the rest of their life. Such scrutiny can sometimes taint the awardee's reputation, as is the case with Gajdusek. Many of his research trips took him to the South Pacific, where he encountered impoverished children who had no opportunity for traditional education. In what seemed to be a benevolent and charitable act, he brought 56 mostly male children back with him to the U.S. and gave them the opportunity to go to high school and college. Events took a dramatic turn in 1996 when one of his adopted children accused him of sexual abuse. This led to an investigation that unveiled incriminating entries in his diary and resulted in a charge of child molestation. Subsequent to a plea bargain, he served about 12 months in jail, after which he left the U.S. and spent the rest of his years in Europe as a visiting scientist in a number of research institutes. Gajdusek is not the only Nobel winner with a blemished reputation. Fritz Haber was awarded the 1918 prize in chemistry for one of the most important discoveries in the annals of science, the synthesis of ammonia. Haber used a catalyst to react nitrogen, a gas that makes up 80 per cent of air, with hydrogen that was available from the reaction of natural gas with steam. The ammonia produced was reacted with nitric acid to form ammonium nitrate, an excellent fertilizer. This triggered the 'green revolution' that greatly decreased world hunger by increasing crop yields. Haber was widely celebrated as the man who 'made bread out of air.' But that was not all Haber made. As a patriotic German, during the First World War he developed a program to produce chlorine gas on a large scale as a chemical weapon. Not only did he develop the program, he supervised the release of the gas at the battle of Ypres in Belgium in 1915 that killed more than a thousand French and Algerian troops, earning him the title 'the father of chemical warfare.' Egas Moniz was a Portuguese neurologist who in 1949 was awarded the Nobel for 'his discovery of the therapeutic value of leucotomy in certain psychoses.' Later renamed 'lobotomy,' this surgical procedure severed the connection between the prefrontal cortex and the rest of the brain with the aim of treating such severe mental illnesses as schizophrenia and depression. Before experimenting with lobotomy, Moniz had established a reputation as an inventor by having devised 'cerebral angiography,' a procedure by which sodium iodide is injected into the carotid artery and travels to the brain. Since sodium iodide is opaque to X-rays, blood vessels in the brain can be visualized and tumours and aneurisms located. In 1935, he attended a conference where Yale neuroscientist John Fulton described an experiment in which he had removed the frontal cortex from the brains of chimps; they became docile and lost all aggressiveness. Moniz had been working with patients whose mental disease manifested as violent behaviour, so he thought that what works in chimps can work in humans as well. After performing 19 lobotomies, he reported that symptoms of schizophrenia and depression abated. Inspired by Moniz's results, American neuroscientist Walter Freeman also took up the 'leucotome,' a tool resembling an icepick that could be inserted through the eye socket to severe connections in the frontal lobe. He performed 3,500 lobotomies with an estimated 490 deaths as a direct result. One of his patients was President John F. Kennedy's sister Rosemary, who was institutionalized as a result. It soon became clear that even when aggressive behaviour subsided, the side effects of the procedure were intolerable. Patients suffered personality changes, cognitive impairment, infections and seizures. There has been much criticism of Moniz's Nobel Prize because by 1949, it was already apparent that the claims of efficacy were exaggerated and side effects minimized. A number of other Nobel laureates have been criticized for offering disturbing opinions on subjects outside their area of expertise. William Shockley, co-inventor of the transistor, and James Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, both expressed racist views and gave credence to eugenics. Kary Mullis, who received the 1993 Nobel in Chemistry for the invention of the polymerase chain reaction, an invaluable tool for genetic testing, did not think that humans play a role in climate change and was skeptical about AIDS being caused by a virus. He also described a meeting with a fluorescent racoon that he thought could have been an extraterrestrial alien. Nobel laureates may bask in the spotlight, but that spotlight can sometimes illuminate dark corners.
The Print
20 hours ago
- Business
- The Print
Trump has driven up NATO's defence spending. Why that's good for India
Rutte applauded the unprecedented decision by member states to not only meet but exceed the 2 per cent of GDP defence spending benchmark, aiming instead for 5 per cent. The move appeared to impress Trump. After announcing a ceasefire in the 12-day Middle East war, Donald Trump flew to The Hague for his first NATO summit since returning to the White House in January. NATO has never been among Trump's favoured topics—his criticism of European 'free-loading' has continued unabated into his second term. The bigger picture is striking. The war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, has reshaped Europe's security architecture and driven a fundamental transformation in NATO. What began as Putin's aim to 'Finlandise Ukraine' instead led to the 'NATO-isation' of Finland and Sweden—a reversal few foresaw. This reawakening of Europe presents a timely opportunity for India to rethink its engagement with NATO and the continent—especially in terms of defence cooperation. Also read: Europe is vital for lasting solution in Ukraine. Trump's Nobel obsession is blocking this Trump pill, in effect Trump's presidency was widely expected to herald the weakening, if not the outright dismantling, of NATO. His offhand remarks about buying Greenland by force and his view of Article 5 (NATO's collective security clause) as conditional on financial contributions alarmed many European leaders. Some even predicted the death of the West. Paradoxically, Trump's confrontational stance may have saved NATO. His pressure finally forced European allies to boost defence budgets—something US presidents had long demanded. By threatening to pull back American guarantees, Trump got results that decades of diplomacy hadn't. Since then, defence budgets across NATO have surged. Several countries are targeting 5 per cent of GDP for defence over the next decade—a monumental shift worth hundreds of billions of Euros annually. It's more than a fiscal adjustment; it reflects a wartime posture taking hold of a Europe traditionally focused on welfare over warfare. Germany, under new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has removed constitutional caps on defence spending. Poland's rising military stature further amplifies this transformation. Notably, these shifts have occurred even as internal divisions remain, and Europe supports Ukraine. Rather than faltering under the pressure of a prolonged war in its backyard, major European defence giants have entered long-term agreements with Ukrainian counterparts—defying early fears that the continent lacked the institutional stamina for such a war. Also read: Japan is stepping back from NATO, not Indo-Pacific ties—China is watching the cracks closely Strategic realignment This is not the Europe we once knew. Its strategic pivot is broad and multi-dimensional. NATO has revised its doctrine, addressed Baltic vulnerabilities, and boosted hybrid threat readiness by working with the EU and institutions like the Hybrid Centre of Excellence in Helsinki. Importantly, NATO now follows a '360-degree' strategy that covers not just conventional threats but also climate change, AI, disinformation, and critical infrastructure. This approach is shaping NATO's evolving relationship with the Indo-Pacific. While Trump's return to office rekindles concerns over US reliability, it has also spurred Europe into contingency mode. The shift from complacency to realism is palpable. Once declared 'brain dead' by France's President Emmanuel Macron, NATO now appears rejuvenated. Even as the US strategic engagement toggles between the CENTCOM and INDOPACOM theatres, NATO's internal consolidation is a milestone development. From India's perspective, it could translate into two meaningful cooperation pathways –first, capitalising on NATO's (and Europe's) engagement with the Indo-Pacfic on hybrid threats, and second, developing more defence industry synergies at a time of unprecedented militarisation of the continent. These two are not mutually exclusive. But in my opinion, the latter offers better opportunities. Let's look at them one by one. Indo-Pacific: Ambition vs. capacity NATO's Indo-Pacific outreach—targeting China, emerging technologies, and climate-related risks—aims to preserve its global relevance. But with war at home, NATO's capacity to seriously engage in the Indo-Pacific remains constrained. Further limiting NATO's Indo-Pacific role is Trump's renewed Middle East focus. CENTCOM has regained US attention, and Trump's early priorities appear to centre on countering Iran and re-engaging Pakistan, not deepening Indo-Pacific ties. For India, this pivot raises concerns. The Quad has yet to hold its first summit under Trump's new term, and US commitment to regional alliances like AUKUS seems uncertain. In Australia, Japan, and the Philippines, doubts are growing. India, too, is wary. Trump's apparent overtures to Pakistan—regardless of their transactional nature—have complicated New Delhi's strategic calculations. Without firm US backing, NATO's Indo-Pacific push holds limited promise. So, where does this leave India? If direct security cooperation with NATO, even in the non-traditional arena, is not imminent, the real window of opportunity lies in the continent itself: Defence industry cooperation and exports. Also read: All Trump wants is a good deal. Ukraine war shows he'll even risk Europe for it India's role in Europe's militarisation With 32 of the world's most advanced economies poised to ramp up defence spending to unprecedented levels, the time is ripe for India to position itself as a stable supplier of military equipment. Indian MoD's goal of achieving Rs 50,000 crore in defence exports by the end of this decade aligns perfectly with Europe's search for reliable, diversified suppliers. Already, Indian defence companies are supplying secondary equipment to several European nations—notably France. The question is whether India can scale this engagement and integrate with the common procurement mechanisms now developing across Europe, including within NATO. It is a misnomer to think that NATO's military modernisation is all going to come from NATO countries. South Korea's experience offers a compelling benchmark. In 2022, Seoul secured a $14 billion deal with Poland, delivering tanks, howitzers, and fighter jets under tight deadlines—a testament to its manufacturing agility and strategic alignment with NATO's goals. South Korea's success stems not just from industrial capability but also from its ability to navigate political preconditions and seamlessly integrate into NATO's defence planning architecture. India, on the other hand, faces structural hurdles. We are not a NATO partner country and have been reluctant to sign administrative agreements with the EU that come with conditionalities related to human rights or long-term alignment with the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). This unease limits India's participation in joint procurement frameworks that could otherwise offer significant scale and market access. Yet these obstacles are not insurmountable. Co-production initiatives through joint ventures with established players like South Korea and Israel—both of whom have strong defence ties with India and Europe—offer a pathway to circumvent bureaucratic hurdles. For instance, India and Israel could collaborate on developing and producing systems that serve the European market. Over 50 per cent of Israel's defence sales now go to Europe, a figure that speaks to the continent's urgency and Israel's responsiveness. Strategic resilience India's defence industrial base is at a crossroads. Transitioning from a buyer's ecosystem to a builder's ecosystem will require bold, strategic and timely decisions. While India may not export complete platforms to Europe, like it does for Armenia, there is a large market for secondary equipment, components, and co-produced systems. But this will only materialise if Indian firms are able to navigate Europe's procurement frameworks and if the government actively supports these ventures with the right diplomatic and trade instruments. The West's security realignment, triggered by one of the most protracted conflicts since World War II, is not just a story about Europe. It is going to be a global supply chain story—about who builds and co-builds, who sells, and who co-sustains the defence infrastructure of the future, conjoined at the hip by technological innovation. As NATO adapts to a more dangerous world, it is redefining what modern alliances look like—flexible, industrially coordinated, and geopolitically agile. India, with its growing industrial capacity and strategic aspiration, is well-positioned to be part of this shift. The lessons from NATO's reinvention are not just for Brussels—they are also for New Delhi. Swasti Rao is a consulting editor at ThePrint and a foreign policy expert. She tweets @swasrao. Views are personal. (Edited by Theres Sudeep)
