Rare earths get federal backing — and tech advances : NPR

A rare earth minerals mine in China’s Jiangsu province, photographed in 2010. ‎/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption ‎/AFP via Getty Images With names like neodymium and dysprosium, rare-earth elements sound exotic — and their perceived scarcity has only added to the mystique. In reality, rare earths aren’t that rare, but just difficult … Read more

Lebanon arrests alleged drug kingpin sanctioned by US State Department | Drugs News

Noah Zaitar allegedly ran a drug empire, producing and exporting narcotics, including the synthetic stimulant captagon. The Lebanese army has detained the country’s most infamous drug lord, two years after he was sanctioned by the United States over suspected links to narcotics rings in Syria. In a post on X on Thursday, the Lebanese army … Read more

Fire in southwest Japan burns 170 homes, forces evacuations : NPR

Smoke rises over buildings after a fire in Oita, southern Japan, Wednesday. Kyodo News/AP hide caption toggle caption Kyodo News/AP TOKYO — Firefighters and army helicopters battled a fire Wednesday that burned through a neighborhood of old wooden houses in a fishing town in southwestern Japan, killing one person, injuring another and forcing more than … Read more

Trump pledges ‘cooperation and coordination’ to end Sudan’s civil war | Donald Trump News

United States President Donald Trump has pledged to address the conflict in Sudan, in response to an apparent request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. On Wednesday, Trump announced his intention to intervene twice, once at the Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, DC, and a second time on his online platform, Truth Social. Recommended … Read more

New US peace plan for Ukraine involves Kyiv ceding land, weapons: Reports | Russia-Ukraine war News

The United States has a new proposal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine that entails Kyiv giving up territory and some weaponry and has signalled to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy he must accept it, according to several news reports. Citing unnamed sources familiar with the draft, several publications reported on Wednesday that the framework was drawn … Read more

China to suspend imports of Japanese seafood amid diplomatic row: Reports | Trade War News

Diplomatic dispute deepens between Tokyo and Beijing over Taiwan remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. China will again ban all imports of Japanese seafood as a diplomatic dispute between the two countries escalates, Japanese media report. Japanese public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News agency said on Wednesday that the seafood ban follows after China … Read more