Across Japan covered shopping arcades are in a losing battle against property developers, depopulation and consumer culture
Tsutomu Nishiwaki raises the shutters of his store, the rattle marking the start of a new day at a shopping arcade in Tokyo. He wheels a display case into the foreground and stands behind the counter, framed by a sign proclaiming that this is a family-run noodle store.
It is a ritual Nishiwaki has been performing almost daily for 60 years. But like the fresh noodles its owner makes every morning, the store has a limited shelf life: in a few years from now, the 80-year-old will pull down the shutters for the last time.
The Austrian daredevil, who was 56, lost control of his motorised paraglider over central Italy
Austrian extreme sports pioneer Felix Baumgartner, famed for a record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space, has died in a paragliding accident in central Italy, local police said.
Baumgartner, who was 56, lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant’Elpidio in Italy’s central Marche region on Thursday and fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel. The reasons for the accident were unclear.
Nato commander says separately that preparations under way to send first Patriot systems to Ukraine in deal involving European countries buying arms. What we know on day 1,241
The US is moving to get weapons to Ukraine quickly under President Donald Trump’s plan for Europe to buy arms and is weighing selling Patriot air defence systems from its own stocks, Washington’s envoy to Nato has said. “We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done, and, you know, I think things are actually moving very quickly,” the US ambassador to Nato, Matthew Whitaker, told journalists on Thursday. “But I can’t verify a date that this will all be completed.” Trump on Monday announced a deal with Nato chief Mark Rutte for European states in the alliance to buy US weaponry – particularly advanced Patriot systems – and give it to Kyiv, but questions have been raised over where the systems will come from and how soon they can get to Ukraine amid Russian bombardments.
Nato’s supreme commander in Europe said separately that preparations were under way to ship the first Patriot systems to Ukraine under the scheme. US general Alexus Grynkewich said there was an “ongoing conversation” about whether the US would sell Patriots already available in its own military stockpiles. The Swiss government, meanwhile, said delivery of US Patriot systems to Switzerland would be delayed as Washington reprioritised to provide more support to Ukraine. The moves came as Trump’s effort to take credit for the additional weapons headed to Ukraine at Europe’s expense created mild friction in EU-US relations, with the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, saying: “If we pay for these weapons, it’s our support.”
Donald Trump’s decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said, vowing it would not accept the “blackmail” of Washington’s new sanctions ultimatum. Trump on Monday set a 50-day deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire or face sanctions, while also promising more weaponry for Kyiv. Russia’s foreign ministry condemned the move, with spokesperson Maria Zakharova saying: “It is obvious that the Kyiv regime consistently perceives such decisions by the collective west as a signal to continue the slaughter and abandon the peace process.”
Russian troops have taken control of three villages in three different parts of the frontline running through Ukraine, the defence ministry claimed on Thursday. Official Ukrainian reports of activity along the 1,000km (600-mile) front disputed part of the Russian account, particularly concerning a key village in the south-east. The Russian defence ministry report named the three captured settlements as Kamianske in the south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region, Dehtiarne in north-eastern Kharkiv region and Popiv Yar in Donetsk region. The battlefield reports from either side could not be independently verified. Ukrainian military spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn told the liga.net media outlet that holding Kamianske, south-east of the region’s main town of Zaporizhzhia, was important to keep that city safe from attack.
Russian lawmakers have advanced a bill that would outlaw opening or searching for content online judged “extremist”, such as songs glorifying Ukraine and material by feminist rock band Pussy Riot. Critics say the law, which has drawn a rare backlash from across Russia’s political spectrum, would stifle internet freedom. The legislation threatens fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($64) on anyone found to have deliberately searched for or gained access to material listed as extremist by the justice ministry. More than 5,000 entries are on the list, including webpages, political slogans, books, artworks and music albums.
Slovakia will stop blocking the approval of the 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia on Friday, the prime minister said. Robert Fico said on Thursday that Slovakia had achieved as much as it could at this point, after blocking the EU’s approval of the sanctions multiple times to demand guarantees against damages it fears from a separate EU plan to end all gas imports from Russia from 2028. EU countries’ ambassadors would meet on Friday morning to approve the new sanctions. The European Commission last month proposed the 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscow’s energy revenue, banks and military industry.
Colbert told shocked audience he only found out the night before, as CBS announced it will end the entire Late Show franchise after 33 years
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been cancelled and will end in May, with network CBS announcing it will retire the Late Show entirely after a 33-year run.
For the last five weeks, Jane Ogilvie has searched a patch of dense shrub shaded by sugar gums on Kangaroo Island in South Australia for a surviving relic from 150m years ago.
The only known home of the critically endangered Kangaroo Island assassin spider is in the north-west of the island, where the Jurassic-era spider hides out in moist clumps of leaf litter.
If our leaders allow this massacre to pass without consequence or condemnation, it will reveal a disturbing truth about what the world is willing to accept
Heroism is no longer an abstract concept to me – it looks like Ali, who once spotted a quadcopter circling Al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza, where he’d dropped me off less than an hour earlier. When the first airstrike slammed into the building, Ali ran: not away from danger but towards it, risking his own safety for mine. That morning, as subsequent strikes rattled the walls around us and as I phoned my sister (“Tell Mum and Dad I love them heaps – just in case”), Ali remained by my side.
Seldom in history have healthcare workers been called upon to risk their lives simply by reporting for duty.
The winner takes it all. England reached a sixth consecutive major tournament semi-final with a gut-busting performance to come from two goals down against Sweden before sealing victory via a penalty shootout with goalkeeper Hannah Hampton the hero.
Kosovare Asllani’s early strike and Stina Blackstenius’s effort had rattled Sarina Wiegman’s side. It had been all Sweden, England were down and out, headed for the Euros exit, their crown relinquished, but you can never bet against Wiegman in a major tournament and, although many were screaming for changes to come sooner, it was her late cavalry that delivered two goals in 102 seconds to level the score and force the game beyond 90 minutes. England became the first team to come from two goals down in the knockout stages of the women’s Euros since the tournament began in 1984 and Hampton was the superstar, emerging from Mary Earps’ shadow, saving two spot-kicks with Sweden missing three others.
Lillard finalizing three-year, $42m contract per ESPN
Nine-time All-Star waived by Bucks after achilles tear
Damian Lillard is returning to the Portland Trail Blazers. The nine-time NBA All-Star is finalizing a three-year, $42m contract with the franchise where he spent the first 11 seasons of his career, ESPN reported Thursday. The deal includes a player option for the 2027–28 season and a no-trade clause.
Lillard, who turned 35 this week, was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks on 7 July. The team stretched the $113m remaining on his contract to make room for free-agent center Myles Turner.
CVI is common among older adults, but requires a thorough checkup to rule out more serious causes of leg swelling
Donald Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, the White House said on Thursday, after he noticed swelling in his legs.
The White House released a memo from the president’s physician, Sean Barbabella, who said a medical exam revealed no evidence of a more serious condition like deep vein thrombosis.
Five-way tie on four under after dramatic opening round
Scottie Scheffler only one shot back after hitting a 68
There are eclectic tales at the summit of this Open leaderboard. It just appeared as if nobody was minded to pay heed to them on a day when Rory McIlroy’s competitive return to Northern Ireland turned every head and Scottie Scheffler performed his usual trick of hiding in plain sight.
McIlroy seemed to battle his game more than the elements for much of round one but emerged unscathed and under par. McIlroy lacks nothing in tenacity, a matter which is often overlooked. His 70 leaves him just three from the lead in what is a wonderfully congested major.
Doug Burgum, interior secretary, and Pam Bondi, attorney general, visit island as Nancy Pelosi calls idea ‘lunacy’
A delegation of US officials toured Alcatraz on Thursday as part of Donald Trump’s pledge to reopen the shuttered federal prison and tourist attraction in the San Francisco Bay, amid an outcry from California leaders who have called the plan “lunacy”.
Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, who visited the island prison with the attorney general, Pam Bondi, said the federal government was beginning “the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals”.
This Dispatches episode about Putin and Trump is a weird rundown of everything we’ve known for a decade – like reading a Twitter thread in 2018. What’s so frustrating is that this really matters right now
It’s never a particularly encouraging sign when the title of a documentary ends with a question mark. It might just be a tiny scrap of punctuation, and yet it can single-handedly undermine an entire thesis.
Take the latest episode of Dispatches. A film called Trump: Moscow’s Man in the White House would hit like a juggernaut. That film would be an authoritative, definitive hammer blow, confirming beyond doubt what many have suspected for years: that Donald Trump is either working with or an unwitting puppet of Putin’s Russia. This film would represent a clean punch landed. It would reverberate around the world.
Dispatches: Trump: Moscow’s Man in the White House? is on Channel 4
Officials let Ice access health data to locate migrants, alarming experts who warn of civil rights and health risks
Medicaid officials have reportedly made an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) to allow agents to examine a database of Americans’ personal information – including home addresses, social security numbers and ethnicities.
The data sharing agreement will allow Ice to find “the location of aliens”, according to an agreement obtained by the Associated Press. Medicaid is the nation’s single largest health insurer, providing coverage for 79 million low-income, disabled and elderly people.
It’s fine to have mixed feelings about being a step-parent, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. But what you do with those feelings might not be
Am I a bad person for being very wary of my five-year-old stepdaughter? I had resolved to not have children of my own but when I met my partner, with whom I have a wonderful relationship, he came with two children from a previous marriage. He’s very supportive and understanding in giving me my space from the children when I need it, and he’s come to respect the fact I am making concessions in my life to take on parenting.
I love both the children but the youngest is a challenge. She presents a lot of the characteristics of her mother – she has no shame, no accountability, zero fear of authority and is incredibly spoilt. My partner struggles with this too. I know she’s five and you can’t expect someone so young to be accountable, but I’m really worried she won’t grow out of it.
Cristosal says decision to relocate employees was because of organisation being targeted by President Nayib Bukele
El Salvador’s top human rights organisation, Cristosal, announced on Thursday it is leaving the country because of mounting harassment and legal threats by the government of President Nayib Bukele.
The organisation has been one of the most visible critics of Bukele, documenting abuses in the strongman’s war on the country’s gangs and the detention of hundreds of Venezuelan deportees in an agreement with the US president Donald Trump.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail on Thursday after authorities said he and another speeding driver caused a chain-reaction crash that left multiple people injured on a Dallas highway last year.
The Dallas County district attorney’s office said Rice pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges of collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury in the March 2024 crash. As part of a plea agreement, Rice was sentenced to five years of deferred probation and 30 days in jail as a condition of his probation, prosecutors said.
Missing pair left notes weighed down by rocks saying they were stranded up the road with no phone service
A mother and her nine-year-old-son who got lost in a remote California forest while on their way to a Boy Scouts camp were rescued after a search crew found notes the pair had left behind.
The notes weighed down by rocks with “HELP” written at the top said they were stranded up the road with no phone service.
Doubles and reflections abound in this subtle exploration of the stories we tell about sickness, centring on a mother and daughter who travel to Italy in search of healing
Katherine Brabon’s fourth novel follows a mother and daughter with a shared experience of chronic illness who travel to Italy in search of a cure. It feels like a companion piece to her elegant previous novel Body Friend,about three women who seek out different ways of managing their chronic pain after surgery. Cure continues Brabon’s metaphoric use of doubles, mirrors and reflections to explore the social dimensions of the body in pain. It opens in Lake Como, where, we are told, in autumn “clouds devour the hills around the lake” and the water “reflects the scene of disappearance. [It] cannot help but replicate the obscuring fog.” Vera has been here before; she is now taking her 16-year-old daughter, Thea, to a small town in Lombardy, where she herself travelled with her parents as a sick teen, to seek out an obscure man who promises to heal and cure people of their illnesses.
Cure captures the painful intimacies between a mother and daughter: “Vera has lived this, or a version of this, but she wants it to be different for her daughter,” Brabon writes. Vera and Thea are allied in their shared experience of chronic headaches, fatigue and joints stiffened with pain. Both have been subjected to the banal health advice of others – to take cold showers, hot baths, avoid coffee and consume tea. At the same time the pair are estranged – Thea wants to rebel against Vera’s anxious and protective proscriptions; Vera favours curatives such as “supplement powders, tablets, and tea” over the prescribed medications recommended by her doctor husband.
Championship club under majority American ownership
Luka Modric joined as investor and co-owner in April
The American rapper Snoop Dogg has bought a minority stake in the Championship club Swansea. The deal was announced three months after the Croatia international Luka Modric joined as an investor and co-owner.
Snoop Dogg helped to launch Swansea’s new home shirt on Monday. The 53-year-old is a keen sports fan and has described Celtic as his favourite football club in Scotland. He said last month he would love to open a burger van at Celtic Park.
Donald Trump has lashed out against his own supporters, calling them gullible “weaklings” for questioning the transparency of a secretive government inquiry into the late high-profile socialite and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The US president is struggling to contain a political crisis within his usually loyal Make America Great Again (Maga) base over suspicion that the administration is hiding details of Epstein’s crimes to protect the rich elite Epstein associated with, which included Trump.
Swede ‘staying super-focused’ amid Liverpool interest
Elanga praises collective spirit of Newcastle teammates
Newcastle’s new £55m signing Anthony Elanga has insisted that Alexander Isak is “super-focused” in training but the winger sidestepped a series of invitations to predict precisely how much longer his Sweden teammate intends to remain part of Eddie Howe’s squad.
Elanga’s arrival on Tyneside last week coincided with intense speculation that Liverpool were readying a £130m bid for Isak. Although Newcastle have repeatedly reiterated that they are determined to keep their prized centre-forward, and the Anfield board are in advanced negotiations to sign the Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike, Isak’s thoughts on the future remain unknown.
Brian Eno, Fontaines DC and Kneecap say group will support those subject to ‘aggressive, vexatious campaigns’ by pro-Israel advocates
Massive Attack, Brian Eno, Fontaines DC and Kneecap have announced the formation of a syndicate for artists speaking out about Israel’s military assault on Gaza, who they say have been subjected to “aggressive, vexatious campaigns” by pro-Israel advocates.
Posting on Instagram, the musicians said their aim was to protect other artists, particularly those at early stages of their careers, from being “threatened into silence or career cancellation” by organisations such as UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).
Connexion
