1250:Washoi! Women crashed the party at Japan's 1250-year-old Naked Festival, a traditionally all-male event designed to drive out evil spirits. While they didn’t actually bare all, the first-ever female participants successfully trampled gender norms while ensuring that the festival continues as Japan’s population ages.
2000: Wildfires have forced more than 2,000 people to flee towns in western Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged all necessary assistance to combat the blazes, which are being exacerbated by an El Niño weather pattern known to fuel fires, cyclones and droughts.
1 : Angry French farmers delayed the opening of a major Paris farm fair by one hour, protesting costs, bureaucracy, and environmental regulations. Amid calls for his resignation, President Emmanuel Macron promised to meet with union representatives and stakeholders. European governments are concerned that the farm lobby could feed gains by the far right in European Parliament elections this June.
13 billion: Zambia’s 13bn mountain of debt is a little lighter today, thanks to deals struck with creditors China and India. It’s welcome news as the African nation contends with past defaults, depreciation of the kwacha, a revival of inflation, and a drought that was “one of the worst in living memory.” Zambia now plans to resume talks with private creditors and is back on track for a 1.3 billion bailout by the IMF.Who runs Venezuela these days? According to a detailed new exposé by the New York Times, real power over the oil-rich country lies with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a scene straight out of Looney Tunes, China on Friday maneuvered a gigantic floating net out into the Pacific Ocean, and used it to catch a rocket booster as it gently descended from the sky after launching a satellite into space.
At the 2026 AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin says the future of artificial intelligence depends on putting the right guardrails in place to ensure AI is developed safely, responsibly, and equitably.
More American Jewish voters held a favorable view of the New York City mayor than of the Israeli prime minister, despite Mamdani’s outspoken criticism of Israel.