Author: Charlotte

TOKYO, Japan Wire – A daily newspaper in Iwate Prefecture launched the first batch of a series of collectible travel-themed trading cards on Saturday aimed at highlighting the region’s diverse attractions and drawing repeat visits from Japanese and foreign tourists. Each card in the collectable series “100 Views of Iwate: Trading Cards” features an image of a landscape, historical landmark, or festival from across Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan. Photo shows a trading card featuring an image of Anatoshi-iso, a rock formation on the Goishi Coast in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan. (Photo courtesy of The Iwate Nippo…

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The military stalemate between the United States and Iran is crippling the flow of oil around the world. Gas prices are soaring. Inflation is back above 3 percent. Consumer confidence is tanking, and most Americans are pessimistic about the economy. Yet the S&P 500 has risen 29 percent over the past 12 months, and hit an all-time high last week. After a sell-off at the start of the war, stocks are up 13 percent in 30 days. Despite oil blockades and a threat to a whole civilization, investors have shrugged and kept buying. The stock market looks completely out of…

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Name: Cosy gaming.Age: Has its origins in social simulation games such as Harvest Moon (1996) and The Sims (2000).Appearance: Virtual, mindful, far-fetched.You mean video games? Yes, but cosy.What makes this gaming cosy? The kind of gentle, low-stakes time-wasting – the virtual farming of Stardew Valley, say – that people find relaxing.I relax by shooting zombies. Everybody’s different, but gentle, non-violent world-building continues to be a big trend in video games: in 2020 just 19 cosy games were released on the distribution service Steam; in 2025 there were 616.And what’s new in cosy gaming? Home-owning.Come again? The latest cosy games include…

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California legislators are advancing the proposed Private Equity Sunshine Act (SB 1319) amending the California Public Records Act to require expanded disclosure by California public investment funds, including state and local pension systems, regarding their alternative investments. The bill would affect both public pension investors and fund managers with California public pension plans as investors. Key Changes Expansion of Existing Disclosure Requirements General partner and ownership identities: In addition to current requirements to disclose fund name, address, and vintage year, the bill would require disclosure of each general partner or manager and any person holding a direct or indirect interest in…

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As part of a major tunnel infrastructure upgrade on a key urban transport route, a reliable enclosure solution was required to support the installation of new smart camera systems. The project formed part of broader efforts to enhance tunnel safety and traffic monitoring capability, including real-time surveillance, incident detection, and automated response systems. For these systems to operate consistently, enclosure performance needed to meet strict requirements for ingress protection and corrosion resistance in a high-exposure environment. Electrical and communications contractors worked closely with a leading provider of industrial enclosures, Rittal, throughout the project to assess the most suitable solution. Although an…

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Singapore and Thailand ranked among the world’s “least miserable” economies in an annual index compiled by a Johns Hopkins University economist, who said Southeast Asia was one of the “healthiest economic neighbourhoods” in the world.The 2025 Hanke’s Annual Misery Index (HAMI), compiled by applied economics professor Steve Hanke, measures the “economic temperature” of a country and seeks to approximate how its average citizen experiences the economy.This year’s HAMI found that several Southeast Asian economies had a combination of low inflation, steady employment, manageable borrowing costs and income growth – leaving households feeling less economic strain.“Think of HAMI as a thermometer…

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SBI Holdings is expanding its long-running Ripple strategy into a broader digital finance structure built around $XRP, $RLUSD, tokenized securities, crypto rewards, exchange operations and cross-border payments. The Japanese financial group has maintained close ties with Ripple since 2016 and remains one of its largest external shareholders, with an estimated 9% equity stake. In 2026, that relationship has moved beyond investment into practical financial products across banking, securities, stablecoins and payment infrastructure. SBI VC Trade began distributing Ripple’s U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, $RLUSD, in Japan on March 31, 2026. The rollout follows Japan’s revised Payment Services Act, with SBI VC Trade…

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Lithuanian Railways (LTG) is investigating two freight derailments that occurred within three days at Gudžiūnai in central Lithuania and Jiesia near Kaunas. The incidents affected both the 1,520 mm broad-gauge network and the 1,435 mm standard-gauge corridor used for Rail Baltica and international freight services. No injuries were reported in either case. Gudžiūnai: crushed stone wagons derail on main east–west corridor   © LTG At Gudžiūnai station (Kėdainiai district), three freight wagons loaded with crushed stone derailed, blocking both tracks on one of Lithuania’s primary rail axes. The incident disrupted traffic on several main routes: Vilnius–Klaipėda Vilnius–Šiauliai Kaunas–Šiauliai Vilnius–Riga–Valga A total…

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