(Tokyo/Washington) Japan and the United States will cooperate in mining rare earth elements in waters surrounding a small island in the Pacific Ocean. The two countries previously reached an agreement to work together to reduce their dependence on China for this crucial mineral.

(Berlin) German Defense Minister Pistorius suggested that the recent drone incident in Belgium was related to discussions about using frozen Russian assets to provide a huge loan to Ukraine.

(Copenhagen) The Danish government announced that it has reached a consensus to ban children under the age of 15 from using social media, but parents can allow children aged 13 and above to browse certain platforms.

(Washington, D.C.) The ongoing federal government shutdown has worsened the impact on civil aviation services, with 40 major airports across the country cutting domestic flights by 4% starting Friday. U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy warned that if the shutdown continues until next Friday, daily flight reductions could reach as high as 20%.

(Washington, D.C.) The U.S. military is preparing to purchase millions of drones to bolster its capabilities for any future war. The U.S. War Department has instructed its contractors to accelerate weapons development or risk losing contracts.

(AFP, Belém) Brazilian President Lula said the planet can no longer sustain humanity's dependence on fossil fuels and warned that global climate action could be in vain if countries do not quickly shift to cleaner energy sources.

(Seoul) North Korea condemned the United States and South Korea for conspiring to increase their deterrence against it, escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and threatened to take more aggressive actions against the two countries.

(Washington/Gaza) Conflict has reignited between Turkey and Israel. On Friday, Turkey issued arrest warrants for 37 people, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials, accusing them of genocide and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.