Light News (LN)

  Japan have beaten Germany, Brazil, England and Spain since 2022, but may struggle to sustain a genuine title push. Japan have been late bloomers in terms of World Cups, only reaching the tournament for the first time in 1998 – but since then they have been at every edition. While they have never gotten past the last 16 – even as cohosts in 2002 – their current crop of players is surely the most talented in the national side’s history. Japan were the first team – outside the hosts – to qualify for the  2026 World Cup . The Samurai Blue have beaten Germany, Brazil, England and Spain since 2022. While they can beat any team on their day, it is unclear whether they can sustain a genuine title push throughout a long tournament and they have been rocked by an injury  to star player Kaoru Mitoma. Statement win at Wembley It was only a friendly, and England have rarely beaten top sides recently, and Wembley can have an awfully flat vibe; but for all the caveats, Japan’s recent ...

  Erratic US policy moves leave European NATO partners increasingly unclear about which areas they should prioritise as they formulate defence strategies. United States President Donald Trump has announced plans to deploy an additional 5,000 troops to Poland. Trump announced the surprise deployment on social media late on Thursday, citing his friendship with right-wing Polish President Karol Nawrocki. The move came days after a planned deployment to Poland was apparently scrapped and will deepen uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration’s approach to NATO allies and its long-term commitment to maintaining a military presence in Europe. It leaves European partners increasingly unclear about which areas they should prioritise as they formulate defence strategies. “Based on the successful Election of the now President ⁠of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an addition...

  Lebanon’s ongoing war and financial crises threaten to render the nation economically unviable, experts warn . Shortly after Mario Habib opened his barber shop in 2006, a war broke out between Israel and Hezbollah. Twenty years on, he’s living through another war. The shop has become a fixture of his Furn el-Shebbak neighbourhood. Mario, a 51-year-old with tattoos and short black hair, slips in jokes as he cuts his clients’ hair, a steady stream visiting throughout the day. But Mario has noticed that he isn’t as busy as he used to be. Israel’s war on Lebanon and the US-Israel war on Iran are damaging Lebanon’s economy. Prices are rising as a result of supply issues – particularly of oil from the Gulf region, which has largely stopped since the US and Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz. And, in Lebanon, which had already been suffering from an economic crisis, there is less work, and people are losing their jobs. “The price of running the generator is killing me,” he said. “Every...

  Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Cuba poses a national security threat to the US. United States President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have issued new threats of military action against Cuba. Rubio told reporters late on Thursday that Cuba has been a national security threat for years because of its ties to US adversaries Russia and China, while Trump said he is likely to be the president to finally take action. The Trump administration, with Cuban-American Rubio at the forefront, has been raising the pressure on the communist-led island in an apparent bid to institute “regime change,” including a fuel blockade that has put the Cuban economy on the edge of collapse. The push has accelerated in recent days, with the US indicting Cuba’s former President Raul Castro and gathering military forces in the Caribbean. Rejecting suggestions of “nation building,” Rubio told reporters the issue is one of “national security”. He added that while a negotiated agreem...

  The US is pausing a $14bn (£10.4bn) arms sale to Taiwan to ensure it has enough weapons for the Iran war, acting Navy secretary Hung Cao has said. Cao confirmed this at a Senate hearing, days after President Donald Trump appeared non-committal about the sale following his meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. A spokesperson for Taiwan's presidential office told reporters on Friday that they had not received any information about "US adjustments to the arms sale". The sale of US arms to Taiwan has long irked Beijing, which claims the self-governed island as its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force. "Right now we're doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury - which we have plenty," Cao said at the hearing on Thursday, using the code name for the US-Israel joint military operation in Iran. "We're just making sure we have everything, but then the foreign military sales will continue when the admin...

  Detectives investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor could investigate allegations of sexual misconduct as part of their inquiry into potential misconduct in public office. Police have repeated their call for anyone with information to come forward. It is understood police are concerned witnesses might think they are focusing on the narrow definition of misconduct in public office when it is a complex offence that can include abuse of position, sexual misconduct and corruption, among other things. The police investigation into the former Prince Andrew was prompted by the release of US Department of Justice files related to its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing, and has denied any personal gain from his role as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011. Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008, died in a New York prison in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. ...