Thaksin seems incapable of taking a back seat. This time, it really could be different.

Thick black smoke billowed across an expressway in Fukuoka on May 11th after a fire broke out beneath an elevated section of the road, temporarily blocking visibility for drivers and forcing a partial road closure. (News On Japan)

The pop star's legal team alleges a photograph of her face was used on Samsung television boxes without permission.

Iran is reported to want lifting of the US naval blockade, recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for war damage.

Thaksin seems incapable of taking a back seat. This time, it really could be different.

Several Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in a special fraud operation in Indonesia have been detained, after a report from the family of a Japanese woman believed to have been trafficked led authorities to uncover the operation. (News On Japan)

The Strait of Hormuz waterway remains effectively shut, severely disrupting global energy shipments.

The Strait of Hormuz waterway remains effectively shut, severely disrupting global energy shipments.

Iranian authorities granted human rights activist Narges Mohammadi bail amid growing concern over her poor health in prison.

With Eurovision facing its biggest boycott in 70 years, questions are growing over the competition's future.

Part of the exterior wall of a commercial building collapsed in Osaka on May 10th, causing a nearby highway signpost to topple onto a taxi in what authorities suspect may have been linked to the building’s aging condition. (News On Japan)

Iranian authorities have imposed an internet ban but using trusted sources, special correspondent Fergal Keane hears from those traumatised by conflict and government repression.

The House of Councillors' settlement committee convened on May 11th with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in attendance, as lawmakers continued debating the government's response to the worsening situation surrounding Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. (News On Japan)

A dissident in Tehran says she feels helpless and under immense psychological pressure.

A dissident in Tehran says she feels helpless and under immense psychological pressure.

The Nikkei Stock Average reversed early gains and closed 295.77 points, or 0.4%, lower at 62,417.88 on May 11 after surging more than 1,600 points earlier in the day, as selling spread across AI-related and semiconductor shares despite record highs in the U.S. Nasdaq and Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, while concerns over Middle East tensions and U.S. interest rate policy weighed on investor sentiment. (News On Japan)

A tornado-like whirlwind was spotted on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture on May 11th, with dramatic footage capturing the swirling gust as it moved through a port area while lifting seawater into the air. (News On Japan)

The BBC visits the city of Ushuaia, where heath officials have been sent to investigate the origins of the outbreak.

The UN human rights office condemns incident as "'appalling and emblematic of the dehumanisation of Palestinians" in the West Bank.

The UN human rights office condemns incident as "'appalling and emblematic of the dehumanisation of Palestinians" in the West Bank.