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Rare Blue Moon Closes Out May, Doubling as Micromoon 3

The second full moon of May, known as a Blue Moon, reached peak illumination on Sunday, May 31, the only Blue Moon of 2026. The celestial event, which occurs roughly every two to three years, also qualified as a micromoon, as the moon was farther from Earth than average, making it appear slightly smaller than usual.

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Ireland: Gorse Fire Breaks Out on Bray Head Amid Prolonged Hot and Dry Weather 2

A large gorse fire broke out on Bray Head in County Wicklow, Ireland, on Thursday, May 28, amid a prolonged spell of hot and dry weather. The blaze was brought under control, but crews returned to the site on Friday morning after smoke was reported, with the public advised to continue avoiding the area.

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Ireland: Aftermath of Gorse Fire Leaves Bray Head Hillside Blackened

A large gorse fire broke out on Bray Head in County Wicklow, Ireland, on Thursday, May 28, amid a prolonged spell of hot and dry weather. The blaze was brought under control, but crews returned to the site on Friday morning after smoke was reported, with the public advised to continue avoiding the area. This video shows the burned Bray Head on May 31.

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Kelp harvesting season begins in Hokkaido

Kelp harvesting season begins in Hokkaido

Harvested kelp is unloaded from a fishing vessel at a port in Nemuro on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on June 1, 2026. Japanese fishing vessels started harvesting the seaweed the same day in waters around Kaigara Island of the Russian-held Habomai islet group off Nemuro Peninsula as this year's harvesting season began.

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Kelp harvesting season begins in Hokkaido

Kelp harvesting season begins in Hokkaido

Fishing industry officials wave to vessels as they depart from a port in Nemuro on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on June 1, 2026, to harvest kelp in waters around Kaigara Island of the Russian-held Habomai islet group off Nemuro Peninsula. Japanese fishing vessels started harvesting the seaweed in the waters the same day as this year's harvesting season began.

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China: Reddish-Orange Sandstorm Engulfs Tourist Site Near Flaming Mountain in Xinjiang

A severe sandstorm swept over Turpan, Xinjiang, blanketing the Wanfo Palace tourist site in a thick wall of reddish-orange dust blown from the nearby Flaming Mountain. Visibility dropped to near zero as sand swallowed surrounding hills and parked vehicles.

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Rare Blue Moon Closes Out May, Doubling as Micromoon 2

The second full moon of May, known as a Blue Moon, reached peak illumination on Sunday, May 31, the only Blue Moon of 2026. The celestial event, which occurs roughly every two to three years, also qualified as a micromoon, as the moon was farther from Earth than average, making it appear slightly smaller than usual.

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China: Tiny Chick Found Standing Alone Inside Open Truck on Shandong Highway

A video filmed on a highway in Shandong shows a lone fluffy yellow chick standing inside a nearly empty truck compartment whose rear door had come open.

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China: Tourists Watch Rocks Crumble From Cliff Behind Tianmen Cave in Zhangjiajie

A large section of surface rock broke away from the mountain behind Tianmen Cave at the Tianmen Mountain scenic area in Zhangjiajie, Hunan, as tourists watched from a distance. Authorities confirmed the rockfall occurred in a non-sightseeing zone and no one was injured.

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China: E-Scooter Glides Through Waist-Deep Floodwater on Submerged Guangzhou Road

Heavy rain submerged streets in Guangzhou on May 15, turning roads into rivers. Video shows an e-scooter rider navigating floodwater up to his thighs, steering smoothly through an intersection, while a delivery rider also pushed through the flooded street nearby.

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China: Dog Bites and Battles Snake in Tense Roadside Standoff in Shanxi

A video from Shanxi, northern China, shows a white dog grabbing a snake in its jaws and refusing to let go despite the snake writhing in pain. The owner eventually pulled the dog away, and the snake was released into the mountains.

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Nikkei hits record intraday high

Nikkei hits record intraday high

A monitor at a foreign exchange trading company in Tokyo shows the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average trading above 67,000 for the first time in morning trading on June 1, 2026.

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SoftBank Group becomes biggest Japan firm in market cap

SoftBank Group becomes biggest Japan firm in market cap

Photo taken on April 12, 2026, shows a signboard with a SoftBank Group Corp. logo in front of the building housing its headquarters in Tokyo. The tech conglomerate's market capitalization topped 47 trillion yen ($295 billion) on June 1, 2026, following recent stock price gains backed by the company's aggressive investments in AI, surpassing Toyota Motor Corp. as Japan's largest company in terms of total market value.

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SoftBank Group becomes biggest Japan firm in market cap

SoftBank Group becomes biggest Japan firm in market cap

Photo taken on April 12, 2026, shows a building housing the headquarters of SoftBank Group Corp. in Tokyo. The tech conglomerate's market capitalization topped 47 trillion yen ($295 billion) on June 1, 2026, following recent stock price gains backed by the company's aggressive investments in AI, surpassing Toyota Motor Corp. as Japan's largest company in terms of total market value.

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Weed-eating goats on college campus

Weed-eating goats on college campus

Photo taken on May 11, 2026, shows free-roaming goats at a Chiba University campus in Chiba near Tokyo. The public university released four young goats on the campus in April as a way to prevent students from possibly developing allergic symptoms mainly from hogweed.

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Weed-eating goats on college campus

Weed-eating goats on college campus

Photo taken on May 11, 2026, shows free-roaming goats at a Chiba University campus in Chiba near Tokyo. The public university released four young goats on the campus in April as a way to prevent students from possibly developing allergic symptoms mainly from hogweed.

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Weed-eating goats on college campus

Weed-eating goats on college campus

Photo taken on May 11, 2026, shows free-roaming goats at a Chiba University campus in Chiba near Tokyo. The public university released four young goats on the campus in April as a way to prevent students from possibly developing allergic symptoms mainly from hogweed.

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France: Chaos Erupts Nationwide After PSG’s Champions League Win

Paris Saint-Germain's penalty shootout victory over Arsenal at the Champions League final in Budapest on Saturday, May 30, triggered widespread unrest across France, with more than 400 arrests, cars set ablaze, shops vandalized, and a group attempting to storm a police station. This video shows fireworks shooting into the air and flying around in Paris.

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Ex-Federal Reserve Chair Powell at award ceremony

Ex-Federal Reserve Chair Powell at award ceremony

Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell (C) receives the 2026 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award at a ceremony in Boston on May 31, 2026.

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Ex-U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Powell at award ceremony

Ex-U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Powell at award ceremony

Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivers a speech after receiving the 2026 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award at a ceremony in Boston on May 31, 2026.

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Baseball: Tigers vs. White Sox

Baseball: Tigers vs. White Sox

Chicago White Sox center fielder Rikuu Nishida fields a single in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Rate Field in Chicago on May 30, 2026.

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Baseball: Tigers vs. White Sox

Baseball: Tigers vs. White Sox

Rikuu Nishida of the Chicago White Sox hits an RBI single in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Rate Field in Chicago on May 30, 2026.

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Japan Defense Minister Koizumi delivers speech in Singapore

Japan Defense Minister Koizumi delivers speech in Singapore

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi delivers a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore on May 31, 2026, rejecting China's criticism that Japan's defense capability buildup represents a "new militarism."

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Baseball: Tigers vs. White Sox

Baseball: Tigers vs. White Sox

Rikuu Nishida of the Chicago White Sox hits an RBI single in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Rate Field in Chicago on May 30, 2026.

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Baseball: Tigers vs. White Sox

Baseball: Tigers vs. White Sox

Rikuu Nishida of the Chicago White Sox poses on first base after hitting an RBI single in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Rate Field in Chicago on May 30, 2026.

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Rally of abductees' families

Rally of abductees' families

Hitomi Soga, a Japanese woman who was abducted by North Korea in 1978 and repatriated in 2002, speaks during a rally seeking the early return of other abductees in Tokyo on May 30, 2026, holding a watch given by her mother Miyoshi, who was taken with Soga and remains missing.

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Rally of abductees' families

Rally of abductees' families

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a rally in Tokyo on May 30, 2026, organized by the families and supporters of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s to call for their early return.

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Rally of abductees' families

Rally of abductees' families

Takuya Yokota, head of a group representing the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, speaks during a rally in Tokyo on May 30, 2026. Yokota's sister, Megumi, was abducted by North Korea in 1977 aged 13.

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Baseball: Phillies vs. Dodgers

Baseball: Phillies vs. Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki shouts after third baseman Santiago Espinal fields a grounder by Philadelphia Phillies' Alec Bohm in the fourth inning of a baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on May 30, 2026.

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Rally of abductees' families

Rally of abductees' families

Sakie Yokota, 90, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 aged 13, speaks at a rally in Tokyo on May 30, 2026, organized by the families and supporters of abductees to call for their early return.

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Indonesia: Mount Marapi Erupts as Authorities Issue Alert and Exclusion Zone 2

Mount Marapi in West Sumatra erupted on Saturday, May 30, sending a 2,000-metre grey ash column drifting northeast, while authorities maintained a Level II Alert and a 3-kilometre exclusion zone around the crater.

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US: Ominous Storm Cloud Looms Over Kansas as Severe Thunderstorm Moves Through

An ominous storm cloud loomed over Anthony, south central Kansas, on Saturday, May 30, as a severe thunderstorm moved through the area.

  •  

Rare Blue Moon Closes Out May, Doubling as Micromoon

The second full moon of May, known as a Blue Moon, reached peak illumination on Sunday, May 31, the only Blue Moon of 2026. The celestial event, which occurs roughly every two to three years, also qualified as a micromoon, as the moon was farther from Earth than average, making it appear slightly smaller than usual.

  •  
Rally of abductees' families

Rally of abductees' families

Families and supporters of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago hold a rally in Tokyo on May 30, 2026, to call for their early return, with about 800 people, including Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, attending.

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Rally of abductees' families

Rally of abductees' families

Families and supporters of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago hold a rally in Tokyo on May 30, 2026, to call for their early return, with about 800 people, including Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, attending.

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JX Advanced Metal, Mitsubishi Materials, and Mitsui Metal Hold Press Conference on the Integration of Their Copper Concentrate Procurement and Electrolytic Copper Sales Businesses

JX Advanced Metal, Mitsubishi Materials, and Mitsui Metal Hold Press Conference on the Integration of Their Copper Concentrate Procurement and Electrolytic Copper Sales Businesses

JX Advanced Metals, Mitsubishi Materials, and Mitsui Metal held a press conference to announce the integration of their businesses related to the purchase of copper concentrate and the sale of electrolytic copper and other products. The photo shows Yoichi Hayashi, President of JX Advanced Metals; Tetsuya Tanaka, President of Mitsubishi Materials; and Seiji Ikenobu, President of Mitsui Metal.=May 28,2026,Japan

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JX Advanced Metal, Mitsubishi Materials, and Mitsui Metal Hold Press Conference on the Integration of Their Copper Concentrate Procurement and Electrolytic Copper Sales Businesses

JX Advanced Metal, Mitsubishi Materials, and Mitsui Metal Hold Press Conference on the Integration of Their Copper Concentrate Procurement and Electrolytic Copper Sales Businesses

JX Advanced Metals, Mitsubishi Materials, and Mitsui Metal held a press conference to announce the integration of their businesses related to the purchase of copper concentrate and the sale of electrolytic copper and other products. The photo shows Yoichi Hayashi, President of JX Advanced Metals; Tetsuya Tanaka, President of Mitsubishi Materials; and Seiji Ikenobu, President of Mitsui Metal.=May 28,2026,Japan

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JX Advanced Metal, Mitsubishi Materials, and Mitsui Metal Hold Press Conference on the Integration of Their Copper Concentrate Procurement and Electrolytic Copper Sales Businesses

JX Advanced Metal, Mitsubishi Materials, and Mitsui Metal Hold Press Conference on the Integration of Their Copper Concentrate Procurement and Electrolytic Copper Sales Businesses

JX Advanced Metals, Mitsubishi Materials, and Mitsui Metal held a press conference to announce the integration of their businesses related to the purchase of copper concentrate and the sale of electrolytic copper and other products. The photo shows Yoichi Hayashi, President of JX Advanced Metals; Tetsuya Tanaka, President of Mitsubishi Materials; and Seiji Ikenobu, President of Mitsui Metal.=May 28,2026,Japan

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Mitsubishi Motors: Briefing on the New Mid-to-Long-Term Vision

Mitsubishi Motors: Briefing on the New Mid-to-Long-Term Vision

Mitsubishi Motors holds a briefing on its new mid-to-long-term vision. The photo shows, from left, CEO Takao Kato and President and COO Keisuke Kishiura.=May 29,2026,Tokyo

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Mitsubishi Motors: Briefing on the New Mid-to-Long-Term Vision

Mitsubishi Motors: Briefing on the New Mid-to-Long-Term Vision

Mitsubishi Motors holds a briefing on its new mid-to-long-term vision. The photo shows President and COO Keisuke Kishiura.=May 29,2026,Tokyo

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Mitsubishi Motors: Briefing on the New Mid-to-Long-Term Vision

Mitsubishi Motors: Briefing on the New Mid-to-Long-Term Vision

Mitsubishi Motors holds a briefing on its new mid-to-long-term vision. The photo shows CEO Takao Kato.=May 29,2026,Tokyo

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Mitsubishi Motors: Briefing on the New Mid-to-Long-Term Vision

Mitsubishi Motors: Briefing on the New Mid-to-Long-Term Vision

Mitsubishi Motors holds a briefing on its new mid-to-long-term vision. The photo shows CEO Takao Kato.=May 29,2026,Tokyo

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Japan Defense Minister Koizumi, Philippine Defense Minister Teodoro meet

Japan Defense Minister Koizumi, Philippine Defense Minister Teodoro meet

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (front, R) and Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro pose for a photo in Singapore on May 31, 2026. Koizumi and Teodoro agreed during their talks to work on realizing the export of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Abukuma-class destroyers promptly after decommissioning.

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U.N. special representative Patten

U.N. special representative Patten

Pramila Patten, U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, speaks during a press conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York on May 29, 2026.

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G7 digital ministers meeting in Paris

G7 digital ministers meeting in Paris

French digital minister Anne Le Henanff speaks during a news conference after a meeting of ministers in charge of digital affairs from the Group of Seven countries in Paris on May 29, 2026.

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Football: Japan vs. Iceland

Football: Japan vs. Iceland

Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu (far R) fist bumps fans after beating Iceland in a World Cup send-off match at MUFG Stadium in Tokyo on May 31, 2026.

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Football: Japan vs. Iceland

Football: Japan vs. Iceland

Japan players fist bump fans after beating Iceland in a World Cup send-off match at MUFG Stadium in Tokyo on May 31, 2026.

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Football: Japan vs. Iceland

Football: Japan vs. Iceland

Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu meets the press after beating Iceland in a World Cup send-off match at MUFG Stadium in Tokyo on May 31, 2026.

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Football: Japan vs. Iceland

Football: Japan vs. Iceland

Japan players pose for a photo after beating Iceland in a World Cup send-off match at MUFG Stadium in Tokyo on May 31, 2026.

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Football: Japan vs. Iceland

Football: Japan vs. Iceland

Japan captain Wataru Endo (front) speaks to fans after beating Iceland in a World Cup send-off match at MUFG Stadium in Tokyo on May 31, 2026.

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