Japan Just Experienced the Worst Heatwave Since Records Began in 1875

Extreme weather conditions are commonplace in today’s global environmental realities. Heatwaves are becoming more frequent, more intense, and longer lasting during the summer months. The Northern Hemisphere is no exception, with countries from the UK to China to Italy sweltering under intense heat.

Yet, even in the context of our new climate certainties, the recent heatwave in Japan is extraordinary. Temperatures reached above 104 degrees (40 Celsius) for the first time on record for the month of June. On July 3rd in Tokyo, temperatures exceeded 95 degrees (35 Celsius) for the ninth consecutive day—the longest streak since record-keeping began in 1875. Hundreds of deaths were attributed to the heat, and nearly 5,000 people went to the hospital seeking treatment for heat stroke and exhaustion over just a couple of days. The majority of those patients are senior citizens, who make up a significant share of Japan’s aging population.

Cuba ended its long-time ban on professional boxing allowing athletes to begin to earn more. It hasn’t stopped some of their best boxers from escaping—or trying to escape—the island anyway.

Cuba has long been recognized for its boxing prowess. Cuban boxers have won 37 Olympic gold medals—17 in the 1992 Olympics alone and 4 in the recent Tokyo games. Only two heavyweight boxers in history have won three Olympic gold medals and three world amateur titles…both are Cuban.

The US Exports More to Mexico Than to all EU Countries Combined.

These days, when most Americans think of our southern border, it’s in the context of illegal smuggling and immigration. In reality, that barely scratches the surface of what cross-border activity means for US interests.

In recent remarks at the Wilson Center, Esteban Moctezuma, Mexico's Ambassador to the US, noted that nearly $1 million of bilateral trade takes place across the US-Mexico border every minute. That’s roughly $1.8 billion per day. And that cross border commercial activity is on the rise, up 23% last year from 2020, and 18% in the first trimester of this year.

Over half of African young adults are likely to consider leaving their native country in the next three years.

Many in the West assume African migration is largely driven by dark forces like war, violent extremism, and repression. Those factors no doubt loom large in the two countries where young people are most likely to contemplate emigration—Nigeria and Sudan—but continent wide, youth migration has much more to do with lack of opportunity.