Train disaster
The week's news at a glance.
Amagasaki, Japan
At least 78 people were killed and more than 450 injured this week when a Japanese train jumped a track and slammed into an apartment building in a suburb of Osaka. It was the country’s worst rail disaster in more than 40 years. Survivors said the driver, who was not immediately found, seemed to have been speeding to make up for lost time after overshooting the previous station. The train was running two minutes late; that’s considered a significant delay in the country’s highly efficient rail system, which serves 60 million passengers every day.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Does ketchup belong on a hot dog and more May 12 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday's cartoons feature Pope Leo XIV, Newark airport, and Donald Trump's meme coin