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Japan Puts the Heat on Suspected Ice Cream Cartel

This illustrative picture shows ice cream in a convenience store in Tokyo on June 17, 2026. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
This illustrative picture shows ice cream in a convenience store in Tokyo on June 17, 2026. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
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Japan Puts the Heat on Suspected Ice Cream Cartel

This illustrative picture shows ice cream in a convenience store in Tokyo on June 17, 2026. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
This illustrative picture shows ice cream in a convenience store in Tokyo on June 17, 2026. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Summer is coming, a boom time for ice cream makers, but Japanese authorities have raided six major firms on suspicion of colluding to raise prices.

Among the country's biggest ice cream firms, the six "are suspected of colluding" to hike prices, a source familiar with the matter told AFP on Wednesday.

Company officials are thought to have sent emails or met up for years to coordinate the timing and size of hikes, the unnamed source said.

Officials from the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) searched the head offices on Tuesday of Meiji Co., Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Lotte Co., Ezaki Glico Co., Morinaga & Co., and Akagi Nyugyo Co., according to company officials and the source.

Since around 2022, the ice cream companies have raised retail prices every year at around the same time, local media reported.

The JFTC is also investigating whether the companies took advantage of inflation to raise prices beyond what was justified by a spike in raw ingredient costs, according to Kyodo News.

Five of the companies issued statements on Tuesday or on Wednesday saying their offices had been raided by the JFTC and that they "would cooperate with the investigation.”

Natsuyo Suzuki of Akagi Nyugo also confirmed to AFP that the firm would work with investigators following an "on-site inspection.”

If the JFTC concludes that there was a cartel, the antitrust watchdog will order the firms to improve their business practices and pay a fine.

In the fiscal year ending in March, ice cream sales in Japan hit a record high of more than 660 billion yen, according to the Japan Ice Cream Association, as the country sweltered through its hottest summer since records began in 1989.

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Spanish Scientists Find 1st Evidence of Diplodocus Dinosaur in Europe

FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
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Spanish Scientists Find 1st Evidence of Diplodocus Dinosaur in Europe

FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo

Spanish paleontologists say they have found the first evidence that Diplodocus, the iconic long-necked dinosaur, once roamed Europe, according to research published on Tuesday in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Researchers from the Dinopolis Foundation in Teruel in eastern Spain recovered fossils comprising 14 caudal vertebrae and several chevron bones of one specimen ⁠from sediments dating back ⁠around 150 million years.

"The anatomical study and evolutionary analyses we conducted have allowed us to identify the El Castellar specimen as belonging to the genus ⁠Diplodocus. It is one of the most complete diplodocids discovered to date in Europe and represents the first evidence of this genus outside North America," lead author Sergio Sanchez Fenollosa wrote, according to Reuters.

Alberto Cobos, managing director of the Dinopolis Foundation and a co-author of the study, said the ⁠specimen ⁠likely measured around 25 meters (82 feet) in length. It joins a growing list of giant Jurassic sauropods found in the Teruel area.

First identified from fossils found in Wyoming in 1877, the herbivorous Diplodocus, known for its long neck, whip-like tail and four sturdy legs, is among the world's most recognizable dinosaurs.

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Giant Jellyfish Surprises Free Diver Off Welsh Coastline

The lion's mane jellyfish was spotted near the Pembrokeshire coast (Getty)
The lion's mane jellyfish was spotted near the Pembrokeshire coast (Getty)
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Giant Jellyfish Surprises Free Diver Off Welsh Coastline

The lion's mane jellyfish was spotted near the Pembrokeshire coast (Getty)
The lion's mane jellyfish was spotted near the Pembrokeshire coast (Getty)

A free diver has said he “couldn’t believe his luck” after spotting a giant jellyfish off the Welsh coastline.

Iestyn Morgan, from Pembrokeshire, said the lion’s mane was the “length of a bus” with a size of about 10 to 15 meters, according to BBC.

The 21-year-old conservationist, who records footage for social media to raise awareness about the “threat our seas are facing,” said it was the first lion’s mane he had seen in Wales.

More commonly found in the colder waters off Scotland, a marine biologist said although the lion’s mane sting was “nasty,” it was not dangerous.

Morgan said he was swimming near Trefin Beach in Pembrokeshire when he spotted the tentacles in the water.

“Three turned to 10, and then to 20. They just kept on coming,” he added.

The jellyfish was so big the tentacles went “beyond the range of visibility.”

He initially thought it was a compass jellyfish, which are native to UK waters, before realizing it was too big.

“It must have been the length of a bus or small train. I couldn't believe how big it was.”

The Wildlife Trusts said the lion's mane jellyfish gets its name from its long tentacles, and has “all the beauty and bite of a lion.”

They can grow up to 3 meters in length, but the tentacles - which are used to catch their prey - can exceed 30 to 36.5 meters making it one of the longest animals on Earth.

Marine biologist Dr. Cathy Lucas, from the University of Southampton, said Morgan’s video showed the animal’s incredible length.

“The tentacles are so long and so fine you might not even see them,” she said, recalling how during field work in Scotland divers would get bits of tentacles on them when there were no jellyfish around.

“They still sting after they break off,” she said, adding that while the sting was “nasty” and “the worst in the UK,” it was not dangerous.

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Reading for Pleasure Protects Brain from Cognitive Decline

Children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed benefits including better attention, memory and executive functioning (University of Cambridge)
Children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed benefits including better attention, memory and executive functioning (University of Cambridge)
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Reading for Pleasure Protects Brain from Cognitive Decline

Children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed benefits including better attention, memory and executive functioning (University of Cambridge)
Children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed benefits including better attention, memory and executive functioning (University of Cambridge)

Reading for pleasure is linked to better mental health, greater empathy and a lower risk of dementia, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Cambridge.

In a review published in Psychological Medicine, the scientists argue that regardless of what or how we read, reading for enjoyment can bring huge benefits.

The study of more than 10,000 young people found that children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed benefits including better attention, memory and executive functioning, greater academic achievement, fewer mental health problems and healthier lifestyles, including more sleep and less screen time.

Unsurprisingly, reading is strongly associated with improved literacy skills—but it is even linked to mathematical achievement, as reading and math share similar cognitive processes such as language skills, memory and executive function.

The benefits are not limited to children and young people. Surveys have suggested a multitude of benefits for adults, particularly related to well-being, including reduced stress and better relaxation, greater empathy and understanding of others, and a more tolerant attitude toward different perspectives.

Reading has emerged as the most popular method for stress relief, with almost two in five adults (38%) choosing books as their ultimate way to unwind.

A neuroscience study commissioned by The Queen's Reading Room in 2024 found that just five minutes of fiction can reduce stress by up to 20%, as well as boost concentration and problem-solving skills and help readers feel less lonely.

One survey even found that more people turned to books for comfort (35%) than to wine (31%) or a hot bath (10%).

Also, the benefits can be particularly important later in life. Leisure activities that stimulate the brain—particularly reading—are linked to slower cognitive decline and a reduced risk of dementia in older adults.

For example, in a study of almost 5,500 adults ages 55 and older, individuals who frequently engaged in activities including reading were significantly less likely to develop cognitive impairment over a five-year follow-up period.

Another study found that reading newspapers, magazines and books was associated with a 33% reduction in the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Brain imaging studies show a link between reading and differences in brain structure, including larger volumes and cortical areas in brain regions involved in language, learning, emotional regulation and executive control; stronger white matter connectivity supporting language processing; and increased cortical thickness in key language-related brain areas.

Also, reading with others, whether as part of a book club or with a parent reading to their children, can bring even greater rewards, the study shows.