- President Zelenskyy revealed approximately 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the Russian invasion began. - Zelenskyy stated a significant number of Ukrainian personnel are currently missing. - French President Macron is reportedly planning to resume dialogue with Putin, prompting Zelenskyy to call for conditions on such talks.
A: Hey! Did you hear anything about Ukraine lately?
B: No, not really. What's up?
A: Apparently, President Zelenskyy gave an interview. It’s pretty serious.
B: Oh? What did he say?
A: He said around 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died since the war started. That was nearly four years ago now, remember?
B: Wow, that’s a lot. Did he say that before too?
A: He did! Last year, he said it was over 46,000. So, the number is getting higher. Also, he mentioned a lot of people are missing.
B: That's terrible. Is anything changing?
A: Well, he said President Macron of France is planning to talk to Putin again!
B: Really? That’s something.
A: Yeah! Zelenskyy thinks pressure on Russia isn't strong enough. He wants them to talk, but with certain rules.
B: Macron’s advisor went to Moscow already, huh?
A: That's right! It’s all quite a complicated situation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says around 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia's invasion started nearly four years ago on February 24, 2022. Zelenskyy disclosed the figure in an interview with French public broadcaster France 2 that aired Wednesday. He also said a large number of personnel are listed as missing. In an interview with US television network NBC last February, Zelenskyy said more than 46,000 service members had been killed. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy also revealed that French President Emmanuel Macron had told him he was preparing to resume dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Noting that Putin's aim is to humiliate Europe, Zelenskyy said pressure on Russia is insufficient and dialogue must take place with conditions. Reuters news agency and other media have reported that Macron's top diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne visited Moscow on Tuesday to hold talks with Russian officials.
Quiz 1: According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, approximately how many Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the Russian invasion? A. 46,000 B. 55,000 C. 66,000 D. 35,000
Quiz 2: In which month and year did Zelenskyy previously state that more than 46,000 service members had been killed? A. January 2023 B. March 2024 C. February 2024 D. December 2022
Quiz 3: What is Emmanuel Macron reportedly preparing to do regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin? A. Resume dialogue B. Issue a formal declaration of war C. Send additional troops to Ukraine D. Impose stricter economic sanctions
[Answer block] Answers: Quiz 1: B Quiz 2: C Quiz 3: A
- The Milwaukee Brewers will host a "Naruto Night" on August 5, 2026, featuring a special Naruto-themed jersey giveaway. - The Brewers and the Miami Marlins are both holding Naruto-themed nights, marking a trend of MLB teams collaborating with popular anime franchises. - The Brewers are also hosting a "Hello Kitty Night" on August 19, complete with a Hello Kitty bobblehead giveaway and themed activities.
A: Did you hear about the news? The Brewers are doing a Naruto night!
B: え！Really? The Milwaukee Brewers? That's so random!
A: I know, right? August 5th! They're giving away Naruto jerseys!
B: Wow! What does the jersey look like?
A: It has the Naruto logo on the front and Naruto himself on the back! They’re even using “Uzumaki” instead of a name! Like Ichiro!
A: The Marlins are doing a Naruto night too, but the Brewers have shown off their design.
B: Cool! Are they doing other Japanese things?
A: Yep! Hello Kitty night on August 19th! They're giving out bobbleheads!
B: Hello Kitty taking over the stadium? That's hilarious!
A: It is! They're even having a laser show!
B: I might have to go! Do you want to?
A: Definitely! But no Kunai, okay? They’ll probably take them away! 笑
There are all sorts of fighting skills that come in handy for ninja, from hand-to-hand combat to proficiency with throwing stars, explosives, or supernatural ninpo spells. But more than anything, the definitive shinobi talent is stealth. True ninja must be so adept at infiltration that they can suddenly appear anywhere, even where you’d least expect them…like at a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game. We’ve still got a month-plus until the start of the 2026 MLB season, but the Brewers are already getting multi-hobby fans excited with the announcement of the team’s special theme nights for the year. If you’re a fan of the shonen shinobi saga, August 5 is the night you’ll want to circle on your calendar/ninja time-tracking scroll, since that’ll be Naruto Night, when the team will be giving away special Naruto Brewers jerseys! The Brewers will be giving away this NARUTO-themed baseball jersey on August 5 vs. the Pirates pic.twitter.com/UjCMRnZo4S— MLB (@MLB) February 3, 2026 The Naruto logo appears on the chest just below the left shoulder, and you get some stylish baseball and ninja iconography on the sleeves. The lower half of the shirt has layers of clouds rendered in the style of classical Japanese paintings in the Brewers’ navy blue-and-yellow team colors, and Naruto himself appears on the back. ▼ Under the normal MLB uniform family-name conventions, the back of the jersey should say “Uzumaki,” but they’re making an Ichiro-like exception for Naruto here.
Interestingly, the Brewers’ 6:40 p.m. home game on August 5 is against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who’d be a natural choice for fans of another shonen anime/manga mega-hit, One Piece to cheer for, but no collaboration between them has been announced. While this isn’t the first time for Major League Baseball to join hands with a popular anime franchise, past partnerships have often involved teams/cities with higher media profiles, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Miami Marlines have also announced that they’ll be holding a Naruto night too on May 22 when they take on the New York Mets, with a Naruto jersey of their own. So far only the Brewers have shown off their design, though, and they’re promising “anime-themed activations around the park” and a postgame laser show on August 5 as well. That’s not the only Japanese pop culture event the Brewers have planned this summer, either, as August 19, when they face the Seattle Mariners, will be Hello Kitty Night.
“Hello Kitty is taking over American Family Field this summer,” the team says of its home stadium. “Fans can take home a Hello Kitty bobblehead with the purchase of a special Theme Night ticket and enjoy themed fun throughout the game in this adorable all-ages celebration.” And if it sounds a little startling to say that Hello Kitty is going to be “taking over” territory, remember that one of her personas is, after all, “Red Dragon Archfiend Hello Kitty.” Tickets for the Brewers game can be reserved online here, and for the Marlins game here. Though not specifically mentioned in the American Family Field rules and regulations, it’s safe to assume that they will require Naruto fans to leave their real-world Flying Thunder God Kunai at home. Sources: Twitter/@MLB, MLB (1, 2) Top image: MLB Insert images: Twitter/@MLB, MLB ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
- YouTube now has 325 million paying subscribers for Google One and YouTube Premium, a significant increase from 300 million. - YouTube's ad revenue rose 9% to $11.38 billion, with overall annual revenue up 17% to $60 billion. - YouTube plans new, genre-specific subscription packages for YouTube TV and is seeing strong adoption of its AI creation tools.
A: Hey! Did you hear about YouTube's latest news?
B: No way! What's up with YouTube?
A: They're getting even more subscribers! Like, 325 million now! Crazy, right?
B: Wow! That's a lot of people paying for YouTube Premium.
A: Yeah! And their ad revenue went up too, to over 11 billion dollars!
B: That’s good! But I heard it didn't quite meet what everyone expected...
A: True, but their total yearly revenue is still up a lot – 17%!
B: Cool! So, they're pushing that ad-free premium plan a lot too?
A: Definitely! And they're going to add even *more* choices for YouTube TV subscribers. Like, tons of different categories!
B: Genre-specific packages? Sounds interesting!
A: And Shorts are still super popular – 200 billion views a day!
B: Really? Even with all the other apps?
A: Yep! Plus, people are listening to a ton of podcasts on their TVs now. 700 million hours in October!
B: Whoa! That’s a lot of listening.
A: Oh, and they're using AI a lot too. Lots of channels are using their AI tools!
B: AI? For YouTube? Amazing! How many people are using that?
A: Over 20 million people used an AI tool to find videos in December!
Quiz 1: How many paying users does YouTube have across Google One and YouTube Premium as of Wednesday? A. 300 million B. 325 million C. 200 million D. 250 million
Quiz 2: What was YouTube’s ad revenue in the fourth quarter? A. $10.5 billion B. $12.0 billion C. $11.38 billion D. $9.8 billion
Quiz 3: Approximately how many hours of podcasts were watched on TVs in October? A. 700 million B. 500 million C. 1 billion D. 200 million
[Answer block] Answers: Quiz 1: B Quiz 2: C Quiz 3: A
- Two Vietnamese men were arrested in Tokyo for illegally obtaining Pokemon cards through fake online accounts. - The suspects created 30 fake accounts to win lotteries and purchased approximately 4,500 cards. - Police suspect the men resold the cards for profit, potentially earning over $25,500.
A: Hey! Did you hear about the news? Something crazy with Pokemon cards!
B: No! What happened? Seriously?
A: Yeah! Tokyo police arrested two guys from Vietnam. They were buying Pokemon cards illegally.
B: Wow! How did they do that?
A: They made fake accounts on the official Pokemon website! They used like, 30 fake accounts.
B: That's so sneaky! How could they even do that?
A: Apparently, they got SIM cards illegally too. The website had lotteries for the cards, you know? To buy them.
B: Oh, I know! It’s tough to get them sometimes. They cheated the system!
A: Exactly! They got about 30 boxes, that's 4,500 cards! They probably sold them for a lot of money.
B: Seriously? How much money are we talking about?
A: Police think they made at least 4 million yen, that's like, $25,500!
B: Whoa! That’s a lot of Pikachu! One of them runs a business, too!
A: Yeah, a communications company! He was even arrested before for lying about buying SIM cards.
B: So, they’re really in trouble now, huh?
A: Totally! Police found over 15,000 cards at their places! Crazy, right?
Tokyo police have arrested two Vietnamese men on suspicion of illegally purchasing popular Pokemon cards by creating fake accounts on a sales website. Police suspect the two resold the cards for profit. The police say one of the suspects, 39-year-old Do Van Cuong, runs a communications service firm in Tokyo. They say the two men accessed the official sales website for Pokemon goods from June to September 2025 and created 30 fictitious accounts using fraudulently obtained SIM cards. The website held lotteries that allowed the winners to buy one box of Pokemon cards each. Police say the two are suspected of illegally buying 4,500 cards in 30 boxes using the fake accounts. In October 2025, Do Van Cuong was arrested and indicted on fraud charges for giving false information when he bought SIM cards from a communications business company. Police say the suspects may have used some of the SIM cards obtained at that time to create the fake accounts. Police searched related facilities and seized more than 15,000 Pokemon cards. They say the two are suspected of making at least 4 million yen, or about 25,500 dollars, by reselling some of the cards. They have not revealed whether the two suspects have admitted to the allegations.
Okay, here are three four-choice quizzes based on the provided article, strictly adhering to the specified format.
Quiz 1: What is the primary suspicion against the two Vietnamese men arrested by Tokyo police? A. Stealing Pokemon cards from a warehouse. B. Illegally purchasing Pokemon cards by creating fake accounts. C. Defacing Pokemon card packaging. D. Hacking into the Pokemon company's database.
Quiz 2: Approximately when did the alleged fraudulent activity involving the fake accounts take place? A. January - March 2025 B. April - May 2025 C. June - September 2025 D. October - December 2025
Quiz 3: What was Do Van Cuong initially arrested and indicted for in October 2025? A. Fraud charges for giving false information when buying SIM cards. B. Reselling Pokemon cards without a license. C. Creating fake online accounts. D. Operating an illegal communications service firm.
[Answer block] Answers: Quiz 1: B Quiz 2: C Quiz 3: A
- Hibakusha are deeply concerned about the expiration of the US-Russia nuclear disarmament treaty, fearing it could trigger an arms race. - Survivors emphasize that abolishing nuclear weapons isn't a problem, rejecting the notion that they represent a nation's power. - They urge the Japanese government to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and actively work towards global nuclear disarmament.
A: Hey! Did you hear anything about that treaty between the US and Russia?
B: No, what's up?
A: It's ending soon! It's called New Start. It's about reducing nuclear weapons.
B: Oh wow, really? Is that bad?
A: Yeah, some survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings are worried. They’re called *hibakusha*.
B: I see. They held a press conference, didn't they?
A: They did! They said it’s happening at a really bad time, with all the tension in the world.
B: It sounds scary! They’re afraid it'll start a bigger arms race.
A: Exactly! One of the *hibakusha* said having nukes isn't a sign of being powerful; it's a problem for everyone.
B: That makes a lot of sense. They think nuclear war could destroy the whole world.
A: They want everyone to see that nukes are basically illegal and shouldn't exist.
B: So what do they want Japan to do?
A: They’re asking the Japanese government to join this other treaty – the one that bans nuclear weapons completely!
B: That's a good idea! Hopefully, the government will listen to the *hibakusha*.
A: Me too! They said the *hibakusha* need to keep pushing for it.
Japanese atomic bombing survivors, known as hibakusha, have stressed the importance of nuclear weapons abolition on the expiry of the world's only nuclear disarmament treaty signed between the United States and Russia. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New Start, which binds the two superpowers is set to expire on Thursday. Nihon Hidankyo, representing survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and its support groups held a news conference on Thursday. Secretary General Hamasumi Jiro noted that the treaty's expiry comes when what has been built in the international community is being ignored and politics are being driven by power and domination. He said that hibakusha are extremely concerned that the treaty's expiry could accelerate an arms race without any brakes. Nihon Hidankyo co-chair Tanaka Terumi said that the abolition of nuclear arms is not deemed a problem for the entire human race. He said that it is totally wrong that countries with nuclear arms believe their possession is a symbol of a superpower. Tanaka predicted that nuclear warfare may destroy humanity, should the arms race continue. He added that what is of utmost importance is to spread across the world the view that nuclear weapons are unlawful. Tanaka urged the Japanese government to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as early as possible, and work hard toward nuclear abolition. He said that hibakusha need to step up their efforts to push the government to move in that direction.
Quiz 1: What is the name of the treaty expiring on Thursday, concerning the United States and Russia? A. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons B. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New Start) C. Hiroshima and Nagasaki Survivors Accord D. Japanese Nuclear Disarmament Pact
Quiz 2: According to Hamasumi Jiro, what is driving international politics currently? A. Diplomacy and cooperation B. Peace and understanding C. Power and domination D. International law and agreements
Quiz 3: What does Tanaka Terumi believe about countries possessing nuclear weapons? A. Their possession is a symbol of a superpower, reflecting strength. B. Their possession is a necessary deterrent against aggression. C. Their possession is totally wrong and a problem for the entire human race. D. Their possession demonstrates a commitment to global security.
[Answer block] Answers: Quiz 1: B Quiz 2: C Quiz 3: C
