1. US news website Axios says Israel has warned the administration of US President Donald Trump that the Gaza peace plan could stall if Hamas does not return the remains of dead Israeli hostages. Axios quoted Israeli and US officials as saying Israel told Washington on Wednesday that the Islamic group is not doing enough to recover the bodies, and the Gaza deal cannot move into the next phase until that changes.
2. Sumo fans in Europe and elsewhere are gathering at the Royal Albert Hall in central London for a rare overseas tournament. Sumo rikishi, or wrestlers, have flown out of Japan for a tournament abroad for the first time in 20 years, while London is hosting a sumo tournament for the first time in 34 years. The five-day Grand Sumo Tournament kicked off on Wednesday.
3. Japan’s political maneuvering has intensified ahead of the Diet vote on the country’s next prime minister. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has asked the opposition Japan Innovation Party, or JIP, to support its candidate and join the ruling coalition. Political party leaders have held a series of meetings since Komeito announced last week it was withdrawing from the ruling coalition. Noda Yoshihiko, the head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, or CDP, met his opposition counterparts from the JIP and the Democratic Party for the People, to seek cooperation to field a unified opposition candidate.