HAMBURG, Germany -- Germany's plan to sell six diesel-electric submarines to India is a step closer to realization after Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh last week visited the shipyard of Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in Kiel where the U34 submarines are built.

HONG KONG -- China has accused foreign forces of systematically brainwashing the country's youth into "lying flat," or rejecting high-pressure work and consumerism, as Beijing sees the viral trend as a threat to economic growth.

Generative artificial intelligence has begun to take over human thinking in many ways, presenting challenges to how the intellect is cultivated and used. Despite the collective wisdom of people, divisions and conflict continue around the world, raising the question: What skills and capabilities are needed for human beings to navigate the future? In a series of articles, Nikkei explores how the world is reconstructing the value of intellect. This is part one.

HANGZHOU, China -- International coffee chains are trying new store formats and venturing into less saturated regions of China as they seek to expand while avoiding an aggressive price war led by local chains.

TOKYO -- Shares in Hyundai Motor have soared this year despite the Iran war injecting a bout of uncertainty into the outlook for global automakers, as more investors bank on the South Korean company's artificial intelligence capabilities.

TOKYO -- Japan's Mitsubishi Materials will more than triple prices on tungsten products used in hardened cutting tools in some cases, as Chinese export restrictions continue to limit the supply of the rare metal.

TOKYO/DALIAN/BEIJING -- As the turmoil in the Middle East throttles Japan's supply of the key petrochemical feedstock naphtha, Japanese manufacturers are turning to China to source chemicals used in applications from food trays to tires.

TOKYO -- The Japanese Finance Ministry will help create a framework for handling international remittances in Pacific island nations and territories as major banks that process such transactions increasingly withdraw from the region, Nikkei has learned.

TOKYO -- Japan plans to conduct an experiment to transmit electricity generated with solar panels in space to Earth using microwaves, a potential world first that could help solve power shortages and aid in future lunar exploration.

TOKYO -- Japanese sake using mash fermented in outer space has been successfully produced by sake maker Dassai, project partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said Tuesday, with a single limited-edition bottle sold for 110 million yen (about $690,000).