Crackdown in Japan's red-light district
These bars, where women pay to drink and flirt with men, are a cornerstone of the country's red-light districts. But a sweeping new law aims to rein in their darker side, following reported cases of emotional manipulation and exploitation. CNN's Hanako Montgomery follows up on her report last year of women driven into debt – and even sex work – by their host club obsessions.
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CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Video: How the first 48 hours of the Texas floods unfolded
How the first 48 hours of the Texas floods unfolded The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes on the morning of July 4th, leading to devastation and more than 100 deaths across Central Texas. CNN recounts what happened in the first 48 hours of the flood. 05:02 - Source: CNN Vertical Trending Now 16 videos How the first 48 hours of the Texas floods unfolded The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes on the morning of July 4th, leading to devastation and more than 100 deaths across Central Texas. CNN recounts what happened in the first 48 hours of the flood. 05:02 - Source: CNN Birkin bag smashes auction records at $10 million Scuffed, scratched and stained, this black leather Hermès Birkin bag just sold for €8.6 million ($10 million), with fees, becoming the most expensive handbag to ever sell at auction. After a dramatic bidding war, the hammer fell at a winning bid of €7 million ($8.2 million). Known as 'The Original Birkin,' the rarefied handbag is the first version of this timeless luxury staple, inspired by its owner — '60s 'It-girl' Jane Birkin. 01:52 - Source: CNN Former MMA fighter recounts 'dying four times' MMA fighter Ben Askren says he died "four times' during a double lung transplant after a battle with pneumonia. CNN's Patrick Snell reports. 01:34 - Source: CNN Moo Deng turns one The Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand celebrated the first birthday of Moo Deng – a pygmy hippo who rose to fame last year after heartwarming and mischievous videos of her went viral. CNN spoke to Moo Deng fans who flew from around the world to celebrate her special day. 01:13 - Source: CNN Video: Bodycam footage shows Olympic gold medal gymnast arrested for DUI The City of Fairmont Police Department released bodycam videos showing iconic Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton struggling to take a field sobriety test during a May traffic stop in West Virginia. Retton was arrested and paid a fine after a court hearing, after which she released a statement apologizing. 02:27 - Source: CNN Robot soccer kicks off China's humanoid sports boom Less Messi, more messy – regardless, China is investing heavily in robot sports as a way of testing how much one can achieve. 01:30 - Source: CNN Video: Home washes away during floods in New Mexico At least three people, including two children, were killed in a mountain village in southern New Mexico, after monsoon rains triggered flash flooding on Tuesday, officials said. Video shows a home in Rio Ruidoso being washed away by what authorities described as 'record-breaking' floodwaters. Emergency crews carried out at least 85 swift water rescues in the Ruidoso area, including of people who were trapped in their homes and cars, said Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, according to the Associated Press. 00:22 - Source: CNN First man to kitesurf across the Taiwan Strait Swiss dentist and extreme sports enthusiast Geza Scholtz has become the first person ever to kitesurf across the politically sensitive Taiwan Strait. 01:16 - Source: CNN ISS astronauts talk rare all-female spacewalk Astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain speak to CNN's Wolf Blitzer from the International Space Station about their research, the success of their rare all-female spacewalk, and the future of space exploration. 01:48 - Source: CNN Disc-shaped UAP captured on video Journalist and UFO enthusiast Jeremy Corbell has released footage, reportedly captured by the US military in 2020, of a disc-shaped unidentified flying object. The Pentagon declined to answer CNN's questions on the validity of the video. 02:21 - Source: CNN Video shows river rises dramatically in New Mexico flooding At least three people, including two children, were killed in Village of Ruidoso in southern New Mexico, after monsoon rains triggered flash flooding on Tuesday, officials said. The Rio Ruidoso surged drastically from under 2 feet to over 20 feet in less than an hour. 00:36 - Source: CNN Scammers target parents of Texas flood victims CNN's Audie Cornish spoke with Senior Columnist for the Houston Chronicle Lisa Falkenberg who talks about how officials disclosed that some parents of the victims of the devastating floods in Texas are being targeted by scammers. 01:17 - Source: CNN Drone shows rare site: Greece's Acropolis with no tourists Authorities in Athens, Greece closed the country's most popular tourist destination for several hours on Tuesday, sighting scorching temperatures nearing 108˚ Fahrenheit (42˚C) as a health concern. Drone video by Reuters captured the rare instance of the site being empty of visitors. 00:41 - Source: CNN TSA to end shoes-off requirement at airport security checkpoints After nearly two decades, passengers going through airport security in the United States will no longer have to take their shoes off. The Transportation Security Administration will be phasing out the security requirement, a government source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN on the condition of anonymity. 00:35 - Source: CNN New Barbie raising awareness about type 1 diabetes Mattel designed a new Barbie to represent those living with type 1 diabetes. CNN's Jacqueline Howard explains what makes this doll unique. 01:18 - Source: CNN Will AI replace human musicians? Recording Academy CEO weighs in Harvey Mason Jr., a music producer and CEO of the Recording Academy and GRAMMYs, explains why he's "optimistic but scared" about the impact of artificial intelligence technology on the music industry. Listen to his full interview on CNN's Terms of Service with Clare Duffy here. 02:02 - Source: CNN
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gen Z men are still obsessed with Pokémon cards—using ‘boy math' to argue that they'll beat Nvidia stock and the S&P 500. But there's a catch
Pokémon and sports trading cards are outperforming the S&P 500 with upwards of 46% annual returns, and it's driving mania among Gen Z and Millennial men to collect top cards. While most fans aren't getting rich off a reselling side gig, there's no sign the boom is letting up—especially with big names like Logan Paul joining in on the frenzy. Gen Z and Millennials are in agreement: their obsession with Pokémon may never let up. Despite the Japanese franchise nearing its 30-year anniversary, young men in particular continue to be on a lifelong mission to 'catch 'em all'—and are spending hundreds, sometimes even millions of dollars, collecting trading cards. Part of the 'boy math' is that investing in cards could yield significant returns, and there might be some truth to the matter. Pokémon cards have seen the largest long-term increase in value among all card categories: up 3,261% over 20 years, according to data provided to Fortune from Card Ladder. Even looking at a one-year investment, the average Pokémon card is increasing at nearly 46%—a pace far exceeding hot stocks like Nvidia so far in 2025 or the S&P 500's average 12% annual return rate. While cards have to be rare and in pristine condition to make significant profit, the industry frenzy has left the shelves of retailers like Walmart and Target bare—and even caused some stores to enact limits or pauses on selling altogether. And online, it's pushing the resale market to new heights. Users on eBay searched for 'Pokemon' nearly 14,000 times per hour in 2024, according to Adam Ireland, VP and GM of global collectibles at eBay. And pairing the Pokémania with continued demand in the sports card world (thanks to athletes like Caitlin Clark and Michael Jordan), it's created a perfect storm of opportunity for the trading card industry. The total gross value of cards on eBay has increased for nine consecutive quarters. This embedded content is not available in your region. 'The trading card hobby has entered a new era, driven by technology, innovation, community, and a great balance of modern creativity–with new sets, storylines and characters–alongside good old nostalgia,' Ireland tells Fortune. No other influencer may have driven continued interest in Pokémon cards in particular than Logan Paul. The YouTuber, who is also known for his ventures into professional wrestling, boxing, and entrepreneurship, has spent millions of dollars purchasing cards—and then profiting off the millions of views generated from his content. 'Nostalgia + business = the new art,' he wrote on social media after spending $200,000 on cards. 'These things are appreciating like crazy as collectibles are becoming very low supply, high demand art pieces.' Logan Paul wearing a Charizard Pokemon card chain as he entered the ring for a 2021 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather. In 2022, he broke a Guinness World Record for the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at a private sale with the purchase of a PSA Grade 10 (essentially perfect condition) Pikachu Illustrator card for $5.275 million. 'This card cost me more than my ranch. My 84-acre ranch,' Paul said at the time. Other social platforms, including TikTok, are full of content creators who have dedicated their lives to the purchasing, opening, and reselling of cards. But for some, the joy of collecting or making a profit doesn't work out as much as planned, with a recent call into Dave Ramsey's personal finance vodcast showing just how bad the obsession is gotten for some young men. 'I messed up big. I went behind my pregnant wife's back and racked up $26K in credit card debt in four months,' the caller said. 'What did you jack up $26K on?' Ramey asked. 'Pokemon cards—trying to buy a bunch and sell them online, but it didn't work out.' Like other collectables, trading cards can be considered a 'commodity' and even art, according to Jason Howarth, SVP of marketing and athlete relations at Panini America, a sports card company. But whether to consider it a true investment opportunity depends largely on your intentions. 'For some people, they (collect) because they view it as an investment. Others do it for the pure fun of it,' he says. By and large, most collectors are not going so off the deep end and being overly financially irresponsible, and instead see the hobby as a guilty pleasure. That includes Ryan Hoge, the president of PSA, one of the biggest companies that evaluates the condition and authenticity of trading cards. He said he personally has tens of thousands of cards, but like many, he enjoys collecting them, even if they are stored up in a closet. 'I think sometimes people want to break from the digital, and this is a good outlet for it,' Hoge tells Fortune. And not only do you get to hold something in your hand, but you also get to interact with a community of like minded people that have similar interests.' Last month, nearly 125,000 fans attended Fanatics' (which owns trading card company Topps) second annual convention centered around all things sports and collectibles. And the event notably saw influencer and former gymnast Livvy Dunne purchase a card of her professional baseball player boyfriend for $2,850. The National Sports Collectors Convention, which also brings over 100,000 fans, is set for later this summer outside of Chicago. While the trading card industry was on the brink of extinction following overproduction in the 1990s, it's since recovered and is booming. Sports cards bring in $1 billion in annual revenue for manufacturers and retailers, according to The Athletic. Pokémon alone brought in a similar number, and was the only toy to surpass $1 billion in sales last year, says Circana data. And even though over 75 billion Pokémon cards have been produced (enough to wrap around Earth end-to-end 165 times), demand is still skyhigh, according to Barry Sams, vice president of game development and community engagement at The Pokémon Company International. 'With explosion in demand, we're printing at maximum capacity to deliver the greatest amount of cards possible to fans for current expansions while ensuring we maintain quality standards,' he tells Fortune. 'Those who grew up with Pokémon now have children of their own to share that passion with, and oftentimes, that means revisiting old Pokémon card collections and recreating fond childhood memories as a parent.' The opportunity within the card industry is causing retailers like GameStop to pay greater attention. The electronics store said in the first quarter of 2025, collectibles, such as Pokémon and sports cards, made up 29% of the company's sales—outselling video game software. 'We're focusing on trading cards as a natural extension of our existing business,' GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen said at the company's annual shareholder meeting last month. 'The trading card market, whether it's sports, Pokémon or collectibles, is aligned with our heritage. It fits our trade and model. It appeals to our core customer base. And it's deeply embedded in physical retail.' The industry continues to fascinate even world leaders. During this year's Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, President Donald Trump was seen with a graded trading card that depicted the assassination attempt on him last year. And in a recent meeting with a young student, Pope Leo XIV didn't shy away from the trading card frenzy and was more than happy to sign a 'Popplio' Pokemon card. 'It doesn't matter how old you are, when you get a pack of cards in your hand, the first thing you want to do is rip it open and you hope that you're going to get that hot rookie, or you're going to get a player from your favorite team,' says Panini's Howarth. 'If any one of those things happens, you're ecstatic.' This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Geek Girl Authority
4 hours ago
- Geek Girl Authority
Saturday Morning Webtoons: THE LONE NECROMANCER and THE PRIMAL HUNTER
Good morning, fellow WEBTOON readers and welcome to this week's installment of Saturday Morning Webtoons! This is where we shine a light on two Webtoons we are thoroughly enjoying. These stories have had us captivated chapter after chapter each week, and we couldn't pass up sharing them with you! So grab your favorite snacks, an electronic device and settle into these sensational stories. DISCLAIMER: This article contains spoilers for The Lone Necromancer and The Primal Hunter . RELATED: 10 Best WEBTOON Series Released in 2024 The Lone Necromancer The Lone Necromancer WEBTOON Original Series. Kicking off our action-packed weekend reads is JJJ, Kim Kyoung-Yeol and Kim Dong-Jun's The Lone Necromancer . The series follows former special forces soldier and college student Seongwu. One minute, he thinks life is going to be easy; the next, he has to pick a new role and face off against terrifying monsters that have popped up around the world. Equipped with his newfound abilities to control he dead, he only has one goal in mind – to make it out alive. We love a good action series on WEBTOON. And The Lone Necromancer isn't just action, it's fantasy too – a double win in our book. It has the same vibes as Sword Art Online but with a more serious tone. Like other action series, the art plays a huge role in the storytelling. Watching the fight scenes dance down the page gives everything a unique and beautiful flow. It does an incredible job adding excitement and suspense to the story. For action and fantasy fans, this is a must-read in our book. The Lone Necromancer updates every Friday. Readers can find it on the official WEBTOON page. RELATED: 5 Tyrants that WEBTOON Made Me Fall in Love With The Primal Hunter The Primal Hunter WEBTOON Original Series. Our next action-packed WEBTOON comes from Magnozz, Zogarth, Aethon and WmW. The Primal Hunter is a series that follows Jake, an everyday average office worker who struggles to make friends with his coworkers. Then out of nowhere, he is thrust into a world filled with monsters and mystery. But instead of succumbing to fear, Jake thrives here. Using what skills he has, Jake fights to survive and shed his past and become a true apex hunter. Keeping up with the action-fantasy and thrown into another world theme, The Primal Hunter is a must-read overall. We found that this series, while having a similar premise to the iconic Sword Art Online , actually feels more like Log Horizon. And if you have ever had the pleasure of reading that series, you know this is going to be good. The suspense and mystery will have you struggling to put it down. Add in that we love Jake's character and want to watch him succeed to the end, and this makes it the perfect choice for an action-packed weekend. The Primal Hunter updates every Monday. Readers can find it on the official WEBTOON page. 6 Slice-Of-Life Webtoons That Will Help You Chill
