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Chinese leaders seem to believe the country has a narrow window of opportunity to achieve global preeminence before unfavorable demographic and geopolitical trends catch up with it.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 15, 2023

China’s dangerous secrets

China's secretive approach to projects and activities, including its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, should be a significant concern.
Destroyed buildings and cars along Front Street in Lahaina, Hawaii, two days after the historic town on Maui was devastated by wildfire on Aug. 11.
WORLD
Aug 16, 2023

How fire turned Lahaina into a death trap

A week has passed since an inferno swept through West Maui. More than 100 people are confirmed dead, with the toll expected to rise substantially.
Residential buildings under construction at Tahoe Group's Cathay Courtyard development in Shanghai
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 17, 2023

China’s housing slump is much worse than official data shows

Industry insiders and economists say China’s official home-price indexes are likely understating the depth of the downturn.
An ayurvedic doctor performs a traditional therapy at SGVP Holistic hospital in Ahmedabad, India, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 17, 2023

WHO holds first traditional medicine summit

The global health body has come under fire from online critics who accused it of providing scientific validation to pseudoscience.
Booking a flight with a layover in the city that’s the real destination for the traveler can net big bargains, but airlines prohibit the practice.
LIFE
Aug 19, 2023

'Skiplagging' flights could land you big deals or a lifetime ban

Known as "skiplagging," this travel hack sees consumers buy a ticket for a connecting flight with a layover in the city that’s the real destination.
In 1990, there were five times as many men who had alcohol use disorder than women — now it’s two times, according to the director of a research institute on alcoholism and alcohol abuse.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2023

Women are drinking more alcohol and it’s killing them

Analysis of data from the CDC found that alcohol-related deaths among women increased by nearly 15% per year between 2018 and 2020.
A women-only passenger train in Tokyo
JAPAN / Explainer
Aug 18, 2023

DJ Soda incident spotlights prevalence of groping in Japan

The groping of the South Korean DJ at a festival spurred online conversations about the issue, with a term translating as "groping country" trending on X.
While the U.S. today accounts for only 25% of global economic output, the dollar remains involved in nearly 90% of all foreign-exchange transactions.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2023

The real cost of de-dollarization

While there are currently no viable alternatives that could usurp the greenback, the biggest threat to its hegemony comes from the US government itself.
Sixers guard James Harden's future with the team is in doubt after his comments toward president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Aug 20, 2023

NBA launches inquiry into 76ers-Harden spat

The NBA has opened an inquiry into Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden's public criticism of Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, ESPN reported on Saturday.
Tottori Gov. Shinji Hirai (left) with Shinsuke Nakajima, executive chef at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo
ESG CONSORTIUM
Aug 18, 2023

Tottori, home of premium wagyu, offers great diversity of delicacies

Western Japan’s Tottori Prefecture, lying on the Sea of Japan and boasting the famous Mount Daisen and other peaks, has been a major beef-producing area since the Edo Period. Japan’s least populous prefecture is blessed with rich nature and clean air, abundant groundwater and high-quality straw —...
The fast-growing field of generative AI has raised novel intellectual property issues.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 22, 2023

AI-generated art cannot receive copyrights, U.S. court says

Only works with human authors can receive copyrights, a judge ruled Friday.
Shinobu Yamanaka, a mom of three sons and director of a day care facility in Konan, Kochi Prefecture, serves up to eight "members" six days a week.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Aug 22, 2023

Kochi dementia care center aims to set new paradigm in Japan

A new generation of people with Alzheimer’s in Japan are trying to change not only dementia care but also social attitudes toward patients.
The European Union has named 19 platforms that face stricter rules on policing online content and transparency.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 23, 2023

Big tech to face full force of new EU law

The landmark law is part of the EU's legal arsenal deployed to bring tech companies to heel and enforce order.
The darkened area surrounding Lahaina shows where the fire spread on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Aug. 13.
WORLD / Society
Aug 23, 2023

After Maui wildfire residents fear land grab may threaten culture

Hawaii's Office of Consumer Protection has warned of people making below-market offers, playing on fears of foreclosure and the cost of rebuilding.
People visit Semicon China, a trade fair for semiconductor technology, in Shanghai in 2021
BUSINESS
Aug 24, 2023

China quietly hires overseas chip talent as U.S. tightens curbs

The revamped recruitment drive is said to offer perks including home-purchase subsidies and typical signing bonuses of $420,000 to $700,000.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2023

Local governments tap big data on spending by foreign visitors

Such data allows authorities to analyze consumption trends in detail, "visualize" markets and place targeted advertisements.
Wagner mercenaries guard the president and other high-ranking attendees at an event in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, in May 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 25, 2023

Wagner’s empire in Africa will live on after Prigozhin

Prigozhin built a business empire on the continent over the past five years, becoming an iconoclastic celebrity in places like Mali.
Solar panels at a proof-of-concept site for green hydrogen production in Vredendal, South Africa
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2023

The key to greening heavy industry

If the world’s vast ocean resources can be tapped directly to produce hydrogen, there will be no holding back the green transition.
The biggest search for the Loch Ness Monster in five decades takes place in the Scottish Highlands on Saturday, as researchers and enthusiasts from around the world meet to try to track down the elusive Nessie.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 26, 2023

Loch Ness set for biggest monster hunt in decades

The expedition will deploy drones with thermal scanners, boats with infrared cameras and an underwater hydrophone to try to unravel the mystery.
President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales announces he will not quit after his kiss on the lips of a star player sparked outrage.
SOCCER
Aug 27, 2023

FIFA suspends Spanish soccer chief over World Cup kiss

The outrage began after Rubiales celebrated Spain’s victory by kissing Jennifer Hermoso on the lips.
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani smacks an RBI triple in the second inning against the New York Mets in New York.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 27, 2023

Ohtani declined imaging after Aug. 3 injury, Angels GM says

Last week, the two-way superstar tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and might have to undergo his second career Tommy John surgery.
Members of the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and U.S. armed forces carry national flags during the opening ceremony of joint military exercises in Taguig, Philippines, in October 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 27, 2023

How Japan can make the most of its latest diplomatic tool

Japan recently decided to establish a policy of Official Security Assistance. But how can it ensure its success?
Visitors to Dateka Vegefuru, a farmers market in Koori, Fukushima Prefecture, line up to purchase Akatsuki peaches on Aug. 3.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Aug 28, 2023

Climate change upends Fukushima peach harvest season

One farmer said around 30% of his peaches couldn’t be shipped as the intense heat made the fruit too ripe.
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Programme's fighter jet is displayed at the DSEI Japan defense show at Makuhari Messe in Chiba in March.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 31, 2023

What the trilateral fighter jet program means for Japan

The program, also involving the U.K. and Italy, is the first such project with countries other than the U.S.
The 3M global headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota. The multinational conglomerate has tentatively agreed to pay more than $5.5 billion to resolve over 300,000 lawsuits claiming it sold the U.S. military defective combat earplugs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 29, 2023

3M to pay more than $5.5 billion over faulty combat earplugs

Current and former service members allege 3M knew its earplugs were too short to work effectively and that it failed to warn the U.S. government or users.
Birds fly away from rising flames and smoke as a wildfire burns at Dadia National Park in the region of Evros, Greece, on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 30, 2023

Wildfire in Greece destroys area bigger than New York City

Fueled by gale force winds and hot weather, the fire quickly spread across the Evros region, killing at least 20 people last week.
An aircraft drops flame retardant on burning vegetation in Sicily, Italy, on Sunday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 31, 2023

Climate change boosts risk of extreme wildfires 25%, study finds

In certain partly dry conditions, global warming pushed areas beyond key thresholds, making extreme fires much more likely
Serbia's Novak Djokovic during his second round match against Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles at the U.S. Open in New York on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Aug 31, 2023

Djokovic ramps up U.S. Open bid as Swiatek and Gauff stroll

Djokovic climbed through the gears against 76th-ranked Bernabe Zapata Miralles, winning 13 of the last 15 games to ease through 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.
A coal-fired power plant in Shanghai in October 2021
BUSINESS
Aug 31, 2023

More focus on mine safety could help China’s energy security too

China has seen success in improving safety in a coal industry that killed thousands of miners every year during the 2000s, but methane remains a threat.
Demonstrators in Warsaw protest against Vladimir Putin and the war on Aug. 24, Ukraine’s official Independence Day.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2023

It would be wise to not personally humiliate Putin

Defeating autocrats like Vladimir Putin in an aggressive war requires progress on the battlefield, and rhetoric alone is unlikely to achieve the goal.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji