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Official toy mascots for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are displayed in Villepinte, France, on Sunday.
OLYMPICS
Jan 25, 2024

Former IOC exec says Paris has chance to reignite Olympic golden age

The onus falls on Paris to reboot the image of the Olympics after recent editions marred by COVID-19 restrictions and doping scandals.
NATO, which celebrates its 75th birthday this year, has been successful at keeping the peace — but American underpinning can’t be guaranteed in perpetuity, especially with the possible reelection of Donald Trump. 
COMMENTARY
Jan 25, 2024

Europe should arm against the barbarians at its gates

Donald Trump told Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, that "NATO is dead." It would be prudent to take him at his word.
Unfortunately, statistics are not favorable when it comes to mixed marriages. With the proper communication, however, no challenge is insurmountable.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 26, 2024

Know how to talk about divorce in case your relationship goes south

It's a sad fact that more than a few international relationships don't work out in Japan. Be armed with the proper vocabulary just in case.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a munitions factory at an undisclosed location in this picture released on Jan. 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 26, 2024

Is North Korea's Kim preparing for an actual war?

Some believe he may be disillusioned with diplomacy and is girding for conflict; others think the provocations are timed to coincide with U.S. and South Korean elections.
Aryna Sabalenka will be seeking her second Grand Slam title when she competes in the Australian Open final on Saturday.
TENNIS
Jan 26, 2024

Aryna Sabalenka looking to lean on experience in Australian Open final

The world No. 2 is the favorite to claim her second major crown at Rod Laver Arena.
Aryna Sabalenka celebrates with the trophy after winning her second-straight Australian Open women's singles title on Saturday in Melbourne.
TENNIS
Jan 27, 2024

Sabalenka overpowers Zheng to retain Australian Open crown

Aryna Sabalenka continued to be an irrepressible force at the Australian Open as she powered to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen.
Aryna Sabalenka with the winner's trophy on Sunday, a day after she defended her Australian Open title.
TENNIS
Jan 28, 2024

Sabalenka hails team for adding madness to her method after Melbourne triumph

The Belarusian became the first woman since her compatriot Victoria Azarenka in 2013 to retain the Australian Open title.
A driver for an independent contractor to FedEx delivers packages on Cyber Monday in New York on Nov. 27, 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 31, 2024

Delivery firms struggle to adopt EVs as online sales drive up demand

Many climate pledges have been scaled back as the industry fails to keep pace with climbing emissions.
Mario Andretti is "devastated" that his team's bid to join Formula One was rejected on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Feb 1, 2024

Formula One rejects Andretti's bid to join circuit

Racing legend Mario Andretti said he was devastated after learning his team's bid to join Formula One was rejected.
A soldier stands in front of the grave sites of fallen soldiers in Kinmen, Taiwan, on Aug. 23, 2023. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to take Taiwan by 2027, though many analysts see that as an attempt to galvanize his military rather than a timeline for invasion.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 1, 2024

How Washington is preparing for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan

It is looking at a key vulnerability — military logistics — and is setting up hubs in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure supplies are readily available.
Once a scared little kitten, Iko has warmed up to any and all comers.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Feb 5, 2024

Iko is a scaredy-cat no more

Iko is a gentle girl who will let you clip her claws, brush her, whatever you like — as long as it means she’ll get stroked and fussed over.
Western strategy in the Middle East has been a failure, leaving the region less stable than ever, exemplified by the conflict in Gaza.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2024

Why 'the rest' are rejecting the West

Western strategy in the Middle East has been a failure, leaving the region less stable than ever.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomes Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi to a ceremony in Kyiv on Aug. 24 last year.
WORLD
Feb 3, 2024

The most popular man in Ukraine has become a problem for Zelenskyy

Two years into the war, setbacks on the battlefield have soured Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi's relationship with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Military vehicles carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles during a military parade in Beijing in 2019
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 5, 2024

Fear and ambition propel Xi’s nuclear acceleration

As China’s arsenal grows, its military looks to warheads as both defensive shield and potential sword — to intimidate and subjugate adversaries.
Japan is the only country with a law requiring married couples to adopt the same surname. In 95% of cases, it is women who take their husband's name.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 7, 2024

The land where single surnames are the only option

The business lobby recently joined calls for Japan to accept separate surnames after marriage. What, then, is standing in the way of change? Politics.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2024

How dogs have helped Tokyo police for over a century

The role of police dogs has changed due to the spread of DNA testing, security cameras and other tools of technology.
Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Ukrainian commander who defended Kyiv early in war takes top job

Oleksandr Syrskyi succeeds Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, who was replaced following speculation about a rift with the president.
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto speaks during a campaign rally in Jakarta on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 11, 2024

Indonesian election candidates make their case as election day looms

With young people accounting for almost 60% of the electorate, the candidates have needed to factor in their demands and preferences.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally on Saturday. Many were alarmed by Trump’s comments that he would "encourage” Russia to attack U.S. allies that didn’t pay into NATO, but European leaders were already pondering the prospect of an alliance without the U.S.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 13, 2024

Once-bitten Europe is better prepared for Trump’s NATO tirades

The EU is quietly preparing an impact assessment of the November U.S. election — particularly the scenario in which Trump wins.
Local residents use a Starlink terminal in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Jan. 31, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

Ukraine says Russia uses Musk’s Starlink terminals at front

Intercepted conversations between Russian troops indicate they had Starlink devices installed for internet access.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to his supporters as he arrives at a rally in Guwahati, India, on Feb. 4.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

Modi flexes global muscle with Abu Dhabi visit and temple opening

While Islam is the UAE’s state religion, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has long had a strained relationship with India’s Muslim population.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Caroline Garcia during their match at the Qatar WTA Open in Doha on Monday.
TENNIS
Feb 13, 2024

Osaka beats Garcia in Qatar to avenge Australian Open loss

This was former world No. 1 Osaka's second win from the five matches she has played since returning last month.
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant driver Fernando Alonso (front) during the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix on Nov. 18
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Feb 13, 2024

Alonso says he is 'attractive' to other F1 teams

Fernando Alonso said he is "attractive" to other Formula One teams but denied any contact with Mercedes, after Lewis Hamilton announced he was quitting to drive for Ferrari in 2025.
Experimentation seemed to be a driving force throughout conductor Seiji Ozawa’s life as he pushed the boundaries of what a Japanese artist could achieve with classical music to magnificent heights.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 13, 2024

Seiji Ozawa’s boundless experiment

The influential conductor was not only a man of extraordinary talent, his warm character had the power to unite people as one.
U.S. television host Tucker Carlson interviews Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in on Feb. 6. Carlson was criticized for failing to challenge the Russian leader on much of what he said.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2024

Putin interview showed why he really invaded Ukraine

Tucker Carlson lobbed questions to help the Russian president serve up his usual string of half-truths and outright falsehoods about the war in Ukraine.
A sign erected in Hokkaido’s port of Nemuro calls for the return of the Russian-occupied islands that Japan calls the Northern Territories.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 13, 2024

Geopolitical chess: Unpacking the Northern Territories conundrum

While domestic motivation for Tokyo to resolve the Northern Territories dispute may endure, the opposite is true in Moscow.
Keith Kellogg, a national security adviser to Donald Trump, speaks to reporters during a daily press briefing at the White House in 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 14, 2024

Trump adviser poses 'tiered' system for NATO states who don't pay up

NATO could become an alliance in which some members enjoy greater protections based on their compliance with defense spending agreements.
The SpaceX Starbase in Brownsville, Texas, in August 2023
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 14, 2024

SpaceX fined $3,600 over 'near amputation' as safety incidents mount

An investigation late last year found that Musk’s rocket company disregarded worker-safety regulations and standard practices at its facilities nationwide.
No politicians, government officials, bankers or business leaders have voiced strong opposition to Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda's intention to put an end to the world’s last negative rate regime.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2024

Lack of political opposition opens way for BOJ rate hike

Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda is in a rare sweet spot for such a move, in sharp contrast to the experiences of his BOJ predecessors.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron as chief guest of celebrations marking India's Republic Day on Jan. 26.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2024

The fraternity between France and India has never been stronger

Beyond the pomp of Republic Day celebrations with Macron as guest of honor, Modi and the French leader signed substantive defense deals, cementing ties.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear