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Demonstrators hold a rally in Washington on Thursday, the day former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is facing federal charges related to attempts to overturn his 2020 election, appeared in a U.S. district court in the nation's capital.
EDITORIALS
Aug 4, 2023

The United States of America vs. Donald J. Trump

The outcome of the trial against former U.S. President Donald Trump will test the rule of law and U.S. democracy.
Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Albia, Iowa, on July 27.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 5, 2023

Ron DeSantis' top donor says no more money unless changes made

The biggest individual donor to a group supporting the Florida governor's presidential wants DeSantis to adopt a more moderate approach.
Chinese Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui gives a press briefing in Beijing in June.
WORLD
Aug 6, 2023

China's Ukraine peace talks gambit shows shifts amid hard realities

Beijing appears to be confronting some hard realities as the conflict drags on, analysts say.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other leaders of the Group of Seven, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meet during their summit in Hiroshima on May 21. 
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 7, 2023

The G7 leaders’ vision on nuclear disarmament

Geopolitical rivalries and the failure to address the complicity of G7 members in perpetuating a nuclearized world are stymieing nonproliferation efforts.
Superconductors are materials that exhibit no electrical resistance and eliminate magnetic fields. South Korean researchers think they may have created a compound that achieves that at room-temperature.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2023

LK-99 and the desperation for scientific discovery

The new room-temperature superconductor LK-99 could change the world. Or not.
Hiroshi Mikitani, co-chief executive officer of Rakuten Medical, speaks at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's meeting in Yokohama on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2023

Rakuten’s Mikitani spends a fifth of his time on biotech startup

Rakuten Medical, based in San Diego, employs about 200 people and specializes in a therapy that uses light and immunotherapy drugs to fight cancer.
A participant operates the "Flappy Bird," a self-made flying machine, during an event in Hong Kong in May 2014. Vietnam first caught the attention of global gamers in 2013 after Hanoi developer Dong Nguyen created, Flappy Bird, a simple but addictive game app.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 7, 2023

A decade after Flappy Bird, Vietnam becomes gaming powerhouse

Moving beyond outsourced software and sneaker factories, Hanoi views mobile games as a crucial part of its emerging tech sector.
Even as some countries have moved to legalize or decriminalize marijuana, Japan has maintained a zero tolerance policy on the drug, prohibiting its possession or sale.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Aug 7, 2023

Navigating Japan's maze of cannabis-related laws

Japan has maintained a zero tolerance policy on cannabis, but the legality of other products on the market, including ones sold as CBD, is murkier.
Toshiba, which has know-how ranging from air conditioners and nuclear power equipment to semiconductors and quantum computing, sees a Japan Industrial Partners-led bid as a chance to regain its footing following more than a decade of scandals and management overhauls.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 7, 2023

JIP-led ¥2 trillion tender offer for Toshiba to start Aug. 8

A consortium led by Japan Industrial Partners will start a tender offer to buy all outstanding Toshiba shares at ¥4,620 per share through Sept. 20.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visit an exhibition of military equipment on July 27.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 8, 2023

North Korean hackers breached top Russian missile-maker

Experts say the incident shows how the isolated country will even target its allies in a bid to acquire critical technologies.
The music score for “Glory to Hong Kong”
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 8, 2023

Hong Kong government to appeal in failed bid to ban protest song

Reiterating that disseminating the song was a national security crime, the government said its injunction was crucial to safeguarding the city.
Taro Aso, a former prime minister and current vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks during the Ketagalan Forum in Taipei on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 8, 2023

Taiwan situation ‘tilting toward emergency,’ former Japan PM says

Taro Aso said this shift was “definitely not out of the blue” but was now “more evident,” pointing to military exercises by China around Taiwan.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada speaks during a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in June.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2023

China hacked sensitive Japanese defense networks, report says

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Tuesday that Tokyo has not confirmed that top secret information was leaked.
France players celebrate midfielder Kenza Dali's (right) goal against Morocco in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup round of 16 in Adelaide, Australia, on Tuesday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 9, 2023

Rampant France sets up Australia clash; Colombia also into quarters

A rampant France scored three times in eight minutes to bring Morocco's fairytale run to a brutal end.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2023

Tropical Storm Khanun lashes southern Japan as second storm nears

As Khanun pounds the south, Tropical Storm Lan may threaten Tokyo just as thousands prepare to travel during a peak holiday season.
Australia's Matildas have led the way in urging FIFA to provide equal compensation to men's and women's teams competing at World Cups.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 9, 2023

Unions gain momentum as World Cup women push for pay parity

Though the disparity is still great, women's soccer players have won better deals that have changed the playing field in recent years.
A partial view of the Lalibela town in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia, in 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 9, 2023

Ethiopia just ended one war. Is another one beginning?

For many in the Amhara region, the peace deal's failure to account for their concerns portended another war. Now, that forecast looks to be coming true.
Pyongyang Golf Course, which opened in 1987, could soon host foreign golfers as North Korea slowly reopens to tourism.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Aug 9, 2023

North Korea invites foreigners to Pyongyang golf tournament

Pyongyang's golf course was officially opened in 1987 to celebrate the 75th birthday of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung.
A popular dinosaur exhibit at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 9, 2023

Crowdfunding success at Japan science museum sends mixed message

While such initiatives provide much-needed cash, they are also a sign of limited government funding for science.
The Pentagon on Tuesday looked to soften the blow of an explosive report that Chinese hackers had infiltrated Japan's most sensitive defense networks, saying that it was "confident” about sharing intelligence with Tokyo.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2023

U.S. ‘confident’ in Japan intel sharing, but Taiwan concerns linger

The Pentagon has moved to soften the blow of a report that said that “shockingly bad” hacking had been uncovered by the U.S. in the fall of 2020.
Sven Hannemann manages the forest surrounding Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, Germany. Its ancient oak trees are suffering from drought induced by climate change.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 9, 2023

In Germany's Versailles, drought is killing ancient trees

Drought induced by climate change is decimating trees in Potsdam's Sanssouci Palace, forcing park managers to rethink its centuries-old forest.
Members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists walk a picket line outside of Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles. Hollywood actors and writers are currently on strike, effectively bringing the giant movie and television business to a halt in the first industry-wide walkout in 63 years.
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Aug 10, 2023

The Hollywood strike is a wake-up call to Japan's film industry

With Hollywood writers and actors on strike, what lessons can creatives in the Japanese film industry learn from the fray?
A WeWork co-working office space in San Francisco on Wednesday. WeWork has said there's 'substantial doubt' about its ability to continue operating, citing sustained losses and canceled memberships to its office spaces.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 10, 2023

WeWork’s ‘substantial doubt’ about its future marks a stunning fall

The New York-based company is bleeding cash, and customers of its office rentals are canceling their memberships in droves.
Heat haze permeates the skyline of Manama, Bahrain.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 10, 2023

How is climate change driving dangerous 'wet-bulb' temperatures?

Dubai, for example, is forecast to see air temperatures hover around 43 degrees Celsius. But climate experts say air temperature alone can be misleading.
Smoke billows as wildfires driven by high winds destroy a large part of the historic town of Lahaina in Mauii County, Hawaii, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Aug 10, 2023

Hawaii wildfires kill 36 as 'apocalypse' hits resort city

Multiple neighborhoods were burnt to the ground as the western side of the island was nearly cut off.
People buy food at stalls promoting China's digital yuan, or e-CNY, during the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing in September 2022.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 10, 2023

With blockchain 'bridge', China challenges U.S. dollar dominance

A Beijing-backed digital prototype for sending money around the world without relying on U.S. banks is advancing quickly.
A protester outside a meeting between then-Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Indigenous leaders in 2015. Discussions around a referendum on whether to recognize Indigenous people in the Australian constitution have been held for years, and the vote will be held soon.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 9, 2023

Tough road ahead for Australia’s landmark Indigenous referendum

The campaign to recognize Indigenous people in Australia's constitution in an upcoming referendum may be losing steam, polls say.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 10, 2023

Three hurdles stand between Osaka Expo and 2025 opening

Broadly speaking, the expo faces three high hurdles in its dash toward the finish line, and having everything ready for the April 13, 2025, opening.
The Bank of Japan's attempts to dismantle ultraloose monetary policies have led to unexpected market reactions and left some investors struggling to understand the central bank's intentions.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 10, 2023

The BOJ gets a new doctrine. It’s just keeping it to itself.

The BOJ is likely sincere when it says the 2% price goal is still some way off, even if one member seemingly believes it’s on the horizon.
Paul Cezanne’s “Mont Saint-Victoire and Chateau Noir” (Artizon Museum, Ishibashi Foundation)
CULTURE / Art
Aug 10, 2023

Artizon Museum considers the diverse legacy of abstract art

The Artizon’s overview showcases the huge diversity that non-figurative painting can encompass while illustrating how divisive a genre it can be.

Longform

Construction equipment sits idle in a park near Shiba Toshogu shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward. While Japan has a history of treating its trees with reverence, green coverage is said to be lacking in most of the major cities.
Do Japan's trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?