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People carry their belongings as they leave a makeshift migrant camp near the banks of the Grand Canal, west of Dublin on Tuesday. Asylum seekers sleeping rough in tents in Dublin say life under a tarpaulin cover is better than facing the risk of the U.K. deporting them to Rwanda.
WORLD / Politics
May 24, 2024

U.K.'s Rwanda migrant plan may never get off ground

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's message seems to be that only by reelecting him in July would the Rwanda deportation plan get up and running.
Workers prepare boxes of oyster products for shipping at Suzuki Suisan in Saka, Hiroshima Prefecture. The company stopped offering free shipping services in March.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jun 3, 2024

Transportation firms grapple with new driver overtime cap

The overtime cap introduced in April has led to increased transportation costs and some logistical headaches as firms try to adjust.
The captain of a port pilot boat approaches a container ship outside the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles.
WORLD / Politics
May 24, 2024

A new trade war offers no easy way back for old global order

Then-U.S. President Donald Trump fired the first shots with tariffs on China seven years ago, then President Joe Biden ushered the U.S. into the new industrial policy age.
U.S. surfer Jake Marshall rides a wave during a training session ahead of the World Surfing League Shiseido Tahiti Pro, in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, on May 16.
OLYMPICS / Surfing
May 24, 2024

Taming Teahupo'o: Olympic surf rehearsal in Tahiti

Nearly 16,000 kilometers from the French capital, the island of Tahiti was chosen to host the 2024 Paris Olympic's surfing events.
Yasuke, a historical Black samurai, will star in the newly announced Assassin's Creed Shadows — a choice that has riled some critics online.
LIFE / Digital
May 25, 2024

Gaming's latest culture war targets Yasuke, Japan's Black samurai

For a vocal minority of gamers, a Black protagonist of a game set in feudal Japan was a call to war.
Mascara really needs a home where she can enjoy her golden years.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
May 27, 2024

Make some room in your heart for Mascara

Despite the hardships she’s overcome (and maybe because of them), Mascara really needs a home where she can enjoy her golden years.
Forever Young (center), ridden by Ryusei Sakai, finished third in this year’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 4.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
May 24, 2024

Solid Kentucky Derby showing offers hope

“The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” refers to the Kentucky Derby, a 2,000-meter dirt track race for 3-year-old thoroughbreds run at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky. The Kentucky Derby is the first race of the Triple Crown, the second and third being the Preakness and the Belmont...
Justin Milano (left) edges out Cosmo Kuranda to win the 84th Satsuki Sho Grade 1 horse race at Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, on April 14.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
May 24, 2024

Strong field ready to go in Tokyo Yushun’s 91st edition

It’s that time of year once again for one of the great horse races in Japan, the Group 1 Japanese Derby — or Tokyo Yushun to give its Japanese name — which will be held on May 26 at Fuchu Racecourse, just a short distance from the center of Tokyo.
Takashi Miike (front left) is among the big-name directors slated to work with K2 Pictures, a new film production startup that aims to disrupt the Japanese film industry.
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
May 25, 2024

Can K2's goal of creating a better film industry in Japan win over skeptics?

While established auteurs such as Takashi Miike, Miwa Nishikawa and Hirokazu Kore-eda are slated to work with the startup, it still faces an uphill struggle.
Makoto Hasebe during a news conference following his retirement, in Tokyo on Friday. Hasebe played in 114 games for Japan's national team and played over 500 professional games between Japan and Germany.
SOCCER
May 24, 2024

Makoto Hasebe at peace with retirement, says body still 'wants to kick the ball'

Hasebe will eventually return to Germany and begin to lay the foundation for his coaching career.
A sticker advertising dogecoin in Hong Kong in 2022. Kabosu, the shiba inu rescue dog who became the face of the cryptocurrency, has died.
JAPAN
May 24, 2024

Shiba inu of dogecoin fame dies at 18

Kabosu “fell into a deep sleep this morning and passed away quietly,” owner Atsuko Sato posted on social media platform X.
Judge Nawaf Salam (from left), Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf and Judge Georg Nolte attend a hearing at the International Court of Justice as part of South Africa's request on a Gaza cease-fire, at The Hague on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
May 25, 2024

Top U.N. court orders Israel to halt Rafah offensive

The landmark ruling is likely to increase international pressure for a cease-fire more than seven months into the war sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
Demonstrators during a protest outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on Friday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 25, 2024

Taiwan protesters gather against bill aimed at president

Tens of thousands of people gathered outside the legislature in Taipei on Friday, while smaller demonstrations were reported in other cities around the democratic island.
A protester holds a placard stating "Sunak Supports Genocide" in support of Palestinians as police stand guard during a visit from Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak to Cannock College, in Cannock, Staffordshire, England, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
May 25, 2024

Sometimes U.S. and U.K. politics seem in lock step. Not this year.

In 2016, Britain voted for Brexit and America for Trump, heralding a populist wave. Both countries face pivotal elections this year — but their paths appear to have diverged.
A member of a Ukrainian artillery crew stores munitions at a firing position near the town of Vovchansk, in the northern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, on May 19. Two classified Ukrainian reports show that some U.S. precision-guided weapons are vulnerable to electronic warfare, an element in Ukraine's recent battlefield setbacks.
WORLD
May 26, 2024

Some U.S. weapons stymied by Russian jamming in Ukraine

Two classified Ukrainian reports show that some U.S. precision-guided weapons are vulnerable to electronic warfare, an element in Ukraine’s recent battlefield setbacks.
Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
WORLD / Politics
May 26, 2024

Israel denies Hamas claim it captured IDF soldiers in Gaza

The claim by Hamas came hours after a new efforts to resume mediated cease-fire talks.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has urged European allies to act together with the United States to find a way to unlock the value of around $280 billion in frozen Russian assets so they can provide sustained financial support to Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
May 26, 2024

G7 ministers cite 'progress' but no done deal on Russian assets for Ukraine

Group of Seven finance ministers cited "progress" in finding ways to use profits from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine as they wrapped up a meeting.
Grayson Murray tees off on the second hole during the second round of the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois, on July 7, 2023.
MORE SPORTS
May 26, 2024

PGA golfer Grayson Murray dies at 30

Murray died one day after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
Yasutomo Suzuki (second from right) celebrates in the city of Shizuoka on Sunday after being elected governor of Shizuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics
May 27, 2024

Opposition-backed Yasutomo Suzuki wins Shizuoka gubernatorial vote

Suzuki’s victory could pave the way for restarting the maglev train line project that had been delayed due to opposition from his predecessor.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Lucia Bronzetti during their match at the French Open in Paris on Sunday.
TENNIS
May 27, 2024

Naomi Osaka overcomes late stumble to make winning start at French Open

Naomi Osaka reached the second round of the French Open for the first time in three years after battling past Italy's Lucia Bronzetti on Sunday at Roland Garros.
A SAIC Motor MG EXE181 concept EV during the Beijing Auto Show earlier this year.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 27, 2024

Xi’s China EV dream came true, but 10 years on, walls are going up.

China also overtook Japan as the largest auto exporter, but such achievements are also adding to tensions with the West.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has pledged to build three advanced plants in the U.S. state of Arizona with total investments exceeding $65 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 27, 2024

TSMC’s foreign investments are good for Taiwan, official says

TSMC is the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, with Apple and Nvidia relying on it for their most important products.
Paramilitary police officers stand guard in front of the headquarters of the People's Bank of China in Beijing on Sept. 30, 2022.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 27, 2024

'Asset famine' in China curbs central bank's bond trading ambitions

The People's Bank of China's trading would help deepen the bond market by improving liquidity and reducing volatility.
Official data indicates at least 17,000 South Korean residents have been hit by real estate fraud in recent years, and around 70% of victims are in their 20s and 30s.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 27, 2024

Debt, suicide, fraud: South Koreans hit by real estate scams

Authorities draw flak for not doing enough to help victims or punish fraudsters who capitalize on the country's unique jeonse system in which tenants pay huge deposits.
The Kabuto One commercial facility in Tokyo's Kabutocho district features a life-size golden figure of Eiichi Shibusawa, who is known as the father of Japanese capitalism.
JAPAN / Society
May 27, 2024

Mystery-solving event puts spotlight on renewal of Tokyo's Kabutocho

A mystery-solving event in Tokyo's Kabutocho district featuring Eiichi Shibusawa, known as the father of Japanese capitalism, is gaining in popularity.
Mitsubishi Electric's TOKUI Fast Accurate Synchronized Motion Testing Robot solves a Rubik's Cube
JAPAN
May 27, 2024

Japanese robot solves Rubik's Cube in record time

Guinness World Records recognized the 0.305-second time achieved by Mitsubishi Electric's machine as a new world best, beating the previous record of 0.38 seconds.
Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture will host one of three ryokan Hyatt is set to launch with Kyoto-based developer Kiraku in 2026.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 2, 2024

Hyatt doubles down on Japan with line of luxury ryokan

The first three locations are scheduled to start opening in 2026 in Kanagawa, Oita and Kagoshima prefectures.
Red Square in Moscow on Oct. 17, 2022. Russian military intelligence, the G.R.U., is behind arson attacks aimed at undermining support for Ukraine’s war effort, security officials say.
WORLD / Politics
May 27, 2024

Russia steps up a covert sabotage campaign aimed at Europe

British and other European diplomats have been pressing countries to call out Russian covert operations more aggressively.
A peace rally on Constitution Memorial Day in Tokyo on May 3. Japan’s identity as a pacifist nation is shifting as the government strengthens its military, but many don’t agree with the policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2024

Government and society are at odds on national security

Tokyo posits itself as a mutual defense ally of the U.S., but polls show that while the public wants a stronger military, changes should align with the peace Constitution.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. While some view artificial intelligence’s increasing integration into journalism as necessary, there are concerns about the ethics of such arrangements.
COMMENTARY / World
May 27, 2024

OpenAI is making journalism an offer it can’t refuse

While some view AI’s increasing integration into journalism as necessary, there are concerns about the ethics and transparency of such arrangements.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb