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A Wall Street sign in front of a U.S. Flag outside the New York Stock Exchange before the Federal Reserve announcement in New York on Sept. 18.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 24, 2024

Risks stack up for the global economy in 2025

New spending priorities beckon for national budgets already stretched after the pandemic, from tackling climate change to boosting armies to caring for aging populations.
Then U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz runs up the East Capitol stairs as the deadline to avert a partial government shutdown approaches on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 30, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 24, 2024

Matt Gaetz found to have paid for sex and drugs, and obstructed U.S. Congress

Matt Gaetz was found to have paid $90,000 to 12 women, a substantial portion of which the panel found was likely for either sexual activity or drug use.
A volunteer at a Sudanese mobile kitchen prepares food at one of the displacement centers in New Halfa, Sudan, on Nov. 2.
WORLD
Dec 24, 2024

Sudan drops out of hunger-monitor system on eve of famine report

The move is likely to undercut efforts to address one of the world’s largest hunger crises.
Hong Kong's Secretary for Security Chris Tang speaks to the media over the landmark national security trial, in Hong Kong on Nov. 19.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 24, 2024

Hong Kong offers bounties for six more democrats in security squeeze

The move to add more names to Hong Kong's wanted list comes as the city strives to revive its economic growth and international reputation.
Rescuers work at a site of a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, in October 2022.
WORLD
Dec 24, 2024

How one man became a Ukrainian traitor and Russian spy

Before the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian nationals were mainly recruited during trips to Russia, but approaches are more often made online now using social networks.
People walk around the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on December 29, 2023. Investors are more confident about the economy than this time a year ago.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 25, 2024

Investors hope for U.S. stock market trifecta in 2025 after boom years

They are eyeing a solid economy supporting corporate profits, moderating interest rates and pro-growth policies from incoming President Donald Trump.
A man eats a croissant dough mince pie at Pophams bakery in London.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 25, 2024

'Don't mess with our mince pies,' some Brits plead

A mixture of different dried fruits, chopped apples and spices soaked in spirits such as brandy and rum, the snack is a favorite around the holidays.
The danger of overreaction and misinformation in the digital age is real, and authorities must provide clear explanations to prevent tragedies while also addressing legitimate concerns about drones.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2024

How to make America's drone panic so very much worse

The weak and ineffective response of government authorities should serve as a lesson in exactly how not to handle such incidents in the digital age.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on Wednesday
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 25, 2024

Japan's top diplomat visits China as a step toward mending ties

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya's trip marks the first visit by a top Japanese diplomat to Beijing since April 2023.
Despite impressive visuals that hark back to Peter Jackson’s live-action trilogy from the early 2000s, Kenji Kamiyama’s “The War of the Rohirrim” falls flat in its storytelling as a standalone film.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 26, 2024

‘The War of the Rohirrim’: Striking visuals, insipid storytelling

Kenji Kamiyama's anime addition to J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" universe has impressive qualities, but lacks the magic of Peter Jackson's film adaptations.
Tomoko Tabata brings verve and emotion as 11-year-old Renko in “Moving,” Shinji Somai’s forgotten classic from 1993.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 26, 2024

‘Moving’: A profound, poetic coming-of-age masterpiece restored in 4K

The 1993 film by Shinji Somai is rekindling interest in the late director as a generational talent.
This is set to be the first time Toyota will donate to a U.S. inauguration ceremony.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 25, 2024

Toyota to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration ceremony

President-elect Trump says he plans to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico, triggering concerns from automakers that rely on Mexican production for the U.S. market.
Riot police march in front of the main building of Ssangyong Motor in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Aug. 6, 2009.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 25, 2024

The real-life violence that inspired South Korea's 'Squid Game'

A struggling car giant in South Korea announcing in 2009 it was laying off more than 2,600 people resulted in an occupation of its factory.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers an address to the nation at the Presidential Office in Seoul on Dec. 12.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 26, 2024

South Korea's Yoon defies second agency summons over martial law

Yoon's repeated defiance of the summons and failures to appear for questioning have sparked criticism and calls from the opposition for his arrest.
Casual Japanese usage increasingly sees the "i" at the end of exclamations like "yabai" (dangerous) replaced by a small "tsu."
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 26, 2024

Small letter, big impact: A little 'tsu' makes all the difference

When reading the small "tsu," shorten the preceding vowel slightly and then start with the sound of the subsequent consonant.
People walk past a Dior shop in Rome on Dec. 18.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 26, 2024

Luxury labels bulk up on lower-priced goods to broaden appeal

After more than two years of sharp price hikes, luxury labels are finding themselves at risk of alienating the middle class.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is acting president, has said that he will not appoint the justices until political parties reach an agreement on the appointments.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 26, 2024

South Korea opposition says it will vote to impeach acting President Han

The opposition Democratic Party said it would move against Han if he does fill vacancies at the Constitutional Court to hear the case against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Hindu pilgrims take a dip along the banks of Sangam, ahead of the <i>maha</i> Kumbh Mela festival in the city of Prayagraj on Sunday. Beside India's holy rivers, a makeshift city is being built for a Hindu religious festival expected to be so vast it will be seen from space.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 26, 2024

India readies for 400 million pilgrims at mammoth festival

The Kumbh Mela, a millennia-old festival, is held once every 12 years at the site where the holy Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet.
Han Duck-soo, South Korea's prime minister and acting president, speaks during a news conference after lawmakers passed a motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 14.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 27, 2024

Impeachment looms for South Korea's acting president

The Constitutional Court meets Friday for its first hearing on suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law.
Children play mahjong during a class held at Satsukigaoka community center in the city of Hiroshima.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Chugoku
Jan 14, 2025

Mahjong enjoys new wave of players that spans generations

Once associated with gambling, mahjong is becoming a popular pursuit for all ages, boosted by pro leagues, apps and "healthy mahjong" for cognitive and social benefits.
A Chinese military aircraft flies in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, in this screengrab of a video posted on Chinese social media on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 27, 2024

Images show new Chinese military aircraft designs, experts say

There was not enough detail for definitive conclusions regarding the two seemingly new Chinese military aircraft.
Manmohan Singh, who died on Thursday at the age of 92, was arguably one of India's most successful leaders.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 27, 2024

Manmohan Singh, India's reluctant prime minister, dies age 92

He is credited with steering India to unprecedented economic growth and lifting hundreds of millions out of dire poverty.
Osamu Suzuki, a former president of Suzuki Motor, in October 2016
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 27, 2024

Osamu Suzuki, who ran Suzuki Motor for five decades, dies at 94

Suzuki is known for spearheading the carmaker’s entrance in the Indian market, starting manufacturing there in 1983.
Black American women, who still heavily vote for the Democratic Party, are taking a much-needed break from political engagement after the last election, with the idea that rest and renewal will prepare them for future activism.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2024

Temporarily disconnected from politics? Feel no guilt about it.

Opposition movements are a recurring feature of American politics and predicts a robust, reenergized response when the time comes.
Cabinet ministers at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 27, 2024

Japan's Cabinet approves ¥115.5 trillion budget

The proposal exceeded ¥110 trillion for the third consecutive year in order to increase spending on defense and social welfare costs.
A bear trap in Hokkaido Prefecture. Bears have recently been found inside homes and shops.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 27, 2024

Increasing number of Japanese bears find human dwellings ‘just right’

Cases of bears making their way into homes and shops are on the rise across the country as the animal's natural food sources become scarce.
A Nissan dealership and a Honda dealership in Tokyo. As the two firms negotiation a potential merger, Nomura Holdings is advising Honda, while Nissan has retained Mizuho Financial Group and Bank of America.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 28, 2024

Honda-Nissan deal sets up next fight for bankers in Japan M&A boom

At roughly $200 billion, the volume of transactions including mergers and acquisitions in the country is up 48% this year.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington earlier this month.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 28, 2024

North Koreans see mass casualties on Ukraine front lines, U.S. says

About a thousand North Korean troops were killed or wounded in the last week alone in Russia's Kursk region, U.S. officials say.
Discussions on greater rights for same-sex couples have not deepened at the national level despite recent court rulings saying that said Japan's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 28, 2024

Tokyo ward mayors call for greater rights for same-sex couples

Among the wards, Setagaya and Nakano launched initiatives in November to register the relationships of same-sex couples in the same way as for common-law couples.
Corbin Burnes is reportedly taking his talents to Arizona as a member of a deep Diamondbacks starting rotation.
BASEBALL
Dec 28, 2024

Diamondbacks and pitcher Corbin Burnes agree to six-year, $210-million deal

The contract reportedly is for six years and $210 million, but Burnes has the right to opt out after two seasons. It would be the largest contract in Diamondbacks history.

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