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Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russia's President Vladimir Putin arrive for a press conference following their meeting in Moscow on July 5.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 16, 2024

Top EU officials to boycott Hungary meetings after Putin visit

Prime Minister Viktor Orban enraged his fellow EU leaders by jetting off to Moscow on July 5 on what he described as a "peace mission" over Russia's war in Ukraine.
An AR-15 on display at the National Rifle Association convention in Houston, Texas, in May 2022
WORLD / Society
Jul 16, 2024

The AR-15: One of America's most popular and deadliest guns

The rifle has been a common denominator in some of the country's worst mass shootings.
The Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel, where six foreign nationals were found dead on Tuesday, is located in an area in central Bangkok that is popular with tourists and home to several upscale shopping malls and a well-known shrine.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 17, 2024

Six found dead in Bangkok hotel room in suspected poisoning

All six of the deceased were Vietnamese, with two of them having U.S. nationality. A seventh Vietnamese person is believed to have been involved in the incident.
Illustrious historical figures swoop in to save Japan amid the COVID-19 pandemic in “What If Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa Was to Become the Prime Minister.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 18, 2024

‘What If Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa Was to Become the Prime Minister’: A historical dream team underperforms

Esteemed figures from Japan’s past are digitally reincarnated to lead the country through a time of crisis in Hideki Takeuchi’s flat-footed comedy.
China's success in retrieving samples from the far side of the moon and its strategic advances in space exploration are prompting calls for international collaboration amid growing concerns over efforts to achieve space dominance.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2024

It's too early to be fighting a space race with China

Lunar exploration is dangerous enough without turning it into a contest between great powers.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he has contracted COVID-19, forcing him to cancel an appearance before a key Latino advocacy group.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 18, 2024

Biden’s COVID-19 case delivers latest blow to hard-luck campaign

While U.S. President Joe Biden's symptoms are mild, the COVID-19 diagnosis removes him from the campaign trail and thrusts his health back into the spotlight.
U.S. gymnast Simone Biles competes in the uneven bars during the U.S. Olympic trials in Minneapolis on June 30.
OLYMPICS
Jul 18, 2024

Paris Olympics marketing blitz powered by female athletes

While the Olympics has long been considered the pinnacle of women’s sports, increased attention has prompted more brands to feature female athletes.
U.S. President Joe Biden leaves after delivering remarks during an event at the College of Southern Nevada North Las Vegas Campus, in Las Vegas, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 19, 2024

Biden faces mounting speculation amid pressure to drop his bid

Conjecture over if, when, or how U.S. President Joe Biden might step aside has dominated the political conversation.
The Sado Gold Mine, so heavily tapped that the mountain bearing it has been cleaved in two, is up for consideration for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 20, 2024

Land of punishment, land of gold

The Sado Gold Mine may soon become Japan’s newest UNESCO World Heritage site, but the island’s history is much more complicated than a single tourist destination.
U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama attend a campaign fundraiser at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 15.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 20, 2024

Secluded at beach house, Biden stews at allies’ pressure to drop out

He considers former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the main instigator but is irritated at ex-President Barack Obama, seeing him as a puppet master behind the scenes.
Smoke rises from a fire following an Israeli airstrike in Hodeidah, Yemen, in this photo released Saturday.
WORLD
Jul 21, 2024

Israeli jets strike Houthi targets in Yemen after Tel Aviv attack

A port that was one of the main targets had been used to receive weapons shipments from Iran, according to Israel.
Unfortunately, the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy too tight after the 1985 Plaza Accord, leaving Japan mired in deflation and recession for two decades. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2024

Does the world need a Plaza Accord 2.0?

Unfortunately, the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy too tight after 1985 Plaza Accord and Japan was mired in deflation and recession for two decades.
Paul Watson, leader of the environmentalist association Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, speaks at a news conference in Paris in December 2015.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 22, 2024

Greenland arrests anti-whaling activist on Japan warrant

Paul Watson's arrest is believed to be in connection with an Interpol Red Notice related to Watson's previous anti-whaling interventions in the Antarctic.
Paris is preparing to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which start on Friday. These Summer Games will likely be very different from the previous ones, held in Tokyo in 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 22, 2024

In defense of Tokyo 2020, the loneliest Olympics

As Paris gets ready to host the Olympics, a reflection on the previous Games, held in Tokyo three years ago, prompts doubts about predictions of a COVID-induced disaster.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024

Taking on Trump, Kamala Harris vows to draw on prosecutorial experience

The U.S. vice president has also promised to drive forward laws to protect abortion rights and ban assault rifles, and focus on rebuilding the middle class.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks aboard the USS Howard destroyer at the Yokosuka Naval Base, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September 2022.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 23, 2024

Continuity in Asia: Harris' policies likely to assuage concerns in Japan

Tokyo is already quite familiar with the approach of the U.S. vice president, who will likely continue her predecessor's foreign policy if she is elected president.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 25, 2024

Netanyahu sketches vague outline for postwar Gaza

Israeli leader also accused anti-Israel protesters as standing with Hamas, charging without evidence that they were backed by Iran
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin on June 11.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 25, 2024

Ukraine tells China it is open to talks if Moscow acts in good faith

Russian troops have been inching forward in eastern Ukraine in the 29-month-old invasion ahead of a U.S. election in November.
A German army Eurocopter Tiger helicopter flies during the Quadriga 2024 military exercises in Pabrade, Lithuania, on May 29.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 25, 2024

NATO planners count cost of hardening Europe against Russian threat

A recent analysis shows shortages in air defenses and long-range missiles, troop numbers, ammunition and secure digital communications on the battlefield.
Men inspect an electric car at a showroom in Riyadh in June. Although the EV market in Saudi Arabia remains small compared with the United States and China, it tripled last year to nearly 800 cars.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 25, 2024

EV adoption gathers steam in fossil fuel-rich Saudi Arabia

The kingdom's EV market tripled last year to nearly 800 cars, according to Saudi business news outlet Al-Iqtisadiyah.
Ukrainian artist Nikita Kadan’s “The Objects from Another Place,” erected at a former power station, was created in the likeness of structures that appeared in children’s playgrounds all over the former Soviet Union.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 27, 2024

Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale's quiet expansion of hyper-local art

The event’s ninth edition doesn’t offer new bangers, but its detailed installations in the verdant mountains of Niigata Prefecture still present a unique experience.
Local residents of Sado, Niigata Prefecture, celebrate the decision to register the island's now-defunct gold mines as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2024

Sado faces tourism challenges after World Heritage listing

Thanks to its new UNESCO status, Sado forecasts an approximate 20% rise in visitors staying on the island.
French fans cheer on their team during an Olympic rugby sevens match on Sunday. Fans are back in force at the Games and providing a lively atmosphere for the competition after COVID-19 forced the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics to be mostly played without spectators.
OLYMPICS
Jul 29, 2024

The Olympic roar is back in Paris after two pandemic-hit Games

The sights and sounds of the Olympics have returned to normal this year, with fans able to attend the Games without restrictions for the first time since 2018.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 30, 2024

Biden proposes ways to rein in 'extreme' Supreme Court

Immediate opposition voiced by Republicans in Congress to the proposals means they have little chance of enactment.
Upper House lawmaker Muneo Suzuki speaks to reporters in Moscow on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 30, 2024

Pro-Moscow lawmaker Muneo Suzuki visits Russia again

The Upper House member defied the central government by flying to Moscow for talks with senior Russian officials.
Technicians assemble a component of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment at the CERN nuclear research facility in Cessy, France, in March 2007. International cooperation in science is essential for solving global challenges and maintaining innovation.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2024

Geopolitics threatens science and societal progress

In this world, the prospect of greater controls or reduced international cooperation can only be damaging.
U.S. Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 31, 2024

Harris to hold Philadelphia rally with vice president pick

Kamala Harris is being forced to select her running mate on a highly compressed timeline.
Senior Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh delivers a speech in Gaza City, in the Gaza Strip, in 2017.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 31, 2024

Tough-talking Ismail Haniyeh was seen as Hamas' more moderate face

Hamas' political leader, who was killed in Iran, was the tough-talking face of the Palestinian group's international diplomacy.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura is calling for ride-hailing services with no limitations on time zones, locations, dates or the number of vehicles during the Osaka Expo.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 1, 2024

Uncertainty looms over ride-hailing plans for 2025 Osaka Expo

A flood of tourists from Japan and overseas is expected to visit the Osaka Expo, which will open in April next year and run for six months.
Customers stand in line outside a Louis Vuitton store in Tokyo's Ginza district on July 19.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 2, 2024

Luxury brands count cost as shoppers from overseas enjoy weak yen discount

Goods sold in Japan by global luxury brands, ranging from designer sneakers to whisky, now tend to be cheaper in dollar terms than elsewhere.

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