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Visitors inspect a BYD electric sedan at a motor show in Munich
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 14, 2023

Did Europe just start a trade war with China over electric cars?

The EU launched a probe into Beijing’s financial support for the EV industry amid fears that Chinese exports are putting auto jobs at risk.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 14, 2023

Japan's new foreign minister: A change in face, not policy

Yoko Kamikawa's appointment as foreign minister — the first time a women assumed the role in 19 years — is unlikely to bring a change in policy.
Tesla has combined a series of innovations to make a technological breakthrough that could transform the way it makes electric vehicles and help Elon Musk achieve his aim of halving production costs.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 15, 2023

Tesla reinvents carmaking with quiet breakthrough

The company pioneered the use of huge presses to mold the front and rear structures of its Model Y in a "gigacasting" process.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits an aircraft manufacturing plant in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Khabarovsk region, Russia, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 15, 2023

Kim visits military aviation plant in Russia's far east

Russia and North Korea are historic allies, with Kim's visit sparking concern from Kyiv's allies over possible arms agreements.
Kabul is diverse and culturally rich, like the rest of Afghanistan. Yet the country has struggled with political inclusivity.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 15, 2023

Japan can help pave the way for an inclusive Afghanistan

A new generation of Afghan leaders wants to be included in the country's future. Japan is well-positioned to facilitate dialogue with the Taliban.
An engineer works on a K-9 self propelled howitzer at Hanwha Aerospace factory in Changwon, South Korea, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 16, 2023

Inside the South Korean factory that could be key for Ukraine

South Korea has ramped up arms exports while traditional behemoths like the United States struggle with production shortages.
A woman walks past a showroom for Chinese electric vehicle maker XPeng in Beijing in February.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 16, 2023

Chinese EV makers pin hopes on Europe’s fading auto dealers

At the heart of their strategy is the traditional dealership model that European carmakers have been exiting in favor of direct sales.
Corruption thrives in times of war, as exemplified by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently being forced to replace his defense minister after top officials were accused of skimming funds or taking bribes. 
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 17, 2023

Zelenskyy needs to fight corruption like he’s fighting Putin

There’s no need just to pick on ex-Soviet states like Ukraine. A fire hose of U.S. taxpayer money went missing in Afghanistan and Iraq.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 18, 2023

Top Biden official and Chinese diplomat hold 'constructive' talks

The talks come ahead of an anticipated November meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at an APEC summit.
Couples prepare to have their photo taken during a wedding photography shoot on a in Shanghai on Sept. 6.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2023

Fewer 'I dos' ruin the party for China's $500 billion wedding industry

The trend is worrying officials trying to revive marriage rates and birth rates, which dropped to record lows last year.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, Kyiv turned to the world’s richest human, Elon Musk, as he was likely the only person on the planet capable of providing the communications it needed.
COMMENTARY
Sep 21, 2023

Elon Musk has power in Ukraine. Does he know how to use it?

When Russia invaded, Ukraine turned to Elon Musk because he was probably the only person on the planet capable of providing the communications it needed.
Tuvalu's Finance Minister Seve Paeniu shows a picture of his grandchildren on his phone while attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November 2021.
ENVIRONMENT / Oceans
Sep 22, 2023

Tuvalu partners with Australia as rising seas threaten survival

The project will test a new U.N. blueprint under which one rich nation takes responsibility for raising funds to support a climate-vulnerable country.
A sign at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 6. AI and quantum information science have recently become a major issue in international politics.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 26, 2023

How emerging technologies can bring power to states

While the technologies are expected to largely change how militaries, economies and societies are operated, many of their social impacts remain unclear.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 22, 2023

Zelenskyy under pressure as Ukraine's allies shift priorities

Allies are pushing the Ukrainian leader to turn his attention to what kind of country will emerge from the war, even as Kyiv struggles for a breakthrough.
Diane Hawley Nagatomo at her home office in Chiba. Born in the U.K., Diane has called Japan “home” for more than 40 years.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 23, 2023

Diane Hawley Nagatomo: ‘The only way to improve writing is to write’

After retiring from her position as a professor in 2022, Diane Hawley Nagatomo has just released her first novel, “The Butterfly Cafe.”
A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet during a preview of the Singapore Airshow in Singapore in February 2022
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2023

F-35s are rarely flight-ready and repairs are too slow, GAO says

The Marine Corps’ goal for availability of its F-35B is 85%. Instead, the "mission capable” rate for F-35B training jets in 2022 was about 55%.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2023

Touchdown: Highly anticipated asteroid sample arrives on Earth

It is only the third asteroid sample, and by far the biggest, ever returned to Earth for analysis, following two missions by Japan's space agency.
The Nikkei stock index on June 1. Japan equity has gained 95% since 2020, the highest rate among G7 nations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2023

Japan shows how to defeat secular stagnation

Outperforming other G7 countries on several economic indicators, Japan is demonstrating how prosperity can grow despite a shrinking population.
A weak yen, ultraeasy monetary policy and hopes for stable inflation have helped push the Topix to its highest level since 1990.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 26, 2023

Japan’s stock boom to drive equity sales through 2024, BofA says

A weak yen, ultraeasy monetary policy and hopes for stable inflation have helped push the Topix to its highest level since 1990.
An iceberg floats near Two Hummock Island, Antarctica, in 2020.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 26, 2023

Antarctic winter sea ice at record low, sparking climate worries

Researchers warn the shift can have dire consequences for animals like penguins who breed and rear their young on the sea ice.
A car leaves Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that has been inhabited by ethnic Armenians, on Monday after fighters were defeated by Azerbaijan in a lightning military operation.
WORLD
Sep 26, 2023

Ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh after defeat by Azerbaijan

The leadership of the 120,000 Armenians who call Karabakh home said they feared persecution and ethnic cleansing.
Packages to be delivered on Amazon Prime Day in New York in 2022
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2023

Why Amazon’s online marketplace drew FTC scrutiny

The FTC’s case against Amazon is an important test of whether Lina Khan’s interpretation of the law will hold up in court.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) leaves after the state commemoration ceremony for fallen soldiers on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, at the Memorial Hall on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2023

Amid optimism for Saudi-Israeli pact, lingering obstacles remain

U.S. President Joe Biden, whose aides are driving the push, is said to be seeking a deal before his re-election campaign next year.
Members of the United Auto Workers pickett outside of the Michigan Parts Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2023

Japanese automakers stand to gain from Detroit’s labor strike

Many firms receive a large percentage of their overall revenue from U.S. markets, so the labor action there may give a tailwind to Japanese carmakers.
Philippine fishermen catch fish as the sun rises near the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Sept. 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 27, 2023

Tensions with China cross a new line in the South China Sea

The Philippines is pushing back against China’s territorial claims. But Beijing's response has raised fears about an escalation in their ongoing row.
In Australia, past El Nino events have led to destructive fire seasons, including the catastrophic Black Summer of 2019-2020.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2023

Australia hoped to dodge wildfires. El Nino has other plans.

The 1983, 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2015 fire seasons, some of the most damaging in the country’s history, all occurred during El Nino.
Selcuk Bayraktar, chairman of Turkish defense firm Baykar and son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attends the presidential swearing-in ceremony after Erdogan's election win in Ankara on June 3.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 28, 2023

Erdogan’s son-in-law makes Turkey a world leader in lethal drones

Baykar's new generation of unmanned combat aircraft will fly faster and farther, while carrying more weapons than its existing models.
Novak Djokovic (right) and Carlos Alcaraz meet at the net following the 2023 Wimbledon final in London in July.
TENNIS
Sep 28, 2023

Novak Djokovic sees bright future for tennis Carlos Alcaraz leading charge

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic believes the future of tennis is in good hands with young gun Carlos Alcaraz leading the way.
Singer Taylor Swift (right) watches the game with Donna Kelce, Travis’ mother, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Sep 28, 2023

Travis Kelce's celebrity hits new level after brush with Taylor Swift

A spokesperson for Fanatics, the NFL’s official retailer, said that sales of Kelce’s jersey had spiked by 400% as of Monday.
Elon Musk, owner of X, formerly known as Twitter. The social media platform said it was cutting half of its global team dedicated to monitoring and limiting disinformation and fraud around major elections.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 29, 2023

Musk culls X's election integrity teams ahead of major votes

The job cuts appear to contradict recent statements by X's CEO Linda Yaccarino.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes