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Members of the media take pictures of the ULA's new rocket Vulcan Centaur, which is set to make its maiden flight Monday with a payload that includes a private lunar lander, as well as the cremated remains of several people associated with the original "Star Trek" series, including creator Gene Rodenberry and cast member Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed the character Uhura.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 8, 2024

Private industry leads America's first moon landing since Apollo

A soft landing on the moon has only been accomplished by few national space agencies
A Taiwan Air Force Mirage 2000-5 aircraft prepares to land in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Jan. 2. In the event of a conflict with China, Taiwan would face a military that rivals that of the U.S.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 9, 2024

Xi, Biden and the $10 trillion cost of war over Taiwan

The price tag — equivalent to about 10% of global GDP — dwarfs the blow from the war in Ukraine, COVID-19 pandemic and 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis.
Nvidia has unveiled three new desktop graphics chips with extra components that will let gamers, designers and other computer users make better use of AI on their personal machines without having to rely on remote services accessed over the internet.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 9, 2024

Nvidia rolls out new chips as part of 'AI PC' push

The firm has unveiled three new desktop graphics chips with extra components that will let users make better use of AI on their personal machines.
A Palestinian girl who survived an Israeli strike is carried by her father next to the bodies of their relatives who were killed in the strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 11, 2024

Israel to face Gaza genocide charges at International Court of Justice

A case brought by South Africa in December claims Israel's war against Hamas militants in Gaza violates the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza move southward as trucks carrying aid and fuel head toward north Gaza during a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, near Gaza City on Nov. 27.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 16, 2024

What the Hamas-Israel 'humanitarian pause' really meant

While many civilians have been victimized in the conflict, other countries have been at odds over calls for a break in the conflict.
Grounded Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes on the tarmac at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Monday
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 11, 2024

Boeing's latest Max problem creates more headaches for airlines

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines together have 70% of the Max 9 planes in service and have canceled hundreds of flights.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
WORLD / Politics
Jan 11, 2024

North Korea set to send new class of missiles to Russia, Seoul says

By sending more weapons of greater sophistication, Kim is likely receiving substantial aid that keeps his sanctions-hit economy afloat as well as technology from Russia.
Wannabe has an insatiable appetite — a tasty snack coming his way will always put this pup in a good mood.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jan 15, 2024

Wannabe the Shiba wants to be yours

This dashing pup is a little nervous when meeting new people, but he’ll soon let you into his inner circle.
Lai Ching-te, the presidential candidate of ruling Democratic Progressive Party, waves to supporters while riding in the back of a vehicle during a campaign event ahead of the elections in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 12, 2024

Candidates make final pitches before voters head to polls in Taiwan

Many view the upcoming vote as one with potentially significant geopolitical consequences for both Taiwan and the region.
Naomi Osaka attends a news conference in Melbourne on Friday ahead of the start of the Australian Open.
TENNIS
Jan 12, 2024

It's a changed landscape at the top as Osaka returns to the Australian Open

2023 was all about the continued rise of players like Gauff and Sabalenka and the dominance of Swiatek, and it remains to be seen where Osaka fits in that picture.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2024

Futenma moves forward, but local concerns must be addressed

Originally planned to have been finished by now, the base project is now anticipated to take over nine years to complete.
Supporters of the Houthi movement hold a rally to denounce air strikes launched by the U.S. and the U.K. on Houthi targets, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday.
WORLD
Jan 13, 2024

The regional war no one wanted is here. How wide will it get?

Following the U.S.-led strikes on nearly 30 sites in Yemen on Thursday, there is no longer a question of whether there will be a regional conflict. It has already begun.
As Kura has grown, so has the hype, with diners sometimes enduring seven-hour waits to try its automated sushi-serving machines and dishes under plastic domes brought to the table on a revolving belt.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 13, 2024

Kura Sushi must live up to high hopes after wowing Wall Street

Kura shares have surged more than sixfold since their 2019 debut, climbing from an initial public offering price of $14 to $88.55.
A Ukrainian soldier with the 68th Brigade in a trench that is about 500 yards from a Russian position, in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, on Tuesday. After a Ukrainian summer counteroffensive in the south that fell far short of objectives, and with Russian troops currently on the attack and Western military aid less assured than in the past, the country’s prospects are looking bleak.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 14, 2024

Russia regains upper hand in Ukraine’s east as Kyiv’s troops struggle

Ukrainians are weary, short of ammunition and outnumbered, and their prospects look bleak.
Iga Swiatek won the WTA Finals in November 2023 to end an event that featured bad weather and a number of complaints from the players.
TENNIS
Jan 15, 2024

WTA and ATP Tours embarking on year of formative changes

The WTA is looking to take steps toward equal pay for women at combined events, and the ATP hopes to align the interests of its players and tournaments.
A worker carries a tray containing steamed kamaboko at a factory in Ise, Mie Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 22, 2024

As costs rise, kamaboko producers struggle to stay afloat

Many have little choice but to raise the prices of their own products after having exhausted other measures.
The "wolf warrior" metaphor is used for Chinese diplomats who are known for aggressively making their country’s case on the world stage.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 16, 2024

Doves, pandas and dragons: Decoding the global political zoo

Animal metaphors help us reflect on the rich and varied landscape of foreign policy discourse.
Guards raise Taiwan's national flag on the Democracy Boulevard at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 16, 2024

China plays waiting game in run-up to Taiwan inauguration

China's muted response to the weekend victory by Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te may be the start of an uneasy four months before he takes office.
Volkswagen is casting its net wider in pursuit of a potentially game-changing technology: a "solid-state" electric car battery
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2024

Volkswagen and rivals plug away at solid-state battery puzzle

An array of technical hurdles are holding back wider development of solid-state technology, seen by its backers as the "holy grail" of EV batteries.
The University of Toronto campus. International students are a cash cow for Canadian universities and a slowdown will be a blow to the institutions.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

Canadian study permits for Indian students drop due to dispute

Fewer Indian students applied due to a diplomatic dispute over the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada.
A motorcyclist rides past a high school in the Panjgur district of Balochistan province on Wednesday. Pakistan has recalled its ambassador from Iran and blocked Tehran's envoy from returning to Islamabad after an Iranian air strike killed two children in the west of the country on Wednesday. Pakistan's official statement did not specify where the strike took place, but Pakistani media said it was near Panjgur, where the countries share a sparsely populated border of nearly 1,000 kilometers.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

Pakistan recalls envoy after Iran strike on terrorist base kills two

The strikes add to multiple crises across the Middle East, with Israel waging a war against Hamas in Gaza and Houthi rebels in Yemen attacking vessels in the Red Sea.
A large billboard depicting an Iranian missile with a phrase in Persian that reads "prepare your coffins" on the side of a building in Tehran on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

Iran says missile strikes show it will be ‘tough and decisive’

Supporters of Iran’s authoritarian clerical regime have been incensed by recent attacks on Iran that made it appear vulnerable, demanding a powerful response.
Just over 100 days after Oct. 7, enduring pain is a key reason why polls in Israel show consistently high support for its military offensive in Gaza.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 19, 2024

Enduring pain keeps public support for Gaza war strong in Israel

The support comes despite optimism fading over whether Israel can achieve its stated goals.
A ship transits the Suez Canal toward the Red Sea on Jan. 10. Insurance costs for ships whose seafarers who do brave the waterway have shot up tenfold, including a large increase since the airstrikes.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 19, 2024

Airstrikes on Yemen bring new level of chaos to Red Sea shipping

After U.S. and U.K. airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, Western navies caution ships to steer clear.
The health of China's economy will always be a factor in how other Asian economies fare, and some of those are doing OK despite their larger neighbor’s woes.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2024

The latest indignity for China’s flawed recovery

Neighbors whose economic fortunes were supposed to be tied to the heft of China’s rebound from the pandemic seem to be doing pretty well without it.
An offshore wind turbine off the coast of Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture, in 2013. Japan aims to increase its offshore wind power capacity to 10 GW by 2030.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Jan 21, 2024

As Japan makes major investments in wind power, some residents are pushing back

In a sense, the city of Ishikari represents the idealized, natural version of Hokkaido for many Japanese. Some residents say massive wind turbines will destroy that image.
Apple is entering its first major new product category since the company began selling smartwatches in 2015, and the Vision Pro may take years to catch on.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 22, 2024

Apple Vision Pro deliveries delayed to March in sign of early demand

The device is also sold out for Day 1 in-store pickup at many locations despite preorders having just begun on Friday ahead of its Feb. 2 rollout.
The rupture of one of the world's busiest shipping routes has exposed the vulnerability of China's export-reliant economy to supply snarls and external demand shocks.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 22, 2024

Red Sea crisis pressures China's exporters as shipping delays mount

Further Red Sea disruptions would pile pressure on a struggling economy already contending with a property crisis and weak consumer demand.
JAPAN / Science & Health / ANALYSIS
Jan 22, 2024

Japan’s moonshot may mark breakthrough for future lunar missions

The successful use of a new system that allows moon missions to land within 100 meters of a target area would help efforts to build an international lunar base camp.
Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank Group, during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 17
BUSINESS
Jan 23, 2024

World Bank chief eyes 'bigger' institution to tackle climate crisis

Ajay Banga said the bank is working to widen the way it looks at problems and increase collaborations with other institutions.

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