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Vocalist Adam Lambert (center) and original Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor hit Nagoya, Osaka, Sapporo and Tokyo for the final leg of their marathon Rhapsody Tour.
CULTURE
Feb 24, 2024

Queen wraps marathon Rhapsody Tour in Japan

The final leg of the global tour hit four Japanese cities, providing fans with an appropriately grandiose send-off from the rockers on Valentine's Day.
The Nautica, a replacement oil tanker for the decaying FSO Safer, arrives in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen, in July last year.
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2024

Shortage of oil tankers at hand as Red Sea attacks divert trade

Only two new supertankers join the fleet in 2024 — the fewest additions in almost four decades.
Vitol, the world's biggest trader, has increased its total equity to $26 billion even after paying $5 billion in record dividends after earning $15 billion in 2022.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 26, 2024

Top global energy traders face multibillion cash quandary

Most trading houses, which are privately owned and controlled by their employees, disclose little about their cash position, equity or dividends.
People read newspapers at a roadside tea stall in Patna, Bihar, India. Newsrooms are being reshaped, journalists say, by India’s richest press barons, many of whom are close to the ruling party and depend on millions of advertising dollars from the government.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 26, 2024

Billionaire press barons are squeezing media freedom in India

Many press barons are close to the ruling party and depend on millions of advertising dollars from the government.
A Sustainable Smart City Partner Program forum in Kitajima
ESG CONSORTIUM
Feb 27, 2024

NTT tool Sugatami reflects cities’ extensive possibilities

With the use of digital technology to solve rural social problems now promoted as a national policy, some places have begun trying to use data to analyze their current situation, identify problems and find solutions.
In early February, the Finance Ministry announced that government debt at the end of last year had reached a record high of ¥1.2 quadrillion.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 27, 2024

With downfall of Abe faction, some see a shift in Japan’s debt debate

The faction has long promoted fiscal stimulus, but its demise combined with wider economic conditions could open up space for a different approach.
French President Emmanuel Macron's comments fitted with his reputation as a diplomatic disruptor who likes to break taboos and challenge conventional thinking.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 28, 2024

Macron's Ukraine troop talk shakes up NATO allies

The French president's idea of possibly sending troops to Ukraine was so ambiguous that he sparked confusion and irritation among some allies.
Apple started working on a car around 2014, setting its sights on a fully autonomous electric vehicle with a limousine-like interior and voice-guided navigation.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 28, 2024

Apple to wind down electric car effort after decadelong odyssey

Many employees on the team will be reassigned to focus on generative artificial intelligence projects, an increasingly key priority for the company.
Shipping risks have escalated due to repeated Houthi strikes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait since November in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Israel-Hamas war.
WORLD
Feb 28, 2024

Houthis say they can reassess Red Sea attacks if Israeli 'aggression' stops

Shipping risks have escalated due to repeated Houthi strikes since November in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians.
Demonstrators protest inside the Rockefeller Center asking for a cease-fire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, as U.S. President Joe Biden attends an interview in midtown Manhattan in New York on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 28, 2024

Among key Democratic Party voters Biden faces rebellion over Gaza war

Officials say the depth of Democratic Party anger over U.S. President Joe Biden’s handling of the Gaza war has caught his campaign off guard.
Novak Djokovic hits a forehand during the BNP Paribas Open in March 2019, the last time the world No. 1 competed at the tournament, better known as Indian Wells.
TENNIS
Feb 28, 2024

Djokovic thrilled to return to Indian Wells after five-year hiatus

The world No. 1 is seeking an unprecedented sixth title at the Masters 1000 event, which begins next week.
While Tokyo and Washington have maintained strong ties under U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida amid intensifying concern over China’s regional ambitions, Japanese officials are still hedging their bets by sending out feelers in the event of another term under Donald Trump.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 28, 2024

Ex-senior Trump official reassures Tokyo over possible comeback

A former deputy assistant to the ex-president swatted away concerns, saying Trump's 2024 White House bid "is a very different effort than 2016."
There is a global trend toward economic bifurcation with the U.S. and China leading the charge — and multinational solutions are needed to address the new challenges.
COMMENTARY
Feb 28, 2024

The inexorable movement toward a divided global economy

Efforts to protect national economies from threats require multinational solutions. Chains are only as strong as their weakest link.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 29, 2024

Japan issues fresh warning against excessive yen moves

The warning by Masato Kanda, Japan's vice finance minister for international affairs, likely reflects Tokyo's desire to prevent further falls in the yen.
Starbucks workers hold a rally in New York City in 2022.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 29, 2024

Starbucks' pivot on union may shape labor relations beyond its stores

The iconic coffee chain has been locked in a bitter, high-profile and multifront battle with the union across the U.S. since its first win in 2021.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 29, 2024

Talks on easing Japan defense export rules pushed back to March

The Liberal Democratic Party and junior coalition partner Komeito failed to reach an agreement on revisions to existing restrictions on Wednesday.
An MQ-9 Reaper drone stands on the runway at Naval Base Ventura County Sea Range, Point Mugu, near Oxnard, California. The Defense Ministry is considering purchasing the Reaper for intercepting foreign aircraft approaching Japanese airspace.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 1, 2024

New drone tech in spotlight as Japan eyes boosted capabilities

As Tokyo seeks to beef up its unmanned systems, inspiration could come from the latest tech displayed at this year's Singapore Airshow.
Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against a U.S. maker of software that allows people to use PCs and smartphones to play video games intended for a specific console.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 1, 2024

Nintendo sues company for piracy on 'colossal scale'

The company is looking to clamp down on the operations of a company called Tropic Haze, which owns and runs a popular video game emulator.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in Ottawa in May 2009.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 1, 2024

Brian Mulroney, former Canadian prime minister, is dead at 84

Mulroney was known as the Canadian leader who led the country into the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Mexico.
A housing development next to the Sasol’s petrochemicals plant in Sasolburg, South Africa.
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 2, 2024

What it's like to live in the most polluted place on Earth

Coal and steel plants offer steady work for residents in South Africa's Vaal Triangle, yet they’re also pumping out harmful emissions.
Sean Williams' sled dog team participates in the ceremonial start of the 52nd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 3, 2024

Alaska's 52nd annual Iditarod sled dog race mushes to starting line

The number of competitors this year, 38, represents one of the smallest fields going back to the first year of the race in 1973.
PFAS does not break down easily and remains in the body and the environment for a number of years, and is thus called “forever chemicals.”
JAPAN / Explainer
Mar 4, 2024

Japan’s food safety panel drafts intake limit for 'forever chemicals'

The report spells out the “tolerable daily intake” of PFAS through food for the first time. Here's what you need to know.
Bitcoin showed its boom-or-bust character Tuesday with volatile price swings.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 6, 2024

Record surge marks new revival for Bitcoin

The cryptocurrency has experienced a breathtaking rebound this year amid strong demand from new U.S. exchange-traded funds.
The Netherland's Prime Minister Mark Rutte waves as he walks past NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during a summit at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels in June 2021.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 6, 2024

‘A safe pair of hands’: Dutch PM emerges as NATO chief front-runner

Although the top contender, Mark Rutte may still have to win over about a third of the alliance’s 31-member states.
A DITA howitzer-gun vehicle at an arms factory in Sternberk, Czech Republic
WORLD / Politics
Mar 7, 2024

As Russia advances, Europe extends reach to source ammunition for Ukraine

Supplies of ammunition to Ukraine have been interrupted by politics, with U.S. Congress holding up a $60 billion military aid package.
A war survivor details vivid recollections of World War II in footage never before made public. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has released parts of a collection of interviews with over 300 war survivors for public viewing this month.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 8, 2024

Witness accounts recall 1945 firebombing of Tokyo

The Tokyo government is screening a collection of interviews of survivors for the first time to serve as a reminder of the destruction of war.
Women and babies at the Zamzam displacement camp, close to El Fasher in North Darfur, Sudan, in January.
WORLD / Society
Mar 9, 2024

Millions of Sudanese go hungry as war disrupts food supply

The number of Sudanese facing emergency levels of hunger — one stage before famine — has more than tripled in a year to almost 5 million.
U.S. President Joe Biden makes a campaign stop at Strath Haven Middle School in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 9, 2024

Providing both bombs and food, Biden puts himself in the middle of Gaza’s war

Biden's decision to send aid by air and sea represents a shift prompted by the growing humanitarian crisis. But it also raised uncomfortable questions.
Rescuers clear debris from a multistory building heavily damaged following a drone strike, in Odessa, Ukraine, on March 3.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Mar 10, 2024

The $1 trillion race to rebuild Ukraine is slowly getting going

Firms are boosting their presence in Ukraine, in anticipation of the conflict's end — and the biggest investment opportunity since at least World War II.
Charred vehicles amid escalating gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Saturday
WORLD
Mar 10, 2024

Haiti capital a 'city under siege' amid spasm of gang violence

Criminal groups already control much of Port-au-Prince as well as roads leading to the rest of the Western hemisphere's poorest country.

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