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Media tycoon Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong on June 16, 2020. Lai pleaded not guilty to "sedition" and "collusion" charges on Tuesday in a high-profile national security trial that could see him jailed for life.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 2, 2024

Hong Kong tycoon Lai pleads not guilty in landmark security trial

Jimmy Lai, a leading critic of the Chinese Communist Party, faces two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.
The Maersk Sentosa container ship sails southbound to exit the Suez Canal on Dec. 21.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 3, 2024

Maersk decides Red Sea too unsafe for its ships for now

The decision to reroute vessels from the vital trade corridor was made after another of its container ships came under attack from Houthi militants.
China has cast Taiwan's Jan. 13 presidential and parliamentary elections as a choice between war and peace, warning that an attempt to push for the island's formal independence means conflict.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 3, 2024

'Hawkish' China likely to squeeze Taiwan militarily after poll

With both the DPP and KMT pledging to bolster the island's defenses, Beijing is expected to continue its saber-rattling regardless who emerges victorious in the polls.
JAPAN / First person
Jan 4, 2024

How Japan's violent New Year's quake felt in Toyama

What it feels like to be near a quake that shifts a house left and right, forward and backward.
The single biggest factor that will make satellites more accessible is the advent of private launch providers led by SpaceX.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 5, 2024

You too may one day have your own satellite

Demand for personal satellites will rise as their uses range from monitoring crops to watching over the family dog.
Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway, arrives for a news conference at the Tungaloy Corp.'s headquarters in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, in November of 2011.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 5, 2024

Warren Buffett brought Japan back. Will it last in 2024?

In 2023, Japan experienced an unexpected surge in investor interest, leading to the Nikkei 225 index reaching highs not seen since 1990.
A Ukrainian tank crew member looks out from a tank as he holds his position near the town of Bakhmut, in the country's Donetsk region, on Dec. 13.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jan 6, 2024

As losses mount, Ukrainians fiercely debate future of draft

The debate comes following heavy casualties and almost two years of grinding trench warfare and as the army struggles to fill its ranks.
Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster as seen from the Millennium Wheel in London
WORLD / Politics
Jan 8, 2024

China's top spy agency says it has exposed a British espionage case

The case highlights the ongoing heated exchanges the countries have traded over accusations of perceived spying.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A crane moves containers in Montreal on Jan. 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 23, 2024

Chaos in the Red Sea is starting to bite into companies’ profits

With the Red Sea crisis roiling shipments, it’s only a matter of time before soaring costs and supply-chain strains show up in companies’ earnings reports.
Toshiya Ikehata (center) helps prepare rice balls at a community kitchen in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 7. Ikehata runs a fine-dining restaurant in the city, which was among the hardest-hit areas in the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2024

Shattered lives, unbroken spirits: Chefs step up to serve Noto communities

Fine-dining chefs rise to the challenge of feeding disaster victims in the hardest-hit areas of Ishikawa Prefecture.
A church service was held on Wednesday for the 74 people killed in the Russian IL-76 military transport plane crash in the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 25, 2024

Military plane crashes in Russia, killing all on board, Moscow says

Russia accused Ukrainian forces of launching missiles from the nearby Kharkiv region of Ukraine that struck the aircraft, but the claims could not be verified.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight