Search - i

 
 
Korean writer-director Kim Sung Hwan's "Iron Mask" took one of the two top awards at this year's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) in South Korea.
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Aug 30, 2023

Does South Korea now have the edge over Japan when it comes to film?

While Korean cinema tackles universal topics, Japanese studios are content to navel-gaze.
People celebrate in support of a military coup, in a street in Port-Gentil, Gabon, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 30, 2023

President Ali Bongo detained as military coup declared in Gabon

Officers declared on television that election results had been canceled, borders were closed and state institutions were dissolved.
U.S and Philippine military officials link arms with U.S. Embassy representative Heather Variava during the opening ceremony of the annual Philippines-U.S. joint military exercises at the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on April 11.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

U.S. military in talks to develop port in Philippines facing Taiwan

The move could stoke tensions at a time of growing friction with China.
Taliban security personnel in Kabul on Aug. 15. So far, U.S. President Joe Biden has not decided to restore any U.S. support to Afghanistan, despite the country's worsening humanitarian crisis.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

Two years after exit, Biden resists calls for more Taliban contact

Some analysts and U.S. officials had clung to the hope that the Taliban had moderated since they last controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s.
Demonstrators in Warsaw protest against Vladimir Putin and the war on Aug. 24, Ukraine’s official Independence Day.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2023

It would be wise to not personally humiliate Putin

Defeating autocrats like Vladimir Putin in an aggressive war requires progress on the battlefield, and rhetoric alone is unlikely to achieve the goal.
A bit of parchment paper, a few strips of kelp and an overnight cure takes a simple fish filet to new heights.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 3, 2023

Recipe: Crispy kelp-cured salmon

This recipe can work with any skin-on fish, from luxurious golden-eyed snapper to ubiquitous salmon or trout.
Gigi Chao, vice chair of Cheuk Nang Holdings, in Hong Kong on July 19
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2023

More LGBTQ rights could help Asian financial hubs draw global talent

In Japan, the only Group of Seven nation without legal protection for same-sex unions, corporations are seen as a key driver for change.
A farmer examines rice in a paddy near a farm house in Dhaka.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 1, 2023

First crops, now animals: Climate change hurts Bangladesh farmers

The country's coastal regions, which make up a third of all arable land, have been hit by worsening drought, heat and water scarcity.
Ukrainian soldiers with the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade after firing a DANA, a wheeled 152 mm self-propelled artillery gun, at a Russian target in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, on Aug. 26.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 2, 2023

As Ukraine fight grinds on, talk of negotiations becomes taboo

Discussion of a Plan B, should Ukraine fail to win a total victory, has become more fraught than ever, say those who have tried.
People walk past a damaged wall at the West Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters following Typhoon Saola in Hong Kong on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 2, 2023

Typhoon Saola weakens but still a threat in southern China

Saola had triggered Hong Kong's highest threat level on Friday evening — issued only 16 times since World War II.
Susan Barber, an AP English teacher at Atlanta's Midtown High School, in class Tuesday. Barber said using AI chatbots could make students' college essays too generic.
WORLD / Society
Sep 2, 2023

Ban or embrace? Colleges wrestle with AI-generated admissions essays.

A.I. chatbots could facilitate plagiarism on college applications or democratize student access to writing help. Or maybe both.
South Sudan qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics as highest-placed African team at the Basketball World Cup.
BASKETBALL
Sep 3, 2023

Jubilant South Sudan qualifies for Paris Olympics

South Sudan coach Royal Ivey said the team had brought "unity, camaraderie, love and friendship" to the country.
Emperor penguin chicks perished at multiple breeding grounds in Antarctica last year, drowning or freezing to death when sea ice was eroded by global warming.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2023

Our addiction to fossil fuels is killing baby penguins

Global warming is decimating sea ice and, with it, baby penguins. But why should we care about this and other species dying off?
Outgoing Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov is seen as having built up a strong rapport with allied defense ministers and military officials.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 4, 2023

Zelenskyy moves to replace Ukraine's wartime defense minister

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has been dogged by graft allegations surrounding his ministry that he has described as smears.
Buildings in Guangzhou, China. Aside from short-term solutions, economists see three options for China to restructure its economy.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Sep 4, 2023

Part of China's economic miracle was a mirage. Reality check is next.

While many analysts see a slow drift towards Japan-style stagnation as the most likely outcome, there is also the prospect of a more severe crunch.
A municipality worker collects garbage, most of which is plastic and domestic waste, along the shore of Jakarta.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 4, 2023

Trash to treasure: Indonesian firm turns plastic into bricks

The company mixes volcanic ash, mountain stones, plastic waste and cement to make its bricks, which do not contain sand like regular ones.
Since taking power in 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used highly personalized campaigns to win elections — a winning strategy so far.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 5, 2023

Modi's G20 marketing blitz won't harm his 2024 election campaign

In hosting the G20, the prime minister is showcasing his efforts to bolster India’s international influence along with symbolism with a clear message.
Japan's household spending dropped 2.7% in July from the previous month, as persistent inflation continued to erode purchasing power.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2023

Japan’s households cut back spending as Kishida considers measures

Weak data indicate an economy struggling to build momentum as inflation outpaces wage gains and consumer spending remains below pre-pandemic levels.
Fishers harvest clams early in August in the lagoon of Scardovari, south of Venice, Italy, where the blue crab threatens local shellfish and fish.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Sep 5, 2023

Italy's clam farmers fear blue crab 'invasion'

The crab, native to the North American Atlantic coast, has been present across the Mediterranean for years but has recently become a major problem.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 5, 2023

Why Tohoku University was picked as first beneficiary of new university fund

The fact it was picked as the sole recipient, and over two prestigious universities seen as front-runners, has shocked Japan's academic community.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel talks to local fishermen on Thursday to show his support for the water discharge from the nearby Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 5, 2023

Fukushima water disposal is leadership opportunity for Japan

Some 1,000 storage tanks that hold the water are almost full and more tanks can’t be installed as they would interfere with the plant’s decommissioning.
Panelists led by Kenya's President William Ruto (center) conduct a session during the Africa Climate Summit 2023 in Nairobi on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 6, 2023

'Unfair' global finance system in focus at Africa climate talks

The Nairobi summit hopes to boost investment in renewables, with the UAE pledging $4.5 billion to accelerate Africa's clean energy transition.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 6, 2023

Nippon Ishin’s political path in focus amid differing party views

There are growing differences over the party’s future direction, including whether to remain an opposition party or consider joining the ruling coalition.
Part of the deserted Legend of Sea project developed by Country Garden
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 7, 2023

China’s credit wreck exposes governance failings to the world

"Foreign money managers still have willingness to invest in China, but how much we invest is in flux.”
An Indian security officer on patrol in New Delhi ahead of the Group of 20 Summit
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 7, 2023

With G20, U.S. welcomes India's rise while accepting differences

The United States has viewed the fellow democracy as a natural ally that can rival an autocratic and increasingly assertive China.
Aziz Umerov looks at a portrait of his sister Leniye Umerova, a Ukrainian from Russian-annexed Crimea arrested in Russia, on August 11.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 7, 2023

Arrest, detain, repeat: Russian war critics in jail 'carousel'

Consecutive jailings aren't illegal, as Russian law allows judges to order "administrative" detentions of up to 30 days for minor infractions.
Japan's economy grew less than initially estimated in the second quarter as capital expenditure slid, suggesting heightening overseas uncertainties are weighing on business confidence.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 8, 2023

Japan economic growth revised down as firms and consumers cut back

Gross domestic product grew at an annualized 4.8% from the previous three months, revised figures from the Cabinet Office showed Friday.
Coco Gauff celebrates after defeating Karolina Muchova in the U.S. Open semifinals in New York on Thursday.
TENNIS
Sep 8, 2023

Coco Gauff shrugs off distraction by protesters to reach U.S. Open final

Gauff won a match that was halted for nearly an hour when an environmental activist glued his feet to the floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Rachel Culin, a disenchanted Toyota owner, standing between her Toyota Prius and new Chevy Bolt at her home in Mesa, Arizona. The world’s largest carmaker dominates the sales of hybrid cars but has been slow to sell all-electric vehicles, alienating some customers and hurting sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 8, 2023

Toyota, a hybrid pioneer, struggles to master electric vehicles

The world’s largest carmaker dominates the sales of hybrid cars but has been slow to sell EVs, alienating some customers and hurting sales.
Harvard historian Calder Walton says U.S. leaders have ignored China’s massive, multifront intelligence push.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2023

The vulnerability of open societies to foreign espionage

Are Western nations, with their open societies, making the same mistake with China as they did with the Soviet Union?

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan