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U.S. President Joe Biden greets Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders week in Woodside, California, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 16, 2023

Biden and Xi agree to pick up the phone to avert crisis. But now what?

Agreed measures are unlikely to be enough to improve bilateral ties, as neither side appeared willing to tackle fundamental differences head on.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen drives during a practice session at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 17, 2023

Lewis Hamilton defends Vegas race after Max Verstappen's criticism

Hamilton offered his thoughts about the Las Vegas Grand Prix after Max Verstappen called it "99% show and 1% sporting event."
The risk of unsecure nuclear weapons or a vengeful leader such as Vladimir Putin going down with his finger on the trigger may seem far-fetched, but the world must prepare for the worst-case scenario. 
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2023

Preparing for a Russian nuclear meltdown

The risk of “loose nukes” or a vengeful leader going down with his finger on the trigger may seem far-fetched, but the chances are not zero.
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway sold yen bonds at lower costs in its second Japan deal of the year as speculation mounts that the billionaire investor may put more money into the nation’s share market.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 17, 2023

Berkshire sells yen debt amid talk it’s eyeing more Japan stocks

Berkshire is one of the largest overseas issuers of yen debt, and 32 out of its past 40 bond deals have been in the Japanese currency.
Smoke rises from Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war on Saturday.
WORLD
Nov 18, 2023

Forever war? Israel risks a long, bloody insurgency in Gaza

None of the ideas floated so far by Israel, the United States and Arab nations for the postwar administration of Gaza have managed to gain traction.
SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft is launched near Brownsville, Texas, on Saturday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 19, 2023

SpaceX Starship explodes though craft reaches new milestones

SpaceX, known for its iterative approach to rocket development, is likely to view the overall flight as a success given the new milestones it achieved.
An Israeli armored vehicle rolls past Palestinians fleeing Gaza City, in the Gaza Strip, on foot amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militants on Saturday in this image taken from video.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 19, 2023

Tentative Gaza deal reached to free hostages, pause fighting: report

However, both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. officials said no deal had been reached yet.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to face further headwinds at home, despite efforts to highlight his diplomatic achievements.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2023

Kishida focuses on diplomacy amid poor public support rates

Showing off his contribution to the discussions at the APEC summit, the prime minister expressed his eagerness to continue with diplomacy. 
Elfyn Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin drive their Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid past the Kumano Shrine during Rally Japan in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 19, 2023

Elfyn Evans cruises to victory at season-ending Rally Japan

Evans took control after the second stage and stayed in front for the rest of a rally held in wild weather conditions in Aichi Prefecture.
Javier Milei (left) celebrates with his sister Karina Milei after winning the presidential election runoff at his party headquarters in Buenos Aires on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 20, 2023

Argentina elects 'shock therapy' libertarian Javier Milei as president

His plans of shutting the central bank, ditching the peso and slashing spending resonated with voters angry at the country's economic malaise.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff looks to pass against the Bears at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Nov 20, 2023

Lions use late rally to edge Bears

Jared Goff overcame a shaky start to lead the Detroit Lions to a dramatic come-from-behind win over the Chicago Bears
Australia captain Pat Cummins celebrates after the Cricket World Cup final in Ahmedabad, India, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Cricket
Nov 20, 2023

Pat Cummins hails Australia's World Cup title as 'pinnacle in cricket'

The match was a personal triumph for Cummins, whose decision to field first was vindicated.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Nov 20, 2023

Japan's back-to-back wage bonanza would open door for BOJ exit

The news comes as the government pushes companies to hike pay to help offset rising living costs.
Children with their parents pray in a temporary church at a camp for internally displaced people in Demoso township in Myanmar's Kayah state.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 20, 2023

Myanmar's displaced pray and teach under deadly skies

The junta has battered Kayah with airstrikes from its Russian and Chinese-built jets, and more than 100,000 people are now displaced in the state.
Japan’s national bar exam was held on Nov. 8 with a pass rate of 45%. Though for decades the pass rate was much lower, this seeming improvement has come on the back of several regulatory blunders.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2023

The failure behind Japan’s bar exam pass rate

The pass rate for Japan's bar exam has fluctuated, with this year's level coming on the back of several misguided interventions.
Egyptian medics stand by with incubators to receive premature Palestinian babies evacuated from Gaza on Monday.
WORLD
Nov 21, 2023

Gaza babies evacuated as Hamas reports deadly hospital strike

Gaza's health ministry said the Israeli army's strike on the Indonesian Hospital in the Palestinian territory's north killed at least 12 people.
Newly arrived Rohingya refugees are stranded on a boat after the nearby community decided not to allow them to land in Aceh province, Indonesia, on Nov. 16.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 21, 2023

After hellish boat journeys, Rohingya refugees unwelcome in Indonesia

For those able to land in Aceh province, their status there is far from assured, and locals say they could still force the newcomers back to sea.
OpenAI said it fired chairman Sam Altman after it concluded that he was not candid with the company's board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2023

Profit, not progress, animates the tech world

Reliable sources said Altman's firing came amid difference in views about the speed at which OpenAI should push its artificial intelligence.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is running for re-election, visits the southern border in Edinburg, Texas, on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 22, 2023

Can Japan risk a Trump reelection?

A fundamental risk accompanying Donald Trump’s reelection is the doubts it would raise about American leadership in the world.
A member of the India team sorts through rubbish at the end of the first round of the Spogomi World Cup 2023 final, in which teams pick up as much rubbish as possible in a set amount of time, in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2023

Load of rubbish: Litter-hunters vie for world title in Tokyo

The Spogomi World Cup saw 21 countries battle it out to collect the most rubbish within a set time limit.
PVV leader Geert Wilders' far-right, anti-Islam party has won a stunning victory in the Dutch election, a political bombshell that will resound in Europe and around the world.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 23, 2023

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders scores shock election victory

The influx of refugees since the Russia-Ukraine war, and the spiraling cost of food and energy, has fueled support for far-right groups across Europe.
A worker cleans a table in an empty McDonald's restaurant in Cairo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 23, 2023

Boycott campaigns over Gaza hit Western brands

Companies are feeling the impact in Egypt and Jordan, and there are signs the campaign is spreading in some other Arab countries.
Ecuador's new President Daniel Noboa gestures to the crowd from the balcony of Carondelet Palace after being inaugurated at the National Assembly, in Quito, Ecuador, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2023

New Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa pledges reforms

The country is facing deep economic challenges that have pushed thousands to migrate.
At KIPI, a 1.06 gigawatt coal-fired plant will power the $2 billion Adaro Minerals Indonesia aluminum smelter due to begin operating in 2025.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 24, 2023

A coal-powered industrial boom is testing Indonesia’s green goals

The reality to support a low-emission ambition lies years in the future
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Nov 24, 2023

Domestic horses look to continue home dominance

It’s the weekend of the Group 1 Japan Cup in association with Longines, when one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan, if not the world, will be run at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday. Having grown in stature over the past 40 years or so, the race has made a real name for itself over that time in...
Taiwan’s presidential election will not only shape cross-strait relations for decades, but will impact the nature of the U.S.’ already tense ties with China.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 24, 2023

Taiwan opposition alliance collapses and Terry Gou quits race

The prospects of a China-friendly unity ticket for the upcoming presidential election now lie shattered after the public mudslinging.
Many moods come and go, inspiring our art. Though love could be fleeting, it proved the most inspirational of all.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Nov 27, 2023

Tales of a Closed Country: Part 2

Even Japan's "sakoku" policies couldn't deter the lovers, artists and poets from their muses. After all, we humans tend to look for beauty where we can.
Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 27, 2023

Max Verstappen wraps up record-breaking season in style

The three-time world champion came home 17.993 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says Japanese firms' clean energy technology can speed up the country’s efforts to curb emissions.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 27, 2023

Japan’s tech leaders accelerate its climate actions, ex-PM says

Japan’s companies were once at the cutting edge of green technology but have been surpassed by Chinese producers.
A view inside of Sai Life Sciences' manufacturing facility in Bindar, Karnataka, India, in September.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 27, 2023

Indian drugmakers benefit from Big Pharma interest beyond China

Rising tensions with China have prompted more Western governments to recommend that firms "de-risk" supply chains from exposure to the Asian superpower.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?