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U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington earlier this month.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 28, 2024

North Koreans see mass casualties on Ukraine front lines, U.S. says

About a thousand North Korean troops were killed or wounded in the last week alone in Russia's Kursk region, U.S. officials say.
Poland's Iga Swiatek practices in Sydney on Friday.
TENNIS
Dec 28, 2024

Swiatek feared more negative public response after failed doping test

Swiatek tested positive in an out-of-competition sample in August but the ITIA, which runs tennis's anti-doping program, accepted that it was caused by contamination.
Japan's 2024 Word of the Year, "futehodo," is a phrase tied to a Netflix show and highlights the broader decline in the cultural significance of such awards, with recent selections often seen as superficial or promotional.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 31, 2024

Japan’s 2024 word of the year has no rizz

Some critics wondered why the word of the year award was, essentially, functioning as advertising for a TV show that is still available on streaming.
Students perform a play they produced during a Liberal Arts Japanese class at Aichi Prefectural Kariyahigashi High School, as teacher Tomohiko Hyodo (left) watches.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 13, 2025

Aichi school uses theater to foster communication skills

Liberal Arts Japanese, designed to supplement conventional Japanese language studies, emphasizes practical skills in listening and speaking, the school says.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends a conference organized by the European Jewish Association in Krakow, Poland, in January 2024.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 4, 2025

Musk projects his hard-right influence in Europe

The multibillionaire has demanded new elections in Britain, promoted Germany's far-right, blasted the European Commission — and that's just the start.
Manchester United's Noussair Mazraoui (left) and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson vie for the ball during their match at Anfield in Liverpool, England, on Sunday.
SOCCER
Jan 6, 2025

Captain Bruno Fernandes calls on United to replicate Liverpool performance

United is way down in 13th place, but at least it ended a three-game losing run in the league.
Australia captain Pat Cummins (left) receives the trophy after clinching the series on Day 3 of the fifth test match against India in Sydney on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Cricket
Jan 6, 2025

Pat Cummins expresses pride after Australia tops India to win 'everything'

The six-wicket victory in the fifth test in Sydney also secured the right to defend the World Test Championship (WTC) title against South Africa at Lord's in June.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado addresses supporters at a protest in Caracas on Thursday ahead of the Friday inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 10, 2025

A two-hour arrest rocks Venezuela as Maduro targets opposition

The arrest of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado marks a significant escalation by Nicolas Maduro, who was declared the winner of last year's election without evidence.
The sun sets over the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, near Furnace Creek, during a heat wave impacting Southern California in July.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 10, 2025

Record heat pushed 2024 above global warming threshold of 1.5 C

A clear acceleration in rising temperatures has puzzled scientists, even as the evidence of the fast-warming atmosphere became impossible to miss.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen runs with the ball during his team's wild-card game against the Broncos in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 13, 2025

Bills dominate Broncos in wild-card matchup to set up showdown with Ravens

The second-seeded Bills will host the third-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round next weekend.
Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jan 13, 2025

Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms

With adventure tourism on the rise in Hokkaido, a new generation of foreign-born guides is eager to greet travelers.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speaks at a memorial service for the victims of the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, at Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden on Dec. 26.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 13, 2025

Sweden may have to build up its defense force, premier says

The premier's comments come as NATO increases its surveillance operations in the Baltic Sea.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (left) congratulates midfielder Jeremy Doku as he leaves the pitch after being substituted off during an FA Cup third round match against Salford City in Manchester on Saturday.
SOCCER
Jan 14, 2025

Manchester City mood lifted by three wins, says Guardiola

"Before, it was impossible to win one, so now we've won three and that helps us," Guardiola said.
Toyota is one of many large employers in the U.S. ordering workers to their desks in recent months, ending policies implemented during the COVID pandemic.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 14, 2025

Toyota wants salaried staff back in office four days a week

Toyota denied the move is designed to reduce headcount but warned failure to comply could lead to "termination of employment.”
Bank of Japan Deputy Gov. Ryozo Himino has said that the central bank will raise rates if its outlook continues to be realized.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2025

BOJ deputy chief signals chance of rate hike next week

Most BOJ watchers see an interest rate hike coming in either January or March.
Bristol's Ilona Maher poses for selfies with fans after a match in Bristol, Britain, on Jan. 5.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 16, 2025

Ilona Maher urges rugby to do more to grow game ahead of Women's Rugby World Cup

Maher urged rugby to break free from its self-imposed shackles.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is hoping to lead his team to an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 16, 2025

Chiefs set to begin quest for three-peat with matchup against Texans

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is 6-0 during the divisional round in his career.
One of the brighest spots of Japan's indie gaming landscape in 2024 was Sonokuni, and with more incubators and other avenues of support springing up, there may be more games like it in the future.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Jan 21, 2025

Japan-made games part of a rising tide of indie greatness

With games developed by lone individuals rivaling the quality of major studios, it's time to reconsider what makes an indie game indie.
Israel delayed meetings expected on Thursday when the cabinet was expected to vote on the ceasefire. But in the early hours of Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said approval was imminent.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 17, 2025

Israel set to approve Gaza ceasefire deal, Netanyahu's office says

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he’s confident implementation of the Gaza deal will begin as scheduled on Sunday once "loose ends” are resolved.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (right) and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts meet on the field after their playoff game in Philadelphia on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 20, 2025

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford noncommittal future after playoff loss

The quarterback, who will turn 37 on Feb. 7, is under contract for two more seasons.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels scrambles during Washington's wild-card playoff game against Tampa Bay earlier this month.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 24, 2025

Washington's 'Terminator' Jayden Daniels one win away from NFL history

The 24-year-old Californian, taken with the second overall pick in last year's draft, has electrified the NFL this season.
Brookfield Asset Management has bought a stake in Gajoen, a mixed-use luxury complex in Tokyo, and plans to ramp up real estate investments in Japan.
BUSINESS
Jan 27, 2025

Brookfield seeks to buy more property in Japan after $1.6 billion in deals

There has been a trend of increased foreign investor activity in Japanese real estate in recent years, buoyed by the weak yen and cheap financing.
An Egyptian doctor tests a patient for hepatitis C in Cairo in 2018.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 27, 2025

Egypt’s malpractice law could speed up doctor exodus, medical professionals warn

Medical professionals say the real issue is underfunding and inefficiency in Egypt's health care system and that the malpractice law could harm an already strained system.
Displaced Gazans walk toward Gaza City on Saturday after crossing the Netzarim corridor from the southern Gaza Strip.
WORLD
Jan 28, 2025

Gaza residents stream home to the north after hostage breakthrough

Gaza's Hamas authorities said Monday that more than 300,000 people had crossed into Gaza City and the north edge of the enclave.
Members of the media raise their hands for questions as outgoing Fuji TV President Koichi Minato attends a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Jan 28, 2025

What we learned at Fuji TV's marathon Nakai scandal news conference

Longtime executive of Fuji TV Hisashi Hieda, who has been dubbed the “emperor” of the broadcaster, was not present at the news conference and did not resign.
Arsenal midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly (second right) reacts after being sent off by referee Michael Oliver on January 25, 2025.
SOCCER
Jan 29, 2025

Arsenal boss Arteta urges stop to abuse after red card rescinded

The referees' body, PGMOL, said the police were investigating threats and abuse directed at referee Michael Oliver following the game.
An ocean vista at a resort in Thailand on Dec. 26
BUSINESS
Jan 30, 2025

'The White Lotus' is already driving a travel boom in Thailand

Ahead of the HBO show’s third season premiere, Thai tourism authorities, hoteliers and travel agents are readying for a surge in visitors.
A young couple (Ryuya Wakaba and Mai Fukagawa) fulfill a lifelong dream of moving to the countryside, only to find their new community may have sinister intentions toward them in “Welcome to the Village.”
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2025

‘Welcome to the Village’: Tradition takes a twisted turn in the countryside

The ancient tradition of “murahachibu,” ostracizing community members as punishment, gets a contemporary twist in Hideo Jojo’s slow-burn thriller.
YouTuber Kazuki Nakata looks at his indoor farm at his home in Kawasaki on Monday. The 37-year-old now has nearly 90,000 subscribers eager to learn how to stretch out store-bought vegetables and grow new ones amid soaring produce prices.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 31, 2025

Japanese look for creative ways to fight soaring food prices

As the price of agricultural products has risen, Japanese have also been eating less of them.
Former U.S. figure skaters Dick Button and Tenley Albright are introduced during an exhibition event after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston in January 2014.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Jan 31, 2025

U.S. figure skating great Dick Button dies at 95

Long before he became known for his on-air observations, Button dominated the figure skating world with his athleticism.

Longform

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