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Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski celebrates after scoring his second goal against Dortmund during the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal in Barcelona on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Apr 10, 2025

Robert Lewandowski leads rout as Barcelona beats Dortmund in first leg

Barcelona is enjoying a superb 23-game unbeaten run across all competitions.
Margot Magniere and Theo Poyer returned to Japan after pandemic-era restrictions were lifted and decided to stay for a while.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 11, 2025

The band that turned a pandemic lockdown into a Tokyo dream

On “Grand Voyage,” French pop act Tapeworms tap into Japanese cultural nostalgia and picopop.
The U.K. government rushed urgent legislation through Parliament on Saturday to stop the Scunthorpe plant's blast furnaces from turning off.
WORLD
Apr 13, 2025

'Naive' to trust Chinese firm with British Steel, U.K. minister says

The government rushed urgent legislation through parliament on Saturday to stop the Scunthorpe plant's blast furnaces from turning off.
This satellite image taken on March 25 shows three Chinese barges connected via extendable bridges in waters off Zhanjiang, in southern China's Guangdong province. Experts say the new barges could be used to land heavy equipment and thousands of personnel in a possible invasion of Taiwan.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 15, 2025

China’s new bridge-forming barges offer new options for Taiwan invasion

The ships can be linked up one behind the other to form a long, relocatable pier that extends from deeper waters nearly a kilometer out at sea onto a beach.
American rapper Post Malone performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 13.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 17, 2025

Music, revolution and Y2K: Coachella 2025 takeaways

Highlights from the California music festival included an appearance from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and an increase in leather pants.
While taking refuge on Mount Kasagi from the shogunate’s forces, Emperor Go-Daigo had a prophetic dream that eventually led him to secure the support of military strategist Kusunoki Masashige.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Apr 19, 2025

‘I scud before the autumn wind’: Emperor Go-Daigo’s fall from grace

The “Masukagami,” a 14th-century historical chronicle, offers a wrenching account of the emperor’s struggle for power — and eventual downfall.
People walk down a street in the red-light entertainment area of Kabukicho in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on March 31.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 20, 2025

Social media helps fuel growing 'sex tourism' in Japan

Only certain sexual services are prohibited in Japan, and it is the sex workers — not their clients — who face fines or prison, if caught.
Barcelona defender Jules Kounde (right) celebrates alongside forward Lamine Yamal during the Copa del Rey final in Seville, Spain, on Saturday.
SOCCER
Apr 27, 2025

Barcelona sinks Real Madrid in extra time to win Copa del Rey title

Barca won a record-extending 32nd Spanish Cup title thanks to a stunning strike from French defender Jules Kounde.
Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks controls the ball while being guarded by forward Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in February.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Apr 30, 2025

NBA mulling All-Star Game change: USA vs. World

Silver said an international format is appealing because the game will air on NBC during the middle of that network's Winter Olympics coverage.
Armed Druze men stand at a checkpoint in Jaramana, southeast of Damascus, Syria, on Friday.
WORLD
May 1, 2025

Israel strikes Syria, saying it hit group that attacked Druze

Since Assad was ousted in December, Israel has seized ground in the southwest and vowed to protect the Druze.
An Israeli police officer investigates a crater at the site of a missile attack, launched from Yemen, near Ben Gurion Airport, in Tel Aviv on Sunday.
WORLD
May 5, 2025

Israel vows response after Houthi missile evades air defense

"We will hit back sevenfold at anyone who hurts us,” Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday after the attacks near the country's main airport.
Israeli tanks are positioned near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel on April 23.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2025

Israel may seize all of Gaza in expanded operation, officials say

The newly approved offensive would move the territory's civilian population southward and keep humanitarian aid from falling into Hamas' hands.
OpenAI had backpedaled on plans to convert its for-profit arm into a public benefit corporation.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 6, 2025

OpenAI dials back conversion plan, with nonprofit to retain control

The announcement follows a storm of criticism and legal challenges, including a high-profile lawsuit filed by rival and co-founder Elon Musk.
A public health nurse (right) teaches stretching techniques using an exercise ball to employees of Hattori, a machine tool and industrial equipment supplier in Aichi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society
May 7, 2025

Companies leverage healthy working strategies to attract talent

The approach prioritizes employee well-being as a core business objective.
After not seeing each other for eight years, Kana (Yuuka Nakao, left) reluctantly agrees to look after her ailing grandmother (Naoko Ken) and eventually finds ways to have fun and bond with her in “Wash Away.”
CULTURE / Film
May 9, 2025

‘Wash Away’ brightens dementia drama with sudsy spin

Ikunosuke Okazaki’s comic yet tender film about a young woman looking after her ailing grandmother offers a positive look at caregiving for the ailing elderly.
Dr. Raquel Gomez flips a tortilla at the Industrial Microbiology laboratory of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 13, 2025

Scientists in Mexico develop tortilla for people with no fridge

The wheat flour version developed by Raquel Gomez and her team contains probiotics — live microorganisms found in yogurt and other fermented foods.
Xander Schauffele pitches up to the green on the 10th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS
May 16, 2025

No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and No. 3 Xander Schauffele blast PGA over 'mud balls'

The PGA of America said Wednesday it would not use preferred lies to allow players to lift, clean and place balls despite the rain dumped on the course.
Nissan's Oliver Rowland races to victory at the Tokyo E-Prix on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
May 18, 2025

Oliver Rowland’s ‘dream’ Formula E season continues as Nissan driver wins in Tokyo

The win gives Rowland an iron grip on the championship trophy.
A Musee Platinum hair removal salon in the city of Saitama on Monday
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2025

Hair removal chain Musee Platinum owes ¥1.5 billion, say former staff

More than 2,000 former employees of the company went unpaid between January and April.
The Dinorwig Power Station is nestled in the mountains of Llanberis, U.K. The power station is hidden away in the North Wales mountains and has been drained down as part of a £1 billion refurbishment program to extend the life of the plant.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
May 20, 2025

The U.K.’s clean power future relies on a 100-year-old technology

For years, water has rushed through Dinorwig’s subterranean tunnels to drive vast power turbines, but the channels currently lie empty — for the first time in four decades.
Military vehicles drive their way from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border into the Gaza Strip, as seen from Israel on Tuesday.
WORLD
May 21, 2025

Airstrikes kill dozens in Gaza as international criticism of Israel grows

The war, now in its 20th month, has left Gaza in ruins and its population facing a worsening hunger crisis.
Over the past three years, banks with the most blended-finance transactions include SMBC, Citigroup, BNP Paribas and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 22, 2025

Sumitomo Mitsui among banks stepping up deals for blended finance

Deals blending public and private funds totaled $18 billion last year, down 21% from 2023, according to Convergence.
Thai film "A Useful Ghost" won top prize in the Critics' Week sidebar section of the Cannes film festival.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 22, 2025

LGBTQ Thai ghost story wins prize in Cannes

Film director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke says he hoped his LGBTQ story could touch more on politics.
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Program's fighter jet is displayed during the DSEI Japan defense exhibition in the city of Chiba on Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2025

GCAP next-gen fighter joint venture likely to be running by this summer

Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the new business will be responsible for the industrial side of the Global Combat Air Program.
After establishing Lagoon Brewery in 2021, Yosuke Tanaka began making export-only "nihonshu" (Japanese sake) and later, "craft sake," a new genre of sake that isn't bound by the rules of traditional sakemaking.
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 25, 2025

Brewed from rice, water and tomatoes: The growth of ‘craft sake’

Hampered yet inspired by the strict regulations for new brewers, a growing breed of sake producers are making the beverage on their own creative terms.
Pacers forward Pascal Siakam drives to the hoop while being defended by Knicks forward Mikal Bridges during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday in New York.
BASKETBALL / NBA
May 24, 2025

Siakam shines as Pacers take 2-0 lead over Knicks

The series now moves to Indianapolis with the Pacers in control after Pascal Siakam led them with a playoff career-high 39 points.
Arsenal's Kim Little (left) and Victoria Pelova celebrate after winning the Champions League final over Barcelona on Saturday in Lisbon.
SOCCER
May 25, 2025

How 'calm' Arsenal dethroned Barcelona in women's Champions League

Stina Blackstenius' second-half strike on the counterattack was a just reward for Arsenal's superb display in the Champions League final.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks with members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force in Kyoto Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN
May 26, 2025

Ishiba inspects MSDF vessels in apparent bid to highlight shipbuilding prowess

Japan has offered cooperation in shipbuilding as a bargaining chip in its tariff negotiations with the United States.
Jack Ma attends his company Alibaba Group's initial public offering at the New York Stock Exchange in September 2014. After a long absence from the public sphere, Ma recently attended a government-led private enterprises symposium in Beijing.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 26, 2025

Harnessing China’s tech giants: The case of Jack Ma

Alibaba founder Jack Ma's rehabilitation into public life signals China's intention to steer its tech entrepreneurs to do business with broader national interests in mind.
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (right) shoots a three-point basket over Knicks guard Jalen Brunson during the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Tuesday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
May 28, 2025

Pacers beat Knicks to move one win away from NBA Finals

Indiana, which blew a 20-point lead in a Game 3 home loss, seized a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals with the home triumph.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years