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U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks to reporters during a news conference in Washington on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 15, 2024

Japan concerned over U.S. officials' remarks on atomic bombings

The remarks justifying the August 1945 atomic bombings could put a damper on bilateral ties between Tokyo and Washington.
A man uses a sheet of cardboard to shade from the sun during high temperatures in Bangkok on April 28. Thailand has been bracing for hotter-than-normal days due to the El Nino weather pattern that’s forecast to last until June.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 15, 2024

Asia’s killer April heat wave was made much worse by climate change

In countries such as Palestine and Israel, climate change made the heat wave five times more likely than it would have been in pre-industrial times.
Pasona plans to use cartilage conduction technology for headsets for staff and guide earphones for visitors in its exhibition at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka.
JAPAN / Society
May 15, 2024

Pasona to promote cartilage conduction technology

The firm plans to use the technology for headsets for staff and for audio guides in its exhibition at the 2025 Osaka expo.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is greeted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping before the opening ceremony at the Expo Center at the fourth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia summit in Shanghai in May 2014.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
May 15, 2024

Putin to visit Xi amid U.S. threat of China sanctions over Ukraine

The two sides are set to discuss ways to challenge the U.S.-led global order while bolstering Moscow’s economic resilience amid its war in Ukraine.
Patty Ortega, widow of slain Philippine environmental activist and radio host Gerry Ortega, points to old photographs of her late husband at their home in Puerto Princesa in Palawan.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 15, 2024

A 13-year fight for justice in Philippine activist's murder

Environmental activist and radio host Gerry Ortega was shot in a clothes shop along a busy road in the Palawan capital of Puerto Princesa in 2011.
Gloomy economic conditions, especially weak consumption, raise questions over whether the Bank of Japan will be able to take further steps toward policy normalization.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2024

Japan GDP data expected to show contraction for first quarter

The preliminary data is expected to show that spending by consumers and companies fell, while net exports dragged on growth for the first time in a year.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about new actions to protect American workers and businesses from China's "unfair" trade practices, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2024

Who’s toughest on China? Biden’s tariff tactic ups ante as election looms.

U.S. president is seen to be trying to "outtrump Trump" to appeal to voters who worry about geopolitical competition or hold anti-China sentiments.
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2024

New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration

President-elect Lai Ching-te will have the world's attention when he delivers his inaugural address on Monday.
Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters alongside Todd Blanche, one of his attorneys, before the day's proceedings in his criminal trial in New York on May 9.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 15, 2024

Cohen on cross: 5 takeaways from Trump’s criminal trial

Prosecutors stated that Cohen would be their final witness, while the defense aims to conclude cross-examination by Thursday.
If OpenAI’s mostly male engineers are trying to build the perfect girlfriend, they are on the right track. If they are trying to build a more reliable AI model, there is still more work to do.
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2024

OpenAI's new ChatGPT can flirt. What could go wrong?

What are the social and psychological consequences of regularly speaking to a flirty, fun and ultimately agreeable artificial voice?
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks during a news conference, before a shooting incident where he was wounded, in Handlova, Slovakia, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 16, 2024

Shooting of Slovak premier brutally exposes political divide

Robert Fico's attempted assassination underscores not only the nation’s ongoing political tensions but also Europe's polarization.
Tesla's charging network is widely viewed as a signature achievement for the EV maker and a key driver of its sales. Tesla Superchargers account for more than 60% of U.S. high-speed charging ports, federal statistics show.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2024

The inside story of Elon Musk’s mass firings of Tesla Supercharger staff

Former charging chief met Musk expecting the go-ahead for a massive expansion of the charging network, but ended up getting fired along with her 500-member team.
Vendors protect themselves from the scorching heat and sun by using big shades and umbrellas in the Kalighat Temple area of Kolkata, India. The city is facing multiple extreme heat days this summer and citizens are trying to find ways to cope with the weather.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 16, 2024

Heat waves are testing India's ability to protect 1.4 billion people

Attempts to improve resilience to extreme heat have often been ill-conceived.
Akitakata Mayor Shinji Ishimaru speaks during a news conference in this screenshot taken from the city's YouTube channel.
JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2024

Mayor in Hiroshima Prefecture city to run in Tokyo governor race

"I want to change Japan through changing Tokyo," said Shinji Ishimaru, mayor of the city of Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture.
Displaced Palestinians travel in the Al-Mawasi area of the southern Gaza Strip on May 6.
WORLD / Society
May 17, 2024

'Our supplies will not last,' warns doctor at Gaza trauma center

Javed Ali says the situation around the southern city of Rafah is "dire."
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an event in Beijing on Thursday. During Putin's visit, the leaders showed off their growing alignment amid efforts to push back against the U.S.-led world order.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 17, 2024

Xi and Putin mark ‘new era’ amid efforts to counter U.S. ‘containment’

The leaders showed off their growing alignment amid efforts to push back against the U.S.-led world order.
Japan's first 7-Eleven convenience store (above) in Tokyo's Toyosu district on May 15, 1974, and the same store on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2024

7-Eleven convenience store chain marks 50 years in Japan

Today, of the about 57,000 convenience stores in the country overall, more than 21,000 are from the 7-Eleven chain.
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards drives to the basket against the Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr. during Game 6 of their series in Minneapolis on Thursday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
May 17, 2024

Timberwolves crush Nuggets to force Game 7

The Timberwolves overwhelmed the Nuggets to force the defending NBA champions to a decisive Game 7 in their Western Conference semifinal series.
Toshiba announced on Thursday that it would cut up to 4,000 jobs as part of a restructuring plan.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2024

Toshiba takes advantage of private status to chart new course

The company has announced that it will cut up to 4,000 jobs as part of a restructuring.
The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito discuss the bill for the revision of the political funds control law in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 17, 2024

LDP submits its own proposal to revise political funds law

A tight parliamentary schedule has pushed the party to expedite negotiations with the opposition even at the cost of deepening a rift with its longtime ally.
Samples of cannabis edibles are offered during The 1st Phuket Cannabis Cup in Phuket, Thailand, in March 2023. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said marijuana should soon be classified as a narcotic again and its use limited to medical and health purposes.
COMMENTARY
May 17, 2024

Thailand’s cannabis U-turn is a cautionary tale

Banning the drug outright will no doubt cause a lot of pain to farmers, small business owners and consumers. A middle-ground approach to return to medical usage would be wise.
A demonstration condemning the killing of three Chinese teachers from the University of Karachi's Confucius Institute in April 2022. Terrorist groups in Pakistan are targeting Chinese nationals and threatening Beijing's Belt and Road initiative projects in the country.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2024

Should we stay or should we go? China's dilemma in Pakistan

Beijing is pouring billions into Pakistan to complete a key Belt and Road initiative artery. But this is threatened by terrorist groups targeting Chinese nationals and interests.
Japanese baseball superstar is presented with a proclamation by the Los Angeles City Council naming May 17 "Shohei Ohtani Day" in honor of the Dodgers' slugger on Friday in the city in this image taken from an official livestream of the council meeting.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 18, 2024

City of Los Angeles celebrates 'Shohei Ohtani Day'

In a ceremony at City Hall, council president Paul Krekorian hailed the Dodgers' acquisition of Ohtani in a record-breaking $700 million deal.
Supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump, including Republican North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (center), Republican Florida Rep. Cory Mills (center right) and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (second from right), listen as Trump speaks after court proceedings ended for the day in his trial at Manhattan criminal court, on Tuesday in New York.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2024

Rule No. 1 to be Trump’s running mate: Defend him, but don’t steal the show

Donald Trump’s search is still in its early stages, but he is said to be leaning toward more experienced options who can help the ticket without seizing his precious spotlight.
Taiwan's Albatross II unmanned aerial vehicle is displayed as the island's Defense Ministry showcases its domestically developed drones to the media in Taichung, Taiwan, in March last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
May 19, 2024

Taiwan's Lai to bolster 'porcupine' defense against China threat

Lessons learned from the war in Ukraine about how rapidly developing drones can outfox traditional weaponry hint at new Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's defense policy.
Israeli war Cabinet member Benny Gantz arrives to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department in Washington in March.
WORLD / Politics
May 19, 2024

Israel's Benny Gantz says he’ll quit unless Netanyahu moves to new war plan

Gantz’s departure would greatly increase already mounting pressure on Netanyahu seven months after a Hamas attack devastated Israel.
People wait in line to buy provisions from a supermarket along a street blocked by debris and burned-out items following overnight unrest in the Magenta district of Noumea, in France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 19, 2024

New Caledonia 'under siege' as French troops bid to restore order

Anger is still high over a contested voting reform, even after the arrival of hundreds of military and police reinforcements.
A worker unloads packages from a shinkansen at JR Tokyo Station on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2024

JR firms expanding cargo transport using shinkansen trains

Such services are set to expand as Japan facing disruptions to logistics services stemming from an overtime cap for truck drivers.
Rapidus' semiconductor foundry construction site in Chitose, Hokkaido, in December
BUSINESS
May 19, 2024

Government to consider more aid to Rapidus, industry minister says

Rapidus plans to start operating a prototype production line at the Chitose plant in April 2025 and launch mass production in 2027.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk and Indonesia's health minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, inaugurate the launch of the Starlink internet service in Bali's capital of Denpasar on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 19, 2024

Tycoon Musk launches Starlink in Indonesia

Millions of people in Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, are not currently hooked up to reliable internet services.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear