Search - 2021

 
 
Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, which allowed customers to grab grocery items from a shelf and walk out of the store, is reportedly being phased out of its grocery stores.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2024

Amazon's AI stores seemed too magical. And they were.

There are plenty more examples of companies that have failed to mention humans pulling the levers behind supposedly cutting-edge AI technology.
A double-hulled tanker sits docked in front of the Burnaby Refinery, near Vancouver. Natural gas is a key component of the city’s energy use.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
May 2, 2024

How sewage is helping along the energy transition

Capturing waste heat worldwide could prevent burning nearly 30 million barrels of oil daily or 650 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually.
Attendees at the Leap technology conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 6, 202. The oil-rich country is plowing money into glitzy events, computing power and artificial intelligence research, putting it in the middle of an escalating U.S.-China struggle for technological influence.
WORLD / Politics
May 2, 2024

‘To the future’: Saudi Arabia spends big to become an AI superpower

Saudi Arabia was long a financial spigot for tech, but is now building its own industry.
Forever Young, ridden by jockey Ryusei Sakai, runs during the UAE Derby in Dubai on March 30.
MORE SPORTS
May 3, 2024

Contenders prepare for 150th running of Kentucky Derby

Japanese-bred Forever Young, which starts from the 11th post, is a 10-1 contender.
Crew members check an SH-60K helicopter on the deck of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Hyuga-class destroyer JS Ise during a three-day maritime exercise between the United States and Japan in the Philippine Sea on Jan. 31.
JAPAN
May 3, 2024

MSDF chopper crash likely caused by human factors

The accident off the Pacific island of Torishima on the night of April 20 left one crew member dead and seven other still missing.
Nomura Holdings and Mizuho Bank are hit by more than $100 million of potential losses related to All Blue Capital, raising questions about their monitoring of high-risk investment funds.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 3, 2024

Nomura and Mizuho face losses after fund’s failed trades

The size of the potential losses raises questions about the risk-management practices at two of Japan’s largest banks.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen runs during a Diamond League meet in Brussels on Sept. 8, 2023.
OLYMPICS
May 3, 2024

Jakob Ingebrigtsen expects Paris to be 'walk in the park' compared to Tokyo

Jakob Ingebrigtsen believes his 1,500-meter Olympic title defense will be a breeze as long as he avoids illness and injury on the road to Paris.
The Knicks' OG Anunoby reacts after making a 3-pointer against the Sixers during Game 6 of their first-round playoff series in Philadelphia.
BASKETBALL / NBA
May 3, 2024

Knicks and Pacers set up second-round clash in NBA playoffs

The Knicks and Pacers won their first-round playoff series on Thursday.
A Kayah woman and children carrying containers from a delivery of drinking water in Myanmar's eastern Kayah state.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 3, 2024

'Fuel for water?' Heat wave piles misery on Myanmar displaced

A heat wave that has sent the mercury in Myanmar to 48 degrees Celsius in some places has added to uncertainties of life in the camps.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference at WHO headquarters in Geneva in July 2020.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 4, 2024

'Get this done,' WHO chief urges pandemic accord talks

World Health Organization member states have spent the last two years drafting an international accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham during a game against the Pelicans in New Orleans on April 14.
BASKETBALL / NBA
May 4, 2024

Lakers fire head coach Darvin Ham after two seasons

The Lakers finished the regular season with a 47-35 mark, good enough for only an eighth-place finish in the Western Conference.
An attendee holds a cardboard cutout of Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway, inside the CHI Health Center during the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, on Saturday.
BUSINESS
May 5, 2024

Buffett says Berkshire in good hands, lauds Apple despite lowering stake

The legendary investor paid tribute to his late business partner and said he expected the conglomerate’s $189 billion cash pile to keep growing.
Much like other hot spots across Okinawa, Onna has diligently strived to captivate both domestic and international tourists, while at the same time grappling with the environmental strain induced by the influx of visitors.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
May 5, 2024

As visitors surge, Japan seeks ways to make tourism eco-friendly

A record tourism boom has raised concerns over the enormous stress visitors put on the environment.
A supporter of Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump waves a flag during a gathering in Palm Harbor, Florida, in March.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 5, 2024

Trump vows to fight 'anti-white feeling' in U.S. His allies have a plan.

Some high-profile supporters say policies for safeguarding people of color should be repurposed to protect the rights of white people as well.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a news conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 5, 2024

Kishida, fresh off Latin America visit, vows to zero in on political funds reform

Grappling with record-low approval ratings, the prime minister hopes to amend the Political Funds Control Act during the current session of parliament.
Ibuki Matsumoto competes at an event in Osaka on April 21.
OLYMPICS / Skateboarding
May 6, 2024

Japan’s tween skateboarders get head start on preparations for 2028 Olympics

Hikari Satake, 11, and Ibuki Matsumoto, 12, may not be household names just yet, but they are laying the groundwork for their Olympic ambitions.
The National Police Agency coined the term "tokuryū" to classify individuals involved in dark part time jobs and quasi-gangsters, using the words "tokumei" (anonymous) and "ryūdo" (fluid) to reflect their characteristics.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
May 6, 2024

Tokuryū, a new crime menace in Japan, emerges from the shadows

Unlike the yakuza, which have a hierarchical structure and strict codes of conduct, they lack a clear organizational structure and thrive on anonymity.
McLaren's British driver Lando Norris celebrates on the podium after winning the 2024 Miami Formula One Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
May 6, 2024

McLaren's Norris wins Miami Grand Prix for maiden F1 win

Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished sixth and eighth with RB's Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda ending seventh.
French President Emmanuel Macron warns of existential threats to Europe from Russia, China and the U.S.
COMMENTARY / World
May 6, 2024

Is this Macron's moment to shine?

Underlying all the problems that Europe faces in a new age of geopolitical, economic and climate insecurity is a crisis in leadership.
Rafael Nadal takes part in a training session on Monday before the start of the Italian Open at the Foro Italico in Rome.
TENNIS
May 7, 2024

Nadal to make Rome return against qualifier

The 37-year-old last won in Rome in 2021 and dropped out last year with injury ahead of the tournament.
Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel is set to open in June in the theme park's new section featuring areas based on "Frozen," "Tangled" and "Peter Pan."
BUSINESS
May 7, 2024

Tokyo DisneySea taps ‘Frozen’ and 'Peter Pan' in ¥320 billion expansion

The expansion, which opens to the public June 6, is expected to help boost total annual sales by ¥75 billion.
Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge (center) among his pacers during a training session in Kaptagat, Kenya, on Saturday.
OLYMPICS / Athletics
May 8, 2024

Kipchoge's road to third Olympic gold starts in Kenya's Rift Valley

"I'm feeling good. But I think the next months will be more interesting," the athlete said after a training session.
A police officer handles money seized during an operation against 'Ndrangheta in this photo taken at an unknown location in Italy on Sept. 6.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 8, 2024

Italy's mafia forgoes extortion, turns to white-collar crime

With extortion rackets falling out of fashion and murders largely frowned upon by the godfathers, Italy's mafia is venturing into white-collar crime.
A building in the city of Osaka housing the Osaka District Court
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 8, 2024

Court orders deletion of disparaging portrayal of Osaka area

The comments were targeted at a "dowa" district — an area designated under an assimilation project to help integrate marginalized communities.
Grant Shapps, U.K. defense secretary, departs following a meeting of cabinet ministers at 10 Downing Street on Nov. 22, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 8, 2024

China seen hacking systems to build profiles of U.K. defense personnel

The U.K. is accusing China of using hacked data to build up their profiles of British military personnel and those in sensitive roles.
A soldier from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) holds an RPG launcher at a Myanmar military base at Thingyan Nyi Naung village on the outskirts of the Thailand-Myanmar border town of Myawaddy on April 15.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 8, 2024

In Myanmar war, crucial window looms for junta and rebels

What happens in the next few weeks in the scramble for strategic locations in Myanmar could determine the next phase of the bloody conflict.
Sony employees simulate the physical sensations of pregnancy at the company’s headquarters in Tokyo in February. The simple power of numbers can begin to remake workplace cultures, but many Japanese women still struggle to balance their careers with domestic obligations.
JAPAN / Society
May 8, 2024

It took decades, but Japan’s working women are making progress

Employers have taken steps to change a male-dominated workplace culture. But women still struggle to balance their careers with domestic obligations.
Brazil's Ronaldo (left) celebrates his goal against Turkey with teammate Ronaldinho during a World Cup match in Ulsan, South Korea, in June 2002.
SOCCER
May 8, 2024

Is Brazil still the land of soccer?

"We're at a low point. We used to have more top-quality athletes," the late Pele's eldest son, Edinho, said recently.
Taro Aso (center), vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party, hands the party's proposals for securing a sufficient number of imperial family members to Lower House Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga (left) at the parliamentary building on April 26.
JAPAN
May 8, 2024

Interparty talks on shrinking imperial family may start next week

The talks are likely to focus on retaining female imperial family members after marriage and adopting male relatives.
Toyota said its group net profit in the fiscal year that ended in March nearly doubled from the previous year to hit a record high, due to robust sales of hybrid vehicles.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 8, 2024

Toyota posts record net profit on weak yen and strong hybrid sales

The carmaker saw a 31% jump in sales of hybrid vehicles, bringing the total to 3.7 million, while sales of purely electric cars were 116,500.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami