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An ambitious high school student (Gordon Maeda) devotes all his waking hours to making art in “Blue Period,” Kentaro Hagiwara’s live-action adaptation of an ongoing manga series of the same title.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 15, 2024

‘Blue Period’: Gordon Maeda paints a subtle picture of internal struggle

The actor’s performance as an ambitious student pursuing his dreams of being an artist is a highlight in this live-action adaptation of an ongoing manga series.
Srettha Thavisin in Bangkok on Wednesday. He became the fourth Thai prime minister to be ousted by the Constitutional Court in the past two decades.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 15, 2024

Thai political upheaval shows royalists still firmly in charge

The difference this time is that former leader Thaksin Shinawatra is now in an alliance with his former conservative adversaries as part of a deal struck last year.
Hideki Matsuyama competes during the men's golf competition at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 4.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Aug 15, 2024

Matsuyama robbed in London after winning bronze at Paris Olympics

The former Masters champion said that he had his wallet stolen and the passports and visas of his caddie Shota Hayato and coach Mikihito Kuromiya were also taken.
Ukrainian servicemen operate an armoured military vehicle on a road near the border with Russia, in the Sumy region of Ukraine, on Tuesday. The Ukrainian army entered Russia's Kursk region on Aug. 6, capturing dozens of settlements in the biggest offensive by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 15, 2024

Ukraine says advance into Russia ‘going well,’ creating strategic buffer

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his nightly address on Wednesday, said Kyiv’s strategic goal has been achieved.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris hosts a roundtable discussion with Japanese business executives from companies in the semiconductor industry in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2022. In a recent survey, some 43% of Japanese firms polled said they preferred a Harris presidency.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 15, 2024

Japan firms see Harris presidency as better for business than Trump

The results of a Reuters survey reflect respondents' concerns about protectionism and policy unpredictability.
Bales of hard-to-recycle plastic waste piled up at Renewlogy Technologies in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 17, 2021.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Aug 15, 2024

In shift, U.S. backs global target to reduce plastic production, source says

The change away from earlier calls to leave such decisions up to each country puts the U.S. in direct opposition to countries like Saudi Arabia and China.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates with his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, after Kansas City won the Super Bowl on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 15, 2024

Taylor Swift spurred 30% boost in Chiefs’ fan base, CEO says

Swift became a fixture at Chiefs games last year after she began dating Travis Kelce, a tight end on the team.
An Apple Store in New York on July 29
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 15, 2024

Developing new tabletop home device, Apple pushes ahead with robotics shift

The company now has a team of several hundred people working on the device, which would offer a twist on products like Amazon’s Echo Show 10 and Meta Platforms’s Portal.
Akari Fujinami leapt into the arms of her father and coach after she became an Olympic champion in the women's 53-kg freestyle wrestling class on Aug. 8.
OLYMPICS
Aug 15, 2024

The emotional highs — and lows — of competing for Japan at the Olympics

From golden celebrations like that of wrestler Akari Fujinami to crushing defeats of stars like Uta Abe, Japanese athletes let it all out during the Paris Games.
The Shein logo adors the company's first pop-up store in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 2.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 15, 2024

Seoul authorities find toxic substances in Shein and Temu products

The explosive growth has led to increased scrutiny of their business practices and safety standards, including in the EU and South Korea.
Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine on Thursday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 15, 2024

Kishida clears the way for ministers to campaign in LDP election

Prospective candidates are weighing whether they can gather the necessary endorsements and rake in enough votes to have a decent shot at winning.
The Kappabashi Bridge in the Chubusangaku National Park is just one of many sites the Japanese government is hoping will serve to draw tourists to a planned nationwide rollout of luxury resorts.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 16, 2024

Japan sets 2031 target for luxury hotels at all 35 national parks

"We are aiming for world-class national parks based on the understanding of local communities and the idea of environmental conservation."
A Ukrainian military vehicle drives from the direction of the border with Russia carrying blindfolded men in Russian military uniforms, in the Sumy region, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Aug 16, 2024

Ukraine claims the war’s largest surrender by Russian troops

A Ukrainian Security Service unit operating in Russia’s Kursk region took 102 Russian servicemen as prisoners-of-war, a source said.
Tourists at a water fountain at the Acropolis archaeological site during extreme hot weather conditions in Athens in July 2023.
BUSINESS
Aug 16, 2024

Extreme weather drives travelers to cooler destinations this summer

Cruise operators, hotel companies and airlines are adding trips and accommodations to meet rising demand for temperate destinations.
Defending champion Coco Gauff suffered a surprise defeat against Yulia Putintseva at the Cincinnati Open on Thursday.
TENNIS
Aug 16, 2024

Defending champion Gauff crashes out in her WTA Cincinnati opener

The second-round shock to America's Paris Olympic flag bearer stunned a partisan crowd in the U.S. heartland in the final major tuneup for the U.S. Open.
A monitor in Tokyo on Friday shows the Nikkei stock average rising more than 1,000 points from the previous day.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 16, 2024

Nikkei surges on back of strong U.S. economic data

The 225-issue Nikkei average added 3.64% to end the session at 38,062.67, a gain of 8.7% over the week.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s decision to step down opens the door to newcomers competing at a time when the central bank is paving the way for policy normalization.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 16, 2024

Japan's change of leadership comes at challenging time for monetary policy

Next month’s ruling party vote will be held against a backdrop of persistent inflation.
Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, delivers remarks as U.S. President Joe Biden looks on at an event on Medicare drug price negotiations, in Prince George's County, Maryland, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 16, 2024

Biden goes from star to sideshow at Democratic convention

Like all U.S. presidents, Biden has an eye on the history books, and he knows that the surest way to secure his legacy now runs through Harris.
The refrain from linking the ruble's fall to the events unfolding just 530 kilometers southwest of Moscow illustrates a push within Russia to prevent bad economic news from reaching the wider public.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 16, 2024

Silence reigns in Russia over linking ruble fall to Ukrainian attack

The ruble touched a 10-month low against the dollar and the lowest level against the yuan since June 24 in the Aug. 13 session.
Casey Harrell, who is diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and observers react as a brain-computer interface system developed by University of California, Davis, works on the first attempt.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 16, 2024

Brain tech breakthrough restores ALS patient’s ability to speak

The brain-computer interface developed by University of California, Davis, is aimed at restoring movement, but its improvement of speech underscores its broader promise.
Surgeons perform the world’s first genetically modified pig kidney transplant into a living human at Massachusetts General Hospital in March.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 16, 2024

Hurdles remain in Japan for transplants of pig organs into humans

Among the issues are the risk of previously unknown infectious diseases, animal welfare and the need to protect recipients from discrimination.
South Africa's 49-year-old skateboarding Olympian, Dallas Oberholzer, competes in the men's prelims during the Paris Games on Aug. 7.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 16, 2024

The oldest Olympians might hold the key to slowing down aging

As we age, the number of mitochondria in our cells declines, but that happens much more slowly in people who continue to do strenuous exercise.
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to let President Joe Biden's administration enforce a key part of a new rule protecting LGBT students from discrimination in schools and colleges based on gender identity in 10 Republican-led states that had challenged it.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 17, 2024

U.S. Supreme Court won't allow LGBT student protection in certain states

The Biden administration sought to restore a provision clarifying that discrimination "on the basis of sex" includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
Antony Blinken
WORLD
Aug 17, 2024

Gaza cease-fire bid nears endgame as top U.S. diplomat heads to Israel

Diplomats worked frenetically to bring the fighting to an end and to keep Iran from making a retaliatory strike that might ignite a wider war.
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier (left) and its strike group sails in formation with Italy's Cavour carrier (right) strike group in the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 9.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Aug 17, 2024

NATO steps up naval presence in Western Pacific to counter China

The latest entrant is the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour, the first time Rome has deployed its lone carrier to the Pacific.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 17, 2024

How Trump’s intimidation tactics have reshaped the Republican Party

Those seen as disloyal to Trump and his Make America Great Again agenda have been the target of threats by his most ardent supporters.
The Foreign Ministry has issued a Level 1 infectious disease alert for seven African countries, urging travelers to take precautions against mpox during visits to those nations.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 18, 2024

Japanese government considers taking precautions against mpox

Senior officials agreed to collect data on infection situations in countries where mpox outbreaks — formerly known as monkeypox — have been confirmed.
Hiromi Sakai, a professor at Nara Medical University, says his team aims to put artificial red blood cells into practical use by around 2030.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 18, 2024

Clinical trial to reutilize expired blood to start in Japan

The artificial cells produced using this method can be stored for up to about two years at room temperature and up to five years under refrigerated conditions.
Medical professionals hold a candlelight march amid nationwide strikes by doctors to condemn the rape and murder of a young medic from Kolkata, India, on Saturday.
WORLD
Aug 18, 2024

India doctors end one-day strike over colleague's rape and murder

Women activists say the incident at the British-era R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital has highlighted how women in India continue to suffer.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (center right) arrives in Tel Aviv on Sunday — his ninth trip to the Middle East since the Gaza war began when Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 19, 2024

Blinken to push for Gaza cease-fire while Israel launches more strikes

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making his ninth trip to the region since the war began. 

Longform

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