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Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, gestures during a news conference in Kabul on May 26.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 22, 2024

Taliban bars U.N. human rights special rapporteur from Afghanistan

Richard Bennett is based outside Afghanistan but has visited several times to research the situation there.
An influencer uses a phone at the United Center, ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), in Chicago on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 22, 2024

At DNC, influencers battle journalists for space and access

The Democratic National Convention has credentialed more than 200 "content creators" to cover the four-day event.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda is scheduled to respond to questions from lawmakers in parliament on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 22, 2024

BOJ governor set to face intense scrutiny after market chaos

Gov. Kazuo Ueda will respond to questions from lawmakers in the Lower House on Friday morning, and those in the Upper House in the afternoon.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate for president, at Nassau County State Supreme Court in Mineola, New York, on Wednesday
WORLD / Politics
Aug 22, 2024

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to end his presidential campaign

Kennedy’s departure from the race would be the end of one of the more bizarre and surprisingly durable third-party presidential bids in modern American history.
An employee pulls a trolley containing boxes of LD Ultra-Slim cigarettes ready for shipping at the Japan Tobacco cigarette plant in the town of Senta in Serbia. JT Group is buying U.S. discount cigarette-maker Vector Group.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 22, 2024

JT Group plans to buy U.S. cigarette-maker Vector for ¥348.6 billion

The move will address a loss of anticipated growth due to Russia's war in Ukraine, and will boost Japan Tobacco's U.S. market share from 2.3% to about 8%.
The introduction of a two-tier pricing system which charges foreign tourists more than local residents is being considered at Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

More Japan tourist hot spots consider two-tier pricing system

However, experts have warned that the system may lead to discrimination if it is not carefully thought out.
Shoppers outside a Sephora store in Vancouver on Aug. 15
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 22, 2024

LVMH’s Sephora cuts around 10% of staff in China as its woes deepen

While Sephora has expanded to some 300 stores since entering China in 2005, the country is increasingly difficult for higher-end retailers to navigate.
Jannik Sinner chases a shot during his match against Frances Tiafoe during the Cincinnati Open final on Monday.
TENNIS
Aug 22, 2024

Jannik Sinner hopes to tune out noise after avoiding doping ban

Sinner tested positive for clostebol at Indian Wells in March with low quantities of the banned substance found in his system again after another test days later.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel has asked Japan to name its representatives for a joint task force on disaster relief hub.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

U.S. urges Japan to name disaster relief hub task force members

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel asked Japan's foreign and defense ministers to provide the names of four officials at its "earliest convenience."
British hard rock outfit Bring Me the Horizon delivered a dramatic set that featured a surprise appearance from local metal-meets-idol group Babymetal.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 23, 2024

Summer Sonic: The heat doesn’t matter when the lineup works

Where would you see a bill with Maneskin, Gen Hoshino, Christina Aguilera and Bring Me the Horizon in the prime slots? At a sold-out music festival, that’s where.
Protesters gather outside the parliament in Jakarta on Thursday. Thousands of police have been deployed near Indonesia’s parliament, amid growing anger over plans for electoral changes that would effectively favor the alliance of President Joko Widodo and his incoming successor, Prabowo Subianto. 
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 22, 2024

Power struggle between Indonesia's court and parliament sparks protests

The power struggle between the parliament and the judiciary comes amid a week of dramatic political developments in the world's third-largest democracy.
Okayama and Tottori prefectures are some of the least-visited regions in Japan among foreign tourists — which is why they offer such a welcome break from crowd-clogged cities like Tokyo and Kyoto.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 23, 2024

In Japan’s flyover country, 72 hours of hidden gems

Some of Japan’s least-visited prefectures among foreign tourists host opportunities for peace, quiet and rural beauty.
Robert C. Neff, passed away at after a long illness at 77 years old on July 31, 2024, at his home in Hayama, south of Tokyo.
COMMUNITY
Aug 25, 2024

The American journalist ahead of the game on an ascendant Japan

Neff was part of a golden age of magazine journalism as Tokyo bureau chief for Businessweek magazine and a lover of hot spring retreats.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, arrives to speak on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 23, 2024

Harris accepts historic nomination to start election sprint

Her challenge now is to harness the energy and excitement of a party reinvigorated by her rapid ascent.
Canadian National Railway workers picket at the CPKC Toronto yard, after the company and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) locked out employees following unsuccessful negotiation attempts with the Teamsters union, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 23, 2024

Canada moves quickly to end unprecedented rail shutdown

The Canadian Industrial Relations Board will consult the two rail companies and unions before issuing a back-to-work order that should come soon.
Rescue personnel with the body of British entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who died when a yacht owned by his family sank off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, on Thursday
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 23, 2024

Body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch retrieved from yacht

Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah is still unaccounted for, an interior ministry official said.
Dutch driver Max Verstappen has not lost at a home race since Formula One returned to Zandvoort, Netherlands, in 2021.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Aug 23, 2024

Max Verstappen wary of rivals ahead of 'very close' Dutch Grand Prix

The Red Bull driver has never lost in front of his home fans since Zandvoort was returned to the F1 circuit in 2021, but says the feeling this weekend is very different.
Relatives, friends and fellow soldiers mourn at the funeral of six Ukrainian servicemen who were killed since Ukraine launched its offensive at the Russian border region of Kursk, in Sumy, northeastern Ukraine, on Aug. 15.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 23, 2024

A divide opens in Ukraine over giving up land for peace

Across the precarious front lines, some say they are ready to live under the Russian flag, but analysts warn that would not necessarily halt the war.
Eiffel Tower Stadium, which was used for beach volleyball during the Olympics, will host blind football during the 2024 Paralympics.
PARALYMPICS
Aug 23, 2024

Paralympians prepare to take center stage in Paris

Eighteen of the 35 Olympic venues will be used for the Paralympics.
A Mitsubishi Electric employee prepares a robotic arm for a demonstration of the firm's artificial intelligence technologies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 23, 2024

Mitsubishi Electric fights to keep up with AI data center demand

The Tokyo-based maker of factory automation is a key supplier of optic fiber communication devices that link servers to one another.
Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region has potentially enhanced Kyiv's bargaining power, though it may not lead to immediate changes in either country’s strategic goals.
EDITORIALS
Aug 23, 2024

Ukraine makes gains, but the war won’t stop

Continued support for Ukraine is crucial to maintaining pressure on Russia and upholding international order.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a Lower House hearing on Friday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 23, 2024

Ueda promises better communication as he sticks to the script

Ueda took extra care with his comments to an extraordinary session of parliament called to discuss the market turmoil sparked by the central bank's surprise rate hike.
Kyoto International High School players react after their win over Kanto Daiichi High School in the National High School Baseball Championship final at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Friday.
BASEBALL
Aug 23, 2024

Underdog Kyoto International High School wins Summer Koshien crown

Kyoto International High School defeated Tokyo’s Kanto Daiichi High School in extra innings.
Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko visit Ohinata in Nagano Prefecture on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2024

Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita visit settlement in Karuizawa

The former emperor has been a frequent visitor to the settlement, which was developed by people who returned to Japan from Manchuria in northeastern China after the war.
Attendees wave the U.S. flag after Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on the last day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 23, 2024

Democrats taste victory in November. But are they too confident?

In a series of speeches during the party's convention, several people issued stern warnings for anyone believing the happy talk that November's election will be easy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embrace at the entrance of the Mariinskyi Palace ahead of their meeting in Kyiv on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 24, 2024

After Russia, Modi visits Ukraine as he walks diplomatic tightrope

The Indian leader reiterated the need for “dialogue and diplomacy” to end the war, during talks in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Donald Trump welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. onstage during a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday after Kennedy announced he was suspending his campaign.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 24, 2024

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspends White House bid and endorses Trump

Analysts are mixed on the effect Kennedy's exit will have on the presidential race and how much of his supporters will gravitate to Trump or Harris.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan attends a plenary session during the summit on peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, in June.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 24, 2024

With election approaching, U.S. national security chief to visit China

During three days of talks starting Tuesday in Beijing, Jake Sullivan will discuss issues ranging from Taiwan to bilateral military talks.
Forensic police inspect the scene of stabbings in Solingen, Germany, on Saturday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 24, 2024

Three dead in knife attack on German festival

Police closed off the center of Solingen, while victims and witnesses were being questioned about the attack on Friday night.
Ukrainian soldiers drive in an undisclosed area of the eastern Donetsk region on Aug. 5.
WORLD
Aug 24, 2024

Ukraine jittery over funding delays from frozen Russian assets

The financing would provide badly needed support for Ukraine as it battles Russia on two different fronts.

Longform

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