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Emperor penguin chicks perished at multiple breeding grounds in Antarctica last year, drowning or freezing to death when sea ice was eroded by global warming.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2023

Our addiction to fossil fuels is killing baby penguins

Global warming is decimating sea ice and, with it, baby penguins. But why should we care about this and other species dying off?
Pope Francis attends the Holy Mass in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 3, 2023

Be 'good citizens', Pope tells Chinese Catholics during Mongolia visit

The unscripted comments were Francis's latest attempt to offer a hand to Beijing, which is wary of the Church's presence in its country.
Silicon Valley's AI tycoons believe discussions on AI's current carbon footprint underplay its revolutionary potential.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 4, 2023

Tech's carbon footprint: Can AI revolutionize responsibly?

Across the globe, data servers are consuming precious natural resources for the digital world, raising the question: can AI revolutionize responsibly?
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives for the Group of 20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November. Xi is set to skip this year's G20 summit in India, marking a major shift in how he operates.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 4, 2023

Xi’s G20 snub marks shift from statesman to China ‘emperor’

Chinese leader eyes different approach to diplomacy, reinforcing investor concerns that Beijing is becoming increasingly unpredictable.
Nestled behind a seawall on the Pacific coast are the Minamisoma Mano-Migita-Ebi solar power plant and the Manyo no Sato wind farm. The 2011 tsunami struck this portion of the coast with a wave that is reported to have been around 18 meters high.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Sep 5, 2023

How a nuclear disaster turned Fukushima into a renewables leader

Following 3/11 — and the cratering of support for nuclear energy — Fukushima positioned itself at the forefront of Japan’s low-carbon transition.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after beating Matteo Arnaldi of Italy on day eight of the 2023 U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York on Monday. Alcaraz is aiming to defend his title after winning the U.S. Open last year.
TENNIS / Tennis
Sep 5, 2023

Alcaraz into U.S. Open last eight as Pegula and Jabeur crash out

The 20-year-old Alcaraz is bidding to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2008 to successfully defend the U.S. Open.
A construction site of residential buildings by Chinese developer Country Garden in Beijing. Some economists now see growth in China’s economy slowing to 3.5% in 2030 and to near 1% by 2050.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2023

China slowdown means it may never overtake U.S. economy: forecast

Some economists now see growth in China’s economy — the world’s second largest — slowing to 3.5% in 2030 and to near 1% by 2050.
Novak Djokovic of Serbiaeacts during his U.S. Open men’s singles quarterfinal match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. in New York on Tuesday. Djokovic won 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
TENNIS / Tennis
Sep 6, 2023

Djokovic and Gauff steam into U.S. Open semifinals

Djokovic will appear in a record 47th major semi-final, eclipsing the mark he shared with longtime nemesis Roger Federer.
A fisherman rows his boat ashore in Cochin, Kerala, India.
ENVIRONMENT / Oceans
Sep 6, 2023

India bets on seaweed's future as food industry appetite grows

Grains are the backbone of food security in India, but seaweed advocates trumpet its dietary benefits, diverse uses in processed foods and sustainability.
Tourists drive rental go-karts while dressed up as game characters through the streets of Shibuya and other areas of Tokyo in December 2018.
COMMENTARY
Sep 6, 2023

A 10-year tourist boom and all I got was this lousy 'Mario Kart'

Like cockroaches in a nuclear apocalypse, seemingly nothing can destroy the "Mario Karts": not legal action, not the government and not even the pandemic.
Packs of raw fish at a Japanese food store in Beijing prior to China's ban on Japan's seafood products
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 6, 2023

China takes its anti-science disinformation campaign to a new level

Japan can counter China's disinformation on the safety of the Fukushima water release, and gain people's trust, by sharing the data.
Journalists tour the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and the tanks that contain contaminated water on Aug. 27
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 6, 2023

We need to put low-dose radiation into perspective

Public fear of the effects of low-dose radiation isn’t backed by science. The Fukushima water release shows, once again, that better education is needed.
Indians celebrate the successful lunar landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the south pole of the moon at a rally in the city of Ahmedabad on Aug. 24.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2023

India has every right to be proud of its space program and lunar triumph

In 2014, after the Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan, made India the first Asian country to reach Mars' orbit and the first country ever to do so in its maiden attempt,
Kohei Saito, a philosophy professor at the University of Tokyo who appears regularly in Japanese media to discuss his ideas, at home in Tokyo on March 16.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 7, 2023

Can shrinking be good for Japan? A Marxist bestseller makes the case.

Saito has tapped into what he describes as a growing disillusionment in Japan with capitalism’s ability to solve the problems people see around them.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2023

Taiwan’s ‘silicon shield’ against China is an illusion

China may be reliant on Taiwanese semiconductors, but that doesn't stop Beijing from harboring a military takeover.
An activist in Seoul protests Japan’s plan to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 7, 2023

Anger at Fukushima’s wastewater; hope in its renewables

Good news and bad news out of Fukushima.
Jesus Picasso, a builder originally from Mexico, takes a water break during hot weather in Manvel, Texas, on July 13.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 7, 2023

Climate change already adding to workplace costs and hazards

Workers are among the most exposed to serious health risks, while employers must grapple with impaired productivity
Cargo ships wait in the anchor zone to cross the Panama Canal from the Pacific entrance near Panama City, Panama, on Sept. 1
ENVIRONMENT / Oceans
Sep 8, 2023

Top global ports may be unusable by 2050 without more climate action: report

Of the world’s 3,800 ports, a third are located in a tropical band vulnerable to the most powerful effects of climate change
Rachel Culin, a disenchanted Toyota owner, standing between her Toyota Prius and new Chevy Bolt at her home in Mesa, Arizona. The world’s largest carmaker dominates the sales of hybrid cars but has been slow to sell all-electric vehicles, alienating some customers and hurting sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 8, 2023

Toyota, a hybrid pioneer, struggles to master electric vehicles

The world’s largest carmaker dominates the sales of hybrid cars but has been slow to sell EVs, alienating some customers and hurting sales.
Novak Djokovic kisses the trophy after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final in New York on Sunday.
TENNIS
Sep 11, 2023

Novak Djokovic wins U.S. Open to capture 24th Grand Slam title

Djokovic matched Margaret Court's record haul of 24 Grand Slams victories.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a news conference in Hanoi on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 11, 2023

Biden doubts China able to invade Taiwan amid economic woes

The U.S. president said China "has a difficult economic problem right now for a whole range of reasons."
LeBron James last represented Team USA at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he won his second gold medal.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Sep 12, 2023

Reports: LeBron James and Steph Curry among NBA stars eyeing Paris Games

The Lakers veteran led the U.S. to Olympic gold in 2008 at Beijing and 2012 at London but has not played since.
Paul Pogba had expected to return to action for Juventus before the midfielder received a provisional suspension for doping.
SOCCER
Sep 12, 2023

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba provisionally suspended for doping

Pogba could face a four-year ban if the "B" sample also tests positive for testosterone.
An Apple store in Beijing. The iPhone has increased its percentage of total smartphones sold around the world while expanding its share of sales in four of the world’s largest regions: China, Japan, Europe and India.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 12, 2023

As smartphone industry sputters, the iPhone expands its dominance

The iPhone has about one-fifth of the world’s smartphone sales, up from a low of 13% in 2019.
A health ministry worker fumigates a house to kill mosquitoes and curb the spread of dengue, chikungunya and Zika in Managua, Nicaragua.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Sep 13, 2023

What's in a mosquito bite? How warmer climates spread disease

Abundant water helps mosquitoes to breed, while more drought constrict the migratory birds' ecosystems, enabling some diseases to spread.
King Charles III coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on May 6
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2023

Charles III has been a very dull monarch, thank God

Defying expectations, King Charles III is popular. Losing the fervor or his years as prince and being dependable — even dull — has paid off.
Sofia Coppola (right), Bill Murray (center) and Scarlett Johansson attend the Venice Film Festival to present their movie “Lost in Translation” in August 2003.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2023

The complex legacy of ‘Lost in Translation,’ 20 years on

Sofia Coppola's acclaimed film relaunched Tokyo's global fame, but along the way it forgot to show its Japanese characters some love.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to the media Wednesday after a closed-door Senate meeting on how artificial intelligence should be regulated.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 14, 2023

Tech leaders discuss AI policy in closed-door senate meeting

The meeting included a prestigious, and possibly combustible, mix of personalities with diverging views on how to write the rules for AI.
Visitors inspect a BYD electric sedan at a motor show in Munich
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 14, 2023

Did Europe just start a trade war with China over electric cars?

The EU launched a probe into Beijing’s financial support for the EV industry amid fears that Chinese exports are putting auto jobs at risk.
The incoming and outgoing presidents of Johnny & Associates, Noriyuki Higashiyama and Julie Keiko Fujishima, bow at a press conference on Sept. 7.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 14, 2023

Johnny’s talent agency has admitted to a past of abuse. What next?

Karin Kaneko joins the show to update us on how the story is unfolding.

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