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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends a news conference in Berlin on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 11, 2024

EU centrists work to build coalition after far-right parties gain in vote

The rightward shift may make it tougher to pass new legislation to respond to security challenges, climate change or industrial competition from China and the U.S.
Migrant workers harvest and package vegetables in a greenhouse in Gasan-myeon, South Korea, in December 2023. Though a shrinking population makes imported labor vital, migrant workers routinely face predatory employers, inhumane conditions and other abuse.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 11, 2024

South Korea accused of 'human trafficking' with seasonal worker program

Filipino workers say brokers charge excessive fees to find them back-breaking work, confiscate their passports and documents, and cheat them out of wages.
People protest near the Russian Embassy in Colombo on June 4. Colombo's parliament set up an inquiry last month to track at least 2,000 battle-hardened Sri Lankans who reportedly enlisted on both sides of the Ukraine war, including in the regular armed forces and mercenary groups.
WORLD
Jun 11, 2024

Sri Lanka seeks to bring home 'duped' ex-soldiers fighting in Russia war

With no communication for months, and reports of at least 16 Sri Lankans killed and 37 wounded, distraught families are pleading with politicians for help.
People gather around four American educators from an Iowa university, who were reportedly stabbed in a public park in Jilin, China, in this still image taken from video released on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jun 11, 2024

Four U.S. educators stabbed in park in northeast China

The group had been visiting a temple in Beishan Park when they were attacked by a man with a knife. There were no reports of a motive.
Employees of a seafood restaurant work in their kitchen space at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo. Side gigs are becoming increasingly common in Japan as companies look for flexible sources of labor while workers look to top up income in their spare time.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2024

Japan spot work startup Timee targets July listing, sources say

The startup, founded in 2017, is aiming for a valuation of roughly $1 billion and the joint global coordinators are Daiwa Securities and Morgan Stanley, the people said.
U.S. President Joe Biden
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2024

U.S. to widen sanctions to curb chip sales to Russia’s war machine

Russia is still sourcing chips from third-party countries to use in missiles and other inputs critical to the battlefield.
French President Emmanuel Macron decided to trigger a parliamentary vote in an effort to regain the political initiative after his party was comprehensively beaten by Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally in Sunday’s European election.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2024

Macron’s election gamble triggers chaos and anger inside his party

In calling for an election just 20 days from the dissolution of parliament, he is dialing up the pressure not just on his opponents, but also his own people.
From left: Promoter Frank Warren, fighter Anthony Joshua and Saudi official Turki al-Sheikh attend a fight between Dmitry Bivol and Malik Zinad in Riyadh on June 1.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Jun 12, 2024

Saudi Arabia wealth fund holding talks to create boxing league, sources say

PIF is looking to invest in a joint venture with some of the sport's stakeholders that would feature more boxing bouts.
Naran Unurtsetseg became one of Mongolia's most well-known journalists by exposing sexual abuse in a Buddhist boarding school, violence in the military and by taking on some of the country's most powerful people.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 12, 2024

Hard-hitting journalist ensnared in Mongolia's press freedom crackdown

Mongolia has plummeted in press freedom rankings amid what critics say is a declining rule of law and a government seeking to curb criticism of its record on corruption.
Dads in Japan tend to fall in one of two categories: "amatō," a person fond of sweets, or "karatō," a person fond of alcohol.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 14, 2024

Dads like sweets, but some like sweet words even more

Looking for a gift for Father's Day? It's said that Japanese dads fall into one of two categories: They like sweets or they like sake.
Pilgrims circle Kaaba as they perform Tawaf at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on June 11.
WORLD / Society
Jun 12, 2024

Gaza war hangs over Hajj as pilgrims flock to Mecca

Saudi Arabia's minister in charge of religious pilgrimages warned last week that "no political activity" will be tolerated.
Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary soldiers in Sudan. The International Criminal Court has begun investigating the events of an eight-month period in 2023 when soldiers from the RSF targeted unarmed civilians.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2024

Top war crimes court appeals for evidence of atrocities in Sudan

The move comes days after a U.N. official warned of a strong chance genocide had been committed in Darfur — a worrying echo of events two decades ago.
The rates of unmarried Japanese have been rising across every age group. More than 90% of women age 30-34 were married in 1980, versus 65% now.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 11, 2024

Tokyo government's 'Tinder' is actually a good idea

The rates of unmarried Japanese have been rising across every age group. More than 90% of women aged 30-34 were married in 1980, versus 65% now.
In 2023, 15.4% of China's population was over 65, a demographic milestone that typically slows economic growth.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 12, 2024

Is China too old to get rich?

By 2023, 15.4% of China's population was over 65, a demographic milestone that typically slows economic growth.
A Palestinian walks among the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israel's military offensive in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 13, 2024

U.S. says Hamas seeks changes to the cease-fire plan

Hamas reiterated its stance that it is Israel rejecting proposals and that the Palestinian Islamist group was not suggesting new ideas.
A tourist from the U.S. (second right) sings karaoke as "mama" Kuri Awaji (left) waves a glow stick at her bar Kuriyakko in Tokyo.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 13, 2024

Tourists get taste of old Japan at hidden 'snack bars'

Snack bars are cozy, retro establishments often crammed into small buildings and equipped with karaoke systems that echo late into the night.
Police officers patrol on the Trocadero square in front of the Olympic rings displayed on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic games in Paris on June 7.
WORLD
Jun 13, 2024

Paris Olympics crowd scans fuel AI surveillance fears

Campaigners worry AI surveillance could become the new normal.
Tomiji Suzuki (back) attends a workshop in Tokyo. The 89-year-old is now making apps for the fast-growing elderly demographic, using ChatGPT to fine-tune his skills.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2024

ChatGPT a mentor for 89-year-old app developer

So far, Tomiji Suzuki has developed 11 free iPhone apps to help Japan's aging population.
Russian and North Korean flags fly at the Vostochny Сosmodrome in Russia's far eastern Amur region in September.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 13, 2024

China and Russia fail to stop U.N. meeting on North Korean rights abuses

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called on Wednesday for a review of sanctions against Pyongyang.
Debris reportedly belonging to a drone shot down by Myanmar resistance fighters is pictured in southeastern Myanmar, in this handout picture released Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 13, 2024

Stung by rebel's drone tactics, Myanmar's junta builds its own fleet

Observers say the junta started procuring commercial UAVs at the start of the year and is modifying to arm with locally-manufactured munitions.
Tim Cook (left), chief executive officer of Apple; John Giannandrea (center), senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy at Apple; and Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California, on Monday
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 13, 2024

Apple to ‘pay’ OpenAI for ChatGPT through distribution, not cash

The partnership is apparently not expected to generate meaningful revenue for either party — at least, not at the outset.
Honda unveiled small electric commercial van N-VAN e: on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 13, 2024

Honda to start selling micro-sized electric vans in October

Honda is determined to pursue EVs despite a slowdown in global demand
Kazane Kajiya, 27, (second from left) and others filed a lawsuit against the state, arguing that the Maternal Health Law infringes upon their constitutional rights by restricting women's ability to make decisions about their own bodies.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 13, 2024

In Japan, a legal fight for the right to sterilization surgery

The plaintiffs' argue that the Maternal Health Law infringes on their rights by restricting a woman's ability to make decisions about their own bodies.
Parasitic paper mills producing fake studies are flourishing by helping scientists cheat to bolster their resumes, snag competitive academic jobs and impress funding agencies.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 13, 2024

Fake scientific studies are a problem that’s getting harder to solve

Publishing house Wiley announced it was dropping 19 journals that they said were infested with fake papers.
The Shein logo on hangers at a pop-up store in Dublin on Nov. 8, 2022
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 13, 2024

Shein steers tough course in pursuit of blockbuster London IPO

Both of the U.K.’s major political parties have met with Shein leaders, according to reports, though neither has come out in support publicly.
Alternative for Germany (AfD) party co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla react to results after the polls closed in the European Parliament elections in Berlin on June 9.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 13, 2024

How the far right gained traction with Europe's youth

In short, being more proficient than their mainstream counterparts in young voters' preferred channels of communication — apps such as TikTok, YouTube and Telegram.
Former lawmaker Tomohiro Konno has been arrested for allegedly lending his name as a lawyer to other people to do legal work in violation of the attorney law.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 13, 2024

Ex-Japan Lower House member Konno arrested over name-lending

Konno allegedly lent his name to have other people do legal work to recover special fraud damage for five victims, with virtually no cases of damage recovery.
However non-Japanese fathers in Japan manage the vagaries of life abroad, many share a preference for forging ahead for the benefit of their children.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 14, 2024

There’s no one-size-fits-all fatherhood for foreign-born dads in Japan

From Hokkaido to Okinawa, fathers in Japan talk getting married, raising kids and taking life as it comes.
Displaced Sudanese families wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in the city of Omdurman, Sudan, in April.
WORLD / Society
Jun 14, 2024

Famine watchdog says many Sudanese face starvation in coming months

About 3.6 million children in Sudan are acutely malnourished, according to a joint statement by U.N. chiefs.
Gyaru Daijin poses in the city of Oita. Now a staffer at CGO.com, she has worked at Tenjin Core, a recently closed commercial complex in the city of Fukuoka that features gyaru fashion.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jun 24, 2024

‘Gyaru’ culture makes comeback as businesses aim to loosen up meetings

The subculture is attracting attention as a way to make unproductive meetings and boring presentations more interactive and flexible.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan