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Boys watch smoke billowing during Israeli strikes east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2024

Celebrities face digital backlash over Gaza silence

For months, activists have flooded the comments sections of social media sites, urging stars to join calls for a cease-fire in the war.
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.
JAPAN / Society
May 14, 2024

In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year

In the first official tally of solitary deaths, the National Police Agency said a total of 21,716 people had died alone at home from January through March.
Members of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade at a workshop where they repair tanks and other armored vehicles, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine on May 3. When Russian soldiers suddenly showed up in the small town of Ocheretyne in the east, it was clear that something had gone wrong.
WORLD
May 14, 2024

How one crack in the line opened a path for the Russians

The sudden Russian advance through Ocheretyne in late April illustrates how even a small crack in the line can have cascading effects.
An image provided by I.J. Glasspool shows a microscopic view of 200-million-year-old charcoal from Greenland. By digging into the geologic record, scientists are learning how wildfires shaped — and were shaped by — climate change long ago.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 14, 2024

From ancient charcoal, hints of wildfires to come

For more than 90% of the Earth's history, the planet’s atmosphere and continents lacked the oxygen and kindling required to sustain a flame.
A screen shows Chinese leader Xi Jinping shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin before a meeting with the leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization members at the SCO Summit in Qingdao, China, in June 2018.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2024

Putin to travel to China this week for state visit and talks with Xi

The Russian leader will visit China on Thursday and Friday, the Kremlin said Tuesday, in his first trip abroad since his re-election in mid-March.
Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, during a rally in Gaza City on April 14, 2023
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2024

Secret Hamas files show how it spied on everyday Palestinians

A 62-slide presentation on the activities of the General Security Service reveals the degree to which Hamas penetrated the lives of Palestinians.
Sony Group is missing analyst expectations for sales as demand for its PlayStation 5 hardware wanes.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024

Sony sales outlook misses estimates on waning demand for PS5s

Shares in Sony have been under pressure this month amid mounting speculation about the terms of its potential $26 billion bid for Paramount Global.
Soldiers and police stand guard outside a South Korean Army boot camp in Yeoncheon county before the arrival of K-pop's BTS band member Jin, in December 2022. South Korea's economic success is often  overshadowed by its cultural exports.
COMMENTARY / World
May 10, 2024

A surprise South Korean boom is going unnoticed

Despite its robust economic performance, South Korea often takes a backseat to neighboring giants like Japan and China.
Rakuten logged its fifteenth consecutive quarter in the red due to losses at its mobile service network unit.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2024

Rakuten logs 15th quarter of losses on mobile woes despite record financial unit profit

While its number of mobile subscribers rose to 6.48 million at the end of March, average revenue per user increased only fractionally.
Israeli army battle tanks move near the border with the Gaza Strip at a location in southern Israel on Monday.
WORLD
May 15, 2024

Israeli tanks push deeper into Rafah as battles rage in northern Gaza

Israel's international allies and aid groups have repeatedly warned against a ground incursion into Rafah.
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, leaves federal court in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 15, 2024

Ohtani interpreter appears in court over $17 million fraud

A lawyer for Ippei Mizuhara said the 39-year-old has reached a deal with prosecutors over his charges.
Antony Blinken, U.S. secretary of state, at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in Kyiv on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2024

Blinken, in Kyiv, vows unwavering U.S. support to Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged the delay of weapons made Ukraine more vulnerable to Russia's attacks.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark returns the ball against the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Tuesday.
BASKETBALL
May 15, 2024

Basketball fans flood the stands for Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut

Ticket sales have surged across the WNBA on resale platforms, with Clark's celebrity helping bring attention to the league.
Following the success of the Parklet cafe and bakery, Jerry “JJ’ Jaksich has launched his Baby J’s
line of chicken sandwiches right next to Tokyo’s Olympic stadium.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 15, 2024

Baby J’s hits a home run with its fried chicken sandwich

Marinated in buttermilk and deep-fried to a golden brown, Tokyo has neither seen nor tasted a sandwich like this before.
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson (left) argues with the club's manager Pep Guardiola following a decision to substitute him during a Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur in London on Tuesday.
SOCCER
May 15, 2024

Job not done, warns Guardiola, as City edge toward title

Manchester City are two points ahead of Arsenal heading to the finale of a neck-and-neck race.
Relations between Russia and Western nations have been in the deep freeze since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but Norway has been keen to keep some limited cooperation alive through the Arctic Council.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2024

West and Russia manage limited cooperation in Arctic despite chill in ties

Norway has been keen to keep some limited cooperation between Russia and the West alive.
Gamers play the "Minecraft" game at E3 2017, one of the biggest events in the gaming industry calendar, in Los Angeles. Since the first version of Minecraft was released to the public 15 years ago, the block-based world-building game has become a global phenomenon. Players of all ages and backgrounds have used the game for everything from educational projects and architecture to building communities and creating artworks.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024

Sweden's small game studios punching above their weight

In 2022, the country's game developers had a combined revenue of 32.5 billion kronor ($3 billion).
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee speaks during a press conference, in Hong Kong on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2024

Hong Kong seeks details on overseas trade office official detained in U.K.

Hong Kong leader John Lee confirmed one of the men was a university classmate who was photographed with him in a group graduation photograph in 2002.
A man uses a sheet of cardboard to shade from the sun during high temperatures in Bangkok on April 28. Thailand has been bracing for hotter-than-normal days due to the El Nino weather pattern that’s forecast to last until June.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 15, 2024

Asia’s killer April heat wave was made much worse by climate change

In countries such as Palestine and Israel, climate change made the heat wave five times more likely than it would have been in pre-industrial times.
Pasona plans to use cartilage conduction technology for headsets for staff and guide earphones for visitors in its exhibition at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka.
JAPAN / Society
May 15, 2024

Pasona to promote cartilage conduction technology

The firm plans to use the technology for headsets for staff and for audio guides in its exhibition at the 2025 Osaka expo.
A tofu business summit is held in Nagoya in October.
JAPAN / Society
May 15, 2024

Tofu shops in Japan at crossroads amid rising costs

The number of tofu producers has been declining at an annual rate of 400 to 500 in recent years
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
SUMO
May 15, 2024

Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?

It would be premature to dismiss Onosato’s win as the product of circumstance, or downplay its significance.
The National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 15, 2024

Rare kidney cancer mutation found in 70% of Japan patients, study shows

Its cause of the mutation, found in a type of cancer also prevalent in parts of Europe, is unclear, prompting scientists to consider unknown factors.
Tourists and locals stroll along Tokyo's Ginza shopping district where some roads are closed off for pedestrians due to the national holiday on April 29.
JAPAN
May 15, 2024

Japan visitors exceed 3 million for second straight month, tourism agency says

While the surge in arrivals is good news for the economy, it has caused some friction with locals.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint press conference with Slovak President Zuzana Caputova (not pictured) in Kyiv on May 10.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2024

Ukraine peace plan summit eyes minimal goals to woo Global South

China’s presence, in particular, is seen as important for the success of the summit, given the influence diplomats say Beijing has on Moscow.
Iran's urban development minister and India's ports and shipping minister signed the contract in the town of Chabahar, in a ceremony broadcast live on state media.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2024

India and Iran sign 10-year agreement to develop port project

The contract will see India Ports Global invest $370 million into "providing strategic equipment" and "developing transport infrastructure."
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2024

New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration

President-elect Lai Ching-te will have the world's attention when he delivers his inaugural address on Monday.
Taiwan’s experience offers valuable lessons for China, the most important being the “financialization of innovation,” whereby technology investment is funded by risk capital from the stock market rather than by the risk-adverse banking system.
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2024

China should emulate Taiwan’s tech policies

A small island with few natural resources, Taiwan punches well above its weight. From 1980-2008, its annual real GDP averaged 6.8%.
A gawky high school senior (Hsu Kuang-han, right) falls for an older colleague (Kaya Kiyohara) who gives him life advice in “18×2 Beyond Youthful Days.”
CULTURE / Film
May 16, 2024

‘18×2 Beyond Youthful Days’: Formulaic tearjerker hits the road for true love

Though the leads lack chemistry, they nonetheless earn kudos for their performances in Michihito Fujii’s Japan-Taiwan co-production.
Shipping containers at Pier J at the Port of Long Beach wait for processing in Long Beach, California, in 2018.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 16, 2024

U.S. efforts to reshape global supply chains gathers pace in Asia

Investment flows are shifting along with trade, with global firms investing in Southeast Asia to avoid U.S. tariffs on China.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years