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U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Nov. 13.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 27, 2024

Trump team signs transition agreement with Biden White House after delays

Under the agreement, Trump's team avoided signing a government ethics pledge, saying it has its own ethics plan.
Two glasses of alcohol-free wine are pictured in a bar in Frankfurt on Nov. 20.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 27, 2024

German family winery taps into zero-alcohol trend

The company produces about 17 million bottles of alcohol-free wine a year, with sales up by around 35% annually.
Myanmar's junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing presides over an army parade in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, in March 2021.
WORLD
Nov 27, 2024

ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Myanmar military leader

Soldiers, police and Buddhist villagers are alleged by U.N. investigators to have razed hundreds of villages in the remote western Rakhine state.
Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting battles Julia Szeremeta of Poland in the final of the women's 57-kilogram division at the Paris Olympics in August.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Nov 28, 2024

Taiwan Olympic boxing champion quits event after gender questions

Lin, who was embroiled in a gender row at the Paris Olympics, was due to compete in the World Boxing Cup Finals in Sheffield starting Wednesday.
Environmental activists demonstrate in front of the convention center in Busan, South Korea, where delegates from around the world are seeking to reach a binding treaty against plastic waste.
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 29, 2024

Showdown looms on plastic treaty days before deadline

With just two days of talks left, countries seeking an ambitious treaty urged delegations that "have not moved a centimeter" to make compromises or "get out of the way."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in Pyongyang in this image released Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 30, 2024

North Korea's Kim and Russian defense chief agree to boost military ties

Experts say Kim Jong Un is eager to gain advanced technology and battle experience for his troops.
Plastic production is on track to triple by 2050, and microplastics have been found in air, fresh produce and even human breast milk.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Dec 1, 2024

Battle over curbing plastic output jeopardizes U.N. treaty hopes

The hoped-for treaty could be the most significant environmental protection deal since the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Kaja Kallas, who was set to take up her post as the European Union's top diplomat, looks on during a plenary session of the European Parliament, before a vote to approve the new European Commission, in Strasbourg, France, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 1, 2024

New EU chiefs visit Kyiv on first day of mandate

The visit by the EU's new top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, was a symbolic show of support for Kyiv.
INC-5 Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso (on screen) speaks during an open plenary session during the fifth session of the U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5) in Busan, South Korea, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 2, 2024

Countries fail to reach agreement in U.N. plastic talks

Countries remained far apart on the basic scope of a treaty and could agree only to postpone key decisions and resume talks at a later date.
A Finnish soldier operates a towed 155 mm field gun during the Northern Forest land force exercise in Rovajarvi, Finland, in May 2023.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 2, 2024

Ukraine war reinvigorating Finland’s fighting spirit

Instead of intimidating the Finns, Ukraine's conflict with Russia has had the opposite effect of reigniting their focus on national resilience.
Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan (right) looks on at a court in Ho Chi Minh city on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 4, 2024

Vietnam tycoon loses death penalty appeal over fraud scandal

Under Vietnamese law, Truong My Lan can have her death sentence commuted to life in prison if she returns an estimated $11 billion.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha pose for a photograph after signing a memorandum of understanding during a NATO foreign ministers' meeting at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 4, 2024

Ukraine pushes for NATO membership as allies sidestep call for invite

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said an invitation would remove one of Russia's main arguments for waging its war: preventing its entry into the alliance.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani met in Italy in October and in Australia last month, so they will be meeting for the third consecutive month if Austin visits Japan next week.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2024

U.S. Defense Secretary Austin planning to visit Japan next week

Japan and the U.S. aim to confirm their intention to further beef up their alliance, Japanese government sources said.
U.S. think tanks from across the political spectrum have compiled a report to address the nation's social and fiscal issues in an effort to show that compromise is still possible.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 5, 2024

U.S. think tanks' policy 'grand bargain' comes amid deep partisanship

The authors of the outline have no illusions about how their plan will be greeted by the incoming administration of Donald Trump, though.
Lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo sits alone as the only People Power Party lawmaker to remain in the chamber for a vote on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 7, 2024

Move to impeach South Korea's Yoon in limbo after ruling party walkout

While lawmakers debated the motion, introduced by the main opposition Democratic Party, only a single member of Yoon's People Power Party remained in his seat.
France and New Zealand in action at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on Nov. 16
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 10, 2024

New Zealand agree to keep 2025 France tests at home

The French Rugby Federation last week refused to play in North America.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shakes hands with his Finnish counterpart, Petteri Orpo, at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 11, 2024

Japan and Finland agree to boost security cooperation

The two leaders welcomed the start of Japan-Finland negotiations to conclude a treaty on the transfer of defense equipment and technology.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Peruvian counterpart, Dina Boluarte, meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima on Nov. 14.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2024

U.S. wakes up to China’s growing presence in its ‘backyard’

China has long eyed Latin America’s food and mineral resources, using them to build business connections for over two decades.
Actor Sadao Abe accepts the 2024 U-Can New Word and Popular Phrase Award for ふてほど (futehodo), the abbreviated title for his series, “Futekisetsu nimo Hodo ga Aru!” (“Extremely Inappropriate!”).
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 12, 2024

How often do Japan's buzzwords make it into the vernacular?

We crown a new one every year, but trendy terms tend to disappear from public consciousness if they're related to pop culture.
A handout photo shows Kosuke Nozaki (right), who was found dead of a drug overdose, and Saki Sudo, who was his wife.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 12, 2024

28-year-old widow of ‘Don Juan of Kishu’ acquitted of his murder

Prosecutors had argued that Saki Sudo, 28, somehow caused her wealthy 77-year-old husband Kosuke Nozaki to ingest drugs, resulting in a fatal overdose.
Nobuhiro Ito, who runs casting-maker Ito Tekko, which employs about 100 people, in front of his company's factory in the city of Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 13, 2024

BOJ's rate hike plans clouded by small firms' wage woes

Next year's wage prospects are crucial for sustaining a consumption-led recovery — a prerequisite for further rate hikes by the Bank of Japan.
Corn crops affected by a long drought, near Buenos Aires in January 2022
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Dec 15, 2024

World falls short of drought deal at Saudi-hosted talks

The Riyadh talks came after a lack of progress on in other international summits regarding biodiversity, plastics pollution and climate finance in recent months.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, in October. India and China reached a border deal for Chinese forces to retreat from disputed territory and for India to resume border patrols.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2024

How India’s soft power led to a border deal with China

New Delhi played its cards right, adopting a multipronged strategy that led to Beijing withdrawing from disputed territory that could be model for other countries, too.
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou speaks to press in Paris on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 16, 2024

Macron has a new prime minister but the same old problems

73-year-old Francis Bayrou was the torch-bearer of centrism until Macron reshaped the political landscape in 2017.
A Ukrainian tank is stationed near a sign that reads, "Pokrovsk," in the country's Donetsk region, on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2024

Europe needs to swiftly fulfill its aid pledges to Ukraine

Europe has committed significant aid to Ukraine, but delays in delivery, especially in military support, are hindering Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Papua New Guinea leader James Marape address a news conference in Sydney on Dec. 12.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2024

Australia shows how smart diplomacy is done

Recent deals reflect the laser focus the Australian government is devoting to its closest neighbors and a bureaucratic reorganization that translates into action.
In Joe Biden’s four years as president, the U.S. outperformed virtually every other advanced economy in terms of output, employment and productivity growth.
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead
Dec 29, 2024

An economic requiem for the Biden administration

Now that the outgoing U.S. president’s term is about to expire, an elegy is in order for his administration's economic achievements, failures and missed opportunities.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a United Nations Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 21, 2024

Top U.S. and South Korean diplomats agree to meet 'at an early date'

The impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has triggered concerns about the bilateral alliance, though both sides say it remains 'ironclad."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 18.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 22, 2024

Starmer is deepening China ties while the U.K.’s allies turn away

Starmer’s pursuit of closer ties with China has raised private questions from Trump’s incoming administration, European diplomats and even some senior British officials.
Elon Musk has waded into German politics twice in recent days on X.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 23, 2024

Germany’s SPD calls for antitrust act to clip Elon Musk’s power

While Wiese's comments will likely intensify the war of words with the world’s richest person, it’s unclear whether regulators in the U.S. will agree with his proposal.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji