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The challenge for African governments and communities is how to harness this wave of youthful talent — with all their innovation, resilience and determination — rather than lose them to developed economies.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 29, 2024

Africa must act to stem its youth brain drain

African governments must harness youthful talent or risk losing it to developed economies.
Mir, a 12-year-old male Siberian cat gifted by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Akita Prefecture, died from an illness Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2024

Cat that Putin gifted to Japan's Akita Prefecture dies at age 12

The prefecture gave a dog to Vladimir Putin to thank Russia for its help after the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and Putin gave the male cat in return.
World Anti-Doping Agency Director-General Olivier Niggli speaks during the agency's symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland, in March.
OLYMPICS
Dec 4, 2024

Anti-doping agency froze out investigators who warned about China

The decision by WADA’s leaders to keep its own investigators in the dark raises new questions about WADA's response to possible doping by Chinese athletes.
Prosecutors said Tamotsu Shiiki, 58, had sex with a 12-year-old girl at a karaoke parlor on Aug. 20 after he approached her on the streets, well aware that she was underage.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 5, 2024

Former Nippon Ishin lawmaker pleads guilty to statutory rape

The lawmaker had approached her on the streets of the Kabukicho entertainment district in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Aug. 20 and was aware she was underage.
Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 6, 2024

CDP leader calls for gradual BOJ rate hikes

Yoshihiko Noda urged the central bank to keep a close eye on economic and overseas developments when raising rates.
Chugoku Electric Power Company's Shimane nuclear power plant
JAPAN
Dec 7, 2024

Chugoku Electric restarts Shimane reactor for first time in 13 years

The long-delayed restart of the reactor, which was shut down in January 2012, boosts the number of Japan's operational reactors to 14.
A variety of rice cookers at a home appliance store
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Dec 16, 2024

Companies rush to high-end rice cookers as consumer tastes change

Appliance-makers are working with rice growers to boost demand, as well as debuting products that focus on flavor and features.
The suffering of people with disabilities has been compounded by steep shortages in devices to aid them, including wheelchairs and hearing aids, and in damage to roads, sidewalks and homes with accessible features.
WORLD / Society
Dec 9, 2024

Gaza's disabled people face ‘impossible times’ of chaos and war

The war has forced most of Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents from their homes and has been particularly punishing for people with disabilities and their families.
A staff member wearing a "Squid Game" costume stands at an activation zone for the Netflix series at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 9, 2024

'Squid Game' premieres in Seoul after martial law declaration

"Squid Game" showrunner Hwang Dong-hyuk called the political chaos "extremely unfortunate and infuriating" at a press event for the Netflix series.
While there’s no evidence of deliberate manipulation, increasing opacity and inconsistent data have led to doubts about the accuracy of India's official gross domestic product figures.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 10, 2024

India’s statistical challenges mirror China’s past issues

India's once-strong institutional credibility in terms of economic data is weakening, much like China's, though perhaps for different reasons.
The 12-year wait between Designtide Tokyo events was long, but the range and quality of exhibitions on offer made it worth the wait.
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 11, 2024

After 12 years, Designtide Tokyo returns with a lineup of sensory dialogue

Swedish music hardware company Teenage Engineering both scored and encapsulated the philosophy of the innovative design fair's 12-year comeback.
In 2024, Scottie Scheffler won seven PGA Tour events, including the Masters, and took home the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Dec 11, 2024

Scheffler voted PGA Tour Player of the Year for third straight time

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are the only players beside Scheffler to win the award three or more times.
An SM-3 interceptor is launched by the Aegis Guam System during a test at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 12, 2024

Can a U.S. missile defense system shield Guam from Chinese threat?

Building the island's missile defenses as envisioned will cost about $10 billion over the next decade.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes passes against the Buccaneers in Kansas City, Missouri, on Nov. 4.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Dec 12, 2024

NFL trio brace for physical toll of playing three games over short period

"It's a unique situation," said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who shared that he told the team to take one day at a time through the unprecedented stretch.
The head priest of Kiyomizu Temple writes the kanji "kin," which was chosen by the public as the character that best represents 2024, on Thursday in Kyoto.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2024

'Kin' selected as the kanji of 2024 after strong year for Japanese athletes

The choice also reflected the Liberal Democratic Party’s slush-fund scandal and the spate of robberies involving shady part-time jobs.
A Toyota production line in New Jersey. The U.S. is a key market for Japanese automakers, who are closely monitoring policy changes in Washington as the incoming Trump administration is likely to change the course set by President Joe Biden.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Dec 12, 2024

Japan’s auto industry looks down the road to Trump presidency

Of the cars sold in the U.S., 40% are from Japanese makers, who are determined to hold onto this market share despite Washington's policy vagaries in the auto field.
A man checks a tunnel found under a mosque in Tadamon district, which is littered with bones, in Damascus, Syria, on Thursday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 13, 2024

At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors and seek answers

After Bashar Assad's ouster, residents hope the site in Damascus' Tadamon district can be cordoned off for those responsible to be held accountable.
Children eat at a <i>kodomo shokudo</i> in the city of Osaka. The number of such cafeterias, which provide free or low-cost meals to children in need, has surpassed 10,000 nationwide.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 13, 2024

Number of cafeterias for children in need hits record high in Japan

There are now more kodomo shokudo, which offer free or low-cost meals, than elementary and junior high schools.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s factory (left) in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Feb. 23, the day before it was officially opened
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 22, 2024

Chip cities rise in Japan’s fields of dreams

Injections of cash are transforming once-sleepy areas, lifting stagnant house prices and triggering construction booms.
A broken statue of late Syrian president Hafez Assad lies outside the Baath party offices in Damascus, on Thursday. Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on Dec. 8, ousting Syrian President Bashar Assad and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 13, 2024

G7 to meet on Syria as new government pledges 'rule of law'

Leaders of the Group of Seven said they were ready to support the transition to an "inclusive and nonsectarian" government in Syria.
Boxer Kevin Johnson displays a shirt with an image of Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Nov. 24.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Dec 13, 2024

Aging U.S. heavyweight Kevin Johnson fights on to honor Vladimir Putin in Russia

Putin granted Johnson nationality with a decree under an express procedure used for others including U.S. actor Steven Seagal.
Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin was in Damascus on Thursday, just days after an Islamist-led rebel push ousted Syrian strongman Bashar Assad.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 14, 2024

Turkey races ahead of U.S. in push for Syria influence

Ankara has sent a top official to Damascus and restarted diplomatic relations with Syria after more than a decade.
France's newly appointed Prime Minister Francois Bayrou at the Hotel Matignon in Paris on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 14, 2024

Macron hands new French PM the tough job of managing Le Pen

Bayrou, 73, replaces conservative heavyweight Michel Barnier, who was ousted last week after far-right leader Marine Le Pen joined the left in a censure motion.
A thermal power plant at an undisclosed location in Ukraine that was damaged during a missile attack amid Russia's invasion
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead
Dec 27, 2024

When Russia fights the wrong enemy

The longer the war in Ukraine continues, the weaker Russia will become, leading many to wonder when it will decide to staunch its losses.
A Ground Self-Defense Force's soldier takes part in a marine landing drill on Tokunoshima island, Kagoshima Prefecture, in November 2023. The Philippines has ratified a defense pact with Japan that allows them to deploy troops on each other's soil.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2024

Philippines ratifies key defense pact with Japan

Lawmakers in Tokyo need to vote through the treaty before it takes effect.
Kenichi Takito (left) and Non play literary nemeses working in close quarters in Yukihiko Tsutsumi’s lukewarm comedy, “The Hotel of My Dream.”
CULTURE / Film
Dec 19, 2024

‘The Hotel of My Dream’: A literary comedy that never really gels

Yukihiko Tsutsumi’s adaptation of Asako Yuzuki’s novel promises a festive treat, but casting and cadence prevent it from realizing its full potential.
Tsuyako Shimabukuro (front, second from left), head of the Eguchi community association in the town of Chatan, Okinawa Prefecture, and other community leaders discuss their efforts along with members of the prefectural association of families of missing persons with dementia.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Dec 30, 2024

Okinawa communities battle a rise in missing elderly with dementia

In the prefecture, 118 such cases were reported to the police last year.
Max Fried pitches for the Braves in San Diego on Oct. 2. The free-agent hurler signed with the Yankees this offseason.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 19, 2024

Max Fried excited to become part of Yankees' winning tradition

The 30-year-old lefty received a $20 million signing bonus as part of a deal that will pay him an average of $27.5 million per season until 2032.
Carmelo Anthony (right) is among the first-time nominees for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
BASKETBALL
Dec 20, 2024

Carmelo Anthony and Sue Bird among first-time Hall of Fame nominees

Finalists will be selected during NBA All-Star Weekend on Feb. 14, and the Class of 2025 will be revealed at the men's Final Four on April 5 in San Antonio.
A soldier stops a car at a checkpoint in Bishnupur, Manipur, India, in April.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 20, 2024

Fighters from Myanmar's civil war exacerbate ethnic conflict in India

The conflict between Manipur's mostly Hindu Meitei community and the mainly Christian Kuki tribes is seen as one of India's biggest law-and-order failures.

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