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A makeshift memorial in Moscow for Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin who is presumed to have died in private plane crash earlier in the week
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2023

If Prigozhin is gone, where does that leave Wagner?

What’s been said about President Vladimir Putin’s reign can also be applied to Prigozhin’s Wagner Group: "Nothing is true and everything is possible.”
A rescue worker stands next to a damaged building of the Moscow International Business Center following a drone attack in the Russian capital on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 26, 2023

Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russia are message for its own people

U.S. officials say they expect Ukraine to continue its attacks because they send a strong message: Kyiv can still strike back.
A new Russian textbook for high school students on general world and national history
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2023

Putin’s history lessons fail to heed the lessons of history

Putin seems to have forgotten is that rewriting history to serve the interests of those in power tends to invite dissent and often backfires.
One big challenge public health officials now face is how to restore trust so that people listen to future guidance on everything from flu shots to childhood vaccines.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2023

Not all COVID-19 ‘misinformation’ is equal — nor misinformation

Public health scientists have to figure out how to get back to the kind of nuanced, thoughtful discussions that were the pre-pandemic norm.
While privilege may always exist to some extent, efforts can be made to create a more equitable and humane society.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2023

We can move toward a post-privilege era. Who’s in first?

Privilege should be earned and shared, and it's not something that can be confined to a quiet street or an isolated island.
U.S. President Joe Biden has so far not commented on 91 felony counts in four indictments leveled at Donald Trump this year.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 28, 2023

Trump trials: A challenge and opportunity for Biden

So far, Biden hasn't weighed in on Trump's legal woes, which could boost the Republican's campaign while also shedding light on his alleged crimes.
Over the last decade, the attention given to falling income and wealth inequality has been tiny, creating a view of the issue that may be seriously out of date.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2023

We should concentrate on fighting poverty, not income inequality

Wealth inequality has recently gone down in the U.S. and the West, and the decline has been going on for the better part of the last decade.
Foxconn founder Terry Gou announces his bid for Taiwan's presidency in Taipei on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 29, 2023

Foxconn chief Terry Gou could upend Taiwan presidential poll

The tech titan has touted his business experience in announcing his presidential bid, but a number of challenges — including his ties to China — await.
An efficient, just-in-time strategy for manufacturing made Toyota’s production system famous.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 30, 2023

Toyota shuts factories, investors shrug. That’s resilience.

An efficient, just-in-time strategy for manufacturing made Toyota’s production system famous.
As China slips into deflation, one word is popping up more and more to describe the gloomy atmospherics: "Japanification."
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 30, 2023

'Japanification' for China? It should be so lucky.

China is not on the path to global dominance nor set for collapse, and observers should consider the various shades of gray in analyzing these countries.
Kyoko Yafuso and her son Keiju Togei pose in front of their store in the Sunrise Naha shopping street.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Sep 4, 2023

Tired Naha shopping arcade evolves into city’s best dining spot

Until about 10 years ago, the central shopping arcade around the Heiwa-dori street in Naha was deserted, with most stores closed and few visitors.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol hold a news conference during the trilateral summit at Camp David, Maryland, on Aug. 18.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 30, 2023

Camp David success depends on convincing the public

The Camp David statement is an important declaration of shared purpose and principles, and sets a path forward for substantive cooperation.
Actively managed exchange-trade funds are set to debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange next week.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 31, 2023

Active ETFs cash in on corporate reform in Japan

Actively managed exchange-trade funds are set to launch in Tokyo next week.
Singaporean presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian gives speech on Aug. 22 in the lead-up to Friday's election.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2023

Singaporeans should vote in their imperfect elections

While the selection process for presidential candidates and the behavior of some of them may not be perfect, Singaporeans should vote on Friday.
Pictured in his Kyoto kitchen, Alain Ducasse has the largest collection of Michelin stars of any chef alive — not that he puts much stock in such accolades.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 3, 2023

Alain Ducasse: ‘The Kyoto customer wants refinement’

The world’s most Michelin-starred chef sees those stars as a “reward” instead of an “objective.”
While the Korean War armistice analogy is imperfect, it may provide the best available lesson for ending the war in Ukraine.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 1, 2023

Ukraine’s future isn’t German or Israeli but Korean

The Ukraine crisis needs a resolution, even if it means accepting an armistice that doesn't provide a clear victory for any party involved.
South Africa's Siya Kolisi takes selfies with fans after a practice session in Corsica on Aug. 29.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 1, 2023

Springbok icon Siya Kolisi defies odds to return in time for World Cup

Siya Kolisi rose from a hungry and impoverished childhood to become 'an international rugby icon.'
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?
A Yes23 volunteer holds pamphlets while speaking with commuters about Australia's upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum, in Melbourne.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 4, 2023

Most Australians oppose constitutional Indigenous panel, poll shows

The proposed Indigenous committee would advise Parliament on matters affecting Indigenous people in the country.
A schoolgirl wears a padded hood for protection from falling debris during an earthquake simulation exercise at an elementary school in Tokyo. The government estimates a 70% chance of a magnitude 7 event striking directly underneath the capital in the next 30 years.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 4, 2023

Tokyo has lived on the brink of the ‘Big One’ — for a century

The Great Kanto Earthquake demolished the nascent Japanese capital, killing more than 100,000 people — some 3% of the city’s population at the time.
Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits the command post of an operational-tactical group in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 5, 2023

Allies question Ukraine's war strategy, irritating Kyiv

Over the past two weeks U.S. media have been quoting anonymous military sources questioning Ukraine's strategy. On the record, criticism remains muted.
Leaders and officials from Southeast Asia pose for a family photo during the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2023

Why Biden's decision to skip the ASEAN summit is a mistake

Though in Asia, Biden won't attend ASEAN this week. The move may be part of Washington's China containment strategy, but it risks alienating key partners.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 6, 2023

Nippon Ishin’s political path in focus amid differing party views

There are growing differences over the party’s future direction, including whether to remain an opposition party or consider joining the ruling coalition.
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.
Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska speaks in Kyiv during "The Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen," which focused on the stigmatized issue of mental health in the war-torn country.
WORLD / Society
Sep 7, 2023

Tears, stars and 'soft power' at Kyiv mental health summit

Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska has led a high-profile campaign encouraging Ukrainians to openly discuss mental health problems.
The Man effigy looms over the Burning Man encampment after a severe rainstorm left tens of thousands of revelers stranded in mud in the festival's Black Rock City in the Nevada desert.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2023

Burning Man 2023 is a climate-crisis parable

At first, Burning Man festivalgoers shunned environmental protesters. Then the climate crisis, and extraordinary rains, caught up with them.
French President Emmanuel Macron (center) and deposed president Ali Bongo of Gabon (center left) at an African Union-European Union summit in 2017
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2023

A domino effect in Africa, embarrassment in Paris

A new season of military coups is sweeping over Africa, with grave implications for France and the West as they struggle to maintain influence.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet ahead of the Group of 20 leaders' summit in New Delhi on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2023

Will India’s name go the way of Turkey?

If India changes its name to Bharat, it will stumble on the same hurdles that Turkey has faced in getting its new appellation, Turkiye, to stick.
Japan's HII-A rocket carrying a lunar lander is prepared for launch at Tanegashima Space Centre on Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture on Aug. 27.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 6, 2023

Yes, we do need another moonshot — or five

This renewed interest in moon landings is stoking fears of increased rivalry and another arms race.
A Russian rescuer speaks on his mobile phone next to a wall bearing an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a polling station during local elections organized by the Russian-installed authorities in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 11, 2023

As war rages, Kremlin sends Russians, and Ukrainians, to vote

Along with local voting, Russian authorities also held elections in the four Ukrainian regions Moscow annexed a year ago in illegal referendums.

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