Search - 2020

 
 
Chinese astronauts attend a see-off ceremony at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China, on Thursday
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Oct 26, 2023

China's youngest-ever crew of astronauts heads to space station

The spacecraft and its three passengers lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
It’s hard to talk about space-based solar — that is, transmitting the energy — without conjuring images of a death ray. But the team at the California Institute of Technology says the power density of the beam would be comparable to the power density of sunlight.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science
Oct 27, 2023

Beam solar energy from space? These scientists say yes

The hurdles that have grounded space-based solar in the past aren’t merely technical, they’re also financial.
In September, the Sapporo Convention Center played host to the first Adventure Travel World Summit ever to take place in Asia.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 28, 2023

Travel pros warn against diluting ‘Japaneseness’

“Don’t dilute the Japaneseness, because that’s what makes it special,” said one travel expert. “We want to come to Japan.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei  speaks before an audience in Tehran on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 28, 2023

U.S. airstrikes send twin messages to Iran, American officials say

The airstrikes were the latest gamble by the United States to modify Iran’s behavior, few of which have worked in the past.
Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, with his wife Karen Pence, speaks at an event in Las Vegas on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 29, 2023

Republican Mike Pence drops out of U.S. presidential race

The eventual demise of Mike Pence's bid to be chosen to take on U.S. President Joe Biden next year had only seemed a matter of time.
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly during the seventh inning of his team's Game 2 victory in the World Series in Arlington, Texas
BASEBALL
Oct 29, 2023

Diamondbacks rout Rangers to pull level in World Series

Arizona pitcher Merrill Kelly struck out nine and scattered three hits over seven innings to spark the Diamondbacks to a 9-1 win.
Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell discussed a regional trade pact with Japan's economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura during their meeting in Osaka on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 30, 2023

Australia reassures Japan on CPTPP and strength of relationship

Australian Trade Minister discussed a regional trade pact with Japan's economy minister during their meeting in Osaka.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 30, 2023

Orix's Gonzalez eager for more jewelry with win in Japan Series

The Buffaloes infielder, who is in his first season in Japan, is fine tuning his approach as he goes along.
Toyota’s gigacast rear component. The company plans to employ the gigacasting technology in making electric vehicles.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 30, 2023

Tesla’s latest disruption in carmaking draws followers in Japan

Carmakers in Japan are starting to embrace gigacasting as they seek to make up for lost ground in the shift to EVs.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 31, 2023

Netanyahu's ‘Mr. Security’ image fades as rivals want him out

Opponents say Netanyahu failed spectacularly by ignoring Hamas’ true intentions.
Laborers work at a private garment factory in Hanoi in 2021.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2023

Clothing-makers find it hard to break with China’s supply chain

Amid economic uncertainty and weakening consumer demand, many are discovering that finding alternative production hubs comes with its own challenges.
Single-use bathing wear that comes in the form of a blouse or a dress
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Nov 6, 2023

Breast cancer survivors face tough time at public baths

It is customary in Japan not to take clothing or towels into the water at public baths, and some facilities make it a rule for hygienic reasons.
Saudi women exercise in a mall in Riyadh on Oct. 15. Long popular in the United States, another car-centric country with an obesity problem, mall-walking is increasingly becoming a Saudi sport.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 31, 2023

Saudis tackle obesity while beating heat with mall-walking

Roughly one in five Saudi adults is obese, according to an in-depth study published by the World Bank last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2023

Defense chief condemns ‘outrageous’ response in SDF harassment case

A male perpetrator of sexual assault was forced to apologize directly to the female victim despite her wishes not to see him.
The front entrance gate leading to the former Ashigakubo Elementary School in Yokose, Saitama Prefecture. The school, which was more than a century old, was forced to close in 2009.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2023

School's out forever in aging Japan

As the number of children in Japan decreases, public money has been made available to help municipalities repurpose old schools.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 1, 2023

How Yuki Udagawa’s steely nerves quieted Koshien’s raucous crowd

Instead of being rattled, Yuki Udagawa fed off the electric energy pulsating through the stadium as he protected a one-run lead in a 5-4 win.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Nov 1, 2023

The risers — and fallers — in the latest sumo rankings

The sumo rankings ahead of the upcoming Kyushu Basho produced its share of winners and losers.
An Israeli man attends a day of prayer in the Old City of Jerusalem on Oct. 19 where attendees called for the safe return of hostages taken by Hamas militants earlier in the month. 
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 31, 2023

Israel’s own 9/11 moment

Israel needs to prepare now for when the fighting stops. Will it look to the Palestinian Authority to administer Gaza? What role will the U.N. play?
Fortnite is estimated to be played by over 400 million people worldwide.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2023

Fortnite developer fails to report ¥30 billion in revenue in Japan

The problem, which lasted for three years to December 2020, was uncovered in an investigation.
Texas Rangers players storm the field after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks to win the World Series in Game 5 on Wednesday in Phoenix.
BASEBALL
Nov 2, 2023

Rangers down Diamondbacks in Game 5 for first World Series title

A 5-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 on Wednesday clinched the Rangers' first title in three trips to the Fall Classic.
Under President Vladimir Putin rule, reason, logic, and humanity appear to have been systematically eroded from Russian life, similar to the era of Stalin and his gulags. 
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2023

Russian life imitates dystopian art

The state in Russia has always tended toward absolutism and its coercive and penal arms have rarely wielded as much power as they do now.
A Chinese paramilitary guard stands at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing in September 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 3, 2023

Dire economy prompts mass North Korean embassy closures

The last time the nuclear-armed country dropped diplomatic missions on this scale was in the mid-to-late 1990s.
Participants pose for photos at a news conference ahead of the Gay Games in Hong Kong on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 3, 2023

First Gay Games in Asia set to begin, despite pushback

The event, which features both LGBTQ and heterosexual athletes, will see 2,381 people compete in sports including football and badminton.
A construction crane beyond an apartment building at dusk in the Prenzlauer Berg district in Berlin, in February.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 3, 2023

Europe’s great housing crisis is only getting started

With housing already tight, the situation threatens to weigh on growth and further stoke political tensions as shortages squeeze more and more voters.
People wearing sun protection gear amid a heat wave walk on a street in Beijing in July.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 3, 2023

Climate's 'Catch-22': Cutting pollution heats up the planet

The removal of air pollution may have had a greater effect on temperatures in some Chinese cities than the warming from greenhouse gases.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony in Manila on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2023

Japan and Philippines to start talks on reciprocal troops pact

Japan will pledge to provide defense equipment to the Philippine military under a new aid framework.
The Hong Kong skyline. The city's sedition law — one of the legacies of British rule — had remained dormant for over half a century but saw a resurgence in use following the 2019 protests and subsequent unrest.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Nov 3, 2023

H.K. student gets two-month sentence for 'seditious' posts from Japan

The court said she had violated a colonial-era sedition law by expressing support for Hong Kong independence in posts mostly made while studying in Japan.
The Self-Defense Forces face numerous obstacles in meeting their recruitment targets: Demographics, private-sector competition and image and morale issues.
EDITORIALS
Nov 3, 2023

The SDF has a big problem: Filling its ranks

The Japanese government needs to take steps to address SDF recruitment challenges that put the nation's security at risk.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to reporters in Melbourne last month.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 4, 2023

Australia's Albanese set for state visit in China as ties thaw

It is the first such visit by an Australian leader in seven years as the two nations look to shore up their relationship.
Uruguay forward Luis Suarez celebrates a win after a World Cup match in 2018 in Sochi, Russia.
SOCCER
Nov 4, 2023

Luis Suarez reportedly set to join Inter Miami

Inter Miami are continuing with their Barcelona reunion plan, as Suarez is set to join Lionel Messi with the MLS club.

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