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Syrian jihadis in the streets of the northern city of Aleppo on Saturday. Jihadis and their Turkish-backed allies reached Syria's second city of Aleppo earlier, as they pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed government.
WORLD
Nov 30, 2024

Jihadis and allies breach Syria's second city in lightning assault

The fighters took control of "half of the city of Aleppo" as regime forces withdrew, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
U.S. President Joe Biden with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July 2022.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 30, 2024

Saudi Arabia abandons pursuit of U.S. defense treaty over Israel stalemate

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has again made recognition of Israel conditional on it taking concrete steps to create a Palestinian state.
Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of defense, speaks to reporters at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington on Nov. 21.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 30, 2024

Pete Hegseth’s mother accused her son of mistreating women for years

She said on Friday that she regretted the 2018 email and had apologized to him.
Lower House member Hiroaki Tabata holds a news conference on Friday in Toyama.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 30, 2024

LDP member reportedly tried to hide membership scandal

Hiroaki Tabata admitted during a news conference Friday night that his office had signed people up for LDP membership without their consent.
Masafumi Tabuchi leaves Tokyo police headquarters on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 30, 2024

Defeated Japan election candidate held over promising to pay campaign staff

Paying or promising to pay campaign staff is a violation of the election law.
Shanghai Pudong International Airport during the Lunar New Year travel rush in February 2024
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2024

China resumes short-term visa waiver for Japanese visitors

The maximum period of visa-free stays was also extended to 30 days from the previous 15 days.
Former chief of staff to the U.S. secretary of defense Kash Patel speaks during a campaign rally for former U.S. President Donald Trump in Las Vegas in October.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 1, 2024

Trump picks Kash Patel to head FBI

Patel has called for stripping the FBI of its intelligence-gathering role and purging anyone who refuses to support Trump's agenda.
Charles Kushner attends the funeral for Ivana Trump, socialite and first wife of former U.S. President Donald Trump, at St. Vincent Ferrer Church in New York in July 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 1, 2024

Trump taps Charles Kushner, father of his son-in-law, as envoy to France

The choice is in keeping with Trump's pattern, so far, of selecting people, often wealthy, who are close to his family or of proven loyalty.
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Dec 2, 2024

Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?

Shrinking funding and limited support spark fears for the country's scientific prowess moving forward.
European Council President Antonio Costa looks on as he attends a handover ceremony at the European Council in Brussels on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 2, 2024

Before tackling Trump, new EU leader aims to end infighting

For years, attempts to shore up the EU have been hampered by internal dysfunction.
Under new U.S. rules, chipmaking equipment made in Malaysia, Singapore, Israel, Taiwan and South Korea will be subject to curbs on exports to China, while the Netherlands and Japan will be exempt.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 2, 2024

Latest U.S. strike on China's chips hits semiconductor toolmakers

Equipment made in Malaysia, Singapore, Israel, Taiwan and South Korea will be subject to curbs on exports to China, while the Netherlands and Japan will be exempt.
Bereaved family members are seen shedding tears at a memorial ceremony held near the Sasago Tunnel in Otsuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2024

Victims remembered on 12th anniversary of Sasago Tunnel disaster

The memorial ceremony was attended by 60 people, including executives of the company and officials of the transport ministry as well as people who lost their loved ones.
A 40-year-old house in the city of Fukuoka that has been renovated by Katitas, a company that buys up secondhand houses for resale. The company retained the house's original wooden ceilings and window frames to preserve the property's vintage look.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Dec 9, 2024

As demand rises for abandoned houses, so do cases of hidden defects

Industry experts recommend prospective buyers conduct thorough inspections before concluding transactions for akiya.
Female company presidents are mostly found at small businesses in Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 2, 2024

8.4% of Japanese companies led by women in 2024

Female presidents tend to be found at smaller companies, with 11.9% of companies with less than ¥50 million in annual sales having a female boss.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk (second from right) jumps to head the ball during an English Premier League clash against Manchester City in Liverpool, England, on Sunday.
SOCCER
Dec 3, 2024

Liverpool players prepared to 'go to war' for each other: Van Dijk

The captain believes the mentality within the squad is a crucial factor in its recent success.
Customers walk past an Apple logo inside of an Apple store in New in 2018.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 3, 2024

Apple accused of silencing workers, spying on personal devices

Apple is also facing at least three complaints from a U.S. labor board
Iraqi military equipment is transported towards the border with Syria on Monday.
WORLD
Dec 3, 2024

Iraqi fighters head to Syria to battle rebels but Lebanon's Hezbollah stays out, sources say

Syria's civil war had been frozen since 2020, with Assad in control of most territory and all major cities.
President Joe Biden walks with his son Hunter and his family through Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 3, 2024

Biden's Hunter pardon riles Democrats who defended U.S. justice system

Biden had previously pledged not to intervene in the two criminal convictions against his son.
Donna Nelson says her life was turned upside down when she learned that the man she was falling for had tricked her into smuggling 2 kilograms of methamphetamine into Japan.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 3, 2024

Australian says romance scam tricked her into smuggling drugs into Japan

Donna Nelson says her life was turned upside down when she learned that the man she was falling for had tricked her into smuggling drugs.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces measures to counter the spread of "forever chemicals" in drinking water in the Upper House of parliament in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 3, 2024

Japan eyes new PFAS regulations for drinking water by spring

Water suppliers nationwide must upgrade their safety standards to counter the spread of "forever chemicals."
The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission said it recommended that the Financial Services Agency impose a fine on general contractor Yamaura for releasing false financial statements.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 4, 2024

General contractor Yamaura to be fined for false financial statements

A third-party investigation panel found the person in charge of preparing financial statements at Yamaura had illegally withdrawn about ¥2.6 billion.
U.S. President Joe Biden hugs his wife Jill Biden as his children Hunter and Ashely Biden look on during his presidential inauguration in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021.  
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2024

Hunter Biden’s pardon is understandable — but wrong

Who wouldn't try sparing a child from prison? It's still a tragedy for the republic.
Donna Nelson (fourth from left) with her family members. Nelson was found guilty of smuggling drugs to Japan.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 4, 2024

Australian woman given six-year sentence over Japan drug smuggling

Donna Nelson has said that she was a victim of an online romance scam and that she was not aware she was carrying luggage containing illegal drugs.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. greet each other at a campaign event in Duluth, Georgia, in October. Kennedy, Trump’s choice for health and human services secretary, wants to purge the agency of corporate influence.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 4, 2024

Trump taps team geared toward retribution and remaking of U.S. government

Trump's pick of Kash Patel to lead the FBI brought into sharper focus the president-elect's seriousness about striking back at those he believes have wronged him.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announces his decision to impose martial law on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 5, 2024

South Korea turmoil strikes at heart of U.S. alliances in Asia

The potential impeachment of South Korea’s president after an aborted attempt to impose martial law may complicate U.S. efforts to counter China.
A navy serviceman is reflected on a radar screen aboard the BRP Tarlac landing ship off the shore of Calayan Island, the Philippines, on June 30, 2023. Japan is providing another tranche of military aid to the Philippines that will include a grant for additional coastal surveillance radar systems, boats and other equipment.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2024

Manila to get more radars and boats from Tokyo under new military aid tranche

The grant is intended to help strengthen the capabilities of the Philippines' navy and air force, the Foreign Ministry says.
While FromSoftware's Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a strong contender for game of the year, Black Myth: Wukong, the first AAA game made by a Chinese developer, offers some stiff competition.
LIFE / Digital / 2024 in Review
Dec 6, 2024

It’s Japan versus China for 2024’s game of the year

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Black Myth: Wukong both have a claim to the best game of 2024, a year marked by cultural scandals and lawsuits.
Koichi Katsumata is the first chef to receive a Michelin star in Japan for an 'assiette dessert' (dessert course) restaurant
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 8, 2024

Welcome to Yama, Japan’s first Michelin-starred dessert restaurant

“We don’t just serve food — we serve memories, stories and a sense of place,” says chef Koichi Katsumata.
Mental health, education and social services needed to intervene in many cases before the behavior of minors became a police issue, said a research paper by the Five Eyes, which also include the U.S., Canada, Britain and New Zealand.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2024

Young people involved in one-fifth of Australian terrorism cases, intelligence chief says

Australia passed legislation this month to ban children under the age of 16 years from social media platforms starting late next year.
Doctor Mehdi Davut, who heads an association helping Syrians in Istanbul, speaks at his office, where he also runs a health clinic, in Istanbul on Wednesday.
WORLD
Dec 6, 2024

Rebels' capture of Aleppo stirs Syrian homecoming hopes in Turkey

Millions of people have fled abroad from Syria since the war began, including across the frontier to Turkey.

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