Japan marks ninth anniversary of 3/11 disaster quietly as virus concerns halt events
Japan marked the ninth anniversary Wednesday of the massive earthquake and tsunami that rocked the Tohoku region and killed more than 15,000 people in 2011, as health fears over the spread of COVID-19 prompted the cancellation or scaling down of a number of events. A ...
Government-funded annual memorial ceremonies for March 2011 disasters to end in 2021
Government-funded memorial services each year commemorating the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami will end in 2021, which will mark the 10th anniversary of the massive disaster, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe concluded that he should determine the course for ...
Decade after killer quake, Haiti says global aid system needs overhaul
The international aid system is deeply flawed and needs an overhaul, Haitian President Jovenel Moise said on Saturday, almost 10 years since the impoverished Caribbean island nation was struck by one of the deadliest earthquakes in history. Haitians were on Sunday to commemorate the thousands ...
A wave of sub-Saharan African countries became independent in the 1960s, 17 achieving self-rule from colonial Belgium, Britain and France in 1960 alone. Portugal's colonies would only break free in the 1970s and it took other nations, such as Eritrea, even longer to re-establish their ...
Victims remember 1960 French 'dirty war' against independence pioneer Cameroon
It was a "dirty war" waged by French colonial troops — but it never made headlines and even today goes untold in school history books. The brutal conflict unfolded in Cameroon, which on Jan. 1 marked the 60th anniversary of its independence — the first ...
The Battle of the Bulge was the last German offensive of World War II, and the Siege of Bastogne the scene of a heroic defense by American paratroopers. Seventy-five years on, the Belgian town is hosting colorful re-enactments followed by solemn ceremonies of remembrance. Veterans, historians ...
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he was considering attending Russia's May 9 Victory Day commemorative events after President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation. "I appreciate the invitation. It is right in the middle of political season, so I'll see if I can do it, ...
Thirty years after fall of Berlin Wall, hard borders are back around the world
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, when thousands of Germans joyfully danced atop its graffiti-covered remains, to some heralded the "end of history" in a globalized world. Thirty years later, the return of hard frontiers made of bricks, concrete and razor wire symbolizes ...
Three decades on, Berlin Wall comes back to life in virtual reality tour
A packed bus approaches Checkpoint Charlie, the Cold War's most famous border crossing, as grim-faced East German guards whisper among themselves about whether to hold you for questioning. After a few heart-stopping minutes, you and your fellow passengers are free to pass into the smog, ...
Record high 85% of Japanese view China unfavorably, despite improving ties between Beijing and Tokyo
Although bilateral ties between Beijing and Tokyo are on the mend, a new survey has found that a record high 85 percent of Japanese have unfavorable views of China — a stunning contrast with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's talk of creating a "new era" ...
As Washington and Beijing increasingly clash over global primacy, Japan’s own ties with communist-ruled China have experienced an upswing — at least on the surface — ahead of Tuesday’s 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic.
Frozen pork threatens to put the chill on China National Day festivities
China's supermarkets are topping up their meat counters with frozen pork from state reserves, after prices of the nation's favorite protein source surged to budget-busting levels, threatening to mar this week's National Day festivities. Pork, which has a prominent place at nearly every Chinese dinner ...
