NEWSWORTHY
Japan's youngest pro go player, 10-year-old Sumire Nakamura, loses debut match
Japan's youngest professional go player, Sumire Nakamura, who is 10 years and one month old, failed to seal victory in her official debut match on Monday. Nakamura, a first-dan player of the traditional board game who turned professional earlier this month, lost to first-dan Ran ...
World's smallest surviving baby boy, born in Nagano weighing same as an apple, ready to go home
The world's smallest baby boy, who was born in October in Nagano Prefecture weighing as much as a large apple, is now ready for the outside world, his doctor said Friday. Ryusuke Sekino was delivered via emergency caesarean section at Nagano Children's Hospital in Azumino ...
Japanese teenager lops off Guinness World Record-setting locks ready for Reiwa and college
An 18-year-old Japanese woman, once recognized as having the longest hair in the world among teenagers aged 13-17, had her first-ever haircut Tuesday before starting life at university. Keito Kawahara, who lives in Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture, said she plans to donate the hair that was ...
Record-setting balloonist Julian Nott dies after accident in California
A renowned British balloonist and scientist who set 79 world ballooning records died after a balloon-related accident in Southern California, authorities and family members said. Julian Richard Nott, 74, was injured over the weekend after his balloon with a pressurized cabin landed in a rural ...
Israeli spelunkers say salt cave running through Mount Sodom into Dead Sea is world's longest
Israeli cave explorers said Thursday that a salt cave with striking stalactites near the Dead Sea is the world's longest, beating the record-holder in Iran. The cave, named Malham, stretching over 10 kilometers (6.25 miles), runs through Mount Sodom, Israel's largest mountain, and spills out ...
Tower Records goes all in on the vinyl trend with its new store, Tower Vinyl
Last year proved to be a pivotal one for streaming music in Japan. According to a report by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, 2018 saw plays via platforms such as YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify overtake digital downloads. This would be a great piece ...
Canadian charged with smuggling record haul of stimulant drugs into Japan worth ¥1.8 billion
A Canadian man was charged Monday with attempting to smuggle about 30 kilograms of stimulant drugs through Narita airport, the biggest amount ever seized by Japanese customs authorities from a passenger's luggage. Jonathan Isabelle, 21, who was arrested on his arrival at the international airport ...
Australia suffered its hottest summer on record from December through February, and forecasts show the autumn will continue to be drier and warmer than average, the government said Thursday. "After a record hot December and January, it won't come as a surprise that this summer ...
Coldest air mass ever recorded in Hokkaido grips prefecture, with snow expected Saturday in Tokyo
A cold wave caused by a mass of air at record-low temperatures gripped Hokkaido on Friday, causing traffic disruption across the island. As temperatures plunged below minus 20 degrees Celsius in some parts of the region the Meteorological Agency also predicted snow on Saturday for ...
Part of Australia's Queensland hit by once-in-a-century floods with more rain on the way
Once-in-a-century flooding in part of the eastern Australian state of Queensland looks set to worsen as the nation's weather bureau on Saturday warned of more heavy rain in the area. Some residents have already been evacuated after days of monsoon rains lashed the region around ...
Australia likely to set December heat record, prompting fire bans and health warnings
Australia looks set to sweat through one of its hottest Decembers ever, the national weather bureau said on Friday, prompting fire bans, health warnings and big crowds trying to cool off at beaches. As the country's hottest town, Marble Bar in the remote northwest, endured ...
