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Smokestacks at an Israel Electric Corp power station are seen from the Mediterranean, about 10 kilometers from the coastal Israeli city of Hadera, in 2014.
WORLD
May 2, 2024

Could Israel keep the lights on and water running during regional war?

Israel's energy minister says blackouts and disruptions are unlikely in the country in the case of a multifront war.
A wounded Palestinian man and his injured son in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday
WORLD
May 2, 2024

U.S. surgeon in Gaza: Nothing prepared me for scale of injuries

Shariq Sayeed said that the vast majority of cases he dealt with involved amputation.
The arrests for Gaza-related posts indicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s regime will take a hard line against citizens not toeing the line when it comes to normalizing ties with Israel.
WORLD / Politics
May 2, 2024

Saudi Arabia steps up Gaza-related arrests as Israel ties edge closer

The arrests are said to reflect a desire by authorities to deter the making of online statements about the war in Gaza that might impact national security.
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 3, 2024

Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests

The yen was at around ¥157.55 per dollar when it suddenly spiked, strengthening as far as ¥153 over the next half hour.
Police walk past people operating bulldozers to remove the remnants of a protest encampment in support of Palestinians that police broke down the previous night on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
May 3, 2024

Fresh chaos and arrests as police flatten camp at UCLA

In the pre-dawn hours, helmeted police swarmed a tent city set up at the University of California in Los Angeles, using flash bangs and riot gear.
Mike Tyson (left) and Buster Douglas fight during the seventh round of their world heavyweight title fight at Tokyo Dome on Feb. 11, 1990.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
May 3, 2024

Tokyo Dome to host boxing for first time since Buster Douglas upset Mike Tyson

Super-bantamweight world champion Naoya "Monster" Inoue will put his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery at the Big Egg.
Palestinian group Hamas' top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, speaks during a news conference in Tehran on March 26.
WORLD / Politics
May 4, 2024

Hamas says delegation heading to Cairo for truce talks

Mediators have been waiting for a Hamas response to a proposal to halt the fighting for 40 days and exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Shunichi Suzuki, Japan's finance minister
BUSINESS / Markets
May 4, 2024

Japan’s finance minister keeps traders guessing on yen intervention

The comments came days after Japanese authorities apparently entered the market to support the yen on two occasions this week.
Traders edged back from record bets on yen weakness this past week, in a period that included a likely bout of intervention by Japan to prop up the currency.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 4, 2024

Traders spooked by intervention risk trim record yen shorts

Traders edged back from record bets on yen weakness this past week, in a period that included a likely bout of intervention by Japan.
A Palestinian girl holding a child is silhouetted against the lights of an oncoming car in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group.
WORLD / Politics
May 5, 2024

Hamas official says group will not accept truce that does not end Gaza war

Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. mediators met a Hamas delegation in Cairo on Saturday in the latest bid to halt the fighting.
Japan Tobacco was the most popular investment destination among Nippon Individual Savings Account account holders at SBI Securities.
BUSINESS
May 5, 2024

Half of new NISA investments went to Japanese stocks

Japan Tobacco was the most popular investment destination among NISA account holders at SBI Securities.
Israeli tanks sit near a border crossing to the southern Gaza Strip, in Israel, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2024

Truce talks shift to Qatar as Hamas hits Israel border crossing

The status of the talks was unclear after the latest round in Cairo following weeks of negotiating toward a potential truce.
One analyst said Japanese policymakers "hid the intervention well," pointing to the ways they may have used to fund currency interventions recently.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 6, 2024

Market hunts for signs of yen intervention in Fed accounts

Recent data suggests that Japanese policymakers may have funded currency interventions using a Fed facility where central banks stash overnight cash.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson calls on USC President Carol Folt to convene an emergency student dialogue for the protest encampment in support of Palestinians at the University of Southern California's Alumni Park in Los Angeles on April 29.
WORLD
May 6, 2024

Police clear pro-Palestinian encampment at USC

The demonstrations have emerged as a political flash point during a contentious election year as President Joe Biden seeks a second term in office.
A child receives cotton candy at a free cafeteria opened in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on March 31.
JAPAN / Society
May 6, 2024

'Children's cafes' persevere in Noto despite quake damage

Some kodomo shokudō operating in the Okunoto region are struggling and need support.
A man films with a smartphone in front a placard for the German far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party during a campaign event for the upcoming European Parliament elections, and ahead of Saxony's municipal and state elections, in Dresden, eastern Germany, on May 1.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2024

German far right's TikTok success sparks rush to platform

Germany's political heavyweights have been spooked by the successes in reaching youth voters ahead of June's European elections.
Naoya Inoue (second from left) celebrates after defeating Luis Nery to retain his IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO super bantamweight titles at Tokyo Dome on Monday.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
May 6, 2024

Naoya Inoue dominates Luis Nery to remain undisputed super bantamweight champ

Inoue sent Nery to the canvas with in the sixth round to seal the victory.
Law enforcement officers walk along the Kremlin wall near Red Square in Moscow on Dec. 31.
WORLD / Politics
May 7, 2024

U.S. says soldier who went to Russia detained for ‘misconduct’

A U.S. soldier was detained in eastern Russia on "charges of criminal misconduct,” the U.S. Army said Monday, a potential new flashpoint in relations between the nations already at a low since Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
Nomura Holdings is targeting 20% revenue gains for its global markets unit over the next few years.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 7, 2024

Nomura targets 20% revenue growth from global markets business

The target builds on last year's 8% growth and follows a two-year revamp of trading teams for its rates and fixed-income business in Asia and EMEA.
Masato Kanda, vice minister of finance for international affairs, reiterated the currency authorities' readiness to step into the market for speculative-driven foreign exchange moves.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 7, 2024

Japan warns of action over rapid currency moves

Comments by the government's top currency diplomat, Masato Kanda, reinforced Tokyo's readiness to intervene again to support a fragile yen.
Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga pitches against the New York Mets at Citi Field in New York on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 7, 2024

Shota Imanaga looks to continue stellar stretch as Cubs face Padres

Imanaga has sparkled for Chicago since the 30-year-old joined the Cubs after eight seasons in Japan's top league
Protesters link arms outside Hamilton Hall barricading students inside the building at Columbia University, despite an order to disband the protest encampment supporting Palestinians or face suspension, in New York on April 30.
WORLD
May 7, 2024

Columbia University cancels main graduation ceremony in wake of protests

The protests drew national attention, inspiringf similar demonstrations at dozens of universities around the country.
Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer (left), defender Ian Maatsen (center) and forward Donyell Malen celebrate their team's victory over Paris Saint-Germain in Paris on Tuesday.
SOCCER
May 8, 2024

Borussia Dortmund overcome the odds to return to Wembley

In the June 1 Champions League final, Dortmund will face either Bayern Munich or 14-time champions Real Madrid.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks to reporters on Tuesday at the Prime Minister's Office following a meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 8, 2024

BOJ’s Ueda tweaks weak yen remarks in possible hint of rate hike

Yen weakness has escalated despite Japan’s first interest rate hike since 2007 in March.
Toyota said its group net profit in the fiscal year that ended in March nearly doubled from the previous year to hit a record high, due to robust sales of hybrid vehicles.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 8, 2024

Toyota posts record net profit on weak yen and strong hybrid sales

The carmaker saw a 31% jump in sales of hybrid vehicles, bringing the total to 3.7 million, while sales of purely electric cars were 116,500.
Jalen Brunson scored 24 points in the second half after missing the final 15 minutes of the first half with an injury in the Knicks' win over the Pacers in Game 2 of their playoff series on Wednesday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
May 9, 2024

Jalen Brunson shakes off injury to lead Knicks past Pacers

Jalen Brunson returned from a first-half injury to spark a second-half comeback for the New York Knicks.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong in Hanoi on Sept. 11, 2023. During Biden's visit to Hanoi last year, the U.S. and Vietnam elevated ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2024

Vietnam's China ties loom large in U.S. hearing on market economy upgrade

Opponents cite Beijing's outsized influence on Hanoi while proponents argue that denial of market economy status would push Vietnam closer to its neighbor.
People in a shopping district in Tokyo in March
BUSINESS / Economy
May 10, 2024

Japan’s households cut outlays as inflation remains sticky

Real outlays decreased 1.2% in March from a year before, falling for the 13th consecutive month.
People walk near the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on April 26.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 10, 2024

BOJ must avoid raising rates to combat weak yen, says ex-official

Higher borrowing costs would hit consumption and services inflation, said Tsutomu Watanabe, an expert on price trends.
Smoke billows from an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
WORLD
May 12, 2024

Fighting rages across Gaza as U.N. chief urges 'immediate cease-fire'

Correspondents and witnesses and said Israeli air strikes pounded parts of northern, central and southern Gaza during the night and into Sunday morning.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?