Search - u_times

 
 
The remains of the Prefectural Industry Promotion Building after the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima in September 1945.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 12, 2024

Nobel Prize is a warning to a world on the nuclear brink

The awarding of the prize to Nihon Hidankyo — a group of atomic bomb survivors — reflects a widely held fear that nuclear war is now closer than ever.
In his July Republican Party acceptance speech, Donald Trump vowed to launch the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 16, 2024

Who wants to buy the miracle tonic of mass deportation?

Donald Trump's mass deportation plan could result in thousands of deaths, tear families apart, and devastate communities.
Former tennis great Serena Williams announced that she recently had a cyst "the size of a grapefruit" removed from her neck.
TENNIS
Oct 17, 2024

Serena Williams has grapefruit-sized cyst removed from neck

Williams said that she is still recovering but that "all is OK."
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. logo at the TSMC Museum of Innovation in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on May 29. Analysts say TSMC's longer-term outlook, which hinges on demand for the high-end chips used to train and host artificial intelligence models, should remain intact.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 17, 2024

TSMC bulls expect strong results to support record-high shares

TSMC is seen as more resilient than its key equipment supplier, ASML Holding, whose outlook cut sparked a slide in global chip stocks.
The Washington Post newspaper's headquarters is seen on K Street in Washington in May 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 26, 2024

Washington Post to no longer endorse presidential candidates

The change is significant for the Post, which uncovered the Watergate scandal and has a long history of standing up to those in power.
Refugees from Darfur in eastern Chad on July 8. A major surge in fighting in Sudan has taken a searing toll on civilians, killing hundreds of people in aerial bombings and revenge attacks in late October, as Africa’s largest war shifts into a higher gear after the end of seasonal rains.
WORLD
Oct 27, 2024

Hundreds killed in days as war in Sudan surges

Territory has changed hands; a prominent commander has switched sides; and retreating fighters have sexually assaulted, kidnapped and killed villagers.
Bleached corals in Koh Mak, Thailand, on May 8
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Oct 28, 2024

Earth's biodiversity crisis in numbers

The COP16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia, enters its second week to assess progress toward halting and reversing nature's destruction by 2030.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Warren, Michigan, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 2, 2024

Democrats have a plan if Trump prematurely declares election victory

Trump said he hoped to be able to declare victory on Election Day, but experts have cautioned that it could be days before the final result is known.
Royal Canadian Navy Commander Vice Adm. Angus Topshee inspects an honor guard with Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Adm. Akira Saito during a meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2024

Canada Navy chief sees more chances for multiservice exercises with Japan

Ottawa has been gradually boosting its military engagement with Asian partners since unveiling its Indo-Pacific Strategy in late 2022.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk speaks during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. president Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2024

Elon Musk-led election falsehoods hang over vote as tally begins

Elon Musk has become Republican candidate Donald Trump’s most high-profile donor and supporter.
Gaetz speaks at a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Henderson, Nevada, on Oct. 31.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Matt Gaetz is Trump’s pick for attorney general

The pick reflects Donald Trump’s determination to choose as the nation’s top law enforcement official a fierce defender who will not resist his directives.
Relatives of the victim of an accident in the city of Oita held a news conference on Nov. 5, following the first hearing of the jury trial.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 14, 2024

Justice Ministry panel proposes stricter criteria for dangerous driving

Experts are advocating for the introduction of specific numerical thresholds for speed and blood alcohol content, addressing criticisms of ambiguity in the current law.
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Nov 18, 2024

In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation

The latest edition of the Japan Writers Conference was a friendly forum for anglophone writers to connect and converse.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (right) and First Lady Rosangela da Silva attend the Independence Day military parade in Brasilia, Brazil, on Sept. 7, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 18, 2024

Lula’s wife curses out Elon Musk on eve of Brazil’s G20

Brazil's first lady took aim at the billionaire owner of the X platform at an event while talking about the need to regulate social media networks and combat fake news.
The Bluesky social network has soared to one of the top positions in social network downloads in app stores in the past week since the U.S. election. The company reported a recent gain of 700,000 new users joining the social media platform, an alternative to X.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 18, 2024

How Bluesky, alternative to X and Facebook, is handling explosive growth

Bluesky’s meteoric growth underscores its role as a decentralized alternative to traditional social networks, prioritizing user control and developer creativity.
Demonstrators march to show support for immigrant families in New York on Nov. 9. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he intended to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military in some form to assist in his plans for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 19, 2024

Trump confirms plans to use the military to assist in mass deportations

The president-elect's team believes use of vast holding facilities could enable accelerated deportations of immigrants who fight their expulsion from the country.
A safety course for electric scooters offered in Tokyo in June
JAPAN / Explainer
Jul 21, 2023

Bike, scooter, taxi? Here are your options for nonrail transit in Japan

Here's a rundown on your options and how best to utilize them — whether your a tourist or long-time resident.
Medics help a woman who had passed out from the heat in Athens, Greece, on Thursday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 21, 2023

Extreme heat and weather conditions attributed to stagnant jet stream

It’s no coincidence that extreme heat is engulfing huge swaths of Asia, Europe and North America all at the same time.
A friendly between England and the United States drew a crowd of 78,000 at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 7, 2022.
SPORTS
Jul 20, 2023

Women's sports experiencing steady growth in popularity and value

Women's sports are growing in popularity and value. Better yet, that growth is no longer dependent upon quadrennial events like the Olympics or World Cups.
The mushroom cloud caused by the Trinity nuclear test is seen on July 16, 1945. A new study, released on Thursday ahead of submission to a scientific journal for peer review, shows that the cloud and its fallout went farther than anyone in the Manhattan Project had imagined in 1945.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 22, 2023

Trinity nuclear test’s fallout reached 46 states, Canada and Mexico, study finds

The research shows that the first atomic bomb explosion’s effects had been underestimated, and could help more “downwinders” press for federal compensation.
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring in his debut for Inter Miami during a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 25, 2023

Will Messi’s MLS gambit be good for Latin American soccer?

The superstar’s arrival in Miami will spur investment in the sport throughout the Americas and may finally help slow the exodus of young players to Europe.
The natural beauty of Minakami has attracted hundreds adventure tourism companies, but there's still no overarching network of safety protocols in place.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 15, 2023

In Japan’s adventure tourism mecca, the rush comes with risk

Minakami has come a long way since the early days of its adventure tourism beginnings, but if it wants to last well into the future, regulation may be key.
Russian and North Korean flags fly above a street in Vladivostok, Russia, in 2019. As Pyongyang prepares to mark the Korean War's 70th anniversary, Kim Jong Un's regime has Russia to thank.
WORLD
Jul 26, 2023

North Korea’s depleted coffers are filling up again thanks to Russia

New funds are enabling Kim Jong Un to ignore financial incentives designed to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table.
Qin Gang
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 25, 2023

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang removed from office after one-month absence

The report did not give a reason for Qin's removal, but said President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to enact the decision. Top diplomat Wang Yi will replace him.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Dec. 29. Meloni is expected to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden this week.
WORLD
Jul 27, 2023

Meloni to tell Biden privately Italy plans break with China

The Italian prime minister is not planning to go public on her decision to break with China during her short trip to Washington.
Many obstacles stand in the way of effectively combating corruption globally. Reaching an agreement on international regulations would be a good starting point.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2023

A world engulfed in corruption and cronyism

In today’s interconnected world, the consequences of cronyism and corruption often extend beyond national borders.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits an area in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, which was damaged by heavy rain earlier this month, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 28, 2023

Kishida seeks reset as My Number woes hit approval ratings

The prime minister has embarked on a nationwide tour to listen to the concerns of local communities in an effort to expand his political reach and prop up his popular support.
Yevgeny Prigozhin
WORLD
Jul 29, 2023

Wagner chief’s exile is anything but as he visits St. Petersburg

As Vladimir Putin was welcoming African heads of state to a summit in St. Petersburg, renegade warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin stole the limelight in the president’s home city.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July 2022
WORLD / Politics
Jul 30, 2023

Biden presses ahead with effort to broker Israeli-Saudi rapprochement

The fact that U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan returned to Jeddah so soon after his last visit suggests prospects for an accord.
As artificial intelligence grows more sophisticated, transparency has taken a back seat and could harm its quality and safety.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2023

Secretive chatbot developers are making a big mistake

Before we can ponder existential threats of the new technology, Silicon Valley must be forced to disclose more about how their tools are created.

Longform

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