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U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday for a bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 15, 2023

Biden says China has 'real problems' ahead of key summit with Xi

The leaders of the world's two largest economies will huddle on the sidelines of the APEC summit in California for their first encounter in a year.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed David Cameron as foreign secretary, a shock return to government for a man who previously led the country and whose legacy is defined for calling the Brexit referendum.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 15, 2023

Sunak’s gamble on former U.K. leader Cameron is an act of desperation

The return of the former prime minister creates an unprecedented imbalance at the summit of U.K. power.
People pass an electronic board showing the rate of the yen against the dollar on a street in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2023

Former currency czar sees structural factors behind yen weakness

"I wonder whether overseas investors may be thinking what's in it for investing in Japan," said Rintaro Tamaki.
Japan's exports gained 1.6% from a year earlier in October, slowing from a 4.3% increase in the previous month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 16, 2023

Japan’s economy remains under pressure as export growth slows

The value of exports gained 1.6% from a year earlier, slowing from a 4.3% increase in the previous month, according to the Finance Ministry.
A home that was burned in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Kissufim, an Israeli kibbutz. Antisemitic and Islamophobic hate speech has soared on social media platforms since the war broke out between Hamas and Israel.
WORLD / Society
Nov 16, 2023

Antisemitic and anti-Islam hate speech surges across the internet

On Oct. 7, the day Hamas attacked Israel, the hashtag #HitlerWasRight appeared on X, formerly known as Twitter. Over the next month, more than 46,000 posts featured the hashtag, often alongside language that called for violence against Jews.
With this simple yet filling soup, you might just forget you're not back home at the family table for Thanksgiving dinner.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Nov 19, 2023

Recipe: Velvety kabocha soup

Kabocha is harvested in the summer in some regions, and after sitting for a few months, the plentiful starches inside the tough outer skin turn to sugars.
A Ukrainian soldier during a live fire training exercise in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on Oct. 26. The outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East has raised questions about allies’ ability to remain focused on supporting Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 17, 2023

Zelenskyy says artillery to Ukraine slowed by Israel-Hamas war

The outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East has raised questions about allies’ ability to remain focused on supporting Ukraine.
Rakuten Securities President Yuji Kusunoki
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 17, 2023

Rakuten Securities sees payoff from free trading plan after a year

The firm plans to make up for the decrease in domestic stock trading commission fee revenues by expanding its financial services such as margin trading.
Mio Sugita
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2023

LDP lawmaker Mio Sugita under fire again over Ainu comments

In September this year, the Sapporo Legal Affairs Bureau found that her blog post about the Ainu people in 2016 violated their human rights.
Singapore national flags hang from the facade of a Housing & Development Board public housing estate in the Selegie area of Singapore, in 2021.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 17, 2023

China puts money behind Singapore model in major housing shift

Details are undisclosed, outlined in a classified "Document 14" last month.
Batsman Daryl Mitchell said New Zealand is proud of the way it plays cricket.
MORE SPORTS / Cricket
Nov 17, 2023

New Zealand pushes back at criticism over helping opponent

New Zealand batsman Daryl Mitchell said the Black Caps are proud of the way they play cricket.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrives for the leaders and spouses dinner during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 18, 2023

Philippines' Marcos meets China's Xi amid South China Sea tensions

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, seeking ways to come up with mechanisms to lower tensions.
Overflowing trash next to a vending machine in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, which is popular with tourists, in March
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 18, 2023

Trash cans make techie comeback in Japan as tourists flood cities

This week, the tourist-heavy Dotonbori district in Osaka installed around 20 new technologically enabled garbage cans called SmaGO.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the final session of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco on Friday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 18, 2023

A rare opportunity to see China’s leader up close and (sort of) personal

President Xi Jinping of China is one of the most self-contained Chinese leaders in decades, who reveals next to nothing about his personal life.
Palestinians hold a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a protest in support of the people of Gaza, in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Oct. 20.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 18, 2023

How Putin is trying to use the Gaza war to his geopolitical advantage

Putin, experts say, is trying to use Israel's war against Hamas to escalate what he has cast as an existential battle with the West.
A worker uses a vacuum cleaner inside a bullet train at Suseo Station in Seoul on Nov. 13. South Korea is launching a four-week campaign against bedbugs after multiple reports of infestations sparked widespread public anxiety.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 19, 2023

Bedbug anxiety comes for Asia, and the pest killers are here for it

Outbreaks in France and South Korea have people across Asia on high alert for bedbugs. Exterminators in the region say business is booming.
Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring a goal for France during Euro 2024 qualifying against Gibraltar in Nice on Saturday.
SOCCER
Nov 19, 2023

France breaks records as trio of teams qualify for Euro 2024

Les Bleus set a new record for margin of victory in European qualifying and a national record during the game in Nice.
Visitors stroll through a tunnel of autumn maple leaves at Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture on Nov. 4.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Nov 19, 2023

Fall is the new summer: Warming threatens Japan’s cultural calendar

Climate change is disrupting Japan’s autumn and seasonal experiences, and with it the rhythm of people’s lives.
Taiwan People's Party chairman Ko Wen-je arrives for a news conference in New Taipei City on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 19, 2023

Taiwan opposition talks deadlocked with no signs of compromise

The issue of China, which views Taiwan as its territory, looms over the Jan. 13 parliamentary and presidential elections.
A Tiffany store in Shanghai. Luxury companies are targeting VIC's, or very important clients, as China's post-pandemic economic slowdown dries up the spending power of the middle class.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 20, 2023

Exclusivity the name of the game as firms target China's wealthiest

Brands are focusing on selling fewer, more valuable items, relying on luxury consumers.
A report by MSCI ESG Research showed that just one-tenth of MSCI Japan Index firms have reached the 30% female board member threshold that the government is seeking for top-listed businesses.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2023

Japan boards may struggle amid pressure for diversity, MSCI says

Just one-tenth of MSCI Japan Index firms have reached the 30% female board member threshold that the government is seeking for top-listed businesses.
A Palestinian medic cares for premature babies evacuated from Shifa hospital to the Emirates hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 20, 2023

Premature babies moved from Shifa hospital amid Gaza carnage

The World Health Organization has described the situation at Gaza's biggest hospital as a "death zone."
Sam Altman participates in an event at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders week in San Francisco on Nov. 16.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 20, 2023

OpenAI appoints ex-Twitch boss as CEO, while Altman joins Microsoft

The decision not to reinstate Altman as CEO has confounded efforts by investors and employees of the firm to steady the ship by bringing him back.
A resurgence in market activity has already helped to boost earnings at Barclays’ Japanese securities arm this year, which is likely to surpass 2022’s record profit of ¥15.1 billion.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2023

Barclays expects bumper Japan profit amid struggles elsewhere

The British bank is expecting another year of record profit in Japan on the back of the country’s debt and rates market trading resurgence.
Members of the Australian national team celebrate after winning the Cricket World Cup final at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Cricket
Nov 21, 2023

One-day format revived as Australia gatecrashes India's World Cup

It was a remarkable journey for Australia, which began its campaign with back-to-back defeats yet still won the trophy for the sixth time.
Japanese stock markets have already rallied to around their highest since 1990, with consumer and financial stocks outperforming domestic indexes.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Nov 21, 2023

Japan's inflation comeback prompts investors to tear up playbooks

Investors are tearing up their playbooks to focus on expected higher interest rates, more generous dividends and a revival in consumer spending.
Fans of the Malmo soccer team during a match against Elfsborg at the Eleda stadium in Malmo, Sweden, on Nov. 12. While most of Europe’s leagues engage in a Sisyphean quest to source as much money as possible, Sweden has chosen a different model. But its rewards come with risk.
SOCCER
Nov 21, 2023

Business booming after Swedish soccer puts fans before finances

The story surrounding the game is one of rejecting orthodoxy, of asking why sports exist and whom they exist for — but also how hard it is to stand alone.
By Monday, OpenAI's board were overseeing a company in name only, with virtually the whole staff committed to a pledge of seeing them go or quitting the firm for fired former CEO Sam Altman's project at Microsoft.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Nov 21, 2023

AI doomsayers blamed in OpenAI's undoing

Harsh critics see a deeply troubled startup that fell victim to the pearl-clutching of an incompetent board that was divorced from reality.
“Bubble Universe” contains dynamic lights inside spheres that interact with visitors and each other.
CULTURE / Art
Nov 21, 2023

A first look inside teamLab’s new Borderless museum

The international art collective unveiled two installations that will appear in the digital museum’s new space in Azabudai Hills in 2024.
A new study challenges conventional wisdom on income inequality and questions if the top 1% are really pulling away.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2023

America’s top 1% don’t make as much as you might think

A new study challenges conventional wisdom on income inequality and questions if the top 1% are really pulling away.

Longform

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