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A migrant from Mali, who said he is from the Fulani community and escaped the war in his country and arrived in El Hierro Island a year ago, speaks to  journalist in Barcelona on Friday,
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 24, 2024

West Africa becomes global terrorism hotspot as Western forces leave

Western powers that previously invested in trying to beat back the jihadists have very little capacity left on the ground.
A farmer harvests rice in a paddy field in Tamba-Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture, last month.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 25, 2024

In need of rice and some Japanese words that describe necessity

When does something go from being a "want" to a "need"? A few grammar structures can give the listener a sense of how urgent a situation is becoming.
Fever guard Caitlin Clark tries to dribble past the Sun's Veronica Burton during Game 2 of their playoff series in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Sunday.
BASKETBALL
Sep 26, 2024

Fever star Caitlin Clark confident best yet to come following playoff exit

The 22-year-old broke the single-season assists record (337), smashed the rookie scoring record with 769 points.
Eric Adams, mayor of New York, exits a weekly news conference at City Hall in New York in 2023.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 27, 2024

NYC mayor was corrupt for years, U.S. claims in scathing case

The indictment calls into question the political future of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is in charge of running the biggest U.S. city.
Liam Lawson, 22, has been Red Bull reserve since 2022 and filled in for 35-year-old Ricciardo at five races last year when the eight-times grand prix winner was injured.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 27, 2024

Lawson to replace Ricciardo at RB for rest of F1 season

The move was widely expected following mounting speculation that the Australian's Formula One career had reached the end of the road.
The world's multilateral development banks must shift to a growth-focused approach that stabilizes economies without forcing them to cut essential public spending.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2024

The world needs bigger and better financial firefighters

The world's multilateral development banks must shift to a growth-focused approach that stabilizes economies without forcing them to cut essential public spending.
Musician Koshi Inaba is the latest artist to be featured on national broadcaster NHK’s Tiny Desk Concerts Japan. Based on a series from America’s National Public Radio, Japan’s version has spotlighted acts that you likely wouldn’t see stateside, like veteran rockers Kirinji and upstart pop artist yama.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 28, 2024

NHK furthers global reach with Tiny Desk Concerts Japan

Musician Koshi Inaba delivered a rollicking set for the stripped-down music series that brings cherry-picked Japanese acts you likely wouldn’t see stateside to new ears.
A photo of Chinese leader Xi Jinping is displayed at the National Security Exhibition Gallery in Hong Kong on Monday. The 24-man Politburo led by Xi has recently unveiled a series of pro-growth goodies to help the country's economy.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Sep 28, 2024

Xi’s big stimulus week aims to draw a line under China slowdown

A recent barrage of policy announcements marked a sea change in Xi’s approach to managing China’s $18 trillion economy.
Shigeru Ishiba, the newly elected leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party holds a news conference after the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 28, 2024

Ishiba gets down to the business of forming new administration

The incoming prime minister has reportedly decided to keep Yoshimasa Hayashi in the key post of chief cabinet secretary.
South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth (back left), flanker Siya Kolisi (left, front) and their teammates celebrate after the Springboks secured the Rugby Championship with a win over Argentina on Saturday in Mbombela, South Africa.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 29, 2024

Kolisi hails record-breaking Etzebeth as Springboks exact revenge

Etzebeth, 32, played the entire 80 minutes in Mbombela as he overtook Victor Matfield and became the most capped Springbok with 128 caps.
While Shigeru Ishiba’s victory suggests a shift within the Liberal Democratic Party, he still faces challenges from those who remain loyal to the old party guard. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 29, 2024

Japan’s perennial political underdog finally gets a win

Ishiba margin of victory was slim, meaning that there is still a sizable portion of the party who will be resistant to his initiatives.
The conduct and business of love in Japan’s Edo Period  (1603-1867) was rough, and nowhere was it rougher than in the pleasure quarters of the capital city.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Sep 29, 2024

Good or bad, both or neither: Edo Japan and the moral conscience

The era's warrior class and its martial virtues were redundant but lived on — overshadowed by the pursuit of pleasure.
Shigeru Ishiba (center) celebrates in Tokyo on Friday after he was elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He defeated economic security minister Sanae Takaichi (second from left) in a runoff vote.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 30, 2024

Shigeru Ishiba’s tenure as prime minister could be short-lived

Questions about his leadership and management ability weaken his prospects.
A man walks across a makeshift walkway across a damaged bridge on U.S. Route 64 after the passage of Hurricane Helene, in Bat Cave, North Carolina, on Monday.
WORLD
Oct 1, 2024

Recovery efforts hampered by 'post-apocalyptic' destruction after storm Helene

As many as 600 people remained unaccounted for, with flooded roads and toppled cellphone towers isolating devastated communities.
A U.S. Marine participates in counterdrone training in June 2021.
WORLD
Oct 1, 2024

Pentagon’s Replicator 2 to focus on countering threat from small drones

U.S. military facilities around the globe, including those in Japan and South Korea, are expected to benefit from the initiative.
Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet appointments reveal deep fissures within the party resulting from his victory in the leadership race.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 1, 2024

The new prime minister puts together a ‘disunity Cabinet’

While Ishiba tries to promote his policy priorities, the Cabinet's composition may create challenges for his leadership.
The Japanese used by any shop clerk in Japan will generally be the most polite form of the language.
LIFE / Language / Vocabulary Boost
Oct 1, 2024

'Need a bag for that?': Knowing what the clerks are saying at the convenience store

When it comes to serving their customers, convenience store workers tend to all read from the same mannerly script.
Dani Alderman, 31, who was diagnosed in May 2023 with triple negative breast cancer, at her apartment in Manhattan on Sunday
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 2, 2024

Breast cancer cases continue to rise among younger women, study finds

One in 50 U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer by age 50, according to the American Cancer Society report.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, 66, has experience as the onetime head of Japan’s former Defense Agency before it became a full-fledged ministry and is seen as a pair of steady hands.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 2, 2024

Ishiba looks to 'defense tribe' to fill key Cabinet positions

The new prime minister has named four former defense ministers to key posts — most notably, the defense and foreign affairs portfolios.
A talented photographer (Makoto Tanaka, left) can’t help outshining her tight-knit circle of art school friends in “See You Tomorrow.”
CULTURE / Film
Oct 3, 2024

‘See You Tomorrow’: A pursuit of passion grounded in reality

Saki Michimoto's stylish and accomplished debut feature centers on a gifted photographer, her art school friends and their uncertainty about what comes next in life.
Kim Sang-man’s “Uprising” has attracted significant attention ahead of its world premiere thanks largely to the involvement of  its producer Park Chan-wook, best-known for directing ultra-violent thrillers like 2003’s “Old Boy,” which played a key role in bringing South Korean cinema to the global forefront.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 3, 2024

Netflix war epic to open Asia's largest film festival

Streaming-only content has contributed to a significant surge in the global visibility of Korean and Korean diaspora stories.
Tigers pitcher Will Vest (right) and catcher Jake Rogers celebrate after the final out of their win over the Astros in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series in Houston on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 3, 2024

Upstart Tigers continue stunning run by sweeping Astros

Detroit swept the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series to reach a second-round matchup against the Cleveland Guardians.
Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates after scoring against Bayern Munich during their Champions League match in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Oct 3, 2024

Aston Villa stuns Bayern in repeat of 1982 European Cup final

Prince William was among the over 40,000 Villa fans who inspired Unai Emery's men to shrug off the vast gulf in Champions League pedigree between the sides.
Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins passes against the Buccaneers in Atlanta on Thursday. The Falcons won 36-30 in overtime.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 4, 2024

Kirk Cousins goes over 500 yards to lift Falcons to win over Buccaneers in overtime

Cousins completed 42 of 58 passes for 509 yards and four touchdowns.
The FIFA logo is seen during a news conference in February 2019.
SOCCER
Oct 4, 2024

FIFA defers decision on call to suspend Israel

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) called for its Israeli counterpart to be suspended in May.
Paul Watson speaks at a news conference on the sidelines of the U.N. climate summit in Paris in December 2015.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 4, 2024

Japan says Paul Watson case 'nothing to do with whaling'

The co-founder of Sea Shepherd was arrested in Greenland in July on an arrest warrant issued by Japan.
A damaged road in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 6, after a major earthquake struck the area on New Year's Day
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / OUR PLANET
Oct 6, 2024

Important tool or alarmism? Japan experts split on megaquake advisories.

Supporters say the advisories are about reducing risk, but critics see a system that isn’t based on science and one in which the cons outweigh the pros.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has replaced his chief of staff and must now review key tax-raising plans that have been questioned over their viability.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 7, 2024

Starmer forced into messy reset less than 100 days in power

He has replaced his chief of staff, Sue Gray, and is reviewing key tax-raising plans amid questions over their viability.
Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine, much like those of past Soviet leaders, stem from a desire to be recognized as a global power and from perceived Western threats.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2024

The sources of Russian conduct

From Josef Stalin to Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet leaders shared Putin’s desire for “great power” prestige.
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe (left) in action against Villarreal's Santi Comesana in Madrid on Saturday
SOCCER
Oct 8, 2024

Mbappe under fire for skipping France duty but playing for Real Madrid

"As a captain (Mbappe) must be an example for the fans, and he has not been," said a spokesperson for a France supporters' group.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat