Search - 2022

 
 
People wait in line to take a COVID-19 oral swab test on a sidewalk in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City on June 20.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 25, 2023

Highly mutated COVID variant BA.2.86 found in two more countries

Omicron offshoot BA.2.86 carries more than 35 mutations in key portions of the virus compared with XBB.1.5, the dominant variant through most of 2023.
A Cruise autonomous taxi in San Francisco on Aug. 10. Cruise is one of only two firms in California allowed to run paid robotaxi services around the clock.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 25, 2023

Robotaxis are making enemies as they go around San Francisco

Mishaps are adding to traffic and safety concerns over driverless vehicles, which zip around the city’s streets surrounded by sensors and cameras.
Sheep rest under a starry night in Pontimia Pasture in the Swiss Alps.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 25, 2023

Crying wolf to save livestock and their predator

Preservation groups have hailed the return of wolves, seeing it as a sign of a healthier ecosystem. But breeders decry soaring attacks on livestock.
Infielder Jose Osuna is two home runs away from his second straight 20-homer season for the Swallows.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 25, 2023

Confident Jose Osuna says Swallows just have to keep fighting

Jose Osuna still has faith in the Swallows despite the team's underwhelming performance this season.
The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2023

Tritium level near Fukushima plant well below Tepco standards

The plant operator said the level in the Pacific Ocean was below about 10 becquerels per liter in all 10 locations it surveyed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Kursk during World War II in Russia's Kursk region on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 26, 2023

Russia pushes long-term influence operations aimed at U.S. and Europe

Russian spy agencies are using the techniques to hide the Kremlin’s involvement in cultivating pro-Russia messages, a U.S. analysis has shown.
Residents embrace after a deadly shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, killed three.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 27, 2023

Florida gunman driven by racial 'hate' kills three

The deadly incident in Jacksonville is the latest in a series of racially motivated shooting sprees in the United States.
A new Russian textbook for high school students on general world and national history
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2023

Putin’s history lessons fail to heed the lessons of history

Putin seems to have forgotten is that rewriting history to serve the interests of those in power tends to invite dissent and often backfires.
One big challenge public health officials now face is how to restore trust so that people listen to future guidance on everything from flu shots to childhood vaccines.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2023

Not all COVID-19 ‘misinformation’ is equal — nor misinformation

Public health scientists have to figure out how to get back to the kind of nuanced, thoughtful discussions that were the pre-pandemic norm.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Kenta Izumi speaks to reporters in the Diet building earlier this month.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 27, 2023

Some CDP leaders may accept the restart of idled nuclear reactors

Opposition to nuclear power remains strong in the CDP, as it has been a key plank in the party's platform since the party was created.
The Environment Ministry plans to launch a survey in fiscal 2024 on how manufacturers recycle plastics and metals contained in industrial waste.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2023

Japan to conduct survey on closed-loop recycling

Closed-loop recycling is spreading in recent years on the back of improvements in technology to remove impurities from recyclable waste.
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Programme's fighter jet is displayed at the DSEI Japan defense show at Makuhari Messe in Chiba in March.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 31, 2023

What the trilateral fighter jet program means for Japan

The program, also involving the U.K. and Italy, is the first such project with countries other than the U.S.
An H2A rocket at Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on Monday
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 28, 2023

Japan suspends H2A rocket launch for moonshot due to strong winds

Unsuitable wind conditions in the upper atmosphere forced a suspension less than 30 minutes before the planned liftoff.
The Nagor fishing harbor in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India, in 2016
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 28, 2023

Indian fishermen use smartphones to map a vanishing way of life

Port and power plant development plans could beach a flotilla of boats that trawl the waters for mackerel and sea bass.
Travelers arrive for security checks at the newly-inaugurated terminal of Ercan airport outside Nicosia in the self-declared Turkish Republic of North Cyprus on July 21
WORLD / Politics
Aug 28, 2023

New airport sparks unlikely dreams in isolated north Cyprus

Tourism provides crucial income for the north, whose economy relies on Ankara for support and, like Turkey, has suffered from soaring inflation.
Pham Minh Chinh, Vietnam's prime minister, at a summit in Brussels in December 2022
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 28, 2023

Flagging growth fuels tensions clouding Vietnam premier’s future

Despite some successes, failure to hit the country's ambitious growth target could be career-damaging for PM Pham Minh Chinh.
A protest against the redevelopment of Dharavi, one of Asia's largest slums, in Mumbai. Banners read: "Remove Adani, Save Dharavi" and "First we fought the whites now we fight the thieves".
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 28, 2023

Billionaire's bid to remake Mumbai slum spurs residents' doubts

Amid massive financial setbacks and allegations that political allies gave him favorable treatment, some question Adani's intentions.
Aichi Prefectural Police investigators raid a car dealership in Komaki in August last year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 28, 2023

Car thefts on the rise in Japan as vehicle prices remain high

Cases of car theft increased last year for the first time in almost a decade, with Aichi the most affected prefecture, and are still rising rapidly.
Toyota Motor has suspended operations at a dozen factories in Japan due to a system failure.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 29, 2023

Toyota set to resume operations after glitch halts production

Tuesday's halt raised concerns that the stoppage could be due to a cyberattack, though the company said that was unlikely.
A survey by a health ministry research team has found that a significant proportion of doctors in Japan are at risk of death from overwork.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 29, 2023

Around 20% of doctors in Japan at risk of death from overwork

A survey showed that 20.4% of full-time doctors worked over 60 hours per week, exceeding the weekly legal working hours of 40 hours.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on July 29.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 29, 2023

Donald Trump faces up to six trials during 2024 primary season

The four criminal indictments pose the greatest threat to the former U.S. president because they all carry potential prison terms.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, right, speaks during a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao in Beijing on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 29, 2023

U.S. commerce secretary says trade can stabilize U.S.-China ties

The trip to China this week is a key test of efforts by Washington to ease tensions while holding firm on what it considers national security interests.
The Shein logo at the company's office in Singapore in 2022. The company, which sells $7 dresses and $5 home goods in more than 150 countries, has moved its headquarters to Singapore but manufactures most of its products in China.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 29, 2023

U.S. states ask SEC to confirm Shein complies with labor rules

The request adds to pressure on Shein as China hawks in Congress target Chinese firms that do not align with U.S. foreign policy goals.
Noah Lyles of the United States celebrates after winning the men's 200m final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Friday.
BASKETBALL
Aug 29, 2023

Sprint king Lyles draws NBA players' ire over 'world champion' claims

Lyles said he is offended when teams declare themselves "world champions" for winning an NBA crown.
The 3M global headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota. The multinational conglomerate has tentatively agreed to pay more than $5.5 billion to resolve over 300,000 lawsuits claiming it sold the U.S. military defective combat earplugs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 29, 2023

3M to pay more than $5.5 billion over faulty combat earplugs

Current and former service members allege 3M knew its earplugs were too short to work effectively and that it failed to warn the U.S. government or users.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a backhand return against France's Alexandre Muller during the U.S. Open tennis tournament men's singles first round match in New York on Monday.
TENNIS
Aug 29, 2023

Djokovic back on top after U.S. Open return as Swiatek advances

Djokovic shrugged off a late-night start on the Arthur Ashe Stadium to demolish France's Alexandre Muller 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 in just 1 hour 35 minutes.
Security personnel guard the BYD booth at the Auto Shanghai show in April 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 29, 2023

China's leading electric carmaker BYD triples half-year profit

This month the company became the first global manufacturer to pass the 5 million milestone in electric vehicle production.
Over the last decade, the attention given to falling income and wealth inequality has been tiny, creating a view of the issue that may be seriously out of date.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2023

We should concentrate on fighting poverty, not income inequality

Wealth inequality has recently gone down in the U.S. and the West, and the decline has been going on for the better part of the last decade.
Saury are unloaded at a port in Akkeshi, Hokkaido, this month.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2023

Hokkaido hit hard by China's ban on Japan seafood imports

Chinese demand for products like scallops and sea cucumbers provides a crucial source of revenue for the prefecture.
An employee removes an electric scooter by Tier sharing service from a street in Paris as an e-scooter ban is set to take effect in the French capital this week.
WORLD / Society
Aug 29, 2023

Paris blazes a trail by bidding adieu to rental electric scooters

Paris will on Friday become the first European capital to ban floating electric scooters from its streets, leaving fans desolate but relieving those who loathed their "nuisance" factor.

Longform

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