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U.S. President Joe Biden (second from rigt), U.S. first lady Jill Biden (right), Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (second from left) and Jaime Green, first lady of Hawaii, visit an area devastated by wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Monday.
WORLD / Society
Aug 22, 2023

Biden vows to help Maui rebuild after ‘unimaginable tragedy’

"Whatever you need, you’re going to get,” Biden said in the historic town of Lahaina, which was ravaged by the fires, vowing to help residents rebuild.
Cloning a person’s voice is increasingly easy. Once a scammer downloads a short sample from an audio clip they can use AI voice-synthesizing tools to create the content they need.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 22, 2023

Powered by technology, imposter scams drive new wave of fraud

Scammers methods sound like the stuff of science fiction, but advanced techniques are already available to criminals preying on everyday consumers.
A construction site in Dubai, where workers often face temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 23, 2023

As temperatures climb, millions more people face food insecurity

A recent study shows that extreme heat leads to an impossible conundrum for many workers: Risk your health to earn a living, or go hungry.
Artificial intelligence is likely to help Big Tech companies cement their industry dominance as they are the ones with the resources to develop and maintain the most powerful AI models.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2023

Unlocking AI’s potential for everyone

The tech industry’s dominant players are now deploying artificial-intelligence models to reinforce their positions in the market.
Storage tanks containing treated water on the grounds of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant earlier this week. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, the plant’s operator, started releasing some of the water into the sea on Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2023

Japan begins controversial release of treated Fukushima water

The discharge is a major step in the decommissioning process for the reactors hit by meltdowns following the March 2011 tsunami.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (left), former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (center) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the first debate between Republican candidates on Wednesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 24, 2023

Absent Trump still steals show at raucous Republican debate

Trump's snubbing of the event deprived a chasing pack of rivals, whom he leads in polls, of the opportunity to direct shots at him live on stage.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 24, 2023

El Nino could doom Indonesia's rare tropical glaciers by 2026

Indonesia expects the dry season could run until October as El Nino increases the risk of forest fires and threatens supplies of clean water.
A woman stands on one side of the wall texting in front of a nightclub while, on the other side of the wall, a man works in an izakaya.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 24, 2023

One night out in Tokyo

As the last trains leave the central hubs of Shinjuku and Shibuya for the suburbs, much of the city heads home. However, Tokyo never sleeps.
Wagner mercenaries guard the president and other high-ranking attendees at an event in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, in May 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 25, 2023

Wagner’s empire in Africa will live on after Prigozhin

Prigozhin built a business empire on the continent over the past five years, becoming an iconoclastic celebrity in places like Mali.
People attend a job fair in China's southwestern city of Chongqing on April 11. China on Aug. 15 said it would suspend the release of youth unemployment data, fueling data transparency concerns and heightening worries about the country’s economic slowdown.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Aug 25, 2023

China braces for wider youth unemployment problems

Last week, Beijing decided to halt the release of urban youth unemployment data, which has been soaring in recent years.
Koenji-based dance troupe Tengu-ren performs at an Awa odori event in Tokyo's Kagurazaka neighborhood a month before the Koenji Awa Odori.
CULTURE / Longform
Aug 26, 2023

The party returns to Koenji

While the COVID-19 pandemic put a temporary pause to one of Tokyo’s biggest festivals, its dancers never stopped practicing their steps.
Walter F. Hatch sheds light on how Japan's actions during World War II continue to haunt the country in "Ghosts in the Neighborhood."
CULTURE / Books
Aug 27, 2023

‘Ghosts in the Neighborhood’ illuminates a path to reconciliation

Asian politics expert Walter F. Hatch sheds light on the role multilateral institutions can play in Japan coming to terms with its World War II past.
Yuka Saso leads the CPKC Women's Open after one round at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Aug 25, 2023

Japan's Yuka Saso grabs first round lead at CPKC Women's Open

The U.S. Women's Open in 2021, came alive with four straight birdies and added two more to ensure a one-stroke lead over Sweden's Linn Grant.
Designed by Sadamaranai Obake, Kumomonaka is a wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) kit that encourages those in mourning to talk about the past while creating sweets in colors that remind them of their deceased loved ones.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 26, 2023

Japan-made novelties with deeper purpose

The easiest way to understand Japanese cultural concepts might be through these smartly designed products.
Investors stand in front of an electronic board showing stock information on the first trading day after the weeklong Lunar New Year holiday at a brokerage house in Shanghai.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Aug 26, 2023

China’s market rescue is failing as Xi holds back on stimulus

China’s regulators face a losing battle convincing global funds to invest in the nation’s stocks without stronger stimulus packages.
A woman carries food to customers at a Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 27, 2023

Hong Kong turns to tycoons to get party scene back on track

The government is urging major property groups to help boost the nighttime economy via drink coupons, free events and later shopping hours.
Carlos Alcaraz serves during his match against Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Aug. 20.
TENNIS
Aug 27, 2023

Djokovic and Alcaraz on collision course at U.S. Open

A little more than six weeks after an enthralling Wimbledon final, the two men could meet again at Flushing Meadows
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.
Members of the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and U.S. armed forces carry national flags during the opening ceremony of joint military exercises in Taguig, Philippines, in October 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 27, 2023

How Japan can make the most of its latest diplomatic tool

Japan recently decided to establish a policy of Official Security Assistance. But how can it ensure its success?
A Mazda MX-30 at a dealership in the city of Hiroshima. The MX-30 is the only electric vehicle model Mazda currently sells in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Aug 28, 2023

Mazda accelerates EV shift in China, reshaping ties with suppliers

Mazda’s sales in China in the year from April 2022 halved from the previous year to 84,000 units due to a thin lineup of EVs.
Spectators gather in the gallery of the House Chamber during a special session on public safety to discuss gun violence in the wake of the Covenant School shooting, at the Tennessee State Capitol, in Nashville, Tennessee, last Tuesday.
WORLD / Society
Aug 28, 2023

Record number of U.S. children killed by guns in '21, study shows

Gun violence has been the number one cause of death for children in the United States since 2020.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris will be used as a venue for five-a-side football during the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
PARALYMPICS
Aug 28, 2023

Paris 2024 eyes sell-out Paralympics crowds to beat London record, IPC says

Tickets for the Paralympics, to be held between Aug. 28 and Sept. 8, weeks after the Olympics in the French capital, go on sale on Oct. 9.
The charred remains of Lahaina, a coastal town on the Hawaiian island of Maui, on Aug. 11
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 28, 2023

Extreme weather events are driving climate denialism online

Researchers tracking talk on social media report that some people believe recent climate catastrophes are actually proof that climate change is fake.
The Sasso 2 Geothermical power plant in Italy
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 28, 2023

Dante’s inferno may have the answer for Europe’s energy bind

One geothermal site in Italy generates more than 5% of the nation’s clean power production.
Exxon Mobil projects the world will reach 25 billion metric tons of energy related carbon dioxide emissions in 2050.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 29, 2023

Exxon says world set to fail global warming cap by 2050

The largest U.S. oil producer projects the world will reach 25 billion metric tons of energy related carbon dioxide emissions in 2050.
U.S. President Joe Biden looks on as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a meeting at the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Society
Aug 29, 2023

Biden and Harris ask U.S. to fight racism after Florida shooting

A 21-year old white gunman shot and killed three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday.
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.
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.

Longform

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