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Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius leaves a courthouse in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2016.
PARALYMPICS
Nov 24, 2023

Former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius granted parole a decade after killing girlfriend

Pistorius was found guilty of murder and given a 13-year jail sentence in 2017 after a lengthy trial and several appeals.
A wind farm near near Golmud, Qinghai province, China
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 29, 2023

The promise of China’s sustainable-development path

As of this month, China has (since 2017) approved 572 “ecological civilization construction demonstration zones.”
A woman sits on a swing attached to a giant McDonald's sign outside its themed exhibition in Beijing on Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2023

McDonald’s raises China bet amid Western derisking trend

The move contrasts sharply with the prevailing trend of multinational corporations reeling back investments in China or even exiting altogether.
Traffic along a highway amid heavy smog and pollution in New Delhi in November
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 7, 2023

As China enjoys cleaner air, India's pollution struggle continues

Huge swaths of northern India choke on clouds of polluted air during winter as temperatures drop, winds disappear and farmers set fields ablaze.
Local government and law enforcement officials view the scene of an explosion that occurred during a Catholic mass in a gymnasium at Mindanao State University in Marawi, Philippines, on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 8, 2023

The Philippines is battling a resurgent Islamic State threat

The Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals may be driving a new security threat in the Philippines.
Shohei Ohtani puts on a Dodgers cap and uniform during his introductory news conference at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 15, 2023

Shohei Ohtani says shared commitment to winning led him to Dodgers

The one-of-a-kind talent received a Hollywood intro Thursday as he began his new chapter with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Koo Yeon-kyung, the eldest daughter of LG's former chairperson Koo Bon-moo, at her home in Seoul on Oct. 3. The death of Koo Bon-moo in 2018 without a will sparked a power struggle within the Koo family and LG over the inheritance of his estimated $1.5 billion fortune — including his 11% stake in the company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2023

Family split at LG tests corporate succession in South Korea

Wife and daughters of late chairman accuse adopted son and other executives of deception to steal their inheritance to bolster his claim to the company.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 19, 2023

Diplomats gird for 'doomsday' as prospect of Trump presidency looms

If he were to win a second term, Trump is likely to install loyalists — meaning his whims and isolationist policies would be easier to enact than before.
When Chinese President Xi Jinping came to power, he inherited a China that was enjoying prosperity, but also succumbing to gilded-age excesses.
COMMENTARY / The Year Ahead
Dec 29, 2023

The moral of the China story

Even if China is no longer “winning,” it would be short-sighted to dismiss its recent experience as irrelevant.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, in December last year. Trump's potential return to the White House could have serious implications for the U.S, as well as Japan, as he appears set to be even less inhibited and open to reason than before.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 5, 2024

Potential Trump redux: Unrestrained in Asia or bound by a changed region?

A win for the ex-president in November's election would potentially have big implications for Japan, given the death of Shinzo Abe, its most effective “Trump whisperer.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center) sits next to Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (second from left) and others, while watching a cultural performance at the Tashichhodzong monastery in Thimpu, Bhutan, in August 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 7, 2024

India and China eye strategic areas bordering 'last barrier' Bhutan

New Delhi is determined not to let Beijing extend its influence further across what India sees as its natural sphere of influence
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan hits a return during the women's singles final against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on Sunday.
TENNIS
Jan 8, 2024

Ruthless Rybakina and Dimitrov take Brisbane titles

World number two Aryna Sabalenka was completely outplayed by former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
French skipper Armel Le Cleac'h sails his Banque Populaire Ultim multihull (foreground) after the start of the Arkea Ultim Challenge, a solo round-the-world race on a multihull, off the coast of Brest on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 8, 2024

Around the world in 50 days? Six sailors in 'biggest challenge'

Under bright winter sunshine in the Brittany port of Brest, the first such race on superpowerful but relatively fragile trimarans got underway.
In August 2019, Toru Takamatsu became the youngest master sommelier in history at just 24 years old.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 21, 2024

Japan’s first master sommelier dreams of Hokkaido wine glory

Why would a master sommelier go from Michelin-starred restaurants to the hands-on life of an apprentice winemaker in Hokkaido?
Journalist Shiori Ito sheds a tear as she speaks to reporters outside the Tokyo district court on Dec. 18, 2019, after hearing the ruling on a damages lawsuit by her, accusing a former TV reporter of rape.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 21, 2024

Japanese journalist brings lonely #MeToo battle to Sundance

Shiori Ito's fight for justice is the subject of "Black Box Diaries," a documentary she herself directed.
An image from the Justice Department that was included in a report by Special Counsel Robert Hur shows a damaged box where classified documents were found in U.S. President Joe Biden's garage in Wilmington, Delaware, during a search by the FBI in December 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Biden will not face criminal charges over classified papers

Special Counsel Robert Hur described the president as a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
The “myahk,” a community currency implemented on Okinawa Prefecture’s Miyako Island in 2018, is intimately tied to local efforts for environmental preservation.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Feb 10, 2024

Japanese communities are creating currencies to educate and empower citizens

The yen will do when paying for things throughout the country. In some places, though, you may try paying with a coin that also helps reduce plastic waste.
After stints working in New Zealand and Germany, Yoshitada Katsuki opened his winery in his home prefecture of Miyazaki in order to work with grapes his own way.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 24, 2024

Despite ‘inhospitable’ Miyazaki, Katsuki Wines stays au naturel

For pest control, Yoshitada Katsuki applies to vines a solution of vinegar, sugar and local shōchū that he jokes “lets bugs get drunk before dying.”
Shohei Otani
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 29, 2024

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani announces marriage

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani announced his marriage via Instagram on Wednesday.
A housing development next to the Sasol’s petrochemicals plant in Sasolburg, South Africa.
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 2, 2024

What it's like to live in the most polluted place on Earth

Coal and steel plants offer steady work for residents in South Africa's Vaal Triangle, yet they’re also pumping out harmful emissions.
Sony's move to cut costs and Microsoft's decision to release titles on rival platforms reflect uncertainty in the gaming industry.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 8, 2024

Looks like we're nearing peak PlayStation

The gaming industry as a whole is struggling with ballooning development costs and longer production cycles, leading to fewer and risk-averse titles.
French President Emmanuel Macron on International Women's Day in Paris on March 8
WORLD / Politics
Mar 14, 2024

France faces centrist vacuum as far right builds momentum for presidency

A far-right presidency would be a transformational moment for France, Europe’s second largest economy.
Shohei Ohtani works out with his Dodgers teammates in Seoul on Saturday ahead of the team's two-game opening series against the Padres next week.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 16, 2024

Ohtani lifts Dodgers past Yankees for baseball's hottest ticket

The Dodgers are the top-selling team for the first time in StubHub’s history, after finishing eighth last season in the firm's annual preseason rankings.
Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani watches the MLB season-opening game against the San Diego Padres along with interpreter Ippei Mizuhara (left) in Seoul on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 21, 2024

Ohtani’s longtime interpreter fired amid illegal gambling allegations

ESPN reported that at least $4.5 million in wire transfers were sent to a bookmaking operation, which is under federal investigation.
Myanmar's military high ranking officials attend a ceremony to mark the country's 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 28, 2024

Myanmar army behind Facebook pages spewing hate speech: U.N. probe

In 2021, Rohingya refugees sued Facebook for $150 billion (¥22.6 trillion), claiming it had failed to stem the hate speech directed against them.
Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Cardinals on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 31, 2024

Yamamoto bounces back as Cardinals outlast Dodgers

Yamamoto, who signed a 12-year, $325 million contract in the offseason, struck out five and gave up just two hits.
People holding Mexican flags protest outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in Mexico City on Saturday, following the severing of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 7, 2024

Ecuador in diplomatic storm after raid at Mexican Embassy

The Vienna Convention, a treaty governing international relations, states that a country cannot intrude upon an embassy on its territory.
Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after the club ousted Barcelona from the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Apr 17, 2024

PSG exorcise old ghosts as Mbappe keeps Champions League dream alive

Another disappointing exit looked possible for the Qatar-owned club, which had gone out in the last 16 in five of the previous seven seasons.
Construction near Mailuu-Suu in the Jalal-Abad region, Kyrgyzstan. Dams in Kyrgyzstan holding uranium mine tailings have become unreliable after a 2017 landslide.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 24, 2024

Unstable nuclear-waste dams threaten fertile Central Asia heartland

One more earthquake or landslide, and dams in Kyrgyzstan holding back radioactive waste water could burst, rendering the area uninhabitable.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken dines at the Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant at the Yu Gardens in Shanghai on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 27, 2024

When U.S. diplomats visit China, meal choices are about more than taste buds

Visits to China by U.S. officials like Secretary of State Antony Blinken can bring fame to local restaurants, as well as scrutiny to the dignitaries.

Longform

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