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Chinese police have cracked down on an internet craze that saw thousands of cyclists throng a highway under cover of night to gorge on dumplings in a nearby city.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 12, 2024

China makes a U-turn on night biking, opting to crack down on it

Thousands of cyclists flooded a six-lane highway in China for the chance to "go crazy once.”
Then-U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe speaks to members of the media during a break of the Senate impeachment trial against then-President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol  in Washington in January 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

Trump picks John Ratcliffe to be CIA director

The pick signals that the second Trump White House will get even more hawkish on China — and prove reassuring for American allies such as Japan.
Donald Trump attends a town hall moderated by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 14.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

Trump’s Day One: Deportations, border wall, scrapping Biden's programs

The sweeping efforts will be led by incoming "border czar" Tom Homan and other Republican immigration hardliners.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump is interviewed by "Fox and Friends" co-host Pete Hegseth at the White House in Washington in April 2017. Trump nominated Hegseth to be the next U.S. defense secretary on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

Trump's picks: A Fox News host, an ex-spy chief and the world's richest man

The U.S. president-elect announced a spate of unconventional picks for key posts — including his defense and CIA chiefs — in his next government.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev speaks at the Opening Ceremony of the United Nations climate change conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

COP29 host Azerbaijan hits out at West in defense of using oil and gas

Some observers of the COP29 negotiations said the president of Azerbaijan's remarks did not bode well for a strong result from the two-week summit.
French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte deliver statements during their meeting in Paris on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

NATO chief warns of threat from Russian ties with China, Iran and North Korea

The warning appeared to be a message to the next U.S. administration as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.
Indonesia fans watch a livestream of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification soccer match between China and Indonesia on screens outside the Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta on Oct. 15.
SOCCER
Nov 13, 2024

Indonesia goes Dutch in pursuit of World Cup dreams

Indonesia is in the decisive third round of Asian qualifying as it attempts to reach the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Digital minister Masaaki Taira, who has jurisdiction over a bill to introduce an “active cyberdefense” system, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

Government set to postpone submission of cyberdefense bill to next year

The delay in the bill to introduce an "active cyberdefense" system follows the ruling bloc's election drubbing, which drained the prime minister's political capital.
An expert committee convened by the health ministry has proposed introducing a limit on consecutive workdays.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 13, 2024

Japan to ban employees from working for 14 consecutive days

Employers are currently required to provide one day off a week, but loopholes mean some employees can work up to 48 days in a row.
Youth leaders at the COP29 United Nations climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, which started on Monday and runs until Nov. 22. Youth participation is key to the success of climate diplomacy as the international community strives to limit global warming.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2024

A blueprint for youth inclusion in climate diplomacy

Youth participation is vital to keeping the 1.5 degrees Celsius target within reach, one under discussion at the ongoing COP29 climate change conference in Azerbaijan.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other Cabinet members and lawmakers attend a session of the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 13, 2024

Trump return leaves Japan’s leader with no time to snooze

The prime minister drew headlines for a moment after he was caught napping in parliament during proceedings for his own nomination as Japanese leader.
President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a gathering in the city of Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Oct. 13, 2016.
BOILING POINT
Nov 13, 2024

Philippines says it would be obliged to comply if Interpol seeks ex-president Duterte's arrest

The Philippine government said it would be obliged to comply if Duterte's arrest was sought over his war on drugs.
Masato Kanda, then-vice minister of finance for international affairs, in January 2022
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2024

As pain from weak yen deepens, Japan's ex-currency chief Masato Kanda warns of action

Kanda's warning came as the Japanese currency weakened to a three-month low of near ¥155 to the dollar.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping after a signing ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in April 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Lula’s embrace of Xi sets up a clash over Trump’s China policy

Brazil’s geography and colonial history meant that it has traditionally looked to the Atlantic for commerce. Now it’s deepening ties with the Asia Pacific.
The government aims to finalize an economic package later this month to help households hit hard by rising prices.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2024

Japan eyes ¥30,000 benefits for low-income households

The planned economic package includes a proposal of ¥20,000 per child to the benefits, which are designed to support households hit hard by soaring prices.
The 'X' logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, on July 30, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Guardian quits X social media platform, citing racism and conspiracy theories

The news publisher, which has 10.7 million followers on X, becomes the first large U.K. media company to retreat from the platform
Democratic Party for the People chief Yuichiro Tamaki wants to the tax-free annual income ceiling raised to ¥1.78 million ($11,410).
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 14, 2024

Japan’s key political issue rests on an enduring economic myth

Economists cast doubts on the Democratic Party for the People's push for raising the tax-free income threshold — its key demand to the ruling coalition for its support.
The Azerbaijan pavilion during the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 14, 2024

Hopes pinned on low-key COP29 to thrash out climate-finance details

The Baku summit aims to reach new agreement for climate-related transfers from rich to poor countries, intended to replace a $100 billion annual target set in 2009.
Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-zi’s novel “Taiwan Travelogue” provides a portal to the past and allows the reader to explore a bygone world with their eyes, ears and stomach.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 15, 2024

The sentimental gastronomies of ‘Taiwan Travelogue’

Yang Shuang-zi’s layered tale of female companionship takes readers on an epicurean frolic through Taiwan's colonial era.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks in Phoenix, Arizona, on August 23, 2024. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is nominating Kennedy to be the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 15, 2024

Vaccine skeptic RFK Jr. vows to 'Make America Healthy Again'

Donald Trump announced he would nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become the next secretary of Health and Human Services.
A Type 2 diabetes patient gives himself an insulin shot. In 2022, there were around 828 million people aged 18 years and older with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes worldwide, a new study found.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 15, 2024

More than 800 million adults have diabetes globally, study suggests

The study in The Lancet found the global prevalence of diabetes has doubled since 1990 to 14% from around 7%.
A University of Lisbon banner reads "From Lisbon to the World." Talent flight to wealthier countries of the north is a problem Portugal shares with several others in southern and central Europe.
WORLD / Society
Nov 15, 2024

Borderless Europe fights brain drain as talent heads north

Workers moving to other nations within the bloc exacerbates regional labor shortages and deprives poorer countries of tax revenues.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a regional industry factory under construction in Jaeryong County, South Hwanghae Province, North Korea, in this photo released Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 15, 2024

Kim Jong Un calls for mass production of suicide attack drones

The call comes after Pyongyang accused Seoul of flying unmanned aerial vehicles in its airspace in what it called a "war provocation.”
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani walks through the dugout with his dog Decoy before a game against the Orioles at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 28.
BASEBALL
Nov 15, 2024

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani among honorees at MLB awards show

Ohtani, the likely National League Most Valuable Player, received the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award and the NL Hank Aaron Award.
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung arrives at a court in Seoul on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Nov 15, 2024

South Korea opposition leader convicted of violating election law

"I will be appealing. Beginning with the basic facts, it is a conclusion that is difficult to accept," opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung said.
A Ukrainian flag flies over the site of the former monument to Russian Empress Catherine the Great in Odesa, Ukraine.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 15, 2024

Ukraine’s post-colonial future

If the Ukrainians are truly fighting for us, it is because they are fighting the last battle against European imperialism.
Yoko Ono gestures as she unveils the "John Lennon: The New York City Years" exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex in New York in May 2009.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 16, 2024

Yoko Ono is rightful owner of John Lennon's stolen watch, says Swiss court

The Patek Philippe watch was a birthday gift to the former Beatle from Japanese artist Ono in 1980, just two months before his assassination in New York.
A SeaGuardian unmanned drone is seen at the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Hachinohe Air Base in Aomori Prefecture in June last year.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2024

MSDF to deploy U.S.-made SeaGuardian surveillance drones

The Defense Ministry said Friday it plans to procure a total of 23 SeaGuardian drones over the next 10 years or so.
Karoline Leavitt waves during a campaign event at the New England Sports Center in Derry, New Hampshire, in October 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 16, 2024

Trump names Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary

"Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator,” Trump said in a statement on Friday.
Japan's Yuma Kagiyama skates during the men's short program of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Helsinki on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Nov 16, 2024

Yuma Kagiyama and Hana Yoshida put Japan on top at Finland Grand Prix

The pair led the Finland Grand Prix after convincing short program performances in Helsinki on Friday.

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