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The Amazon.com logo on a laptop. The online retailer has announced the launch of its own AI chatbot, Q.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 29, 2023

Pursuing rivals, Amazon announces corporate AI chatbot

Last year's Amazon Web Services trade show was overshadowed by the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which quickly wowed users.
Fox Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 29, 2023

Rupert Murdoch being deposed in Fox defamation case: source

Establishing that Murdoch was involved in decisions about coverage would help voting technology company Smartmatic prove liability.
Dang Dinh Bach ran a law and sustainable development policy research center that provided legal aid before he was arrested for tax evasion in Vietnam in 2021. Bach refused to plead guilty and his wife says he has been assaulted in prison by police officers.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 29, 2023

Why Vietnam jailed the environmentalists it used to secure billions

The government has arrested several prominent environmentalists from organizations that shaped policies that helped secure funding.
Pope Francis had planned to attend the COP28 conference in Dubai this week, but canceled on Tuesday due to health concerns.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 29, 2023

U.S. bishops cling to fossil fuels, despite Pope's 2015 appeal

Not a single diocese has announced it has let go of its fossil fuel assets since the pope's landmark encyclical on environmental stewardship.
Demonstrators protest outside India's consulate in Vancouver on Sept. 25, one a week after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the prospect of New Delhi's involvement in the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 30, 2023

Indian official was behind plot to assassinate Sikh American in U.S., DOJ says

The target has publicly advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger listens to a question at the China Development Forum in Beijing in 2015.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 30, 2023

Henry Kissinger, controversial American diplomat, dies at 100

While many hailed Kissinger for his brilliance and broad experience, others branded him a war criminal for his support for anti-communist dictatorships.
A sign at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 6
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Dec 7, 2023

How AI fits into China's raft of global initiatives

The administration of President Xi Jinping has recently attached great importance to AI technology and is actively set on promoting it.
Vintage bicycle enthusiast and property manager Eric Knight shipped his high-wheeler from his home in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, to Japan for the cross-country trip.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Dec 4, 2023

32 days, one big wheel: Duo re-creates historic trans-Japan trip

The pair were inspired by pioneering cyclist Thomas Stevens (1854-1935), who traveled the same route through Japan in 1886 on a high-wheeler.
Ethnic Ta'ang National Liberation Army fighters stand guard at a check point in the town of Namhkam in Myanmar's northern Shan state on Nov. 10.
EDITORIALS
Dec 1, 2023

We must stop Myanmar’s descent into a failed state

Myanmar is at a crossroads and needs international support to prevent a collapse amid increased fighting.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 1, 2023

Abe's former faction in focus as LDP political fund scandal deepens

Prosecutors are investigating the faction as part of a scandal involving the alleged underreporting of funds by groups within the ruling party.
Israeli troops gather on the border with the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the 7th day of a truce with Hamas.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2023

The Gaza cease-fire is a major military victory for Hamas

Military cease-fires and delays such as between Israel and Hamas always favor weaker defenders in a conflict.
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip on Friday, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel.
WORLD
Dec 2, 2023

Israel tells Arab states it wants buffer zone in postwar Gaza, sources say

Israel detailed its plans to its neighbors Egypt and Jordan, along with the United Arab Emirates, which normalized ties with Israel in 2020.
Areas highlighted in yellow indicate regions covered by the tsunami advisory.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2023

Strong quake near Philippines triggers tsunami advisory in Japan

A tsunami advisory for Japan's coast from Miyakojima to Chiba Prefecture was issued following a strong quake near the Philippines.
Digitally blurred screens at the Pyongyang General Control Center of the Korean National Aerospace Technology Directorate are seen on Nov. 22, a day after the launch of a rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite, in Pyongyang.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 3, 2023

North Korea spy satellite operator to report findings to military

Pyongyang said that the newly formed reconnaissance satellite operation office had begun its mission on Saturday.
Ukrainian Paralympic Committee President Valeriy Sushkevych has said a recent vote to allow Russian athletes to compete at the Paris Games was tainted.
PARALYMPICS
Dec 3, 2023

Ukrainians strive to force IPC into Russia Paralympics U-turn

Sushkevych says he has "new facts" that reveal the extent of the Russian Paralympic Committee's support for the war in Ukraine.
A Palestinian resident inspects the destruction caused by air strikes on their home in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 4, 2023

Israel’s war aims move south with Hamas leadership in crosshairs

Israel is bearing down on the city of Khan Younis where it says the Hamas leadership is entrenched deep inside tunnels.
Tomoko Hongo gives Hercules a hug. The dog came to her family malnourished but he's doing well now.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Dec 5, 2023

A happy home is better than any adventure for Hercules the dog

After arriving at the shelter malnourished and depressed, Hercules has made a fantastic recovery after finding a home with the Hongo family.
Cinnabar is an awesome puppy who is wiry and busting with energy.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Dec 5, 2023

Cinnabar the puppy is a real treat

Rescued from a home where dogs were bred to hunt boar, Cinnabar is looking for a place where he can just be a puppy.
The Principals’ Board for the Combined Space Operations initiative gather in Ottawa in February 2020 for its annual meeting to formally recognize the addition of France and Germany to the CSpO.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2023

Japan to attend meeting of multilateral space security initiative

Current member countries are slated to discuss Japan's bid to become an official CSpO member, among other topics.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 4, 2023

Nihon University chair vows to continue reforms despite calls to quit

The vice president and president have decided to resign to take responsibility for a drug scandal involving the American football team.
Eiko Takeuchi talks about a traffic jam during last winter’s heavy snow along National Route 8 in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, on Sept. 18.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Dec 11, 2023

Evacuation plans for nuclear incidents called into question

Effectiveness of preparations as a “last line of defense” to save residents in the event of a nuclear disaster are in doubt.
Activists protest against fossil fuels on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 6, 2023

UAE 'repressive environment' complicates COP28 activism: Amnesty

The group's secretary-general said restrictions on speech are complicating approval of an event demanding the release of Emirati political prisoners.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy greets U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Kyiv on Feb. 27. Zelenskyy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Tuesday that the postponement of U.S. assistance for Kyiv being debated in Congress would create a "big risk" of Ukraine losing the war with Russia.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 6, 2023

Ukraine sees 'big risk' of losing war if U.S. postpones vital aid

Remarks by Zelenskyy's chief of staff are some of the frankest yet from a senior official as uncertainty swirls over the future of assistance packages.
An area known as Toyoko in the Kabukicho entertainment district in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2023

High school girl arrested for selling cough medicine illegally

The arrest coincides with a surge of young people in Japan abusing over-the-counter drugs, such as cold medicine.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is questioned about fundraising parties by reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Dec 7, 2023

Understanding the LDP political funding scandal and its implications

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his ruling LDP are in hot water over suspicions that party factions underreported funds for years.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in November 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 7, 2023

If Kissinger was serving as the U.S. secretary of state

There was no other U.S. diplomat whose reputation in Japan and China was as polar opposite as that of Henry Kissinger.
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 7, 2023

Feeling anxious? Wastewater, heat and Japan’s year in climate

In a year that saw Japan release 24,000 tons of wastewater (so far) from Fukushima No. 1 as the planet smashed heat records, it’s no wonder climate anxiety is on the rise. Mara Budgen joins us to break down the year in environment news, where we could see hope, and what we should be worried about....
After becoming a TikTok trend in Japan in 2022, artist imase’s song “Night Dancer” found popularity abroad in 2023, particularly in South Korea, where it became the first Japanese song to ever enter the nation’s Melon Top 100 Song Chart.
CULTURE / Music / 2023 in Review
Dec 8, 2023

J-pop's global ambitions came closer to reality in 2023

Duo Yoasobi's "Idol" was a true international breakout, while a viral trend turned imase into a pop ambassador between Japan and South Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during an event in Pyongyang. Smuggling efforts could be directly linked to the North's military ambitions, analysts have said.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 8, 2023

North Korean smugglers disguised under Pacific island flags

With strict sanctions limiting Pyongyang's ability to import fuel, smugglers have adopted increasingly creative methods.
U.S. prosecutors accused Amit Patel, the Jacksonville Jaguars' former manager of financial planning and analysis, of stealing the money to fund a luxurious lifestyle
MORE SPORTS
Dec 8, 2023

Ex-Jaguars executive accused of stealing $22 million from team

U.S. prosecutors accused Amit Patel, the team’s former manager of financial planning and analysis, of stealing the money to fund a luxurious lifestyle.

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go