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While not the most outspoken politician on the issue, digital minister Taro Kono has a track record of being serious in his commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
May 19, 2024

The politicians moving Japan forward on climate

In the halls of power, climate-friendly voices may be few and far between, but some in politics are pushing for more aggressive action on decarbonization.
Tyson Fury (left) and promoter Frank Warren speak during a news conference after Fury's loss against Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
May 19, 2024

Tyson Fury says sympathy for Ukraine played role in loss to Oleksandr Usyk

"His country's at war, and people are siding with the country at war, but make no mistake, I won that fight," Fury said.
China’s real estate sector has fundamentally changed in that existing home sales will become the norm, as is the case with developed countries.
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2024

China’s housing mess finally comes for Xi’s own

China’s real estate sector has fundamentally changed, in that existing home sales will be the norm, as is the case with developed countries.
Iran's Mehr news agency has confirmed the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, reporting that "all passengers of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister were martyred"
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2024

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi killed in helicopter crash

Iran's Mehr news agency confirmed the death, reporting that "all passengers of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister were martyred."
Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, speaks to reporters during a briefing at the White House in Washington on May 13.
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2024

U.S. envoy touts 'potential' of Israel-Saudi deal in Netanyahu talks

Jake Sullivan called on the Israeli leader to link the military operation against Hamas with a "political strategy" for Gaza's future.
City midfielder Phil Foden lifts the Premier League Trophy after his team clinched its fourth straight league title with a win over West Ham in Manchester, England, on Sunday.
SOCCER
May 20, 2024

Manchester City makes history with fourth straight Premier League title

Manchester City won an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title with a 3-1 win over West Ham United on Sunday.
Lawmakers from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People and Yushi no Kai jointly submit a bill to revise the political funds control law to the Lower House on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 20, 2024

Opposition parties submit bill to revise political funds law

The groups have positioned the legislation as a counterproposal to the ruling LDP's bill submitted Friday.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with commanders of troops of military districts, in Moscow on May 15.
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2024

The technocrat who’s taking control of Putin’s war effort

While other technocrats in Russian President Vladimir Putin's orbit privately see his geopolitical moves as problematic, the new defense minister is a true believer.
Global investment firms are increasingly seeing hidden value in Japanese companies that own properties that could be sold.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2024

Bain Capital to boost Japan real estate team as prospects grow

The firm is interested in opportunities around hospitality, data centers and residential properties, among others.
Some 2,181 morning-after pills were sold at 145 pharmacies across the nation, with Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture recording over 200 sales each.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 20, 2024

Morning-after pill buyers back prescription-free sales following trial

Some 27% of purchases were made on Saturdays and Sundays, when many clinics are closed.
Ebrahim Raisi visiting the site of a road and rail bridge project in Azerbaijan on May 19
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2024

Who will be Iran’s next president following Raisi’s death?

One of the big questions raised by Ebrahim Raisi’s death is how his absence is likely to affect the battle over who succeeds Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader.
Tunisia's Ons Jabeur in action during her exhibition match against Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka in Riyadh on Dec. 26. Saudi Arabia has hosted exhibition matches and last year hosted its first ATP Tour event with the Next Gen Finals.
TENNIS
May 21, 2024

Women's tennis signs 'multi-year partnership' with Saudi investment fund

Much like its forays into golf and football, the Saudi tennis push has met some resistance.
Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange protest outside The Royal Courts of Justice, Britain's High Court, in central London on Monday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 21, 2024

WikiLeaks' Julian Assange wins right to appeal extradition from Britain to U.S.

Assange, 52, is wanted in the U.S. on 18 charges, nearly all under the Espionage Act, relating to WikiLeaks' mass release of secret U.S. documents.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a meeting of his Likud party faction at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2024

ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas leaders

The ICC prosecutor said he had reasonable grounds to believe the men "bear criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Toyota Land Cruisers bound for shipment at Yokohama port
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 21, 2024

Surge in luxury car thefts in Japan spurs call for preventative measures

Stolen vehicles are often illegally exported, leading authorities to call for increased vigilance.
Missile systems form part of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9. The FBI tries to maintain a tricky balance in spy operations: the more access informants have to valuable intelligence, the higher the risk that they could be compromised.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2024

FBI shed informants linked to Russian influence operations

After a secret review several years ago, the bureau cut off confidential sources thought to be connected to Russian disinformation.
Mourners gather in Tehran's Valiasr Square on Monday to honor President Ebrahim Raisi and others who died in a helicopter crash a day earlier.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2024

Iranian President Raisi's failed experiment in ideological purity

Yet totalitarian regimes such as Iran don’t need their populations to be content, so long as they have security forces willing to kill to suppress dissent.
A railgun prototype developed by the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency. A railgun uses electromagnetic force to fire bullets at high speeds, making them harder to intercept, but challenges remain over improving fire accuracy and making the weapon smaller.
JAPAN
May 21, 2024

Japan sends defense official to U.S. Navy for railgun development

The move is aimed at absorbing the know-how of the United States, which long researched railguns, to put the weapon into practical use as soon as possible.
Skye Parker of the United Kingdom, a participant in the More Than Equal Global Driver Development program, trains with a coach in Saalfelden, Austria, on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
May 22, 2024

Young female drivers take aim at F1's male monopoly

The More Than Equal initiative is seeking to find and develop the first female F1 world champion.
Matthew Trickett leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on May 13.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2024

Former U.K. marine in Hong Kong spy case found dead: police

Matthew Trickett was one of three men accused in the recent Hong Kong spy case.
People hold anti-war placards before a rap concert for Ukraine by Russian rapper Oxxxymiron in Istanbul on March 15.
WORLD / Politics
May 22, 2024

Another Russian exodus: Many who fled to Turkey move on again

When the war began in February 2022, Turkey emerged as a magnet for Russians, but now, many are moving on to nations like Montenegro and Serbia.
Japan's new whaling mothership, the Kangei Maru, is seen during the ship's launch ceremony at a port in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 22, 2024

Japan's new 9,300-ton whaling vessel sets sail on first hunt

The departure of the Kangei Maru heralds a new era for an industry defended by the government as an integral part of Japanese culture.
A building in Tokyo housing the Metropolitan Police Department
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2024

Young girl dies after neck gets caught in car window in Tokyo

The death of the 2-year-old girl underscores ongoing concerns about the safety of children in vehicles.
Demonstrators during a protest outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on Tuesday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 22, 2024

Taiwan lawmakers defy protesters as they look to pass bill Friday

Opposition lawmakers will make a final push to pass legislation aimed at reining in new President Lai Ching-te’s administration.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with the families of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
May 22, 2024

Raisi death reshapes Iran succession, putting focus on Khamenei son

Following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's, son Mojtaba has emerged as a top contender.
People attend a demonstration in support of Gaza and Palestinians outside the building of the Norwegian parliament in Oslo, Norway, on Nov. 4, 2023.
WORLD
May 22, 2024

Norway, along with Ireland and Spain, to recognize Palestinian state

Before the announcement, some 143 out of 193 member-states of the United Nations recognized a Palestinian state.
A tourist shops at a drug store in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on April 30.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 22, 2024

Japan panel sets out plans to accelerate drug discovery efforts

Ideas include calling in help from well-established firms overseas and having them work with "accelerators" to nurture local talent into "star scientists."
Though the West has supplied desperately needed weapons and ammunition, it has done little else to address Ukraine’s needs or establish shared goals.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2024

The war in Ukraine needs a stronger unified Western strategy

Though the West has supplied desperately needed weapons and ammunition, it has done little else to address Ukraine’s needs.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping attend a concert marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on May 16.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2024

Deepening China-Russian ties: a sign of strength or insecurity?

Russia’s ongoing struggles in Ukraine and economic reliance on China illustrate its weakened position in their partnership.
Even if the ICC issues arrests warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leaders of Hamas, there’s little risk of them being detained as neither the U.S. nor Israel are signatories to the Rome Statute that established the court.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2024

Biden's defense of Netanyahu undermines the ICC — and hurts the U.S.

If the U.S. scorns the court it helped create in the 1990s, it will undermine the international regime of law and order that it claims to defend.

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?