Tag - focus

 
 

FOCUS

Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jul 3, 2013
Mandela family battles over ailing icon's legacy
A convoy of cars and buses decked with balloons streamed into Qunu on Saturday as the childhood home of Nelson Mandela hosted a wedding and enjoyed a moment of respite from the deep uncertainty caused by the health of its most celebrated son.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society / FOCUS
Jul 3, 2013
Portugal's baby bust feeding vicious cycle
For an enterprise in the business of welcoming life, the birthing ward inside Portugal's largest maternity hospital is eerily quiet. On a recent morning, not a single expectant father nervously paced the orange laminated floors. Unhurried nurses shuffled by rows of darkened rooms with empty beds, busying...
WORLD / FOCUS
Jul 3, 2013
U.K. paper punches way above its weight
For a newspaper that's small and underweight even by British standards, The Guardian has a knack for making some big noises, both in its home market and across the pond.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jul 2, 2013
Boehner 'soft' approach boon, bane
When someone crosses John Boehner, he or she can expect a couple of reactions from the House speaker. Sometimes it is a thwack on the back and a disapproving shake of his head, quickly followed by a begrudging smile to indicate that all is forgiven. Sometimes it is a fake yell and then a shrug. One recalcitrant...
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jun 26, 2013
Snowden files stoke U.S. security concerns
The ability of contractor-turned-fugitive Edward Snowden to evade arrest is raising new concerns among U.S. officials about the security of top-secret documents he is believed to have in his possession — and about the possibility that he could willingly share them with those who assist his escape.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Jun 26, 2013
Drumming helps those with dementia reconnect
Standing in a room full of lined faces, Alan Yellowitz held up an orange drum shaped like a wineglass. "This one's called a djembe," he said. "It's from Ghana."
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jun 24, 2013
China's slump puts U.S. economy at risk
Concerns are growing about China's economy as the country's new leadership tries to get a handle on deep problems that experts say have been years in the making.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jun 19, 2013
Private money pours into Syrian conflict as donors pick sides
Syrian tanks were closing in on the rebel-held town of Qusair last month when a Kuwaiti sheik named Hajjaj al-Ajmi and his money machine roared into action. In a series of urgent messages on his Twitter account, al-Ajmi appealed for cash to help save the town's defenders.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 14, 2013
Iran poll shows waning clerics' clout
For most of its 34-year history, Iran has been run by clerics serving not just as supreme leaders, but also as elected presidents, their turban-clad figures becoming familiar worldwide as Iran's public face.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 12, 2013
Monitoring scandals unite left, right
A late spring storm of Washington controversies has created a rare event in these partisan, polarized times: a shared I-told-you-so moment for the left and the right.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 5, 2013
Tea party rallies to thwart bipartisan education plan
Tea party groups over the past few weeks have suddenly and successfully pressured Republican governors to reassess their support for a rare bipartisan initiative backed by President Barack Obama to overhaul the nation's public schools.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jun 5, 2013
China constitution debate hits nerve with ruling party
After a country's new leader proclaims the overriding authority of the constitution — a document that guarantees freedom of speech and press — it's worth noting afterward when the same government heavily censors all discussion about that constitution.
WORLD / FOCUS
May 28, 2013
Iraqi Shiites take up arms for Syrian government
The Iraqi fighters in the video shoulder assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades as they walk down a highway lined with cypress trees. Grinning, some hold up cellphones and camcorders to capture the moment — the aftermath of a victorious battle to secure Aleppo Airport from Syrian rebels who...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 27, 2013
Abe puts best foot forward in Myanmar to tap 'last frontier'
Shinzo Abe spoke of his personal bond with Myanmar during his official visit, the first by a Japanese prime minister in 36 years, as he sought to boost Japan's presence and tap its significant growth potential.
WORLD / FOCUS
May 27, 2013
Mass surveillance wouldn't help
Two former Labour Party home secretaries, a security minister and a former "independent" reviewer of terrorism laws have called for the swift review of Britain's communications data bill, following the London killing of an off-duty soldier by two radical Islamists.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
May 21, 2013
Records offer rare glimpse into Justice leak probe
When the Justice Department began investigating possible leaks of classified information about North Korea in 2009, investigators did more than obtain telephone records of a working journalist suspected of receiving the secret material.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
May 20, 2013
U.S. shale gas alters Japan's energy plans
Japan is hoping LNG from the U.S. shale gas boom will give it the power to rework bruising long-term contracts linked to oil prices.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
May 15, 2013
EU-U.S. trade deal faces raft of challenges
Supporters of a U.S.-European free-trade deal have begun damping expectations about its immediate benefits amid a series of emerging disputes that could complicate the creation of the world's largest trade zone.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
May 9, 2013
Scores vie for spots on Iranian ballot
Not just anyone is allowed to become president of Iran.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
May 9, 2013
Political novice takes on entrenched parties in landmark polls
Winning a grass-roots political campaign in Pakistan or anywhere else depends on having committed, hardworking volunteers. Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, an aspiring provincial lawmaker, has come to realize that his supporters are neither.

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'