Maasai Mara, Kenya | AFP | Five-month-old bloodhound Shakaria gambols through the long savannah grasses of Kenya’s Maasai Mara reserve, her playful mood swiftly turning to keen determination as she is ordered to track a human scent. Straining at the leash, she pulls her handler along an invisible scent path …
Read More »US to unveil ‘toughest sanctions ever’ on N. Korea: Pence
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Washington will soon unveil its “toughest and most aggressive sanctions” ever against North Korea, US Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday after talks with Japan’s prime minister in Tokyo. He also warned that North Korea, which will participate in this month’s Winter Olympics as part …
Read More »Nissan to invest $9.5 billion in China to drive sales
Beijing, China | AFP | Japanese automaker Nissan Motor and its Chinese joint venture partner announced on Monday a $9.5 billion investment plan in China to increase annual sales by one million vehicles and boost electric car production. Dongfeng Motor Company is the latest Sino-foreign car company to splash out …
Read More »Top US health official resigns in conflict of interest
Washington, United States | AFP | The top US public health official resigned Wednesday due to financial conflicts of interest, a day after US media reported she bought tobacco stocks while heading the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A statement from the US Department of Health and Human …
Read More »Two climbers die in fall on S.Africa’s Table Mountain
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Two climbers were killed abseiling on Cape Town’s Table Mountain on New Year’s Day, with hundreds of tourists stranded on the summit for hours during the rescue effort, South African officials said Tuesday. The victims were one Japanese man, whose wife survived, and a …
Read More »Self-healing glass: a cracking discovery from Japan
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | A Japanese researcher has developed — by accident– a new type of glass that can be repaired simply by pressing it back together after it cracks. The discovery opens the way for super-durable glass that could triple the lifespan of everyday products like car windows, …
Read More »Record crowds celebrate Japan emperor’s 84th birthday
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Record crowds flocked to Japan’s Imperial Palace on Saturday to celebrate the 84th birthday of Emperor Akihito as he prepares to abdicate in April 2019. Around 45,900 people — the biggest birthday crowd of the emperor’s three-decade reign — thronged the palace for his address, according …
Read More »Japan expands sanctions aimed at N. Korea
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Japan said Friday it had added 19 more entities to its list of organisations and individuals targeted by asset-freeze sanctions on North Korea. The sanctions list now comprises 103 entities and 108 individuals in total, including seven Chinese entities, five Chinese individuals, one Singaporean …
Read More »Don’t sleepwalk into war over N. Korea, warns UN boss
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | United Nations chief Antonio Guterres Thursday warned the world against “sleepwalking into war” over North Korea, as he called for diplomatic efforts to banish nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula. Speaking on a visit to Japan, Secretary-General Guterres said: “The worst possible thing that could …
Read More »North Korea missile tests are ‘imminent threat’: Japan
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | North Korea’s missile tests are an “imminent threat” to Japan, the Japanese parliament declared Monday, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said talking to the reclusive state was meaningless. The upper house unanimously adopted a resolution protesting against the North’s firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile …
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