Japan’s largest wildfire in more than three decades was burning through a forested area of a small coastal city on Sunday after killing at least one person, damaging dozens of homes and prompting evacuation orders for thousands of residents, fire officials said. The roughly 1,800-hectare (4,500-acre) fire has been burning for days in Ofunato, a … Read more
My grandfather’s idea of an Easter egg hunt involved hiding money in colorful plastic eggs sprinkled around his house in Long Island. Most held coins, but there was always one with a crisp, new $100 bill. My cousin, Billy-O, and I were the only players. We were usually playful partners in mayhem but as competitors, … Read more
From her home in Phoenix, Erica Campbell is waiting for a cargo vessel from China to deliver a shipment of thousands of Jesus rattle dolls, tin Easter eggs, religious-themed baby swaddle blankets and 15,000 packages of Jesus Heals bandages. Ms. Campbell, 36, the owner of Be a Heart, a Catholic goods business, paid the Chinese … Read more
A film by a Japanese woman about her search for justice from uncooperative authorities after she reported being raped is a contender at Sunday’s Academy Awards. Yet, despite being the first full-length documentary made by a Japanese director ever nominated for an Oscar, the movie cannot be seen in her home country. In the film, … Read more
Pope Francis, hospitalized for two weeks, suffered a potentially serious setback on Friday, the Vatican said — a bronchial spasm that resulted in him inhaling vomit. It added that he had responded well to treatment and remained conscious and alert at all times. Doctors said it would take 24 to 48 hours to determine whether … Read more
After nearly a decade of trying, Apple finally gave up its effort to produce an electric car last year, canceling a project that soaked up $10 billion. But last year in China, the electronics maker Xiaomi launched its first electric car after just three years of development. The company delivered 135,000 vehicles in 2024, and … Read more
A court in Vietnam sentenced one of the country’s most influential journalists to two and a half years in prison Thursday for “abusing democratic freedoms” with about a dozen posts on Facebook that criticized or questioned the government. The journalist, Truong Huy San — known to many by his pen name, Huy Duc — was … Read more
Some of the students whose protests kick-started a revolution in Bangladesh last year and prompted the ouster of the country’s authoritarian leader, Sheikh Hasina, are now taking a more conventional route to pursue their vision for the country: They have started a political party. At a rally in Dhaka, the capital, on Friday, some of … Read more
The South Korean police have summoned a Japanese woman for questioning after she was accused of kissing Jin, a member of the K-pop supergroup BTS, without consent during a public event last year. The Japanese woman, whose name was not revealed, was in a crowd of fans at the event in Seoul last June that … Read more
China has in recent weeks staged military drills off Australia and Vietnam, sending pointed warnings near and far. Neither was a full-fledged exercise. But taken together, China’s recent shows of force, experts said, conveyed a message: the region must not ignore Beijing’s power and claims. Three Chinese naval ships, including a cruiser with 112 missile … Read more