In December 1967, when he arrived at a snowy farm on China’s northeastern border with the Soviet Union, Xu Chenggang carried with him an electron tube to help him assemble a radio. Mr. Xu, a 17-year-old Beijing native, would spend the next 10 years there, living in a horse stable and subjected to re-education and … Read more
For at least six centuries, residents along a lake in the mountains of central Japan have marked the depth of winter by celebrating the return of a natural phenomenon once revered as the trail of a wandering god. It would only appear after days of frigid temperatures had frozen Lake Suwa into a sheet of … Read more
Trump’s car tariffs increased the risk of a trade war President Trump’s plan to impose a 25 percent tariff on cars and parts imported into the U.S. sent a shudder through the global car industry. Markets in Asia, Europe and the U.S. wobbled yesterday as many automakers’ stock prices fell. Trump announced the tariffs on … Read more
Deadly Wildfires Destroy Historic Landmarks in South Korea
South Korea’s largest wildfires on record blazed through the country’s southeast for a seventh day, with firefighters, soldiers and heritage workers racing to evacuate people and save ancient treasures from the encroaching flames. At least 37,000 people were evacuated from their homes as the fires, which have left 27 people dead, spread in the dry … Read more
Dolphins whistle. Whales sing. Fish croak, chirp, grunt, hum and growl. But in the chatter of the sea, one voice has been missing — until now. Sharks have long been seen as the silent killers of the water. But scientists at the University of Auckland in New Zealand recently recorded a rig shark, or Mustelus … Read more
Mexico deployed thousands of National Guard troops to the border to deter migrants from reaching the United States. South Korea said it would invest $21 billion in expanding U.S. manufacturing. Japanese officials descended on Washington, offering to invest $1 trillion in the United States and buy more American natural gas. None of that was enough … Read more
President Trump’s unexpected plan to impose a 25 percent tariff on cars and car parts being imported into the United States will not only disrupt supply chains. It will also fuel anger, alienation — and pressure to retaliate — among American allies across the globe. Many of the countries most affected by the new levies, … Read more
When China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, met with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Tokyo last weekend, he said China saw “great potential” for trade and stability if the three neighbors worked together. Citing what he called their shared “Oriental wisdom,” he quoted a proverb, seemingly alluding to the United States as an unreliable, … Read more
In recent weeks, Elon Musk has finally seemed to make some inroads in India, a potentially huge market whose government has frustrated him with its trade barriers. Tesla appears to be preparing another attempt to sell cars in the country, and Starlink, his satellite internet provider, signed partnerships with two Indian companies. At the same … Read more