The Japan Times - Boulevard

Featured

Syria reports Israeli strikes as clashes with Druze spread

Syria said Israel launched new strikes near Damascus on Wednesday, after sectarian clashes left nearly 40 dead in two days and Israel warned against attacks targeting the Druze minority.

Despite war's end, Afghanistan remains deep in crisis: UN relief chief

Climate change, women's rights, displacement, poverty: Afghanistan remains a priority as it faces overlapping crises, the UN's relief chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Wednesday, deploring "brutal" aid budget cuts.

Last news

DR Congo boat fire toll revised down to 33

The mayor of the DR Congo town near where a boat caught fire earlier this week told AFP on Saturday that at least 33 people had died in the disaster, significantly fewer than previously reported.

Trans rights supporters rally in London, Edinburgh after landmark ruling

Thousands of people on Saturday rallied in London and Edinburgh in support of trans rights, after a landmark UK court ruling on the definition of a "woman".

Trans rights supporters rally outside in London, Edinburgh after landmark ruling

Thousands of people on Saturday rallied in London and Edinburgh in support of trans rights, after a landmark court ruling on the definition of a "woman".

US Supreme Court intervenes to pause Trump deportations

The US Supreme Court, in a dramatic nighttime intervention Saturday, paused President Donald Trump's unprecedented use of an obscure law to deport Venezuelan migrants without due process.

Tunisia opposition figures get jail terms in mass trial

A Tunisian court has handed down jail sentences of up to 66 years to multiple defendants, including prominent opposition figures, in a mass trial criticised by rights groups.

Putin announces 'Easter truce' in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday announced a surprise Easter truce in the conflict in Ukraine to last until midnight on Sunday.

From Messi to Trump, AI action figures are the rage

The latest internet obsession is one impossible to escape on social media: images of well-known figures in plastic toy packaging alongside evocative props... welcome to the meme of AI action figures.

US Supreme Court pauses deportation of Venezuelans from Texas

The US Supreme Court on Saturday paused the Trump administration's deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members under an 18th-century law.

Cycling mulls slowing bikes to make road racing safer

The head of cycling's governing body said it is wrestling with the idea of reducing the maximum power riders can generate to make road racing safer.

Client brain-dead after Paris cryotherapy session goes wrong

A woman injured during a fatal cryotherapy session at a gym in France's capital earlier this week is now brain-dead, the prosecutor's office said Friday.

Bloody Philippine passion play sees final performance of veteran 'Jesus'

Scores of penitents whipped themselves bloody under a scorching Philippine sun while others were nailed to crosses in a polarising Good Friday tradition drawing the most extreme of Catholic devotees.

Sri Lankans throng to Kandy for rare display of Buddhist relic

Thousands of pilgrims camped overnight outside Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist temple in anticipation of Friday's display of a prized relic that will be shown to the public for the first time in 16 years.

US senator meets wrongfully deported Salvadoran migrant

American Senator Chris Van Hollen said Thursday he had met with a Salvadoran man wrongfully deported to his home country by the Trump administration, in a case that has sparked outrage in the United States.

Heavy spring snow storm wreaks havoc in the Alps

An unusually heavy spring storm across the Alps sparked chaos on Thursday, as it dumped more than a metre of snow in some areas, shutting ski areas, roads, trains and schools as authorities urged people to stay home.

US judge rules Google monopolized online ad tech market

A US judge on Thursday ruled that Google wielded monopoly power in the online ad technology market in a blow that could rattle the tech giant's revenue engine.

Pope says doing 'best he can' on jail visit before Easter

A still-convalescing Pope Francis said Thursday he was doing "as best I can" as he visited inmates at Rome's central jail before Easter.

France's feminist icon Pelicot to sue Paris Match for privacy invasion

Gisele Pelicot, a French feminist icon who survived nearly a decade of rapes by dozens of men, will sue Paris Match magazine for invasion of privacy, her lawyers said Thursday.

Book claims Vatican knew French charity icon accused of abuse from 1950s

The authors of a book published Thursday said the Vatican knew about sexual abuse allegations against French charity icon Abbe Pierre as early as the 1950s.

Anger as China club plays hours after striker Boupendza's death

Football fans in China were outraged by Zhejiang FC's decision to go ahead with a league match hours after the death of their Gabon international striker Aaron Boupendza.

US judge says 'probable cause' to hold Trump admin in contempt

A US judge said Wednesday he had found "probable cause" to hold President Donald Trump's administration in contempt in a deportation case, raising the stakes in the White House's confrontation with the justice system.

India opposition slams graft charges against Gandhis

India's main opposition Congress party accused the government of a "vendetta" on Wednesday after a federal agency filed charges against its top leaders in a years-long corruption case.

US judge says 'probable cause' to hold govt in contempt over deportations

A US federal judge said Wednesday he had found "probable cause" to hold President Donald Trump's administration in contempt in a deportation case, raising the stakes in the White House's confrontation with the US justice system.

Macron vows punishment for French prison attackers

President Emmanuel Macron warned Wednesday that assailants behind a wave of coordinated arson and gunfire attacks on French prisons would be "found, tried and punished".

New attacks target France prison guard cars, home

Assailants targeted cars and a building lobby linked to prison staff in France overnight, the authorities said Wednesday, the latest in a series of coordinated attacks that have put the government on edge.

Tiktok bans user behind Gisele Pelicot 'starter kit' meme

Tiktok has banished a user who posted a "starter kit" meme targeting Gisele Pelicot, a French feminist icon who survived nearly a decade of rapes by dozens of men, the popular video app said Wednesday.

Gabon striker Boupendza dies after 11th floor fall

Gabon international striker Aaron Boupendza died on Wednesday at the age of 28 when he fell from the 11th floor of a building in China, according to the national football federation (Fegafoot).

UK top court rules definition of 'woman' based on sex at birth

Britain's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the legal definition of a "woman" is based on a person's sex at birth, a landmark decision with far-reaching implications for the bitter debate over trans rights.

Pocket watch found on Titanic victim to go on sale in UK

A pocket watch, tickets and money found among the belongings of passengers on the Titanic are among items on sale at a UK auction later this month.

UK top court rules definition of 'a woman' based on sex at birth

Britain's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday the legal definition of a "woman" is based on a person's sex at birth, a landmark decision with far-reaching implications for the bitter debate over trans rights.

Heineken beer sales dip, tariffs add to uncertainty

Heineken said Wednesday its beer sales were down in the first quarter but kept profit forecasts for the year unchanged despite noting increased uncertainty from tariffs.

Malnourished children in Afghanistan at 'high risk of dying' without US aid

At a malnutrition treatment centre in Afghanistan's capital, the cries of children have given way to a heavy silence, as patients are turned away and medical staff laid off due to US aid cuts.

Lessons in horror with Cambodia's Khmer Rouge tribunal

Sheltering in the shade of a bus repurposed into a mobile museum, Mean Loeuy tells a group of children about the hell he went through in a Khmer Rouge labour camp.

The Japan Times - Boulevard (English)