The Japan Times - ThingsToKnow

Featured

Pharrell kicks off Paris Fashion week with Louvre show

Paris Men's Fashion Week kicks off Tuesday, headlined by Pharrell Williams' highly anticipated new show for Louis Vuitton which is set to take over the Louvre.

France's arch film provocateur Blier dies at 85

Veteran French film provocateur Bertrand Blier, who has died aged 85, made some of the country's biggest arthouse hits of the 1970s and 1980s, but is perhaps best known for unleashing the Gallic megastar Gerard Depardieu on the world.

Last news

Royal rest for cancer patient king on first day of Australia tour

Britain's King Charles will spend the first full day of a landmark trip to his Australian realm recuperating and without public engagements Saturday, a nod to the 75-year-old cancer patient's fragile health.

Animal rights activists sentenced for Buckingham Palace fountain protest

A UK judge on Friday criticised animal rights activists who poured red dye into a marble fountain outside Buckingham Palace, causing thousands of pounds' worth of damage.

King Charles arrives in Australia for landmark tour

King Charles III touched down in Australia Friday, embarking on the most strenuous foreign trip since his life-changing cancer diagnosis eight months ago.

King Charles set to arrive in Australia for landmark tour

King Charles III arrives in Australia on Friday, beginning the most strenuous foreign trip since his cancer diagnosis and a tour showcasing busy barbecues, famed landmarks and pressing climate dangers.

Bronski Beat's gay anthem 'Smalltown Boy' strikes chord 40 years on

Forty years on from its 1984 release, Bronski Beat's new wave hit "Smalltown Boy" has transcended generations to become an LGBTQ anthem for young and old alike.

'Our time has come': the female Indian director hoping to make Oscars history

Despite Bollywood's popularity worldwide, the mammoth Hindi-language film industry has made barely a dent in the Academy Awards, with just 10 Indian Oscar wins since 1957.

King Charles heads to Australia, a nation shrugs

On the eve of King Charles III's landmark tour Down Under, many of his antipodean subjects are unaware or uninterested -- a sign, experts say, of a more diverse and less Anglo-centric Australia.

One Direction's Liam Payne falls to death at Argentina hotel

British singer Liam Payne, a former member of the best-selling pop group One Direction, died Wednesday aged 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentine police said.

Hissed off: San Juan cat removal plan prompts outcry, lawsuit

Plans to remove stray cats from a historic site in Puerto Rico's capital San Juan have hit a snag, after animal rights groups cried foul.

King Charles III heads to Australia and Commonwealth meeting

King Charles III this week begins his first tour of Australia as monarch, reigniting debate about whether the country should sever ties with the British monarchy and become a republic.

Trio wins economics Nobel for work on wealth inequality

The Nobel prize in economics was awarded on Monday to Turkish-American Daron Acemoglu and British-Americans Simon Johnson and James Robinson for research into wealth inequality between nations.

Role of government, poverty research tipped for economics Nobel

Closing the season, the Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce the Nobel economics prize on Monday, with specialists on credit, the role of government, and wealth inequality seen as possible contenders.

Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports

Japan's 89-year-old former empress Michiko left hospital Sunday after having surgey for a broken thigh, local media reported.

Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports

Japan's 89-year-old former empress Michiko left hospital Sunday after having surgey for a broken thigh, local media reported.

Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary

A brass sculpture of a naked man being garrotted, a monument evoking prison bars and a sign are the only hints this sleepy central Athens street once housed the Gestapo's headquarters.

Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say

Just like the dwindling group of survivors now recognised with a Nobel prize, the residents of Hiroshima hope that the world never forgets the atomic bombing of 1945 -- now more than ever.

UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment

Catherine, Princess of Wales and her husband Prince William on Thursday made their first joint public engagement since she ended a course of chemotherapy for cancer, Kensington Palace announced.

South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel

Author Han Kang on Thursday became the first South Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature for work characterised by the correspondence between mental and physical torment as well as historical events.

Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata

Crowds of mourners gathered in India's financial capital Mumbai on Thursday for the funeral of industrialist Ratan Tata, hailed as a "titan" who led one of the country's biggest conglomerates.

Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems

Whether it's battling tumors or breaking down plastic, American scientist David Baker, co-recipient of this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has an answer: engineering proteins that don't naturally exist -- a concept once dismissed as "crazy."

What are proteins again? Nobel-winning chemistry explained

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded on Wednesday to three scientists who have help unravel some of the enduring secrets of proteins, the building blocks of life.

AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins

For long periods of its history, artificial intelligence has lurked in the hinterland of science, often unloved and unfunded -- but two Nobel prizes in one week suggest its time in the sunshine has finally arrived.

Demis Hassabis, from chess prodigy to Nobel-winning AI pioneer

Long before Demis Hassabis pioneered artificial intelligence techniques to earn a Nobel prize, he was a master of board games.

Scientists sound AI alarm after winning physics Nobel

American Geoffrey Hinton and British-Canadian John Hopfield won the Nobel physics prize on Tuesday for their pioneering work on the foundations of artificial intelligence, with both sounding the alarm over the technology they helped bring to life.

Duo wins Physics Nobel for key breakthroughs in AI

American John Hopfield and British-Canadian Geoffrey Hinton won the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for pioneering work in the development of artificial intelligence.

Nobel literature jury may go for non-Western writer

The Nobel Prize in Literature has honoured predominantly Western writers since it was first awarded in 1901, but the Swedish Academy may shine its spotlight further afield this year, experts say.

'Invisibility' and quantum computing tipped for physics Nobel

An "invisibility cloak", an atomic force microscope or quantum computing are some of the scientific achievements that could win a Nobel prize in physics Tuesday.

'Dark day': Victims mourned around the globe on Oct. 7 anniversary

Mourners and leaders around the world on Monday voiced horror and a desire for peace at tearful memorials remembering the unprecedented October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked a year of devastating war in Gaza.

What is microRNA? Nobel-winning discovery explained

The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded on Monday to two US scientists for discovering microRNA, a previously unknown type of genetic switch which is hoped can pave the way for new medical breakthroughs.

World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel

Israel's president on Monday kicked off global commemorations on the first anniversary of Hamas's deadly October 7 attack, with memorials held to honour the victims and the hostages still in captivity in Gaza.

'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial

With candles, prayers and music, commemorations for the October 7 attack began in Israel's Tel Aviv on Sunday at a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas onslaught at the Nova music festival.

Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel

Thousands of people gathered over the weekend for the first emotional commemorations marking the anniversary of Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The Japan Times - Things to know (English)