Japan

[ad_1] CHIBA – Chiba Lotte Marines flamethrower Roki Sasaki said Saturday he has expressed his desire to play in Major League Baseball since joining the Pacific League club, while both sides denied that ambition delayed the signing of his 2024 contract.The 22-year-old, who in 2022 became the youngest pitcher to throw a perfect game in Japan, agreed to terms Friday on his contract with Lotte for the upcoming season, just […]

[ad_1] In a landmark ruling on Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered that Israel must take action to protect human life in Gaza, siding with South Africa after it accused Israel of committing genocide in the territory — while stopping short of demanding a ceasefire.South Africa accused Israel of genocide on Dec. 29, three months after a Hamas attack killed 1,200 people and took many more hostage. Israel responded […]

[ad_1] The United Nations fired several staffers at its Palestinian refugee agency over Israeli allegations that they took part in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, news that prompted the U.S., Italy, Australia and Canada to suspend funding.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "is horrified by the news” that workers with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, may have been involved in the attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel, […]

[ad_1] Reuters – Aryna Sabalenka continued to be an irrepressible force at the Australian Open as she powered to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen on Saturday to successfully defend her title and add a second Grand Slam trophy to her cabinet.The Belarusian second seed barely put a foot wrong at what has turned into her happiest hunting ground as she became the first woman to […]

[ad_1] Lone yokozuna Terunofuji and promotion-hunting sekiwake Kotonowaka head into a gripping final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in a two-way tie for the lead after each improving to 12-2 on Saturday.Kotonowaka defeated the other overnight leader, ozeki Kirishima (11-3), while Terunofuji won by default following the injury withdrawal of ozeki Hoshoryu on Day 14 at Ryogoku Kokugikan.Bidding for promotion to ozeki at the 15-day tournament, Kotonowaka […]

[ad_1] Japan's Rei Sakamoto, 17, became just the second Japanese player to win a junior boys' Grand Slam singles title on Saturday, topping Jan Kumstat of the Czech Republic in a tight three-set Australian Open final. Sakamoto, the No. 4 seed in Melbourne, had dropped just a single set on his way to the final but needed to dig deep in a 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 comeback win over Kumstat. The […]

[ad_1] A man suspected of being on a wanted list for decades over one of a series of bombings in the 1970s may have worked in Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo before being admitted to hospital for cancer treatment earlier this month, investigative sources said Saturday.The man, believed to be Satoshi Kirishima, is likely to have kept himself hidden in the prefecture, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is investigating whether […]

[ad_1] The U.S. hopes a fresh hostage deal between Israel and Hamas will create the space for talks to achieve a more lasting regional peace agreement, a State Department official said Friday, offering a longer-term vision for the Biden administration as its negotiators crisscross the region in search of a breakthrough.CIA Director William Burns, who helped hammer out a previous deal to release Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, is […]

[ad_1] NASA on Friday unveiled images taken by one of its satellites of Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on the lunar surface after it succeeded in making a pinpoint landing. The images, taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at an altitude of about 80 kilometers before and after the landing, show a slight change in reflectance around the lander due to engine exhaust sweeping the surface, NASA said. […]