Japan

[ad_1] Nintendo has raised its forecast for Switch console sales and profit for the year after reporting better-than-expected earnings for the holiday quarter.The Kyoto-based company now expects to sell 15.5 million Switch units in the fiscal year ending in March, up from 15 million, and it also raised its revenue, operating profit and net income guidance.The December quarter’s operating profit of ¥184.5 billion ($1.2 billion) beat the average analyst estimate […]

[ad_1] Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref. – In the aftermath of a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that rocked central Japan on New Year's Day, uncertainty prevails among foreign residents in the region who have had homes damaged or jobs paused, but widespread support is helping to ease anxiety.Ian Lawrence, an American in his fifth year of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme and a prefectural advisor for Ishikawa, has credited the "phenomenal […]

[ad_1] BEIRUT – Like many fellow residents of a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, Shady Choucair despaired when he heard last week that countries had halted their funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinians (UNRWA)."It's a disaster. We were able to survive off the help we got from UNRWA," he said in his small grocery store in the Mar Elias refugee camp in Beirut, where he has lived with his […]

[ad_1] The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden embraced a plan from India’s government last year to edge China out of its position as a leader in making ingredients for generic pharmaceuticals sold in the U.S., but a new report shows that many of those ingredients are likely still coming from China.America’s reliance on China for drug ingredients has raised alarm bells in Congress. House committees will hold two hearings […]

[ad_1] LAHORE/KARACHI, Pakistan – Days before Pakistan's Feb. 8 election, a masked and headscarf-clad Komal Asghar led a team of similarly dressed women through alleys in the eastern city of Lahore.Their mission: to knock on doors and distribute campaign pamphlets adorned with photos of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.Asghar, a 25-year-old insurance company employee, gave up her day job for a month to canvass for Khan's embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf […]

[ad_1] LOS ANGELES – A deadly Pacific storm, the second "Pineapple Express" to sweep the West Coast in less than a week, stalled over Southern California on Monday, unleashing torrential downpours that triggered street flooding and mudslides throughout the region.Extreme-weather advisories for floods, high winds and winter storm conditions were posted Monday across parts of California and southwestern Arizona where some 35 million people live.The National Weather Service documented staggering […]

[ad_1] Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka believes she can get back amongst the top spots in the rankings by the end of the year as the Japanese player draws inspiration from being a new mother.The four-time Grand Slam champion suffered an early Australian Open exit following 15 months out of the sport after having her first child but is confident of getting back to the top as she prepares […]

[ad_1] In a sign of voter backlash against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over its political slush funds scandal, a novice candidate supported by major opposition parties defeated the ruling coalition’s choice in the Maebashi mayoral election in Gunma Prefecture on Sunday. Incumbent Mayor Ryu Yamamoto, 64, who was seeking a fourth term, lost to 41-year-old Akira Ogawa, a former prefectural assembly member, who will become Maebashi's first female mayor. […]

[ad_1] Heavy snow fell across Tokyo and the wider Kanto region on Monday, continuing until early Tuesday in some areas and impacting transportation networks during the morning commute. On Monday evening, the Meteorological Agency had issued a heavy snow warning for Tokyo's 23 wards and most of the Kanto-Koshin region, calling for caution over transportation disruptions, frozen roads and avalanches until Tuesday morning. The warnings were later downgraded to advisories. […]