Japanese startup develops bug-repellent clothing

A startup in central Japan has been working on developing bug-repellent fabrics and clothing, with hopes of bringing finalized products to market by the end of March next year.
The company, Fibercraze, teamed up with firms across the country to develop textiles with microscopic holes that can be…[Read more]

Kishida looking to replace all Cabinet members from troubled faction

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is looking to remove all Cabinet members belonging to the largest faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party from their posts amid the deepening political funds scandal, sources said Sunday.
Some members of the faction formerly led by the Prime…[Read more]

Japan hotel operators turn historical buildings into trendy stays

OSAKA — Japanese hotel operators are rushing to develop new types of accommodations from historical buildings in the Kansai region in anticipation of more foreign tourists.

The Kansai region in western Japan, which includes Osaka, Kyoto and several other prefectures, is rich in…[Read more]

Japan Plans to Subtract ‘Blue Carbon’ from CO2 Emissions; Seaweed Said to Lock Up Carbon for Longer than Land Plants

The government plans to subtract “blue carbon” when calculating Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions for annual reporting to the United Nations from next fiscal year. Blue carbon is carbon dioxide absorbed and stored by seaweed a…[Read more]

‘Unexpected’ South Korea Court Decision in Favor of ‘Comfort Women’ Puts Damper on Improving Ties with Japan

In contrast to a recent pattern of reasonable judgments by the South Korean judiciary, the Seoul High Court on Thursday overturned a lower court ruling and ordered the Japanese government to pay compensation to former wartime comfort…[Read more]

Japan, Southeast Asian Countries to Hold 1st Online Talks to Combat Disinformation

Japan plans to hold its first online talks with Southeast Asian countries to discuss measures against disinformation on Monday, government sources said.

The talks are to strengthen cooperation with other countries as tackling disinformation has become an urgent…[Read more]

Germany: AfD in Saxony classified as ‘extremist’

The domestic intelligence service in the eastern state of Saxony has designated the far right AfD party an extremist group. The move follows similar decisions in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt.

The regional association of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony has been classified as a right-wing…[Read more]

Russia’s Putin says he will run for president again in 2024

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has decided to run in next year’s presidential elections on March 17, Russian news agencies reported on Friday.

He made the announcement at a ceremony in the Kremlin to honor the “heroes of Russia.”

This will be Putin’s fifth run for the presidency, which…[Read more]

German inflation fall boosts hope of European Central Bank rate cut

Inflation in Germany eased more than expected in November, according to official data released on Friday.

Prices in Europe’s largest economy are increasing at the slowest rate seen since June 2021, mainly thanks to falling energy prices.

Compared to November of last year, p…[Read more]

Germany hit by last-minute train strike: Deutsche Bahn trains “massively affected”

German train drivers have launched a last-minute strike. The 24-hour public transport walkout began on Thursday evening.

It is the fourth strike this year and follows disruption earlier this week due to heavy snowfall in southern Germany.

Passenger services…[Read more]

Education cost saw nearly 70 pct surge last year: TÜİK

Total expenditure for all levels of education in Türkiye surpassed 587 billion Turkish Liras ($20.2 billion) last year, marking a remarkable increase of 69.3 percent compared to 2021, reveals data by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).

According to the figure published by TÜİK on Dec…[Read more]

“TRT World Forum 2023” is Starting

TRT’s influential event shaping the global agenda, the TRT World Forum, is being held in Istanbul on December 8-9. In its seventh year, the event brings together over 150 distinguished speakers from various parts of the world, including internationally recognized academics, politicians, civil society workers,…[Read more]

Türkiye, Greece could cooperate on nuclear energy: Erdoğan

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said Türkiye wants to develop cooperation with Greece on nuclear energy, adding that he hoped his visit to Athens would help improve ties between the NATO allies.

Türkiye and Greece agreed during a landmark visit by Erdoğan on Thursday to estab…[Read more]

Türkiye registers better-than-expected current account gap

Türkiye’s current account deficit widened to about $3.7 billion in November, official data showed Wednesday, propelled by soaring cost of energy imports and rapid increase in gold trade.

Although the shortfall remained on an expansionary path, the better-than-expected monthly reading sho…[Read more]

Turkish national football queens stir inspiration by soaring to B League

In a remarkable journey through the competitive landscape of women’s football, Türkiye’s national team has achieved a significant milestone by ascending from the C League to the B League in the Nations League.

Leading the success are two standout players: Yağmur Uraz, the l…[Read more]

German court rules federal government violated climate law

The German government failed at meeting emissions reduction targets in transportation and construction, the court ruled.

A German court sided with environmental groups on Thursday, ruling that the federal government had failed to meet its own climate goals in the transport and building…[Read more]

Germany: Munich Airport suspends flights amid heavy snowfall

Heavy snowfall hit southern Germany on Friday night and continued on Saturday, causing major disruptions at Munich Airport, the second-busiest hub in the country.

The airport said on Saturday it was suspending flights until 6 a.m. on Sunday.

Around 320 of the 760 flights scheduled…[Read more]

Cameroonian women awarded German-Africa Prize 2023

The Africa Prize is awarded by the nonpartisan German Africa Foundation to Africans selected by a jury for their commitment to democracy, peace, human rights, economic development, science, arts, culture or society.

The 1st National Women’s Convention for Peace in Cameroon, an umbrella group…[Read more]

Turkey told Sweden it expects Nato bid ratification ‘within weeks’, Swedish minister says

Tobias Billström, Sweden’s foreign minister, told reporters this morning that “it is high time to get the ratification done by both Türkiye and also by Hungary of course, and this was a clear message sent by the foreign ministers”.

For months, Turkey…[Read more]

From Gaza to Istanbul: Turkish woman recounts war and survival

Muhsine Alnajjar was at the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with her husband and their two-year-old daughter. They had waited for hours to get out of Gaza and escape Israel’s relentless aerial bombardment. Then, just as they were about to cross the border gate, there w…[Read more]