Voices: What Japanese Think About The Hostage Crisis

U. S. President Joe Biden said he would halt additional shipments of offensive weapons to Israel if the country proceeded with a ground invasion of Rafah, decrying the potential loss of civilian life as “just wrong.” “We’re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently,” Biden said in an interview Wednesday with CNN.

(LOS ANGELES) — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case in which prosecutors allege he stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The scandal surrounding Ippei Mizuhara shocked baseball fans from the U.

(DALLAS) — A thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system, researchers reported Wednesday. The so-called super Earth — known as 55 Cancri e — is among the few rocky planets outside our solar system with a significant atmosphere, wrapped a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

Two singers who performed as part of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden on Tuesday were reprimanded by event organizers for wearing pro-Palestinian symbols. Opening act performer Eric Saade wore a kaffiyeh—a headscarf that can be a symbol of Palestinian solidarity—on his wrist during the show Tuesday. And Irish contestant Bambie Thug told reporters that same night that contest organizers “ordered” them to change their stage make-up before their semi-final performance because of its pro-Palestine references, according to BBC. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the international songwriting competition, admonished both performers for donning the attire during what they insist should remain an apolitical event. An EBU spokesperson tells TIME that Saade didn’t wear a kaffiyeh during his rehearsals, but “put it on without anyone noticing before the live broadcast.” “We regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event,” the spokesperson says in an emailed statement.

(BANGKOK) — The prime minister of Thailand, the first country in Asia to legalize cannabis two years ago, said Wednesday that he wants to outlaw the drug again amid concerns that the lack of regulation had made it available to children and increased crimes. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin wrote on the social media platform X that he asked the Health Ministry to amend its list of narcotics to again include cannabis, and issue new rules to allow its use for medical purposes only. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Srettha also ordered local authorities to suppress criminal activities linked to the illegal drug trade and demanded to see progress within 90 days. After cannabis was decriminalized in 2022, it was initially said that it would be allowed only for medicinal use, but in practice the market was unregulated.

(NEW YORK) — All dogs coming into the U. S. from other countries must be at least 6 months old and microchipped to help prevent the spread of rabies, according to new government rules published Wednesday. The new rules require vaccination for dogs that have been in countries where rabies is common.