Showing 1 - 10 of 85
Sumo diplomacy: Japan's heavyweight 'soft power' ambassadors
AFP, Published on 30/01/2026
» TOKYO - Two giants stare each other down before colliding with a dull thud. After years on the sidelines, sumo is back centrestage as part of Japan's soft power arsenal overseas.
Japan's beloved last pandas leave for China as ties fray
AFP, Published on 27/01/2026
» TOKYO — Two popular pandas are set to leave Tokyo for China Tuesday, leaving Japan without any of the beloved bears for the first time in 50 years as ties between the Asian neighbours fray.
Tokyo pandas head for China, leaving Japan bereft of beloved bears
AFP, Published on 27/01/2026
» TOKYO - Two hugely popular pandas are set to depart from a Tokyo zoo for China on Tuesday, leaving Japan without any of the beloved bears for the first time in more than 50 years.
US to sell weapons worth over $11 billion to Taiwan
Kyodo News, Published on 18/12/2025
» KYODO — The United States said Wednesday it has approved a potential sale of weapons and related equipment worth more than US$11 billion to Taiwan, at a time when the self-governing democratic island faces increased military pressure from China.
Japan to go panda-less as Ueno zoo pair set for China return in January
Kyodo News, Published on 16/12/2025
» Popular twin pandas at a Japanese zoo will be returned to China in late January, a move that will leave Japan without any pandas for the first time in around half a century and disappoint much of the public, the Tokyo metropolitan government said on Monday.
Experts warn 'AI-written' paper is latest spin on climate change denial
AFP, Published on 04/04/2025
» WASHINGTON - Climate change deniers are pushing an AI-generated paper questioning human-induced warming, leading experts to warn against the rise of research that is inherently flawed but marketed as neutral and scrupulously logical.
Nepal community efforts revive red panda population
AFP, Published on 14/03/2025
» TāPLEJUNG — Nepali police officer Jiwan Subba still feels pangs of regret decades after he bludgeoned a strange creature he found wandering in his barn, not realising it was an endangered red panda.
Pandas, like Trump, are back in Washington
AFP, Published on 25/01/2025
» WASHINGTON - Move over President Trump -- the newest stars in Washington are two giant pandas who made their public debut on Friday in front of hundreds of adoring fans.
Bamboo farm gets chopping for US zoo's hungry new pandas
AFP, Published on 24/01/2025
» FRONT ROYAL (UNITED STATES) — On a snow-blanketed field in Virginia, a handful of workers were silent but for the groan of a chainsaw chopping through bamboo -- a delicacy for their furry clients down the road in the US capital of Washington.
China's new 'giant panda college' to welcome first students in autumn
South China Morning Post, Published on 15/07/2024
» HONG KONG: China's only higher education institute to offer giant panda studies is set to enrol its first students this autumn, giving them the opportunity to observe the bears closely at nature reserves, state broadcaster CCTV reported.