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November 23rd, 2023

Asia's heat-driven health crisis

Climate change triggers medical alarm bells ahead of COP28

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The Big Story

Asia's climate-driven health crisis raises alarm ahead of COP28

Summit's first health ministerial follows record summer spike in heatstroke and dengue cases

New Delhi residents use clothes and books to protect their faces from the scorching sun on a hot June day in India. 2023 could be the hottest year on record.
The number of businesses that moved their head office to Tokyo's 23 wards rose 13% on the year in the first eight months of this year.
Datawatch

Tokyo again acts as a magnet for corporate Japan

Falling rents and a growing need for in-person meetings spur relocations

A Tesla Bot is displayed at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in July: China is unlikely to be a challenger to U.S. tech supremacy for a long time.
Opinion

Chinese AI is not the threat the U.S. thinks it is

In measuring the impact of innovation, quality matters far more than quantity

There is no indication that Cambodia will be left with unserviceable debts even if traffic at Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport falls well short of projections. (Photo by Jean-Marc F. Blanchard)
Opinion

New airport shows Cambodia can get what it wants from China

Siem Reap hub proves there is more to the BRI than debt traps

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together at the Filoli estate in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15.
The Nikkei View

U.S. and China should continue multilayered talks to avoid conflict

Confrontation must not be allowed to impede global growth

The acquisition of Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA was an effort to grow JKN Global Group's international business and boost brand recognition for CEO Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip.
Business Spotlight

Miss Universe owner JKN's bankruptcy filing dims crowning moment

Debt on content acquisitions sets creditors after Thai media mogul Anne Jakkaphong

Construction of a bridge to be connected to the national capital Nusantara in Indonesia's East Kalimantan province. Sinar Mas Land plans to build a hotel in the new city. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Reuters)
Travel & Leisure

Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas to open hotel in new capital

Developer sees opportunity as government functions begin Nusantara move next year

Alibaba has been betting on its cloud computing services and is striving to establish itself as an AI leader in China.
China tech

Alibaba shares plunge after reversing spinoff plan of cloud unit

Jack Ma's family trusts to sell down stakes in e-commerce group for nearly $871m

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, seen here in Brussels in October, has pushed to let over 500,000 workers into the country for companies like China's CATL, despite his usual staunch opposition to immigration.
Technology

Hungary's Chinese EV ambitions thwarted by anti-immigration grief

Battery makers like CATL face staff shortage, local wariness in the country

Anwar Ibrahim became Malaysia's 10th prime minister in November 2022. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Rie Ishii and Hiroki Endo)
Asia Insight

Anwar struggles to boost Malaysian economy a year after victory

Rising food prices and weak currency hamper prime minister's reform plans

Leaders meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative summit leaders retreat on Nov. 17 in San Francisco. 
APEC

APEC treads carefully on Gaza: 5 takeaways from San Francisco

Geopolitics removed from joint statement after opposition from China and Russia

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who doubles as finance minister, presents the 2024 budget to Parliament in Colombo on Nov. 13. (President Media/handout via Reuters)
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka's election-year budget straddles line between IMF and voters

2024 plan praised for 'sticking to reform,' criticized for apparent contradictions

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, pictured during a visit to Japan in April, has refused to make way for a neutral caretaker administration to oversee the next election.
Politics

Bangladesh sets election for Jan. 7, ignoring opposition pleas

Move raises risk of violence, analysts say, while U.S. urges party talks

Tadanori Yokoo with some of his paintings at his studio in southwestern Tokyo on Oct. 19. He is currently showing a series of recent works at the Tokyo National Museum.
Arts

Legendary Japanese artist Tadanori Yokoo is still going strong at 87

Painter looks back at legacy of making waves since the 1960s

A father carries a baby in a sling in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward. More Japanese men are taking time off work to care for their children -- an option that had not always been available to them.
Tea Leaves

Japan's fathers get leave to do their bit

A collapse in the fertility rate prompts a more liberal approach to paternity leave