TOKYO (AFP): An outlandish contest daring participants to impersonate Japanese Samurai writhing in pain after “seppuku” – ritual suicide – has been called off after criticism that it was in poor taste. Dubbed the “Seppuku Contest”, the event was slated to take place next month in the western Japanese city …

CAIRO/OMDURMAN, Sudan (Reuters) – More than 61,000 people are estimated to have died in Khartoum state during the first 14 months of Sudan’s war, with evidence suggesting the toll from the devastating conflict is significantly higher than previously recorded, according to a new report by researchers in Britain and Sudan. …

LISBON: Tech entrepreneurs have spent years selling the dream that we can save the planet without changing our ways, but the current focus of innovation is dividing experts and investors. The tech industry loves splashy world-saving ideas and spends billions on the hunt for new energy sources, often clashing with …

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld on Thursday the conviction of the former head of an advocacy group representing victims of Japan’s wartime sexual abuse for embezzlement and sentenced her to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years. Yoon Mee-hyang was indicted in 2020 on charges of …

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark FBM KLCI gapped up at Thursday’s open as the market rebounded after a weak performance in the first half of the week. At the start of trading, the main index gapped up 3.39 points to 1,614.89, meeting the 14-day simple moving average as it attempted …

TURIN, Nov 14 — The small furry objects that are the focus of every tennis player’s energy are spinning the stars at the ATP finals into a fury and leaving them deflated. “The balls are a big problem”, said world No.2 Alexander Zverev. Many of the top players say all …

COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka holds a snap election on Thursday which will determine if the South Asian island nation wants to empower its new, leftist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to push his anti-poverty policies as it recovers from a financial meltdown. A little over 17 million Sri Lankans are …

Sibu Municipal Council (SMC), in partnership with Sibu Rural District Council, has set up a body to give voice to children in the area. Sibu Child Council is the second such assembly for Sarawak, and comprises 20 youths aged between 13 and 16. Speaking at the launch event, Sarawak Deputy …

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday he was “cautiously optimistic” after discussing with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken the possibility of conducting deep strikes on Russia as well as Euro-Atlantic integration. Kyiv has long been lobbying for Western allies to allow long-range attacks on …