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Manila – The Philippines on Monday ratified a key defense pact with Japan, which allows them to deploy troops on each other’s soil, with the countries boosting ties amid China’s growing assertiveness. Both countries are longtime allies of the United States, which has been strengthening an arc of alliances to deter China’s disputed territorial claims in the Pacific. The pact — which also allows for increased joint combat drills — was ratified by the Philippine senate with no negative votes or abstentions, Senate President Francis Escudero said. Source link

Zakir Hussain, a peerless Indian tabla player who transcended genres and brought classical Indian music to a global audience, died Sunday. He was 73. He died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease, in San Francisco, where he lived, his family said in a statement. Considered a national treasure in his native India, Hussain won four Grammy Awards and collaborated with a range of superstar artists that included cellist Yo-Yo Ma, jazz master Charles Lloyd, sitarist Ravi Shankar and George Harrison of the Beatles. He was born Zakir Allaraka Qureshi on March 9, 1951, in Bombay, now Mumbai. His father was tabla master Alla Rakha Qureshi, better known as Alla Rakha or sometimes Allarakha. Zakir’s mother, Bavi Begum, changed his surname to Hussain a few days after he was born, on the advice of a Muslim saint, he said. Teachers and students light candles to pay tribute to to Hussain at a university in Amritsar on Monday. | AFP-JIJI Hussain was a child prodigy who began performing concerts on the tabla by age 7 and was touring by age 12, according to the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts, which gave him a fellowship. Both father and son were given the honorific Ustad, which means master. Together, they helped elevate the status of the tabla, a pair of Indian drums played by hand, from an accompanying instrument to one played by virtuosos. In 2009, Zakir Hussain performed four sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York. Earlier this year, he won Grammy Awards for contemporary instrumental album, global music album and global music performance. In 2009, he won the best contemporary world music album award. Hussain is survived by his wife, Antonia Minnecola; his daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi; his brothers, Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi, also tabla players; and his sister, Khurshid Aulia, according to his family. This article originally appeared in The New York Times © 2024 The New York Times Company Source link

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will attend a memorial ceremony on Jan. 17 to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in western Japan, the Imperial Household Agency announced Monday. According to the agency, the emperor and empress will arrive in Kobe on a special flight on Jan. 16. Later in the day, they will be briefed by Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito on the reconstruction situation and visit the Hyogo Prefectural Hyogo-no-Tsu Museum to see an exhibition related to the 30th anniversary of the disaster. They will also meet people affected by the 1995 disaster. On Jan. 17, the imperial couple will attend the memorial ceremony, where the emperor will give a speech. The couple will also inspect the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution before returning to Tokyo that night. The emperor and empress were crown prince and crown princess when they attended the first disaster anniversary ceremony in 1996 and the 15th ceremony in 2010. The emperor also attended the fifth anniversary ceremony in 2000 alone. The 10th and 20th anniversary ceremonies were attended by Emperor Emeritus Akihito, who was on the throne at the time, and Empress Emerita Michiko. Source link

The opposition Democratic Party for the People’s tax chief on Monday hinted at the possible termination of discussions with the ruling bloc over the lifting of the minimum annual taxable income threshold from ¥1.03 million ($6,700). The DPP would have to consider axing the talks if the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, stick to their proposal of raising the threshold to ¥1.23 million, Motohisa Furukawa, chair of the party’s Tax System Research Council, told reporters. The ruling coalition’s tax chiefs made the proposal after the secretaries-general of the three parties agreed on Wednesday to start raising the minimum taxable income level next year. The DPP is demanding that the threshold be lifted to ¥1.78 million. The three parties’ tax chiefs are scheduled to hold talks Tuesday. “What will happen in the future depends on the discussion tomorrow,” Furukawa said. Source link

Sarmada, Syria – The Syrian military intelligence officers who detained Ghazi Mohammed al-Mohammed told him to forget his name and who he was. They took away his papers, he said, and told him, “Now you’re number 3006.” For 5½ months, Mohammed languished in one of President Bashar Assad’s jails, losing 40 kilograms, all the while under the threat of imminent execution. Source link

Investors are facing mixed signals and a jumble of contradictory indicators leaving them with little to go on ahead of the Bank of Japan’s next meeting, which concludes Thursday. Bets are split almost evenly as to whether the benchmark rate will kept at 0.25% or raised. According to a Bloomberg survey of economists earlier this month, 52% believe the central bank will wait until January to make a move, while 44% expect an increase this week. Local press reports suggest that BOJ policy board members are inclined to hold off for another month to see how markets react to the administration of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, while analyses tend to be on the fence. Source link

A shinkansen operates outside of Japan. It’s a little-known success story that stands as proof of concept for the export of futuristic transportation technology developed over many decades in Japan. The line runs the length of Taiwan, over mountainous, unstable territory that makes the island a perfect test bed for fast trains otherwise exclusively used in the home market. “The fact that it has already been successful in Taiwan means that it’s a technology and experience that could potentially be applied universally overseas,” said Masafumi Shukuri, the chairman of International High-speed Rail Association (IHRA), an industry group that promotes Japan’s shinkansen technology overseas. Source link

NEW DELHI – In August, popular protests — and a harsh government crackdown — culminated in the military-backed ouster of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who lurched toward authoritarianism. But far from ushering in a democratic transition, the regime change has plunged Bangladesh into deeper turmoil, with mounting human-rights abuses and lawlessness by ascendant Islamist groups threatening to turn the country into yet another global flash point. Hasina may have forsaken her democratic credentials once in power — in 1990, six years before she was first elected prime minister, she led the pro-democracy uprising that toppled Bangladesh’s military ruler — but the “iron lady” also kept both the powerful military and Islamist movements in check. As South Asia has seen firsthand, military-backed regimes tend to crush anti-government protests, whereas militaries with unfulfilled ambitions might facilitate violent unrest to create a pretext to swoop in, seize power and “restore order.” Bangladesh’s military refused to enforce a lockdown even as protesters rampaged through the streets, and as soon as Hasina was gone, it installed an interim administration. Tellingly, the military packed her off to India even before she could formally resign. Source link

London – Abbi Pulling still has a long road ahead to reach Formula One after winning the all-female F1 Academy title, but it remains the target, and she believes time is on her side. Part of the Renault-owned Alpine F1 team’s academy, the 21-year-old Briton will have a fully-funded seat with Rodin Motorsport in Britain’s GB3 series next year. The next rungs on the ladder would then be Formula Three and Formula Two. Source link

Chicory has all the cuteness of his Shiba breed without the usual prickly temperament. His cute baby face makes him look far younger than his 12 years and, indeed, this sprightly dog shows no signs of aging. While usually quite relaxed, Chicory will get particularly excited when he knows he’s about to be taken on a walk, racing around in gleeful anticipation. Chicory may look reserved and stoic, but he’ll turn to mush when you start stroking him and cuddling him. | KANA MATSUTANI Curious and friendly, Chicory is very nice to other dogs, which cannot be said for other Shibas. He also likes to watch people, and quite intently at that. He may look reserved and stoic, but he’ll turn to mush when you start stroking him and cuddling him. Affectionate and lovable, Chicory will hopefully find someone who adores him as much as we at ARK do. If you are interested in adopting, email ARK at [email protected] or call 050-1557-2763 (English or Japanese) Monday to Saturday (bilingual) for more information. Animal Refuge Kansai (with offices in Kansai and Tokyo) is an NPO founded by U.K. native Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered and microchipped. Prospective owners are required to undergo a screening process. Web: www.arkbark.net Source link