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Kawasaki Frontale moved closer to a place in the knockout rounds of the Asian Champions League Elite on Wednesday with a 4-0 thrashing of China’s Shandong Taishan while Ulsan HD launched a second half fightback to down Shanghai Shenhua. In Kawasaki, the home side consolidated its hold on fourth, moving onto 12 points to sit one point behind Yokohama F. Marinos, Gwangju FC and Vissel Kobe. Kawasaki went in front in the third minute when Marcinho shot past Wang Dalei after the Shandong goalkeeper had saved Yusuke Segawa’s left-foot strike. Source link

WASHINGTON – In another era, agreement among analysts from leading left, center, and right-leaning think tanks over a sweeping plan to address major fiscal and social issues might carry some heft in Washington policymaking. In today’s culturally infused, party-line politics, when establishment voices particularly among the U.S. Republican party have been sidelined, perhaps not so much. But after a yearlong debate and analysis, Brookings Institution, Bipartisan Policy Center, and American Enterprise Institute economists and analysts have still given it a shot, outlining a national “grand bargain” addressing everything from immigration and decarbonization to tax and entitlement reform. Source link

The government plans to relax its visa requirements for Chinese visitors to encourage more exchanges between the two countries, Japanese government officials said Wednesday. Japan is considering several proposals, including simplifying document procedures and expanding the scope of those eligible for multiple short-term visas, the officials said. The move comes after China reinstated its short-term visa waiver for Japanese visitors at the end of last month. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya may announce the move when he visits China as early as this month for talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. Currently, Chinese nationals applying for tourist visas to Japan are required to have a gold status credit card, as well as prepare documents such as income certificates and proof of residence. Tokyo is unlikely to meet a request from Beijing to waive its visa requirements for Chinese visitors, a Japanese government official said. “China’s population is much bigger than Japan’s,” the official said. “Mutual waivers would be difficult.” Source link

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing the threat of impeachment, with opposition lawmakers accusing him of violating his constitutional duty and committing a crime akin to treason when he declared martial law on Tuesday. Yoon lifted the martial law declaration before dawn on Wednesday, just hours after the opposition-controlled parliament rejected his attempt to ban political activity and censor the media. Below are details of the presidential impeachment process and past presidents who were impeached. Source link

UnitedHealth Group’s investor day turned from an ordinary corporate meeting in a midtown Manhattan hotel to a scene of stunned grief quicker than the health insurer could even react. “It was mid-presentation when everyone began to get the headlines,” said Michael Ha, a health-care analyst at Baird who sat among roughly 275 attendees at the Wednesday event when news alerts started pinging attendees’ mobile phones. “We were all looking around; we were all shocked and confused.” Fifty-year-old Brian Thompson, who led the company’s UnitedHealthcare insurance division, had been fatally shot on the sidewalk as he approached the hotel around 6:45 a.m. Blood stained the concrete. And the suspect was still at large. Source link

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Major electronics firms in Japan are reconsidering their practice of paying uniform starting salaries based on educational backgrounds. The companies plan to pay starting salaries that vary depending on skills and experiences to new hires who have joined immediately after graduating school. The change comes as electronics companies face increased competition for talented technology workers. Panasonic Connect will offer varying starting salaries to new employees, beginning with those who join the company next spring. The Panasonic unit will offer higher starting salaries to new hires who have been involved in setting up a company or have tech-related credentials. The starting salaries of those who joined the company this spring were ¥270,000 ($1,800) per month for university graduates and ¥305,000 for those with a master’s degree. For those joining the company in the spring of 2025 with past startup experiences or tech skills, Panasonic Connect plans to pay an additional 10% to 20% on top of this year’s starting salaries. Still, Panasonic Connect expects only a few people to receive the additional salaries initially. “There are still many students who want to acquire specialized knowledge after they join the company,” said Nobuhiro Shinya, Panasonic Connect’s chief human resources officer. Fujitsu will scrap its uniform starting salaries in April 2026. New graduates are expected to receive starting salaries of between around ¥315,000 and ¥385,000 based on the results of their research while in school and long-term internship experience. “We have to put an end to the idea that starting salaries are the same for everyone,” said a senior official at a major electronics company. Source link

DOHA/BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON – Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy has traveled to Qatar and Israel to kick-start the U.S. president-elect’s diplomatic push to reach a Gaza Strip ceasefire and hostage release deal before he takes office on Jan. 20, a source briefed on the talks said. Steve Witkoff, the incoming envoy, met separately in late November with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the source said. The meetings signal that the Gulf state of Qatar has resumed its role as a key mediator after suspending its role last month, the source said. Source link

Japanese elementary and junior high school students continued to get high science and math scores in an international survey in 2023, the education ministry said Wednesday. Japan’s average score for math among elementary school fourth graders fell 2 points from the previous test to 591, remaining in fifth place in the world, according to the results of the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. The average math score among Japanese eighth graders, or students in the second year of junior high school, rose 1 point to 595, staying in fourth in the global rankings. Source link

WASHINGTON – Advisers to Donald Trump publicly and privately are floating proposals to end the Ukraine war that would cede large parts of the country to Russia for the foreseeable future, according to a Reuters analysis of their statements and interviews with several people close to the U.S. president-elect. The proposals by three key advisers, including Trump’s incoming Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, share some elements, including taking NATO membership for Ukraine off the table. Trump’s advisers would try forcing Moscow and Kyiv into negotiations with carrots and sticks, including halting military aid to Kyiv unless it agrees to talk but boosting assistance if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses. Source link