Ayoola Atitebi

The chairman and president of major Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV have stepped down following sexual assault allegations against prominent television host Masahiro Nakai, who retired from entertainment last week. During Monday's press conference, Chairman Shuji Kano and President Koichi Minato bowed as they announced their resignations, apologizing to viewers and stakeholders for the controversy that has shaken Japan's media landscape. The network faces intense scrutiny after Minato admitted the company knew about but failed to disclose allegations that Nakai sexually assaulted a woman at a 2023 Fuji TV staff party. Media reports revealed Nakai paid the unnamed woman over half a million dollars in settlement, with additional claims emerging that a Fuji TV employee helped arrange the meeting. Nakai, a former member of boy band SMAP and well-known television personality, has denied using violence against the woman. On January 9, […]

President Donald Trump has reiterated his interest in acquiring Greenland, asserting to reporters on Air Force One that "we're going to have it" and claiming the island's 57,000 residents "want to be with us". Trump's comments follow a heated phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who firmly stated Greenland was not for sale. He argued that the territory's acquisition is an "absolute necessity" for international security, stating, "I don't really know what claim Denmark has to it." Despite Trump's confidence, both Greenland and Danish leadership have consistently rejected the proposal. Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede emphasized that land use is "Greenland's business", though he expressed openness to increased US collaboration on defense and mining. Frederiksen has repeatedly asserted that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders", with only the local population able to determine its future. European officials reportedly described […]

Four young Israeli women were reunited with their families on Saturday after being held hostage for 477 days following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy, all aged 19-20, were released as part of a ceasefire agreement that also saw 200 Palestinian prisoners freed. The women were part of an all-female observation unit stationed at the Nahal Oz military base near the Gaza border when they were initially captured. Their release was emotionally charged, with families celebrating their return while acknowledging the ongoing plight of other hostages. Crowds gathered in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, watching live as the women were handed over in Gaza City's Palestine Square. Flanked by masked Hamas militants, they were transferred via Red Cross vehicles and subsequently brought to Beilinson Hospital for medical evaluation. Dr. Lena Koren Feldman, […]

A Chinese court has sentenced Zhou Jiasheng, 52, to death for a knife attack outside a Japanese school in Suzhou, which resulted in multiple casualties. The court determined the attack was an "intentional murder" with significant social impact. Zhou carried out the assault on June 24, reportedly after losing his job and accumulating significant debt, leading him to "lose the will to live". During the attack, he killed Hu Youping, a Chinese bus attendant who was attempting to protect a Japanese mother and her child. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi condemned the crime as "absolutely unforgivable", noting that officials from the Japanese consulate in Shanghai attended the sentencing. The court did not mention Japan directly during the ruling. The incident was one of three attacks on foreigners in China last year, highlighting a broader trend of increasing public violence. […]

Ross Ulbricht, 40, was released from prison after being pardoned by President Donald Trump, ending his 11-year incarceration for creating Silk Road, an online marketplace that prosecutors claimed facilitated $183 million in drug sales using Bitcoin. Sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years in 2015, Ulbricht expressed gratitude in a video message posted on X. "I was doing life without parole... I'm a free man now. So let it be known that Donald Trump is a man of his word," he stated. Ulbricht described the pardon as a "victory for everybody who loves freedom and who cares about second chances," and indicated plans to spend time with his family. Libertarians and cryptocurrency supporters had long argued that Ulbricht's punishment was disproportionate. His lawyers contended that he had handed off site control after a few months and was potentially used […]