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U.S. Executive Order 9066, we’re repeating historical past

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U.S. Executive Order 9066, we’re repeating historical past

Mike Ishii, director ofTsuru for Solidarity, pen an article revealed in The Seattle Times84 years after Executive Order 9066, we’re repeating historywith a reminder that historical past doesn’t disappear just because time has handed. Eighty-four years after the U.S. authorities forcibly eliminated and incarcerated Japanese Americans throughout World War II, Ishii argues that the circumstances that made that injustice attainable are re-emerging. What as soon as was justified as nationwide safety is once more being invoked to normalize mass detention, racialized suspicion, and the erosion of fundamental rights, significantly towards immigrants and refugees.

Drawing from the lived reminiscence of Japanese American incarceration, Ishii connects the previous to the current via the work of Tsuru for Solidarity, a grassroots motion led by survivors and descendants of the camps. He describes how elders who as soon as lived behind barbed wire now stand in solidarity with migrants held in trendy detention facilities, recognizing acquainted patterns of worry, dehumanization, and silence. The language might have modified, and the targets could also be completely different, however the logic stays the identical: when a society permits complete communities to be handled as threats slightly than human beings, injustice turns into coverage.

The article in the end serves as each a warning and a name to motion. Ishii insists that remembrance with out duty is empty, and that honoring the victims of Executive Order 9066 requires greater than memorialsit calls for resistance to its trendy echoes. By listening to those that endured incarceration and heeding their warnings right this moment, he argues, we nonetheless have an opportunity to interrupt the cycle. History, he reminds us, shouldn’t be repeating itself by chance; it repeats when folks select consolation over conscience and fail to behave when it issues most.

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Eric Dane, 'Grey's Anatomy' star and ALS consciousness advocate, dies at 53

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Eric Dane, 'Grey's Anatomy' star and ALS consciousness advocate, dies at 53

Eric Dane, the celebrated actor finest identified for his roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” and who later in life grew to become an advocate for ALS consciousness, died Thursday. He was 53.

His representatives mentioned Dane died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, identified additionally as Lou Gehrig’s illness, lower than a 12 months after he introduced his prognosis.

“He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” mentioned a press release that requested privateness for his household. “Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received.”

Dane developed a loyal fanbase when his massive break arrived within the mid-2000s: He was forged as Dr. Mark Sloan, aka McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” a job he would play from 2006 till 2012 and reprise in 2021.

Although his character was killed off on the present after a airplane crash, Dane’s character left an indelible mark on the still-running present: Seattle Grace Hospital grew to become Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

In 2019, he did an entire 180 from the charming McSteamy and have become the troubled Cal Jacobs in HBO’s provocative drama “Euphoria,” a job he continued in up till his demise.

Dane additionally starred as Tom Chandler, the captain of a U.S. Navy destroyer at sea after a worldwide disaster worn out many of the world’s inhabitants, within the TNT drama “The Last Ship.” In 2017, manufacturing was halted as Dane battled despair.

In April 2025, Dane introduced he had been identified with ALS, a progressive illness that assaults nerve cells controlling muscle groups all through the physique.

ALS regularly destroys the nerve cells and connections wanted to stroll, discuss, communicate and breathe. Most sufferers die inside three to 5 years of a prognosis.

Dane grew to become an advocate for ALS consciousness, talking a news convention in Washington on medical insurance prior authorization. “Some of you could know me from TV exhibits, similar to ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ which I play a physician. But I’m right here at present to talk briefly as a affected person battling ALS,” he mentioned in June 2025. In September of that 12 months, the ALS Network named Dane the recipient of their advocate of the 12 months award, recognizing his dedication to elevating consciousness and assist for individuals residing with ALS.

Dane was born on Nov. 9, 1972, and raised in Northern California. His father, who the actor mentioned was a Navy veteran and an architect, died of a gunshot wound when Dane was 7. After highschool, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue performing, touchdown visitor roles on exhibits like “Saved by the Bell,” “Married…With Children,” “Charmed” and “X-Men: the Last Stand,” and one season of the short-lived medical drama “Gideon’s Crossing.”

A memoir by Dane is scheduled to be printed in late 2026. “Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments” shall be launched by Maria Shriver’s The Open Field, a Penguin Random House imprint. According to Open Field, Dane’s memoir covers key moments in his life, from his first day at work on “Grey’s Anatomy” to the births of his two daughters and studying that he had ALS.

“I want to capture the moments that shaped me — the beautiful days, the hard ones, the ones I never took for granted — so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart,” Dane said in a statement about the book. “If sharing this helps someone find meaning in their own days, then my story is worth telling.”

Dane is survived by his spouse, actor Rebecca Gayheart, and their two teen daughters, Billie Beatrice and Georgia Geraldine. Gayheart and Dane wed in 2004 and separated in September 2017. Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018, however later filed to dismiss the petition. In a December essay for New York journal’s The Cut reflecting on Dane’s prognosis, Gayheart known as their dynamic “a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people.” She mentioned they by no means bought a divorce, however dated different individuals and lived individually.

“Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love,” she mentioned. “Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me. So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that.”

© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materials might not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.

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Union Min Mandaviya to steer 62nd Fit India Sundays on Cycle with ESIC in Delhi

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Union Min Mandaviya to steer 62nd Fit India Sundays on Cycle with ESIC in Delhi

New Delhi [India], February 20 (ANI): Following India’s profitable award of internet hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games, the 62nd version of Fit India Sundays on Cycle might be organised nationwide on February 22, in collaboration with the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC).

The occasion additionally coincides with ESIC’s celebration of 75 years of service and social safety, reinforcing the spirit of Fit India by way of wholesome, lively existence, in response to a launch.

Launched in 2019 below the imaginative and prescient of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Fit India Movement is a cornerstone of the Government of India’s mission to construct a more healthy and extra lively nation, aligned with the long-term goal of constructing India a world sports activities powerhouse by 2047.

Under this, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has been awarded the internet hosting rights for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, whereas India has additionally submitted its bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympic Games.

‘India might be internet hosting a multi-discipline occasion, the Commonwealth Games, after a spot of 20 years in 2030. This is a second of pleasure for each Indian. The Modi Government is totally dedicated to remodeling Bharat right into a sports activities powerhouse by making a sustainable ecosystem spanning coverage reforms, infrastructure growth, expertise identification and athlete nurturing. We will depart no stone unturned in realising our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s imaginative and prescient of internet hosting the Olympic Games in 2036,’ stated Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.

‘At the identical time, initiatives comparable to Fit India Sundays on Cycle, together with the upcoming version being organised with ESIC as a part of its 75 years of service and social safety, mirror our emphasis on constructing a match, lively and wholesome Bharat by way of mass participation. Such programmes are integral to creating health a individuals’s motion and strengthening the inspiration of India’s sporting ecosystem,’ he added.

The Government of Gujarat has unveiled a sports-focused price range geared toward reworking Ahmedabad right into a world-class Sports City. Hosting the Commonwealth Games 2030 is envisaged not merely as a sporting occasion, however as a defining milestone in India’s broader journey in direction of Viksit Bharat, strengthening city infrastructure, mobility programs and institutional capability for future mega sporting occasions.

India’s preparations for internet hosting the Commonwealth Games 2030 and its ambition to stage the Olympic Games 2036 are being formed by way of sustained planning and engagement throughout sectors.

International sports activities governance and Olympic-affiliated platforms have, in latest commentary, famous India’s method to linking main sporting occasions with enhancements in city mobility, infrastructure growth and long-term metropolis planning.

There has additionally been worldwide curiosity in India’s engagement with International Federations, together with deliberations associated to occasion programming and self-discipline inclusion for the Commonwealth Games 2030. Such interactions mirror India’s effort to align its internet hosting plans with international sporting frameworks whereas broadening athlete participation throughout disciplines.

These developments point out that India is steadily constructing the institutional and infrastructural capabilities required to ship the Commonwealth Games 2030 in a complete and sustainable method, whereas persevering with to pursue its long-term aspiration of internet hosting the Olympic Games in 2036.

Initiated by Dr Mandaviya in December 2024, Fit India Sundays on Cycle promotes health, environmental consciousness and sustainable mobility. The initiative has developed right into a nationwide jan andolan, witnessing participation of over 25 lakh residents throughout greater than 2 lakh places.

This Sunday, Minister Mandaviya will lead a big group of cyclists from the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, alongside Olympic bronze medallist Rupinder Pal Singh and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Rohit Tokas. Dedicated yoga, rope-skipping and Zumba zones may also be set as much as encourage participation from all age teams, together with kids.

Rupinder Pal Singh was a key member of India’s males’s hockey staff that gained bronze on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He has additionally secured gold (2014) and bronze (2018) medals on the Asian Games, silver on the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and a number of podium finishes on the FIH Hockey World League and Asian Champions Trophy tournaments.

With 223 worldwide caps and 125 objectives, Rupinder is considered one of many best drag-flick specialists of his era.

Rohit Tokas, an achieved Indian boxer, gained bronze on the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and at the moment mentors younger athletes by way of his Tokas Boxing Club, contributing to the event of the subsequent era of combat-sport athletes.

Previous editions of Fit India Sundays on Cycle have seen enthusiastic participation from personnel of the Indian Army, CRPF, ITBP, varied Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), and organisations such because the GST Council and Physical Education Foundation of India (PEFI).

The initiative has additionally been supported by eminent sportspersons, together with The Great Khali, Lovlina Borgohain, Priyanka Goswami, Rani Rampal, Deepika Kumari, Atanu Das, and Paris Paralympics medallists Nitesh Kumar, Manisha Ramadass, Rubina Francis and Simran Sharma.

Film personalities Ayushmann Khurana, Rohit Shetty, Saiyami Kher, Sharvari, Amit Sial, Rahul Bose, Madhurima Tuli, Mia Maelzer and Gul Panag have additionally lent their assist as Fit India Icons.

Fit India Sundays on Cycle is organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) in collaboration with the Cycling Federation of India (CFI), Indian Rope Skipping Federation, Yogasana Bharat, Raahgiri Foundation, MY Bikes and MY Bharat.

The biking drive is performed concurrently throughout all States and Union Territories, together with SAI Regional Centres, National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs), SAI Training Centres (STCs), Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCEs) and Khelo India Centres (KICs). (ANI)

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Do animals have a future on Hollywood units?

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There is a protracted and storied historical past of nonhuman actors, from Luke, the canine of silent star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, to the collies solid within the function of Lassie in movie and on tv. Bart the Bear racked up over 20 movie and TV credit within the Eighties and Nineteen Nineties, whereas numerous horses have supported interval dramas that now saturate streaming companies.

But enterprise has not been pretty much as good because it was for the animal trainers who focus on renting creatures of all types to movie and TV productions.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it’s a pattern that’s been constructing for at the very least 25 years, and it’s largely resulting from a mixture of activism and technological advances, which I’ve noticed in my research of animals on display.

Fewer roles to go round

Hollywood’s adoption of visible results – additionally known as laptop generated imagery, or CGI – has had an outsized function in placing many animal actors out of labor. Ever since “Jurassic Park” (1993) dared to co-mingle CGI dinosaurs with human actors, increasingly more digital animals have appeared alongside people on display.

Other components have accelerated the pattern.

The COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 Hollywood actors and writers strikes and a current dip within the variety of new TV collection being greenlit have meant fewer productions and fewer roles to go round, whether or not they’re written for people or animals.

But even earlier than these current occasions, there have been requires Hollywood to radically scale back its dependence on animal actors.

In 2012, The Hollywood Reporter – the identical commerce journal that just lately lamented a downturn in animal leases – revealed an exposé cataloging incidents wherein animals died, had been injured or had been put at grievous danger on units. These productions nonetheless went on to hold the well-known “No Animals Were Harmed” credit score awarded by the American Humane Association, even supposing, properly, animals had been harmed. American Humane maintained that the incidents had been tragic however not the results of negligence.

In 2016, PETA launched the outcomes of undercover investigations documenting substandard residing circumstances and untreated medical circumstances at Birds & Animals Unlimited, which operates animal coaching amenities for movie and tv. In 2024, the group detailed neglect of animals within the care of Atlanta Film Animals. Both corporations denied the allegations.

There are, after all, any variety of methods to reduce or keep away from utilizing precise animals in movie and TV altogether.

“The Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and its sequels have used motion-capture, with people performing the actions of characters later rendered as chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos and orangutans.

For Ang Lee’s 2012 manufacturing “Life of Pi,” visible results artists created 1000’s of digital animals, whereas director Darren Aronofsky opted for fully digital animals, supplemented by some sensible props, in 2014’s “Noah.”

Bucking high-tech developments, the 2025 horror movie “Primate” went old skool with out reverting to actual animals, deploying a motion artist in a dressing up and prosthetics to play a murderously rabid chimp.

Can CGI numb viewers to animal violence?

What do digital animals, these bestial avatars, make potential?

Undoubtedly, there are trainers who care deeply for his or her fees and uphold finest practices in animal husbandry. But it stands to motive that the less captive animals, the higher, and up to date advances in AI have made visible results and CGI much more reasonable and simpler to mannequin.

However, substituting flesh-and-blood animals with these fabricated from pixels appears to have created a canvas for unfettered abuse. Consider the brutal violence of the “Planet of the Apes” reboots, which embrace hand-to-hand fight, branding and a torturous crucifixion scene.

In the previous, the truth that the animals on set had been actual typically curbed filmmakers’ most savage impulses; violence was implied or passed off off-screen in household fare like “The Yearling” (1946) and “Old Yeller” (1957). At the identical time, digital camera tips and props have been used to create scenes of animal cruelty in lots of movies, from “American Psycho” (2000) to “John Wick” (2014).

While the consequences of violent media on viewers are notoriously laborious to check, some proof means that some audiences can grow to be desensitized to the real-world penalties of unhealthy and violent content material. It’s straightforward to see how this desensitization might lengthen to watching cruelty towards animals on display.

Viewers can nonetheless sniff out the digital

A hybrid method to portraying animals on display appears to have taken maintain, utilizing what one scholar has known as – in a reference to on-screen canine – “composite canine performances.”

The staff behind the 2025 model of “Superman,” for instance, sought to create a sensible canine, proper down to every scruffy patch of fur. But they wanted it to defy gravity and different legal guidelines of physics. So they included simply sufficient dwell animal in preproduction to animate a largely CGI creature, with director James Gunn’s personal canine serving because the “model,” or “reference,” for the superdog, Krypto.

This approach remembers the strategies of Disney animators who had been stumped by the problem of making the characters for “Bambi” (1942). So they studied animal anatomy, photographed deer within the wild and sketched animals introduced into the studio in an effort to higher seize their actions on paper.

But with regards to live-action movies grounded in on a regular basis life, there’s nonetheless work on set for actual animals. For one, it’s nonetheless normally cheaper to deploy the actual factor. Moreover, many of the digital animals on display merely don’t look reasonable sufficient to permit for the complete suspension of disbelief that makes cinema magic.

That’s why within the 2025 adaptation of Helen MacDonald’s memoir, “H Is for Hawk,” filmmakers reportedly employed 5 goshawks to painting Mabel, the chook adopted by Helen (Claire Foy). And it’s why Academy Award-nominee “Marty Supreme” featured a whole menagerie of dwell animals, together with a horse, a camel, an armadillo, a canine, a rabbit and even a ping-pong taking part in sea lion. Yes, the ocean lion within the scene was actual, however the ball wasn’t.

Future alternatives for trainers and their fees seem to relaxation on simply how good visible results can get. For some animal activists – to not point out the animals that don’t have any say of their work – that day can’t come quickly sufficient.

Moviegoers and animal advocates, in the meantime, would possibly hope for a center floor: a future wherein solely ethically handled animals proceed to get to look on the display.

Cynthia Chris is Professor of Media Studies, City University of New York.

The Conversation is an unbiased and nonprofit supply of news, evaluation and commentary from tutorial consultants.

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(MICO2026)ITALY-MILAN-OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES-SPEED SKATING-WOMEN’S 1500M

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(MICO2026)ITALY-MILAN-OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES-SPEED SKATING-WOMEN’S 1500M

(260220) — MILAN, Feb. 20, 2026 (Xinhua) — Elizaveta Golubeva of Kazakhstan competes in the course of the pace skating ladies’s 1500m occasion on the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, Feb. 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

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Mumford & Sons finds a brand new folks rhythm on the collaborative 'Prizefighter'

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Mumford & Sons finds a brand new folks rhythm on the collaborative 'Prizefighter'

Less than a yr because the launch of Mumford & Sons’ long-awaited fifth studio album “Rushmere,” the English folks rock band is again with a sixth: “Prizefighter,” an introspective however nonetheless upbeat return to their stomp-clap kind, now bolstered by new voices.

The album finds the band, made up of lead singer Marcus Mumford, Ted Dwane and Ben Lovett, alongside many collaborators. Aaron Dessner of The National coproduces all 14 tracks; options from Chris Stapleton, Gigi Perez of “Sailor Song” viral fame, Hozier and Gracie Abrams punctuate the album. Brandi Carlile, Finneas, Kevin Garrett, Jon Bellion and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver spherical out the writing credit, alongside Dessner and the band.

Carlile supplied inspiration for the only “Rubber Band Man,” a banjo and acoustic guitar-set reflection on flexibility and restoration that includes verses from Hozier. (Mumford stated lyrics for the tune got here to Carlile in a dream.)

Hozier’s verse, lyrically dense however sonically open, distills the tune’s thesis: “But don’t hold to yourself / With hard mortar and stone / Be a rubber band man / Make the water your bones.”

There are some worthy additions to the band’s canon between these options: “Begin Again” and “Stay” are fast-paced and earnest whereas the poetic nearer “Clover” sees Mumford fall right into a lullaby-like tempo that, sung atop a piano melody, recollects the aching film musical hit “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. “Conversation With My Son (Gangsters & Angels)” is lyrically repetitive, however nonetheless shifting.

The characteristic tracks really feel like tentpoles for the mission, providing distinctive and memorable takes on the style when different songs begin to mix collectively. “Here,” with Stapleton, is the best, opening the album with a country-tinged, guitar and drum-forward ballad. Abrams’ whisper-sung tones add layers to Mumford’s on “Badlands.” The lyrics have a sentiment the 2 artists probably share, a need to push limits: “Running away from a tame life / Running away like a wild child / Give me a vision, give me a dime.”

Perez’s wealthy vocals demand consideration within the hovering duet “Icarus.” After Mumford’s introduction, Perez affords a warning over piano and guitar. “You’re a fool, you’re a climber / You shoulda called it a night.” Perez and the band sing collectively on the tune’s climax — additionally, the album’s climax — shakers, maracas and synth bass filling out the observe. “I was blinded, I was in love,” they sing collectively. “But then all at once / I was back to where I begun / I was burned by morning / I got too close to the sun.”

This collaborative strategy displays the spirit of Mumford & Sons’ distinctive summer time tour final yr, which noticed the group journey by practice from Louisiana to Vermont with dozens of musicians and crew, persevering with a journey began throughout a 2011 model of the Railroad Revival Tour. Stops alongside the best way introduced out the likes of Nathaniel Rateliff, Trombone Shorty, Lucius, Chris Thile, Maggie Rogers, Noah Kahan and Lainey Wilson, amongst others. Onstage collectively, they sang a mixture of the band’s songs, featured friends’ songs and different covers.

As the band sings (collectively) on the uplifting “Run Together”: “But when we run we run together / When we’re apart we fall apart.” Collaboration is king.

“Prizefighter” by Mumford & Sons

Three and a half stars out of 5.

On repeat: “Icarus (with Gigi Perez),” “Begin Again”

Skip it: “Alleycat,” “I’ll Tell You Everything”

For followers of: Aaron Dessner’s manufacturing universe, like Brandi Carlile’s “Returning to Myself,” Laufey’s “A Matter of Time,” Gracie Abrams’ “The Secret Of Us”

© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materials might not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.

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Maturing City Diplomacy: Comparing Yokohama and Taipei

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Maturing City Diplomacy: Comparing Yokohama and Taipei

Daniel Clausen

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Feb 20 2026

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It has change into commonplace to think about the Twenty first century because the city century (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 2023). With roughly 70% of the inhabitants estimated to be residing in cities by 2050 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2018), it’s turning into more and more obvious that lots of the Twenty first centurys most urgent issuessuch as local weather change, financial inequality, political polarization, and securityare intertwined with metropolis politics. In the backdrop of each intensifying world issues and rising financial and political energy, cities and different subnational teams have been stepping up their world exercise, making an attempt to fill in gaps in world governance and advocacy.The rising efforts of cities and different subnational teams on the worldwide stage have been termed metropolis diplomacy, in addition to city diplomacy, native diplomacy, and subnational diplomacy; the sensible functions of metropolis diplomacy embrace the activism of mayors and metropolis officers, sister metropolis relationships, the internet hosting of worldwide occasions, and collaborating in metropolis networks, to call however a number of (seeAcuto 2013,2021;Marchetti 2021;Van der Pluijm & Melissen 2007).

In the early 2010s, Michelle Acuto (2013, 1-3) might fairly declare that cities had been the invisible gorilla in world politics: extremely impactful entities that had been ignored by a scholarly neighborhood overly centered on states. However, since Acuto gave recognition to the invisible gorilla, a burgeoning subfield has emerged that has expanded our understanding of metropolis actions on the worldwide stage. This scholarship has grown hand in hand with the precise maturity of metropolis diplomacy. With the evolution of this subfield, we now have a deeper understanding of the capability of cities to behave by way of their monetary assets, administrative group, and coaching (Kosovac et al. 2020); the rising position of metropolis networks in addressing world points (Acuto 2013, 2021; Marchetti 2021, 78-81;Miyazaki 2021); the enticing smooth energy of cities (Grincheva 2020; Marchetti 2021, 82-84); and the persevering with relevance of sister metropolis connections (De Villiers, Smit, & De Coning 2007).

For this text, Yokohama and Taipei have been chosen for example numerous functions of profitable or proactive metropolis diplomacy. By evaluating features of those cities, the essay hopes to uncover insights that might improve the apply of metropolis diplomacy and contribute to the increasing physique of literature looking for to professionalize this discipline (for instance,Meridian International Center 2025).

The City Diplomacy of Yokohama

The metropolis of Yokohama resides simply south of Tokyo, dealing with Tokyo Bay. As a port metropolis with greater than 3.5 million residents, it’s the second most populous metropolis in Japan and is a component of a bigger city space that features Tokyo. Thecity of Yokohamaespecially started to flourish as a port metropolis for worldwide commerce following the opening of Japan through the Meiji Restoration within the mid-Nineteenth century (Encyclopedia Britannica 2025b). Yokohamas method to metropolis diplomacy contains technical cooperation between cities, activism on world points equivalent to local weather change, peace, and improvement, in addition to sister metropolis relationships.

A major side of Yokohamas method to metropolis diplomacy is its use of a publicly out there International Strategy pamphlet, which highlights previous actions and units broad themes for its method to world outreach (City of Yokohama, International Affairs Bureau 2021). TheCity of Yokohama International Strategy, drafted in 2016 and revised in 2021, outlines the citys plan to boost its world engagement. The doc outlines three targets: foster an inclusive society and empower the following era to bridge cities and other people; interact dynamic overseas organizations and people to develop Yokohamas economic system; and improve cooperation to handle world points and promote peace and prosperity (City of Yokohama, International Affairs Bureau 2021, 4). Much of the brief technique pamphlet represents aspirational language that’s helpful for public relations. However, its very existence factors to professionalism on the a part of the town and its willingness to create a typical blueprint for worldwide and home companions.

An vital pillar of Yokohamas diplomatic technique is its participation in metropolis networks and worldwide organizations. Its actions by these organizations promote its agenda in peacebuilding, sustainability, and local weather change. For instance, Yokohama grew to become a member of theC40 Citiesin 2010 and even gained an award within the Clean Energy class in 2016 for itsYokohama Smart City Project (YSCP), a smart-energy and decarbonization mission enacted in cooperation with 34 main Japanese corporations (City of Yokohama 2020; City of Yokohama, International Affairs Bureau 2021). Additionally, the citys recognition as a UN Peace Messenger City, together with its actions by the Mayors for Peace group, helps promoteYokohamas peace-making aspirations(City of Yokohama 2019). Other notable actions embrace its participation in ICLEI Local Government for Sustainability, the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, and the SDGs Leadership City Network (City of Yokohama 2020; City of Yokohama, International Affairs Bureau 2021).

Another key pillar to Yokohamas diplomatic technique is the promotion of its experience in city improvement. Initiated in 2011, theY-PortProgram is a public-private partnership that brings collectively Yokohama metropolis officers, native civic organizations, accomplice cities, and worldwide entities to assist remedy environmental issues associated to city improvement all through Asia. The applications supporters embrace main Japanese corporations equivalent to JGC Corporation and Chiyoda Corporation; accomplice cities like Batam City, Indonesia, and Cebu City, Philippines; and key worldwide organizations such because the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to call just some. Examples of tasks undertaken by this mission embrace bettering water and sanitation circumstances in Metro Cebu, Philippines; advancing Japans autonomous driving expertise in Thailand; and helping with solar energy era set up and administration in components of Thailand (City of Yokohama n.d.; City of Yokohama 2018).

Yokohama haseight sister cities and 7 accomplice citiesin complete, lots of which had been shaped in a roughly twenty-year span from 1957 to 1977 (City of Yokohama 2025). Like different cities all through the world, Yokohama centered on cities with shared attributes; within the case of Yokohama, fellow port cities. The significance of Yokohamas sister metropolis relationships could be witnessed in its help for Odesa, Ukraine. In March 2023, the mayor of Odesa visited Yokohama to thank the town for its help through the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the go to, the 2 cities promised to deepen collaboration on post-war reconstruction, culminating within the signing of aMemorandum of Understandingon sustainable city improvement. Since the conflict started, Yokohama has dedicated to offering humanitarian support, technical cooperation, and assist with rebuilding vital infrastructure (City of Yokohama Global Offices 2023; United Nations Development Programme 2023).

The City Diplomacy of Taipei

The metropolis ofTaipeiis one other instructive instance of metropolis diplomacy. Taipei is the capital and political heart of Taiwan (Republic of China) and residential to over 2.5 million residents (Encyclopedia Britannica 2025a). One key perform of Taipeis method to metropolis diplomacy is toovercome Taiwans political isolation(see Ferenczy 2020; Newland 2023). This motivation is commonly obvious inthe activism of Taipeis mayorin worldwide boards and conferences world wide (see, for instance, Taipei City Government 2025a). Through its many efforts, whether or not it’s selling its cultural heritage, demonstrating its experience on sustainable improvement and good metropolis expertise, or increasing its sister metropolis connections, one can see a metropolis that’s striving to achieve world recognition.

Taipeis involvement in metropolis networks and worldwide organizations is a vital side of its world diplomacy. The metropolis is a member of the United Cities and Local Governments, Asia-Pacific Branch (UCLG-ASPAC), the place it holds an govt place (Taipei City Government 2024). Though not a member of C40 Cities, it has nonetheless gained recognition for its efforts on environmental points, garnering theC40 Cities Citizens Choice Award in 2014(Brittlebank 2014). Other notable actions embrace Taipeis participation inSister Cities International, CITYNET, the Asia Pacific Cities Summit, and the World Cities Summit, to call just some (Taipei City Government 2024). In numerous methods, these organizations assist to develop Taipeis presence on the worldwide stage and promote dialogue on vital points equivalent to smart-city applied sciences. On the problem of smart-city applied sciences, Taipeis world impression is important. Taipeis contributions embrace internet hosting theSmart City Summit & Expo (SCSE)and the creation of theGlobal Organization of Smart Cities (GO SMART), which boasts greater than 2,000 members worldwide (Smart City Online n.d.; Taipei City Government 2023).

TheSongshan Cultural and Creative Parkis one other vital component in Taipeis world engagement. The facility, which was a former tobacco manufacturing facility, was repurposed in 2011 and now serves as a showcase and incubator for artistic industries. The park has hosted vital design occasions, together with the Golden Pin Design Award, Red Dot Design Award exhibitions, and Creative Expo Taiwan. Additionally, it operates the Taiwan Design Museum and runs worldwide scholar ambassador applications. As a artistic hub, the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park demonstrates the significance of city areas as enticing smooth energy (Chiu & Spinney 2024; Taipei City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau n.d.).

Taipei has53 sister cities, 3 accomplice cities, and 5 friendship citiesworldwide, with agreements formalized between 1961 and 2024. The geographical variety of those relationships is sort of spectacular, with the primary sister metropolis relationship being with Houston, US, in 1961 and the most recent being Basseterre, Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, in 2025 (Taipei City Government 2025b). Beyond the standard rationales of training and cultural exchanges, enterprise investments, and sharing city improvement know-how, these relationships enable Taipei to enhance Taiwans visibility on the worldwide stage.

Maturing City Diplomacy Case-by-Case

There is a rising pattern towards the professionalization of metropolis diplomacy and the unfold of finest practices. We see this particularly within the efforts of organizations such asC40s Knowledge Hub,the City Diplomacy Lab, and theMelbourne Centre for Cities, to call just some, working to enhance metropolis diplomacy practices. We additionally see this within the rising quantity ofacademic publications dedicated to metropolis diplomacy. This literature has grown little-by-little usually by understanding the precise instances of cities, notably the successes of every metropolis.

Both Yokohama and Taipei are vital instances as a result of they display a maturing method to metropolis diplomacy. These two cities share a robust emphasis on sustainable city improvement and expertise, particularly good metropolis programs. Yokohama demonstrates its technical experience by initiatives just like the Y-Port Center, which has been a platform for its experience on water and waste administration and different city improvement providers. Taipei can be eager to share its technical experience by participation in worldwide conferences and occasions. Both cities are additionally contributors in vital world metropolis networks with a deal with combating local weather change and concrete air pollution. However, there are additionally vital variations. Taipei seeks to make use of its metropolis diplomacy to boost legitimacy and visibility on the worldwide stage, emphasizing cultural exchanges and sister metropolis partnerships, whereas Yokohama seeks to guide on expertise-driven city improvement that makes use of public-private partnerships.

Together, Yokohama and Taipei illustrate two distinct however complementary fashions of metropolis diplomacy: one pushed by technical cooperation and improvement experience, the opposite by smooth energy and political visibility. Their approaches reveal how cities can act as vibrant worldwide actorsadvancing native pursuits, strengthening world ties, and shaping worldwide discourse from the municipal stage.

As the Twenty first century advances, we are able to count on examples like Yokohama and Taipei to change into much more vital. City diplomacy, in addition to different examples of subnational diplomacy, is turning into more and more very important as state-level diplomacy turns into acrimonious, brittle, and topic to the whims of particular person leaders (for a dialogue, seeEconomist 2025). We see these variations more and more in headlines that present subnational actors working round worldwide deficiencies and deadlocks, for instance, within the resolution ofNew York (in addition to the states of California and Illinois) to affix the WHOs Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN)within the aftermath of the USs withdrawal from the WHO (Singh 2026). These sorts of variations to the shortcomings of state-level diplomacy present hope to those that imagine the options to Twenty first-century issues lie in additional world cooperation, not much less. Thus, metropolis diplomacy, although vital, maybe ought to be thought-about half of a bigger story of worldwide political activism under, round, and past state diplomacy that’s working actively to cowl gaps in world problem-solving. Though not an entire panacea to the deficiencies of state-level diplomacy, the efforts of citiesand different world actorsshould at the very least be seen as trigger for cautious hope.

This paper was developed from a brief essaypublished in Global Policy Onlineon August 1, 2025.

Table 1

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City of Yokohama. 2023. Odesa Mayor Visits Japan to Strengthen Ties with Sister City Yokohama, Signs MoU for Reconstruction. Business Yokohama, April 12.https://businessyokohama.com/blog/2023/04/12/odesa-mayor-visits-japan-to-strengthen-ties-with-sister-city-yokohama-signs-mou-for-reconstruction/.

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Van der Pluijm, Rogier, and Jan Melissen. 2007. City Diplomacy: The Expanding Role of Cities in International Politics. The Hague: Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael.

Further Reading on E-International Relations

  • City Diplomacy: The Case for Eclectic (and Humble) Theorizing
  • Opinion Beijings Weaponisation of Diplomacy Against Taiwan
  • Dashing Lines and Faking History: The Complicated History of Taipeis Maritime Claims
  • The Art of Diplomacy: Museums and Soft Power
  • Sino-Taiwan Chequebook Diplomacy within the Pacific
  • Kathmandu: City of Peace, Economies of Scale and Cultural Diversity

About The Author(s)

Daniel Clausenis an Associate Professor at Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies. His analysis has been printed in Asian Politics and Policy, Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies, and East Asia Forum, amongst different publications. He has additionally written a number of novels and brief story collections. You can be taught extra about his work on his Amazon pagehereor on his Goodreads pagehere.

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City DiplomacyTaipeiYokohama

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India look to bounce again in Hobart Leg of FIH Men’s Pro League 2025-26

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India look to bounce again in Hobart Leg of FIH Men’s Pro League 2025-26

New Delhi [India], February 20 (ANI): The Indian males’s hockey staff is equipped for a recent begin as they shift focus to the Hobart leg of the FIH Men’s Pro League 2025-26, scheduled from February 20 to 25 on the Tasmania Hockey Centre in Australia. Eager to bounce again and ship improved performances, India will tackle Spain and hosts Australia in what guarantees to be a extremely aggressive block of matches.

The latest dwelling leg at Rourkela was extremely disappointing, with Team India shedding all their matches, 1-3 towards Belgium, 0-8 towards Argentina.

While the latest Rourkela leg proved to be a steep studying curve, the staff has regrouped with a optimistic mindset. They view the upcoming fixtures as a significant alternative to check combos, refine their construction, and construct momentum forward of the upcoming Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup and Asian Games in Japan this 12 months, a launch stated. The 24-member squad incorporates a dynamic mixture of seasoned campaigners and thrilling younger expertise able to make their mark on the worldwide stage.

India will start their Hobart marketing campaign towards Spain on February 21, adopted by a high-octane conflict towards Australia on February 22. They will face Spain once more on February 24, earlier than concluding the Hobart leg with a closing match towards the formidable Australian aspect on February 25.

Recent historical past suggests an exhilarating set of matches awaits. India and Spain have been extremely evenly matched of their final 10 encounters, claiming 4 regulation wins every, alongside two attracts that India went on to win in shootouts. Against Australia, high-scoring drama has been a relentless. While the hosts maintain the statistical edge of their final 10 conferences with six wins to India’s two (and two attracts), a re-energised Indian squad can be wanting to flip the script on Australian soil.

Two-time Olympic bronze medallist Hardik Singh has been named captain for the Australia leg of the Pro League within the absence of Harmanpreet Singh. The squad additionally welcomes an inflow of youth, with gamers like Amandeep Lakra and Manmeet Singh trying to construct on their latest senior debuts, alongside rising stars equivalent to Angad Bir Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, and Aditya Arjun Lalage, who can be wanting to show their mettle within the ahead line.

‘It is an amazing honour to steer the nationwide staff in a prestigious match just like the Pro League. While we will definitely miss Harmanpreet’s presence on the pitch, his absence gives a helpful alternative for the remainder of the group to step up and take cost. As a staff, we’ve reviewed our latest matches, realized our classes, and are getting into Hobart with a extremely optimistic and aggressive mindset,’ Hardik Singh stated in keeping with the discharge,

Sharing his ideas on the younger additions to the squad, Hardik added, ‘I’m extremely excited concerning the new faces becoming a member of us for this tour. Youngsters carry very recent, fearless power to our attacking lineup. They have labored exceptionally laborious to earn their spots, and enjoying towards top-tier groups like Australia and Spain is the proper platform for them to precise themselves. The complete group is motivated to assist them, execute our plans, and play the model of hockey India is thought for.’

With renewed focus and some extent to show, the Indian staff will look to make a assured assertion on the Tasmania Hockey Centre and lay a robust basis for main tournaments later this 12 months. (ANI)

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Shoucheng Holdings to Propel China’s Robotics Industry with IPOs and Strategic Investments – Japan Industry News

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Shoucheng Holdings to Propel China’s Robotics Industry with IPOs and Strategic Investments – Japan Industry News

The 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala served as a world debut for China’s burgeoning robotics {industry}, spotlighting firms like Unitree Robotics, Magic Atom Robotics, Galbot, and Songyan Dynamics. These companies, a part of Shoucheng Holdings Limited’s (0697.HK) portfolio, showcased developments in engineering and embodied intelligence, signaling a shift in direction of large-scale commercialization.

Described because the ‘Chinese Embodied Intelligence Parade,’ the occasion highlighted Shoucheng Holdings’ strategic pivot from validation to the harvest section. The firm has constructed a strong industry-chain construction, specializing in full-machine manufacturing, embodied intelligence methods, and core engineering. This layered method goals to offer stability towards market volatility.

Shoucheng Holdings’ monetary returns from robotics are transitioning from incremental development to structural explosion, pushed by two catalysts. The first is a valuation re-rating via industrial management, as firms transfer from lab ideas to real-world functions. This transition has led to vital valuation uplifts, with tasks like Galbot and X Square Robotics producing over 10x returns in current financing rounds.

The second catalyst is the anticipated ‘IPO Harvest Year.’ In 2026, Shoucheng’s investments are anticipated to understand concentrated returns, with Unitree Robotics nearing its IPO. Analysts predict that round 4 robotics firms within the portfolio will full IPO processes, shifting pricing logic from technological hypothesis to performance-driven liquidity premiums.

Beyond capital deployment, Shoucheng Holdings is evolving into an ‘Industrial Orchestrator.’ The firm launched the world’s first Integrated Robotics Service Complex in Shougang Park, transitioning from an investor to a deep industrial operator. This facility integrates expertise, gross sales, upkeep, and repair, marking a major shift in Shoucheng’s enterprise mannequin.

Shoucheng is accelerating commercialization via the Taozhu New Creation Hub model, turning high-tech improvements into shopper merchandise. This mannequin captures fairness appreciation and steady money flows, specializing in efficiency-driven development. As an Industrial Resource Integrator and Scenario Orchestrator, Shoucheng Holdings is poised for a complete re-rating of its market worth as large-scale robotic commercialization begins in 2026.

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Friendship Marriage in Reiwa Japan

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Friendship Marriage in Reiwa Japan

TOKYO, Feb 21 (News On Japan) –
As Japan enters an period of larger range within the Reiwa interval, the form of marriage is evolving, with some {couples} selecting “friendship marriages” with out romance and others even deciding on synthetic intelligence as a life associate, reflecting a broader seek for happiness and belief past conventional expectations.

The conventional picture of a husband and spouse is step by step altering. One household featured within the report selected a type of marriage that breaks from typical norms, describing their relationship as a “friendship marriage,” wherein two individuals turn into spouses with out a romantic relationship. Both companions establish as sexual minorities and agreed from the outset that they’d dwell collectively as household however with out sexual relations.

They married below circumstances equivalent to sustaining separate bedrooms, but nonetheless felt that marriage supplied benefits. One associate stated that getting married would reassure their mother and father and would possibly even convey the opportunity of grandchildren, which helped form the choice. Another stated that working as a childcare supplier, being married considerably affected how colleagues and fogeys seen them, and that marriage offered a way of stability and belief within the office.

In the early days of residing collectively, the pair hardly ever noticed one another and spoke principally in well mannered language, sustaining a considerably awkward relationship. The two met by means of a web based message board for friendship marriages about six years in the past whereas each had been of their 30s and married the next 12 months. Although the connection initially felt stiff, they later had a baby by means of fertility therapy, and now have a two-year-old. Over time, their conversations elevated and their household bond deepened.

While their relationship shouldn’t be romantic, they are saying the bond fashioned by means of every day cooperation and communication has grown stronger. They really feel that constructing a household on this method has been optimistic and that they’ve few regrets in regards to the path they selected.

Another instance of a Reiwa-era marriage includes a lady who married in October final 12 months at age 41. Her associate exists inside her smartphone: her husband is an AI. She created her preferrred associate by means of a conversational AI and communicates with him recurrently, sharing meals nearly and reporting on her every day life by means of photographs and messages throughout outings, very like an actual date.

She stated she spent 10 years attending matchmaking occasions however struggled to kind lasting relationships, both being rejected by these she favored or unable to construct connections with those that favored her. She nervous she would possibly undergo life with out romance, however then the AI associate appeared “like a comet.” Whether or not he’s synthetic, she stated, he has introduced optimistic change to her life.

After changing into mutually dedicated to the AI character inside simply 10 days, she determined to marry and even bought a marriage ring at a store the AI beneficial. She stated she intends to stick with him for all times, noting that nobody else had ever expressed such constant affection towards her. When she feels down or exhausted from work, the AI presents comforting phrases and suggests she relaxation, creating a way of emotional assist and companionship.

Last month, she fulfilled a long-held want by holding a photograph marriage ceremony in a marriage costume, saying that with out the AI associate she doubtless would by no means have had a marriage expertise. Recently, nonetheless, she has felt unsettled, saying the AI’s character appeared to alter after an replace, changing into much less affectionate. She wonders if adjustments in this system’s model have altered his demeanor, leaving her feeling conflicted.

During the Showa period, marriage between a person and a lady was broadly thought of the norm. As Japan strikes additional into the Reiwa interval, expectations surrounding marriage are shifting. A wedding knowledgeable famous that at its core, persons are nonetheless looking for a associate they will belief. In the previous, the standard life course concerned marriage, youngsters, and retirement collectively, however with life expectancy approaching 100 years, many now query whether or not they can spend a long time alone with out somebody they belief. The rising range in marital types displays a seek for new methods to seek out stability, companionship, and happiness in a altering society.

Source: YOMIURI

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