March 8, Friday, 2024

1. Japanese manga artist Toriyama Akira, known globally for such works as “Dragon Ball” and “Dr. Slump,” has died at the age of 68. The official website of the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine said Toriyama died of acute subdural hematoma on March 1.
2. US President Joe Biden delivered the last State of the Union address of his first-term on Thursday. Speaking before a joint session of Congress, Biden kicked off his speech with a declaration on democracy, noting that “not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault here at home as they are today.”
3. Japan and India have agreed to strengthen cooperation over wide areas, including national security, economic issues and cultural exchanges. Japan’s Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko and India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar agreed to step up cooperation to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region, a concept advocated by Tokyo.