Latest East Asia News
As summit host, Spain urges NATO to watch its southern flank
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is certain to dominate an upcoming NATO summit in Madrid, Spain and other member nations are quietly pushing the Western alliance to consider how mercenaries aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin are spreading Moscow's influence...
EXPLAINER: Why Germany is pushing for a 'climate club'
BERLIN (AP) — Germany is hosting this year’s meeting of leaders from the Group of Seven leading economies in the Bavarian resort of Elmau. Before the invasion of Ukraine by Russia triggered a cascade of crises over food, energy and international security, the main focus of the meeting was meant...
AP PHOTOS: Hong Kong's last hand-painted porcelain factory
HONG KONG (AP) — Step into Yuet Tung China Works, Hong Kong’s last remaining hand-painted porcelain factory, and you find yourself surrounded by stacks of dinnerware, each piece painstakingly decorated by hand with vibrant motifs of flowers, fruits and animals. Joseph Tso, the...
Biden's mission in Europe: Shore up alliance against Russia
MUNICH (AP) — President Joe Biden is out to sustain the global alliance punishing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine as he embarks on a five-day trip to Europe as the 4-month-old war shows no sign of abating and its aftershocks to global food and energy supplies are deepening. ...
Xi taking part in Hong Kong anniversary but no word on visit
BEIJING (AP) — President Xi Jinping will participate in next week's celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to China, the government said Saturday, but it left unclear whether he will visit the former British colony for the highly symbolic event after a crackdown on a...
Bangladesh marks opening of country's longest bridge
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday celebrated the opening of the country’s longest bridge, which took eight years to build amid setbacks involving political conflict and corruption allegations. The 6.51-kilometer (4.04-mile) bridge...
Executive director Ramsey Baker to leave US Figure Skating
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Ramsey Baker is leaving U.S. Figure Skating at the end of the year, leaving the organization in search of an executive director after a successful Beijing Olympics and as it turns its attention toward the 2026 Winter Games in Milan. Baker has been...
Bhutan Buddhist leader ordains 144 women, resuming tradition
(RNS) — On Tuesday (June 21), the Je Khenpo, the senior Buddhist authority in Bhutan, began ordaining a group of 144 women as bhikshunis, or female monks, at the Ramthangkha monastery in the tiny Himalayan country. The ceremony “is of historical importance for all women in...
Tensions sparking change in US Olympic world, but how much?
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Changes are coming at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, sparked by frustration with years of flat revenue and what some portray as heavy-handed management in the wake of sex-abuse scandals that upended the movement in America. At their...
Solidarity behind Ukraine's Russia fight atop summit agendas
WASHINGTON (AP) — Back-to-back world leader summits in Europe opening this weekend will focus on uniting Western nations behind Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion and overcoming Turkey's opposition to NATO membership for Finland and Sweden. The Group of Seven leading...
