Tag: Asia & Pacific

COVID-19 Testing Resumes in Beijing, Shandong, as Reinfection Cases Surge

China has resumed COVID-19 PCR testing in Beijing and Shandong Province amid rising re-infections, while the regime’s top health advisers have warned of a new wave of mass infections. Since May 29, mainland netizens have posted on Chinese social media platforms that PCR test kiosks in Beijing are quietly back in business. Mainland media “City…


LIVE NOW: Jordan’s Crown Prince Ties the Knot at Royal Wedding in Amman

King Abdullah’s eldest son, Crown Prince Hussein, marries Rajwa Al Saif, the youngest daughter of Saudi businessman Khaled Al Saif, at Zahran Palace on June 1 in an Islamic marriage ceremony known as a “katb ktab.” The ceremony will be attended by around 140 guests, including members of the Royal Hashemite family, invited royals, and…


Jordan’s Crown Prince Ties the Knot at Royal Wedding in Amman

King Abdullah’s eldest son, Crown Prince Hussein, marries Rajwa Al Saif, the youngest daughter of Saudi businessman Khaled Al Saif, at Zahran Palace on June 1 in an Islamic marriage ceremony known as a “katb ktab.” The ceremony will be attended by around 140 guests, including members of the Royal Hashemite family, invited royals, and…


China Prioritizing Gas Pipeline Projects With Central Asia Over Russia

News Analysis China’s top leader Xi Jinping appears to be prioritizing cooperation with Central Asia for gas pipelines, having urged the accelerated construction of a fourth pipeline to the region during a meeting with heads of state from the five Central Asian countries in May. Meanwhile, Russia has been pushing China, without success, for the construction…


Nepali Sherpa Saves Malaysian Climber in Rare Everest ‘Death Zone’ Rescue

KATHMANDU—A Malaysian climber narrowly survived after a Nepali sherpa guide hauled him down from below the summit of Mount Everest in a “very rare” high altitude rescue, a government official said on Wednesday. Gelje Sherpa, 30, was guiding a Chinese client to the 8,849 metre (29,032 feet) Everest summit on May 18 when he saw…


Biden Sexual Assault Accuser Says She Fled to Russia Fearing for Her Life

Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer who accused President Joe Biden of sexual assault, said Tuesday that she is taking refuge in Russia. In an hour-long interview she did alongside convicted Russian agent Maria Butina for Russian state media Stupnik, the 59-year-old woman said she feels safe in the country. “I’m still kind of in…


Billions in Untracked Federal Grants Going to China, Russia for Cat Experiments, Wuhan Lab Research: Ernst

Hundreds of millions of American tax dollars went to recipients in China and Russia in recent years without being properly tracked by the federal government, including a grant that enabled a state-run Russian lab to test cats on treadmills, according to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Ernst and her staff investigators, working with auditors at the…


US Sent Billions in Funding to China, Russia for Cat Experiments, Wuhan Lab Research: Ernst

Hundreds of millions of American tax dollars went to recipients in China and Russia in recent years without being properly tracked by the federal government, including a grant that enabled a state-run Russian lab to test cats on treadmills, according to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Ernst and her staff investigators, working with auditors at the…


New Zealand Airline Is Asking Passengers to Weigh in Before Their Flights

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—New Zealand’s national airline is asking passengers to step on the scales before they board international flights. Air New Zealand says it wants to weigh 10,000 passengers during a monthlong survey so pilots can better know the weight and balance of their planes before takeoff. But the numbers from the scales won’t be…


Typhoon Mawar Losing Strength as It Heads Toward Japan’s Okinawa Islands

NAHA, Japan—Typhoon Mawar appeared to be losing force as it headed Wednesday toward Japan’s Okinawa Islands, where the United States maintains a significant military presence, after largely skirting Taiwan and the Philippines. After tearing across Guam last week, Mawar passed by Taiwan on Tuesday with sustained winds of 155 kph (96 mph) and gusts of…