Month: January 2022

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Residents of the Chinese city of Xi’an are enduring a strict coronavirus lockdown, with business owners suffering yet more closures and some people complaining of difficulties finding food. That’s despite assurances from authorities that they are able to provide necessities for the 13 million people largely confined

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian benchmarks have slipped after technology shares in the region echoed a similar drop in the sector on Wall Street. Benchmarks fell in South Korea, Australia and China, while Japanese shares were little changed. Worries continue about COVID-19, as reports of omicron keep growing in the

By ALBERTO ARCE Associated Press SALAMANCA, Spain (AP) — The Catholic church has been the dominant religious force in Spain for centuries. It’s still the largest denomination by far in terms of numbers. But there’s a surge of energy among Spain’s growing population of evangelical Protestants as attendance at Catholic churches shrinks. There are more

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — A senior Chinese arms control official has denied that his government is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal. Foreign Ministry official Fu Cong called such reports untrue. He says China is taking steps to ensure its nuclear deterrent remains viable in a changing security environment. Fu briefed the

By PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A refugee who survived the Khmer Rouge’s brutal regime has become the first Cambodian American mayor in the United States. City Councilor Sokhary Chau in Lowell, Massachusetts, also became his city’s first Asian American mayor following a council vote and inauguration Monday. Chau reflected in inaugural remarks

By TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s new government had offered early indications that it would press ahead on an egalitarian prayer site at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray. But the plan’s feasibility is now in doubt, despite broad support for a move that could mend ties with