Ukraine agreed to halt strikes on energy sites President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine agreed yesterday to Russia’s offer of a mutual pause in attacks on energy targets for 30 days as a step toward a broader cease-fire. He discussed the pause during a phone call with President Trump, who described the conversation as “very good.” … Read more
Invited onto Tokyo’s jazz circuit, he sat in on “incredibly moving” gigs with John Coltrane’s drummer Elvin Jones in 1979 and ’81. (Shimizu’s bebop phrasings can be heard in “L’Automne à Pékin,” his electronic revamp of the American songbook, from 1983.) He also formed lifelong partnerships with Sakamoto (who died in 2023) and with touring … Read more
President Trump fueled new speculation this week about a meeting with China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, when he told reporters that Washington needed to be cleaned up to prepare for a summit between the two leaders in the “not too distant future.” Mr. Trump provided no details, and China has said nothing publicly about any … Read more
The leader of an armed group representing a persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar was arrested in a raid in neighboring Bangladesh this week and charged under an antiterrorism law. Ataullah, an ethnic Rohingya and the commander of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, was arrested on Monday, the Bangladeshi police said in a statement. … Read more
The video that set off the storm was not much to look at. A circle of 12 men draped in bright garlands were reading aloud solemn statements during a ceremony to form a new local government in a deeply rural corner of India. The scandal was that six of those elected to lead the village … Read more
Russia agreed to pause strikes on energy in Ukraine President Vladimir Putin of Russia agreed yesterday on a call with President Trump to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days, as long as Ukraine does the same, the Kremlin said. Putin declined for now to agree to a broader cease-fire that the U.S. … Read more
Political pressure is mounting over a plan by a Hong Kong conglomerate to sell its Panama ports to BlackRock, the American investor, raising questions about the future of the $19 billion deal. John Lee, the leader of Hong Kong, added his voice on Tuesday to escalating warnings from China, saying the transaction deserved “serious attention.” … Read more
Chinese state media is gloating about drastic budget cuts to Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, U.S. government-funded media outlets that have for decades drawn protests from Beijing over their coverage of human rights abuses in China. Voice of America and Radio Free Asia had long transmitted news into countries where access to accurate … Read more
Since the founder of the Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek shook hands with Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, last month, officials around the country have been racing to show how they are using the company’s technology. Courthouse officials are using DeepSeek to draft legal judgments within minutes. Doctors at a hospital in Fuzhou, in eastern … Read more
Help may at last be on the way for the Nepali Sherpas who carry heavy loads for foreign climbers through treacherous sections of the world’s tallest peak. When the main climbing season begins next month on Mount Everest, expedition companies will test drones that can ferry loads as heavy as 35 pounds in the high … Read more