KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s king summoned the heads of political parties on Aug. 17 as he swiftly began the task of selecting a new prime minister amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak. The resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Aug. 16 after less than 18 months in office followed mounting public anger over […]
Sudoku maker Maki Kaji, who saw life’s joy in puzzles, dies
Maki Kaji, the creator of the popular numbers puzzle Sudoku whose life’s work was spreading the joy of puzzles, has died, his Japanese company said on Aug. 17. He was 69 and had bile duct cancer.
Olympic opening ceremony director fired for Holocaust joke
By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee fired the director of the opening ceremony on July 22 because of a Holocaust joke he made during a comedy show in 1998. Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said a day ahead of the opening ceremony that director Kentaro Kobayashi has been […]
Man with coronavirus disguises as wife on Indonesian flight
By RANDI BASRI Associated Press TERNATE, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian man with the coronavirus has boarded a domestic flight disguised as his wife, wearing a niqab covering his face and carrying fake IDs and a negative PCR test result. But the cover didn’t last long. Police say a flight attendant aboard a Citilink plane […]
Historic AAPI wins for Team USA
TOKYO (AP) — Team USA’s Suni Lee came out on top in the women’s gymnastics all-around competition on July 29 at the Tokyo Olympics—becoming the first Hmong American to win a gold medal. Lee capitalized on two mistakes by Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade to edge her out with a score of 57.433. Carissa Moore won the […]
Under-fire Olympic composer steps down over past bullying
By YURI KAGEYAMA and MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP)— Keigo Oyamada, a Japanese composer working on the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony, resigned on July 19 after coming under fire for bullying classmates during his childhood. “I sincerely accept the opinions and advice I have received, express my gratitude, and will keep them in mind […]
IOC’s Bach slips up and refers to Japanese as ‘Chinese’
By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — IOC President Thomas Bach referred to his Japanese hosts as Chinese when he appeared in public on July 13 for the first time since arriving in Tokyo. Giving a pep talk at the headquarters of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee, Bach’s opening remarks were, “You have […]
Chinese astronauts make first spacewalk outside new station
BEIJING (AP) — Two astronauts made the first spacewalk outside China’s new orbital station on July 4 to set up cameras and other equipment using a 50-foot-long robotic arm. Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo were shown by state TV climbing out of the airlock as Earth rolled past below them. The third crew member, commander […]
Pandemic tourism: Thailand launches Phuket ‘sandbox’ plan
By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA and DAVID RISING Associated Press PHUKET, Thailand (AP) — Thailand embarked on an ambitious but risky plan on July 1 that it hopes will breathe new life into a tourism industry devastated by the pandemic, opening the popular resort island of Phuket to fully vaccinated foreigners from lower-risk countries. As the first […]
Malaysians suffering amid lockdown fly white flag for help
By EILEEN NG Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — When Mohamad Nor Abdullah put a white flag outside his window late at night, he didn’t expect the swift outpouring of support. By morning, dozens of strangers knocked on his door, offering food, cash and encouragement. Malaysia’s nationwide lockdown to curb a coronavirus surge was […]