President Joe Biden announced on July 2 that he is appointing Chantale Yokmin Wong to be the ambassador-level position of U.S. Director of the Asian Development Bank, a financial institution that works on the government level with over 60 member countries to provide fiscal services. If confirmed, Wong will become the first lesbian woman and […]
Indian American Abhimanyu Mishra is the youngest chess grandmaster ever
Abhimanyu Mishra, 12 years and 4 months old, has become the youngest chess grandmaster ever, breaking a record that Sergey Karjakin held for 19 years by three months. Karjakin was 12 years and 7 months old when he became grandmaster in 2002. “Finally checkmated the biggest opponent (ongoing pandemic) which stopped me for 14 months,” […]
Debut author Arnée Flores
Arnée Flores of Seattle released her first ever book, “The Firebird Song,” last month. The story is a fantasy set in the kingdom of Lyrica, featuring Prewitt and the lost Princess Calliope. Flores, who identifies as Vietnamese American, spent a few nomadic years exploring and working odd jobs before she realized that all she really […]
Biden names Kumar, Sung in fifth round of judicial nominees
President Joe Biden nominated Indian American circuit court chief judge Shalina D. Kumar as a federal judge for the Eastern District of Michigan, the White House announced on June 30. Shalina has served on the Oakland County Sixth Circuit Court since 2007. She was appointed Chief Judge of the Circuit Court by the Michigan Supreme […]
CID library branch reopening
The Seattle Public Library (SPL)’s International District / Chinatown branch will reopen on July 11 but they will have limited hours. SPL said it will be open on Sundays between noon and 6 p.m., and Mondays from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Masks are still required in libraries.
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 […]
Washington state COVID news, updates, resources and services
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine The vaccine is authorized for emergency use in persons aged 12 years and older. This is a two-dose vaccine, given 21 days apart. You will not be considered fully protected until one to two weeks after you receive the second dose. The clinical trials showed no major unanticipated adverse events. This vaccine […]
12 people charged in connection with drug trafficking ring
SEATTLE — Twelve people, including Viet Phi Nguyen, 34, of Seattle, are in custody following a second round of arrests in an investigation involving armed drug trafficking, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman on June 30. The indictments and arrests are a follow-up to the April 7, 2021 takedown involving 24 defendants. Seattle Police […]
Africatown counts on city to help it acquire Keiro
By Mahlon Meyer Northwest Asian Weekly The CEO of Africatown said his group was going to acquire Keiro, but it’s not clear what the details are. “Africatown Community Land Trust (CLT) is currently in the process of closing the acquisition of the property,” K. Wyking Garrett told the Northwest Asian Weekly. Garrett did not elaborate […]