RHENEN, Netherlands (AP) — Giant panda Fan Xing began a long journey home on Wednesday — to a country she has never visited.The 3-year-old was given a ceremonial send off Wednesday from Ouwehands Zoo in the Netherlands, where she was born, for the first leg of her journey to China, where she will join a
BERLIN (AP) — Christian Thielemann has been chosen as the new general music director of Berlin’s Staatsoper, months after Daniel Barenboim ended his three-decade reign, the city government said Wednesday.The 64-year-old German conductor will take the job at the Staatsoper, or State Opera, on Sept. 1, 2024. “With him, we are ensuring the highest musical
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine’s Western allies of helping plan and conduct last week’s missile strike on the Black Sea Fleet’s headquarters in annexed Crimea.“There is no doubt that the attack had been planned in advance using Western intelligence means, NATO satellite assets and reconnaissance planes and was implemented upon of
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it has decided to expel a U.S. soldier who crossed into the country through the heavily armed inter-Korean border in July.The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday that North Korean authorities have finished their questioning of Pvt. Travis King. It said that he confessed to
GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — LIV Golf defections have cut off European stalwarts from the Ryder Cup, some of them for the first time in three decades. Rory McIlroy said Wednesday they are missing the Ryder Cup more than Team Europe is missing them.Nowhere to be found at Marco Simone are Lee Westwood, who has
BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government on Wednesday accused Taiwan’s ruling party of seeking independence, a day after the self-governing island’s president lobbied for Australia’s support in joining a regional trade pact. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, also said the recent Chinese military drills around Taiwan were held to combat “the arrogance
Hanoi, VIETNAM (AP) — The urgency for Southeast Asian nations to switch to clean energy to combat climate change is reinvigorating a 20-year-old plan for the region to share power.Malaysia and Indonesia inked a deal in Bali, Indonesia last month to study 18 potential locations where cross-border transmission lines can be set up. Those links
KATOWICE, Poland (AP) — Poland’s hard-right Confederation party opened its electoral campaign convention as if it were a rock concert, with a singer riding up on a motorcycle, its engine revving, and a pyrotechnic show of flames and sparklers.The party has been growing in popularity, especially among young men fed up with the political parties
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Nearly all the world’s on stage, and all the men and but 20 women merely players. That’s what a less-inspired Shakespeare might have written about this year’s U.N. General Assembly meeting of leaders, which concluded Tuesday.Over six days, a cavalcade of world leaders addressed the U.N. General Assembly against a literal
LONDON (AP) — British regulators on Wednesday approved new oil and gas drilling at a site in the North Sea, a move environmentalists say will hurt the country’s attempt to meet its climate goals.The U.K.’s North Sea Transition Authority said it had approved the Rosebank Field Development Plan, “which allows the owners to proceed with
