Religious freedom in China deteriorates as Christians remain imprisoned, report says

I was sitting in my car in Oakland’s Chinatown with Desta, my dog, while my wife visited her Chinese-American doctor. Across the street stood the Shoong Family Chinese Cultural Centre. On the pavements, older shoppers carrying bags of greens paused to greet acquaintances. People threaded between produce displays, fish counters and shopfronts crowded with everyday necessities. There was a rhythm to the morning: deliveries, conversations, the exchange of money and news, the small acts of...

‘It’s almost like a nightclub’: Hyrox takes off in China amid fitness frenzy Financial Times

Russia’s seizure of the assets of a Japanese company could prove to be Tokyo’s red line after a series of bitter exchanges between both nations and ties that continue to spiral. The Japanese government on Friday lodged a formal complaint with Russia and demanded that Moscow immediately reverse a decree announced the previous day that transferred the assets of Japan Tobacco International (JTI) to Russian control. Analysts say the decree, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is likely a...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has faced backlash online after writing a social media post celebrating Japan’s shodo calligraphy without mentioning its Chinese roots. On Thursday, Unesco released this year’s nominations for inclusion on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The 59 nominations submitted for consideration for the UN cultural body’s list include Chinese cuisine, Spain’s traditional jota music and dance genre and Japan’s shodo...