Analysts: Vietnamese leader visited China to reassure Beijing

Washington — Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam visited China to make sure that bilateral ties are on track under his country's new leadership and to build personal ties with China's top leaders, experts told VOA

Dispute over border telecom plan further strains China-North Korea ties 

washington — A new sign of discord has emerged in the ties between North Korea and China over Beijing's plan to install telecommunication facilities near its border, which analysts say could be a way for China to exert its influence over its southern[..]

China accuses Philippine ship of deliberately hitting coast guard vessel

Beijing — Beijing accused a Philippine ship of deliberately running into a Chinese coast guard vessel on Saturday near a flashpoint shoal in the South China Sea, the latest in a spate of similar incidents in recent weeks

Japan lodges protest over Chinese survey ship in its territorial waters

TOKYO — Japan lodged a formal protest via China's embassy against what it called an incursion by a Chinese survey ship into its territorial waters Saturday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said

Japan wants its hardworking citizens to try a 4-day workweek

tokyo — Japan, a nation so hardworking its language has a term for literally working oneself to death, is trying to address a worrisome labor shortage by coaxing more people and companies to adopt four-day workweeks

Political change prompts concerns about Thailand's economy

bangkok — After a whirlwind few weeks with Paetongtarn Shinawatra taking the helm as Thailand's new prime minister, Thailand's struggling economy needs a clear strategy moving forward to get it back on track, according to some analysts

China, Philippines trade accusations after ships collide

TAIPEI, Taiwan — China and the Philippines accused each other of causing a collision between their two vessels Saturday in the latest flareup of tensions over disputed waters and maritime features in the South China Sea

Nigeria’s oil company lacks funds to fix leaky pipelines

ABUJA, NIGERIA — Nigeria’s decades-old oil pipelines are vital for transporting crude, but most are now corroded and vulnerable to leaks and vandalism

Germany ends military operations in junta-run Niger

Berlin — The German army on Friday vacated an air base in junta-run Niger and flew its final troops home, completing a withdrawal from the restive Sahel nation

With men at front lines, women watch Ukraine's night sky for Russian drones

KYIV, Ukraine — When the air raid siren bellows in the dead of night, the women in arms rush to duty

Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region is legitimate, says NATO's Stoltenberg

BERLIN — Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region is legitimate and covered by Kyiv's right to self-defense, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told German weekly Welt am Sonntag in his first reaction to the advance into Russian territory

Ukraine, Russia trade attacks, leaving dozens dead or injured

KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian guided-bomb attack hit a village in Ukraine's Kharkiv region Saturday, killing two people and injuring 10 others, including children, local officials said

'Renaissance of illegals': Since start of war in Ukraine, Russia relies more on bargain-basement spi[..]

Madrid/Washington — They are known as “illegals” — spies who operate under the guise of normal jobs

Tourist helicopter carrying 22 goes missing in Russia's Kamchatka

Moscow, Russia — A helicopter with 22 people aboard, most of them tourists, has gone missing in Russia's Kamchatka peninsula in the far east, regional authorities said Saturday

Here's what Harris and Trump have said about easing costs for families

WASHINGTON — The high cost of caring for children and the elderly has forced women out of the workforce, devastated family finances, and left professional caretakers in low-wage jobs — all while slowing economic growth