VOA Asia Weekly: Defiant Biden Closes NATO Summit

India's Modi and Russia's Putin meet. Bangladesh protests over government jobs quotas. Japan and Philippines sign defense pact. Meet the newest giant pandas in the U.S.

What is the top news of the week from Asia, the U.S., and around the world? VOA Asia Weekly rounds up the week’s major headlines, along with expert analysis, all in five minutes, produced from Washington, DC.

NATO calls Ukraine’s eventual membership in the military alliance inevitable and terms China a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine.               

Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I'm Chris Casquejo at the NATO Summit in Washington. That story is coming up, but first, making headlines:      

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, seeking to deepen the relationship between the two countries as NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Modi arrived shortly after a missile hit the main children’s hospital in Kyiv. Modi’s trip marks his first visit since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.  

Bangladesh’s top court temporarily suspended quotas for coveted government jobs on Wednesday. The ruling comes after thousands of university students protested against the discriminatory system, which includes reserving 30 percent of posts for children of those who fought to win Bangladeshi independence in 1971.    

Heavy rain caused rescuers to suspend the search for 30 people believed to be trapped under a landslide that killed at least 23 people. More than 100 villagers were digging for gold when the disaster hit the unauthorized gold mine on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island. Officials told the media they have deployed more than 1,000 personnel including military.  

Japan and the Philippines signed a defense pact Monday as both countries face tensions with China. The agreement allows Japan to deploy military forces in the Southeast Asian country for joint military exercises. Similarly, the agreement allows Filipino forces to enter Japan for joint combat training. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said, “Japan should seriously reflect on its history of aggression.”    

The 32 NATO member countries stopped short of offering membership to Ukraine at this week’s 75th anniversary summit. The alliance also took aim at China for enabling Russia in its war on Ukraine.  

To conclude the summit, U.S. President Joe Biden held a news conference amid growing calls to end his re-election campaign. VOA’s Anita Powell has more.  

I’m Chris Casquejo.    

Finally, a first glance of the newest giant pandas to arrive in the U.S.  

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance shared some images of Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, the first giant pandas to enter the United States in 21 years. They arrived safely in San Diego on June 27th and the public will not be able to view them for several weeks.    

Thanks for watching VOA Asia Weekly.   

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