BEIJING (AP) — China on Thursday dismissed the decision by Canada and the United Kingdom to join Washington’s diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games as a “farce.” China is also unconcerned the officials' absence would spark a chain reaction, while numerous heads of state, government leaders and members of royal families have registered to attend, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a daily briefing. The three countries have said they won’t send government dignitaries to the Games that run Feb. 4-20 to protest human rights abuses in China, while New Zealand said it informed Beijing earlier that it wouldn’t be sending any officials due to pandemic travel restrictions but had also communicated its human rights concerns. Under the diplomatic boycott, the countries will still send their athletes to compete. Wang said China had not extended invitations to the U.S., Canada or the U.K. and that it “doesn’t matter if their officials come … [Read more...]

5 PARIS (AP) — Germany's foreign minister warned Russia on Thursday that it would pay a “high political and economic price” if it makes any militaristic moves against neighboring Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock emphasized the need to coordinate a common European position when dealing with hostile neighbors such as Russia, which has amassed troops near the border with Ukraine. “The territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine aren’t up for negotiation for us,” Baerbock said in Paris while making her first foreign trip a day after taking office. She added that the highest priority must be to avoid a military escalation. “Russia would pay a high political and economic price for a renewed breach of Ukraine’s statehood,” Baerbock told reporters during a a joint news conference with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affair Jean-Yves Le Drian. “We can only find solutions down the diplomatic route, and we are … [Read more...]

LONDON (AP) — The NFL has named former soccer executive Alexander Steinforth to head its operations in Germany as it prepares to hold a regular-season game there as early as next year. Steinforth will start work early next year after moving from the commercial arm of Germany's governing body for Olympic sports, the NFL said Thursday. Before that, he worked at English Premier League giant Manchester United and German soccer club Fortuna Düsseldorf. Interest in the NFL has grown steadily in Germany, prompting the league to announce plans for a game there, building on the success of its annual London games. The stadium used by Steinforth's old soccer club, Fortuna, is one possible candidate. The other potential host cities on the shortlist are Munich and Frankfurt. Brett Gosper, NFL Head of Europe and UK, said in October that the decisions on a German city and date for a game are expected to be announced at the Super Bowl in February. NFL owners must approve the choice of … [Read more...]

The decision by President Biden to have his administration steer clear of the Beijing Winter Olympics is not enough. With the Games two months away and the host country’s ugly record on human rights well in view once again, more needs to be done to send China a message that it operates outside the bounds of acceptable behavior. Yes, the diplomatic boycott announced this week by the Biden administration was a wise move, a public rebuke to China’s growing list of human rights atrocities and a guarantee that the United States’ emissaries would not lend tacit approval of these Games with their attendance. Human rights organizations joined the American government and lawmakers from several nations in describing China’s treatment of its ethnic Muslim minorities as genocide and denouncing crackdowns on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong . Pressure to hold China to task has only grown in the weeks since Peng Shuai , a Chinese tennis star, disappeared from public view in November … [Read more...]

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for December 8 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Luka Doncic scored 26 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 19 as Dallas used a fourth-quarter rally to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 104-96 on Wednesday night, ending the Mavericks’ three-game skid. Reggie Bullock had 15 points for the Mavericks, who surpassed 100 points for only the second time in the past six games. Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 26 points, while Dillon Brooks added 15 points before being ejected late in the fourth quarter. Desmond Bane finished with 14 points. Memphis' five-game winning streak ended. "We’ve just got to play better," Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. "But I thought the urgency in making plays like we’ve done in recent games wasn’t there." CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Dallas held Memphis to 40% shooting overall, including … [Read more...]

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for December 8 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Kyle Kuzma hit a 3 with 0.6 seconds left in overtime and the Washington Wizards handed the Detroit Pistons their 10th straight loss, 119-116 Wednesday night. Kuzma scored 26 points and Bradley Beal added 25 for the Wizards, who blew a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter. "This is a good win for us," Beal said. "It wasn't pretty, but we did what we needed to do to win the game. That's always the goal." Jeremi Grant scored 28 points for the Pistons, who haven’t won since beating the Indiana Pacers 97-89 on Nov. 17. The 10-game skid matches Detroit’s longest since a 13-game slide from Nov. 15-Dec. 9, 2014. They also lost 10 straight from Feb. 24-March 14, 2015. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Rookie Cade Cunningham added 21 points, including eight of Detroit's … [Read more...]