Passengers look out from the Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship docked in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Thousands of passengers were being held on the ship for coronavirus testing after health authorities said nine passengers were linked to a recent omicron cluster and ordered the ship to turn back. Vincent Yu/AP hide caption
Women wearing face masks to protect against COVID-19 look at their smartphones at a public park in Beijing Wednesday. China is reporting a major drop in local COVID-19 infections in the northern city of Xi'an, which has been under a tight lockdown for the past two weeks. Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption
Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer media award in Berlin in 2020. Activists are appealing to Tesla to close a new showroom in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, where officials are accused of abuses against mostly Muslim ethnic minorities. Hannibal Hanschke/AP file photo hide caption
Military guard posts of North Korea, rear, and South Korea, front, are seen in Paju, near the border with North Korea, South Korea, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022. Ahn Young-joon/AP hide caption
Chris Yeung, founder and chief writer of Citizen News outside his office in Hong Kong Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. The online news site said Sunday that it would cease operations in light of deteriorating press freedoms. Vincent Yu/AP hide caption
Married at 15, Chakraman Shreshta Balami fulfilled his dying father's wish by getting married — at age 15. He had to give up his dream of becoming a doctor. Now the vice principal of Sri Bhavani government school, he campaigns against child marriage — but even his son was married as a teenager. Above, he poses with a grandchild. Stephanie Sinclair for NPR hide caption
In this photo provided on Saturday by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, attends a meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP hide caption
Health workers carry the coffin of a victim who died Saturday in a stampede at the Mata Vaishnav Devi shrine in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Channi Anand/AP hide caption
An Afghan woman waits in the makeshift clinic organized by World Vision at a settlement near Herat, Afghanistan. Mstyslav Chernov/AP hide caption
Members of a China-centered Asian trade bloc that takes effect Jan. 1 are hoping the initiative, encompassing about a third of world trade and business, will help drive their recoveries from the pandemic. Hau Dinh/AP hide caption
Women wearing masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk against cold strong winds in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021. Ng Han Guan/AP hide caption
Patrick Lam, an editor at Stand News, is escorted into a van by police officers after they searched for evidence at his office in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021. Vincent Yu/AP hide caption
In this aerial photo released by the Chin Human Rights Organization, fires destroy numerous buildings in the town of Thantlang in Chin State in northwest Myanmar, on Dec. 4, 2021. AP hide caption
Hong Kong police raided the office of the online news outlet Stand News on Wednesday after arresting several people for conspiracy to publish a seditious publication. The website shut down hours later. Vincent Yu/AP hide caption
Commuters wearing face masks ride an escalator at a subway station in the central business district in Beijing. Caseloads of omicron have remained relatively low in many parts in Asia. Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption
Chef and YouTube host Pailin Chongchitnant. Courtesy of Pailin Chongchitnant hide caption
Homeless people gather beside a portrait of Saint Teresa, the founder of the Missionaries of Charity, to collect free food outside the order's headquarters in Kolkata, India, in August. Bikas Das/AP hide caption
Iraq's average annual temperatures are increasing at nearly double the rate of Earth's temperature rise. This photograph accompanies Ruth Sherlock's story about how climate change is affecting marshlands and the way of life in Iraq. Mootaz Sami for NPR hide caption
Aung San Suu Kyi leaves the International Court of Justice after the first day of three days of hearings in The Hague, Netherlands, in this December 2019 photo. She is charged with importing and possessing walkie-talkies without following official procedures, a legal official familiar with the case said. Peter Dejong/AP file photo hide caption
Three members of the K-pop superstar group BTS have been infected with the coronavirus, their Big Hit Entertainment agency said. Members of the group are seen here at a news conference to introduce their single "Butter," in May. They are, from left to right: V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin, and J-Hope. Lee Jin-man/AP hide caption
In an image released by Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service, Ukrainian soldiers use a launcher with U.S. Javelin missiles during military exercises in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Thursday. Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP hide caption