The Astana Times
June 13, 2026 at 10:30 AM
The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA – The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is widely regarded as one of the most important architectural monuments of the Turkic world and a spiritual treasure of Islamic civilization. Built in the late 14th century by order of Amir Temir, the complex has served for centuries as a center of Sufi teaching, spiritual education and Islamic scholarship. The Khoja Ahmed Yasawi mausoleum. Photo credit: Kazakhtourism Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The Astana Times. Yet the monument is more than an architectural masterpiece. According to researchers, its inscriptions and symbols form a coherent system of teachings on faith, self-knowledge and spiritual growth. According to Saipulla Mollakanagatuly, head of the Yasawi Studies Research Center, the epigraphic inscriptions throughout the mausoleum are far more than decorative elements. “If you look at the mausoleum from the west, its …
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Bangladesh’s new leader is set to visit Malaysia and China later this month in a trip that Dhaka says reflects its independent foreign policy – with the decision to skip India seen less as a snub than a bid to strike a diplomatic balance. Tarique Rahman, who became Bangladesh’s 11th prime minister in February, plans to visit Malaysia on June 21–22 before a three-day official visit to China from June 23 on his first overseas trip since taking office. The Malaysia leg, scheduled ahead of any visit...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 10:26 AM
A Hong Kong intern doctor arrested on suspicion of unauthorised access to patient data remains in custody, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source familiar with the matter told the SCMP that the 24-year-old woman, surnamed Lai, was arrested at about 7pm on Friday and was still being held at Cheung Sha Wan Police Station on Saturday morning She was arrested on suspicion of access to a computer with dishonest intent. The arrest came within three days of police receiving a report from a...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 10:25 AM
The United States said it downed multiple Iranian drones targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday, hours after both sides said a deal to end the Middle East war was closer than ever. The interception came after weeks of halting talks between Tehran and Washington, mediated by Pakistan, that have been marked by threats and exchanges of fire despite a fragile truce agreed in April. US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees operations in the region, posted on social...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Washington has ordered Anthropic – a leading entity in America’s AI sector – to block all foreign nationals from accessing its latest models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, citing national security concerns, according to the Silicon Valley-based firm. The unprecedented export-control measure – the first to target specific AI models – came just days after Anthropic released the models, underscoring Washington’s increasingly hands-on approach to regulating frontier artificial intelligence...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 9:37 AM
The Kennedy Centre was running out of options on Friday evening to keep President Donald Trump’s name on the facade of the iconic performing arts venue. A judge earlier in the afternoon rejected a request to pause a court-ordered deadline of Friday to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the Kennedy Centre’s operations. The institution appealed that ruling, an effort that was also rebuffed on Friday evening. Scaffolding was erected around a section of the building...
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The Astana Times
June 13, 2026 at 9:30 AM
The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA — After a week of sold-out performances in London, Kazakh ballet star Bakhtiyar Adamzhan is taking his acclaimed portrayal of Dracula to Scotland. The principal dancer of Astana Opera will perform the title role in Dracula at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre from June 12 to 14, following a successful run at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, where audiences filled the venue throughout the production’s engagement. Kazakh ballet star Bakhtiyar Adamzhan. Photo credit: Astana Opera Produced by BIG Live, Dracula reimagines Bram Stoker’s legendary character through a blend of classical ballet and contemporary choreography. Created by choreographer Joel Burke, the production combines academic ballet technique with cinematic storytelling, set to music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Pyotr Tchaikovsky, alongside an original score by Jason Fernandez. At the center of the production is Adamzhan…
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 9:00 AM
With more than 20 years of experience as a light goods van driver, Hongkonger Fung Fu only started considering switching to becoming a private driving instructor when he noticed the economic outlook was getting gloomier. “Many restaurants have closed down, and companies are making fewer orders of goods. Besides, more drivers are joining the logistics industry, resulting in keener competition,” the 48-year-old told the South China Morning Post. “As I am getting older, my job of carrying heavy...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 9:00 AM
When Natasha Ann Lum was growing up, there was no place for Singlish – an English-based creole language in Singapore – at home. Her father was adamant that Lum and her brother not speak with broken grammar or use conversational markers such as “lah”, “lor” or “eh”. “He didn’t have the luxury of education and felt like he missed out on work opportunities because he didn’t speak English at a level that was required, so he wanted to make sure my brother and I would be better off,” said the software...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 9:00 AM
China activated the world’s first three-band optical fibre communication system early this month, technology that its developers say could expand the carrying capacity of future AI networks. According to the project team, a single fibre can carry more than five times the traffic of conventional systems, while transmission capacity per core increases by nearly half. The project, completed in Qingdao in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, was jointly developed by state-owned...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 8:39 AM
The International Criminal Court ordered a medical assessment of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to determine whether he is fit to stand trial, with proceedings set to start in November. It is the second time that Duterte, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity over his drug war that killed thousands of people, will undergo a health check ordered by the court. The ICC’s pre-trial chamber found in January that the former leader, who ruled the Philippines from 2016 to 2022,...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 7:49 AM
A possible meeting next week between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump offers a chance to reset ties following a year of strained relations over tariffs, Pakistan, and now, the Iran war. US forces this week attacked three Indian-crewed vessels in the Gulf of Oman region, killing at least three sailors and prompting protests from New Delhi. Modi and Trump would likely want to contain the latest tensions and avoid derailing efforts to get relations back on track...
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Turkmenistan News
June 13, 2026 at 7:48 AM
(260613) -- ATLANTA, June 13, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Abdukodir Khusanov (L) of Uzbekistan attends a training session ahead of the group stage match against Colombia at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Atlanta, the United States, on June 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
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Tajikistan News
June 13, 2026 at 7:48 AM
(260613) -- ATLANTA, June 13, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Abdukodir Khusanov (L) of Uzbekistan attends a training session ahead of the group stage match against Colombia at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Atlanta, the United States, on June 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
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Kyrgyzstan News
June 13, 2026 at 7:48 AM
(260613) -- ATLANTA, June 13, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Abdukodir Khusanov (L) of Uzbekistan attends a training session ahead of the group stage match against Colombia at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Atlanta, the United States, on June 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 7:37 AM
Hong Kong has been hit by heavy showers and thunderstorms under the combined influence of a southwest monsoon trough and a low-pressure trough, with the adverse weather set to continue into Monday. The downpours prompted the Hong Kong Observatory to issue an amber rainstorm warning – the lowest in a three-tier system – at 5am on Saturday, before cancelling it at 8.45am. More than 30mm of rainfall was recorded in many areas during the morning. Tsuen Wan was among the worst hit, recording 70mm of...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 7:00 AM
After seven years working in the shadows, He Tingbo stepped back into the limelight last month. The head of Huawei Technologies’ secretive semiconductor business – widely dubbed the company’s “chip queen” – had been out of the public view since 2019, when Washington severed the Chinese company’s global access to advanced technology, including semiconductors. Her retreat into the background became a symbol of Huawei’s battle for survival. That all changed last month on a global academic stage in...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 6:31 AM
President Donald Trump said late on Friday that a “swift and lethal kinetic” US strike has killed Tren de Aragua gang leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores. “At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Nino Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organisations on Planet,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday evening, referring to Guerrero Flores by his...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 6:30 AM
As Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi heads to the G7 meeting in France next week, she is expected to hear rumblings of discontent over Tokyo’s apparent diplomatic outreach to Moscow. With European Union member states and most Nato nations united in their resolve to push back on Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and isolate Moscow, Japan’s very different approach to Vladimir Putin’s regime has not been overlooked. Senior officials from Japan’s foreign and trade ministries travelled...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 13, 2026 at 6:30 AM
Let me pick up where I left off in a previous column. On sabbatical in China, I was reeling from being pored over by parents at the Shanghai marriage market, and judged to be too old and overqualified. But if no vigilant parent would have me for their offspring, perhaps someone in my more permanent home of London would? So I began again. Although nine months away from British dating apps had not changed them, something in myself had changed. The algorithms may rely on Photoshop and well-meaning...
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