Black bear caught in Japan after days of sightings
The capture in Utsunomiya comes as bear attacks have reached record levels across Japan.
Read full story →Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya cleared fit for Afghanistan ODI series: Sources
By Vipul KashyapNew Delhi [India], June 9 (ANI): India cricket stars Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya are set to return to action in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan after clearing their fitness assessments, sources told ANI.According to the sources, both players have successfully passed their fitness tests and are expected to join the national squad shortly ahead of the series.
Read full story →Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya cleared fit for Afghanistan ODI series: Sources
By Vipul KashyapNew Delhi [India], June 9 (ANI): India cricket stars Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya are set to return to action in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan after clearing their fitness assessments, sources told ANI.According to the sources, both players have successfully passed their fitness tests and are expected to join the national squad shortly ahead of the series.
Read full story →Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya cleared fit for Afghanistan ODI series: Sources
By Vipul KashyapNew Delhi [India], June 9 (ANI): India cricket stars Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya are set to return to action in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan after clearing their fitness assessments, sources told ANI.According to the sources, both players have successfully passed their fitness tests and are expected to join the national squad shortly ahead of the series.
Read full story →Is that a Chinese antenna at Scarborough Shoal? The Philippines thinks so
The Philippines has accused China of building an artificial structure at the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Citing aerial monitoring, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, an inter-agency body overseeing Manila’s maritime strategy in the South China Sea, said on Tuesday that a floating platform six metres (19.7 feet) wide and six metres long was located within the shoal. The structure appeared to be an antenna and individuals were seen on board, the task...
Read full story →Pentagon blacklists China tech giants as US competition expands
The Pentagon added tech giants Alibaba and Baidu and carmaker BYD to a blacklist of Chinese companies with military ties amid widening competition between the world’s two largest economies. Drug maker WuXi AppTec, robot company Unitree and carmaker Nio were among other businesses added to the 1260H list, according to a US Department of Defence notice. Some Chinese companies no longer operating in the United States were removed in the annual update. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. The...
Read full story →Drainage canal projects launched in eastern Afghanistan
KABUL, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities have launched eight drainage canal projects worth 150 million afghanis (over 2.3 million U.S. dollars) in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, the provincial government office said Tuesday. The projects, launched in Jalalabad, the provincial capital, aimed to address flooding, improve sanitation conditions, and enhance urban infrastructure, according to a stateme
Read full story →Drainage canal projects launched in eastern Afghanistan
KABUL, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities have launched eight drainage canal projects worth 150 million afghanis (over 2.3 million U.S. dollars) in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, the provincial government office said Tuesday. The projects, launched in Jalalabad, the provincial capital, aimed to address flooding, improve sanitation conditions, and enhance urban infrastructure, according to a stateme
Read full story →Drainage canal projects launched in eastern Afghanistan
KABUL, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities have launched eight drainage canal projects worth 150 million afghanis (over 2.3 million U.S. dollars) in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, the provincial government office said Tuesday. The projects, launched in Jalalabad, the provincial capital, aimed to address flooding, improve sanitation conditions, and enhance urban infrastructure, according to a stateme
Read full story →As Putin courts Southeast Asia, does ‘Russia need Asean more’?
A summit between Russia and Asean next week promises to ease Southeast Asia’s energy crisis and Moscow’s diplomatic isolation – but not all of the bloc’s leaders are expected to show up. Analysts are also divided on whether Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, the current Asean chair, will travel to Kazan for the meeting, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 17–18. The summit marks the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations...
Read full story →With a global AI data shortage looming, China boosts its own supply
China is moving to leverage data as a core strategic asset, aiming to build industry-specific data sets to power its next-generation artificial intelligence models, as developers worldwide grapple with a looming data drought. On Monday, the country’s data authority unveiled a sweeping nationwide plan to boost the supply of high-quality AI training data, underscoring Beijing’s resolve to secure a leading position in the global AI competition. The draft plan, published online by the National Data...
Read full story →Kyrgyz Republic Removed from EU Aviation Blacklist After 20 Years
The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA – The Kyrgyz Republic has been officially removed from the European Union’s list of air carriers banned from operating flights to EU member states. Photo credit: Kabar According to the press service of the presidential administration, the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission informed the Kyrgyz authorities that all air carriers certified in the country have been fully exempted from the EU flight ban, reported Kazinform on June 8. “In recent years, the country has carried out systematic work to reform civil aviation, strengthen state oversight of flight safety, and bring the national system into compliance with international ICAO standards,” the statement reads. The decision follows a meeting of the EU Aviation Safety Committee held on May 19-21, and will be formalized through a corresponding European Commission regulation. Kyrgyz airlines had remained on the …
Read full story →With the ‘Indo-Pacific’ label losing its lustre, China has an opportunity
Beyond the diplomatic choreography of last month’s Xi-Trump summit, what are the structural implications of a less confrontational US-China relationship for the Asia-Pacific? The subsequent visits by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to India and US Secretary of Defence Peter Hegseth to Singapore in late May shed some light on the question. Both Rubio and Hegseth had accompanied Trump to Beijing. Perhaps most telling was the switch in the usage of a geographic term by the US administration. In...
Read full story →Trump’s forced-labour tariffs put Southeast Asia in the firing line
Southeast Asia’s extensive supply chains could be disrupted if it faces planned US tariffs over Washington’s accusations of forced labour in 60 economies, as analysts say the proposal is just a way for President Donald Trump to resurrect his trade levy agenda. Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are among the economies flagged by the US for purportedly failing to prevent goods made with forced labour from reaching its market. Washington said the...
Read full story →Black bear caught in Japan after days of sightings
The capture in Utsunomiya comes as bear attacks have reached record levels across Japan.
Read full story →SpaceX IPO: views from the ground
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Read full story →China’s rail gun milestone: guided projectile prototype passes real firing test
Inside a metal shell being hurled from a standstill to a speed many times faster than sound, the pressure could be as high as an elephant standing on every square inch of a human body. To make matters worse, an invisible, violent magnetic storm is raging through its path. This is the world inside an electromagnetic rail gun. For decades, this has been the nightmare that kept weapons engineers awake. Their dream was to place a guidance chip inside a rail gun shell so it could steer itself to a...
Read full story →Kazakhstan, South Korea Deepen Economic Cooperation Ahead of Tokayev’s Seoul Visit
The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA — Kazakhstan and South Korea discussed expanding cooperation in trade, investment, energy, critical minerals, and technology during the 11th meeting of the Kazakh-Korean Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation on June 8. Photo credit: gov.kz The meeting highlighted the steady growth of bilateral economic ties. Mutual trade reached approximately $3.17 billion in 2025, while direct investment from South Korea to Kazakhstan totaled $8 billion over the past decade, reported Kazinform. Officials discussed measures to increase bilateral trade, diversify the range of goods traded, expand Kazakh exports to the South Korean market, and remove administrative and regulatory barriers for businesses. Kazakhstan’s Minister of Industry and Construction Yersain Nagaspayev described President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s upcoming visit to South Korea as a key milestone in the develo…
Read full story →Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korean war monument evokes ‘eternal historical memory’
Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasised the shared sacrifices and deep historical ties between China and North Korea during a visit to a historic mountainside in Pyongyang on Tuesday. Xi and first lady Peng Liyuan paid tribute at the Sino-Korean Friendship Tower in Moran Hill, accompanied by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju. Honour guards placed a floral basket at the monument with a ribbon inscribed with the words “The martyrs of the Chinese People’s Volunteer (CPV) Army...
Read full story →Child abuse claim ‘not established’, International Montessori School says
A government investigation into an alleged indecent assault of a four-year-old kindergarten pupil at an international school in Hong Kong’s Stanley has concluded that the claim of child maltreatment was “not established”, drawing the weeks-long probe to a close. The International Montessori School (IMS) welcomed the Social Welfare Department’s conclusion, expressing “immense relief” after going through “a very difficult time” alongside the entire community. In a letter to parents, Timothy Veale,...
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