Daily news from across Asia
ULAN BATOR, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's Tost Toson Bumbiin Nuruu has been added to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO, the country's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change said on Friday. The designation was approved during the 38th session of the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Program, held in Hernandarias, Paraguay. With the inclusion of Tost T
Read full story →A statement says "significant progress" has been made into investigating the crash, in which 260 people died a year ago.
Read full story →The Tumen River has resurfaced as one of the big issues for keen observers of relations between China and North Korea but after the leaders of the two countries met this week, there was no mention of it in the official statements after the summit. The river is a natural border between China, North Korea and Russia, and a narrow strip of it that runs between North Korea and Russia blocks Chinese access to open waters. Beijing has long tried to convince its two neighbours to open the waterway to...
Read full story →(260612) -- KUNMING, June 12, 2026 (Xinhua) -- An exhibitor sells products in the exhibition area of Sri Lanka at the 10th China-South Asia Exposition in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 12, 2026. The 10th China-South Asia Expo kicked off on Thursday in Kunming City, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. The event has put an emphasis on enhancing regional trade and industrial cooperation under t
Read full story →(260612) -- KUNMING, June 12, 2026 (Xinhua) -- An exhibitor sells products in the exhibition area of Sri Lanka at the 10th China-South Asia Exposition in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 12, 2026. The 10th China-South Asia Expo kicked off on Thursday in Kunming City, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. The event has put an emphasis on enhancing regional trade and industrial cooperation under t
Read full story →(260612) -- KUNMING, June 12, 2026 (Xinhua) -- An exhibitor sells products in the exhibition area of Sri Lanka at the 10th China-South Asia Exposition in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 12, 2026. The 10th China-South Asia Expo kicked off on Thursday in Kunming City, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. The event has put an emphasis on enhancing regional trade and industrial cooperation under t
Read full story →The United States and China should hold regular high-level meetings and deepen cooperation on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, as greater transparency is essential to avoid a downturn in relations, a veteran US diplomat has said. Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, said meetings between senior officials from Washington and Beijing should become routine, rather than being treated as “news”. “This is a relationship that needs to be...
Read full story →As the United States quietly pulls its most precious military assets away from the coasts of Asia, they are falling back to places like Guam in Micronesia, a US island territory far beyond the reach of most conventional missiles. It sounds like a retreat but for the Chinese military it is actually a much trickier problem. In modern warfare, distance can become a shield and dispersion a weapon. This is the puzzle a team of Chinese defence scientists has been solving. Their answer, published...
Read full story →Hong Kong’s finance chief praised a blockbuster film about the Teochew community as it premiered locally on Friday, and highlighted the ethnic group’s contributions to the city’s development, even as some critics panned the production as overly patriotic. Dear You, an unexpected box-office hit that was shot on a shoestring budget, focuses on a grandson’s efforts to learn more about his family history by tracing letters sent home in Chaoshan from Thailand. The film will go into general release in...
Read full story →An intern doctor has been arrested by Hong Kong police on suspicion of accessing patient data without authorisation and fired from her hospital, according to an insider and medical authorities. A source said the 24-year-old woman was arrested on Friday evening after allegedly accessing a computer with dishonest intent at Caritas Medical Centre in Sham Shui Po. She was being detained for investigation, the insider added. According to the source, the Hospital Authority had received an anonymous...
Read full story →British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday rejected the idea that he had lost authority in his role, and said he would fight to keep his job, adding that anyone who wanted to replace him would have to deal with the same financial constraints. The comments come a day after Defence Minister John Healey delivered a fresh blow to the prime minister’s already weakened leadership by quitting and accusing Starmer of being unable to commit the resources needed to keep the country safe, in a dig...
Read full story →The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA — The relationship between Kazakhstan and the European Union (EU) is entering a new phase, marked by growing trade volumes, closer political dialogue and expanding cooperation in digital governance, critical raw materials and transport connectivity. A series of high-level meetings held this month in Astana, Brussels and Strasbourg highlighted the breadth of the partnership, which increasingly extends beyond traditional energy ties and reflects broader European interest in Central Asia amid shifting geopolitical and economic realities. High-level meetings highlighted the growing EU–Central Asia partnership beyond traditional energy ties. Photo credit: primeminister.kz EU remains Kazakhstan’s largest economic partner The strength of economic ties was underscored during the 19th meeting of the Kazakhstan-European Union Dialogue Platform chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov in Astana on June 11…
Read full story →China’s decision to ban Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr and his family from Chinese territory has taken Beijing’s maritime feud with Manila into unusually personal territory, with analysts saying the move appeared aimed at warning other Philippine officials against taking a hard line. The sanctions, announced by China’s foreign ministry on Thursday following Teodoro’s recent criticism of Beijing, also prohibit Chinese organisations and individuals from engaging in transactions,...
Read full story →The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA — Kazakhstan is expanding its international air links with the launch of new routes to Armenia and Uzbekistan, as authorities continue efforts to increase flight connectivity and strengthen regional travel and business ties. Photo credit: Shutterstock According to the Transport Ministry, Armenian carrier FlyOne Armenia entered the Kazakh market on June 12, launching direct scheduled passenger flights between Yerevan and Almaty. The airline will operate the route twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, increasing the total number of weekly flights between Kazakhstan and Armenia from three to five. Officials said the new service is expected to support trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries. The expansion comes as Kazakhstan continues to attract new international carriers and broaden its route network. On June 13, Uzbekistan’s Centrum Air is set to launch its firs…
Read full story →HINGGAN LEAGUE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Alin Lake is a "pearl" of the wetlands in the Horqin National Nature Reserve, Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner of Hinggan League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. At sunset, the sky is ablaze with color, dyeing the river's surface red and creating a breathtaking scene where water and sky merge into one, as brilliant as molten gold.
Read full story →HINGGAN LEAGUE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Alin Lake is a "pearl" of the wetlands in the Horqin National Nature Reserve, Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner of Hinggan League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. At sunset, the sky is ablaze with color, dyeing the river's surface red and creating a breathtaking scene where water and sky merge into one, as brilliant as molten gold.
Read full story →HINGGAN LEAGUE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Alin Lake is a "pearl" of the wetlands in the Horqin National Nature Reserve, Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner of Hinggan League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. At sunset, the sky is ablaze with color, dyeing the river's surface red and creating a breathtaking scene where water and sky merge into one, as brilliant as molten gold.
Read full story →A Hong Kong court has extended an injunction restraining the finance chief of a private college, his wife and two other defendants from handling more than HK$25 million in allegedly misappropriated funds. The High Court on Friday also ordered the four defendants to disclose to Hong Kong Chu Hai College all of their assets worth HK$50,000 or more within 21 days, to help the plaintiff assess which items could be linked to the case. Finance director Ray Yip Kam-chun appeared in court for the first...
Read full story →Even Western pundits grudgingly admitted the summit between President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was a success. Both sides, according to Bloomberg, “appear to have walked away with what they wanted”. Given China’s rising pre-eminence while avoiding any damaging war, it’s no surprise that Xi had the upper hand in his recent meetings with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But with Kim, the stakes for Beijing were just as high, in light of Tokyo’s...
Read full story →(Berlin) - Belarusian authorities are carrying out a countrywide intimidation campaign against former and current students of the European Humanities University (EHU), Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have searched the homes of dozens of students and their families and harassed, interrogated, and detained them. The actions violate
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