Chinese team builds first commercial ‘3-lane highway’ in optical fibre to boost capacity

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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"My first impression, I felt they've been in the team for five years": Morkel impressed by uncapped pacers Prince, Brar

Kyrgyzstan News June 13, 2026 at 1:58 AM

Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 13 (ANI): Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel expressed happiness with the presence of uncapped pacers Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar in the training session, saying that on his first impression of these two bowlers, he felt as if they both were a part of the team for five years, pointing out that they showed no nervousness. In the absence of workhorses like Jasprit Bumra

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"My first impression, I felt they've been in the team for five years": Morkel impressed by uncapped pacers Prince, Brar

Turkmenistan News June 13, 2026 at 1:58 AM

Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 13 (ANI): Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel expressed happiness with the presence of uncapped pacers Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar in the training session, saying that on his first impression of these two bowlers, he felt as if they both were a part of the team for five years, pointing out that they showed no nervousness. In the absence of workhorses like Jasprit Bumra

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"My first impression, I felt they've been in the team for five years": Morkel impressed by uncapped pacers Prince, Brar

Tajikistan News June 13, 2026 at 1:58 AM

Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 13 (ANI): Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel expressed happiness with the presence of uncapped pacers Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar in the training session, saying that on his first impression of these two bowlers, he felt as if they both were a part of the team for five years, pointing out that they showed no nervousness. In the absence of workhorses like Jasprit Bumra

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Elon Musk is now the world’s first trillionaire – what could he buy with all that money?

News - South China Morning Post June 13, 2026 at 12:08 AM

Catapulted by the market debut of his rocket company SpaceX, Elon Musk is now the world’s first trillionaire. That level of wealth, all owned by just one person, was once unfathomable. Before Friday, the trillion dollar mark was reserved for measures like the GDP (or staggering debt) of a handful of major economies – and, in the last decade alone, the value of some of the biggest companies to ever trade on the stock market. Musk’s new title arrives amid a wider acceleration for the richest of...

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Elon Musk becomes world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX IPO

News - South China Morning Post June 12, 2026 at 9:52 PM

In a post on the social media platform he owns, Elon Musk recently lamented: “Whoever said ‘money can’t buy happiness’ really knew what they were talking about.” Now the world’s richest person can put that maxim to an even bigger test as he adds a new title: world’s first trillionaire. Shares of SpaceX rose 19 per cent on Friday to US$160.95 each in their first day of trading, vaulting the value of the rocket and AI company Musk founded to US$2.2 trillion. His fortune now stands at the...

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International Year of Volunteers Engages 200,000 Kazakh Citizens in First Half of 2026

The Astana Times June 12, 2026 at 1:03 PM

The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA — More than 200,000 people have participated in volunteer activities across Kazakhstan since the beginning of 2026, a year designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development at the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Photo credit: gov.kz The year-long campaign officially launched on Jan. 30 during a national volunteer forum attended by Tokayev and has since brought together volunteers through environmental, cultural and community projects across the country. One of the key events was the Volunteering and Environmental Action session held on April 23 in Astana as part of the Regional Environmental Summit. The event brought together approximately 200 participants from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Japan and Afghanistan, as well as United Nations Under-Secretary-General Haoliang Xu. Vo…

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China-UK cooperation vital in ensuring the AI era puts people first

News - South China Morning Post June 11, 2026 at 2:30 AM

During a recent discussion in Shenzhen with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, I was reminded that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer only a technological race. It is a test of whether major economies can build the institutions, standards and economic systems needed to integrate intelligent machines into human society. Britain has every reason to enter this new era with confidence. It has contributed to much of the modern world’s foundations. In 1687, Isaac Newton...

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Kazakhstan Secures Seat on UN Disability Rights Committee, First Time for Central Asia

The Astana Times June 10, 2026 at 12:40 PM

The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA – Lyazzat Kaltayeva, an expert and disability rights advocate from Kazakhstan, was elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on June 9. She became the first representative from Central Asia to serve on the body that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).  Kaltayeva’s election marks the first time a representative from Kazakhstan and Central Asia has secured a seat on the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Photo credit: the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the UN The election took place during the 19th session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD at the UN headquarters. Kaltayeva received 157 votes, the highest among all candidates, and was elected to the committee for the 2027-2030 term. Representatives from Armenia, Benin, China, Ethiopia, Jordan, Lithuania, Palau an…

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Singapore PM Lawrence Wong to visit Russia’s Kazan, first since Ukraine war sanctions

News - South China Morning Post June 10, 2026 at 11:31 AM

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is set to visit the Russian city of Kazan next week in a trip that would mark the first high-level talks between leaders from both sides since the city state imposed sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, sources have confirmed. Wong will attend the Asean-Russia Commemorative Summit from June 17 to June 19 to mark the 35th anniversary of dialogue relations between Moscow and Asean, according to sources who spoke to This Week in Asia on condition...

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Inside Australia’s first major new airport in more than 50 years

News - South China Morning Post June 10, 2026 at 8:45 AM

Sydney’s new A$5.6 billion (US$4 billion) airport will ⁠open to passengers in ⁠October after more than a decade ⁠of planning, adding red-eye flight options from Australia’s largest city as the existing hub operates under night curfew restrictions. The current airport, located closer to Sydney’s central business district, can host take-offs and landings only until 11pm and after ‌6am due to tough noise regulations, limiting airline scheduling options relative to other major Australian cities like...

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Mongolia's foreign trade turnover rises over 34 pct in first 5 months

Kyrgyzstan News June 10, 2026 at 8:15 AM

ULAN BATOR, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's foreign trade turnover increased by 34.6 percent in the first five months of 2026, according to official data released by the country's National Statistics Office on Tuesday. Foreign trade totaled 13.4 billion U.S. dollars during the January-May period. Mongolia recorded a trade surplus of more than 3.6 billion dollars, with exports exceeding imports, the data showed.

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Mongolia's foreign trade turnover rises over 34 pct in first 5 months

Tajikistan News June 10, 2026 at 8:15 AM

ULAN BATOR, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's foreign trade turnover increased by 34.6 percent in the first five months of 2026, according to official data released by the country's National Statistics Office on Tuesday. Foreign trade totaled 13.4 billion U.S. dollars during the January-May period. Mongolia recorded a trade surplus of more than 3.6 billion dollars, with exports exceeding imports, the data showed.

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Mongolia's foreign trade turnover rises over 34 pct in first 5 months

Turkmenistan News June 10, 2026 at 8:15 AM

ULAN BATOR, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's foreign trade turnover increased by 34.6 percent in the first five months of 2026, according to official data released by the country's National Statistics Office on Tuesday. Foreign trade totaled 13.4 billion U.S. dollars during the January-May period. Mongolia recorded a trade surplus of more than 3.6 billion dollars, with exports exceeding imports, the data showed.

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Hong Kong’s first astronaut shows world a different side to the city

News - South China Morning Post June 10, 2026 at 6:30 AM

Hong Kong’s first astronaut may have travelled into space, but the significance of the moment extends far beyond the mission itself. Lai Ka-ying became our first home-grown astronaut to reach space, as part of China’s Shenzhou-23 mission to the Tiangong space station, marking a historic milestone for the city and its role within the country’s scientific ambitions. For many, the moment naturally evokes pride and excitement. Yet, beyond science and national achievement, this milestone may also...

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China delivers first samples collected from far side of the moon to Russian scientists

News - South China Morning Post June 9, 2026 at 6:00 PM

China has given Russia some of the first soil samples collected on the far side of the moon by the Chang’e-6 lunar lander. On June 3, 1.5 grams (0.05 ounces) of lunar soil collected during the mission were handed over to the Planetary Physics Department of the Russian Space Research Institute. “The transfer of the soil samples took place as part of the development of cooperation in space science and lunar exploration between Russia and China,” the institute said. “Researchers will study the...

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China performs world’s first combined transplant of pig liver and kidney to human

News - South China Morning Post June 9, 2026 at 10:59 AM

A Chinese team has transplanted a pig’s kidneys and liver into a patient who had suffered brain death, a world first that could pave the way for multi-organ animal-to-human transplants. After the operation, the organs functioned within the 53-year-old man for nearly five days before the study was ended in line with his family’s wishes. Xenotransplantation, or the transplant of organs or tissues from one species to another, could help tackle global organ shortages that leave patients in limbo or...

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Hong Kong to begin consultation on ‘historic’ first 5-year plan on June 15

News - South China Morning Post June 9, 2026 at 8:55 AM

The government will launch a two-month public consultation on Monday on its first five-year blueprint to align Hong Kong’s development with the national plan, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced. Confirming a South China Morning Post report, Lee said on Tuesday that the consultation would begin on June 15, marking what he described as a milestone for the city. “The formulation of Hong Kong’s first five-year plan is a historic step and is of great significance,” he said. “We hope to...

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