Daily news from across Asia
KABUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- As the international community observes the World Day Against Child Labor on June 12, millions of Afghan children are leaving school to work in brick kilns, markets, construction sites, and workshops, driven by grinding poverty that has upended families across the poverty-stricken country. Ten-year-old Sulaiman's face is covered in dust. His hands are calloused, and his small frame lag
Read full story →The Philippines may be taking steps to curb gambling addiction, but the surge in calls to the Bridges of Hope hotline suggests the problem is worsening, according to the rehabilitation centre’s founder and director, Jon Ty. Ty said gambling now accounted for nine in 10 calls to the centre’s hotline so far this year, up from seven in 10 in 2025. Many of the callers were desperate family members reaching out because their loved ones were gambling addicts. Ty said many gamblers had also resorted to...
Read full story →The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA – Kazakh Finance Minister Madi Takiyev stated that the country’s public debt remains manageable and within safe limits. As of the beginning of this year, public debt totaled 36.4 trillion tenge (US$74.7 billion), or 22.8% of the gross domestic product (GDP), significantly below the national target of 32% of GDP. Photo credit: Shutterstock The statement came amid criticism from lawmakers, who noted the budget’s growing dependence on refinancing previously accumulated liabilities, during a June 10 plenary session of the Mazhilis. More than half of the borrowings went toward refinancing Mazhilis Deputy Yerlan Stambekov noted that in 2025, government debt increased by 4.8 trillion tenge (US$9.8 billion), and more than half of the new borrowings, 51% of the total of 8.2 trillion tenge (US$16.8 billion), was used to refinance existing debt rather than finance new development projects, reported Kazinfo…
Read full story →The US military had attacked the Palau-flagged tanker on Wednesday after accusing it of not complying with directions.
Read full story →A high-ranking workplace safety official in central China’s Shanxi province has been placed under investigation over a massive coal mine explosion that killed 82. Zhang Heping, deputy director of the provincial department of emergency management, is suspected of “serious violations of discipline and law”, according to a statement released by the provincial discipline inspection and supervisory commission late on Wednesday. The provincial anti-corruption watchdog explicitly linked Zhang to the...
Read full story →Zou Jiayi is president and chairwoman of the board of directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a multilateral development lender headquartered in Beijing and inaugurated in 2016. Before leading AIIB, Zou was deputy secretary general of the national committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s top political advisory body. She previously held senior roles at the Ministry of Finance, including as vice-minister, and as part of her three decades of...
Read full story →We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Where did Tokyo restaurant Sézanne’s 3 Michelin stars go? Tokyo’s Sézanne restaurant, which once held the No 1 spot on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, has been quietly stripped of its three Michelin stars ahead of the guide’s next update in autumn 2026. The change follows the high-profile departure of its opening chef,...
Read full story →Three men were charged on Thursday for their alleged involvement in a scheme to falsely declare China-made mattresses as Singapore goods in an apparent attempt to evade US import duties. Singaporeans Loh Yew Kong, 68; Leong Yu Fong, 41; and Loh Chen Sing Darren, 37, as well as three companies – Brighture Et Riche, Brighture Et Riche (Int) and Zenova International – were charged in connection with the alleged scheme, Singapore Customs said. Authorities commenced investigations in February last...
Read full story →Most Uber passengers consider the government’s plan to cap ride-hailing vehicle permits at 10,000 “very insufficient”, according to a survey by the firm, as the company attempts to challenge elements of the proposed regulatory regime. The US-based ride-hailing firm said on Thursday that the survey, conducted over six days last month, drew 10,009 passenger respondents, 90 per cent of whom considered the 10,000-permit cap “very insufficient”. The survey, which also gathered responses from 4,569...
Read full story →HOHHOT, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The population of milu deer in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been growing steadily, reaching 74 after the first batch of 27 deer was introduced in 2021, according to the regional forestry and grassland bureau. This marks a major achievement in China's efforts to rebuild a rare species population in alpine and frigid zones north of 40 degrees north latitude.
Read full story →HOHHOT, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The population of milu deer in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been growing steadily, reaching 74 after the first batch of 27 deer was introduced in 2021, according to the regional forestry and grassland bureau. This marks a major achievement in China's efforts to rebuild a rare species population in alpine and frigid zones north of 40 degrees north latitude.
Read full story →HOHHOT, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The population of milu deer in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been growing steadily, reaching 74 after the first batch of 27 deer was introduced in 2021, according to the regional forestry and grassland bureau. This marks a major achievement in China's efforts to rebuild a rare species population in alpine and frigid zones north of 40 degrees north latitude.
Read full story →Twenty people died and 120 others were injured in the explosion at the Erawan shrine 11 years ago.
Read full story →Twenty people died and 120 others were injured in the explosion at the Erawan shrine 11 years ago.
Read full story →Hong Kong’s business community has signed six agreements with Kazakhstan to support the development of the country’s new hi-tech and economic hub, as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu positions the city as the project’s gateway to global capital and the mainland Chinese market. The memorandums of understanding (MOUs), unveiled at an investment round table on Thursday, centre on the development of Alatau City, the Central Asian country’s flagship future-city project, and focus on innovation and...
Read full story →A Thai court on Thursday sentenced two ethnic Chinese Uygur men to death for the 2015 bombing of Bangkok’s Erawan shrine, the deadliest attack on the city in recent history that killed 20, including tourists from China, Malaysia and Singapore. The men, Bilal Mohammed, 41, and Yusufu Mieraili, 36, were arrested in a manhunt that followed the August 17, 2015, bombing which brought carnage to the heart of Bangkok at rush hour. Thai police said they found bomb-making materials at a Bangkok address...
Read full story →The population of milu in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been growing steadily, reaching 74 after the first batch of 27 deer was introduced in 2021, according to the regional forestry and grassland bureau. This marks a major achievement in China's efforts to rebuild a rare species population in alpine and frigid zones north of 40 degrees north latitude.A milu herd is seen
Read full story →The population of milu in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been growing steadily, reaching 74 after the first batch of 27 deer was introduced in 2021, according to the regional forestry and grassland bureau. This marks a major achievement in China's efforts to rebuild a rare species population in alpine and frigid zones north of 40 degrees north latitude.A milu herd is seen
Read full story →The population of milu in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been growing steadily, reaching 74 after the first batch of 27 deer was introduced in 2021, according to the regional forestry and grassland bureau. This marks a major achievement in China's efforts to rebuild a rare species population in alpine and frigid zones north of 40 degrees north latitude.A milu herd is seen
Read full story →The mayor of a southern Philippine town that was devastated by a powerful earthquake pleaded on Thursday for helicopters to transport food to stave off hunger in several landslide-isolated villages. The 7.8 magnitude offshore quake, one of the strongest to hit the archipelago in half a century, struck on Monday off the southern province of Sarangani and has left at least 47 people dead and 688 injured, with 31 still missing. More than 45,000 people remained displaced, about half in emergency...
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