Don’t panic if you see a snake on a Chinese power line. It might be a robot

News - South China Morning Post June 11, 2026 at 11:00 AM

Robotic snakes have been deployed in southwestern China to inspect power lines and ensure a stable power supply during the country’s high-pressure national college entrance exam. The snakelike robots spiral around power lines in Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan, to detect hazards such as broken wires, worn components and abnormal temperatures. The device’s developer, the power supply bureau of Kunming’s Guandu district, said the robotic snake had checked more than 130km (81 miles) of...

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Women face extra challenges during China’s gaokao; many use contraceptives to delay periods

News - South China Morning Post June 11, 2026 at 11:00 AM

As China’s gaokao, or national college entrance exam, fell on June 7 to 10 this year, the bigger challenge that female candidates face during the test is receiving increasing attention online. Gaokao is an exam that most Chinese secondary school pupils take to further their study. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics in China, females account for around half of the secondary school pupils in recent years. Of all the female gaokao candidates, around 30 per cent might have...

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Over 3,690 Afghan refugees return home

Turkmenistan News June 11, 2026 at 10:45 AM

KABUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 724 families, which made up of 3,693 individuals, ended their exile and returned to their homeland, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, reported the official Bakhtar News Agency on Thursday. Out of these, 662 families have been transported to their home provinces, and the remaining 62 families would be transported to their provinces after receiving necessary aid, Bakhtar added.

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Over 3,690 Afghan refugees return home

Kyrgyzstan News June 11, 2026 at 10:45 AM

KABUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 724 families, which made up of 3,693 individuals, ended their exile and returned to their homeland, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, reported the official Bakhtar News Agency on Thursday. Out of these, 662 families have been transported to their home provinces, and the remaining 62 families would be transported to their provinces after receiving necessary aid, Bakhtar added.

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Over 3,690 Afghan refugees return home

Tajikistan News June 11, 2026 at 10:45 AM

KABUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 724 families, which made up of 3,693 individuals, ended their exile and returned to their homeland, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, reported the official Bakhtar News Agency on Thursday. Out of these, 662 families have been transported to their home provinces, and the remaining 62 families would be transported to their provinces after receiving necessary aid, Bakhtar added.

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How major LNG deal with Japan signals Malaysia as rising Asean ‘middle power’

News - South China Morning Post June 11, 2026 at 10:25 AM

Japan’s signing of a 20-year LNG supply deal with Malaysia’s Petronas has cast the Southeast Asian country as a valuable energy and security partner, as Tokyo looks to protect itself from global supply shocks and deepen ties with trusted allies. The latest move also underscores how, amid the energy crisis, Asian nations are striking deals bilaterally, with Malaysia leveraging its vast natural resources to rise as a “middle power”, according to analysts. Under the agreement announced during...

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Police fire water cannon in Belfast as stabbing sparks second night of unrest

News - South China Morning Post June 11, 2026 at 10:25 AM

Police blasted water cannons at protesters in Northern Ireland who set small fires and hurled bricks, rocks and bottles at them during a second night of violence Wednesday over a brutal stabbing on a Belfast street. Demonstrators wearing masks tore bricks from the walls outside homes and smashed pavements with sledgehammers to toss at riot police. In one place, the unruly crowd used sections of a dismantled picket fence to take cover on the street. The clashes with police came several hours...

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6 held as Hong Kong customs seizes HK$156 million in fake World Cup merchandise

News - South China Morning Post June 11, 2026 at 10:20 AM

Hong Kong customs has arrested six people over the alleged smuggling and online sale of counterfeit Fifa World Cup merchandise, with an estimated market value of HK$156 million (US$20 million). The Customs and Excise Department said on Thursday it had uncovered 29 suspected smuggling cases and five online sales cases involving World Cup merchandise in an operation code-named “Clean Sheet”. The operation, which ran from May 26 to Wednesday, led to the seizure of around 230,000 suspected...

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Road crash injures 9, some seriously in Afghanistan

Kyrgyzstan News June 11, 2026 at 10:15 AM

KABUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A road accident left nine commuters injured, some in critical condition, in Baghlan province north of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening, provincial police spokesman Mawlawi Shir Ahmad Burhani said Thursday. Without providing more details, the official added that all the injured had been shifted to a hospital in the provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri.

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Road crash injures 9, some seriously in Afghanistan

Tajikistan News June 11, 2026 at 10:15 AM

KABUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A road accident left nine commuters injured, some in critical condition, in Baghlan province north of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening, provincial police spokesman Mawlawi Shir Ahmad Burhani said Thursday. Without providing more details, the official added that all the injured had been shifted to a hospital in the provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri.

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Road crash injures 9, some seriously in Afghanistan

Turkmenistan News June 11, 2026 at 10:15 AM

KABUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A road accident left nine commuters injured, some in critical condition, in Baghlan province north of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening, provincial police spokesman Mawlawi Shir Ahmad Burhani said Thursday. Without providing more details, the official added that all the injured had been shifted to a hospital in the provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri.

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Sacred relics of Lord Buddha's chief disciples return to Delhi from Mongolia; LG Ladakh hails "profoundly historic moment"

Turkmenistan News June 11, 2026 at 10:04 AM

New Delhi [India], June 11 (ANI): The sacred relics of Lord Buddha's chief disciples, Arhant Sariputra and Arhant Maudgalyayana, returned to the national capital from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, marking the conclusion of a 10-day exposition held during the auspicious Vesak celebrations.Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena personally carried the holy relics back to India after the completion of the exposit

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Sacred relics of Lord Buddha's chief disciples return to Delhi from Mongolia; LG Ladakh hails "profoundly historic moment"

Kyrgyzstan News June 11, 2026 at 10:04 AM

New Delhi [India], June 11 (ANI): The sacred relics of Lord Buddha's chief disciples, Arhant Sariputra and Arhant Maudgalyayana, returned to the national capital from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, marking the conclusion of a 10-day exposition held during the auspicious Vesak celebrations.Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena personally carried the holy relics back to India after the completion of the exposit

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Sacred relics of Lord Buddha's chief disciples return to Delhi from Mongolia; LG Ladakh hails "profoundly historic moment"

Tajikistan News June 11, 2026 at 10:04 AM

New Delhi [India], June 11 (ANI): The sacred relics of Lord Buddha's chief disciples, Arhant Sariputra and Arhant Maudgalyayana, returned to the national capital from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, marking the conclusion of a 10-day exposition held during the auspicious Vesak celebrations.Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena personally carried the holy relics back to India after the completion of the exposit

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Hong Kong’s pivot to emerging sectors secures its spot as top choice for tech firms: HKEX

News - South China Morning Post June 11, 2026 at 9:55 AM

Hong Kong has become the top listing choice for tech firms amid the rise of Asia in global innovation, according to Bonnie Chan Yiting, CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX). The tech listings boom has prompted the city’s exchange to review its listing regime to better accommodate high growth and pre-profit technology and biotech firms seeking access to international funds. The comments come as the city’s capital markets maintain momentum despite recent fluctuations, with over HK$166...

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Minister defends decisions leading up to girl’s death hours after mother’s suicide

News - South China Morning Post June 11, 2026 at 9:37 AM

Hong Kong’s welfare chief has defended a “professional” call by doctors and social workers to return a 12-year-old girl to the flat where her mother had just jumped to her death, hours before the child also killed herself. A registered clinical psychologist said the girl should have been moved to a relative’s home immediately, instead of going back to the flat where her mother’s suicide took place. Sources said that the woman, a 48-year-old government social worker with no record of mental...

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