The Astana Times
June 12, 2026 at 2:57 PM
The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA — Kazakh titanium accounts for approximately 20% of the global aerospace market, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said during a meeting with Sylvain Geler, chairman of the board of directors of Ust-Kamenogorsk Titanium and Magnesium Plant (UKTMP) on June 11, as the government reviewed the company’s expansion plans and role in strengthening Kazakhstan’s position in global supply chains. Ust-Kamenogorsk Titanium and Magnesium Plant. Photo credit: gov.kz Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The Astana Times. The meeting focused on the sustainable development of the enterprise, implementation of investment projects and measures to maintain the competitiveness of Kazakhstan’s titanium industry in international markets. UKTMP is one of the world’s largest vertically integrated titanium producers, operating a full production cycle from raw material processing to finished titanium pro…
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 2:41 PM
The Hong Kong government gazetted a bill on Friday that, if passed, would waive salary tax on fund managers’ performance-linked bonuses, so long as they meet certain requirements, in a move to introduce further tax reform to strengthen the city as a wealth management centre. The bill, which will be first read by lawmakers on June 24, may attract more fund managers and family offices to operate in the city, the government said. The measure would make Hong Kong the first major Asian financial...
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Turkmenistan News
June 12, 2026 at 2:19 PM
When Xi Jinping was appointed general-secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in late 2012 and later as president in 2013, China was emerging as an important trade partner for Central Asia with unclear ambitions toward a region traditionally under the influence of Russia.But data compiled by RFE/RL shows how Xi's tenure as China's leader has led to a wave of wide-ranging diplomatic engagement that has helped tr
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Tajikistan News
June 12, 2026 at 2:19 PM
When Xi Jinping was appointed general-secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in late 2012 and later as president in 2013, China was emerging as an important trade partner for Central Asia with unclear ambitions toward a region traditionally under the influence of Russia.But data compiled by RFE/RL shows how Xi's tenure as China's leader has led to a wave of wide-ranging diplomatic engagement that has helped tr
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Kyrgyzstan News
June 12, 2026 at 2:19 PM
When Xi Jinping was appointed general-secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in late 2012 and later as president in 2013, China was emerging as an important trade partner for Central Asia with unclear ambitions toward a region traditionally under the influence of Russia.But data compiled by RFE/RL shows how Xi's tenure as China's leader has led to a wave of wide-ranging diplomatic engagement that has helped tr
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Hong Kong actress Barbara Chan Man-yee has died at the age of 66, five years after the death of her husband, actor Liu Kai-chi. Chan’s sons said that she died peacefully on Friday morning, surrounded by family at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin after an illness. The announcement did not specify the nature of her condition. Her husband died in the same hospital in 2021 after reportedly battling stomach cancer for several months. “In accordance with her wishes during her lifetime, the memorial...
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Turkmenistan News
June 12, 2026 at 2:16 PM
BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China's National Meteorological Center on Friday issued a blue alert for rainstorms, as heavy rain or rainstorms are expected to hit parts of southwest China, east China and south China from Friday to Saturday. Some areas in Guizhou, Jiangxi and elsewhere are likely to experience torrential rain, while parts of the affected regions may see short-term heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and
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Tajikistan News
June 12, 2026 at 2:16 PM
BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China's National Meteorological Center on Friday issued a blue alert for rainstorms, as heavy rain or rainstorms are expected to hit parts of southwest China, east China and south China from Friday to Saturday. Some areas in Guizhou, Jiangxi and elsewhere are likely to experience torrential rain, while parts of the affected regions may see short-term heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and
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Kyrgyzstan News
June 12, 2026 at 2:16 PM
BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China's National Meteorological Center on Friday issued a blue alert for rainstorms, as heavy rain or rainstorms are expected to hit parts of southwest China, east China and south China from Friday to Saturday. Some areas in Guizhou, Jiangxi and elsewhere are likely to experience torrential rain, while parts of the affected regions may see short-term heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 2:14 PM
Chinese regulators are stepping up public enforcement against the nation’s corporate giants, marking a departure from the low-key approach adopted after a bruising 2021 tech crackdown. In recent months, agencies have summoned company representatives, launched high-profile investigations, and named and shamed offenders. However, while the uptick in activity has rattled investors, some analysts and observers contend that this does not herald a return to China’s heavy-handed campaign that...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM
China called on major nations to “foster a free and facilitative trading environment” ahead of two summits next week that may herald a trade war with the European Union. Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing said China was “steadfastly expanding high-standard opening up” in a videoconference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended along with representatives from Brazil, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea,...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Chinese scientists have uncovered differences between American and Chinese vaginal microbiomes, revealing that a bacterium closely linked to bacterial vaginosis and preterm birth is more prevalent and virulent in American women. The study underscores the need for localised treatments and “fills a critical gap for Asian populations and provides a foundational platform for global vaginal microbiome research and microbe-host interaction studies”, according to the researchers. The scientists said...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr will travel to Russia next week for a summit with Moscow and Southeast Asian leaders in a visit analysts say will allow Manila to show it can fulfil its role as Asean chair while keeping diplomatic channels open with major powers, despite closer security ties with Washington. While the trip is unlikely to signal a shift in Philippine foreign policy, observers say it will be watched closely in both Washington and Beijing for any concrete outcomes on...
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The Astana Times
June 12, 2026 at 1:50 PM
The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA — Kazakhstan has attracted more than $480 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) since independence, Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Kuantyrov said during a United States (US)-Kazakhstan roundtable at Astana Mining and Metallurgy (AMM) 2026 on June 11, highlighting opportunities in critical minerals, renewable energy, logistics and technology. According to Kuantyrov, gross FDI inflows reached $20.5 billion in 2024, while investors from more than 120 countries are currently active in Kazakhstan. Photo credit: MFA The roundtable brought together government officials and business representatives from Kazakhstan and the United States, including U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Julie Stufft and Assistant Secretary of Commerce David Vogel, to discuss trade, investment and industrial cooperation. According to Kuantyrov, gross FDI inflows reached $20.5 billion in 2024, while investors from more than 120…
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Tajikistan News
June 12, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Share articlePrint articleThe Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People's History of Afghanistan is about an institution tasked with the job of housing strangers - Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel. Through this hotel, which sits high on a hill, and the people within it, seasoned BBC journalist and current
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Turkmenistan News
June 12, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Share articlePrint articleThe Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People's History of Afghanistan is about an institution tasked with the job of housing strangers - Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel. Through this hotel, which sits high on a hill, and the people within it, seasoned BBC journalist and current
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Kyrgyzstan News
June 12, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Share articlePrint articleThe Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People's History of Afghanistan is about an institution tasked with the job of housing strangers - Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel. Through this hotel, which sits high on a hill, and the people within it, seasoned BBC journalist and current
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 1:30 PM
In their 2022 book Sinostan, Raffaello Pantucci and Alexandros Petersen saw Central Asia as China’s “inadvertent empire”. If that is true – and the five-country region embracing Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan (informally called the C5) certainly sits at the heart of China’s Belt and Road Initiative – then Beijing could not have chosen a less noticed corner of the world atlas. Unnoticed, perhaps, by almost everyone except Halford Mackinder, who in 1904 described...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 12, 2026 at 1:05 PM
EU tech sovereignty may prove an “illusion” in an AI world dominated by China and the US, a Chinese expert has argued, urging Beijing to seize the opportunity during Donald Trump’s second term to make its products indispensable to middle powers. The past few weeks have seen a number of efforts by middle powers to try to control their AI technology stacks. Last week, the European Union rolled out its Technological Sovereignty Package in a bid to make the bloc “a global leader” in artificial...
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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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