Asia Central
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Child malnutrition in Nepal has reached ‘alarming’ levels since aid cuts, survey finds.
Survey reports rising levels of child malnutrition across Nepal. The largest survey ever conducted among children under five in Nepal found that child malnutrition has reached “alarming” levels following reductions…
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Stealing from the gods: India’s Ram Temple hit by corruption scandal
The iconic Ram Temple in Ayodhya, northern India, has been plunged into a massive embezzlement scandal. That threatens to upend local politics and damage the ruling party’s majoritarian platform. Devoted…
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US assures India over AI ‘kill switch’ as ‘Pax Silica’ expands in bid to counter China
Washington is aggressively pushing to solidify its technological dominance through the Pax Silica initiative. According to the South China Morning Post, this US-led coalition aims to secure critical semiconductor and…
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US Anthropic Ban is Best Advert for Chinese AI
Bankers working for JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong were recently shut off from using artificial intelligence models from Anthropic. Consequently, both banks pulled the plug based on…
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‘Period tax’ on sanitary products to be abolished, says Pakistan minister.
Pakistan announces the elimination of taxes on menstrual products. Pakistan’s finance minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, announced plans to eliminate the sales tax applied to sanitary towels and related menstrual health products.…
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How India’s heatwaves are shutting schools – and pushing women out of the workforce.
School closures are disrupting education and increasing caregiving responsibilities. Rising temperatures across India have led to prolonged school closures in Delhi and around half of the country’s states. In many…
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China adds 10 US firms, including rare-earth miner, to export control list
China’s Ministry of Commerce has added 10 United States-based companies to its export control list. And barred government procurement from nearly 50 US entities.
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Apple Faces Antitrust Challenge in China Over App Store Fee Structures
A New Legal Dispute in the Digital Market A prominent group of Chinese mobile application developers has initiated a new antitrust challenge against Apple. According to a detailed report by…
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China Showcases Portable Laser Weapons for Infantry-Led Drone Interception
Advancements in Tactical Directed-Energy Systems China has publicly demonstrated new advancements in tactical military hardware, showcasing portable directed-energy weapons designed for individual infantry use. According to reports from the South…
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China’s Universities Cut 12,000 ‘Obsolete’ Degrees Amid Race to Embrace AI Era
China’s universities are undertaking a massive reshuffling of their academic offerings to better align higher education with the nation’s development goals. Consequently, institutions are culling thousands of so-called obsolete degrees…
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PLA scientists propose a plan to destroy US carrier groups from 3,000km away
The United States quietly pulls its most precious military assets away from the coasts of Asia. Consequently, they are falling back to places like Guam in Micronesia, a US island territory…
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AI is massively increasing China’s new weapon development speed: scientists
While much of military AI globally focuses on autonomous weapons and large language models, Beijing is pursuing a quieter transformation. A new study suggests China is embedding artificial intelligence in the…
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The US-Iran Deal to End War and Reopen the Strait of Hormuz
A Historic Ceasefire Agreement President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have signed an initial memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the 110-day war between the United States and…
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‘Looked so real’: How AI is being weaponised against India’s Muslim women
An escalating trend of online harassment in India reveals that generative artificial intelligence is being used to target Muslim women. This with highly realistic, sexualized imagery and propaganda. AI-generated imagery…
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China showcases anti-drone air defences at Paris show as conflict fuels demand
China’s largest ground-based arms manufacturer is displaying new air defense systems. Consequently, Norinco is exhibiting these products at the Eurosatory exhibition in France. Demand for these specific defense solutions is…
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Iran’s World Cup Campaign Is Overshadowed by War With the United States
Iran’s World Cup Under Pressure Iran’s World Cup campaign has become deeply affected by the war with the United States, one of the host countries of the tournament. TIME reports…
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China Sees First Retail Sales Drop in Over 3 Years, Prompting Talk of Stimulus
China reported sluggish retail sales figures in May. Consequently, this highlighted persistent weakness in domestic demand. Therefore, analysts predict the deployment of additional stimulus measures to address the widening imbalance.…
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Uzbekistan’s Preschool Boom: Better Futures for Children and Mothers.
Preschool enrollment has nearly tripled in less than a decade. Uzbekistan has achieved one of the fastest expansions of early childhood education in the world. In 2017, only 27% of…
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Mountain of war: The India-Pakistan conflict’s deadliest battle
The Siachen Glacier, a 70-kilometer stretch of ice in the Karakoram mountain range, remains the world’s highest and most unforgiving battlefield. Despite a comprehensive truce reached between India and Pakistan…
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Japan’s declining economic dominance in Asia: A shift in regional power
One of the most significant transformations in the global economy over the past three decades has been the decline of Japan’s economic dominance in Asia and the rise of China…
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Questions About Trump’s Iran Deal Set to Dominate G7 Summit
Iran Deal Reaches the G7 Agenda President Donald Trump’s proposed deal with Iran is expected to become one of the main topics at the G7 summit. According to The Wall…
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How Japan lost its economic dominance in Asia
The late 20th century was defined by an unprecedented Japanese financial boom that eventually collapsed. According to historical economic records, the stagnation that followed the asset bubble burst fundamentally altered the…
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Do Not Let US-China Ties Spiral Out of Control, Ex-Treasury Chief Paulson Warns
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has strongly urged Washington and Beijing to carefully manage their escalating strategic competition to prevent it from spiraling into a broader military or economic…
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Restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment in Afghanistan could lead to a loss of over 25,000 female teachers and health workers by 2030
Afghanistan could lose more than 25,000 female professionals by 2030 Ongoing restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment could result in the loss of approximately 20,000 female teachers and 5,400…
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Preparing the Asia-Pacific for the Next Energy Challenge
The Asia-Pacific region is entering a highly complex phase in its energy future, driven by rapidly rising electricity demand, the aggressive deployment of artificial intelligence, and increasingly frequent climate-related disruptions.…
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Joint Statement on the U.S.-Japan Extended Deterrence Dialogue
Japan recently hosted the United States for an Extended Deterrence Dialogue (EDD) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo from June 8 to June 9, 2026. The high-level strategic talks…
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U.S. Weighs Using Iranian Assets to Compensate Gulf Allies for War Damage
Frozen Iranian Assets and Gulf Reconstruction The United States is considering whether frozen Iranian assets could be used to compensate Gulf allies affected by war-related damage. According to the Financial…
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Vietnam extends anti-dumping duties on Thai sugar until 2031
In June 2026, the government of Vietnam announced the extension of anti-dumping and countervailing duties on certain sugar imports from Thailand until 2031. According to Vietnamese authorities, these measures are…
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Southeast Asia Turns Toward Nuclear Energy Amid Growing Energy Security Concerns
As southeast Asian economies continue to expand, governments across the region are seeking reliable and sustainable energy sources capable of supporting long-term economic growth. Considering nuclear energy as part of…
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China Expands Foreign Participation in the Telecommunications Sector
Economic liberalization and market opening in the digital era China continues to advance the opening of its telecommunications sector by allowing greater participation from foreign-invested enterprises in value-added telecommunications services.…