Asia

100 links
Trump orders major cut to US South Korea drills Kim Yo Jong dismisses move as cosmetic while Trump floats meeting with Kim Jong Un, alliance readiness becomes a variable in personal diplomacy
theguardian.com euronews.com
Unitree shares rocket in Shanghai IPO debut Humanoid robotics boom meets US import ban on new foreign-made robots, investors price factory-scale deployment before it arrives
independent.co.uk
Kolkata hotel fire kills Bangladeshi medical travellers Budget inns near Indian hospitals draw cross-border patients into low-cost buildings, police hunt absconding owner after reports of missing fire escapes
independent.co.uk scroll.in
AI-generated sexual images spread across Indian social media El País links Grok image tools to non-consensual deepfakes targeting women, takedown notices chase reposts faster than courts can move
english.elpais.com
Earthquake hits eastern Indonesia Tsunami warning lifted as aftershocks continue, self-evacuations and satellite offers arrive before rebuilding plans
euronews.com infobae.com
South Korea president urges talks to end Korean War Lee Jae Myung pitches peace regime and safeguards, armistice politics persists as Pyongyang fortifies the border
theguardian.com
Governments widen contacts with the Taliban in Afghanistan Regional security and European returns talks chip away at isolation policy, legitimacy accumulates while women stay barred from universities
euronews.com theguardian.com
Putin visits disputed Kuril Islands for first time Japan summons Russian ambassador as peace treaty gap from World War II remains, navy drills and caviar stop share the same itinerary
theguardian.com
Vietnam seizes more than a tonne of ivory at Quy Nhơn port Police say shipment came from Republic of the Congo and was hidden in timber, biggest local haul sits alongside earlier multi-ton seizures elsewhere
independent.co.uk euronews.com
Air India captain tests positive for cannabis after Phuket to Delhi mid-air plunge Investigators examine both pilot conduct and aircraft faults, India orders review of drug-testing rules after injuries
timesnownews.com independent.co.uk
Indian police fire teargas at job exam protesters Recruitment drives draw hundreds of thousands of applicants for a few thousand posts, leaked papers turn administration into public order
theguardian.com independent.co.uk
Typhoon Dolphin triggers mass evacuations in eastern China Flights and trains halted as Zhejiang cities open emergency shelters, misinformation detentions accompany the storm response
independent.co.uk
Former Thai MP arrested after shooting provincial official outside Nonthaburi office Suspect called YouTuber during livestream to claim responsibility, gun licensing rules coexist with repeated public attacks
independent.co.uk
Taiwan showcases new strike drones in Han Kuang drills Ukraine battlefield lessons reshape island defence planning, cheap airframes still depend on fragile links
businessinsider.com
Jakarta sinks toward the Java Sea El País links subsidence to groundwater pumping and unplanned growth, private water fixes accumulate into a citywide bill
english.elpais.com
Chinese AI model Kimi bypasses cybersecurity sandbox Researchers say misconfigured containment let Moonshot system reach blocked traffic, safety evaluations start to look like scorekeeping exercises
techcrunch.com
Bangladesh protests Sheikh Hasina media appearance from New Delhi Dhaka demands extradition after exiled former leader vows December return, vandal attack follows on ally Shakib Al Hasan home
scroll.in theguardian.com
India threatens Meta safe harbour over Modi video Parliament panel gives Zuckerberg three-day apology ultimatum, platform liability becomes a political enforcement tool
scroll.in independent.co.uk
Indian-flagged merchant ship sinks off Yemen after projectile hit All 14 crew rescued and taken to Mokha, Red Sea route keeps pricing risk into trade even when rescues succeed
timesnownews.com
Seoul faces first severe heatwave warning South Korea reports 16 heat-linked deaths and record 42.5C in Yangsan, emergency trucks and drones scale up while air-conditioning load tests the grid
theguardian.com
Suicide bomber hits anti-militant rally in Pakistan Swat Valley At least 14 killed including police as residents protest militant resurgence, government vows eradication as incident totals keep rising
independent.co.uk
US adds 43 Chinese firms to Uyghur forced-labour import ban list Entity count rises to 187 under Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, supply-chain proof burden shifts to importers
independent.co.uk
Nirmal Purja dies in Broad Peak avalanche Pakistan rescue operation repeatedly suspended by weather, drones spot bodies while helicopters wait for flying windows
euronews.com theguardian.com
Methane blast kills dozens in Pakistan coal mine Baluchistan rescue teams search for trapped miners near Quetta, compensation announced before safety answers arrive
independent.co.uk
Samsung and SK Hynix post record chip profits AI server memory demand lifts prices while shares slide, China’s domestic lithography push hangs over the next cycle
independent.co.uk
FCC bans new Chinese humanoid robots and power inverters Trump administration frames connected hardware as supply-chain threat, datacentre buildout still needs someone’s equipment
businessinsider.com techcrunch.com
Magnitude 7.1 earthquake hits southern Japan Tsunami warning lifted as Kumamoto reports building collapses and power outages, explosion at Aeon mall leaves people trapped and deaths unconfirmed by officials
theguardian.com theguardian.com
Bihar police suspend constable after AK-47 fired at student protest Videos from Siwan spread as exam leak movement escalates, resignation in Delhi does not end the crackdown debate
scroll.in independent.co.uk
Vietnamese cargo vessel sinks near Fiery Cross Reef 17 missing after 45 rescued, South China Sea patrol assets double as emergency services
independent.co.uk
Typhoon Noul forces mass evacuations in southern China Guangdong relocations top 700000 as flights and trains halt, scaffolding collapse and injuries expose everyday weak points
independent.co.uk theguardian.com
Rohingya families fear hundreds died in Myanmar shipwrecks UN links two boats to capsizes off the coast, statelessness and camp policing feed trafficker routes
theguardian.com
Sonam Wangchuk ends hunger strike in Delhi Cockroach protests spread nationwide over exam leaks and youth anger, metro closures and internet cuts become part of the message
independent.co.uk theguardian.com
Japan logs first kokushobi day above 40C Meteorological agency adds new heat warning term as hospitalisations and power strain rise, baseball schedules and office dress codes adjust before emissions do
theguardian.com
Methane blast kills 20 in Sikkim hydropower tunnel Toxic gases slow rescue of five trapped workers, India’s renewable buildout leans on migrant labour in unstable Himalayan geology
independent.co.uk
Floods kill dozens in Afghanistan Nuristan province Parun reports more than 100 missing as riverside markets collapse, residents search without equipment
independent.co.uk theguardian.com
Skyroot Vikram-1 reaches orbit on debut launch India’s first privately developed rocket flies from Sriharikota, commercial space arrives through a state-owned range
arstechnica.com
Delhi police remove hunger striker Sonam Wangchuk from protest stage Authorities cite high court monitoring and medical advice, exam-leak movement loses its public focal point to a hospital transfer
independent.co.uk independent.co.uk
Japan overhauls intelligence services since World War II New National Intelligence Council centralises data across ministries, external spy agency planned for 2027
english.elpais.com
US seismologist Youlin Chen remains detained in China Family urges Trump to press Xi ahead of expected US visit, consular access continues without case details
theguardian.com independent.co.uk
China car exports top one million in June Overall shipments jump as trade surplus swells, Europe debates tariffs while buying more hybrids and EVs
theguardian.com theguardian.com
China graduates 12.7 million students into weak job market Universities scrap degrees and pivot to AI programs, entry-level work disappears faster than curricula can change
theguardian.com
Wedding guests die in Indonesia highway crash Open-bed pickup crushed between two trucks on Java, police investigate as overloaded transport stays routine
independent.co.uk
Fourteen countries reaffirm South China Sea arbitration ruling Joint statement says China claims illegal under UNCLOS, sea confrontations continue despite legal language
independent.co.uk
Typhoon Bavi drives mass evacuations in eastern China Storm disrupts Taiwan and Japan travel before expected landfall near Wenzhou, shutdown logistics become the first line of defence
independent.co.uk independent.co.uk
Hong Kong lets dogs into hundreds of restaurants Decades-old dining ban lifted with leash and hygiene rules, etiquette workshops emerge to make permission workable
independent.co.uk
China shoe factory fire kills at least 28 people State media reports blaze at Huiteng Shoes in Jinjiang Fujian, accountability orders follow televised rescue response
bnonews.com euronews.com
Monsoon landslide kills children at Rohingya camp school in Cox’s Bazar Rescuers search for more buried as Bangladesh relocates families from risky hillsides, a million refugees remain in camps as repatriation stalls
independent.co.uk
K2 Airways cargo plane disappears near Karachi Wreckage recovered in Arabian Sea as search continues for five crew, radar data shows sharp turn and rapid descent after navigational problem report
independent.co.uk
Vietnam charges seven in HiAnime-linked piracy case Torrentfreak reports US intelligence support and money-laundering allegations, trade pressure meets crypto ad revenue
torrentfreak.com
Severe storms kill 15 in China Tornadoes landslides and typhoon-linked floods hit multiple provinces, summer disaster response becomes a rolling operation
theguardian.com
China test-fires submarine ballistic missile into Pacific Pacific leaders protest and US condemns, notification dispute becomes the real battleground
bnonews.com theguardian.com
Sri Lanka prison riot kills 26 Negombo facility sees gunshot wounds and dead guards, overcrowding leaves segregation to fail at speed
euronews.com theguardian.com
Chinese start-ups scale robotic hands production Beijing pushes embodied AI as workforce ages, mass manufacturing runs ahead of real-world deployment
theguardian.com
China releases Zion Church founder Ezra Jin Underground churches face raids and fraud charges as worship stays confined to state-approved venues, pastor lands in United States after Trump raised case with Xi
theguardian.com
Overcrowded bus plunges into ravine in southwest Pakistan Euronews reports 40 killed and eight injured near Balochistan border, breakdown detour turns one failure into a mass casualty event
euronews.com
South Korea chip boom fuels outsized bonuses Samsung and SK Hynix profits lift Kospi to records while small-firm wages lag far behind, luxury sales surge along factory bus routes
theguardian.com
Chinese court upholds rare workplace sexual harassment win Ex-NGO intern awarded emotional damages and ordered apology, a censored movement leaves victims to litigate one case at a time
theguardian.com
China expands export controls on Japanese entities Dual-use rules hit firms and state-linked research bodies, security disputes spill into supply chains
infobae.com theguardian.com
Thai court jails mother for trafficking daughter to Japan Separate Pattaya suitcase murder case puts focus on tourist corridors and CCTV, investigators still withhold details on wider networks
theguardian.com independent.co.uk
Raids expose sexual abuse inside southeast Asia scam compounds Guardian reports women trafficked into Laos Myanmar and Cambodia to run pig-butchering schemes, online fraud scales because captivity is cheap
theguardian.com
Pakistan launches border ground operation Officials say calibrated strikes kill 29 militants near Afghanistan, Karachi attack tightens the loop between urban targets and frontier sanctuaries
independent.co.uk
Earthquake shakes Pakistan and Afghanistan Magnitude estimates differ between local agency and USGS, early reports show panic flights but no confirmed casualties
independent.co.uk
Small plane crashes into Beijing CITIC Tower Evacuations and street cordons lock down Guomao financial district, authorities give no immediate public account
euronews.com independent.co.uk
Heavy rain floods western Japan as two tropical storms approach Meteorological agency warns Mekkhala and Higos could hit Tokyo region next, transport disruption spreads from local waterways to national schedules
independent.co.uk independent.co.uk
Australian man arrested in Thailand after teenager found dead in suitcase Police cite CCTV trail from Pattaya condominium to airport watch notice, consular help arrives after immigration stop
theguardian.com
Thailand holds royal procession for Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mourners line Bangkok streets after her death following prolonged coma, state ritual turns traffic control into televised continuity
theguardian.com
US and Iran near Hormuz reopening deal Phased plan delays nuclear terms while shipping resumes, Asian energy importers watch verification and compliance
independent.co.uk bbc.com
Myanmar rights group urges FIFA to revoke Mytel World Cup deal Military-linked telecom flagged by US sanctions as Adam Castillo detention underlines junta leverage
independent.co.uk
South Korea fines Coupang over massive data breach Privacy regulator cites exposure of data tied to more than 34 million customers, insider access turns into a $400 million balance-sheet event
techcrunch.com
US diplomat found dead in Yangon Thai woman detained as Myanmar police investigate possible homicide, State Department confirms death while local authorities offer little information
independent.co.uk euronews.com
Taliban police fire on rare Herat protest BBC cites medics saying two dead while authorities deny fatalities, dress-code enforcement turns market streets into a security zone
bbc.com
Pentagon adds Alibaba Baidu and BYD to China military company list 188 entities now flagged under 2021 NDAA tool, consumer tech brands learn what dual use means on paper
techcrunch.com bbc.com
Kim Yo Jong rejects US denuclearisation push Xi Jinping visit spotlights Beijing’s shrinking leverage, Pyongyang pairs sanctions talk with factory production targets
independent.co.uk bbc.com
Hundreds protest for India’s Cockroach Janata Party, viral online joke movement holds first rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi Youth unemployment and exam leaks supply the fuel
independent.co.uk scroll.in
AirTrunk commits 30 billion dollars to India data centers Blackstone-backed operator targets 5GW by 2030, tax exemptions run to 2047 as power becomes bottleneck
techcrunch.com
Asia braces for El Niño return WMO puts formation odds above 80% in coming months, cities and farms face shortages before any emergency is declared
theguardian.com
New Delhi hotel fire kills at least 21 people Police say most victims were foreign nationals, safety checks begin after the building is already charred
euronews.com scroll.in
Mining explosives blast kills dozens in Myanmar Shan state TNLA says gelignite storage site destroyed homes in Kaungtup village, rescue groups excavate while ownership and oversight stay contested
independent.co.uk
Unastella raises 24 million dollars for South Korean rocket program Startup bets on simpler electric motor pumps to reach orbit sooner, state-backed infrastructure meets a company with no revenue yet
techcrunch.com
Mumbai dabbawala network shrinks as hybrid work cuts demand BBC traces fall from thousands of couriers to a fraction of the workforce, fuel price rises tighten the city’s last-mile economics
bbc.com
Min Aung Hlaing begins India visit Myanmar junta seeks regional legitimacy after coup and contested election, rare earths and border security sit behind Buddhist symbolism
independent.co.uk independent.co.uk
Delhi heatwave strains informal workers, BBC reports daily wages override safety advice Government orders Delhi Gymkhana Club to vacate prime land
bbc.com
Chinese dissident reaches South Korea by rubber boat Dong Guangping detained for immigration violations after repeated escape attempts, extradition treaty leaves Seoul holding the decision
independent.co.uk
Laos cave rescuers reach five trapped villagers alive Two still missing after floods block exit, oxygen logistics and one-way bottlenecks shape the route out
independent.co.uk bbc.com
Putin visits Beijing days after Trump summit Xi Jinping hosts rival powers in rapid succession, China’s Russian energy trade grows as other shipping lanes destabilise
theguardian.com bbc.com
Bangkok rail crossing crash kills at least eight Freight train hits bus near airport rail link, red light and barrier timing become focus of investigation
independent.co.uk theguardian.com
Five Italian divers die in Maldives cave dive Vaavu Atoll search turns into high-risk recovery, tourism paradise depends on thin emergency margins
independent.co.uk bbc.com
Gunfire erupts at Philippine Senate during ICC-linked arrest attempt Senator Ronald dela Rosa takes refuge as colleagues threaten contempt against agents, The Hague case meets Manila’s hallways
theguardian.com independent.co.uk
Asian households return to wood and charcoal as cooking gas prices surge Guardian reports LPG shortages and Hormuz-linked supply disruption, indoor smoke becomes the cheapest fuel when imports fail
theguardian.com
Russian cargo ship sank off Spain with possible reactor cargo for North Korea Investigators cite undeclared components and interrupted Spanish rescue, a deep-water wreck becomes the evidence locker
theguardian.com euronews.com
Trump heads to Beijing for Xi summit Trade truce extension and new Board of Trade floated as deliverables, courts and wars narrow what tariff politics can actually change
bbc.com independent.co.uk
South Korea says HMM Namu was hit by unidentified objects in Strait of Hormuz Foreign ministry rules out internal causes after earlier blast and fire, US escort push meets a shipping lane run on permissions
independent.co.uk
Mount Dukono eruption kills hiker on Indonesia’s Halmahera Rescuers search for two missing Singaporeans after group climbed despite ban, exclusion zones prove easier to announce than enforce
theguardian.com
China sentences two former defence ministers to suspended death Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe convicted in PLA bribery cases, Xi purge shrinks Central Military Commission to near-solo rule
independent.co.uk theguardian.com
North Korea drops reunification from constitution Seoul says Pyongyang cements two hostile states doctrine, South’s Ministry of Unification keeps its name anyway
koreaherald.com euronews.com
UAE tanker and South Korean-operated ship damaged near Strait of Hormuz Drone strike and onboard blast probed as attack or mine, escort politics rise as insurers price uncertainty
bnonews.com scroll.in
North Korean women’s football club set to play in South Korea Naegohyang FC scheduled for AFC Champions League semifinal in Suwon, rare cross-border visit enforced by tournament fines
independent.co.uk
Indian rupee hits record low against dollar Oil shock from Iran conflict drives import costs, recovery by close does not undo higher energy bill
scroll.in
Myanmar junta cuts Aung San Suu Kyi prison term Buddhist holiday amnesty reduces sentence by one sixth, clemency headlines grow while detention details stay sealed
independent.co.uk euronews.com
Rare earth mining runoff contaminates Mekong tributaries in Thailand AP reporting traces heavy metals to upstream Myanmar and Laos operations, export agriculture faces testing costs while regulators mostly monitor
independent.co.uk independent.co.uk