Asia

South Korea

95-year-old North Korean soldier campaigns to be returned home

Ahn Hak-sop volunteered to fight for the North Korean army in 1952 but was captured by South Korean soldiers in April 1953, months before the fighting stopped with the armistice.

21/08/2025

Money

Why China is expanding into digital currencies

China launched its own digital yuan, the e-CNY issued by its central bank, on a trial basis in 2019.

21/08/2025

Partner content

Why Turkmenistan is one of Central Asia’s best-kept secrets

Partner content presented by Turkmenaragatnashyk

Discover Turkmenistan’s enduring appeal – from cultural revival to enduring natural wonders – and why it is high on the list of Central Asia’s most fascinating destinations.

21/08/2025

West Bank

West Bank settlement project approved as IDF begins Gaza City assault

Israel gave final approval Wednesday for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two. Meanwhile, the IDF said it had begun the first stages of its planned assault to seize Gaza City.

21/08/2025

Taiwan

Taiwan court sentences man for illegal fuel transfers to North Korea

Illegal transfers at sea are one of the few ways North Korea, largely isolated from the international community, can obtain fuel because of strict United Nations sanctions against its nuclear weapons and missile programmes.

20/08/2025

Cult

Gabala Music Festival: Six days of opera and jazz in the Caucasus

In partnership with Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Every summer, the Gabala International Music Festival turns this Azerbaijani mountain resort into an open-air stage, hosting world-class jazz, opera and orchestras against the backdrop of the Caucasus.

20/08/2025

No Comment

Aid agencies criticise Gaza airdrops as unsafe and ineffective

International donors carried out new airdrops of humanitarian aid over the Gaza Strip, where residents continue to face acute food shortages under Israel’s blockade and ongoing military operations.

20/08/2025

Syria

US-led coalition in Syria captures senior IS group commander

The IS jihadist group broke away from al-Qaeda more than a decade ago and attracted supporters from around the world after it declared a so-called caliphate in 2014 in large parts of Syria and Iraq.

20/08/2025

Focus

UN summit in Turkmenistan sets 10-year plan for landlocked nations

In partnership with LLDC3 - Awaza, Turkmenistan

In Awaza, Turkmenistan, the United Nations set a 10-year roadmap to tackle the economic, trade and infrastructure challenges facing 32 landlocked developing countries across four continents.

20/08/2025

Qatar 365

Education in Qatar, from book fairs to scholarships | Qatar 365

In partnership with Media City

The annual Doha International Book Fair brings together bookworms, literary fans and cultural exchanges from all over the world. We explore how Qatar’s libraries and national reading campaigns incorporate technology and art into their strategies, and meet a few international publishers.

20/08/2025

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan breaks ground on first modern nuclear power plant

Kazakhstan has begun the first modern nuclear power plant project in Ulken, Almaty region, with Russia's Rosatom. This will boost economic growth and infrastructure.

20/08/2025

Israel

Israel to mobilise 60,000 reservists ahead of Gaza City operation

Israel is preparing a major military operation in Gaza City, calling up tens of thousands of reservists. Human rights groups warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis.

20/08/2025

Markets

Pop Mart shares rise 12% as Labubu maker announces new mini doll

The firm announced the launch of a new Labubu doll as the furry elf toys continue to take the world by storm.

20/08/2025

North Korea

Chinese national in US jailed for sending weapons to North Korea

Shenghua Wen, 42, received around $2 million (€1.7 million) from North Korean officials to ship firearms and ammunition from California.

20/08/2025

Afghanistan

Bus crash in Afghanistan kills dozens of migrants returning from Iran

A collision between a bus and two other vehicles killed at least 79 people, including 19 children, in northwestern Afghanistan, local media reported.

20/08/2025

Syria

Syria and Israel hold first direct talks in US-brokered meeting

In US-brokered talks, Syria and Israel discussed restoring a 1974 ceasefire to de-escalate tensions following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

20/08/2025

Gaza

Israel yet to respond to ceasefire proposal as strikes on Gaza persist

Qatar has stressed the urgency of brokering a ceasefire in Gaza after Hamas showed a “positive response” to a proposal from Arab countries, but Israel has yet to weigh in as its military prepares an offensive in some of the territory's most densely populated areas.

20/08/2025

Lebanon

Iraq says tip-off to Lebanon led to destruction of captagon factory

Western governments estimate that captagon has generated billions of euros in revenue for former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his associates and allies.

19/08/2025

No Comment

Rescue teams search debris after deadly floods in Pakistan

Flood rescue teams with sniffer dogs searched debris in Pakistan’s northwest Buner district on Tuesday, after torrential rains and a cloudburst left more than 300 dead.

19/08/2025

Pakistan

Search under way for 150 people missing after flooding in Pakistan

A changing climate has made residents of northern Pakistan's river-carved mountainous areas more vulnerable to sudden, heavy rains.

19/08/2025

Business Line

Uzbekistan’s New Urban Development

In partnership with Center for the Production of Content for Mass Media under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan breaks ground on “New Tashkent,” a visionary urban project designed to house 2 million people and become a regional hub for innovation, sustainability, and smart infrastructure.

19/08/2025

Gaza

Ship with hundreds of tonnes of aid for Gaza nears Israeli port

Cyprus was the staging area last year for 22,000 tonnes of aid deliveries by ship directly to Gaza through a pier operated by the international charity World Central Kitchen and a US military-run docking facility known as the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore System.

19/08/2025

Business

Israel to finalise 'largest' gas supply deal in its history to Egypt

After two years of delays, the Israeli government is expected to finalise the deal with Egypt in the next two weeks, involving exports from Leviathan, Israel's largest gas field.

19/08/2025

North Korea

South Korea-US drills trigger Kim Jong-un to vow nuclear force boost

Pyongyang has long denounced the allies’ joint drills as invasion rehearsals and Kim has often used them to justify his own military displays and testing activities aimed at expanding his nuclear weapons programme.

19/08/2025

Healthcare

How Uzbekistan is reforming support for vulnerable citizens

Reforms are ongoing, but new tools are helping Uzbekistan reach people in need of health and social support faster and with fewer barriers.

19/08/2025

No Comment

WATCH: Robots sprint and play football at first world games in Beijing

The first World Humanoid Robot Games ended in Beijing on Sunday after four days of competition that brought together 280 teams from 16 countries.

18/08/2025