ASIA

BANGLADESH'S OUSTED LEADER SHEIKH HASINA SENTENCED TO DEATH AS COURT BLAMES HER FOR DEADLY 2024 CRACKDOWN

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Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was sentenced to death in absentia on Monday after a months-long trial concluded she had ordered lethal force against student-led protests that toppled her government in 2024. The verdict, delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka, immediately triggered cheers inside the packed courtroom where relatives of victims had gathered, many of whom have long demanded the harshest possible punishment.

CHINA BANS FOREIGN AI CHIPS FROM STATE-FUNDED DATA CENTRES

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China has ordered data centres that receive state funding to use only domestically produced artificial intelligence chips, according to two people familiar with the directive, a move that marks one of Beijing's strongest pushes yet to remove foreign technology from critical infrastructure.

TOKYO'S MUSCLE GIRLS BAR REDEFINES BEAUTY AND FEMININITY

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In the bustling nightlife of Tokyo, one unconventional bar is challenging Japan's rigid beauty standards. At Muscle Girls, women with sculpted physiques in sports bras and shorts perform for cheering crowds, proudly displaying their strength and confidence. The bar, which opened in 2020, attracts around 100 customers daily, many of them curious tourists eager to witness a show that blends athleticism with entertainment. The women crush grapefruits with their bare hands, do pull-ups, and perform pole dances, all while radiating empowerment.

CHINA AND INDIA RESUME DIRECT FLIGHTS AFTER 5 YEARS

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India and China resumed direct flights on Sunday, ending a five-year suspension in a move considered both economically important and symbolic for the cautious rebuilding of relations between the two nations.

THAILAND SUSPENDS ‘PEACE DEAL’ WITH CAMBODIA

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Renewed tensions have flared between Thailand and Cambodia, prompting Thailand to suspend the "peace deal" signed only two weeks prior under the supervision of Donald Trump. The Thai government initiated the suspension after soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion near the Cambodian border. The agreement was meant to ensure lasting peace following border clashes in July that claimed over 40 lives, but Cambodia maintains its commitment to upholding the deal.

DELHI ENGULFED IN ANNUAL POST-DIWALI POLLUTION CRISIS

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Once again, the Indian capital of Delhi finds itself blanketed in a suffocating haze as the air quality plunges into dangerous levels. Following the Diwali celebrations, where fireworks lit up the night sky, the city has been choking under thick smog that irritates eyes, burns throats, and pushes air quality monitors to their limits. Headlines have grimly declared this year's post-Diwali pollution as the worst in four years.

3 ASTRONAUTS DELAY RETURN TO EARTH OVER FEARS OF DAMAGED SPACESHIP

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A set of Chinese astronauts will have to wait a bit longer for their return from space. According to CNN, the mission to return Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie to Earth from China's Tiangong space station has been delayed indefinitely owing to potential debris damage to their Shenzhou-20 spaceship.

CHINA URGES U.S. AND AUSTRALIA TO 'TAKE RESPONSIBILITY' IN SECURING GLOBAL RARE EARTH SUPPLY CHAINS

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China has called on resource-rich nations, including the United States and Australia, to play what it described as a "proactive role" in ensuring the stability of global critical mineral supply chains.