Latest news from Asia. China, Japan, India, geopolitics, economy, stance on Ukraine
While smartphone and computer manufacturers are warning about price increases due to memory shortages, Sony says it has enough supplies for two years. This is not luck, but the result of a calculated bet on GTA VI.
Gambling is officially banned in Iran, but a network of 2,000 illegal casino websites has become one of the channels through which the regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launder money abroad to circumvent sanctions.
# Translation In China, authorities were warned of the danger in advance, people were evacuated, but the landslide nonetheless became the deadliest in 10 years. The problem turned out not to be the response to the warning, but rather the scale of the disaster that could not be contained by evacuating the perimeter.
Galaxy Buds Canal 5 will receive ear hooks for securing around the ear — Samsung is essentially acknowledging that the classic earbuds-shaped design doesn't hold up during running and workouts.
Samsung has confirmed the launch of the Galaxy Tab S12 by year's end, but what's more interesting is not the device itself, but the company's logic — tablets are becoming a way to keep buyers locked into the ecosystem as the smartphone market has become saturated.
Samsung's record profit of $60.9 billion is not just a figure in a report, but a signal: the memory chip shortage that feeds AI data centers will soon hit prices on ordinary consumer electronics.
The World Bank has officially confirmed that China will stop receiving loans through IBRD by 2031. The document set a ceiling of no more than $2 billion for the entire remaining period, but did not establish a verification mechanism for compliance.
Japan's Parliament has enshrined the concept of a backup capital in case of disaster in Tokyo—but the specific city is not mentioned in the law. Osaka has the best chances, as it negotiated this law as the price for its coalition support.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhy called the meeting in Baku between former German officials and Putin's associates nearly worthless: Ukraine did not authorize anyone among the participants, and the format itself turned out to be the fifth one since 2022 without any public results.
# Beijing Introduces New Restrictions on AI Companions for Minors. Regulators Say It's About Protecting Against Addiction. But the Reality Is More Complex.
Washoku is not just a collection of recipes, but a system of food perception that has convinced the world to recognize a taste that for millennia was considered incomprehensible. In 2013, UNESCO included Japanese culinary tradition in the list of intangible cultural heritage — but the real revolution took place in the laboratory, not in the kitchen.
Nintendo disclosed the salaries of its top executives — and they turned out to be lower not only by American standards but also by Japanese ones. This is not modesty for modesty's sake: these figures reflect a concrete corporate philosophy with real consequences.
# Mijia Smart Tea Bar Pro Vertical — more than just a "smart kettle." Inside are two separate hydraulic circuits, UVC sterilization, and voice control via Xiao AI. One question remains: does such a device make sense outside of China.
Moscow cannot sell gas at domestic Russian prices — that would mean losses. But without this condition, Beijing will not sign a contract, and there are simply no alternative buyers for Yamal gas.
Iranian cruise missiles struck two UAE oil tankers in the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz, which the US has officially declared as protected. One crew member was killed, and two Ukrainian citizens were injured.
Samsung and SK Hynix earned more than South Korea's entire GDP. Now the government is deciding whether to spend this windfall profit or turn it into a future fund.
Iranian cruise missiles struck the tankers "Mombasa" and "Al-Bahia" in Omani waters. One Indian national was killed, eight people were wounded — including two Ukrainians. The Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident and is providing consular assistance.
Nintendo is considering an OLED version of the Switch 2 with 1080p resolution — and this isn't just an upgrade for upgrade's sake: the current LCD screen is already being criticized for blurriness and ghosting effects.
# Honor Watch 6 Plus Motorcycle Edition — a marketing collaboration with racer Zhang Xue that gives the owner vibration alerts for speeding and engine sounds, but doesn't change any hardware details. The question isn't whether a motorcyclist needs a smartwatch, but whether this premium is worth the money.
Moscow has requested 50,000 tons of gasoline from Astana after Ukrainian drones disabled oil refineries and fuel production in central Russia dropped by 25%. Kazakhstan formally denies the request — but supplies are already being planned.
A cyberattack on Tata Electronics has exposed part of the production chain for future smartphones. This is not merely a corporate leak—it is a map of how one of the world's most closely guarded products is assembled.
Israel's government unanimously recognized the Armenian genocide, breaking its own diplomatic taboo: for decades, Jerusalem blocked this decision to avoid damaging relations with Ankara and Baku, which provided Israel with a strategic corridor and arms trade partnership.
"Slavyansk-EKO" accounts for 9% of oil refining in the Southern Federal District and is the main fuel hub for occupied Crimea. The strike in the night of June 28 is the fourth in two years.
A week after the memorandum was signed — and the IRGC has already struck a vessel in the strait, the US responded with airstrikes, and now Iran is attacking American facilities in Bahrain. There is an agreement, but there is no enforcement mechanism.
After four months of war, mining and double corridors, Oman made it clear to its allies: the pre-war rules of the game are over — and vessels may have to pay for passage.
Uzbek cuisine is not a single recipe or one tradition. It is several regional schools, each of which considers its pilaf to be the one true version — and has compelling arguments to support this claim.
DJI has confirmed a dual camera with record 17 stops of dynamic range — and simultaneously releases a flagship device for the second consecutive time that is officially unavailable in the world's largest market due to an FCC ban.
# QatarEnergy Promises Supply Restoration After Hormuz Opening — But Silent on Missile Strike Disabling Fifth of Ras Laffan for Years QatarEnergy promised to restore supplies following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but remained silent on the fact that a missile strike disabled a fifth of the Ras Laffan facility for years. The difference between "restoration" and "full restoration" comes at a cost of $20 billion annually.
# US-Iran Deal on Strait of Hormuz Pushed BTC Above $65,600, but Growth Mechanism Is More Complex Than "Crypto Saved by Geopolitics"
# Memorandum Between US and Iran Envisages Opening Strait of Hormuz Within 30 Days — But Insurance Premiums Are 30 Times Higher Than Prewar Levels, Buyers Have Already Restructured Supply Chains, and the Strait's Bottom Requires Mine Clearance. Market Reacts to Paper Rather Than Physical Reality.
The company is switching to a 24-month cycle instead of 48 months — and is learning from competitors it recently dismissed as insignificant.
Starting July 1, 2026, Huawei is revising prices across all gadget categories — due to rising costs of memory and storage. But behind this price hike lies a structural shift: chip manufacturers are massively redirecting capacity to AI memory, crippling supply for ordinary electronics.
Kuybyshev Oil Refinery halted processing after a drone attack on June 10. This is already the third facility out of three refineries in Rosneft's Samara group that has been struck in 2025.
OnePlus has released two smartphones in China with batteries that were previously a privilege of power banks — and packed them into devices priced around $235. The question is not about capacity, but whether this battery will last the claimed six years.
The state energy holding's debt will reach $18 billion by the end of 2027, and servicing it at a 20% key rate is becoming increasingly difficult. The company remains afloat only due to subsidies — the question is whether the Kremlin will continue to pay.
The downing of an American AH-64 Apache over the Strait of Hormuz on June 9 — whether by an Iranian drone or as a result of a collision — triggered a chain of mutual strikes that destroyed the ceasefire agreement concluded just four days earlier.
The N series could become OnePlus's first smartphones under $200: the brand, which built its reputation on flagships "without unnecessary markup," is now set to compete with Redmi and Realme on their turf.
Iraq has lost 90% of its oil exports following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The only alternative — a pipeline through Kurdistan to the Turkish port of Ceyhan — has proven vulnerable to Ankara's diplomatic veto.
Georgian cuisine is spreading around the world not through marketing, but through its structure: each dish carries the logic of the region, season, and social ritual. This makes it more resilient than most gastronomic trends.
Armenia's Central Election Commission has completed the vote count following parliamentary elections. The "Civil Contract" party received approximately 50% of the vote — enough to form a government without a coalition.
The vice president of the Armenian Business Council of Russia detained in Yerevan is not acting alone. According to Reuters, behind the scheme is a Kremlin plan worth up to $50 million and quotas across Russian regions.
Armenia's Investigative Committee has detained six parliamentary candidates from the pro-Russian "Strong Armenia" bloc on accusations of money laundering and voter bribery. The Central Election Commission has refused to remove the party from the election.
The United Arab Emirates' withdrawal from the cartel and prolonged instability in the Middle East have sent joint oil production plummeting to levels not seen in over thirty years.
The Foreign Ministry counted Ukrainians in China — and the figure says more about the relations between the two countries than any diplomatic statement.
OnePlus is preparing a budget smartphone with dust and steam protection higher than most flagship models — and the price calls into question the entire "premium" segment up to $300.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed that Ukraine adheres to the "One China" policy and has no official relations with Taiwan, but this does not prevent providing consular services to Ukrainians through digital channels and a Polish hub. The issue gains significance amid Trump-Xi negotiations regarding the island's fate.
On June 7, Armenians vote in parliamentary elections where the stakes are not just the composition of the government, but the country's course for the next decade. Moscow has prepared a large-scale operation, but sociology and Armenian journalist Robert Ananyan point to one thing: society has already made its choice.
North Korea opened a new uranium enrichment plant exactly one day before announcing Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit. Experts say this is no coincidence but a message — Kim wants China to recognize him as a nuclear power before potential negotiations with Trump.
TasteAtlas has included Georgia in the top 30 best cuisines in the world — and it's not just about tourist hype. Behind its popularity stands a flavor system that cannot be imitated: unique spices, sauces, and a table tradition where the guest matters more than the menu.
Honor quietly added a new X7e smartphone to its lineup — without any presentation or fanfare. The main focus: a giant battery and a 50 MP camera at a minimal price.
# Premium on ESPO crude fell due to deliberately weak demand from Chinese refineries. Moscow sells at increasingly deeper discounts — and so far has no alternative.
# Tether and Tbilisi announce GELT — digital lari on blockchain. Unusually, it's not the fact itself, but the architecture of the deal: the state is not just permitting it, it's a co-creator.
Dreame Technology has entered into a global partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo. Under the agreement, he will promote robotic vacuum cleaners, major home appliances, and kitchen equipment — though the contract terms and duration have not been disclosed publicly.
As the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked by conflict, India—the world's third-largest oil consumer—is urgently pivoting to sanctioned suppliers: Venezuela and Russia. Both options suit Delhi only temporarily.
The first boxing match in history near the pyramids ended in a technical knockout in the 11th round. Verhoeven — the strongest kickboxer of his generation — went the distance for most of the bout and fell literally seconds before the bell.
While most tanker companies are shunning voyages through the Strait of Hormuz, Abu Dhabi's national oil company has worked out three separate schemes for covert cargo shipments — and has already transported at least 6 million barrels of oil in April.
A methane explosion at a coal mine in Shanxi Province claimed 90 lives. It was revealed that a warning signal about excessive carbon monoxide levels was received before the explosion occurred.
Xiaomi officially unveiled the Xiaomi 17 Max — the flagship model of the series, which focuses on record-breaking battery capacity and a Leica camera with Samsung's 200-megapixel HP9 sensor. This is more than just a larger screen: the company has reconsidered the compromise between size and battery life.
In March 2026, Saudi Arabia's oil revenues reached a three-year high — not despite the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, but largely thanks to infrastructure that Riyadh had been building as a backup route for decades.
Samsung has registered a test build of One UI 9 for the Galaxy S26 FE ahead of the official shell release. According to leaks, the FE series may finally get rid of its main drawback this time — the cut-down processor.
The Perle tanker spent half a year delivering gas from the sanctioned "Portova" terminal to China — and this is already the third such voyage after the introduction of American sanctions in February 2025.
# Aboard Air Force One, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang held a Galaxy Z Fold 7 in his hands, while Musk held what appears to be an iPhone 17 Pro. A small detail with a bigger subtext: Samsung has been trying for years to sell Nvidia its HBM3E memory — and still hasn't passed qualification.
# IAEA Confirms: UAE Reactor No Longer Dependent on Emergency Generators. But the Attack on Operating Nuclear Plant Raises Uncomfortable Questions.
The Financial Times reported that Xi Jinping warned Trump that Putin may regret the invasion. China's Foreign Ministry dismissed this as fabrication—precisely as Putin was flying to Beijing.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide will feature the widest foldable screen among folding phones and the thinnest body — but without a telephoto camera, which the standard Fold 8 has. This is not a random omission, but a pricing strategy.
Airlines, household appliance manufacturers, tire factories — Reuters documented how the war of the United States and Israel against Iran has already rewritten the financial forecasts of at least 279 corporations worldwide.
# China's Ministry of Commerce Confirms Trump-Xi Trade Deal on Mutual Tariff Cuts China's Ministry of Commerce has officially confirmed an agreement between Trump and Xi Jinping on mutual tariff reductions. The package includes purchases of American aircraft by the Chinese side. Here's what stands behind this deal and why the details remain undisclosed.
Japanese NAND memory manufacturer forecasts 48-fold increase in net profit for the quarter. Behind the figures lies a race for technology in which Kioxia has only just caught up with competitors.
Saudi Arabia is discussing a non-aggression pact with regional partners modeled on Iran's 1975 agreement. The problem: the original Helsinki Accords worked due to institutional monitoring, which is currently absent in the new draft.
# Unitree GD01 — Three-Meter Robot with Human Cabin Has Price but No Release Date and Missing Company Website Page The Unitree GD01, a three-meter robot featuring a cabin for a human operator inside, already has a price tag, but lacks a release date and even a dedicated page on the company's website. This marks the world's first attempt to make a piloted mech a commercial product — and it's full of open questions.
A smartphone emitted smoke, swelled up, and exploded in its owner's hands without any visible reason. Samsung requested the device for an internal investigation, but has not provided any explanation to date.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 are set to debut with Gemini Intelligence before Pixel 10 and Galaxy S26 — but a key feature is still missing from the One UI 9 beta.
# Japanese Automaker Cancels Three EV Models Months Before Production Launch A Japanese automaker has cancelled three electric vehicle models just months before planned production was set to begin. Despite the Ohio plant being completed and battery manufacturing facilities fully operational, the vehicles will not be produced. This is not a strategic revision, but rather an acknowledgment that losses from launching production would exceed losses from shutting down operations.
The first visit by an American president to China in eight years took place without any major deals, but with rhetoric that alarmed Taipei and pleased Beijing.
On May 8, India for the second time confirmed MIRV technology on a long-range ballistic missile — this time combined with a hypersonic glide vehicle. Officially, it was another test. Strategically, it was a response to China's DF-41 and the development of China's layered air defense systems.
In May, oil imports from Russia to India reached 2.3 million barrels per day — an absolute record. Behind it stands not only cheap oil, but also the May 16 deadline and fears of being left without supplies after the strike on Iran.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz collapsed global oil supplies by 10 million barrels per day in March. An emergency release of 400 million barrels from reserves represents four days of global consumption.
Xiaomi officially announced the Smart Band 10 Pro along with a teaser ahead of the Xiaomi 17 Max launch. The main change is not in design, but in two debut components for the series: NFC for contactless payments and dual-band GNSS.
On May 16–17, the capital of Kazakhstan will open Central Asia's first fully automated elevated railway — after two decades of construction, criminal convictions and a frozen project that had become an urban meme.
Developer Abandons 91-Story Trump International Complex on Golden Shore — Trump's Name Became a Problem, Not an Advantage.