The sixth Qingdao Multinationals Summit ended in the coastal city of Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province on Friday, with the conclusion of multi-billion-U.S.-dollar agreements on 40 key projects related to foreign investment and foreign trade. Valued at 5.93 billion U.S. dollars, the projects covered by the deals signed at the event span various industries, including high-end equipment, new energy materials, and next-generation information technology. Themed “Multinationals and China: Connecting the World for Win-Win Cooperation,” the three-day summit brought together representatives from 465 multinational companies, featuring 135 Fortune Global 500 giants and 330 industry leaders spanning 43 countries and regions.

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Maritime rescue charity Sea-Watch said it rescued 70 people stranded in a rubber dinghy in the central Mediterranean on 20 June, coinciding with World Refugee Day.

The charity said the youngest person onboard was only one year old. One of those rescued had to be medically evacuated to Malta while several others are suffering fuel burns, dehydration and exhaustion after being stranded at sea for more than 24 hours. Sea-Watch spokesperson said they demand an immediate European rescue program and safe passage for all.
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Parisians sunbathe on the lawns of Belleville Park as temperatures soar above 30 degrees in the capital and a heatwave peaks across France, with 16 departments still under an orange 'heatwave' warning, according to France's weather agency, Meteo-France.

French Health Minister urged the French public to stay hydrated and to moderate their alcohol consumption to avoid exposure to heat, especially between 11 am and 4 pm and to stay hydrated.

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In a forested area near the Hetaoping Wild Training Base in Wolong, three mother panda and cub pairs are undergoing a stage of training designed to prepare the cubs for independent life in the wild.

The training, based on the “mother-led” model, allows panda moms to guide their cubs through hands-on behavioral learning, demonstrating how to search for food, respond to nature, and survive outside of captivity. To ensure the mothers get enough nutrition to nurse their cubs, panda keepers hike into the mountains every morning and afternoon to provide supplementary feeding.

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The Netherlands on Saturday officially handed back to Nigeria 119 precious ancient sculptures, stolen from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago during the colonial era. It is the latest return of artefacts to Africa.

Nigeria celebrated the return of the priceless "Benin Bronzes" -- metal and ivory sculptures dating back to the 16th to 18th centuries -- with a ceremony held at the National Museum in Lagos, showcasing four of them in the museum's courtyard. The selection included a bronze carving of a king's head, a carved elephant tusk and a small leopard.

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Two Air Self-Defense Force aircraft have left for Djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation of Japanese nationals in Israel and Iran. The C-2 transport planes left the Miho Air Base in Tottori Prefecture, western Japan, on Saturday. Defense Minister Nakatani Gen on Thursday ordered the dispatch of the aircraft to the African country to be on standby amid the conflict between Israel and Iran.

The Defense Ministry says it will work closely with the foreign and other relevant ministries with a strong sense of urgency to do everything it can to secure the safety of Japanese citizens abroad. The Japanese government has been helping its citizens and their families in Israel and Iran leave by land. The government had assisted about 90 people as of Friday.

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China on Saturday began constructing two advanced telescopes at the Lenghu Astronomical Observation Base in Qinghai Province, including a groundbreaking 4.2-meter dedicated astrometric telescope for precise solar system measurements.

The telescope, developed by the Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, represents China’s first single-mirror astronomical telescope with an aperture exceeding 4 meters.

Its exceptional features include ultra-low distortion imaging, extremely high positioning accuracy, and deep detection limits unmatched by conventional telescopes. The telescope’s primary mission involves conducting high-precision measurements of faint moving objects within the solar system.

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Dressed in feathered headgear and traditional swords, several thousand of Malaysia's ethnic Dayak people celebrate the end of the rice harvest season by parading through the streets of Kuching, the capital of Sarawak state on the island of Borneo.

The Gawai Dayak 2025 Parade in state capital Kuching is the only annual gathering by representatives of around 11 of Sarawak's main Dayak groups which participants said helps to keep alive a unique part of the Southeast Asian nation's culture.

Malaysia's Dayak people are mainly riverine and hill-dwelling, made up of dozens of ethnic groups, each with their own distinct dialect, customs, laws and practices. Rainforest-clad Borneo is the world's third-largest island and is shared between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

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Hundreds of couples tied the knot on Amsterdam’s A10 highway on Saturday, as the Dutch capital marked its 750th anniversary with a one-day festival that turned the city’s busy ring road into a pedestrian-only celebration. The event, called “Op de Ring,” saw 400 couples marry in temporary tents set up on the closed highway, in a mass wedding ceremony that mixed civic pride with personal vows.

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The US$550 million Legoland Shanghai Resort, could attract up to 2.4 million visitors a year once it officially opens on July 5, according to estimates by local government officials. Trial operations started on Friday at the world’s largest Legoland theme park in Shanghai, as the city presses ahead with its goal to boost its status as a major global tourist destination.

Construction of the Legoland resort began in 2021 as part of the city’s efforts to establish itself as a major international tourist destination. The operators of Legoland claim the theme park has the world’s first themed land and live show based on the Monkey King literary figure from the 16th-century novel Journey to the West.

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