At a sports club in Camp 19, children aged between six and 15 gather to watch recorded World Cup matches on a large screen after live broadcasts were restricted in the camps over security concerns, according to the organisation running the programme.

The club, operated by the Friendship nongovernmental organisation, has created a space where children can follow their favourite teams and players while participating in football and other sporting activities.

“Girls make up around one-third of the audience,” said Molla Shihab Uddin, senior coordinator at Friendship, adding that the centre records matches and screens them the following morning.

The sports programme also provides equipment through a mobile sports library, allowing children to borrow jerseys and participate in local games inside the refugee settlements.

The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, have faced decades of displacement and restrictions, with hundreds of thousands fleeing to Bangladesh following a military crackdown in 2017.

Around 1.3 million Rohingya refugees currently live in 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar, where access to formal education, employment and recreational opportunities remains limited.

The Camp 19 sports club was launched in 2021 in partnership with Dutch organisation KLABU, with support from French football club Paris Saint-Germain, to promote physical and mental well-being among refugee children.

The centre now has about 1,600 regular child members, including 600 girls, who take part in football, cricket, volleyball and other activities.

Uddin said sport helps children maintain confidence and resilience in an environment where uncertainty over their future remains a major challenge.

The report by UNICEF said it cross-referenced population data of roughly 2.4 billion children with the geographic distribution of eight major climate hazards, including coastal flooding, river flooding, drought, tropical storms, heat waves, extreme heat, wildfires and sandstorms.

It found that around 1.1 billion children are exposed to at least three climate hazards, with the most common combination being drought, extreme heat above 35 degrees Celsius, and heat waves. That specific combination alone affects about 296 million children globally.

The report highlighted that exposure is heavily concentrated in parts of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Countries with large child populations, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria, account for some of the highest absolute numbers of affected children.

Nigeria alone has about 74 million children exposed to at least three hazards, while Pakistan has 34 million and India 32 million, according to the report.

It also found that nearly all children globally — about 2.3 billion — are exposed to at least one climate hazard, while 2 billion face at least two and 364 million are exposed to four or more.

The report warned that 123,000 children face seven or more climate hazards, including about 46,000 in Myanmar, underscoring extreme exposure in some regions.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said children are “at the forefront of the impact of climate change,” according to the report, which also noted that vulnerability is intensified in countries with limited capacity to respond to disasters.

UNICEF researcher Tom Slaymaker said climate risks are concentrated in “hot spots” in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia, though he added that no country is entirely spared from climate-related threats.

The report noted that in some countries such as Chad, more than 95 percent of children are exposed to at least three climate hazards, driven by compounding risks and weak infrastructure.

It also identified 39 small island states as particularly vulnerable due to limited freshwater resources, import dependence and exposure to extreme weather events, including hurricanes.

The meeting took place at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People following a ceremonial reception, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, and comes as Myanmar’s military government seeks to consolidate political legitimacy following the 2021 coup that ousted the elected administration of Aung San Suu Kyi.

China has remained Myanmar’s most significant external partner since Western countries severed or downgraded ties after the coup, and has played a role as a regional power broker in efforts to manage the country’s civil war and border stability.

Xi told Min Aung Hlaing that China supports Myanmar in balancing development and security and pursuing a development path aligned with national conditions, while also calling for continued cooperation between the two countries on combating transnational crimes such as online fraud, illegal gambling and drug trafficking.

The Chinese president also emphasised the importance of dialogue among all parties in Myanmar to advance peace and reconciliation, describing the bilateral relationship as one that has “stood together through thick and thin,” according to state media.

Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Beijing, his second since becoming civilian president in 2021, comes amid ongoing conflict inside Myanmar and increasing scrutiny of cross-border scam networks operating in border regions, which have affected Chinese citizens.

Beijing has also maintained defence and economic ties with Myanmar’s military authorities, while supporting limited ceasefires brokered with some armed groups operating along the countries’ shared border.

Myanmar’s political crisis, triggered by the 2021 military takeover, has fuelled armed conflict across the country and contributed to severe economic disruption, while also increasing its strategic importance in regional supply chains, including rare earth mineral production.

Min Aung Hlaing is seeking to expand trade and security ties with China, a major partner for Myanmar following the 2021 military coup that removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

China has become an important power-broker in Myanmar’s civil war, supporting different sides and negotiating ceasefires based on its strategic interests.

The visit comes as relations between Beijing and Naypyidaw face challenges, including concerns over online scam centers operating near their shared border.

During his five-day trip, Min Aung Hlaing is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and other senior officials.

China remains a key supplier of military equipment to Myanmar and has helped broker agreements with armed groups along the border.

Myanmar has also gained global attention as a supplier of rare earth minerals, which are important for China’s renewable energy industries.

The visit highlights China’s continued influence in Myanmar’s political, economic and security affairs.

Adam Castillo, a security consultant and former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, was detained upon returning to the country on Thursday, the police source said.

He is being held in connection with a lawsuit filed by the current director of a business organization he previously headed, the source said, adding that he faces allegations of breach of trust related to property matters, which carry a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years under Myanmar law.

A court on Friday ordered Castillo remanded in custody for two weeks while investigations continue, the source said.

A second source confirmed the detention but provided no additional details.

The US State Department said it was aware of reports regarding the detention of a US citizen in Myanmar but declined to comment further, citing privacy considerations.

Castillo recently published a memoir documenting his experience working in Myanmar during and after the 2021 military coup, which toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered widespread unrest and civil conflict.

Myanmar has remained under military-dominated rule since the coup, despite a political transition process that international observers have described as tightly controlled and largely excluding opposition groups.

The case comes amid ongoing tensions between Myanmar’s military authorities and parts of the international business and diplomatic community that scaled back operations following the coup.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Min Zin had been subjected to “criminal compulsory measures” on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security.The ministry did not provide further details about the allegations.

Min Zin founded the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar (ISP-M), which studies political developments, resources and conflict dynamics in Myanmar, a country facing a civil war following a 2021 military coup.Some ISP-M research has examined China’s influence in Myanmar’s border regions, where Beijing has been accused of supporting armed groups aligned with its strategic interests.

It was not immediately clear whether Min Zin was conducting research activities when he was detained.A person with professional ties to ISP-M, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Min Zin was arrested on June 3 at Kunming airport in China’s Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar.Another source with knowledge of the case said Min Zin had travelled to Kunming to attend a meeting.

Chinese authorities said the US consulate in Guangzhou had been informed about the case. The sources said Min Zin’s family and colleagues were in contact with the consulate.Neither the US State Department nor ISP-M had publicly commented on the detention.

ISP-M is based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, a city that has become a centre for Myanmar political exiles since the military removed the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.Analysts, including researchers linked to ISP-M, have said China has maintained relations with both Myanmar’s military and armed groups depending on its economic and security interests.

The Myanmar leader was welcomed in the eastern Indian state of Bihar before beginning a visit to Bodh Gaya, one of Buddhism’s holiest pilgrimage sites where tradition holds that the Buddha attained enlightenment.

India’s foreign ministry described the visit as a reflection of the longstanding spiritual, historical and people-to-people connections between the neighboring countries. Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the trip underscored ongoing cooperation and the importance both governments place on bilateral relations.

Min Aung Hlaing is scheduled to hold talks in New Delhi on Monday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu. Discussions are expected to focus on expanding cooperation across strategic, economic and developmental sectors.

Indian officials said the visit also includes a significant commercial component, with the Myanmar president due to meet business representatives and later travel to Mumbai, India’s financial center. The talks are expected to examine opportunities to increase trade and investment links between the two countries.

According to Indian government figures, bilateral trade between India and Myanmar totaled approximately $1.95 billion during the 2025-26 fiscal year, highlighting the growing economic relationship between the neighbors.

The visit comes at a significant moment in Myanmar’s political transition. Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as president in April, maintaining leadership of the country from a civilian office five years after the military seized power in a coup. His inauguration was attended by representatives from several regional countries, including India, China and Thailand, reflecting the importance neighboring states place on engagement with Myanmar.

For India, stronger ties with Myanmar carry strategic importance because of their shared border, regional connectivity projects and security cooperation in northeastern India. Enhanced economic engagement could also support New Delhi’s broader efforts to deepen links with Southeast Asia through its regional outreach initiatives.

The Rohang Heritage Center, established in Camp 6 and funded by Bangladeshi authorities in February, was launched as more than 1.3 million Rohingya refugees continue to live across 33 camps in southeastern Bangladesh amid stalled efforts to repatriate them to Myanmar.

The center contains more than 200 items, including historical maps, newspaper clippings, books, photographs and recordings of the Rohingya language.
Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh’s refugee relief and repatriation commissioner in Cox’s Bazar, said the collection was assembled from materials carried into Bangladesh by Rohingya refugees during successive waves of displacement from Myanmar.

“The items have been collected from old newspaper clippings, books published on Rohingya history, and various historical documents,” Rahman said, adding that the initiative aims to help younger Rohingya reconnect with their ethnic and cultural heritage.

The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, have faced decades of discrimination and statelessness. Hundreds of thousands fled to Bangladesh following a military crackdown in 2017, adding to earlier refugee populations that had crossed the border over previous decades.

Bangladesh and the United Nations have repeatedly sought to facilitate the voluntary return of refugees to Myanmar, but the process has remained largely frozen amid political instability and armed conflict. Conditions deteriorated further after Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021, while fighting between junta forces and the Arakan Army in Rakhine State has intensified since 2024.

Camp administrator Gazi Shariful Hasan, who initiated the heritage project, said a central objective was to collect official Myanmar documents issued before 1989 that identified holders as Rohingya, preserving evidence of state recognition before citizenship rights were effectively withdrawn.

According to Hasan, the center includes civil records, political archives and profiles of Rohingya figures who once participated in Myanmar’s national political life, including former members of parliament.
“Of course, no government would allow foreign nationals to serve in its parliament, which indicates that the Myanmar government previously recognized this ethnic population,” Hasan said.

The exhibits also document the community’s intellectual, religious and cultural history, including biographies of prominent Rohingya Islamic scholars and archival material related to mosques in Rakhine State.

One section features photographs of 25 mosques built in the early 19th century in Rakhine. Organizers said many of the structures have since been destroyed, making historical photographs among the few remaining records of their existence.

The center is operated by Rohingya volunteers and serves both as a cultural archive and an educational resource for younger refugees, many of whom have spent most or all of their lives in camps and have limited access to formal education.

Bangladeshi officials said preserving cultural memory remains important as uncertainty persists over the timing and conditions for any future repatriation process.

The suspects were detained at an office building in the Indonesian capital after police investigations linked the group to an online gambling enterprise that had allegedly operated for the past two months, officials said at a press conference.

According to Wira Satya Triputra, director of the Indonesian police force’s crime investigation unit, those arrested included 228 Vietnamese nationals, 57 Chinese citizens, 13 people from Myanmar, 11 from Laos, five from Thailand and three from Cambodia.

Wira said 275 of the detainees were being investigated under Indonesia’s criminal code provisions on gambling, which carry a maximum prison sentence of nine years. He added that most of the suspects were aware they had entered Indonesia to participate in online gambling activities primarily targeting customers outside the country.

Online gambling is prohibited in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, where authorities have stepped up enforcement efforts against digital gambling platforms and cross-border criminal syndicates amid concerns over financial fraud and illicit online operations.The arrests marked the second major enforcement operation involving foreign nationals in two days.

On Friday, Indonesian immigration authorities detained 210 foreigners on Batam island in Riau Islands province over allegations they were involved in online investment scams operating from an apartment complex near Singapore.

Interpol Indonesia official Untung Widyatmoko said there had been a recent shift in regional online gambling operations from Cambodian cities into Indonesia, reflecting changing enforcement patterns across Southeast Asia.

The latest raids underscore growing regional concern over organized cybercrime networks that have increasingly used Southeast Asian countries as operational hubs for online gambling, fraud and investment scams targeting international victims.

In a statement, the office of Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said government troops had defeated what it described as “terrorist insurgent groups” along the route connecting Mandalay with Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state located near China’s border.

The military said operations to secure the corridor lasted more than 15 months and involved 322 engagements ranging from small clashes to major battles.“The operations lasted for over one year and three months,” the statement said, adding that the bodies of 138 rebel fighters had been recovered.

The military acknowledged casualties among its own troops but did not provide figures.Myanmar has remained engulfed in conflict since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 2021 coup, triggering nationwide resistance from pro-democracy militias and ethnic armed organizations.

A coordinated rebel offensive launched in late 2023 had initially pushed military forces back across large areas of northern Myanmar and threatened territory closer to Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city and a key commercial center.

Analysts have said some ethnic armed groups operating near the Chinese border previously benefited from tacit Chinese support aimed at preserving Beijing’s influence in the frontier region. However, China later pressed several rebel factions into ceasefire arrangements amid concerns that escalating instability could disrupt cross-border trade and investment.

In recent months, two of the three ethnic minority armies that spearheaded the offensive agreed to China-mediated truces, leaving allied pro-democracy fighters increasingly isolated and under pressure from military counteroffensives.

The recapture claim comes as Myanmar’s military-backed administration seeks to project greater political stability following elections earlier this year that delivered victory to parties aligned with the junta.Last month, coup leader Min Aung Hlaing formally assumed the presidency in a transition that democracy groups and international observers criticized as an attempt to legitimize continued military rule.

The government has also intensified efforts to deepen economic ties with China, including reviving stalled infrastructure and energy projects linked to Beijing’s regional investment strategy.The military said the reopening of the Mandalay-Myitkyina corridor would improve regional commerce and facilitate smoother trade flows with China.