VIENTIANE -- The Chinese government is supporting projects to improve the skills of teachers in rural areas and distance education in Laos, aiming to promote educational development in the country.

A launching ceremony for the China-aided project of technical support for distance education in Laos was held here on Wednesday. (Laos-China-Distance Education)

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KABUL -- Afghanistan marked the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Thursday, the Supreme Court of the war-torn country announced.

During Ramadan, the fasting observers excluding children stay away from eating, drinking, smoking and conducting sexual relations from dawn to dusk. Ramadan lasts 29 or 30 days based on the lunar calendar and depending on moon sightings. (Afghanistan-Ramadan)

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PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia said on Thursday that the "U.S. Department of State's 2022 Human Rights Report on Cambodia" was downright unfounded, biased, and prejudicial as to its political nature.

"The U.S. Department of State's Annual Human Rights Reports on other countries, including Cambodia, exposes blatantly a double standard in its practice, particularly in the absence of its own country report," the Cambodian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson said in a press statement. (Cambodia-U.S.-Report)

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KAMPONG CHHNANG, Cambodia -- The Cambodia-China "Golden Dragon 2023" joint military exercise kicked off at the Royal Gendarmerie Training Center here on Thursday, focusing on security operations for major events and humanitarian rescue.

General Hun Manet, deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and commander of the Royal Cambodian Army of Cambodia, and Major General Chen Mintian, deputy chief of staff of Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, attended the opening ceremony. (Cambodia-China-Military Exercise)