11 h. ago China Tried to Land a Reusable Rocket. It Exploded. The Bigger Story Is What Comes Next

China Tried to Land a Reusable Rocket. It Exploded. The Bigger Story Is What Comes Next  Scientific American

Events

20 h. ago Investigations reveal combat stress a key factor in costly US Navy mishaps

New investigative reports into a series of high-profile and costly US Navy mishaps during a US-led campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels reveal that the most intense running sea battle that the military service has faced since World War II took a toll on ships and personnel. The four reports released on Thursday cover a “friendly fire” incident in December 2024 that saw the cruiser USS Gettysburg shoot at two fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, downing one, as well as...

Economics

3 d. ago China’s finance chief calls for fiscal firepower as Beijing weighs 2026 goals

China’s finance minister has called for a more proactive fiscal policy to boost domestic demand, strengthen industrial security and advance technological self-reliance while mitigating debt risks, as Beijing prepares for one of its most important economic planning meetings of the year. Finance Minister Lan Foan outlined the country’s top fiscal priorities on Tuesday in an editorial published in the People’s Daily, the ruling Communist Party’s flagship newspaper. He stressed the need to support...

Events

5 d. ago China’s Expanding Aircraft Carrier Capabilities: From a Carrier Gap to the Electric

China’s Expanding Aircraft Carrier Capabilities: From a Carrier Gap to the Electric-Catapult Age  orfonline.org

Transport

7 d. ago Trump spoke with Venezuela’s Maduro, discussed meeting in US, report says

US President Donald Trump spoke by phone last week with leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, with the two rivals discussing a possible meeting in the United States, The New York Times reported on Friday. The reported call comes as Trump’s administration piles pressure on Venezuela with a major military deployment in the Caribbean that includes the world’s largest aircraft carrier. Washington says the aim is curbing drug trafficking but Caracas insists regime change is the ultimate goal. The...

Politics

9 d. ago Japan man defies family, rejects traditional career path, wears women’s clothing

A man in Japan has defied his family’s expectations by rejecting a civil service examination, wearing women’s clothing and living in a flat filled with rubbish. His 2022 story has recently gained attention in China amid rising reports of extreme parenting. Mizuki, 26, is a graduate of the prestigious University of Tokyo and was raised in a strict, success-driven household, according to Fuji TV. His father, a scholar, kept his distance, while his mother pushed him relentlessly to excel...

Politics

9 d. ago ‘Pressure from China’: US, Philippines take cyberwar games to the next level

The United States and the Philippines are preparing to hardwire advanced cyber operations into the heart of their annual war games, signalling a shift from merely talking about digital threats to practising how to fight through them. Jennifer Schmidt, head of the US embassy’s information and communications technology unit, said specialised training ranges and sophisticated threat-emulation software would be incorporated into next year’s Balikatan drills so troops could rehearse defending...

Events

9 d. ago Are US, Philippines preparing for a future cyber ‘confrontation’ with China?

The United States and the Philippines are preparing to hardwire advanced cyber operations into the heart of their annual war games, signalling a shift from merely talking about digital threats to practising how to fight through them. Jennifer Schmidt, head of the US embassy’s information and communications technology unit, said specialised training ranges and sophisticated threat-emulation software would be incorporated into next year’s Balikatan drills so troops could rehearse defending...

Politics

1 week ago China Sends Aircraft Carrier Group as a Warning to US and Allies

China Sends Aircraft Carrier Group as a Warning to US and Allies  Maritime Fairtrade

Events

1 week ago Venezuela? Trump’s real aim could be laying claim to the western hemisphere

On November 16, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s most advanced aircraft carrier, sailed into the Caribbean to join Operation Southern Spear – the largest US military deployment in the Caribbean since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Donald Trump is, however, a very different president from John F. Kennedy. Whereas Kennedy endorsed the burden of American exceptionalism to “assure the survival and the success of liberty” at “any price” or “hardship”, Trump promises to prioritise “America...

Politics

1 week ago Top honours for engineers spotlight China’s gains in military technology

Key scientists behind China’s latest stealth fighter and aircraft carrier have been promoted to one of the country’s top scientific academies in recognition of their contributions to advances in military technology. The honours also highlight the global lead Chinese military technology has taken in a number of areas. Wang Yongqing, the chief designer and expert of the J-35A stealth fighter; Huang Weina, the lead designer of the WS-19 engine for the J-35 series; and Lu Junyong, a key researcher...

Events

1 week ago US aviation agency warns airlines flying over Venezuela of potential hazards

The US Federal Aviation Administration warned major airlines on Friday of a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela and urged them to exercise caution. The FAA notice cited the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela” and said threats could pose risks for aircraft at all altitudes. There has been a massive American military build-up in the region in recent months, including the US Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, at least eight...

Events

2 w. ago China builds world’s first floating artificial island with nuclear

China is building a mega science infrastructure that could add fuel to the global maritime power race: a floating artificial island engineered to withstand nuclear blasts. This 78,000-tonne, semi-submersible twin-hull platform is world’s first mobile, self-sustaining artificial island. With a displacement rivalling the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s new Fujian aircraft carrier and the capacity to house 238 occupants for four months without resupply, the facility will be able to project...

Events

2 w. ago China’s Dual Aircraft Carrier Display: A Strategic Signal in the Pacific

China’s Dual Aircraft Carrier Display: A Strategic Signal in the Pacific  Maritime Fairtrade

Transport

2 w. ago China’s Fujian carrier completes first training exercise after entering service

China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, had returned to port following a training mission with its strike group, state media announced on Tuesday amid rising tensions with Japan. According to state broadcaster CCTV, the mission marked the “first maritime live-force training” for the world’s largest conventionally powered warship since it was commissioned to the PLA Navy on November 5. The Fujian, China’s first domestically designed carrier and its third overall, has a displacement of more...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s Fujian carrier completes first training shortly after entering service

China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has returned to port following a training mission with its strike group, according to a state media report on Tuesday amid rising tensions with Japan. State broadcaster CCTV reported that the mission marked the “first maritime live-force training” for the world’s biggest conventionally powered warship since it was commissioned to the PLA Navy on November 5. The Fujian, China’s first domestically designed carrier and its third overall, has a...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s military mouthpiece hits out at US ‘gunboat diplomacy’ over Venezuela

China’s official military newspaper has accused the United States of “gunboat diplomacy” amid rising tensions with Venezuela. The Pentagon announced on Sunday that a strike group including the US Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, had been deployed to the Caribbean, carrying thousands of service personnel and dozens of aircraft. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had not ruled out sending US troops to Venezuela, while also expressing a willingness to engage in...

Events

2 w. ago China Issues Warning as US Aircraft Carrier Patrols Contested Waters

China Issues Warning as US Aircraft Carrier Patrols Contested Waters  Newsweek

Events

2 w. ago Chinese man who donated US$20 as child to aircraft carrier project visits fleet 26 years on

A man from southern China who donated 140 yuan (US$20) as a child to help build an aircraft carrier has seen his dream of the country becoming a stronger nation come true. To top his wish, in November, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation invited him to visit the carrier fleet and gave him a commemorative watch. Chen Yuwen, from Qinzhou city in Guangxi province, developed an early interest in the military, influenced by his father’s background as a soldier. In 1999, at just five years old,...

Society

2 w. ago US military says aircraft carrier strike group now in Caribbean

The US military announced on Sunday that an aircraft carrier strike group had arrived in the Caribbean, greatly expanding the presence of American forces near Venezuela. US President Donald Trump has ordered a troop build-up in the Caribbean as part of an anti-drug trafficking initiative but speculation has abounded that Washington may be contemplating military intervention against Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro. The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees American forces in Latin...

Events