China

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Duffy Wants a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon, Fast

Move aims to outpace China as NASA faces budget cuts

(Newser) - Sean Duffy, the interim NASA administrator and Transportation Secretary, is reportedly set to announce an accelerated push to deploy a nuclear reactor on the moon—a move that would mark his most significant step since stepping into the dual role. Documents reviewed by Politico indicate this initiative sets a...

China Limits Mineral Exports, Complicating Weapons Making

Pentagon and suppliers scramble as prices spike, delays mount

(Newser) - China is tightening its grip on the supply of critical minerals needed by Western defense companies, prompting production delays and forcing manufacturers to scramble for alternative sources. As US-China trade tensions have escalated, Beijing has imposed stricter controls on exports of rare earths and other minerals vital for making...

In a Dark Corner of the Web, Cat Torture Is All the Rage

Activist who penetrated the online groups describes them as the 'depths of evil'

(Newser) - In a horrifying case of animal torture, two teenagers in the UK admitted in May to mutilating and killing kittens, reportedly using rope, a blowtorch, a knife, and scissors. As bad as that is, police are now investigating cat torture as a much larger issue, the BBC reports, pointing to...

China Restricts Overseas Trips for Government Employees

Teachers, nurses, and local officials face new travel hurdles

(Newser) - China has imposed tighter restrictions on foreign travel for public employees, extending controls well beyond sensitive government positions. Rules now prohibit teachers, doctors, and workers at state-owned enterprises from traveling abroad without permission—with some required to surrender their passports entirely. Even retirees in some cities must wait years...

Kash Patel Causes Unease in New Zealand

Officials dismiss his claim that new FBI office is there to counter China

(Newser) - FBI Director Kash Patel provoked diplomatic discomfort in New Zealand by suggesting the opening of a new office in the capital aims to counter China's influence, drawing polite dismissals from Wellington and ire from Beijing. Patel was in Wellington on Thursday to open the FBI's first standalone office...

In One Way, Tariffs Gave Apple an Unexpected Boost

iPhone sales surged as people rushed to buy them ahead of feared price hikes

(Newser) - Apple's iPhone sales surged past expectations last quarter, and the Wall Street Journal sees an unexpected reason for the bump: US shoppers rushed to buy new phones because they feared tariffs would drive up prices. Sales of iPhones rose more than 13% and revenue overall grew 10%, which...

FBI Chief Hails 'Historic Moment' in New Zealand

US agency's new office in Wellington will target cybercrime, regional security threats

(Newser) - The FBI has established its first permanent office in New Zealand, aiming to strengthen cooperation on cybersecurity and counter China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region. FBI chief Kash Patel, who inaugurated the Wellington office at the US Embassy on July 24, described the move as a "historic...

You Know Fentanyl. You Should Know Nitazenes

Super-potent opioids quietly contaminate street drugs around the globe

(Newser) - A new class of synthetic opioids, far deadlier than fentanyl, is quietly driving a surge in overdose deaths across Europe and beyond. Originally developed in the 1950s but never approved for medical use due to fatal side effects, nitazenes have quietly infiltrated the drug markets, particularly in the UK...

Report: White House Asked Taiwan Leader to Ax US Stop

Administration reportedly requested that a planned stop in New York not occur

(Newser) - Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te had reportedly hoped to travel through New York and Dallas next month on his way to visit diplomatic allies in Latin America—stops that would have surely ruffled China. The Financial Times reports the entire trip has been scrapped after sources say the Trump...

As Birth Rate Continues Slide, China Opens Up Its Wallet

New policy offers up to $1.5K per child under 3

(Newser) - China is rolling out its first nationwide child subsidy, offering parents about $500 a year for each child under age 3 in a move to address its declining birth rate. The new policy, which the BBC reports was announced Monday, is expected to support around 20 million families. Parents...

China's Famed Shaolin Temple Is Mired in Scandal

It revealed Sunday that its abbot is under investigation

(Newser) - China's famous Shaolin Temple announced on Sunday that its abbot is under investigation on suspicion of misappropriation and embezzlement of project funds and temple assets. Shi Yongxin is alleged to have committed criminal offenses and violated Buddhist precepts by maintaining relationships with multiple women over a long period and...

Microsoft SharePoint Hack Hit US Agencies

Chinese hackers exploit vulnerability in older versions hosted by customers

(Newser) - Numerous organizations and some government agencies around the globe have been compromised in recent days as hackers exploit a vulnerability in older versions of Microsoft's file-sharing tool SharePoint. The vulnerability was discovered in versions of the software hosted by the customers themselves, as opposed to Microsoft's cloud, early...

Silicon Valley Startups Go All In on China's 996 Grind

AI firms push workers to embrace 72-hour weeks

(Newser) - A grueling work schedule that sparked controversy in China has found a new home: Silicon Valley. Known as "996," the regime calls for working 9am to 9pm, six days a week—an eyebrow-raising 72 hours. Once criticized in China for fueling burnout and even linked to worker...

China Bars 2 US Citizens From Leaving Country

Commerce Department employee was questioned about his military service

(Newser) - Two American citizens—a US Department of Commerce employee and a Wells Fargo banker—have been barred from leaving China, highlighting rising tensions and mounting risks for foreigners as Washington and Beijing edge toward a critical trade deadline. The State Department says a US Patent and Trademark Office employee...

'Rare Acknowledgment of a High-Level Hush-Up'

Report: Chinese health officials, hospital staff engaged in cover-up of kindergartners' poisoning

(Newser) - Chinese authorities are now alleging an attempted cover-up in the lead poisoning of hundreds of Chinese kindergarteners , who were fed food decorated with powdered pigments containing more than 20% lead. Dozens of provincial health officials and staff at Tianshui No. 2 People's Hospital took part, tampering with the blood...

China Bets on Underwater Data Centers

Ocean cooling expected to significantly cut energy costs

(Newser) - Beneath the waves off Shanghai, China is launching a new era of digital infrastructure—cooling its AI-powered data centers with the chill of the ocean, and potentially reshaping the global approach to sustainable computing. Traditional data centers, both in China and globally, use enormous amounts of electricity, with cooling...

Neighbors Not Thrilled by China's Giant Hydroelectric Dam in Tibet

Dam on Tibet's Yarlung Tsangpo could threaten water supplies downstream

(Newser) - China has begun building the world's largest hydropower dam in Tibet—a $167 billion project set to reshape regional waterways. The Motuo Hydropower Station on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet, which will surpass the Three Gorges in size and could generate three times its energy output, has...

Lion Cub Cuddles at Eatery Spark Animal Welfare Uproar

Reaction online has been mostly negative to Wanhui restaurant offering hugs with cubs

(Newser) - A restaurant in Taiyuan, China, is facing backlash for offering a $150 four-course tea experience that includes hugging lion cubs. The Wanhui eatery, which opened last month in Shanxi province, sells about 20 tickets a day to customers eager for up-close encounters with the cubs. Photos and videos of...

19 Nations Launch Drills, Knowing China Is Watching

Talisman Sabre exercise, the largest ever, kicks off in Australia

(Newser) - Nearly 40,000 troops from 19 nations, including the US, have converged on northern Australia for the largest Talisman Sabre military drills ever, sending a hard-to-miss message about unity in the face of China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region. The live-fire drills held over three weeks involve...

Port of LA Breaks Records as Shippers Race Against Clock

Officials expect a major slowdown will begin next month

(Newser) - The Port of Los Angeles recorded its busiest June ever, processing over 892,000 shipping containers as importers scrambled to outpace incoming tariffs on Chinese goods. The new record, an 8% jump from last year, was propelled by companies accelerating shipments ahead of a looming August 12 deadline for...

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