24/7 News Coverage
March 05, 2026
MILPLEX
China boosts military spending with eyes on US, Taiwan



Beijing (AFP) Mar 5, 2026
China announced a seven percent boost to its defence budget for 2026 on Thursday as it steadily increases spending to counter the United States and enforce its claims over Taiwan and the South China Sea. The latest rise keeps China's spending at a third of that of the United States, but the Asian power is working to close the gap. Beijing plans to spend 1.9096 trillion yuan ($276.8 billion) on defence, according to a report published at the opening of the annual "Two Sessions" parliamentary meet ... read more

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TAIWAN NEWS
Taiwan opposition backs over $11bn for US arms, but no 'blank cheque'
Taipei (AFP) Mar 5, 2026
Taiwan's main opposition party said Thursday it will back more than $11 billion in special funding for US weapons purchases and left the door open to more acquisitions, but insisted it will not write a 'blank cheque' for the government. ... more
CYBER WARS
Philippines detains three defence personnel on China spying allegations
Manila (AFP) Mar 5, 2026
Philippine authorities have apprehended three defence personnel who allegedly spied on behalf of China in what the country's security agency has described as a 'serious national security matter', its spokesman said Thursday. ... more
CYBER WARS
UK MP's husband among three accused of spying for China
London (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
British police on Wednesday arrested three men on suspicion of spying for China, including the husband of a lawmaker from Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ruling Labour party. ... more
CYBER WARS
Chinese cable project opposed by US sparks row in Chile
Santiago, Chile (AFP) Mar 3, 2026
US concerns over a proposed Chinese fiber optic cable linking Asia with South America under the sea led to a spat Tuesday between Chile's outgoing left-wing president and his Washington-backed successor. ... more
TIME AND SPACE
Einstein probe catch may show black hole shredding white dwarf
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
An unusual high energy outburst captured by the China led Einstein Probe space telescope is offering a rare look at how an intermediate mass black hole may tear apart and consume a white dwarf star. ... more
MOON DAILY
Chang'e-6 farside samples reshape lunar impact history
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
Scientists from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the CAS Aerospace Information Research Institute, and collaborating institutions have used samples f ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
New Wenchang lunar pad completes first Long March 10 test
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 27, 2026
At the future departure gate for Chinas crewed lunar journeys at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, personnel in blue uniforms have been carrying out post ... more
SINO DAILY
China's political conclave begins with growth target centre stage
Beijing (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
China began the first of its 'Two Sessions' meetings on Wednesday, a grand political theatre during which it will outline its annual growth target and defence budget, as well as its roadmap for the next five years. ... more

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TECH.WIRE
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Stable black carbon in mangrove soils boosts coastal climate role
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 24, 2026
Mangrove forests are widely recognized as powerful natural carbon sinks, and new research indicates that a less familiar form of carbon stored in their soils could significantly shape how coastal ec ... more
FIRE STORM
East China fireworks store explosion kills 8
Beijing (AFP) Feb 16, 2026
An explosion at a fireworks store in eastern China killed eight people and injured two, authorities said late Sunday. ... more
FARM NEWS
EU says Chinese levies on dairy products are 'unjustified'
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Feb 13, 2026
Chinese levies on certain EU dairy products are 'unjustified', Brussels said on Friday after Beijing imposed duties of up to 11.7 percent for five years. ... more
DEMOCRACY
Chinese investigative journalist released on bail: police
Beijing (AFP) Feb 14, 2026
Authorities in China have granted bail to an investigative journalist taken into custody after publishing an article alleging corruption among local officials, police said on Saturday. ... more
ENVIROMENT.WIRE
DISASTER.WIRE
NUKE.WIRE
OIL AND GAS
China tells oil refiners to suspend exports: Bloomberg report
Beijing (AFP) Mar 5, 2026
China has told its largest oil refiners to suspend exports of diesel and gasoline, Bloomberg News reported Thursday, citing unidentified sources, as the war in the Middle East risks an energy supply crunch. ... more
OIL AND GAS
China prioritises energy and diplomacy over Iran support
Beijing (AFP) Mar 5, 2026
China has expressed its anger over Israeli-US strikes on Iran but, despite hits to its oil imports, will not risk its interests by confronting Washington and helping its long-standing partner, analysts say. ... more
CHIP TECH
Malaysia anti-graft agency probes $280 mn govt deal with UK chip giant
Putrajaya, Malaysia (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
Malaysia's anti-corruption agency said Wednesday it was probing alleged abuse of power, fraud and governance issues linked to a 1.11 billion ringgit ($280 million) deal between the Malaysian government and British chip giant Arm Holdings. ... more
ROBO SPACE
Europe should focus on industrial AI, SAP says
Walldorf, Germany (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
Europe should focus on competing in industrial AI, a top executive at German software giant SAP said, as the continent plays catch-up in the race for the cutting-edge technology against the United States and China. ... more
INTERN DAILY
China's overstretched healthcare looks to AI boom
Shanghai (AFP) Mar 3, 2026
Throughout her first pregnancy, Wang Yifan had lots of questions, which she usually put to renowned obstetrician Duan Tao - or rather, an AI clone of the top Shanghai-based doctor. ... more
TRADE WARS
Global economic resilience 'tested yet again' by Mideast war: IMF chief
Bangkok (AFP) Mar 5, 2026
Global economic resilience was being tested yet again by the latest war in the Middle East, the head of the IMF Kristalina Georgieva warned Thursday. ... more
TRADE WARS
China sets lowest growth target in decades as consumption lags
Beijing (AFP) Mar 5, 2026
China set its lowest annual growth target in decades on Thursday, at 4.5-5 percent, as the government outlined plans to tackle sluggish consumption and a flagging property market. ... more
TRADE WARS
France says planning G7 finance meeting on Mideast
Paris, France (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
France said Wednesday it is planning a meeting of G7 finance ministers on the Middle East crisis for early next week, as the war fuels fears for the global economy. ... more
TRADE WARS
Asian equities in freefall as oil extends gains on Middle East crisis
Hong Kong (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
Stock markets across Asia were pummelled Wednesday as investors began panic-selling on fears the Israel-US war on Iran will fan inflation and hammer the global economy. ... more
TRADE WARS
China's factory activity slump deepens; Chinese consumers scout lower prices, secondhand goods as spending sputters
Beijing (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
China's factory activity slowed in February, official data showed on Wednesday, missing forecasts and extending a slump just ahead of closely watched announcements on policy planning. ... more
TRADE WARS
Chinese shipping giant Cosco halts services to and from Gulf
Beijing (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
Chinese shipping giant Cosco, which operates one of the world's biggest oil tanker fleets, announced it was suspending services to and from Gulf countries from Wednesday, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait. ... more
OIL AND GAS
China urges all sides to maintain safety in Hormuz Strait
Beijing (AFP) Mar 3, 2026
China called on all sides in the Middle East war to maintain safety in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and gas, and vowed measures to ensure its energy security. ... more
CAR TECH
China space firm tests two seat flying car concept in Chongqing
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 17, 2026
An electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft developed by the ninth academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has completed its first flight in southwest China. The maiden s ... more
TIME AND SPACE
Experiments settle debate over how Molybdenum 93 isomer releases stored energy
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 17, 2026
A team at the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and collaborators has identified the dominant mechanism that releases energy stored in the nuclear isomer Molybdenum 93m. ... more
TRADE WARS
Asian stocks up, oil market cautious
Tokyo (AFP) Feb 18, 2026
Asian stocks mostly rose Wednesday, while the oil market was cautious after prices dropped in the wake of Tehran's upbeat response during talks with US officials on Iran's nuclear programme. ... more
FROTH AND BUBBLE
China has slashed air pollution, but the 'war' isn't over
Beijing (AFP) Feb 17, 2026
Fifteen years ago, Beijing's Liangma riverbanks would have been smog-choked and deserted in winter, but these days they are dotted with families and exercising pensioners most mornings. ... more
CIVIL NUCLEAR
Microbes join forces to quickly clean up uranium pollution
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Nov 27, 2025
Chinese scientists have discovered a quick and effective way to remove toxic uranium from water using helpful bacteria that work together. These bacteria can change uranium from a dangerous form tha ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
China retrieves Long March 10 booster from South China Sea after test flight
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 20, 2026
China has carried out its first maritime recovery of a rocket first-stage booster, retrieving the main stage of a Long March 10 heavy-lift carrier rocket from the South China Sea following a key tes ... more
TECH SPACE
Junk to high-tech: India bets on e-waste for critical minerals
Karnal, India (AFP) Feb 18, 2026
Hundreds of discarded batteries rattle along a conveyor belt into a crusher in a remote plant in northern India, fuelling a multi-billion-dollar industry that is bolstering the country's geopolitical ambitions. ... more
CYBER WARS
Italy detects cyber-attacks eyeing Chinese dissidents; Australia rejects foreign threats after claim of China interference
Rome (AFP) Feb 18, 2026
Italian police said Wednesday they had detected cyber-attacks against the interior ministry seeking information on dissident Chinese citizens and officers investigating Chinese groups in Italy. ... more
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