Chinese scientists chill atoms to record low on Tiangong space station

Amid tensions with China, a small European country is anchoring itself at the centre of the global semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) hardware supply chain as a laser powerhouse. The latest sign of Lithuania’s growing footprint in the sector came last month, when laser maker Litilit launched a new factory in the capital, Vilnius. The company’s expansion unfolds as the Baltic nation of fewer than 3 million people navigates fraught ties with Beijing, which has targeted Lithuania with a...

The latest front in the US-China technology contest is not advanced chips, artificial intelligence (AI) or telecommunications equipment. It is the laboratories that certify whether an electronic product may enter the American market. On October 29, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to stop recognising testing laboratories, telecoms certification bodies and accreditation organisations in China and in other economies that lack a “mutual recognition agreement” or comparable...

Cristiano Ronaldo's 23-year international career is over. With 234 caps, 146 goals and several records, here are seven moments that defined Portugal's greatest-ever footballer.

Following disastrous midterm elections that cost Republicans congressional control, US President Donald Trump could spend the rest of his term as a “lame duck” and battling constant resistance to his agenda. The loss is expected to steer the White House towards a more aggressive foreign policy and even greater reliance on executive orders. Trump has already suggested he could brandish his veto pen for “a month or two” before negotiating agreements with Democratic leaders. Here, we explain how...

Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane signed a two-year contract extension at Bayern Munich, keeping the England captain at the club until 2029.

China’s space scientists have become the first to carry out precision laser cutting in orbit, slicing a piece of “large-scale equipment” with a robotic arm fixed to the outside the Tiangong space station. The official Science and Technology Daily reported on Wednesday that millimetre-scale cuts were made by a laser maintenance device operated remotely from “hundreds of kilometres away”. Precision laser cutting involves focusing a beam of light to slice or melt material with extreme accuracy, a...

Senior Chinese and North Korean officials met on Thursday in the wake of Kim Jong-un’s recent cross-border visit and a renewed drive by the two sides to deepen their relationship. China’s top diplomat Wang Yi struck an upbeat tone on the relationship between the two countries when he hosted a visiting delegation led by Kim Song-nam, the international affairs chief of the Workers’ Party of Korea, in Beijing. “China is ready to work with the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] to...

This article contains excerpts from the official English translation of the original Chinese document released by Xinhua.

Former Politburo member and Xinjiang Communist Party chief Ma Xingrui has been indicted on bribery charges dating back to the late 1990s, Chinese state media reported on Thursday. As one of the 24 members of one of the party’s innermost circles, the 67-year-old Ma is among the most senior Chinese officials investigated in the country’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign. He is also the fourth Politburo member to have faced corruption charges since President Xi Jinping came to power in late...

A former commander of China’s paramilitary force has been stripped of his senior political advisory roles, becoming the third consecutive head of the People’s Armed Police to fall from grace over the past 15 years. General Wang Ning, 71, was formally removed as a standing committee member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and vice-chairman of its foreign affairs committee on Wednesday. The top political advisory body revoked his membership during its closing...

After matching Sania's milestone, Maaya wants to keep her feet on the ground

Tanvi Patri became the first Indian badminton player to reach the Youth Olympic Games women's singles final.