India Air Force Day

Even Asia’s first UFC world champion, Zhang Weili, cannot escape the pressure of Chinese parents pushing her to get married. A year ago, Zhang, now 37, said she was glad her family was not rushing her to marry, preferring to focus on her fighting career and leave relationships to fate. But in an interview posted on social media this week, Zhang revealed her parents grew deeply concerned about her love life during the first half of the year, saying they were “pushing really hard”. In the...

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is distributing second-hand briefcases, salvaging screws and steel bars, and reusing holiday decorations to keep costs down as part of a thrift campaign emphasising growth through frugality. It forms part of a broader cost-cutting effort in the Chinese military under Beijing’s 15th five-year plan covering 2026 to 2030, which calls for building the armed forces through “diligence and thrift” and pursuing a path of “high efficiency, low cost and...

Chinese academic courses designed to deepen understanding of different countries or regions face a challenge in better informing policy and moving beyond frameworks developed in the West, a conference in Beijing has heard. Speakers said that as the country’s international engagement deepened, it needed a better understanding of the nations it engaged with, including their political systems, histories and strategic priorities. The discipline – known in China as “area studies” – draws on...

Chinese scientists are less satisfied with their jobs than researchers in any other major country, according to a survey that also found they are more optimistic about their careers than their counterparts in the United States and Britain. Only 51 per cent of the 157 respondents from China said they were satisfied with their jobs, according to the survey published this month in the British scientific journal Nature, down 24 per cent from 2018. The survey drew 3,882 respondents from 133...

Two years ago, Mike Rogers stood before the Republican National Convention and warned that it was “impossible to build an EV without getting into bed with the Communist Party of China”. The former US House Intelligence Committee chairman made opposition to Chinese investment a prominent theme of his 2024 Senate bid in Michigan, which he narrowly lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. Now, as Rogers runs again, US President Donald Trump’s softer approach towards Beijing has given candidates more room...

Harmanpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh struck two goals each as India defeated China 5-2 to make it two victories in two games at the Asian Champions Trophy.

Anmol Kharb continued her dream run at the Hylo Open with a brilliant comeback victory over world No. 12 Line Christophersen to reach the quarter-finals.

French-Moroccan midfielder Madih Talal hasn't ruled out representing India one day, saying that he is willing to talk if approached.

The United States on Thursday banned all Chinese laboratories from testing electronic devices destined for the US market, just weeks before US President Donald Trump is due to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to bar testing laboratories and certification bodies in China and other economies that lack a “mutual recognition agreement” or reciprocal trade agreement with the...

Cristiano Ronaldo thanked fans worldwide after his 2008 Manchester United season was voted the greatest Ballon d'Or-winning campaign of all time.

China has showcased artificial intelligence (AI) technology alongside 7,000-metre (23,000-feet) deep-sea trials of its upgraded Jiaolong submersible, highlighting the potential for similar systems to support decision-making and emergency responses aboard nuclear-powered submarines. The Chinese crewed submersible reached a maximum depth of 7,056.9 metres during three dives in the Philippine Basin in the western Pacific Ocean, according to state news agency Xinhua on October 27. The trials...

China’s fourth aircraft carrier, widely believed to be the country’s first with a nuclear-powered system, could launch as early as next year, according to US researchers, as Beijing pursues a fleet capable of projecting naval and air power far beyond its shores. A launch in 2027 would coincide with the centenary of the People’s Liberation Army, with the anniversary falling on August 1. Beijing has previously used major military anniversaries to showcase developments in its armed forces. The...