A series of earthquakes has hit a remote region of Tajikistan bordering China, with the strongest temblor measured at magnitude 6.8, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The quake struck at about 5:37am (00:37 GMT) on Thursday about 65km…
European Commission bans TikTok on staff devices
Staff working at the European Commission have been ordered to remove the TikTok app from their phones and corporate devices. The commission said it was implementing the measure to “protect data and increase cybersecurity”. TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance,…
Photo of Chinese balloon captured by U2 spy plane
The Pentagon has released a photograph of a U2 spy plane soaring over the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon as it transited the mainland United States earlier this month, providing a new glimpse of the information US officials gathered about the…
Elderly in China protest over slashed health benefits
Crowds of retirees in China have again taken to the streets to protest against cuts to their medical benefits. They gathered on Wednesday for a second time in Wuhan, where Covid was first detected, and also in the north-eastern city…
US backs Philippines in South China Sea laser dispute
The United States on Monday said it stood with the Philippines after Manila accused China’s coast guard of using a laser to try to disrupt a resupply mission to troops in the South China Sea. “The United States stands with…
South China Sea: Philippines says China used ‘military-grade’ laser against boat
The Philippines has accused China of shining a “military grade” laser light to scuttle a resupply mission to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. The laser glare temporarily blinded the crew of the Filipino coast guard boat, forcing…
China says US sent balloons into airspace more than 10 times
China’s foreign ministry says the US has flown balloons into its airspace more than 10 times in the past year. The accusation comes after the US on 4 February shot down a suspected spy balloon over its airspace, which China…
Mystery surrounds objects shot down by US military
The US military is unsure what three flying objects it shot out of the skies over North America were – and how they were able to stay aloft. President Joe Biden ordered another object – the fourth in total this…
US military shoots down another flying object over Lake Huron
The US has shot down another unidentified flying object, this time over Lake Huron near the Canadian border, in what is the fourth such incident this month. It was downed by Air Force and National Guard pilots on Sunday, Michigan…
US fighter jet shoots down unidentified object over Canada
A United States fighter jet has shot down an unidentified cylindrical object over Canada in a joint operation by the North American neighbours. The shootdown on Saturday was the second such action in as many days and comes as North…