Navy Recovers Stealthy Jet From Deep in the South China Sea

The Navy has recovered a stealthy F-35 warplane that fell into the South China Sea after it crashed while trying to land on a Navy aircraft carrier, the service announced on Thursday. The Navy’s Japan-based Seventh Fleet said a remote-operated vehicle attached lines to the plane, which was then lifted 12,400 feet to the surface of the ocean and winched aboard the deck of a civilian vessel called the Picasso that the Navy contracted to assist in the operation. “This deliberate approach resulted in the correct capabilities conducting recovery operations…

Can China Shield Russia From Ukraine-Linked Sanctions?

Advertisement Amid the tragedy of war in Ukraine, the roles of major powers are coming into question. With regards to China, there is a view that Russia President Vladimir Putin is not afraid of sanctions because China will provide an economic lifeline to Russia. On the other hand, China’s abstention from a draft United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that would have deplored Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Russia vetoed, was interpreted as a diplomatic win by both Russia and the West. How do we understand the role that China…

Government prepared for backlash before Tony Abbott’s Taiwan trip made public, FoI documents reveal

Australian officials prepared talking points to help the government respond to sensitive questions about Tony Abbott’s trip to Taiwan, dismissing any suggestion the former prime minister’s visit represented a policy shift. Documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal the Australian government was drafting its responses to potential media questions at least a week and a half before news broke of the former prime minister’s travel to Taiwan. Abbott’s visit in October triggered a diplomatic protest from Beijing, after he raised fears that the Chinese government “could lash out disastrously very soon”…

Space junk set to crash into far side of moon and cause huge crater

In an unprecedented display of cosmic littering, a wayward rocket body will crash into the far side of the moon on Friday marking the first time that a piece of space junk has accidentally struck the lunar surface. The spent rocket booster, believed to be part of the Chinese Chang’e 5-T1 mission which swung around the moon in 2014, is predicted to slam into the Hertzsprung crater at 12.25pm GMT, though the precise time and location are unclear. Travelling at more than 5,500mph (2.5km per second), the tumbling 4 tonne…

Russia head for court to overturn ban on athletes at Winter Paralympics

Russia is launching a last-ditch court appeal after its athletes were banned from the Beijing Winter Paralympics on the eve of competition after a U-turn by the International Paralympic Committee. The IPC had announced on Thursday that it was reversing its shock decision 24 hours earlier to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals following intense international pressure, but will now see its decision challenged in the court of arbitration for sport. The Russian sports minister, Oleg Matytsin, confirmed an appeal to let its athletes compete – which…

Strong Stance on China and Peng Shuai Helps Land WTA a New Title Sponsor

The WTA has been an outlier in its approach to China. The ATP, which operates the men’s tennis tour, has not suspended its Chinese tournaments, and other professional leagues, including the N.B.A., have been reticent to confront Chinese authorities directly. Peng has reappeared in recent weeks and given some controlled interviews, claiming that she deleted the social media post herself and that she had been misunderstood and had not made sexual assault allegations. But the WTA, still lacking direct contact with Peng, has maintained its position. “We’ve been watching very…