Month: April 2026

Washington’s deployment of most of its long-range cruise missiles from the Pacific to the Middle East could indicate it has arms supply constraints in the Iran war, while signalling to “friends and foes alike in the Indo-Pacific” its interests lie elsewhere, analysts say. According to US media reports, the Pentagon ordered nearly the entire inventory of its Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) cruise missiles to be moved from the Pacific, and even from the continental United States, to US Central Command bases in the Middle East or Fairford base…

Taiwanese opposition leader Cheng Li-wun said she hoped to make the Taiwan Strait “safe” and not one of the world’s “most dangerous places” as she left for Shanghai on Tuesday. Kuomintang chairwoman Cheng is leading a 14-member delegation – including three KMT vice-chairmen – on a six-day visit to mainland China. A planned meeting with Communist Party leader Xi Jinping during the trip has drawn scrutiny in Taipei as tensions soar across the strait. Advertisement Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party raised concerns over what would be discussed and…

Youth-led movements have swept the world in recent years – from protests that toppled governments in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bulgaria and Madagascar, to political rallies across the United States. They are often organised and amplified on social media platforms driven by algorithms that determine content based on user behaviour. But a new app that has been tested by nearly 10,000 university students in the US is challenging that approach. Advertisement Uplifty AI is encrypted and its founder says the algorithm aims to help students build community in the real world rather…

China’s six largest state-owned banks are set to distribute more than 420 billion yuan (US$61 billion) in dividends for 2025, extending record-high payouts and strengthening their appeal as a source of stable income as investors rotate into defensive assets amid low interest rates. Combined payouts from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China Construction Bank (CCB), Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, Bank of Communications and Postal Savings Bank of China were expected to reach about 427.4 billion yuan, up 1.6 per cent from a year earlier, according…

A research team at a Chinese university has developed a new way to make high-end infrared chips that could slash their cost dramatically and improve the performance of smartphone cameras and self-driving cars. The key breakthrough was finding a way to make the chips using conventional manufacturing techniques, rather than the exotic, costly materials that were relied on before. Mass production is set to begin by the end of the year, according to a press release from Xidian University. Advertisement The chips detect short-wave infrared (SWIR), which is invisible to…

Control of the seas has long defined power in the Asia-Pacific. From strategic chokepoints to contested fishing grounds, maritime space has shaped the region’s economic lifelines and geopolitical tensions. But a quieter contest is unfolding – less visible, yet potentially more consequential. It is not a contest over territory but over data. As satellite surveillance, digital tracking and advanced analytics transform how the ocean is monitored, a new question emerges: who controls the information that defines maritime reality? While legal frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Law of…