The launch of the first module of China's new space station - "Heavenly Palace" - on Thursday underlined how far the country has come in achieving its space dream.The Tianhe core module houses life support equipment and a living space for astronauts, and is another key step in Beijing's grand plans to establish a permanent human presence in space.Beijing has poured billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022 and event

United States (US) President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that imposes a slate of new sanctions against Russia, as well as expelling 10 diplomats from the US, in response to a massive Russian hacking campaign that breached vital federal agencies, as well as for election interference.President Biden said he warned Russia President Vladimir Putin about the sanctions when they spoke by telephone in a “candid, respectful conversation” on 13 April.

Health officials have rolled out more than 500 million coronavirus vaccine doses around the world, according to an AFP tally on Friday, as European rows over hoarding and supply issues escalated dramatically.Despite the huge effort to get jabs into arms, the pandemic is still surging in Europe and Latin America – where Brazil has now passed 300,000 deaths and Mexico 200,000.And the rollout of vaccines is chronically unequal, with the United States (US) accounting for more than a quarter of th

Vladimir Putin has been vaccinated against COVID-19, partly to encourage other Russians who remain deeply reluctant to get the jab.Although he has previously been filmed on horseback, ice skating and flying with Siberian cranes, he chose to be vaccinated behind closed doors.

Russia has offered to share its Sputnik V vaccine production technical know-how with Malaysia, according to reports by local media in the ASEAN member state.

Recognising that “no one is safe until everyone is safe,” the G7 recently announced additional steps to facilitate globally more “affordable and equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics” to combat COVID-19. But translating stated intent into effective action will require both bold political leadership at home and support for developing countries that goes well beyond financial aid. Getting it right won’t be easy, but the effort is essential if rich countri

America and China should cooperate in space. Although the United States (US) can no longer take its extra-terrestrial dominance for granted, it remains the leading player, while China’s space capabilities are growing fast. Most important, both countries, along with the rest of the world, would benefit from a set of clear rules governing the exploration and commercialisation of space.China made history in 2019 by becoming the first country to land a probe on the far side of the Moon.

In celebrating the liberation from Donald Trump’s misrule, we must not forget that Trump’s presidency embodied the raw politics of United States (US) white supremacy. He often spoke like a segregationist Southern governor of the 1960s, and, after losing the 2020 election, like a secessionist senator on the eve of the Civil War.

This November will mark the 20th anniversary of the BRIC acronym that I coined to capture the economic potential of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

Germany, once a beacon of hope in Europe's coronavirus nightmare, logged its one millionth case on Friday, while Russia signed up India to mass produce its controversial Sputnik vaccine.Although the virus spread is slowing thanks to weeks of tough restrictions, Europe remains at the heart of the pandemic, recording more cases than the United States (US) in the past week.The pandemic is gaining strength fastest in Asia and Latin America, and is up by a worrying 113 percent over the week i