- Tuesday, 26 August 2025
Xinhua
World's first pure ammonia-fueled demonstration vessel completes maiden voyage in China
The world's first pure ammonia-powered demonstration vessel, the "Anhui," successfully completed its maiden voyage in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, marking a major step forward for green shipping. Ammonia, a major chemical industry feedstock, has a high energy density and, due to its carbon-free nature, produces only water and nitrogen when fully combusted. This makes it a highly promising fuel for decarbonising shipping.
13 killed, 29 others injured in terror attack in NW Pakistan
At least 13 soldiers were killed and 29 others, including 19 civilians, injured in a terror attack on Saturday in North Waziristan district of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, security sources told Xinhua. According to the security sources, a terrorist group attacked a military unit that was on its bomb disposal duties in the Khadi Market of the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan.
Scientists discover evidence of extensive human fire use 50,000 years ago
Scientists have uncovered evidence indicating that humans extensively used fire to transform environments as early as 50,000 years ago -- far earlier than previously believed. An international team, led by researchers from the Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, analysed a 300,000-year-old sediment core from the East China Sea. Their studies showed a significant increase in fire activity across East Asia approximately 50,000 years ago.
Scientists witness first wild reproduction of Yangtze sturgeon after decades of conservation
The video footage was simple but extraordinary -- a tiny, half-translucent grey larva, no bigger than a grain of rice, wriggled out of its egg casing in the shallow waters of the Chishui River in southwest China's Guizhou Province. To an untrained eye, it might have looked like just another fish hatching. But for the team of scientists watching anxiously, this fragile creature represented something far greater: the first successful natural reproduction of the critically endangered Yangtze sturgeon in the wild in over two decades.
China launches satellite for natural disaster monitoring
China launched an electromagnetic monitoring satellite on Saturday, which is expected to enhance the country's "space-air-ground" integrated monitoring capabilities for major natural disasters. A Long March-2D carrier rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 3:56 p.m. (Beijing Time), successfully sending the Zhangheng 1-02 satellite into its planned orbit, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
China's amphibious AG600 aircraft greenlighted for mass production
China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has officially entered mass production after receiving production certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday. The production certificate confirms the applicant's quality system meets airworthiness regulations and ensures consistent production that adheres to design standards, said an expert from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the aircraft developer and the country's leading aircraft manufacturer.
Chinese rocket delivers e-commerce packages in sea recovery test
A Chinese private rocket firm has successfully tested transporting packages from Taobao, one of the country's largest e-commerce platforms, using a reusable rocket. The rocket was later recovered from the sea, marking a significant advancement in commercial space logistics. SEPOCH, a Beijing-based startup, completed its inaugural "rocket delivery" experiment on May 29 when its XZY-1 verification rocket carried over 20 kilograms of packages during a test flight off China's eastern coast.
China's 1,000 kW-class civil turboshaft engine gets production license
A civil turboshaft engine, primarily designed for helicopters, has obtained its production license and secured a sales contract, laying a solid foundation for the growth of low-altitude equipment, the Aero Engine Corporation of China announced on Thursday.
Chinese scientists develop degradable coating to tackle marine biofouling challenges
Chinese researchers have developed an innovative degradable silicone-hydrogel coating that shows exceptional anti-biofouling performance in marine applications. The study, conducted by researchers from East China's Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been published in the journal Small. It presents a sustainable solution for combating microbial fouling, a major challenge in terms of marine engineering and underwater infrastructure.
Detian Waterfalls scenic area
Tourists have fun at Detian Waterfalls scenic area in Daxin County of Chongzuo City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 1, 2025.
AI pets emerge as new form of companionship in China
Beyond emotional support, AI pets are increasingly being developed to meet the needs of individuals with special needs. In Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, a team from Shenyang Ligong University has created an electronic guide dog designed to assist the visually impaired. Lead developer Yang Wei, a doctoral student at the university, explained that the AI guide dog is built on the Robot Dog Go2 platform developed by Chinese firm Unitree Robotics. It features advanced capabilities such as obstacle avoidance, object recognition, and conversational interaction, and can even assist users in selecting matching clothing colours.
Smart tech changing how Chinese people experience nature
Under the mellow May sun, cherry blossoms and peach flowers burst into bloom along the winding trails of Changbai Island forest park, nestled on the banks of the Hunhe River. Qu Qing, a resident of northeastern China's Shenyang City, crouched beside a clump of violet wildflowers with her son, smartphone in hand. A few taps and seconds later, an artificial intelligence (AI)-supported mobile application delivered the answer "orychophragmus violaceus," known in Chinese as "zhuge cai," a common spring wildflower with medicinal properties.
China to trial visa-free policy for Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain
China will trial a policy granting ordinary passport holders from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain visa-free entry into China up to 30 days from June 9, 2025, to June 8, 2026, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday. At a daily press briefing, Mao elaborated on China's recent announcement of a unilateral visa-free policy for the four Gulf countries on a trial basis.
China's underwater tech guards porpoises worldwide
In the golden light of early morning, a research vessel glided across China's Yangtze River, while a mysterious device trailed behind it, converting underwater sound waves into streams of data, with these efforts aimed at protecting one of the river's rarest inhabitants, namely the Yangtze finless porpoise. Known as the "giant panda of the water," the Yangtze finless porpoise is under top-level state protection in China and serves as a barometer of the river's ecological health. For years, scientists struggled with one key challenge -- tracking these elusive creatures in the murky waters of the Yangtze. After years of effort, scientists from the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences mana
China to launch Tianwen-2 probe for asteroid sampling on May 29
China's Tianwen-2 probe is scheduled for launch on May 29 from a launch centre in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the China National Space Administration announced on Monday.
