Day: April 23, 2025

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘No quick wins’: China has the world’s first operational thorium nuclear reactor Chinese scientists have achieved a milestone in clean energy technology by successfully adding fresh fuel to an operational thorium molten salt reactor, according to state media reports. 2. China tests non-nuclear hydrogen bomb, science paper shows Chinese scientists used a 2kg bomb to generate…

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has accused Washington of weaponising tariffs, and urged Europe to join hands with Beijing to defend the multilateral trading system, in separate calls with the British and Austrian foreign ministers. Advertisement Speaking to Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Tuesday, Wang said the US had used tariffs “as a weapon to launch indiscriminate attacks on various countries”, violating World Trade Organization rules and harming the interests of other economies. The practice “regresses state-to-state relations to the law of the jungle”, Wang said, adding that it…

Tesla’s production of Optimus, a robot that promises to take over household chores, has been disrupted by China’s curbs on rare earth exports, introduced by Beijing earlier this month in an escalating trade war with Washington. Advertisement Speaking on the company’s earnings call on Tuesday, CEO Elon Musk said production was impacted by the “magnet issue”. While weeks of delays are expected as exporters grapple with tighter permit requirements for the key ingredients, Tesla is one of the highest-profile buyers so far to flag the direct consequence of the change.…