Author: Ira Austin Richards

China’s claim that the US has flown balloons into its airspace marks the latest in a series of shifting positions the country has taken on a saga that has gripped the world. It has been almost two weeks since the US first accused China of floating a spy balloon over its territory. The incident has provoked a range of responses – from indignation to fevered speculation – from the Chinese government and people. Silence, then admission After the Pentagon first announced the existence of the balloon on 2 February, Chinese officials refrained from an immediate response, only breaking their silence…

Former President Donald Trump has lost a legal fight to overturn a $110,000 (£90,300) contempt of court fine, which he was ordered to pay to New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office. An appeals court upheld the penalty, which was imposed after he failed to hand over files during an investigation into his business practices. Mr Trump was fined $10,000 per day for non-compliance with a court order. Ms James’s office is probing whether Mr Trump inflated the value of his assets. As part of the civil inquiry, which Ms James opened in 2019, Mr Trump was ordered to turn…

We have solid evidence of water vapour in the atmosphere of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede – the solar system’s biggest moon — for the first time. The frozen water on Ganymede’s surface may have sublimated, moving from solid to gas without becoming liquid. The surface of Ganymede is a mix of dark, cratered regions and bright grooved terrain that produces fascinating patterns. Researchers have long thought that Ganymede has a large amount of water — possibly more than the Earth — but because Ganymede is so far from the Sun, water could only remain liquid behind a thick covering of ice.…

Mexico’s foreign secretary has announced he will travel to Washington, D.C., on Friday in a last-ditch effort to resolve a dispute over imports of U.S. corn before a scheduled visit next month by U.S. President Joe Biden. Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Monday that he will travel to the U.S. capital with other Mexican officials to try to find “points of agreement on genetically modified corn and other issues.” The leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States are scheduled to meet in Mexico City on Jan. 9-10. Mexico sparked the dispute when it announced plans to ban imports of…