How China's about to put a man on the Moon and humiliate Elon Musk: Inside the billionaires' space race - and its terrifying omen for the future
A poll carried out in China by the toy company Lego in 2019 asked children aged eight to 12 what they dreamed of being when they grew up, more than half, 56 per cent, said: 'An astronaut!'
But when the same question was put to youngsters in Britain and the US that same year, barely 10 per cent had any thought of going into space. Instead, the most popular ambition, shared by around a third, was to be... a YouTuber.
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BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
UK to build up to 12 attack submarines and spend billions more on nuclear weapons system
Update: Date: 07:51 BST Title: We're not at war, says defence minister. But we're not at peace, either Content: Luke Pollard, pictured in Portsmouth in April Defence minister Luke Pollard says "we're certainly not at war at the moment, but it's also true that we're certainly not at peace". Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he says "we know that we live in a very dangerous world" and there are "new threats" to the UK. The government inherited a situation where military morale was "falling" and there had been a "lack of investment", he says. The defence review will set out new investment, address the "scandal" of military accommodation, and set out plans to make defence an "engine for growth", he says. Update: Date: 07:47 BST Title: How much does the UK spend on defence - and how is it changing? Content: What the UK spends on defence In 2023/24, the UK spent around 2.3% of GDP on defence, or £53.9bn, according to government figures. As a member of Nato - the North Atlantic military alliance - the UK is committed to spending at least 2% of national income, as measured by GDP, on defence. But there is growing pressure to go further. What's the planned increase? In February, the government announced defence spending would rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with an "ambition" to reach 3% after the next general election. To fund the initial increase, Starmer announced a cut to the UK's aid budget from 0.5% of GDP to 0.3% in 2027. Has the government committed to reaching 3%? Defence Secretary John Healey, in an interview with The Times, said there was "no doubt" the UK would reach defence spending of 3% in the next Parliament, so by 2034. But the government has not formally announced a commitment to reaching 3%. Update: Date: 07:40 BST Title: Defence firm welcomes submarine plans Content: The Ministry of Defence says building up to 12 new attack submarines "will support 30,000 highly skilled jobs into the 2030s as well as 30,000 apprenticeships and 14,000 graduate roles across the next 10 years". And the announcement has been welcomed by defence technology firm, Cohort. "It's certainty a very ambitious plan and very pleasing to see what's been announced," Andy Thomis, Cohort's chief executive, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "I think it recognises the serious security situation and the need for us to respond to it." Thomis, though, says the government may need to commit a greater percentage of spending to defence, in order to meet the plans. "It certainly does look like a challenge within 2.5% of GDP or indeed even 3%, but I think it is what we need to keep the country safe." Update: Date: 07:08 BST Title: Will extra defence spending be enough for Nato - and Trump? Content: Jonathan BealeDefence correspondent Over the past week, the government has been trailing its defence review with a series of announcements: billions of pounds to produce more missiles and drones; new technology; and better housing for troops. The aim - not just to modernise an underfunded armed forces but to make them ready to meet rising threats. The prime minister will today also underline the importance of the defence industry for creating jobs and economic growth. So far the government is committed to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027. But will it be enough? Nato allies are being urged to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP. The US president, Donald Trump wants more. The government says Britain will be the leading European nation in Nato; but other allies are going further and faster. Lithuania's defence minister called 2.5% "old news". She told the BBC 3.5% should be the bare minimum. Update: Date: 07:08 BST Title: We must face down Russia, says defence secretary Content: Defence Secretary John Healey says the UK's new submarines will help "face down Russian aggression". In a statement released last night, Healey says: "Our outstanding submariners patrol 24/7 to keep us and our allies safe, but we know that threats are increasing and we must act decisively to face down Russian aggression. "With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead programme on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad, while delivering on our plan for change with 30,000 highly-skilled jobs across the country." Update: Date: 07:08 BST Title: New nuclear-powered submarines expected as Starmer unveils defence plans Content: The UK will build up to 12 new nuclear-powered submarines under plans due to be announced by Keir Starmer today. The government will unveil a major defence review, which will set out the government's long-term plans and is expected to recommend the armed forces move to "warfighting readiness". The new attack submarines are expected to replace the UK's current fleet from the late 2030s onwards, with the government saying production will also create jobs. The submarines will be conventionally-armed but nuclear powered, and developed under a partnership agreement with the US and Australia. The prime minister is also expected to confirm a £15bn investment in the UK's existing nuclear warhead programme. Starmer will speak to BBC Radio 4's Today programme at 08:10 BST - you'll be able to listen live on this page.
The Guardian
41 minutes ago
- The Guardian
China accuses US of ‘seriously violating' trade war truce
Update: Date: 2025-06-02T06:36:56.000Z Title: Introduction: China accuses US of 'seriously violating' trade truce Content: Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy. Trade war tensions are on the rise again, as relations between China and the US deteriorate. Beijing has hit back this morning against Washington, accusing the US of 'seriously violating' the trade truce which the two powers agreed in Zurich last month. China's commerce ministry also promised to take forceful measures to safeguard its interests, rejecting a claim from Donald Trump last week that China has 'totally violated' its trade agreement with the US. In a statement, the ministry said: 'The U.S. government has unilaterally and repeatedly provoked new economic and trade frictions, exacerbating uncertainty and instability in bilateral economic and trade relations.' Beijing accused the US of unilaterally introducing new discriminatory restrictions, including new guidelines on AI chip export controls, curbs on chip design software sales to China and the revocation of Chinese student visas, Bloomberg reports. Stock markets across the Asia-Pacific region have dropped today, as investors fret that the détente between the two sides is fraying. Last Friday, the US president – perhaps stung by jibes that Trump Always Chickens Out – declared that China 'HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US.', raising fears that the trade war will continue to rattle the global economy. This latest uncertainty is hurting the US dollar. It has slipped against a basket of currencies, with the pound up almost half a cent at $1.35, and the euro gaining a third of a cent to $1.138. The legality of Trump's trade war was also thown into doubt last week, when a US federal court ruled that his 'liberation day' tariff plan is illegal, only for a federal appeals court to temporarily reinstate the tariffs while the case progresses. 9am BST: Eurozone manufacturing PMI for May 9.30am BST: UK manufacturing PMI for May 9.30am BST: Bank of England mortgage approvals and credit conditions data 3pm BST: US manufacturing PMI for May
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Albanese again pushes back on US demand for Australia to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP
Anthony Albanese has again sidestepped US calls for Australia to drastically increase its defence budget, now by about $40bn more each year, amid warnings from the Trump administration over China's plans. The US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, met with Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles over the weekend in Singapore as part of the Shangri-la Dialogue. In a readout of the meeting released Monday morning Australian time, Hegseth conveyed that Australia should increase its defence spending to 3.5% of its GDP 'as soon as possible'. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Australia is on track to lift defence spending from about $53bn a year, or around 2% of GDP – to an estimated $100bn, or 2.4% of GDP, by 2033-34. An additional annual spend of around $40bn would be required by 2033-34 to reach 3.5% of GDP. Hegseth on Saturday urged countries in Asia to 'share the burden' and lift defence spending to 5% of GDP, warning 'Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific' in a speech at the conference. It followed months after Pentagon undersecretary Elbridge Colby told a US Senate hearing that the US wanted Australia to reach a 3% defence spending threshold. Albanese was asked on Monday to respond to the US's calls for Australia to pour billions more into its defence budget, to meet a higher spending target. The prime minister asked: 'Which one?' 'There's been a range of [spending targets] going forward. What you should do in defence is decide what you need, your capability, and then provide for it. That's what my government is doing,' he said. 'What we need is things that defend us in real terms, and that's what we'll provide.' The prime minister had stood firm on Sunday, saying in response to a similar question about Hegseth's Saturday comments: 'We'll determine our defence policy.' Also speaking on Sunday, Marles said the issue of defence spending was a conversation he was 'totally up for'. 'The Americans have been very clear about wanting to see more from their friends and allies around the world. It's a sentiment that we understand,' Marles said at a press conference in Singapore. 'We have already engaged in the last couple of years in the single biggest peacetime increase in defence expenditure in Australia's history. So we are beginning this journey. We've got runs on the board. 'And indeed, if we look at Aukus, I mean, Aukus is something which is seeing our defence expenditure increase – as it should – and so we actually are taking steps down this path.' In February, Australia paid $US500m ($AUD790m) to the US as part of the first instalment in a total of $US3bn pledged in order to support America's shipbuilding industry. At the time, Marles said Aukus was 'a powerful symbol of our two countries working together in the Indo-Pacific'. Albanese is expected to meet Trump in person for the first time since both leaders were re-elected, on the sidelines of the G7 leaders' summit in Canada this month. The two leaders are expected to discuss defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, as well as the US's doubling of tariffs to 50% on steel and aluminium imports, including from Australia, beginning this week.
