星期一（5月25日）在北京航天飞行控制中心飞控大厅拍摄的神舟21号航天员乘组和神舟23号航天员乘组拍摄合照的实时画面。 （新华社）

中国载人飞船神舟23号的航天员乘组进驻中国空间站。

据央视新闻报道，在载人飞船与空间站组合体成功交会对接后，神舟23号航天员乘组从飞船返回舱顺利进入轨道舱。在星期一（5月25日）清晨5时13分，在轨执行任务的神舟21号航天员乘组打开“家门”，欢迎神舟23号航天员乘组入驻中国空间站，这是中国航天史上第八次“太空会师”，也是“天宫”首次有来自香港的航天员进驻。

报道称，后续两个航天员乘组将在空间站进行在轨轮换。

在空间站驻留期间，神舟23号航天员乘组将在空间生命与人体研究、微重力物理科学、空间新技术等领域开展多项实（试）验与应用，并多次出舱活动，完成舱内外设备安装、调试、维护维修等任务。

神舟23号在星期天（24日）晚上11时08分发射，约10分钟后，飞船与火箭成功分离，进入预定轨道。

延伸阅读

中国载人飞船神舟23号准时发射 戴庆成：那些年香港的航天热潮

据中新社报道，目前中国已有30名航天员、47人次进入太空执行飞行任务。

Mass tanker blackout rattles Gulf ahead of 1.35M-barrel oil transfer amid US-Iran talks: firm

2026-05-24 4:11pm EDT / Fox News

A single tanker moved 1.35M barrels of crude to South Korea, the first signal of flow resuming out of Fujairah

By Emma Bussey Fox News

President Donald Trump insists on a toll-free Strait of Hormuz, pushing back against Iran’s claims of a ‘controlled maritime zone’ and potential tolls. The U.S. maintains total control through blockade measures, while economic sanctions and diplomatic efforts with Gulf allies intensify pressure on Iran’s nuclear program and regional ambitions.

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Maritime tracking transmissions collapsed near the UAE’s main oil hub, rattling Persian Gulf shipping hours before President Donald Trump announced progress was made on a bilateral peace deal with Iran, according to an AI maritime firm.

Maritime intelligence firm Windward AI first detected the blackout in Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmissions near Fujairah, suggesting heightened electronic warfare, jamming, deliberate AIS shutdowns and intense cyber interference near the key UAE oil port.

“Fujairah goes dark: AIS transmissions collapse after Iran’s PGSA announcement,” Windward warned in a post shared on X.

“Vessels are still in the area. They are loading less, and a meaningful number have gone dark,” the firm said.

GULF SHIPPING OPERATIONS GRIND TO HALT NEAR IRAN, US QUIETLY PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE STRIKE: ‘HEIGHTENED RISK’

A tanker sits at the Port of Fujairah, as the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran limits marine traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.(Reuters/Amr Alfiky/File Photo)

As Trump announced that an Iran deal was “largely negotiated” and would see a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Fujairah went on to move 1.35 million barrels of crude Sunday aboard a single tanker bound for South Korea.

“Today, May 24, the port moved 1.35 million barrels, a single VLCC, destined for South Korea,” Windward said before reporting a tense, ongoing “ceasefire posture” and blockade footprint quickly being set into place.

“One cargo doesn’t mark a return to baseline, but it’s the first signal of flow resuming out of Fujairah since the announcement,” Windward said.

Ahead of the barrel transfer, Trump had stated that Washington and Tehran had “largely finalized” a memorandum of understanding for a peace agreement.He posted an AI-generated image depicting exploding IRGC fast boats in the strait.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN DEAL ‘LARGELY NEGOTIATED’ AS 84-DAY WAR NEARS POSSIBLE END

A cargo ship sails in the Persian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, 2026.(AP Photo)

Iran responded directly by continuing to declare the strategic maritime choke point stays under Tehran’s absolute control.

“We reaffirm that the Strait of Hormuz will remain under full Iranian administration and sovereignty, even in the event of reaching any future agreement,” Iran’s official military spokesperson, Ibrahim Al-Fiqar, said in a statement shared on X.

“The Islamic Republic emphasizes that the authorities to determine transit routes, timing, and issuance of maritime licenses are an absolute sovereign right exclusively in the hands of Tehran.”

The tanker blackout, crude transfer activity and movement toward a U.S.-Iran deal accelerated following the launch of Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority on May 20.

Overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, the PGSA functions as a sovereign regulator by requiring ships to submit vessel, cargo, insurance and crew details — along with mandatory payments — for “safe passage” through the strait.

Regional analysts told Fox News Digital that, ahead of deal progression, Iran’s territorial claims had even been stretching beyond its own waters into areas tied to Oman and the UAE.

US EYES IRAN FAST BOATS WITH ‘KILL’ TACTICS TESTED IN VENEZUELA DRUG-BOAT STRIKES

An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps speedboat sails in the Persian Gulf near the Bushehr nuclear power plant during a marine parade marking Persian Gulf National Day in Bushehr, Iran, on April 29, 2024.(Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)

Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital that enforcement “relies on the IRGC Navy’s asymmetric playbook.”

“This includes fast boats, drones, radar tracking, coastal missiles and selective intimidation rather than constant physical interdiction,” Vatanka said.

“Tehran wants Gulf states and major importers to gradually accept Iranian oversight of Hormuz as a new geopolitical reality,” he added.

While nuclear issues are dominating the current negotiations amid reports of a 60-day ceasefire, the PGSA has quickly emerged as an economic leverage tool threatening global oil and shipping markets.

“Now Hormuz is Iran’s main non-nuclear leverage tool,” Vatanka said as the PGSA he claimed gives Tehran a “mechanism to pressure rivals, favor allies and normalize IRGC oversight of one of the world’s most critical energy routes.”

According to Vatanka, the system was functioning as a wartime extortion mechanism.

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“Ships submit cargo and crew data for approval, while reports point to quiet ‘facilitation payments,’ preferential treatment for friendly states and uncertainty for everyone else,” Vatanka warned.

“Iran keeps the penalties deliberately vague. Noncompliant ships risk delays, harassment, drone surveillance, IRGC interception or denial of safe passage — enough pressure to encourage compliance without outright closing the strait.”

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.

Alleged gunman outside White House had previous run-ins with Secret Service, court documents show

May 24, 2026 / 5:50 PM EDT / CBS News

The suspect in Saturday’s shooting outside the White House was arrested last year after trying to gain access to the White House, and he may have had mental health issues, according to law enforcement sources and court documents.

Sources identified the 21-year-old alleged gunman as Nasire Best of Dundalk, Maryland, and documents obtained by CBS News show Best previously blocked a White House entry lane in June 2025, telling agents he was Jesus Christ and wanted to be arrested. Best was sent for a mental evaluation and again tried to access the White House area in July 2025.

Best was then arrested by Secret Service agents and charged with unlawfully entering a federally controlled property in Washington. He was ordered by a judge to stay away, according to court documents.

D.C. Superior Court records show Best was released after an arraignment on the unlawful entry charge, but he failed to appear for an Aug. 7, 2025, status hearing, prompting a no-bond, D.C.-only bench warrant that authorizes law enforcement to arrest him.

Best reappeared outside the White House near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW on Saturday, pulling a revolver from a messenger bag and began firing at a U.S. Secret Service checkpoint, law enforcement sources told CBS News.

A Secret Service agent rides a bike past a window damaged by multiple rapid-fire gunshots in yesterday’s shooting near the White House, on May 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Roberto Schmidt / Getty Images

Multiple uniformed division officers, including at least one stationed in a cruiser outside the White House security checkpoint, returned fire and killed the gunman, law enforcement sources said.

A bystander was wounded in the shooting, but it was unclear whether the gunfire came from the suspect or from responding officers. The victim had a successful surgery Saturday night and remains in serious but stable condition, according to law enforcement sources.

Law enforcement officials said the shooting took place near the Starbucks that is located on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Broken glass and bullet holes can be seen on Sunday at the White House History Shop.

The Metropolitan Police Department will lead the use-of-force investigation, the standard process in D.C. when Secret Service personnel open fire. That means detectives with MPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau Force Investigation Team are expected to handle the officer-involved-shooting inquiry, including processing the scene, collecting ballistic and video evidence, interviewing witnesses and involved personnel and determining the sequence of gunfire and injuries.

A U.S. Secret Service officer cordons off an area after a bullet fragment was found on Pennsylvania Avenue the morning after a man opened fire near the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Aaron Schwartz / Bloomberg via Getty Images

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. also reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether evidence supports federal civil-rights or D.C. criminal charges.

The investigation is separate from the internal Secret Service review led by the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility and from the criminal investigation into the suspect’s alleged conduct.

Sara Cook, Aaron Navarro, Pat Milton, Jennifer Jacobs and Faris Tanyos contributed to this report.

姜贵瑛：三星电子“奖金战” AI繁荣下的利益分配冲击

2026年5月25日 05:01 / 联合早报

韩国三星电子工会的总罢工行动，经韩国雇佣劳动部长亲自出面协调，暂时化解了危机。图为位于首尔水原市的三星集团总部。 （法新社）

在距离总罢工启动前约一小时，三星电子劳资双方终于让步，戏剧性地达成暂定协议，让持续160天、牵动韩国乃至全球半导体产业链神经的工资谈判暂时偃旗息鼓。

这场令半导体生产线一度逼近全面停摆的“奖金战”最终没有走向对抗，但暴露出的人工智能（AI）时代财富分配焦虑与成果主义冲突，仍在韩国社会持续发酵。

虽然经韩国政府高强度仲裁后避免了最坏局面，但这场风波却留下复杂余味。这场史无前例的“奖金战”本质上正是AI时代超级繁荣的副产品。

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‘Bibi’s hair on fire’: Trump-Netanyahu public ‘rift’ masked unified front against Iran, analyst says

May 24, 2026 4:50pm EDT / Fox News

INSS researcher Kobi Michael says the weekend synchronization phase showed total alignment by Sunday

By Emma Bussey, Fox News

Trump, Netanyahu plan to meet over ongoing Iran nuclear talks

Fox News senior White House correspondent Aishah Hasnie reports on President Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C. on ‘Fox & Friends.’

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Intensifying leaks and tense phone calls between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting a relationship breakdown over Iran were part of a calculated strategic effort to keep Tehran guessing, a leading defense analyst told Fox News Digital on Sunday.

The public display, which projected American diplomatic patience while shutting out Jerusalem, covertly laid the groundwork for a unified front, he said.

The strategy culminated in a weekend synchronization phase, with Trump and Netanyahu showcasing total alignment by Sunday, suggested Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and the Misgav Institute.

TRUMP, NETANYAHU TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE IN HIGH-STAKES TALKS ON IRAN, GAZA PLAN

President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Axios had reported Thursday that a difficult call between the leaders focused on a revised U.S. proposal sent to Iran via Pakistan, which Netanyahu reportedly rejected in favor of renewed military action to degrade Tehran’s infrastructure.

One U.S. source told the outlet that “Netanyahu’s hair was on fire” after the exchange.

Separately, weekend reports suggested Israeli leaders were being marginalized from U.S.-Iran negotiations after Netanyahu’s prewar push for a joint campaign to topple the Iranian regime failed to materialize.

Netanyahu broke his silence Sunday, posting on X to declare absolute solidarity with the White House and project a unified stance.

IRAN’S NEW SUPREME LEADER IS ‘HIS FATHER ON STEROIDS,’ EXPERTS WARN OF HARDLINE RULE

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House on April 7, 2025.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“The partnership between us and our two countries has been proven on the battlefield and has never been stronger,” Netanyahu shared on X. “My policy, like President Trump’s, remains unchanged: Iran will not have nuclear weapons.”

Michael viewed the public friction and targeted leaks as a calculated tactical feint designed to keep Tehran blindsided.

“Neither President Trump nor Prime Minister Netanyahu has any interest in any crisis, but by leaking the story of a crisis between Trump and Netanyahu, the Iranians might find themselves surprised by the timing of the next military attack,” Michael said.

“The leak created a sense of disagreement between the two leaders and positions Trump as the leader who gives another chance to the diplomatic path despite the pressures of Prime Minister Netanyahu,” he said.

“Trump understands who the Iranians are.”

The final synchronization followed a weekend phone call in which Trump reassured Netanyahu that any final agreement with Iran would fully dismantle Tehran’s nuclear program.

UN’S NUCLEAR WATCHDOG WARNS ITS UNABLE TO CONFIRM IRAN’S PROGRAM IS ‘ENTIRELY PEACEFUL’

President Donald Trump monitors U.S. military operations in Iran following an Israeli strike in Tehran on Feb. 28, 2026, alongside several Cabinet members.(White House)

Netanyahu also said Trump also “reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against threats on every front, including Lebanon.”

Washington has been keeping Jerusalem updated on the negotiations “over a memorandum of understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and enter negotiations toward a final agreement on the points that remain in dispute,” an official statement read.

Following the Sunday call, Netanyahu also thanked Trump for his “exceptional commitment to Israel’s security.”

“Netanyahu’s last post about his last conversation with Trump can be understood as the ultimate closure to this deception and any accusations,” Michael added.

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“This is trying to prepare the Israeli public for the idea that everything was fully coordinated with the U.S., and the diplomatic developments will serve the Israeli interest.”

Michael added, however, that skepticism remained in Jerusalem over whether the gaps between the U.S. and Iran will be bridged, or whether “Trump will accept the Iranian position.”

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.

美高官：美伊原则上同意重开海峡 但需多几天敲定最终协议

2026年5月25日 06:55 / 联合早报

5月17日，在阿曼北部哈萨卜港岸外的霍尔木兹海峡可见到许多船只。 （法新社）

美国一高级官员透露，华盛顿和德黑兰原则上同意重开霍尔木兹海峡，并责成伊朗交出高浓缩铀，但双方仍需要数日时间才能敲定最终协议。

《纽约时报》报道，一名美国高官星期天（5月24日）告诉媒体，美伊双方原则上同意达成一项可能结束中东战事的协议，但由两国领导人最终批准可能需要几天时间。

要求不具名的这名官员说，依照协议，霍尔木兹海峡将重新开放，并促使伊朗放弃高浓缩铀，至于德黑兰将如何处置它的高浓缩铀仍在进行谈判。

伊朗领导人及官方媒体尚未对任何潜在协议的具体内容或正在讨论的事项发表评论。两国官员都说，任何协议都将是一个初步框架协议，将为后续谈判奠定基础，而非最终定案。

正在印度访问的美国国务卿鲁比奥24日接受《纽约时报》采访时说，伊朗核协议不可能“在72小时内在餐巾纸上完成”。

延伸阅读

特朗普：已交代不要仓促与伊朗达成协议
特朗普：美伊基本谈妥包括开放海峡 伊朗：协议可达海峡掌控不可松

鲁比奥说：“这个问题必须过后再谈。核谈判是高度技术性的问题。你不可能在72小时内，在一张餐巾纸上谈成一项核协议。”

他也说：“目前已有七八个区内国家支持这项方案，而我们准备推进这项方案。”

受美伊可能达成协议的消息影响，当天油价下跌。

全球原油基准布伦特原油价格约为每桶99美元（约126新元），下跌近1.5%；美国原油基准西得克萨斯中质原油价格约为每桶92美元，下跌近5%。

Potential crack’ in California chemical tank may prevent explosion, fire official says

2026-05-24T20:06:14.661Z / Reuters

Summary

Investigators look into whether possible crack in tank may help relieve pressure, officials say

• Tens of thousands remain under evacuation orders in Garden Grove, California
• Governor Newsom asks Trump to declare state of emergency for Orange County
• If confirmed, crack could eventually help efforts to drain chemicals

NEW YORK, May 24 (Reuters) – Experts trying to prevent a tank of hazardous chemicals from exploding in Southern California found a “potential crack” in the container that might be reducing the pressure, a fire official said on Sunday.

Since Friday, officials have warned that the tank, which contains methyl methacrylate, a flammable chemical used in plastics and manufacturing, could rupture and spill up to 7,000 gallons (26,500 liters) of toxic material or explode and endanger other tanks on the GKN Aerospace site.

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Evacuation orders were issued on Friday for an area in Garden Grove, a suburb roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Los Angeles. Tens of thousands of people are covered by the evacuation orders.

TJ McGovern, interim fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said in a video message posted on social media that a team of specialists on Saturday night found “a potential crack in the tank, which could potentially be relieving some of the pressure in there.”

Discovering the potential crack was “positive intel”, McGovern said.

Authorities are still trying to determine whether the possible crack has relieved pressure in the tank, a spokesperson for the Orange County Fire Authority told Reuters. Lowering the pressure could help avert an explosion, he said.

Although officials for now are focused on measuring pressure, the spokesperson said, the crack eventually could allow authorities to gradually drain the chemicals.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday said he had requested that President Donald Trump issue a federal emergency declaration to support response operations. Newsom declared a state of emergency for Orange County on Saturday.

At one point on Saturday, the tank’s internal temperature reached as high as 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the fire authority said. But EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told CNN’s “State of the Union” program on Sunday that local officials were working to stabilize the tank by keeping its temperature under 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

“I’m being told this morning that the most likely scenario is one of a low-volume release, where the local authorities are going to be able to monitor, neutralize and contain the threat,” Zeldin told CNN.

Crews were preparing for a possible spill by looking for ways to dike, dam and divert the liquid into a holding area at the commercial site, rather than allow it to reach storm drains, river channels or the ocean, the fire authority has previously said.

Health officials have said they were concerned that prolonged exposure to vapor from the chemical could cause severe respiratory problems. Air monitors deployed in Garden Grove were not detecting any chemicals or pollutants on Sunday, the EPA said.

Sensors located around the tank itself have not picked up any chemical leaks in the air, the fire authority spokesperson said.

The Orange County Fire Authority and the Garden Grove mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday.

The incident began on Thursday at the GKN Aerospace facility, which specializes in the manufacturing and testing of windows and canopies for commercial and military aircraft, according to its website.

参院共和党人质疑美伊核协议 特朗普回击批评者

2026年5月25日 07:41 / 联合早报

美国共和党参议员蒂利斯在CNN节目中说，美伊的潜在协议“说不通”，他认为“有很多事情需要交代清楚”。 （路透社档案照片）

美国参议院共和党人对美国和伊朗可能达成和平协议的可行性表示怀疑，美国总统特朗普在社交媒体上回击对美伊谈判的批评者。

《纽约时报》星期天（5月24日）报道，北卡罗来纳州共和党参议员蒂利斯当天在美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）的“国情咨文”节目中说，美伊的潜在协议“说不通”，他认为“有很多事情需要交代清楚”。

他也认为，伊朗方面承诺重新开放霍尔木兹海峡“令人怀疑”。

一名要求匿名的美国高级官员24日告诉媒体，美伊双方原则上同意达成一项可能结束中东战事的协议，但由两国领导人最终批准可能还需要多几天时间。

这名官员说，依照协议，霍尔木兹海峡将重新开放，并责成伊朗交出高浓缩铀，至于德黑兰将如何处理它的高浓缩铀仍在进行谈判。

据纽时报道，伊朗官员称核问题谈判将在30至60天内进行。另据美国阿克西奥斯（Axios）新闻网站引述美国官员说，依照美伊谅解备忘录，双方将延长停火60天，若经双方同意可再延期。

美国参议院军事委员会主席威克23日在社交媒体贴文说：“停火60天并指望伊朗会真诚行事，那将是一场灾难。”

特朗普5月24日晚在Truth Social贴文，呼吁“不要听信失败者的话，他们一无所知却在那里妄加评论。”（法新社）

特朗普24日晚在Truth Social说，如果他和伊朗达成协议，那一定是一份“良好和妥当的协议”，而且会比他让美国退出奥巴马任内与伊朗达成的核协议来得更好。

特朗普写道：“没有人见过我们的协议或知道内容是什么。我们根本还没有全面完成谈判。所以不要听信那些失败者的话，他们一无所知却在那里妄加评论。”

特朗普还写道：“我与那些人不同，他们本该在多年前解决这个问题，我不会达成烂协议！”

正在印度访问的美国国务卿鲁比奥24日接受《纽约时报》采访时说，伊朗核协议不可能“在72小时内在餐巾纸上完成”。他说，这个问题必须过后再谈。核谈判是高度技术性的问题。

Iran’s supreme leader is holed up in undisclosed location, U.S. intelligence says

May 24, 2026 / 6:07 PM EDT / CBS News

U.S. intelligence shows that Iran’s supreme leader is effectively holed up in an undisclosed location with little access to the outside world and is only reached by a labyrinth of couriers, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter.

The Iranian officials authorized to work with the Trump administration have been having a difficult time communicating inside of their own government system — and it’s a central reason why the details of a potential deal with Iran and past agreements have been slow to emerge.

When the U.S. sends proposed details, the difficulty in reaching the supreme leader means there can be a long delay before the U.S. receives a response, two of the officials said.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment on intelligence on the supreme leader’s whereabouts or Iranian communication methods.

A senior administration official said Sunday the supreme leader had agreed to the contours of the current draft agreement, and President Trump posted on Truth Social that he anticipated final word in the next few days.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who was injured in U.S. and Israeli strikes in Operation Epic Fury, is taking extreme measures to avoid the strikes similar to the ones that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran from 1989 until Feb. 28. Mojtaba Khamenei has not been officially seen or heard in public since before the start of the war.

U.S. and Israeli intelligence obtained from inside the Iranian government has made it possible to locate and eliminate much of the Iranian senior leadership during the war, one of the officials said.

At this point, most Iranian leaders don’t see daylight, spending weeks inside highly fortified bunkers and avoiding speaking to each other unless absolutely necessary, the sources said.

“Watching them try to figure out how to talk to each other is almost like watching a sitcom. They are completely exasperated,” one official said.

The most cautious measures are being taken by the supreme leader.

By design, even officials at the highest levels of the Iranian government don’t know where he is and have no way to contact him directly.

Instead, messages are passed through a network of couriers created to obscure the supreme leader’s location.

“This is why you see people saying things like, ‘The supreme leader has agreed to the framework,’ or ‘We’re waiting to hear back on the final deal points.’ Every piece of information he receives is dated and there’s a lot of latency to his responses,” one official said.

The supreme leader has communicated in broad terms to his subordinates, giving them direction on what issues they can negotiate on and which issues shouldn’t be discussed.

China launches Shenzhou 23 spacecraft carrying 3 astronauts, including 1 set to remain in space for a year

May 24, 2026 / 1:11 PM EDT / CBS/AP

China successfully launched another spacecraft Sunday that is set to carry three astronauts to its space station. One crew member aboard the Shenzhou 23 is expected to remain in space for one year, which would be among the world’s longest single stays in space.

The spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. Li Benqi, an official at the center, called the launch “a complete success” in videotaped remarks published by Chinese state media.

The much-anticipated launch comes as China prepares for its first crewed lunar landing by 2030.

The astronauts on the mission are Zhu Yangzhu, the commander, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, also identified by Chinese authorities as Li Jiaying using the Mandarin transliteration of her name.

Lai, who was born and raised in Hong Kong and has a doctoral degree in computer forensics, is the first astronaut from the city on a space mission. She’s also the country’s fourth female astronaut to travel to space, according to Chinese state media.

The Shenzhou-23 manned mission launches from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China on Sunday, May 24, 2026. AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

The crew is set to conduct dozens of science and application projects, state media said. They are also expected to complete an in-orbit rotation with the crew of Shenzhou 21, who has been at the Tiangong space station for more than 200 days.

Launching in late October, the three-person crew of Shenzhou 21 included China’s youngest astronaut. Four mice were on board with them, marking the first live mammals on a space mission since Beijing launched its program.

One of the three astronauts on the Shenzhou 23 mission is scheduled to stay at the orbiting space station for a year The astronaut’s mission is to “explore human adaptability and performance limits” in long-duration spaceflight environments, state media reported.

As China steps up its space program, its astronauts have carried out multiple missions to the Tiangong space station, developed after China was effectively excluded from the International Space Station on U.S. concerns over national security.

The U.S. is seen as China’s top space rival, with NASA aiming to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028.

China’s space station Tiangong, which translates to “Heavenly Palace,” first hosted the country’s crew in 2021. Last year, an emergency mission in the Shenzhou program, which means “Divine Vessel,” returned a team of astronauts stranded on the space station due to a damaged spacecraft.

Before that, group of Chinese astronauts faced a nine-day delay as they attempted to return to Earth, after the window of their spacecraft was damaged. They did ultimately return on the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft, once its crew arrived at the space station. China’s space program determined that the damaged spacecraft, Shenzhou 20, did not meet the safety standards necessary to carry astronauts.