Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 12

China’s missile shield outshining Trump’s Golden Dome

China’s leap to field a prototype “Golden Dome” missile shield before the US has finalized its own design signals a new phase in the rivals’ arms race, where the drive for security threatens to heighten nuclear risk. Last month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that China had fielded a working prototype of a “Golden Dome”-style global missile defense system before the US had finalized

Son of Suu Kyi speaks out on icon mother's military detention

Kim Aris says even China wants his mother’s release and that she still has a future in Myanmar’s politics. In recent years, he has emerged as a new-generation icon of Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement. Kim Aris, the younger of two sons of imprisoned former State Counsellor Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi and her late husband, British Tibetologist Michael Aris, has appeared at rallies and public meetings,

Right-wing Sanae Takaichi is set to be Japan’s first female prime minister

Japan’s ruling party picked hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi as its head on Saturday, putting her on course to become the country’s first female prime minister in a move set to jolt investors and neighbors. The Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled Japan for almost all of the postwar era, elected Takaichi, 64, to regain trust from a public angered by rising prices and drawn to opposition

Torbjørn Færøvik: Poor you and me. So these are the two who are supposed to defend us?

Poor you and me. So these are the two who are supposed to defend us in dangerous times? Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump. Last week they wanted to show us what they stood for. When they had finally ground their way through their respective hurdy-gurdies, the audience at Quantico sat petrified—and no one clapped. “It was silent,” one of them noted afterwards, “so silent we could have heard the famous

US Army Announces Missile Milestone

The United States recently conducted a missile test as part of the Army's modernization to enhance its capabilities in preparation for a potential war with China in the Pacific. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Newsweek.Facing China's military buildup, particularly its missiles, the Pentagon has designated the Indo-Pacific as its "priority

China May Have Beaten US to ‘Golden Dome’ Homeland Defense

A Chinese research team claims it has developed a working prototype of a data processing system that could allow the country to detect and respond to airborne threats anywhere in the world—and says it has already been deployed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).Though still in its early stages, the system is said to leverage breakthroughs in big data to integrate multi-domain sensor

China’s Control of Submarine Cables Between NATO Nations Under Scrutiny

A Finnish newspaper has reported growing security concerns in the country over the Chinese ownership of a firm that operates underwater data cables in the Baltic Sea. Helsingin Sanomat reported that there was increased scrutiny over the Chinese state-owned firm Citic Telecom CPC, through its subsidiaries, owning the three telecommunications cables linking Finland, Estonia, and Sweden.Although

China Appears To Be Shutting Down Purchases Of U.S. Soybeans

For the first time in two decades, China bought no soybeans from the United States for two consecutive months and, more importantly, it also has no orders in for the coming peak season. Prior to President Trump initiating his trade war with China during his first term, it bought more than half of all U.S. soybean exports, with up to 70% coming during the peak October through January season.Until

Trump says China's Xi using soy as negotiation tactic ahead of talks

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that soybeans would be a major topic of discussion when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in four weeks. "The Soybean Farmers of our Country are being hurt because China is, for 'negotiating' reasons only, not buying," Trump wrote on Truth Social.Chinese importers have not yet bought soybeans from the autumn U.S. harvest during the trade war

AHEAD OF GLOBAL WOMEN’S SUMMIT IN BEIJING, MORE FEMINIST CONTENT BLOCKED ON WECHAT

In the run-up to the Global Women’s Summit slated for October in Beijing, which will mark the 30th anniversary of that city’s influential 1995 U.N. World Conference on Women, some WeChat accounts focused on feminism and women’s empowerment have been blocked or had their content deleted. Earlier this month, feminist blogger Jiang Chan Jiāng Chán) had her official WeChat account blocked. The