Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 1433

Elections May Be the Cure for China's Smog

Since 2013 arrived, Beijing has been enveloped in thick smog. This month, Nanjing and 25 provinces were also smothered by the airpocalypse. Eradicating the smog, as well as eradicating all forms of pollution, has become our urgent priority if we are to save the country and rescue the people. The smog disaster will require the serious efforts of all 1.3 billion of our compatriots. If we are not

Trøbbel i paradiset

Fjellriket Bhutan har lenge skrytt av å ha verdens høyeste "brutto nasjonale lykkeprodukt". Men nå har landet fått ny regjering, og pipen har fått en annen lyd. Les mer

Will China expel foreign journalists?

Is China preparing for a mass expulsion of foreign correspondents? Even to ask
the question sounds faintly ridiculous. Surely not. Not in this day of the
internet and global communications. Not the new, confident, rising China that is
opening and interacting with the rest of the world like never before. What could
it possibly gain from such a step? Read more

Evictees Stage Mass Suicide Attempt in Beijing

Thirteen protesters staged a mass suicide attempt in the Chinese capital after their bid to win compensation over forced eviction from their home left them feeling their lives were no longer worth living, activists said on Wednesday. Eight evictees were off the critical list while the rest were incommunicado a day after the group drank pesticide simultaneously in protest at their treatment by the

The Most Notable China Stories of 2013

There's an old Chinese curse that goes like this: "May you live in interesting times." And 2013—the year of the snake on the Chinese zodiac calendar—certainly qualified. Here's a look at the year's top China stories. Read more

Prisene for kinesisk kunst til himmels

Kunstbrekket i Bergen kostet 4,1 millioner kroner, men kunne blitt langt dyrere. Tyvene gikk nemlig rett fordi de mest verdifulle gjenstandene, forteller kunstekspert Alastair Gibson. Kineserne vil ha tilbake kunstverk som de mener ble stjålet eller svindlet ut av landet for en slikk og ingenting, da landet var inne i en historisk svak hundeårsperiode rundt og etter overgangen til 1900-tallet.

- Kinas falske hyllest til Mandela gjør meg kvalm

- Nelson Mandela sto for de motsatte idealene av de kinesiske lederne. Han talte varmt for rettighetene som er nedfelt i FNs menneskerettserklæring, som også fredsprisvinner Liu Xiaobo står for. Om Kina hadde hatt en Robben Island, så ville han ha blitt fengslet der og fått en veldig hard straff, sier Torbjørn Færøvik til Nettavisen. Les mer

China Tightened Foreign Reporter Restrictions, Club Says

The Foreign Correspondents Club of China reported “negative trends” for reporters in the country in the last year, including the government’s refusal so far to renew visas for Bloomberg News and New York Times journalists. "We have found that the Chinese authorities are increasingly using the denial of visas, or delays in their approval, in an apparent effort to influence journalists’ coverage,”

China considers ban on smoking in public

China's leaders are considering a Nationwide smoking ban in public, a leading health official said on Wednesday, as the country's tobacco-related health and economic costs continue to mount.

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The US and China must show leadership on climate change

As the European Union dithers, the world's two biggest carbon emitters must work together to help countries reach a climate deal. Read more