Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 168

REVEALED: Inside the CIA’s (largely) secret role in the Tibetan resistance

Following the People’s Liberation Army’s invasion of Tibet in 1949, thousands of ordinary Tibetans rose up in a series of independent uprisings in the 1950s to defend their country and religion against Chinese troops. In 1958, the Chushi Gangdruk army, a unified resistance force, was formally established.Led by Gompo Tashi Andrugtsang, a charismatic trader living in Lhasa, it later became known

Japan plunged into political uncertainty after voters deliver dramatic defeat to longtime ruling party

Japanese voters delivered a stinging rebuke to the country’s longtime ruling party in elections Sunday, plunging the world’s fourth largest economy into a rare period of political uncertainty. Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed almost continuously since 1955, has lost its parliamentary majority in the powerful lower house for the first time in 15 years.Public anger and distrust

Chinese hackers targeted Trump and Vance’s phone data

Chinese government-linked hackers have targeted the phone communications of former President Donald Trump and vice presidential nominee JD Vance as part of a much broader cyber-espionage effort aimed at high-level US targets, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The Chinese hackers also targeted people affiliated with the Harris-Walz campaign, another source familiar with the matter

US approves $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan including advanced missile defense system

The United States has approved $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including the first-time delivery to the self-ruled island of an advanced surface-to-air missile defense system, in a move that has drawn China’s criticism. Taiwan’s presidential office on Saturday thanked Washington for greenlighting the potential arms sales. Under the island’s new president, Lai Ching-te, Taiwan has been

From China’s Past: Boxer Protocol, 1901 Peace Agreement between the Great Powers and China

The Boxer Protocol was a diplomatic protocol[1] signed in China's capital Beijing on September 7, 1901, between the Qing Empire of China and the Eight-Nation Alliancethat had provided military forces (including France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Japan, Russia, and the United States) as well as Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands, after China's defeat in the intervention to

Social Outlook 2024 Protecting our Future Today: Social Protection in Asia and the Pacific

Social protection is a powerful policy tool to prevent and reduce poverty, inequality, social exclusion and insecurity emanating from risks and shocks, including those related to life cycle contingencies. But what is the status of social protection systems across Asia and the Pacific? Are they equipped to withstand and turn the megatrends of climate change, demographic shifts including population

Poverty Is Rising And Inequality Widening In Asia And The Pacific

The findings in Protecting our Future Today: Social Protection in Asia and the Pacific report reveal that poverty, both in monetary and non-monetary forms, is rising while inequalities in income and wealth are widening across the region. The number of people in vulnerable situations in the region is expected to rise, as negative shocks continue to hit amid prevailing inequalities. And access to

India’s Strategic Gains At BRICS 2024: Navigating Multipolarity And Global Leadership – Analysis

India’s strategic diplomacy at this summit was a testament to its growing influence in the shifting global order, where emerging economies are vying for a more prominent role in global governance. India deftly balanced its national interests while promoting multilateralism, a feat that underscored its vision of an inclusive and multipolar world.India has long advocated for a multipolar world,

Is China peeved – or pleased – by North Korean troops in Ukraine?

China remains officially agnostic about North Korea’s deployment of troops to help Russia’s war in Ukraine – a dispatch that analysts say holds potential trouble for Pyongyang’s main backer Beijing even as both communist nations share the goal of supporting Vladimir Putin. On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian repeated the line Beijing has used in the face of increasingly

"Midtens rike - En vandring i Kinas historie" er i salg - revidert og utvidet, og i ny drakt

For femten år siden utga jeg boken "Midtens rike  - En vandring i Kinas historie" (Cappelen Damm, 2009). Senere er den trykket og utgitt i flere runder, og den også oversatt til fremmede språk. Høstens utgivelse er revidert og utvidet, og nå finner du den i bokhandlene. Bokens forside viser en av Kinas store keisere, Qianlong, til hest. Qianlong styrte landet i en lang periode på 1700-tallet