Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 171

From China’s Past: Lingchi, The Chinese Execution Method Reserved For The Most Vicious Criminals

In China from the 10th century until 1905, those convicted of crimes like high treason and mass murder could be sentenced to death by lingchi, a gruesome execution method in which victims were cut apart piece by piece until they died. Lingchi loosely translates to “slow slicing” or “death by a thousand cuts.” As the name implies, it was a drawn-out and brutal process wherein an executioner would

India’s Modi arrives in Ukraine for talks with Zelensky weeks after Putin meeting

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kyiv on Friday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that will be keenly watched in Russia as its assault on its neighbor grinds on. Modi’s visit, the first by an Indian leader since Ukrainian independence, comes just weeks after he traveled to Moscow in a symbolic first overseas trip of his new term as leader, where he held talks

Podcast: 'Master of Deceit': The trial of Shujun Wang

Shujun Wang is a 76 years old American who has lived for the last 30 years in New York as an impoverished scholar working in an insular community of pro-democracy advocates fighting for change in their homeland. That life turned upside-down when the FBI accused him of having a shocking secret: that he was actually spying for Beijing. He vigorously denied it but in August was found guilty on four

Apple, Spotify take down banned Hong Kong protest anthem

«Glory to Hong Kong», the anthem of 2019 Hong Kong protests, has been taken down by major streaming platforms Apple Music and Spotify around the world, despite only being banned in Hong Kong, its creators have said. "Distribution companies in the U.K., United States and Canada are kneeling down [to China]," DGX Music, the creative team behind "Glory to Hong Kong.” wrote on their Instagram account

Dalai Lama tells New York crowd he expects to live to more than 100

More than 17,000 people gathered Thursday in a New York sports arena to offer prayers for the long life of the 89-year-old Dalai Lama, who said he expected to live past 100. “I have done my best to benefit others and the Tibetan people,” the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader said in his first major public appearance following knee replacement surgery in June..“Going forward too, I will live for

From China’s Past: Portrait of an Emperor Qianlong: Ruler, Connoisseur, and Scholar

Perhaps no emperor in all of China’s history was more con- scious of his own image than Qianlong. Suitably enough, he loved to have his portrait painted, and scores of those renderings have survived: we can see him as a prince, tak- ing over control of the country from his shrewd and hard- nosed father Yongzheng; we can see him as an alert yetdecorous young ruler, shortly after succeeding to the

Global Risk Series: Sino-Japanese Tensions Will Escalate in the East China Sea

In early March 2024, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets in response to suspected airspace intrusions in the East China Sea. This is part of a decades-long dispute between China and Japan regarding competing claims over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. While, at present, neither side seeks an extreme escalation of tensions, conflict is increasingly likely within the next

China-Japan Relations at a Crossroads Amid Strategic Challenges

“One can change friends, but one cannot change neighbors”: This quote from a former Indian prime minister applies to China and Japan as well. Given their geographical proximity, both countries have a pressing need to find ways to cooperate and coexist. In late July, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Japanese counterpart, Kamikawa Yoko, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’

From China’s Past: Treaty Of Peace Between The Republic Of China And Japan (Treaty Of Taipei) 1952

Signed at Taipei, 28 April 1952, Entered into force, 5 August 1952, by the exchange of the instruments of ratification at Taipei: «The Republic of China and Japan, Considering their mutual desire for good neighbourliness in view of their historical and cultural ties and geographical proximity; Realising the importance of their close cooperation to the promotion of their common welfare and to

US charges Chinese dissident with allegedly spying for Beijing

US prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a Chinese dissident living in the US, accusing him of being an agent of Beijing's intelligence service. Yuanjun Tang, 67, was arrested on Wednesday in the New York City, the US department of justice (DOJ) said in a statement. He is alleged to have spied on US-based Chinese democracy activists and dissidents.Mr Tang, now a naturalised US citizen,