Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 197

Taiwan holds war games amid tensions and typhoon: What you need to know

Taiwan is currently in the midst of the 40th edition of its annual Han Kuang war games, intended to assess its readiness to withstand a full-scale invasion from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).But amid rising cross-strait tensions, Taiwanese defence officials have said this year’s five-day military drill, which began on Monday and will finish on Friday, will be the largest-ever held and a

Torbjørn Færøvik: Da kongen av Siam reiste til Nordkapp

Biler og busser kjører i kø til Nordkapp, leser jeg i avisen. Hvordan var det å ankomme det ytterste nøgne punkt i 1907? Svaret finner vi i dagboken til kong Chulalongkorn, som det året besøkte Norge. Den avholdte kongen av Siam (Thailand) ville gjøre seg kjent med forholdene i Europa. Rundreisen i Norge varte i 25 dager.Kong Chulalongkorn var nysgjerrig som få og dro fra sted til sted med bil og

China’s Cyber Operations: The Rising Threat to American Security

This study is based on open source materials. It utilizes a large body of data collected by the research team to examine China’s strategy, tactics, and operations in cyberspace as well as Internet communications in Chinese software development and cyber operations. China’s interest in cyber grew rapidly in response to what it observed in U.S. military operations starting with Operation Desert

‘Could we have imagined this moment would come?’: Kamala Harris and the rise of Indian American politicians

“We are here! We are here! We have arrived!” cheered the lawyer and activist Valarie Kaur, to more than 4,000 south Asian participants mobilizing for Kamala Harris on a Zoom call on Wednesday night.“I want to name this a historic moment – and as a moment for all of us to come together.” If elected, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee would become the first woman, first Black woman,

Justice Department responds to TikTok lawsuit, argues algorithm could allow Chinese government to influence US elections

Allowing TikTok to continue to be operated by its current parent company could allow the Chinese government to covertly influence US elections, the Justice Department said in a court filing late Friday. In a federal appeals court filing, prosecutors raised concerns that TikTok’s algorithm could be used in a “secret manipulation” campaign to “influence the views of Americans for its own purposes.”

'Atomic bomb hell must never be repeated' say Japan's last survivors

It was early in the day, but already hot. As she wiped sweat from her brow, Chieko Kiriake searched for some shade. As she did so, there was a blinding light - it was like nothing the 15-year-old had ever experienced. It was 08:15 on 6 August 1945.“It felt like the sun had fallen - and I grew dizzy,” she recalls.The United States had just dropped an atomic bomb on Chieko's home city of Hiroshima

Opinion: China’s ‘monster’ ship is a sign of a much bigger problem

For nearly 234 years, the US Coast Guard has been true to that ethos in carrying out its many missions around the country and the globe. Around the world, many countries with a coast guard use a facsimile of the distinguishing US Coast Guard ‘racing stripe’ and white paint scheme, which differentiates these vessels from the Navy, to mark their ships or cutters. It’s an homage, intended or

Peter Hessler: Sideline Sinology

When I moved to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, in August 2019, my intention was to take a break from journalism. I accepted a position at the Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute, where I agreed to a relatively full teaching load, with around 60 students per semester in writing and journalism classes. One of my goals was to get a sense of how Chinese students and universities had

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s anti-corruption clampdown: Who’s next?

In early July, former Vice-Premier and former chair of the Straits Exchange Foundation Cheng Wen-tsan was detained and held incommunicado for allegedly accepting bribes in the development of the Huaya Science Park. This is a bombshell to the political circles in Taiwan. Within two months of his presidency, Lai Ching-te has acted decisively against Cheng, who was once regarded as a potential

Shenzhen’s rising unemployment a growing national concern

After being laid off by a consulting company at the end of 2023, 35-year-old finance manager Zheng Min (pseudonym) has since been unemployed. Zheng, who is from Zhangzhou, Fujian, told Lianhe Zaobao that in the past half year, she has applied for more than 100 jobs in Xiamen. Either she was unsuccessful or the terms offered by the company did not meet her expectations.“I have been in finance for