Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 222

India’s booming population needs more women at work

Last month, India surpassed China as the world's most populous country, prompting analysts to point out the potential benefits of its significant young demographic. However, a major obstacle to realising this potential is the insufficient representation of women in India's workforce. The BBC's Arunoday Mukharji reports.When Lavanya Ulaganathan decided to take a break from work in 2014 to have a

Cheng Lei: 1,000 days imprisoned in China for an unknown reason

"One thousand days is a shockingly long time in detention," says Nick Coyle. He is speaking about his partner, Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who remains in a Chinese prison. The details of the charges against her are still a secret and she has not been sentenced.Like Ms Cheng's other friends and family, Mr Coyle says he still has no idea what she is supposed to have done to warrant this

Canadian diplomat expelled from China in tit–for-tat measure

China on Tuesday expelled a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai, a day after Canada announced it would expel a Chinese diplomat over allegations he was involved in efforts to intimidate a Canadian politician. In a statement Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry said it strongly condemned the expulsion of Toronto-based diplomat Zhao Wei, and as “reciprocal countermeasure,” would declare Jennifer Lynn

‘Everything is gone’: entire Indian villages burned in ethnic violence

The road to Heirokland is smooth and freshly laid, with a sign proclaiming it part of an Indian government development initiative. But ethnic violence has reduced the village itself to little more than smouldering ashes. Sanatomba picked through the ruins of his sister’s home in the north-eastern state of Manipur, trying to salvage anything of value, but could only recover a traditional stool.“

Hong Kong passes law to limit work of foreign lawyers amid ongoing Jimmy Lai case

Hong Kong’s government has passed a law that allows authorities to ban foreign lawyers from working on national security cases, completing a months-long effort to block a UK lawyer from defending media mogul and activist Jimmy Lai. The amendment, which was passed unanimously by the Legislative Council on Thursday, gives the chief executive the power to veto any foreign lawyer from working on

Canada to expel Chinese diplomat following allegations of foreign influence

Canada on Monday expelled a Chinese diplomat following allegations Beijing tried to intimidate a Canadian politician and interfere in the country’s elections, in a move that raises tensions between the two countries. Canada declared Toronto-based diplomat Zhao Wei “persona non grata,” its Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement Monday.“I have been clear: we will not tolerate any form of

China says relations with US on ‘cold ice,’ but stabilizing ties a ‘top priority’

China’s foreign minister said Monday a “series of erroneous words and deeds” by the United States had placed relations between the two superpowers on “cold ice,” but stabilizing ties is a “top priority.” Qin Gang made the comments during a meeting in Beijing with US ambassador Nicholas Burns, their first since a dispute over a Chinese balloon shattered efforts to mend ties earlier this year.Qin

After 1,000 days in China detention, family renews call for release of Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei

Friends and family of Australian television anchor Cheng Lei on Monday renewed calls for her release from detention in China, 1,000 days after she was held by authorities on espionage charges. Cheng, a former business anchor for China’s state broadcaster CGTN and mother of two, is accused of illegally supplying state secrets overseas, a charge that carries a possible sentence of between five

Asia’s arms race: potential flashpoints from Taiwan to the South China Sea

Global militarisation has increased rapidly over the course of the 21st century, with a clear recalibration towards the Asia Pacific. Between 2000 and 2021, annual military spending increased from $1.12trn (in 2020 dollar terms) to $2.11trn. In that time, the share of global defence spending in Asia and Oceania increased from 18% to 28%, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International

China’s war chest: how Beijing is using its currency to insulate against future sanctions

For more than a decade, Beijing has been trying to reduce its reliance on the dollar, motivated by risks emerging from the US economy – such as the financial crash of 2008 – and the desire to boost its own sphere of influence. But in the last year, a drive to insulate China’s economy from dollar-based sanctions has emerged as possibly the most important incentive for decoupling from the dollar,