Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 245

How US Marines are being reshaped for China threat

The US military commitment to the Pacific was underlined in a White House meeting between the leaders of the US and Japan. But behind the scenes, this renewed focus on Asia has sparked a fierce debate within one of its most fabled military forces, writes defence analyst Jonathan Marcus. A bitter family row has erupted in one of the US military's most hallowed institutions, the US Marine Corps.A

How Indians crack one of the world's toughest exams

For close to three years, Gamini Singla stayed away from friends, did not go on a vacation and avoided family meetings and celebrations. She stopped bingeing on takeaways, going to the cinema and stepped away from social media. Instead, at her family home near the northern Indian city of Chandigarh, she woke up at the crack of dawn, pored over text books and studied for up to 10 hours a day. She

Lakes on Tibetan Plateau Freezing Late, Melting Early: Study

The lakes on the world’s highest plateau showed a trend of delayed freezing and melting that took place earlier than usual over the four decades up until 2017, a new study found, underscoring the impact of climate change on some of the planet’s most vulnerable regions.Around four-fifths of the 132 lakes monitored on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau saw the length of time they were covered by ice

How Climate Whiplash Is Upending Life in Rural China

This summer, Jiangxi province suffered a record-breaking drought and high temperatures. People in Jiangxi, especially farmers, suffered severe losses throughout the summer, when there was almost no rainfall. Dried-up rice fields, cotton fields, and fish ponds could be seen almost everywhere across the province. From an aerial view, we saw that China’s largest freshwater lake — Poyang Lake —

China’s Spring Festival 2023 in Numbers

Packed movie theaters. Crowded tourist sites. Congested transportation. This year’s Lunar New Year has seen a surge of people and activities across sectors, as millions of people welcomed the Year of the Rabbit without being preoccupied too much about COVID-19. This was the first time in three years that many traveled home for their annual family reunion or took restriction-free leisurely

Is it Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year? Depends who you ask

Last week, K-pop singer Danielle Marsh asked her online fans what they were doing for Chinese New Year. A profuse apology followed two days later, in which she promised to “try to be more careful” and acknowledged the “hurt” she had caused. Her crime? The “Chinese” that preceded “New Year.”A longstanding debate over the usage of “Chinese New Year” versus “Lunar New Year” has reignited in recent

‘It was all for nothing’: Chinese count cost of Xi’s snap decision to let Covid rip

When Sunny thinks back to March last year, she laughs ruefully at the ordeal. The 19-year-old Shanghai student spent that month locked in her dormitory, unable to shop for essentials or wash clothes, even banned from showering for two weeks over Covid fears. In April, the entire city locked down. It was the beginning of the chaos of 2022, as local Chinese authorities desperately tried to follow

Torbjørn Færøvik: Femti år siden Paris-avtalen om Vietnam

Paris 27. januar 1973. Under en blek morgensol stanset en lang rekke svarte limousiner foran det elegante Hotel Majestic på Rue Laperouse. Ut av bilene strømmet et stort antall dresskledde menn som straks samlet seg rundt et bord i hotellets ballsal. En time senere var Vietnam-krigen offisielt over. ”USA vil stanse alle sine militære handlinger mot territoriet til Den demokratiske republikken

WOMEN BALK AT CHINESE GOVERNMENT PLANS TO RAISE BIRTH RATE

Last week, the Chinese government announced that the country’s population had declined for the first time in decades, setting off a cacophony of alarm bells among those concerned about China’s demographic destiny. Chinese women, by contrast, have largely ignored the hoopla. As demonstrated in numerous commentaries over traditional and social media this week, women have little interest in

In Beijing's backyard, U.S. demonstrates its military might

Over a few hours under grey skies, dozens of combat planes and helicopters roar on and off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Nimitz, in a demonstration of U.S. military power in some of the world's most hotly contested waters. MH-60 Seahawk helicopters and F/A-18 Hornet jets bearing pilot call signs like "Fozzie Bear", "Pig Sweat" and "Bongoo" emit deafening screams as they land in the