Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 310

Solomon Islands leader defends possible China security deal, calls backlash 'very insulting'

The Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands on Tuesday defended the country's possible security deal with China, hitting back at critics and calling their protests "very insulting." The Pacific Island nation confirmed last week it would expand its security relationship with China -- prompting alarm from regional leaders wary of Beijing's growing reach. "We find it very insulting to be branded as

Shanghai Covid: Oil prices fall after city starts lockdown

Global oil prices have fallen as China starts to implement a city-wide lockdown in Shanghai, an important financial and manufacturing hub. Brent crude lost more than $4.50 a barrel on concerns that the move would mean that demand for oil will fall. The Shanghai Composite stock index fell in early trade before regaining most of the losses later in the day.The lockdown, which began on Monday, is

China: How is its zero-Covid strategy changing?

China's zero-Covid policy has been among the strictest approaches to tackling the pandemic anywhere in the world. But a recent surge in infections is forcing it to reconsider how it deals with the pandemic. The latest jump in daily cases, widely spread across the country, has been driven largely by the Omicron variant. Tens of millions of people in China, including the entire north-eastern

Ukraine crisis: Why India is buying more Russian oil

Russia is seeking new markets for its oil exports as Western sanctions tighten - and India has been taking advantage of discounted prices to ramp up imports from the country. The US has said that although these oil imports do not violate sanctions, "support for Russia...is support for an invasion that obviously is having a devastating impact".After the US and China, India is the world's

Filippo Osella: The UK academic who was deported from Kerala

In the early hours of 24 March, Filippo Osella flew into India's southern city of Trivandrum from London on a routine research trip to India. Prof Osella, an anthropologist at the University of Sussex, had been visiting India on work for more than 30 years.The South Asian specialist had spent much of that time in the state of Kerala, of which Trivandrum is the capital. This time Prof Osella was

Shanghai to lock down millions for mass testing as China’s Covid cases surge

Shanghai will launch a phased lockdown to curb an Omicron-fuelled Covid-19 outbreak that has hit China with its highest caseloads since the early days of the pandemic, the city government said. China’s biggest city will lock down its eastern half from Monday until Friday, officials said, followed by a similar lockdown of its western side beginning on 1 April. The metropolis of 25 million people

Is the EU-China Investment Agreement Dead?

“We know we are in a complicated phase of relations with China,” European Union trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis said recently, referencing the upcoming April 1 virtual summit between Brussels and Beijing. The summit arrives at an inopportune and awkward time for both sides. Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine and China’s reluctance to condemn it has caused the EU’s 27 member states to “rethink”

Amid the Ukraine Crisis, China-Russia Economic Relations Remain Lukewarm

Amid Europe’s worst military crisis in decades, countries around the world faced mounting pressure to choose sides between Russia and Ukraine. China, in particular, has faced outspoken criticism from Western officials and foreign policy commentators, who see Beijing as openly supporting Russia. China has meticulously shunned any provocative language, mostly repeating Russian official statements.

Taliban reversal on girls’ education derails US plan for diplomatic recognition

The US was poised to set the Taliban on the path to diplomatic recognition before the plan was derailed by the Afghan rulers’ sudden U-turn on a promise to allow girls’ education, the Guardian understands. The group prompted international outrage and confusion on Wednesday when it reneged on a deal to allow teenage girls to go to secondary school, just a week after the education ministry

A Long Road to Nowhere: 10 Years of the Kim Jong Un Regime

To one of the 20th century’s greatest poets, T.S. Eliot, April “is the cruelest month.” But for the North Korean state, April is the month of festivities. In 1974, North Korean government designated April 15 – the birthday of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea and grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un – as the nation’s biggest public holiday calling it the Day of the Sun.This April 15