Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 312

China doesn't have a Covid exit plan. Two years in, people are fed up and angry

For two years, people in China have largely tolerated living under some of the world's most stringent Covid-19 controls. Restricted borders, constant digital tracking, and the potential for mass testing and snap lockdowns whenever a handful of cases appeared were all trade-offs for a comparatively Covid-free life while the pandemic raged overseas.But China's inability to bring its latest outbreak

Frustration with Covid response grows in China as daily cases near 5,000

China reported almost 5,000 Covid-19 cases on Friday, as authorities continued to battle an outbreak of the highly transmissible Omicron variant across multiple provinces and as evidence of frustration among the population grew. After the death of a nurse in Shanghai who was denied hospitalisation after suffering an asthma attack, many are angry that China’s Covid responses appear to be causing

A security agreement between China and Solomon Islands could impact stability in the whole Pacific

A leaked draft security agreement being negotiated between China and Solomon Islands could have security implications for the whole Pacific. The draft document sets out a broad framework covering Chinese “police, armed police, military personnel and other law enforcement and armed forces” deployments to Solomon Islands. The agreement also allows China, with the consent of Solomon Islands, to make

Solomon Islands confirms China security draft, alarming Australia

Solomon Islands has confirmed it is drafting a security deal with China - a move that's triggered alarm in neighbouring Australia and other Western allies in the Indo-Pacific. Leaked papers indicate a Chinese military base could potentially be set up on the island to Australia's north. That's sparked concern from Australia, long the chief defence partner and biggest aid donor to the tiny island.

Ukraine: India 'feeling the heat' over neutrality

On Monday, US President Joe Biden told a meeting of business leaders in Washington that among the so-called Quad group of nations, India was being "somewhat shaky" in its response to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The US, Japan and Australia - the three other members of this coalition formed to counter China's influence - have been "extremely strong in terms of dealing with Putin's

China Eastern Airlines grounds 223 Boeing 737-800 aircraft after crash

China Eastern Airlines is grounding dozens of aircraft after a deadly crash earlier this week. The airline and its subsidiaries have temporarily grounded 223 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, airline spokesperson Liu Xiaodong said in a press conference on Thursday. The same type of plane was involved in the crash. The grounded aircraft are undergoing safety inspection and maintenance to ensure that they

How ‘Ascension’ Became the Must-Watch China Documentary of 2022

Outside a five-star hotel on the tropical Chinese island of Hainan, a young model wearing a flowing white dress and an oversized sun hat is complaining bitterly about having to work in the afternoon heat. “I’m dying under this sun,” she says to her photographer. “Oh god, I can get a heat stroke here.”As the woman strolls back toward the shade, the camera lingers on a middle-aged worker squatting

Afghanistan girls' tears over chaotic Taliban schools U-turn

Early this morning, at her home on a hilltop in the west of Kabul, 15-year-old Marzia packed her bag for school, for the first time since the Taliban took power last August. "I became so, so happy when I heard school was restarting," she told the BBC. "It makes me hopeful about the future again."Around 200 other girls had also made their way to the Sayed ul Shuhada school, far fewer than usual,

Torbjørn Færøvik: Nå handler det om å overleve

Nå handler det om å overleve. Å pløye, harve og så. Men vil Putin gi de ukrainske bøndene arbeidsro? Fra byer og landsbyer stiger svart røyk, på himmelen farer dødelige missiler. Viktige forsyningslinjer er brutt, og lass på lass med såkorn, gjødsel og sprøytemidler sitter fast bak røyksøylene. Drivstoff er også en mangelvare. Hvordan skal bøndene få liv i traktorene og landbruksmaskinene uten

Taiwan considers extending 4-month military conscription

Taiwan is considering extending its four-month compulsory military service, its defense minister said Wednesday, amid concerns about the self-governing island democracy’s tensions with China, which have been underscored by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said the government would not implement any changes immediately but he vowed it would release the results of its