Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 322

BEIJING SNAPSHOT: At Olympics, differing views of the news

Reporters from other countries and their Chinese counterparts seem to have different approaches to the daily news conferences at the Beijing Olympics. Thursday’s briefing showcased the varied agendas. IOC spokesman Mark Adams often gives the first question at the briefings to representatives from China Global Television Network, part of CMG — the China Media Group. Then he mixes it up.The hot

UP elections 2022: Why western Uttar Pradesh is key for BJP

As the bellwether Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, commonly known as UP, begins elections to choose a new government on Thursday, voting is being held in the key western districts that border the Indian capital, Delhi. The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Meerut and Vikas Pandey in Delhi explain why a lot hinges on what happens in the region known as "western UP".On a cold winter day last week, hundreds of

Blinken says century will be shaped by Indo-Pacfic region

The United States remains focused long-term on the Indo-Pacific region despite concerns over Russian aggression toward Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday. Blinken is in the Australian city of Melbourne for a meeting on Friday with his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan. The four nations form the so-called “Quad,” a bloc of Indo-Pacific democracies that was

Beijing's Industrial Wasteland Setting for Winter Olympics Horrifies Viewers

The location for one of the events at Beijing's winter Olympics has been compared to a "hellscape" online, as the ramp is situated amidst an industrial park. China's capital is currently hosting the XXIV Olympic Winter Games, as athletes battle it out for a podium finish in 15 disciplines across seven sports, according to the official website. As the games got underway, there were raised eyebrows

After video of shackled woman shocks China, similar case emerges in same village

After a video of a woman shackled to the wall of a shed caused public uproar over the Lunar New Year, a video shot by the same social media user in the same village showing a second woman in an apparently similar situation has emerged. In a since-deleted video posted to China's TikTok equivalent Douyin, a woman in Feng county's Dongji village is seen lying on the dirt floor of a home. She appears

The small islands that could be the first target in a clash between China, Taiwan, and the US

Everything old is new again, and we walk in footprints that have already been made. In the early stages of the Cold War, the United States and Chinanearly came to blows over a pair of small islands off of China's coast. In 1955 and again in 1958, China and the United States came dangerously close to active combat over control of Quemoy and Matsu, two small islands just off the coast of the

US Secretary of State Blinken Starts Pacific Tour in Australia

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and key allies are “voting with their feet” by flying to Australia to focus on challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia’s foreign minister said Wednesday, as fears rise of a Russian invasion of Ukraine on the other side of the globe. Blinken landed in the Australian city of Melbourne on Wednesday ahead of a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister

No snow, no problem: Winter sports are booming in China

Eric Zhang was born in Chongqing, in southern China, and grew up enjoying warm-weather activities. But when he went to graduate school in New York City, he began to understand the allure of snow. Since then, he has become a keen skier. Now, he's raising his twin toddlers in China as lovers of winter sports.The timing couldn't be better, as China is now hosting the Winter Olympics in Beijing. A

Hong Kong's tough Covid laws threatened by virus surge

Hong Kong has recorded more than 1,000 Covid infections for the first time since the pandemic began in a worrying milestone for officials who are aggressively pushing for zero-Covid. The city has some of the toughest virus restrictions in the world. Those who test positive for Covid are sent straight to hospital and there are strict curbs on dining out and social gatherings. There are fears that

The Chinese Legislature’s Hidden Agenda

For about a decade, China’s national legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), made real improvements to its transparency. In 2008, it started soliciting public comments once on almost every major bill. Since 2013, it has been asking for comments multiple times for the same bill. In 2015, it codified “legislative openness” as a guiding principle for lawmaking. Most recently, in the