Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 329

China’s Espionage Plans for the 2022 Winter Olympics: What Athletes Should Expect

As the world prepares for the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the athletes will have to contend with more than just competing in their chosen sport. The Chinese government will implement extensive surveillance efforts to ensure the safety of all involved, to control the spread of COVID-19, and to serve China’s political interests. It is the latter reason that is of particular concern.China’s national

Ancient Bhutan trail set to open for first time in 60 years

Bhutan is one of the world's most mysterious countries. Visiting the Land of the Thunder Dragon can be challenging, but there's new incentive to finally cross it off the bucket list in 2022, as its breathtaking Trans Bhutan Trail will be reopening to travelers for the first time in 60 years. According to the Bhutan Canada Foundation -- the principal donor to the restoration project -- the

Beijing’s “green” Winter Olympics looks as fake as its snow

“Clean and green” was China’s promise for the Winter Olympics, which begin in Beijing on 4 February. Yet to allow the world’s best skiers and snowboarders to show off their prowess, China has felled 20,000 trees from a nature reserve and will create all of its snow artificially using masses of water and a handful of chemicals. Snow lines retreating and glaciers melting because of climate change

Yes, China is going to spy on the Olympic athletes. Its mandatory app is just the tip of the iceberg.

As the world prepares for the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the athletes will have to contend with more than just competing in their chosen sport. The Chinese government will implement extensive surveillance efforts to ensure the safety of all involved, to control the spread of COVID-19, and to serve China’s political interests. It is the latter reason that is of particular concern.China’s national

Race to salvage US F-35C fighter jet that crashed in hostile South China Sea

The US navy is racing to salvage an F-35C fighter jet from the bottom of the South China Sea after it crashed on an aircraft carrier and plunged overboard – taking with it highly classified technology that would be a coup if China retrieved it first. The F-35C crashed-landed on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson during routine operations on Monday, the navy said, injuring six sailors and the pilot,

Images emerge of one of the US Navy's newest stealth fighters crashing into the sea

Images have emerged of a US Navy F-35C stealth fighter crashing into the South China Sea earlier this week. The F-35C, a single-engine stealth fighter and the newest jet in the US Navy fleet, crash-landed on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during routine operations on Monday, the Navy said. The $100 million warplane impacted the flight deck of the 100,000-ton aircraft carrier and then fell

Support of Taiwan independence could spark US military conflict with China, Chinese ambassador says

China and the United States could end up in a military conflict if the United States encourages Taiwan's independence, Beijing's ambassador to Washington said in a US radio interview broadcast on Friday. China considers the neighboring, democratically ruled island of Taiwan its "sacred" territory and has never renounced the use of force to ensure eventual unification. "Let me emphasize this. The

China claims to be holding the greenest Olympics. So why has it built a ski resort in the middle of a nature reserve?

China has touted its newly completed Olympic ski venue as an example of its commitment to making the Beijing Games the greenest and cleanest in history. But there's just one problem -- it was built in the middle of a nature reserve. Chinese organizers say the National Alpine Ski Center in Yanqing, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) from central Beijing, will be 100% powered by wind and solar energy. 

Barbados’ New Republic: A Win for China?

On November 30, 2021, the island of Barbados parted ways with the British monarchy, thus ending their 400-year relationship. A few months later, on January 19, 2022, the incumbent government won in landslide elections. How were these events connected? And what role, if any, did China play?The Barbadian government first revealedthe clearly very popular plans to remove Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II

China’s new land border law comes into effect amid brewing trouble

On January 1, the Land Boundary Law of the People’s Republic of Chinacame into effect. The law will govern all Chinese state activities in border areas and related issues, including the management and defense of frontier areas. Beijing adopted the law on October 23 last year amid heightened tensions with neighboring India, which led to speculation that the law was directed at securing Chinese