Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 371

The pandemic forced Kim Jong Un into retreat. The world should brace for his resurgence

Ten years ago, the world watched as a young Kim Jong Un solemnly walked beside his father's hearse on a snowy morning in Pyongyang as distraught North Koreans wailed in grief. Kim's long black coat and hairstyle, reminiscent of his late grandfather Kim Il Sung, were viewed as a superficial effort to emulate the authority of his forebears.But the 20-something heir to the North Korean leadership

Kim Jong-un: N Korean defectors reflect on last decade

It's 10 years since an untested 27-year-old took power in North Korea and in that time few world leaders have generated as many headlines. But what has it been like living under Kim Jong-un? The sound of wailing filled the streets of Pyongyang. Students in their school uniforms fell to their knees and appeared inconsolable. Women were pictured clutching their hearts in despair.The tightly

US Congress passes import ban on Chinese Uyghur region

The US Congress has passed a bill that requires companies to prove that goods imported from China's Xinjiang region were not produced with forced labour. The US has accused China of genocide in its repression of the predominantly Muslim Uyghur minority there - a charge that China has repeatedly rejected. The bill had been criticised by major companies that do business in the area, including

Beijing criticises UK for creating ‘second-class citizens’ with Hong Kong visa scheme

Beijing has claimed the UK wants to make Hong Kongers “second-class citizens” with its British national (overseas) (BNO) visa scheme, after new figures showed almost 90,000 people have applied from the former British colony to resettle in the UK. “[I]n flagrant violation of its international commitment, the UK tries to turn many Hong Kong residents into ‘second-class citizens’ in the UK and reap

Microsoft warns China, Iran, North Korea and Turkey are exploiting recently revealed software vulnerability

Hackers linked with the governments of China, Iran, North Korea and Turkey have moved to exploit a critical flaw in software used by big tech firms around the world, Microsoft warned late Tuesday. The activity from the foreign hacking groups includes experimentation with the vulnerability, integration into existing hacking tools and "exploitation against targets to achieve the actor's objectives,

The Communist Party thinks China's prolific censors are not censoring enough

Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, has long been a prime target for stringent online censorship thanks to its broad audience base and ability to help influence public opinion. But in the eyes of the Chinese Communist Party, it is not censoring enough — and needs to pay a price, literally. On Tuesday, Weibo was fined $470,000 for repeatedly disseminating "illegal information" in violation of the

Joe Biden to Sign Bill Punishing China for Uyghur Forced Labor in Xinjiang

President Joe Biden will sign a new law banning products made with Uyghurforced labor in China, the White House has confirmed, in a blow to corporate interests that have lobbied against stricter import standards. The bipartisan and bicameral Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act passed the Houseby unanimous voice vote late on Tuesday. Introduced to the lower chamber by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), it

Putin, Xi Agree NATO Should Not Expand East, Plan to Meet During 2022 Beijing Olympics

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed support for Russia's plan to push back against NATO's potential eastward expansion. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed these moves and made arrangements to meet in person during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games on a video conference. According to Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, the two presidents also discussed "mounting threats to

As Biden Threatens Russia Sanctions, Putin Seeks Trade Alliance With China's Xi

As President Joe Biden threatens sanctions against Moscow over fears of a potential attack on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to forge a new trade alliance with Chinese President Xi Jinping in order to insulate both powers from U.S. economic pressure. In their 37th meeting over the course of eight years, Putin and Xi held a virtual summit Wednesday in which both men pledged

Beijing 2022: Putin tells Xi he will attend Winter Olympics

Russian president Vladimir Putin has pledged to attend the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, making him one of the first major world leaders to indicate his attendance. His remarks came in a video call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who said he looked forward to a "get-together".It comes as a growing number of countries have joined a diplomatic boycott of the Games. This is due to alleged