Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 387

Sara Duterte: Daughter of Philippines leader runs for vice-president

Sara Duterte, the eldest daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, is to run for vice-president in next year's elections. The move ends months of speculation about whether she was planning to run in the polls. She had been widely expected to bid to succeed her father, who cannot stand for another term as president.Ms Duterte, who is mayor of the major city of Davao, led opinion polls all

COP26: New global climate deal struck in Glasgow

A deal aimed at staving off dangerous climate change has been struck at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The Glasgow Climate Pact is the first ever climate deal to explicitly plan to reduce coal, the worst fossil fuel for greenhouse gases. The deal also presses for more urgent emission cuts and promises more money for developing countries - to help them adapt to climate impacts.But the pledges don't

Professor Arne Jon Isachsen: Xi Jinpings "China Dream"

Gjennom sin Drøm gjør Xi Jinping kineserne stolte og ivrige etter å oppfylle hans ønsker. Resten av verden må gi rom for et fremvoksende og mektig Kina. Men er drømmen basert på omskrivninger av virkeligheten? Fortelles historien selektivt?Read more

How has a new 'historical resolution' cemented Xi Jinping's power?

Party officials described Xi as "the helmsman" of Chinese rejuvenation and emphasized that the third resolution puts more emphasis on achievements and historical experiences. The press conference, however, didn't mention Xi's predecessors, and instead focused on what it deemed significant achievements of "socialism with Chinese characteristics" under his leadership."In the face of a serious

Hong Kong denies visa to Economist journalist in latest media blow

Hong Kong has refused to renew the visa of an Australian correspondent from the Economist, the newspaper’s chief editor said, amid a crackdown on free speech and dissent in the city. Sue-lin Wong is one of several foreign journalists working in Hong Kong to be forced out in recent years.Press freedoms in the once-outspoken city have been reined in as China remoulds Hong Kong, following huge

Beijing urges US businesses to lobby against China-related bills in Congress

China has been pushing US executives, companies and business groups in recent weeks to fight against China-related bills in the US Congress, four sources familiar with the initiative told Reuters, in letters to and meetings with a wide range of actors in the business community.Letters from China’s embassy in Washington have pressed executives to urge members of Congress to alter or drop specific

Provocative art exhibition opens in Italy amid Chinese embassy protests

At a museum in Brescia, northern Italy, Shanghai-born artist Badiucao is making final adjustments to an exhibition that has enraged Chinese officials. Images of President Xi Jinping and Winnie the Pooh -- a tongue-in-cheek comparison now widely censored on Chinese social media -- hang alongside a tribute to Wuhan whistleblower Li Wenliang and a depiction of riot police pursuing a protestor. Mock

A Duterte Dynasty in the Philippines?

Despite lacking in national political experience, Sara Duterte has developed a following from Filipino politicians and cultivated a mass base in Mindanao. In the 2019 elections, she headed Hugpong ng Pagbabago (Group for Change), a regional political party that successfully placed several politicians in the country’s nationally-elected Senate. She has displayed a modicum of independence from her

Simon Leitch: It is important to understand that China is a fascist dictatorship

It is important to understand that China is a fascist dictatorship. The term “fascist” is now thrown around with such carelessness that it has lost most of its meaning outside the offices of a few historians or political science professors. But fascism, in its original early twentieth century incarnation, meant a political system defined by three attributes—authoritarianism, ethnonationalism, and

Red star to black sun: China’s descent into fascism

In the recent Union debate on the global resurgence of fascism, I was struck by the total omission of China from the debate by all six speakers. This is symptomatic of a wider trend that overlooks China’s politics and rhetoric in favour of its overtly red aesthetics. From the genocide of Uighurs in Xinjiang to chauvinistic posturing on its borders, Xi Jinping’s China resembles fascist Italy,