Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 395

Pentagon sharply raises estimate of China's nuclear expansion

China is rapidly accelerating the expansion of its nuclear stockpile and is likely seeking to quadruple its number of nuclear warheads by 2030, according to the Pentagon's annual report to Congress on China's military power.U.S. officials and experts have raised alarms at reports of China's nuclear expansion and testing of advanced weapons capabilities, including a hypersonic missile this summer,

USA: Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China A Report to Congress

The PRC’s strategy aims to achieve “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” by2049 to match or surpass U.S. global influence and power, displace U.S. alliances andsecurity partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, and revise the international order tobe more advantageous to Beijing’s authoritarian system and national interests. Thisstrategy can be characterized as a determined pursuit of

As Hong Kong sinks deeper into isolation, foreign firms despair

Before the pandemic, Basil Hwang enjoyed a globe-trotting lifestyle synonymous with high-flying expat executives in Hong Kong, travelling to visit his family in Singapore two or three times each month. These days, Hwang, who holds management positions at several Hong Kong-based firms, only manages to see his children twice a year – a result of the city adhering to some of the toughest quarantine

In Rural China, a Debate Over How to Keep Men’s Beds Warm

With much of southern China still experiencing unseasonably warm weather, one of the hottest topics on social media recently might come as a surprise: how should the country keep rural men’s beds warm?Last week, not long after county-level officials in the central province of Hunan published a document declaring that “the issue of aging, unmarried rural men is gradually ceasing to be an

China’s Personal Information Protection Law is Here. What’s Changing?

You go out for a bowl of noodles, and have to share your name and phone number to order. You ride in a taxi, and leave a trail the company can use to see where you work. If you walk outside, dozens of cameras train their face recognition algorithms on you. In Chinese cities, there’s no escaping data collection.Many people are fed up. Most restaurants in large Chinese cities require diners to scan

Why Is the Islamic State in Afghanistan’s Propaganda Targeting China?

On October 8, a suicide bomber struck a Shiite mosque in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province. The bombing killed more than 70 people and injured over 140 worshippers belonging to the Hazara minority community. Soon after, the Islamic State terror group’s local affiliate in Afghanistan, known Islamic State Khorasan (ISK), claimed responsibility for the heinous attack via an online propaganda statement.

She was sold to a stranger so her family could eat as Afghanistan crumbles

Parwana Malik, a 9-year-old girl with dark eyes and rosy cheeks, giggles with her friends as they play jump rope in a dusty clearing. But Parwana's laughter disappears as she returns home, a small hut with dirt walls, where she's reminded of her fate: she's being sold to a stranger as a child bride. The man who wants to buy Parwana says he's 55, but to her, he's "an old man" with white eyebrows

China and Russia revive push to lift UN sanctions on North Korea

China and Russia are pushing the United Nations Security Council to ease sanctions on North Korea, reviving a similar previous attempt that had flailed in 2019. The two countries filed a reworked draft resolution, seen by Reuters on Monday, that proposes removing a ban on Pyongyang's exports of statues, seafood and textiles, as well as lifting a cap on refined petroleum imports.China and Russia

COP26: World leaders promise to end deforestation by 2030

More than 100 world leaders will promise to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, in the COP26 climate summit's first major deal. Brazil - where stretches of the Amazon rainforest have been cut down - will be among the signatories on Tuesday. The pledge includes almost £14bn ($19.2bn) of public and private funds.Experts welcomed the move, but warned a previous deal in 2014 had "failed to slow

Thailand reopens to vaccinated tourists after 18 months of Covid curbs

Thailand has opened its borders to vaccinated travellers from more than 60 countries , the largest restart of tourism yet in south-east Asia where borders have mostly remained shut throughout the pandemic. Starting on Monday, Thailand is allowing visitors from 63 countries to visit without the need to quarantine. It is hoped the measure, announced just ahead of the peak tourism season, will