Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 43

Ghoton Tribute: A Testament to the Unseen Nation Within Me

Ploughing through mountains where only the superhuman dare, my people carried the future of a nation on their backs. No god extended a hand, no other race stood behind us. My people worked wonders to give me this day to pen down my feelings.I carry within me the gratefulness owed to the Buddha of Compassion and the unbreakable thread of the Dharma that binds us all together. Faith was all we had,

China’s Xinjiang-Tibet Railway to be Strategic; most costly and difficult in the world

The Xinjiang -Tibet Railway which China plans to begin building later this year will be the most expensive as well as technically the most difficult to build in the world by far, reported ejinsight.com Aug 15, citing Chinese sources. The objective is strategic, and less of commercial value, the report noted.The new railway line will run between Hotan in East Turkestan (Xinjiang province) and

Torbjørn Færøvik: 10. oktober blir en svart dag for Donald Trump

Den 10. oktober blir en skuffelsens dag for Donald Trump. Da kunngjør Nobelkomiteens leder hvem som tildeles årets fredspris - og det blir ikke Trump. Reaksjonene fra Det ovale kontor kan bli sterke. Regjeringen gjør derfor klokt i å forberede seg på kløktig krisehåndtering.«We have a great relationship with Norway. Great leader, great people», sa en smørblid Trump da Jonas Gahr Støre og Jens

China's Xi touts unity and development in surprise Tibet visit

President Xi Jinping urged unity on a surprise visit to Tibet, appearing before 20,000 people to mark 60 years since China created the autonomous region after annexing it. In what is only his second presidential visit to the tightly-controlled region, Xi praised the local government for "engaging in a thorough struggle against separatism" - a reference to decades-old Tibetan resistance to Beijing

Beijing opposes 'bully' US for 50% tariffs on India

Chinese ambassador to India Xu Feihong has said that Beijing "firmly opposes" Washington's steep tariffs on Delhi and called for greater co-operation between India and China. Xu likened the US to a "bully", saying that it had long benefitted from free trade but was now using tariffs as a "bargaining chip" to demand "exorbitant prices" from other nations."US has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on

North Korea in Ukraine: Analyzing Authoritarian Cooperation

The deployment of North Korean forces to Ukraine marks a critical inflection point in global security dynamics, challenging long-held assumptions about the limits of cooperation between authoritarian states. This development, unprecedented in its implications, reveals even absent formal alliances or ideological cohesion, the strategic realignment among authoritarian states has the potential to

North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go

Captured during the Korean War and imprisoned for decades for refusing to renounce his political beliefs, 95-year-old Ahn Hak-sop now has a single dying wish: to return to North Korea and be buried alongside his comrades. Ahn has spent most of his life resisting what he calls the American “occupation” of South Korea – first as a soldier in the North Korean army, and later as a dissident in the

Kim Jong Un says his ‘heart aches’ over North Korean soldiers killed fighting for Russia, in rare admission of losses

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has paid an emotional tribute to soldiers killed while fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, saying his ‘heart aches’ in a rare admission of military losses. Kim made the comments on Thursday at a ceremony in Pyongyang, where he met with commanders of a unit that had fought for Russia in the western Kursk region, according to North Korean state media KCNA

China Slowly Making Security Inroads in Southeast Asia, Report Says

China’s efforts to build up its security engagement with the nations of Southeast Asia are starting to make progress, Sydney’s Lowy Institute Analysis said in a new report, although the United States remains by far the region’s most influential security player.The report, published yesterday, analyzed Southeast Asia’s defense agreements, dialogues, and joint military exercises with ten countries:

If China and India Mend Ties, Will South Asia Finally See More Stability?

With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to New Delhi from August 18 to 20, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi preparing for his first visit to China in seven years for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, the South Asian region is on the brink of significant changes. Most of the analysis on the subject emphasizes the contentious