Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 51

Maps Show Russian Territory China Could Annex Amid FSB 'Suspicion'

Russia fears China could annex part of its Far East region, including the port city of Vladivostok, and beyond, according to a leaked document from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The eight-page internal FSB document, obtained by The New York Times, reveals that despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's outward projection of warm ties with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, he fears Beijing is

Is Chinese President Xi Jinping on his way out?

Over the past few months, unprecedented developments point to the potential, and potentially imminent, fall of China’s “Chairman of Everything” Xi Jinping. Chinese Communist Party elders — including Hu Jintao, Xi’s immediate predecessor, whom Xi humiliated at the 20th Party Congress in 2022 — are now running things behind the scenes. Xi is in poor health and likely to retire at the CCP Plenary

US, China formalize deal on rare earth shipments in trade breakthrough

China on Friday signaled it would approve the export of rare earth minerals to the US, hours after White House officials said the two sides had reached a deal, in what would be a major breakthrough following weeks of negotiations over US access to the key materials. Rare earths – essential in everything from everyday electronics to fighter jets – had become a key focus of trade frictions between

The ‘Central Contradiction’ That Plagued Xi Jinping’s Father

As China’s top leader, biographical details of Xi Jinping are tightly controlled. Official biographies are scripted and arranged around key messaging approved by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). That historical flattening applies to Xi Zhongxun, Jinping’s father as well. Though less known outside of China than his peers like Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai, Xi Zhongxun too was one of the elder

Taiwan’s Model for Digital Defense of Democracy Goes Global

Taiwan, widely considered the world’s most-targeted democracy for foreign disinformation, made headlines earlier this month as it became a founding member in a new coalition formed by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). Convening policymakers and industry experts, the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Group on Elections (AI AGE) will build bridges between democratic

US strikes on Iran may strengthen North Korea’s nuclear resolve, experts warn

The U.S. air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities will have reinforced North Korea’s perception that possessing nuclear weapons is essential for its survival and may even prompt Pyongyang to accelerate the development of its nuclear capabilities, warned South Korean experts.U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that the U.S. had conducted “massive precision strikes” on three Iranian

Torbjørn Færøvik: A Quiet Afternoon in Hafez’ Garden

In a time when Iran dominates the news and the world seems to be falling apart, I send a kind thought to Iran’s national poet, Hafez. True, he is dead, but he still lives on. I became acquainted with him several years ago, while traveling in Iran. After covering endless miles through barren landscapes, I arrived in the city of Shiraz, a true oasis of water and life. It didn’t take long before I

Torbjørn Færøvik: En stille stund i Hafez’ hage

I en tid hvor Iran preger nyhetsbildet og verden går av hengslene, sender jeg en vennlig tanke til den iranske nasjonaldikteren Hafez. Død er han riktignok, men han lever fremdeles.Jeg ble kjent med ham for flere år siden, på reise i Iran. Etter å ha tilbakelagt uendelige mil gjennom golde landskaper kom jeg til byen Shiraz, en sann oase av vann og liv. Det varte ikke lenge før jeg befant meg i

Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Party To Disband Under Pressure From Beijing

The League of Social Democrats, a pro-democracy party with a 19-year history, has announced it will hold a press conference Sunday to announce its disbandment, signaling the disappearance of pro-democracy parties from Hong Kong’s political landscape.«Next year would have marked the 20th anniversary of our founding, but we will not make it to that day,»LSD said in a media notice on Friday. “We are

75 years after he was kidnapped to North Korea, these sisters still hope to see their brother

Min Young-jae has not seen or heard anything about her eldest brother for 75 years. He was 19 and she was only 2 when, during the early days of the Korean War, he was kidnapped to the North. “We were known in the neighborhood as a happy family,” the now 77-year-old told CNN, as her older sister Min Jeong-ja nodded in agreement.Their peaceful days were shattered on June 25, 1950, when North Korea