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Typhoon Gaemi was weakening as it churned toward mainland China on Thursday, hours after the storm’s powerful winds and heavy rains submerged roads and forced the suspension of hundreds of flights in nearby Taiwan. The tropical cyclone made landfall on Taiwan on Wednesday night with wind speeds equivalent to those of a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, a U.S. Navy forecasting organization. As of Thursday the storm had killed at least six people in Taiwan and the Philippines. Gaemi was moving across the Taiwan Strait early Thursday afternoon. It was expected to make landfall in the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian in the late afternoon or evening with the force of a Category 1 hurricane.

Persons: Gaemi Organizations: Typhoon, U.S . Navy Locations: China, Taiwan, U.S, Philippines, Taiwan Strait, Chinese, Fujian

☆ What a Professor’s Firing Shows About Sexual Harassment in China
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Tiffany May | Zixu Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the video, the Chinese graduate student stared straight into the camera as she spoke. Then she issued an explosive accusation: A prominent professor at a top Chinese university had been sexually harassing her for two years. The next day, Renmin University fired Mr. Wang, saying that officials had investigated the student’s allegations and found that they were true. The swift response by the university reflected the growing pressure that Chinese academic institutions have come under to curb sexual harassment on campus. In recent years, several schools have been accused of not doing enough to protect their students from tutors and professors who preyed on them.

Persons: Wang Guiyuan, Wang Organizations: Communist Party, Renmin University’s School of Liberal Arts, Renmin University Locations: Beijing

☆ Hong Kong’s Bouncy ‘Wonders’ Leave Some Wondering, ‘Why?’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-21 | by ( Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With darkness falling along Hong Kong’s waterfront against a backdrop of glimmering skyscrapers, carnival music competed with the whine of ventilation blowers as visitors bounced on the inflatable Stonehenge. The puffy white megalithic replica was part of an installation put up this month for SummerFest, a public outdoor festival that continues for several weeks. The exhibit, “Inflatable Wonders,” has attracted crowds. Some people have also been asking why more local artists aren’t being used for projects like this one. White is a color associated with death in East Asia, and the shapes of the Stonehenge have drawn comparisons to tombstones.

Persons: Joann, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, ”, aren’t Locations: Hong, Easter, East Asia, Hong Kong

☆ Cooking Oil in Dirty Fuel Tankers? Report Raises Alarms in China.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Tiffany May | Amy Chang Chien | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Chinese government said it would start a food-safety investigation after public outrage followed a news report that a tanker truck carried liquefied coal and was then immediately used to transport cooking oil. Last week, The Beijing News, which has a reputation as one of mainland China’s boldest newspapers, reported that it had witnessed a tanker truck previously used to transport industrial coal oil being loaded with soybean oil. The tanker was not sterilized between the loads, according to the newspaper, which said the episode took place in late May in Yanjiao, in Hebei, near Beijing. Several truckers interviewed for the piece said that often tankers were not cleaned before being loaded with cooking oil, sugar or other substances to be taken to wholesalers and other businesses. In the past two decades, China has repeatedly dealt with food safety concerns, including infant formula laced with melamine and cooking oil being recycled for continued use, a practice commonly known as using “gutter oil.”

Organizations: Beijing Locations: Yanjiao, Hebei, Beijing, China

On Today’s Episode:Trump Jurors to Review Evidence as They Consider a Verdict in His Trial, by Jesse McKinleyAlito Refuses Calls for Recusal Over Display of Provocative Flags, by Adam LiptakBiden Asks What Trump Would Have Done if Capitol Rioters Were Black, by Nicholas Nehamas and Maya KingHong Kong Convicts Democracy Activists in Largest National Security Trial, by Tiffany MayThe 47 Pro-Democracy Figures in Hong Kong’s Largest National Security Trial, by K.K. Rebecca Lai, David Pierson and Tiffany MayNew Delhi Sweats Through Its Hottest Recorded Day, by Hari Kumar and Mujib Mashal

Persons: Trump, Jesse McKinley Alito, Adam Liptak Biden, Nicholas Nehamas, King, Tiffany May, K.K, Rebecca Lai, David Pierson, Tiffany, Hari Kumar, Mujib Mashal Organizations: Capitol, King Hong Kong Convicts Democracy, Hong Locations: Delhi

☆ Hong Kong to Rule on Democracy Activists in Largest National Security Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Hong Kong court will begin issuing verdicts on Thursday in the city’s largest national security trial, as the authorities use sweeping powers imposed by Beijing to quash political dissent in the Chinese territory. Most of the defendants have spent at least the last three years in detention ahead of and during the 118-day trial. On Thursday, judges picked by Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leader were set to start handing down verdicts on 16 of them who had pleaded not guilty. Those who are convicted will be sentenced later, along with 31 others who had entered guilty pleas. The expected convictions and the sentences to follow would effectively turn the vanguard of the city’s opposition, a hallmark of its once-vibrant political scene, into a generation of political prisoners.

Persons: Benny Tai, Joshua Wong, Hong Kong’s Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing

☆ YouTube Blocks Access to Protest Anthem in Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Tiffany May | More About Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

YouTube said on Tuesday that it would comply with a court order to block users in Hong Kong from viewing a popular democracy anthem, raising concerns about free speech and highlighting the increasing fraught environment for tech companies operating in the Chinese territory. Last week, a Hong Kong court granted a government request to ban the song, “Glory to Hong Kong,” listing 32 links to videos on YouTube. Judges said the song was a “weapon” that could be used to undermine national security. The court said the injunction was “necessary to persuade” technology companies to “remove” the songs from their platforms. A representative of YouTube said in a statement that the company would “continue to consider” an appeal of the court’s ruling but would comply with the order.

Organizations: YouTube Locations: Hong Kong

☆ Hong Kong Court Bans Democracy Song, Calling It a ‘Weapon’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Hong Kong court on Wednesday granted a government request to ban a popular pro-democracy anthem, raising further concerns about free speech in the city. The decision, which overturned an initial ruling, could give the government power to force Google and other tech companies to restrict online access to the song in Hong Kong. At issue in the case is “Glory to Hong Kong,” which emerged in 2019 as an unofficial anthem for democracy protests and a flashpoint for the authorities, who considered it an insult to China’s national anthem. The song has been banned from Hong Kong schools and has drawn angry official rebukes when played, apparently by mistake, at international sports events. People convicted of posting seditious content online have gone to prison.

Organizations: Google Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, British

☆ People told this startup founder she was making a huge mistake—then she sold her company for $845 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Masterson is the founder of skincare brand Drunk Elephant, which launched in 2013 and sold to Japanese beauty company Shiseido in 2019 for a reported $845 million. At the very beginning, her friends and family thought she was making a huge business-killing mistake — with her company's name. "So the implication was they eat the fermented fruit [and] they'd get tipsy." She thought Drunk Elephant went perfectly with her quirky personality, but those closest to her thought she was insane, she said. Masterson also suspected the group would hate it, and other industry professionals would try to change her mind, she said.

Persons: Tiffany Masterson, Masterson, — Locations: South Africa

☆ Influencer Tori Dunlap is spurring women to maximize their savings and invest in the stock market
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Sarah WolfeAs Tiffany Mane read a personal finance book during her train ride to work, a woman sitting near her acknowledged that she, too, knew of the author. And there's a cyclical effect at play: Women utilize Dunlap's resources to improve their financial lives, and then share the information with others. A 2021 survey from NerdWallet showed women were less likely to be invested in the stock market than their male counterparts. "This kind of identity-focused personal finance is 100% necessary, and is the future of personal finance." In that group, members share financial wins and trade advice on topics like which banks or credit cards to use.

Persons: Sarah Wolfe, Tiffany Mane, Mane, Tori Dunlap, Dunlap, isn't, She's, Annamaria Lusardi, Lusardi Organizations: D.C, Finance, Facebook, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Global Financial Locations: Washington, York, NerdWallet

☆ Hong Kong Adopts Sweeping Security Laws, Bowing to Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Tiffany May | David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong on Tuesday passed national security laws at the behest of Beijing, thwarting decades of public resistance in a move that critics say will strike a lasting blow to the partial autonomy the city had been promised by China. The new legislation, which was passed with extraordinary speed, grants the authorities even more powers to crack down on opposition to Beijing and the Hong Kong government, establishing penalties — including life imprisonment — for political crimes like treason and insurrection, which are vaguely defined. It also targets offenses like “external interference” and the theft of state secrets, creating potential risks for multinational companies and international groups operating in the Asian financial center. Many of the opposition figures who might have challenged the legislation have either been jailed or have gone into exile since China’s ruling Communist Party, under Xi Jinping, its most powerful leader in decades, imposed the first national security law, in 2020. That law gave the authorities a powerful tool to quash dissent after months of antigovernment demonstrations engulfed the city in 2019.

Persons: —, Hong, China’s, Xi Jinping Organizations: Hong, Communist Party Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China

☆ Zong Qinghou, Beverage Tycoon in China, Dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Tiffany May | Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Zong Qinghou, a self-made beverage entrepreneur who was once the richest person in China, died on Sunday. His death was announced by his company, Wahaha Group, which said that Mr. Zong had died from an unspecified illness and gave his age as 79. Mr. Zong’s rags-to-riches story had made him prominent in China even before a public feud with his foreign business partner considerably raised his profile — and his wealth. He founded a beverage company in the 1980s, and in the 1990s, he partnered with Danone, the French food giant, to launch one of the best-known food and beverage brands in China. But tensions erupted in 2007 when Danone accused Mr. Zong of running secret companies selling virtually identical products that siphoned off as much as $100 million from the joint venture.

Persons: Zong Qinghou, Zong Organizations: Wahaha, Danone Locations: China

Snow and freezing rain in China were disrupting travel on Monday and had already caused hundreds of rail and flight cancellations, as millions of people traveled across the country before lunar new year holiday begins this weekend. For many years, heavy travel within and into China ahead of the holiday, known as Spring Festival in Chinese, produced the world’s largest annual migration. During the coronavirus pandemic, fear of lockdowns, quarantines and other rules deterred many from traveling. Last year, the authorities abruptly lifted those rules weeks before lunar new year after facing widespread protests, but many would-be travelers stayed put because they were anxious about spreading the virus. This year was supposed to mark a return to normal levels of holiday travel.

Locations: China

☆ Amazon Filmed ‘Expats’ in Hong Kong, but People There Can’t Watch It
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Tiffany May | Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

That series from Amazon Prime, “Expats,” which stars Ms. Kidman, aired its first two episodes last week in what it described as a worldwide release. For Hong Kong viewers, they appeared as “currently unavailable.”The reasons are unknown. Amazon Studios declined to comment. A spokesman for the Hong Kong government said it had facilitated the filming of some street scenes in “Expats” but would not comment on the “operational arrangement of individual businesses.”The show is being released after several years of transformation in the city, a Chinese territory. Hong Kong was largely closed off to the world during three years of pandemic restrictions, and speech and dissent have become severely restricted after a mass protest movement was squashed in 2019.

Persons: Nicole Kidman, “, Kidman, Hong Kong Organizations: Amazon Prime, Hong Kong, Amazon Studios, Hong Locations: Hong Kong, Hong

☆ China’s Travel Economy Is Slowly Coming Back. Here’s Where It Stands.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since China reopened its borders in 2023 after three years of Covid isolation, domestic travel has thrived and high-speed rail has grown increasingly popular. Before the pandemic, Chinese travelers were the world’s biggest spenders, accounting for 20 percent of global tourism spending, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Among the changes: China has waived travel visas or agreed to extend the length of visa-free travel for visitors from eight countries, including Germany and France. The main factor holding back international travel by Chinese will continue to be China’s economy. As they think twice about their business in China, travel suffers.

Organizations: United Nations World Tourism Organization Locations: China, Germany, France, United States, Europe

5 p.m. Search for a speakeasy in a former prison complexThe handling of colonial-era buildings — which can be painful reminders of oppression — is fraught in Hong Kong. One reimagined site is Tai Kwun , a 19th-century prison and police station in the city center, which was converted into a public arts compound in 2018. Make a game of seeking out 001 , a speakeasy behind an unmarked black door, hidden in a maze of walkways (Tai Kwun employees will help you find it, if you ask). Once you’re inside, reward yourself for the search with an Earl Grey martini (158 dollars). Use Tai Kwun’s app for self-guided tours of the compound — some focus on architecture; others highlight the best spots for photos.

Persons: Tai Kwun, Earl Grey Organizations: Kwun, Tai Kwun Locations: Hong Kong, Tai

Once China’s most prolific property developer, China Evergrande has narrowly averted liquidation. A Hong Kong bankruptcy judge on Monday gave Evergrande another two months to work out a deal with foreign investors who lost money when the company defaulted two years ago with hundreds of billions of dollars in debt. It was an unexpected development in a bankruptcy lawsuit filed 18 months ago by one investor trying to get paid by forcing the dismantling of Evergrande. It was one of the country’s most successful companies and at the heart of the real estate industry, which drove one third of the nation’s economic growth. But years of overexpansion left it financially precarious, and when it defaulted, it had more than $300 billion of overdue bills.

Persons: China Evergrande, Evergrande, Jan, Linda Chan, ”, Neil McDonald, Kirkland, “, overexpansion Organizations: Hong, Ellis Locations: China, Hong Kong

☆ Remembering Bayard Rustin in Life and Onscreen
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Tiffany Martinbrough | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As an adolescent, Bayard Rustin had many virtues. He was smart: He served as his high school valedictorian. He was respectful: After tackling opponents as an offensive lineman on his high school team, he would help them up and recite a line of poetry. In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rustin, who died in 1987. Sixty years after the march, the biopic “Rustin” aims to give this visionary his due.

Persons: Bayard Rustin, Rustin, Barack Obama, “ Rustin ”, George C, Wolfe, “, ” Wolfe Organizations: Black, Jobs, Civil, National Center for Civil, Rights Locations: Washington, Atlanta

REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI/PARIS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The world's biggest luxury brands seeking growth in their second-largest market China are all courting the likes of wealthy entrepreneur Diana Wang. "Luxury brands offer you this event experience, this personal experience and it makes you feel privileged," Wang told Reuters. This week, Burberry (BRBY.L) also flagged low double-digit growth due to a slowdown in luxury spending globally, and in China. FEEDING THE LUXURY HABITEven as they narrow their focus, luxury brands remain optimistic about the potential in China, which is forecast to account for almost 40% of global luxury sales by 2030, according to consultants Bain. Luxury consultant Mario Ortelli said several luxury firms are hedging their bets on China by also expanding their global footprint.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Diana Wang, Wang, Tiffany, Chopard, Jacques Roizen, Cartier, Richemont, It's, Jean, Marc Duplaix, Versace, Donatella Versace, Gucci, Chanel, Dior, Cyrille Vigneron, LVMH, Louis Vuitton, Bain, Eric du Halgouet, Birkin, Mario Ortelli, Ortelli, it's, Mimosa Spencer, Casey Hall, Miral Organizations: Tiffany, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Burberry, HSBC, Digital Luxury, Chanel, Shanghai, Capri Holdings, Tapestry, Bund, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, PARIS, Shanghai, Cartier, Shenzhen, South Korea, Japan, Thailand

He went on to accuse Israel of being a terror organization because its airstrikes on Gaza had caused civilian casualties. A Chinese state broadcaster recently hosted a discussion page on Weibo stating that Jews controlled a disproportionate amount of U.S. wealth. Among the comments on recent posts from the official social media account of Israel’s embassy in China were similar comparisons of Israelis to Nazis. It is hard to say whether the anti-Israeli positions in state media and antisemitism on the Chinese internet are part of a coordinated campaign. “If China felt that it was dangerous and problematic to allow antisemitic comments to flourish, the censors would stop it.

Persons: Hu Xijin, I’m, ”, Israel, Shen Yi, Carice Witte Organizations: Global Times, Communist Party, Weibo, Fudan University, country’s Communist Party Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, China, Beijing, Israeli

☆ Gavin Newsom, on Climate Mission to China, Gets an Audience With Xi
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Tiffany May | More About Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, met with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in Beijing on Wednesday, according to the Chinese state media, as part of an ambitious weeklong mission to negotiate climate partnerships. The two-term Democratic governor wants California to set an aggressive pace for the United States — and the world — to cut carbon emissions that are dangerously heating the planet. Mr. Newsom’s moves to tackle the climate crisis have elevated his national profile, just as he is widely believed to be preparing for a White House run in 2028. Mr. Xi met with Mr. Newsom in the Great Hall of the People, a grand building on the west side of Tiananmen Square where he often receives dignitaries. In an official summary of the meeting published by Chinese state media, Mr. Xi was quoted as saying he hoped Mr. Newsom’s visit would help promote ties between their countries.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Xi Jinping, Newsom’s, Chuck Schumer, Xi, Newsom Organizations: Democratic, United, United States —, Mr, of Locations: California, Beijing, United States

They took swipes at the United States and depicted themselves as building a “fairer, multipolar world.” And they marveled at their countries’ “deepening” trust. And he gave a prominent role to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, underscoring how central their relationship is to Mr. Xi’s vision. Mr. Putin was treated as the guest of honor and often pictured by Mr. Xi’s side. While Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi huddled, President Biden landed in Israel on a visit aimed at preventing the war between Israel and Hamas from spreading. Though Mr. Xi did not publicly remark on the war, Mr. Putin, at a news briefing, blamed the United States for increasing tensions in the Middle East by sending warships to the region.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Xi, Biden, ” Locations: China, Russia, United States, Beijing, Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Russo

☆ Sheriff’s Deputy Fatally Shot on the Job
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Tiffany May | More About Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot in his patrol car in Palmdale, Calif., on Saturday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. A passer-by found the deputy, Ryan Clinkunbroomer, unconscious near Palmdale Sheriff’s Station around 6 p.m. He added that investigators believed that the killing was captured on surveillance video and were analyzing a video that had been circulating online to determine whether it was related. Officer Clinkunbroomer, 30, had worked in the sheriff’s department for about eight years, Sheriff Luna said, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father. “It’s usually the best of the best.”

Persons: Ryan Clinkunbroomer, Sheriff Robert Luna, Clinkunbroomer, Sheriff Luna, “, ”, “ It’s Organizations: Los, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Locations: Palmdale, Calif, Los Angeles, Palmdale Sheriff’s

Alongside the comedy and drama, “Jaja’s” features a multitude of strand mastery, as Bioh and the director Whitney White (“Our Dear Dead Drug Lord”) were determined to show a range of hairdos coming to life onstage. To pull this off, most of these styles are executed in real time with a little stage magic courtesy of wigs constructed by the hair and wig designer Nikiya Mathis. Cast members, who braid hair onstage, practiced during rehearsals on wigs she designed for the performance. “There are so many moving pieces to the show that involve hair, and it’s not just me backstage,” Mathis said. “It’s also the actors onstage, it’s what Jocelyn has written, and it’s what Whitney will be helping us to reveal.”“Part of that,” she continued, “is going to be the magic of figuring out how we’re going to construct the wigs and how to potentially take them apart.”

Persons: Whitney White, ”, Nikiya Mathis, it’s, ” Mathis, “ It’s, Jocelyn, Whitney

☆ He Fled China’s Repression. But China’s Long Arm Got Him in Another Country.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Tiffany May | More About Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To stop him, the authorities put him under surveillance and barred him from practice, depriving him of his livelihood. Mr. Lu’s wife and young daughter fled first, moving to the United States. A few days later, as he was preparing to board a train to Thailand, he was arrested by local authorities. Accused of using fraudulent travel documents, he was in Laotian custody as of late August and facing the threat of deportation. Under Xi Jinping, China’s most iron-fisted leader in decades, Chinese authorities have aggressively expanded their net outside the country.

Persons: Lu Siwei, Lu’s, Xi, Eva Pils Organizations: King’s College London Locations: China, United States, Laos, Thailand

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