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☆ An image of Israel Kamakawiwoʻole shows Google search still can't tell AI-generated pictures apart from genuine ones
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementIf you're struggling to differentiate AI-generated images from real ones, you're not alone. An AI-generated image of the late Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole is currently showing up as the top search result on Google when you search his name. Business Insider searched for "Israel Kamakawiwoʻole" on Sunday evening and found the AI-generated images continuing to appear as the top search results. Noah Giansiracusa, a professor at Bentley University, pointed out on X that the AI-generated images show Kamakawiwoʻole playing a guitar. Google told 404 Media a day later that it had removed the AI-generated image from search results.

Persons: —, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, Ethan Mollick, VdZmuUAwCK, Noah Giansiracusa, Google's, Giansiracusa, Kamakawiwoʻole, Judy Garland's, Edward Hopper, Johannes Vermeer Organizations: Service, Google, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Business, Bentley University, Reddit, Media Locations: Hawaiian, Reddit

☆ Goldman Sachs expects China stocks to make first annual gain in 4 years in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"Our view is very clear," Kinger Lau, Goldman Sachs chief China equity strategist, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Tuesday. China rebalancingWith just under six weeks of the year remaining, the MSCI China and CSI 300 indexes are both poised for third-straight annual losses. Goldman Sachs noted both mutual and hedge fund mandates globally are running with multi-year low allocations in Chinese stocks. Key changesIn their latest outlook paper, Goldman Sachs strategists upgraded the food and beverage sector to overweight from market weight and technology hardware sector to overweight from underweight. Real estate has been a key driver of the downturn in the Chinese economy after Beijing started cracking down on the debt levels of mainland developers in 2020.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Kinger Lau, CNBC's, it's, Lau Organizations: Getty, 20th Central Committee, Chinese Communist Party, CSI Locations: Beijing, China

Zhao Changpeng, founder and chief executive officer of Binance greets the audience during an event in Athens, Greece, November 25, 2022. "Today, I stepped down as CEO of Binance," Zhao tweeted. Binance became the world's biggest crypto exchange within six months. As Binance hired more widely from traditional financial and regulatory worlds, Zhao's tight control over his company was undiminished. Richard Teng, a senior Binance executive who joined in 2021, is the new CEO, Zhao posted on social media on Tuesday.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Costas Baltas, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Prosecutors, Tuesday's, General Merrick Garland, Yi, Richard Teng, Teng, Tom Wilson, Lisa Shumaker, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Justice Department, Binance, New York Times, U.S, Reuters, Futures Trading Commission, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Binance, Binance ., Shanghai, China, Canada, Tokyo, New York, London

[1/3] The Chinese flag at a gate to the Zhongnanhai leadership compound flies at half-mast in memory of late former Chinese premier Li Keqiang, in Beijing, China November 2, 2023. REUTERS/Mark Chisholm Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Nov 2 (Reuters) - China lowered the national flag at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Thursday amid an outpouring of grief online as the country cremated former premier Li Keqiang, known as "the people's premier" for his down-to-earth, hands-on leadership. "In memory of comrade Li Keqiang, flags were flown at half-mast at Tiananmen Square in the capital," state media said. "Personally, I still feel a bit unreal (about his death) because I feel like he's a good premier and suddenly he's gone. Some businesses such as international coffee chain Starbucks (SBUX.O) turned their app interface black and white in mourning for Li.

Persons: Li Keqiang, Mark Chisholm, Li, Xi Jinping, Han Zheng, Hu Jintao, Gao, Xi, he's, Wan, Zhang Shijun, Liz Lee, Xiaoyu Yin, Ryan Woo, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Communist Party's, Xinhua, Weibo, China's, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Shanghai, Weibo

☆ China lowers flags to half mast on former premier Li's cremation day
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] China's Premier Li Keqiang waves as he arrives for a news conference after the closing ceremony of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Nov 2 (Reuters) - China ordered the lowering of the national flag at Tiananmen Square in the heart of the Chinese capital Beijing on Thursday, when the remains of former premier Li Keqiang are scheduled to be cremated, state media said. The national flag will be flown at half mast across the country, the official Xinhua News Agency said on Tuesday, including at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, the foreign ministry as well as seats of local governments across the country, and diplomatic missions. Li, a former economist and pro-reform leader who served as the premier for 10 years before retiring in March, died of a heart attack in Shanghai last Friday and his remains were transferred to the capital the same day. Reporting by Liz Lee and Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Li, Damir Sagolj, Li Keqiang, Liz Lee, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: People's Congress, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, Xinhua News Agency, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Shanghai

☆ Li Keqiang: Death of China’s former premier offers glimpse into discontent with Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —The sudden death of China’s former Premier Li Keqiang has spurred an outpouring of grief and mourning across the country. But for many, it also appears to offer a rare opening to air pent-up discontent with top leader Xi Jinping and the direction he has taken the country. His death, just months after his retirement, shocked the Chinese public. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang review a guard of honor prior to a meeting at the Chancellery on July 9, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits a hospital in Wuhan on January 27, 2020, days after the city was placed under a complete lockdown to curb the raging Covid-19 outbreak.

Persons: Li Keqiang, Xi Jinping, Li, Xi –, ”, Alfred Wu, Lee, “, Xi, Angela Merkel, Sean Gallup, Zhang Lun, Mao Zedong, Zhang, “ I’ve, Wu, Li Tao, Zhou Enlai, Mao, Hu Yaobang, Fish Leong, ” Zhang Organizations: CNN, Communist, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public Policy, Getty, Studies, University of Cergy, Peking University, Li, AP Party, Communist Party, Xinhua, CPC, Party Locations: Shanghai, China, Singapore, German, Berlin, Germany, Pontoise, France, Communist China, Wuhan, AFP, Yunnan province, Weibo, Malaysian, Hefei, Anhui, Zhengzhou, Henan, Beijing

☆ China to cremate 'outstanding' leader Li Keqiang on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Newspapers with the obituary of late former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the front page are displayed, at a newsstand in Beijing, China October 28, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 31 (Reuters) - China will cremate the remains of former Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday, when flags will fly at half mast across the country in mourning for an "outstanding" leader, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Li, a former economist and pro-reform leader who served as the premier for 10 years before retiring in March, died of a heart attack on Friday. Li's death was a huge loss to the Communist Party and the nation, according to an official obituary posted by Xinhua last week. But Li, once viewed as a Communist Party leadership contender, was sidelined in recent years, analysts and diplomats said, as President Xi Jinping tightened his grip on economic policymaking.

Persons: Li Keqiang, Tingshu Wang, Li, Xi Jinping, Ryan Woo, Ethan Wang, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Xinhua, CPC, Party, Chinese Communist Party, of, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Shanghai

☆ Marathoners in Beijing go maskless, unfazed by smog
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Liz Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Participants take part in the Beijing Marathon, at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China October 29, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Runners undeterred by thick smog engulfing the Chinese capital ran the Beijing Marathon maskless on Sunday, many wearing shorts in one of the warmest Octobers on record. Beijing was the fourth most-polluted major city in the world on Sunday, according to Swiss air-quality technology firm IQAir. Beijing's high on Sunday was 19 C (66 F), according to the national weather bureau. The weather bureau forecast weak cold air currents to last the rest of the month before beginning to cool in early November.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Fang Chong, Liz Lee, Ryan Woo, Han Xiao, Bernard Orr, William Mallard Organizations: Beijing, REUTERS, Rights, Beijing Marathon, Meteorological Centre, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Tiananmen, Haidian, Beijing's, Tangshan, Handan, Hebei

[1/3] China's Premier Li Keqiang waves as he arrives for a news conference after the closing ceremony of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 15, 2017. Li was premier and head of China's cabinet under Xi for a decade until stepping down from all political positions in March. Adam Ni, an independent China political analyst, described Li as "a premier who stood powerless as China took a sharp turn away from reform and opening". A glowing 2014 state media profile of Li, praising him as "a calm and tough wall-breaker", went viral shortly after his death was announced. Li's frequent visits to disaster sites and his easy camaraderie when speaking to ordinary people were also highlighted on Chinese state media.

Persons: Li, Damir Sagolj, Li Keqiang, Xi Jinping, Xi, Deng Xiaoping, Alfred Wu, Lee, Zhu Rongji, Wen Jiabao, Wu, Adam Ni, Jiang Zemin, Deng, Li Yining, Hu Jintao, Cheng Hong, Laurie Chen, Tian, William Mallard Organizations: People's Congress, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, Communist Party, CCTV, Weibo, Australian National University, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public Policy, Peking University, Communist Party's Youth League, Youth League, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Shanghai, Singapore, Social, Anhui, Henan, Liaoning

☆ 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

☆ China roughly doubled the number of missiles it could use to go after US bases in Japan, new Pentagon report shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US Department of Defense released its annual China Military Power Report last week. The report says China's has increased in missile stockpiles, doubling its supply of the DF-21 missile. The increase in what an expert called "Japan Killers" gives China greater capability to threaten US bases. The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force's includes a significant increase in DF-21 medium-range ballistic missiles. The new figures were released last week in the Department of Defense's annual China Military Power Report.

Persons: China's, —, That's, GREG BAKER, Tom Shugart, who's, that's, Shugart, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Roosevelt, Mandel Ngan Organizations: US Department of Defense, China, Service, People's Liberation, Pentagon, Department, Taiwan . Military, Getty, NATO, US, Center, New, New American Security, DF, . Navy, Japan, Self, Defense Force, Reuters, US Navy, Defense, RAND, PLA, Artillery, White, American, DoD Locations: China, Japan, People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Beijing, AFP, Guam, New American, Korea, Soviet, Washington , DC

casey newton[CHUCKLES]:: And it would be so funny if the AI actually already was deceptive and was just like, oh, yeah, Kevin, you’ve already figured us out. But I also think it’s part of this sort of undercurrent of the conversation, especially around AI right now. Marc Andreessen — he is clearly so angry at all of the people who criticize technology, technology companies, tech investors. And he is just really, really going after that crowd with this piece. brent sealesYou know I don’t really know.

Persons: kevin roose Casey, casey newton What’s, kevin roose, casey newton, hasn’t, kevin roose I’m, I’m, KEVIN, casey newton Yes, Kevin Roose, ” casey newton, Casey Newton, Marc Andreessen, Casey, we’ve, kevin roose Totally, Claude chatbot, Claude, Anthropic’s, chatbot, Anthropic hadn’t, Anthropic, Kevin, — they’re, roose, Meta, it’s, I’ve, Bard, casey newton It’s, there’s, you’ve, casey newton Yeah, didn’t, Kevin — I’m, it’ll, Kevin —, Andreessen Horowitz, Uncle Marc, ”, “ you’re, Tucker Carlson, Jesus Christ, casey newton Well, kevin roose Oh, he’s, McCarthy, —, Nick Land, casey newton Totally, You’re, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, It’s, Marc Andreessen —, they’re, Nietzschean supermen, Nietzschean, Marc, casey newton Heck, Andreessen, Marc Andreessen decries, Marc Andreessen’s, CASEY, kevin roose That’s, you’re, Nat Friedman, who’s, Daniel Gross, John, Patrick Collison, Toby Lutke, Shopify, Aaron Levie, Brent Seales, — casey newton, There’s, Luke Farritor, ” brent seales, brent seales, that’s, Seales, haters, brent seales That’s, you’ll, casey newton Yep, brent seales —, brent seales We’d, brent seales They’re, They’re, Luke, Brent, brent seales Pliny, Elder, Jesus, brent seales What’s, casey newton Right, we’re Organizations: YouTube, The New York Times, Facebook, Google, Intelligence, America, AIs, Stanford, Communist, Netscape, Fox News, Communist Party, Technology, Venture, Twitter, acc, kevin roose Venture, Companies, Meta, University of Kentucky, British Locations: ”, Anthropic, China, Florida, California, United States, Europe, Romanian, interpretability, Valley, America, Silicon, Silicon Valley, Vesuvius, Rome, Greece, Herculaneum, Venice, Roman

☆ Putin meets 'dear friend' Xi in Beijing. Here are the top 3 takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Sergei Savostyanov | Afp | Getty ImagesChina President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were all smiles when they met in Beijing. "Dear friend, I am very glad to see you again," Putin said in a statement ahead of his bilateral meeting with Xi Wednesday. Xi is also looking to Putin as China seeks to reinvigorate its economic foreign policy program. watch nowPutin traveled to Beijing, knowing Xi would guarantee his safety. Here are the main takeaways from the meeting, which underline why China and Russia share strong ties.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Sergei Savostyanov, Putin, Xi, AidData, Mary, Srettha Thavisin, Viktor Orban, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Wang Yi, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Biden, it's, Peng Liyuan Organizations: Sputnik, Forum, Afp, Getty Images China, Initiative, Xi, College of William, Moscow, European Union, EU, Rosneft, Gazprom, Tass, Soviet Union, Hamas, U.S, United, of, U.S . Department of Commerce, Getty Locations: Beijing, Ukraine, China, Russia, Thailand, Hungary, Israel, Gaza, Iran, United Nations, Saudi Arabia, Europe, U.S

[1/5] Chinese President Xi Jinping greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as they attend the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, October 18, 2023. Putin and other foreign leaders sat with key Chinese officials from the 25-member Politburo on the front row, as Xi delivered his opening speech. The forum centres on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a grand plan launched by Xi in 2013, that envisioned building global infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Africa and Europe through overland and maritime routes. Western scepticism of Xi's grand plans stems from suspicions over the way it would extend China's global influence, analysts say. Xi is pushing to make the Belt and Road smaller and greener, moving away from big-ticket projects like dams to high-tech ones such as digital finance and e-commerce platforms.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Edgar Su, Xi, Putin, BRI, Viktor Orban, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Antoni Slodkowski, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Initiative, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, Forum, EU, Washington, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Rights BEIJING, Tiananmen, Asia, Africa, Europe, China, Western Europe, United States, Ukraine

[1/5] Chinese President Xi Jinping greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as they attend the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, October 18, 2023. REUTERS/Edgar Su Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against decoupling from China as he opened the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum in Beijing on Wednesday, criticizing Western efforts to reduce dependence on the Chinese economy. The trade disruptions of the pandemic years have also added urgency to the desire to limit their dependence on China. WESTERN SCEPTICISMWestern scepticism of Xi's grand plans stems from suspicions over the way it would extend China's global influence, analysts say. Xi is making the Belt and Road smaller and greener, moving away from big-ticket projects like dams to high-tech ones such as digital finance and e-commerce platforms.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Edgar Su, Xi, Putin, BRI, Viktor Orban, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Azizi, Xi's, Antoni Slodkowski, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Initiative, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, EU, Washington, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Rights BEIJING, China, Asia, Africa, Europe, Tiananmen, Taiwan, Western Europe, Afghanistan, Northern

☆ Netflix and others have pulled back on hard-hitting documentaries as streamers seek more true crime and 'nothing too political'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

"Beyond Utopia" attracted interest at Sundance from streamers like Amazon's Prime Video and Netflix. Interest peaked four years ago at the Sundance Film Festival, fueled by Amazon and Netflix, which paid a record $10 million for the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doc "Knock Down the House." In the crime realm, WME advised, Netflix was seeking films based on big, well-known cases and scams like "Dahmer" and "Tinder Swindler." Filmmakers point to streamers' self-censorship and 'cold feet' over sensitive topicsSome filmmakers said there are still champions at the streamers for documentaries that push the envelope. "Beyond Utopia" is among a number of recent films that have been snubbed by the big streamers, despite winning awards and buzz.

Persons: Madeleine Gavin, It'll, It's, Gavin, Hulu, Peter Broderick, Hulu didn't, Sundance fests, Broderick, WME, Dahmer, Ted Hope, Hope, Vanessa Hope, Taiwan's, he'd've, Oscar, Bryan Fogel, Jamal Khashoggi, Thom Powers, it's, Keith Ochwat, Ochwat Organizations: Sundance, Netflix, PBS, Sundance Film, Amazon, Alexandria, Paradigm Consulting, Amazon Prime, Apple, Hulu, Hollywood, Gravitas Ventures, & $ Locations: Joy, Congo, arthouses, Hulu, China, Park City, Syria, Russian, Ukraine, Venice

☆ Exclusive: Combat veteran is likely replacement for China's missing defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

China's defence ministry and State Council information office did not respond to requests for comment. If his departure is confirmed, Li will be the second senior minister to lose his job in recent months. Qin Gang was removed as foreign minister in July, one month after he was last seen in public. U.S. defence officials have long wanted to reestablish routine communications with counterparts directly involved in command decisions. Qin was made foreign minister in Dec. 2022 and Li became defence minister in March.

Persons: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Liu Zhenli, Liu, Li Shangfu, Li, Qin Gang, Qin, Nancy Pelosi, Xi Jinping, Xi, James Char, Lloyd Austin, Alexander Neill, Willy Lam, Chang Dingqiu, Katerina Ang, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Political Consultative, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, Reuters, Russia, Joint Staff Department of, Central Military Commission, State, U.S . Department of Defense, ., CMC, Xiangshan, National, Committee, Communist Party's, U.S, Pentagon, People's, Army, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Washington, PUBLIC, National Defence, Joint Staff Department, Pacific Forum, Jamestown Foundation, Xinhua, Air Force, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, United States, U.S, Taipei, ., Singapore, Honolulu, Vietnam

Work is under way on a joint statement that would be issued during the visit, four people informed about the negotiations told Reuters. China's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters GraphicsSTATE VISIT PREPARATIONSOne of the sources said China had sent a team to Hanoi to organise accommodations for Xi's delegation. China's foreign minister Wang Yi was expected to visit Hanoi in mid-October to help finalise the joint statement, the source added, if sufficient progress on the text has been made. As China's president, Xi travelled to Vietnam twice, with his latest visit in 2017, when he attended an Asia-Pacific summit with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and other leaders.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, Florence, Joe Biden's, Xi, Pham Thu, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Khanh Vu, Francesco Guarascio, Martin Pollard, Yew, Tian, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Graphics STATE, Vietnam, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Vietnam, HANOI, BEIJING, Hanoi, Washington, Vietnam's, United States, Europe, Asia, U.S, Singapore, South

☆ China’s economy will be hobbled for years by the real estate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Absorbing this “excess capacity” in the property sector will inevitably hurt China’s economic growth, according to Garcia-Herrero. The money from the sales funded their breakneck expansion, making real estate moguls some of the country’s richest people. The strategy largely worked until about three years ago when the Chinese government cracked down on excessive borrowing by the real estate industry because it was worried about the risk of financial instability. But overall, the property sector has contracted severely as it adjusts to a collapse in demand. “A fundamental rewiring of China’s economy will necessitate a focus on developing new industries, improving productivity, and bolstering rental markets,” said analysts from Stanford University and the ASPI.

Persons: ”, Alicia Garcia, Herrero, Garcia, they’re, Evergrande, Xu Jiayin, Xi Jinping, ” Mark Williams, Sheana Yue, Zichuan Huang, “, — Michelle Toh Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Investment, Asia Pacific, Getty, Bank, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Regulators, Capital Economics, People’s Bank of China, Oxford Economics, Stanford University, Asia Society Policy Institute, Oxford Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Natixis, Wuhan, China's, Hubei, Japan

☆ Asian Games: China censored this photo of two athletes. Was it for a perceived Tiananmen reference?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —China appears to have censored a photograph of two Chinese hurdlers embracing after a race because their lane numbers formed an accidental reference to the Tiananmen massacre in 1989. The image captures Lin Yuwei, from lane 6, and Wu Yanni, in lane 4, hugging following the women’s 100-meter hurdles final at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. As they stood together, stickers showing their lane numbers formed “6 4”, a pairing widely seen as a reference to June 4, 1989. That day Chinese military tanks rolled into the capital Beijing during a bloody crackdown to clear students protesting for democracy in Tiananmen Square. State broadcaster CCTV originally posted the photograph on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media service, on Sunday night, but removed it from its account about an hour later, CNN has found.

Persons: Lin Yuwei, Wu Yanni, China’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Asian, CCTV, China’s Twitter, CNN, Weibo, Baidu, Google, Xinhua, Propaganda Department, Chinese Communist Party, Communist Party Locations: Hong Kong, China, Hangzhou, Beijing, Tiananmen Square, Weibo

☆ Who is Hui Ka Yan, Evergrande's billionaire boss who went from power circles to police surveillance?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Hui Ka Yan, chairman of Evergrande Real Estate Group Ltd, the country's second-largest property developer by sales, attends a news conference on annual results in Hong Kong, China March 29, 2016. A person close to Evergrande said Hui had stopped contacting staff over the past few days, while an industry source said he had become totally inaccessible. Evergrande grew to achieve 700 billion yuan ($95.8 billion) in annual sales by 2020. Outside mainland China, Hui mixed with Hong Kong tycoons. Without the country giving me a scholarship of 14 yuan every month, I could not have completed university," Hui said.

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Bobby Yip, Yan, Hui, Evergrande, Xi Jinping, Cheng, tycoons, Cheng Yu Tung Organizations: Real Estate Group, REUTERS, Chinese Communist Party, China Evergrande, HK, Evergrande, Bloomberg, Reuters, Forbes, Hong, New, Party, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Tiananmen, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Henan

Chen told CNN he “felt sad, angry and afraid” after receiving such a call on July 21, when police told him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. When evening fell, he crossed the border into the Laos mountains, he told CNN – and by early August, he’d crossed the Mekong River and entered Thailand. Many Chinese dissidents do not feel safe in Thailand given the government’s often friendly links with Beijing, and in the past dissidents based there have turned up in Chinese custody. Soon after posting his video, Chen was taken for questioning by Taiwan’s immigration authorities and the Mainland Affairs Council, he told CNN. Laos lies across China’s southwestern border and has long been a common, albeit risky, exit point for Chinese dissidents trying to leave the country.

Persons: Taiwan CNN —, Chen Siming, Chen, Xi Jinping, “, ”, he’d, Beijing’s, Jiang Yefei, Dong Guangping –, Lu Siwei, Lu, Wang Dan Organizations: Taiwan CNN, CNN, United Nations, Refugees, Taoyuan International Airport, Chinese Communist Party, Communist Party, Mainland Affairs Council, UNHCR, Taiwan Affairs Office Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, United States, Canada, Thailand, China, Beijing, Laos, Guangzhou, Taoyuan, Hong Kong, West, Southeast Asia

☆ A Tiananmen Square Musical Worries About China’s Glare
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Christopher Kuo | More About Christopher Kuo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Even the word ‘Tiananmen’ would generate fear in the Chinese government and that fear would generate a very repressive action,” he said. Within China, people who publicly discuss what happened at Tiananmen can face jail time or see their children prohibited from attending universities. In May, the activist Chen Siming was arrested by the Chinese authorities over a social media post paying tribute to Tiananmen, according to Human Rights Watch. The cast of “Tiananmen” is entirely Asian American and Pacific Islander, but those who are not ethnically Chinese have less concern about their involvement. Kanagawa and Oka, who are both Japanese American, said they felt comfortable speaking about the show because neither has family ties to China.

Persons: Xiao, ”, Chen Siming, Piser, Rose Organizations: Human Rights Watch, Pacific Locations: China, American, Kanagawa, Oka

☆ Google recently cut 'people' from its Search guidelines. Now, website owners say a flood of AI content is pushing them down in search results.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"This is a joke," another person wrote on a forum for website owners . No longer is it "helpful content written by people, for people," but simply, "Helpful content written for people." She watched pages that previously ranked first for certain terms tumble to fifth, sixth, or seventh place in Google search results. Spotting AI content is impossibleIt's unclear how much of the content that has been bumped up is AI-generated, or whether this is just other content written differently by humans. AdvertisementAdvertisementGoogle continues to say that content built entirely for the purpose or ranking high in search results will be punished.

Persons: Morgan Overholt, I've, –, Barry Schwartz, Overholt, they've, John Mueller, Schwartz, Mueller, Johannes Vermeer Organizations: Google, Service Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ China says Britain's plans to disrupt Hong Kong 'doomed to fail'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Jason Lee/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Sept 20 (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry in Hong Kong slammed a six month report on the financial hub by Britain, saying it ignored "good" societal conditions, a more stable business environment and instead supported "anti China" chaos. While some Western governments have criticised the laws as curbing social and political freedoms in the city, both Chinese and Hong Kong officials have said they were vital to restore stability. Hong Kong, which returned to China in 1997 from Britain, has had "universal success" in implementing the practise of 'one country, two systems', China's foreign ministry said. "Plans to disrupt Hong Kong are doomed to fail." The British report said that authorities continue to try to use legal routes to suppress the protest anthem 'Glory to Hong Kong' while media tycoon Jimmy Lai's national security trial has been further delayed.

Persons: Mao Zedong, Theresa May, Jason Lee, Hong, Jimmy Lai's, Farah Master, Michael Perry Organizations: British, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, HONG KONG, Hong Kong, Britain

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