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☆ Vietnam’s vintage 1960s steam locomotives are back on the rails
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Train enthusiasts and history buffs alike will soon have a new Southeast Asian destination to visit, as Vietnam prepares to unveil a revamped pair of vintage steam locomotives from the 1960s. The two Revolution Express locomotives are the last working steam trains in Vietnam, dating from when the country was still a French colony, according to hospitality brand Wafaifo Optimisers, which is managing the project. In recent years, the trains have been slowly restored to working condition using original parts, and crafted by the last remaining steam engineers working for the national railway system. Wafaifo & Revolution ExpressVietnam declared its independence from France on September 2, 1945 – a claim that neither France nor the United States recognized. By 1954, Vietnam signed the Geneva Accords – splitting the country into two halves, the Communist-led north and US-supported south, and kicking off the bloody Vietnam War, which would last nearly two decades.

Persons: Wafaifo Optimisers, Wafaifo, ”, Michael Gebbie Organizations: CNN, Revolution, Lang Co, Indochina Rail Tourist Service, Revolution Express, Geneva Accords, Communist, UNESCO Locations: Vietnam, Da Nang, Hue, Lang, Lang Co, Indochina, Revolution Express Vietnam, France, United States, Saigon, Chi Minh City

☆ US lawmakers vow to bolster Taiwan’s defense with bipartisan visit days after China’s ‘punishment’ military drills
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —US lawmakers vowed to bolster Taiwan’s deterrence against China on Monday during a bipartisan congressional visit to the self-governing democracy just days after Beijing surrounded the island with massive military exercises. US Representative Michael McCaul, Republican-Texas, has vowed to bolster Taiwan's deterrence against China. China’s military drills, he said, were “to express their displeasure with President Lai, a president democratically elected by the people of Taiwan.”But he added they had another objective. The delegation also met with Lai, Taiwan’s new leader, on Monday morning. China responded with a show of military force and later imposed sanctions on McCaul.

Persons: Lai Ching, Michael McCaul, ”, McCaul, Lai, ” McCaul, China’s, Xi Jinping, Xi, “, Mao Ning, Michael Brochstein, Lin Chia, ” “ It’s, ” Lin, Taiwan’s, “ Taiwan’s, ” Lai, Ronald Reagan’s, Tsai Ing, Nancy Pelosi’s Organizations: CNN, China, House Foreign Affairs Committee, Taiwan, US, Party, Republican, Ministry, Taiwan’s Locations: Beijing, China, Taiwan, Taipei, Ukraine, Taiwan Strait, Texas, United States, America, People’s Republic of China

☆ Opinion | I’ve Seen the Biden-Trump Rematch Before, and It Was Scary
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Mikhail Zygar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

His advisers, adamant that he is the only bulwark against a formidable opponent, insist that his candidacy is crucial for the survival of democracy. That aged president is not Joe Biden but Boris Yeltsin. As I watch the American presidential campaign unfold, I’ve been constantly reminded of their contest. Back in the ’90s, Russia stood at a crossroads, seemingly faced with a clear choice: democracy or tyranny. The country’s young democracy was at stake.

Persons: isn’t, Joe Biden, Boris Yeltsin, Donald Trump, Gennady Zyuganov, I’ve, Vladimir Putin, Boris Yeltsin’s, Viktor Chernomyrdin, Boris Nemtsov —, Yeltsin Organizations: Communist, Communists Locations: America, Russia

☆ Bipartisan congressional delegation visits Taiwan following days of Chinese military drills around island
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Avery Lotz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Sunday following the election of the island’s new president and after days of Chinese military drills. The US will continue to stand by our steadfast partner and work to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. US officials condemned the drills, with the State Department urging the Chinese to “act with restraint.”Two years ago, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island, marking the first time a US House speaker had traveled to Taiwan in 25 years. Her visit was met with days of large-scale military drills and warnings of a “severe impact” on US-China relations from the Chinese government. In April 2023, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy similarly defied threats from China, presenting a united front with then-President Tsai Ing-wen in a California meeting.

Persons: Michael McCaul, Lai Ching, China’s, Putin, Xi, ” McCaul, Xi Jinping, ”, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Tsai Ing, “, Antony Blinken Organizations: CNN — House Foreign, Communist Party, US, Taiwan, House Foreign Affairs Committee, ” CNN, State Department Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, “ Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, America, Asia, China, California

☆ Zhongnanhai: The scenic garden that became China’s secretive seat of power
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Jonathan Chatwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

As the seat of power, Zhongnanhai is often thought of as China’s equivalent to the White House, or the Kremlin. Architectural changesThere have been serious revisions to the architecture of Zhongnanhai since the end of imperial rule in 1912. Having re-established Zhongnanhai as a center of political power in the new China, Mao set about rebuilding the compound according to his tastes. “It was here,” noted Aldrich, “with the background trappings of a scholar, that he met Nixon and Kissinger in 1972.”Most subsequent leaders have preferred to keep a house outside the Zhongnanhai compound. However, the compound hasn’t always been so forbidden for the masses following the collapse of China’s imperial dynasty.

Persons: Jonathan Chatwin, “, Deng Xiaoping, Leung Chun, Xi Jinping, Simon Song, Xi Jinping’s, Ming, Geremie Barmé, Qianlong, Feng Li, ” Linda Jaivin, ”, Dowager Cixi, Zhongnanhai, Cixi, Dowager, M, Aldrich, Mao Zedong, ” Aldrich, China’s, Yuan Shikai, Yuan Shikai ‘, William Lewisohn, Xinhuamen, William Cooper, —, Qianlong Emperor, Yuan, Invincible Mao, — Mao, Kangxi, Mao, Zhou Enlai, Chen Yi, Zhang Wentian, Nikita Khrushchev, Khrushchev, Nixon, Kissinger, Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin, Newscom Aldrich, Mao’s, Li Zhisui, Xi, Chicago's Walter, Hu Yaobang, Gong, “ Heck Organizations: CNN, Bell, Communist Party, CCP, White, Hong, China Morning, University of Bristol Library, Great Communist Party of China, ”, Shuangqing Villa, Alamy, State Council, China’s Politburo, Huairen, Chicago's Walter Payton College Preparatory, New York Times, Zhongnanhai, Bloomberg Locations: Modern China, Prospect, Tiananmen, Hong Kong, Zhongnanhai, City, China, Beijing, “, People’s Republic, New China, Arlington, Peking, Xinjiang, Russian, Beihai, Beijing’s, Huairen, Qinzheng Hall

☆ Trump lawyer blasts 'The Apprentice' biopic in legal warning letter, calling it foreign election interference
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewIn the 1970s, the lawyer Roy Cohn taught Donald Trump a simple playbook for political fights: attack, counterattack, and never apologize. Trump is employing that strategy on "The Apprentice," an independently produced biopic about him that premiered this week at the Cannes Film Festival. In a cease-and-desist letter, one of Trump's attorneys threatened to sue over the movie's release, calling it "direct foreign interference in America's elections." The letter warns that the movie's release in the United States would amount to "foreign interference in our elections." "The Movie, released six months before the November 2024 election, is directed at influencing the 2024 election by falsely defaming President Trump," he wrote.

Persons: —, Roy Cohn, Donald Trump, Trump, David Warrington, Sebastian Stan, Cohn, Jeremy Strong, US Sen, Joseph McCarthy, Ivana, Ali Abbasi, Gabriel Sherman, Abbasi, Strong, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Warrington, Sherman, Steven Cheung Organizations: Service, Cannes Film, Business, Trump, New, Communist Party, US, Warrington, Dhillon Law, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood, White House Locations: New York, American, Dublin, Warrington, United States

☆ Chinese Billionaire Accused of Fraud Didn’t Need the Money, Lawyers Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Michael Forsythe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lawyers for Guo Wengui, an exiled Chinese billionaire charged with defrauding investors of more than $1 billion, portrayed him on Friday as the dedicated leader of an anti-Communist movement who did not need the money he is accused of stealing. That is “not just illogical, it defies common sense,” Ms. Shroff said. Mr. Guo, who is also known as Miles Kwok or Miles Guo, has been in a federal detention center in Brooklyn since March 2023, when he was arrested at his $68-million Manhattan apartment and charged with fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors say Mr. Guo promised investors shares in his media company, or in cryptocurrency, but instead the money was used to finance his luxurious lifestyle. Among his purchases were a yacht, a $4 million Bugatti sports car and a 50,000-square-foot mansion in New Jersey that cost $26 million.

Persons: Guo Wengui, Sabrina Shroff, Guo, Ms, Shroff, Miles Kwok, Miles Guo Organizations: Communist, Chinese Communist Party Locations: Manhattan, Brooklyn, cryptocurrency, New Jersey

CNN —China’s military drills around Taiwan are designed to test its ability to “seize power” over the island, the People’s Liberation Army said Friday as its forces kicked off a second day of large-scale exercises encircling its democratic neighbor. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has condemned China’s military exercises as “irrational provocations” and dispatched its own sea, air and ground forces in response. A total of 19 Chinese warships and seven coast guard vessels were detected near the Taiwan Strait, according to the ministry. China Coast Guard drill near Taiwan. China Coast Guard/Weibo‘Blockading Taiwan’China’s military drills are often as much about playing to a domestic audience as signaling intentions internationally, and state media has ramped up coverage of the drills.

Persons: CNN —, Lai Ching, Lai, Xi Jinping, ”, China’s, Tsai Ing, ” “, Wu Qian, Liu, Tsai, wasn’t, “, I’m, Zhang Chi, Zhang, Carl Schuster, Craig Singleton, ” Singleton, Singleton, Lionel Fatton, ” Fatton Organizations: CNN, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Command, Party, Taiwan, Guard, CCTV, Taiwan’s Defense, Kyodo, Democratic Progressive Party, China’s, Ministry, Chinese Communist Party, China Coast Guard, Taiwan . China Coast Guard, Weibo, US, Coast Guard, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, Foundation, Defense of Democracies, Webster University Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, China, Kinmen, Taiwan Strait, China's, Taiwan ., ”, Kaohsiung, Wuqiu, Geneva

☆ US lawmakers call for DOJ, IOC investigations into Chinese doping before Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A doping case involving 23 Chinese swimmers took a diplomatic twist on Wednesday after US lawmakers called on the US Department of Justice and the International Olympic Committee to launch inquiries into the controversy. The Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned performance-enhancing substance, several months before the Tokyo Olympics – a tournament at which they were allowed to compete in, and went on to win medals at, according to a report from the New York Times released in coordination with German public broadcaster ARD. In a statement released Wednesday, the lawmakers called for an assessment as to whether the alleged doping was “state-sponsored,” adding that could warrant further diplomatic measures by the United States and the international community. CNN has reached out to the Department of Justice, the IOC and WADA for comment. Trimetazidine has the potential to boost endurance and has been banned by WADA since 2014.

Persons: ”, Raja Krishnamoorthi, John Moolenaar, WADA, “, ” WADA, Sarah Hirshland, Witold Banka, …, Trimetazidine, CHINADA Organizations: CNN, US Department of Justice, International Olympic Committee, Tokyo, New York Times, ARD, Olympic, Chinese Communist Party, Doping Agency, Department of Justice, IOC, European Medicines Agency, EMA, Canadian Olympic Committee, Paralympic, ”, CHINADA, Xinhua Locations: People’s Republic of China, Russia, United States, Paris, China, ”, trimetazidine

☆ TikTok Moves to Limit Russian and Chinese Media’s Reach in Big Election Year
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

TikTok said on Thursday that it was introducing new measures to limit the spread of videos from state-affiliated media accounts, including Russian and Chinese outlets, as the company deflects criticism that it could be used as a propaganda tool in a major election year. The company in 2022 started labeling state-affiliated media accounts — like those from RT, the global Russian television network, and People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party. Social media platforms, including Meta, YouTube and X, are grappling with misinformation in a year when as much as half the global population will vote in major elections. Political news on TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company, ByteDance, is under particular scrutiny after the passage of a law that would force ByteDance to sell the company or face a ban in the United States. Lawmakers and intelligence officials have said TikTok is a threat to national security, partly because of how the Chinese government could use it to spread propaganda.

Persons: TikTok, ” TikTok, ByteDance Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, Social, Meta, YouTube, United States, Lawmakers Locations: Russian, United

☆ Microsoft’s UAE deal could reportedly involve transfer of key U.S. chips and AI technology abroad
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. officials have said that AI systems could pose national security risks, for example by making it easier to engineer chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. The Biden administration in October required the makers of the largest AI systems to share details about them with the U.S. government. Microsoft executives said the agreement has safeguards to protect Microsoft's technology and prevent it from being used by Chinese entities to train AI systems. The Commerce Department already requires notifications and, in several regions, export licenses to send AI chips abroad. Microsoft executives said the company welcomes a debate on a new legal framework governing the transfer of AI technology and that the deal with G42 requires the UAE firm to comply with U.S. regulations as they evolve.

Persons: Brad Smith, Smith, Biden, Michael McCaul, we're Organizations: Microsoft, United Arab, Reuters, U.S ., U.S . Department of Commerce, U.S . House, Commerce Department Locations: Madrid, Spain, United Arab Emirates, U.S, UAE

☆ China has launched new drills encircling Taiwan. Why now?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Tensions are once again ratcheting up in the Taiwan Strait, with China launching military drills encircling Taiwan just days after the democracy swore in a new leader long loathed by Beijing. The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said it launched joint military drills involving the army, navy, air force and rocket force in areas around Taiwan early Thursday morning. The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait – a narrow body of water separating the self-ruling island with mainland China – as well as north, south and east of Taiwan. The Chinese guided missile frigate Nantong, one of the vessels in the series of military drills around Taiwan. The defeated Nationalist Party fled to Taiwan, moving the seat of their Republic of China (ROC) government from the mainland to Taipei.

Persons: ”, Lai Ching, China’s, Xi Jinping, Li Xi, Lai, Wu Mei, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Tsai Ing, Tsai –, Mike Gallagher Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, Eastern Theater Command, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, People's Liberation Army, Weibo, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Nationalist Party, US, Communist, Beijing, Tuesday Locations: Taiwan, China, Beijing, Kinmen, Taipei, People’s Republic of China, Republic of China, Xi, Washington

☆ China's military is surrounding Taiwan, sending its new president an unmistakable message
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Ella Sherman | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewThe Chinese armed forces began conducting large-scale military exercises around Taiwan on Thursday, just days after the island's newly elected president Lai Ching-te took office. Taiwan's defense ministry posted a video condemning Chinese actions, as well as showing the various locations around it where Chinese forces are operating. The CCP’s military exercises, which highlight its hegemony mindset, have undermined regional peace and stability. An outdoor screen shows a news coverage of China's military drills around Taiwan, in Beijing on May 23, 2024. Taiwanese soldiers stand guard as flares are fired during a Taiwanese military live-fire drill, after Beijing increased its military exercises near Taiwan, in Pingtung, Taiwan, 6 September 2022.

Persons: —, Lai Ching, It's Organizations: Service, Business, Coast Guard, Navy, ROC Armed Forces, 國防部 Ministry of National Defense Locations: Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taiwan's

☆ From ‘The Sympathizer’ to ‘Past Lives,’ American Audiences Warm to Subtitles
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Brandon Yu | Alice Fang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

In Hollywood today, not only are Asian and Asian American narratives more prominent than ever, but they are also being told in increasingly dynamic ways through the artful use of Asian languages. The sequence is emblematic of a significant shift in how Asian languages are featured in American film and TV. Marvel” (2022) and “American Born Chinese” (2023) — that use Asian languages to bring additional depth and nuance to their stories. “The trend has shifted.”It’s a startling evolution from how Asian languages have typically appeared on American screens. The internet’s broad entertainment ecosystem has also diversified the American media palate.

Persons: ”, —, sheepishly, “, Robert Downey Jr, Bong Joon, Bong Joon Ho, Sharon Choi, Paul Drinkwater, Pachinko ”, Marvel ”, Minjeong Kim, Don McKellar, ” McKellar, ” “, ” Hopper Stone, ” Kim, Bela Bajaria, Lupin, helming, Lulu Wang, ’ Organizations: Communist, Hollywood Vietnam, Globe, Golden Globe, NBCUniversal, Getty, Center, Asian, Pacific Studies, San Diego State University, HBO, YouTube, Netflix, Spanish Locations: Hollywood, Vietnam, Hong Kong

Taipei CNN —Thousands of mostly young protesters surrounded Taiwan’s legislature late into the night on Tuesday, protesting a push by opposition parties to subject the island’s new leader and his administration to tighter scrutiny from a parliament controlled by lawmakers who favor closer ties to China. Meanwhile, the president would be required to deliver an annual address to the parliament on key policy issues. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty ImagesOn Tuesday, as the parliament resumed its meeting to discuss the bill, protesters gathered outside the Legislative Yuan – Taiwan’s unicameral parliament – from morning until midnight, braving downpours in the afternoon. Lai, 64, a former doctor and vice president, was inaugurated Monday alongside new Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, who recently served as Taiwan’s top envoy to the United States. Both leaders and their party are openly loathed by Beijing for championing Taiwan’s sovereignty.

Persons: Lai Ching, TPP, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Yuan –, braving, Ricky Li, “ I’m, ”, Lai, Hsiao Bi, China’s Organizations: Taipei CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan’s, Kuomintang, KMT, Taiwan People’s Party, DPP, –, Communist Party Locations: Taipei, Taiwan’s, China, Beijing, Taiwan, AFP, United States

☆ China starts ‘punishment’ military drills around Taiwan days after island swears in new leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —China has launched two days of military drills surrounding Taiwan in what it called “punishment” for “separatist acts,” days after the self-ruling island swore in a new democratically elected leader. China’s ruling Communist Party says the self-ruling democracy is part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and has vowed to take the island, by force if necessary. The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said it launched joint military drills involving the army, navy, air force and rocket force in areas around Taiwan at 7.45 a.m. on Thursday. The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait – a narrow body of water separating the self-ruling island with mainland China – as well as north, south and east of Taiwan. It expressed regret to “such irrational provocations and actions that undermine regional peace and stability.”

Persons: Lai Ching, China’s, Li Xi, ” Lai, Lai Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, Eastern Theater Command, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry Locations: China, Taiwan, Kinmen, Beijing

☆ Fraud Trial to Begin for Chinese Billionaire Who Allied Himself With America’s Right
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Michael Forsythe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Four years ago, Guo Wengui, a prominent Chinese property developer, announced the imminent end of Communist rule and the formation of the New Federal State of China. The setting wasn’t Beijing, or anywhere close to China, but a boat in New York Harbor. He was joined by Steve Bannon, the right-wing firebrand and former adviser to President Trump. Another Trump aide, Peter Navarro, would be declared the shadow government’s “international ambassador.”“From this day forward, the Communist Party is not the legal government of China!” he shouted in Mandarin. Mr. Guo, also known as Miles Kwok, had completed a remarkable transformation, from exiled Beijing billionaire to a player in America’s right-wing firmament.

Persons: Guo Wengui, Steve Bannon, President Trump, Trump, Peter Navarro, ”, Guo, Miles Kwok Organizations: New Federal, Communist Party Locations: New Federal State of China, Beijing, China, New York, America’s

☆ Opinion | The Real Danger if Trump Is Reelected
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Jacob Heilbrunn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump may be regularly depicted as an impetuous toddler in chief, but he appears to possess genuine convictions about international relations. This impulse is not a new phenomenon for the United States; it dates back to World War I and World War II, when leading American conservatives praised foreign autocrats such as Kaiser Wilhelm II, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Francisco Franco as their ideological comrades in arms. During his four years in office, Mr. Trump blustered about alliances and praised foreign dictators but never actually upended America’s foreign policy. That could change in a second Trump administration. It would convert America from a dominant economic and military power into what Mr. Trump purports to abhor — a global loser.

Persons: Donald Trump, Mikhail Gorbachev, Trump, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Francisco Franco, Trump’s Organizations: Playboy, Communist, America, NATO Locations: Soviet, United States

☆ Power Struggle in Vietnam Brings Third President in Less Than 2 Years
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A powerful security official was named president of Vietnam on Wednesday, the third person in the job in less than 18 months amid jostling ahead of a generational change in leadership. On Monday, lawmakers approved the nomination of Tran Thanh Man, 61, as the chairman of the National Assembly. Consequently, both General Lam and Mr. Man could be in the running to replace Nguyen Phu Trong, who has been the party chief for the past 13 years. Mr. Trong, 80, is serving an unprecedented third five-year term as leader after he was re-elected in 2021. The succession vacuum has led to an intense power struggle in Vietnam — which was once known for its stable and scripted politics — ahead of the next leadership transition in 2026.

Persons: Lam, Tran, General Lam, Nguyen, Trong Organizations: Vietnamese Communist Party, National Assembly Locations: Vietnam, Tran Thanh

☆ Chinese Firms Face Authoritarianism at Home and Hostility Abroad
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Li Yuan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

One April afternoon in 2018, Zhang Yiming, the founder of the Beijing-based online media company ByteDance, got a notice from Chinese regulators to shut down an app where people shared jokes and silly videos. He followed orders and expressed his deep remorse in a public apology. “I feel regretful because I have let down the guidance and expectations of the supervisory authorities all along,” he wrote. On top of the list: Build up the Communist Party’s presence at ByteDance and educate its employees to think from the perspectives of the party and the government. Now ByteDance, which owns TikTok, is facing a similar order from the U.S. government: It needs to divest the short video app or it will face a ban.

Persons: Zhang Yiming, “, ”, Zhang Organizations: U.S . Locations: Beijing, U.S

☆ Toxic Political Culture Has Even Some Slovaks Calling Country ‘a Black Hole.’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than a quarter century has passed since the United States called Slovakia a “black hole in the center of Europe” — an island of autocratic malaise surrounded by spry new democracies. The insult, leveled in 1997 by Secretary of State Madeline Albright against a country that has since joined NATO and the European Union, still stings. “We are back in a black hole; I’m not sure we ever got out of it,” said Roman Kvasnica, a prominent Slovak lawyer who denounces a political culture in which threats and personal insults are routine. In his own legal work he has faced numerous threats, including a warning that he would get a “bullet in the head” from a tycoon charged with ordering the 2018 murder of an investigative journalist digging into government corruption. Mr. Havel served as the first president of post-communist Czechoslovakia, the state that in 1993 split amicably into the Czech Republic and the Republic of Slovakia.

Persons: spry, Madeline Albright, Robert Fico, Albright, ”, Roman Kvasnica, Vaclav Havel, Havel Organizations: NATO, European Union, Central, Mr Locations: United States, Slovakia, Europe, Central European, Slovak, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, Republic of Slovakia

Lai, 64, a former doctor, was inaugurated alongside new Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, who recently served as Taiwan’s top envoy to the United States. Both leaders and their party are openly loathed by Beijing for championing Taiwan’s sovereignty. Lai takes up the mantle from DPP predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, who bolstered the island’s international standing and recognition during her eight years in office. He is also expected to project goodwill to China with a message of pursuing peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait. That deliberately nuanced stance mimics his outgoing predecessor Tsai, Taiwan’s first female president, who was unable to stand again because of term limits.

Persons: Taipei CNN — Lai Ching, te, Lai, Hsiao Bi, China’s, Tsai Ing, Tsai –, –, Xi Jinping, Tsai, Taiwan’s, rebuking Organizations: Taipei CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, Communist Party, CNN, Kuomintang, KMT, Taiwan People’s Party, DPP, ” Locations: Taipei, China, United States, Beijing, Taiwan

☆ Xi’s Warm Embrace of Putin in China Is a Defiance of the West
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Days after returning from a trip to Europe where he was lectured about the need to rein in Russia, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, used a summit with President Vladimir V. Putin to convey an uncomfortable reality to the West: His support for Mr. Putin remains steadfast. Mr. Xi’s talks with Mr. Putin this week were a show of solidarity between two autocrats battling Western pressure. The two leaders put out a lengthy statement that denounced what they saw as American interference and bullying and laid out their alignment on China’s claim to self-ruled Taiwan and Russia’s “legitimate security interests” in Ukraine. They pledged to expand economic and military ties, highlighted by Mr. Putin’s visit to a cutting-edge Chinese institute for defense research. Mr. Xi even initiated a cheek-to-cheek hug as he bade Mr. Putin farewell on Thursday after an evening stroll in the Chinese Communist Party leadership compound in Beijing.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin, Xi’s, Mr, Russia’s, Putin’s, Xi Organizations: West, Chinese Communist Party Locations: Europe, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Beijing

☆ Opinion | What Hillary Clinton Got Wrong About Student Protesters
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Elizabeth Spiers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Appearing last week on “Morning Joe,” Hillary Clinton lamented what she views as the ignorance of students protesting the war in Gaza. The host, Joe Scarborough, asked her about “the sort of radicalism that has mainstream students getting propaganda, whether it’s from their professors or from the Chinese Communist government through TikTok.” Ms. Clinton was happy to oblige. “I have had many conversations, as you have had, with a lot of young people over the last many months,” she said. I’ve also seen and heard the assumptions made about them by some of their elders — administrators, parents and others. In the current panic, the protesters are described as somehow both terribly fragile and such a threat to public safety that they need to be confronted by police officers in riot gear.

Persons: ” Hillary Clinton, Joe Scarborough, Ms, Clinton, “, ”, ” I’ve, I’ve, it’s, Ken Griffin, Bill Ackman, Donald Trump —, —, whiny ”, Mike Lawler, Mr, Lawler, Kaz Daughtry, Rousseau Organizations: Communist, New York, Republican, Columbia University, Columbia, Oxford University Locations: Gaza, TikTok, New, New York, U.S

☆ Vintage photos show what life looked like behind the Iron Curtain
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Caroline Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Before the end of the Cold War, the Iron Curtain cut off the Soviet Union from the rest of Europe. Life there was restricted, but as its leaders changed, Western influence began to reach residents. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe Iron Curtain was a figurative and ideological wall — and eventually a physical one — that separated the Soviet Union from western Europe after World War II. The name, widely attributed to Winston Churchill, hinted that life in the USSR was secretive and very different from other western, capitalist countries.

Persons: —, Winston Churchill Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Soviet Union, Europe, USSR

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