World

Chinese tech firms face US ultimatum over issue of American accounting standards
27Mar mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Chinese tech firms face US ultimatum over issue of American accounting standards

Chinese tech firms in the United States could be forced to leave the US market after the country’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) started implementing a law to remove foreign firms that did not comply with local accounting standards.Recently, the SEC, which regulates the US stock markets, amended the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act to remove from the US stock markets foreign firms that did not comply with local accounting standards.“The SEC has adopted interim final amendments to implement congressionally mandated submission and disclosure requirements of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCA Act),” the SEC said in a statement.The SEC said that it was “seeking public comment on these submission and disclosure requirements” within 90 days of the date of the...
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US to hold China accountable for human rights abuses: US Speaker
24Mar mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

US to hold China accountable for human rights abuses: US Speaker

The United States Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday lauded the sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on China and said that Washington will hold Beijing accountable for human rights abuses against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang as well as against people in Tibet and Hong Kong“The Biden administration’s coordinated sanctions on China are a strong and resounding step to hold China accountable for its barbaric atrocities against the Uyghur people,” Pelosi said in a statement.“America, together with our allies, will continue to hold Beijing accountable for its campaign of human rights abuses, including those targeting the Tibetan people, people of Hong Kong and journalists, human rights lawyers and advocates on the mainland,” she added.Pelosi said that the US Congress will further its actions w...
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Chinese threat to Taiwan ‘closer than most think’: top US admiral
24Mar mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Chinese threat to Taiwan ‘closer than most think’: top US admiral

Admiral John Aquilino, who is chosen to be the next commander of US forces in the Pacific, on Tuesday said that China is amassing weapons and systems to militarily overwhelm Taiwan, an action it could be “poised to take” within the next six years.“My opinion is this problem is much closer to us than most think,” he said before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which was reviewing his nomination to lead the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command.He further stated that China considers establishing full control over Taiwan to be its “number one priority”.The current head of the command, Admiral Philip Davidson, told a hearing earlier this month that China could be prepared to take Taiwan, the self-governed democratic island that Beijing claims as its sovereign territory, by force within the ne...
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UK says vaccine shipment from India won’t hurt poor nations
24Mar By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

UK says vaccine shipment from India won’t hurt poor nations

LONDON: Britain’s vaccines minister on Friday (Mar 5) dismissed suggestions that the country was getting key COVID-19 jabs intended for poorer countries, insisting that 10 million doses coming from India were always intended for distribution in the UK Nadhim Zahawi, in an interview with The Associated Press, confirmed reports that the Serum Institute of India, one of the world’s largest vaccine makers, would be sending doses of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca to the UK. Non-governmental organisations such as Medecins Sans Frontieres have raised concerns that shipments from the Serum Institute would reduce supplies to developing countries. Zahawi insisted this was not the case. “We, of course, sought assurances from AstraZeneca and from Serum that our doses...
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Fears of ‘digital dictatorship’ as Myanmar deploys AI
24Mar By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Fears of ‘digital dictatorship’ as Myanmar deploys AI

BANGKOK: Protesters in Myanmar fear they are being tracked with Chinese facial recognition technology, as spiralling violence and street surveillance spark fears of a "digital dictatorship" to replace ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Human rights groups say the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to check on citizens' movements poses a "serious threat" to their liberty. More than 200 people have been killed since Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi was overthrown in a Feb. 1 coup, triggering mass protests that security forces have struggled to suppress with increasingly violent tactics. Security forces have focused on stamping out dissent in cities including the capital Naypyitaw, Yangon and Mandalay, where hundreds of CCTV cameras had been installed as part of a drive to improve governance...
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Hong Kong defends practice of restraining some babies in COVID-19 wards
24Mar By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Hong Kong defends practice of restraining some babies in COVID-19 wards

HONG KONG: Hong Kong health authorities have defended the practice of physically restraining some babies and children to beds in COVID-19 isolation wards after criticism built over the treatment of families under the city's strict anti-virus measures. Despite being one of the most densely packed cities in the world, Hong Kong has kept infections low thanks to some of the most stringent quarantine measures in the world, recording about 11,000 infections and 200 deaths since the pandemic began. Anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus is immediately taken to isolation wards - regardless of whether they are symptomatic or not - and those deemed "close contacts" are sent to mandatory government quarantine camps. Almost all arrivals into the city must also quarantine in dedicated ho...
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Taiwan bursts with creative pineapple dishes after China ban
24Mar By Desk TeamNo Comments
World

Taiwan bursts with creative pineapple dishes after China ban

TAIPEI: Taiwan's classic beef noodle soup has taken on a sweet and sour twist. Taipei chef Hung Ching Lung created a pineapple beef noodle soup at his eponymous restaurant Chef Hung, in what he says is a modest attempt to support Taiwanese pineapple farmers. The spiky fruit became a politically charged symbol after China banned the import of Taiwan's pineapples on Mar 1, citing pests. In response, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen kicked off a social media challenge called "Eat Taiwan's pineapples until you burst", calling on people to support the island's farmers. The campaign has kicked off a pineapple media frenzy, as Taiwanese politicians sought to demonstrate their support for farmers as well as Taiwanese agriculture. Politicians from the ruling Democratic Progressive Part...
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Over 200 China vessels massed at disputed reef in South China Sea: Philippines
23Mar mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Over 200 China vessels massed at disputed reef in South China Sea: Philippines

Amid the ongoing tension due to China’s aggressiveness in the South China Sea, Phillippines on Monday said that over 200 Chinese vessels have massed at a reef in the west Philippine sea.In an announcement posted by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) on its Facebook page, the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea said ships have “massed” at the Julian Felipe Reef, the official Philippine name for Whitsun Reef.Julian Felipe Reef is a large boomerang-shaped shallow coral reef 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan, and northeast of Pagkakaisa banks and reefs or the Union Reefs. The reef is claimed by China and the Philippines both.The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shared photos dated March 7 showing the ships lined up at the reef. Commodore Armand Balilo, t...
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Japan, US to conduct joint military drills near Senkaku Islands to counter China
22Mar mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Japan, US to conduct joint military drills near Senkaku Islands to counter China

The United States and Japan have decided to conduct large-scale joint drills to protect the Senkaku Islands and counter China’s aggressiveness in the East China Sea.According to media reports, Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces would join the US Marines and Air Force in an exercise to defend the Japanese-administered Senkakus, which are claimed by China as Diaoyu.Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi stressed the need for joint drills during a TV program aired on Friday in local media. “We need to improve our capability through joint drills and demonstrate our presence,” he said.In February, China adopted a law allowing its coast guard to fire at foreign ships. Since then, Chinese coast guard ships have repeatedly sailed into Japanese waters near the islets.The drills come after...
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Taiwan protests against UN report for labeling it as ‘province of China’
22Mar mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Taiwan protests against UN report for labeling it as ‘province of China’

A recent global happiness report issued by the United Nations (UN) is facing severe criticism from Taiwan for listing it as “province of China”.On March 20, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the UN released its World Happiness Report 2021, a global ranking of happiness levels across 149 countries. The report however has labeled Taiwan as a “province of China” since it is not a member of the UN.Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its dismay about the mislabeling in the World Happiness Report and stressed that Taiwan has its own government and sovereignty and has never been governed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).Taiwan’s representative office in New York said in a Twitter post that it has launched a protest demanding respect for the country’s sovereignty and...
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