News of the World

[kyonides]

China-US trade war: Beijing escalates tit-for-tat with Washington

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55132425

China has introduced tough new laws which restrict the export of "controlled items".
The rules primarily focus on the export of military technologies and other products that might harm China's national security.
The export controls are widely believed to be in response to similar actions by the US.
TikTok, Huawei and Tencent are among the casualties of Washington's Chinese technology crackdown.

The other thing I find really interesting is China has placed AI and algorithms under these export controls.
This was prompted by the US ban on TikTok. The Chinese government does not want to share this AI.

List of Consequences

Exporters must apply for a license in order to export any item listed on a control list or subject to temporary controls.
Data associated with the controlled items is also covered by the law.
The law imposes penalties of ten times the value of the offending transaction up to $760,000 (£569,000).
It also allows for the punishment of overseas organisations or individuals, suggesting Beijing might attempt to use it to restrict the sale of sensitive technology globally.
Rare earth
Prices for rare earth minerals have increased in anticipation that the law could affect their export.

South Koreans upset after China claims kimchi as its own

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/d...as-its-own

Agriculture ministry drawn in to row after state media prompts backlash with claims that China leads global kimchi industry
Social media users in China and South Korea are embroiled in another row, this time over the provenance of kimchi, the fermented cabbage dish that most people recognise as an essential part of the Korean diet.
Not, though, in China, where state media have sparked an online backlash after one of the country’s fermented dishes received certification from the International Organisation for Standardisation [ISO].
ISO status, the Global Times newspaper reported, was an “international standard for the kimchi industry led by China”.

It is inappropriate to report (pao cai winning the ISO) without differentiating between kimchi from pao cai from Sichuan.

That's like saying a hamburger comes from Hamburg, Germany or China created the Costa Rican dish called gallo pinto.
Really the Chinese government should be ashamed they got an approval they didn't deserve at all.

Olympic rings back in Tokyo Bay

a sign of hope in pandemic

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-p...fd00094d7b

The five Olympic rings are back in Tokyo Bay.
They were removed for maintenance four months ago shortly after the Tokyo Olympics were postponed until next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rings arrived on Tuesday after a short cruise from nearby Yokohama and are positioned on a barge in the shadow on Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge.
The rings will be lighted at night and herald the coming of the Tokyo Olympics, which are to open on July 23, 2021, followed by the Paralympics on Aug. 24.

Now the question would be if the Japanese people and anybody else around the world still care about this sport event.

Iranian Top Nuclear Scientist Killed!?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55128970

Iran believes Israel and an exiled opposition group used a remote-control weapon to shoot dead top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on Friday.
Security chief Ali Shamkhani said the attackers had "used electronic equipment" when Fakhrizadeh's car was fired on east of the capital Tehran.
He was speaking at the funeral of the scientist Israel accused of secretly helping to develop nuclear weapons.
Israel has not publicly commented on the allegations of its involvement.
In the early 2000s, Fakhrizadeh played a crucial role in Iran's nuclear programme but the government insists its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful.

Well, even if Iran still claims they use uranium for peaceful purposes that doesn't explain why they kept 10 times as much ore as they were allowed by the international community... at a single reactor site!  
So you can't really blame other countries to think that top nuclear scientist was a menace for the entire Middle East.

France to rewrite police security bill after huge protests

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55135995

French politicians say they will totally rewrite part of a controversial security bill amid national outrage over a police assault on a black man.
There were huge protests across France on Saturday against Article 24 of the bill, which aims to regulate how people share film or photos of police.
There are fears the new law could stop people exposing police brutality.
Four policemen are now under criminal investigation over the beating of black music producer Michel Zecler in Paris.
The assault happened at his studio earlier this month and the video surfaced last week.

Muslims face state pressure to embrace values in France

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55132098

France's Muslim Council is due to meet President Emmanuel Macron this week, to confirm the text of a new "charter of Republican values" for imams in the country to sign.
The Council (CFCM), which represents nine separate Muslim associations, has reportedly been asked to include in the text recognition of France's Republican values, rejection of Islam as a political movement and a ban on foreign influence.
The plan is for the CFCM to create a register of imams in France, each of whom would sign up to the Charter, in return for accreditation.

They might see it as intrusive at first but we gotta recall how many times authorities in the USA or Europe have linked some imam or Muslim leader to terrorist cells. At the end they're not asking them to change their lifestyle except for very specific things like respecting the constitution or not attacking Christians or pretty much anybody. Why would it be a problem to tell the government they're working as an imam? They shouldn't fear the authorities if they keep their hands clean.

Facebook & Google censor Vietnamese people

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55140857

Facebook and Google have aided the Vietnamese government in censoring criticism and repressing dissent, says rights group Amnesty.
In a new report, the group accuses the tech giants of "far-reaching complicity" by blocking content deemed critical of authorities.
Vietnam has a reputation for restricting freedom of speech.
In recent years several bloggers have been jailed for publishing articles critical of the Communist state.

So instead of working with local organizations to keep the internet free in Vietnam, they simply comply with the Communist party's anti-democratic demands!?