Current Events

[Randy W]

Go to Last Entry for most recent posts.

Some current events your spouse may be reading about.

From the Sixth Tone - they arrived more than TWELVE hours before the check in time

Netizens Debate Chinese Family’s ‘Mistreatment’ in Sweden

China’s Foreign Ministry demands an explanation for why three tourists — whom some have dubbed ‘con artists’ — were removed from a hostel by police and dropped off at a cemetery.

 

Quote

According to Zeng, he and his parents, both in their 60s, arrived at Generator Stockholm, a popular backpacker hostel, after midnight on Sept. 2. But upon speaking with reception, Zeng said he was told that because he had not booked for Sept. 1, his family’s private room would not be ready until the following afternoon. Hostel staff informed Zeng that they had no beds available for that night but allowed him and his parents to stay in the lobby.

 

Zeng told Global Times he went outside to look for alternative accommodation and met a Chinese woman in a similar situation. When he brought her back to the hostel, he said that staff asked his family and the woman to leave.

 

. . .

 

As for why Zeng appeared to fall to the ground without being touched, he told Global Times: “I broke down and lost my mind. I wasn’t able to think of an appropriate way to handle the situation other than accusing the police of wrongdoing and asking bystanders for help.”

 

Some Chinese netizens, however, have accused the Swedish police of using excessive force. “You can clear the Zeng family out of the hostel, but why would you drop them off in a cemetery?” commented one Weibo user.

 

On Sunday, China’s ambassador to Sweden, Gui Congyou, accepted an interview with Swedish media that was later transcribed in Chinese. “The three Chinese citizens didn’t break any laws — and even if they did, the Swedish police should have handled the situation according to the law, and informed us at the embassy,” said Gui, who also called the officers’ actions “brutal.”

 

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Monday afternoon saying the Swedish police have not responded to a request for a face-to-face dialogue about the incident.

 

 

 

Apparently, the "cemetery" they were dumped at is "actually a metro station named Woodland Cemetery, according to an analysis of the incident by the journalist Jojje Olsson that cited reporting by the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. Mr. Olsson wrote that the station is within the city limits and fewer than six kilometers, or about 3.7 miles, from the Generator (hostel).", according to the NY Times

See Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skogskyrkog%C3%A5rden_metro_station

Edited May 3, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

. . . and more gossip from the SCMP

Fan Bingbing tax evasion scandal: four luxury brands caught up in the Chinese actress’ fall from grace

The actress, one of China’s highest-earning entertainers, has not been seen in public since the July scandal. Her disappearance poses some difficult questions for the luxury brands she endorses

Quote

China’s highest earning actress, Fan Bingbing, has not been seen in public since July when she was caught up in a tax evasion scandal. Her disappearance has fuelled rumours that the actress has been detained and faces punishment for improper tax filings.

Fan is one of the country’s most well-known entertainers and endorses multiple brands who are keen to get a slice of the burgeoning China market. The actress’ apparent fall from grace creates a headache for the companies she represents.

Edited December 21, 2020 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

from the Sixth Tone

 

Court Convicts Children for Abandoning Dying Father

Five siblings have been punished for not fulfilling filial duties after their elderly father died alone last year.

More than a year after the death of an 80-year-old man in southwestern China, his son and four daughters have each been sentenced to up to two years in jail for abandoning him, The Beijing News reported Monday.

During the trial on Thursday, prosecutors at the Pingwu County People’s Court in Sichuan province said that all of Zhang Shun’an’s children failed to fulfill their filial duties. Under Chinese law, neglecting one’s obligation to nurse aging parents — or young children — constitutes a criminal offense punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment or criminal detention. Zhang’s son was given a two-year jail sentence, while his four daughters were given suspended sentences ranging from 12 to 18 months.

 

 

[Randy W]

Zeng told Global Times he went outside to look for alternative accommodation and met a Chinese woman in a similar situation. When he brought her back to the hostel, he said that staff asked his family and the woman to leave.

 

 

NOW I hear that this woman was a family member they were trying to sneak into the hostel without paying.

[Randy W]

in the Global Times

 

Chinese Embassy in Sweden condemns racist TV show

[Randy W]

This is getting a LOT of attention from the CCP media - some are saying it's because of the Dalai Lama's visit to Sweden the week before.

from the People's Daily on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesDaily/posts/2115324855185987

Quote

The SVT program and Ronndahl spread and advocated racism and xenophobia outright, and openly provoked and instigated racial hatred and confrontation targeting China and some other ethnic groups, the embassy said.

 

"The program also referred to a wrong map of China where China's Taiwan province and some parts of the Tibet region were missing, which severely infringes on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the embassy added.

 

"The program breaks the basic moral principles of mankind, and gravely challenges human conscience and is a serious violation of media professional ethics. To think that such things could happen in Sweden, an advocate of ethnic equality!" the embassy said.

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

. . . and another International incident from a performance - from the SCMP

Chinese journalist arrested after slapping volunteer at British conference on Hong Kong freedoms and labelling participants traitors

 

State-run CCTV demands apology from conference organisers for violating rights of its reporter

https://www.facebook.com/HongKongWatch1/videos/1543672115778226/

Quote

The 48-year-old from King’s Cross, London, was taken into custody by West Midlands police after the incident in Birmingham, where she also accused the event’s host of being “anti-China”, and labelled participants “traitors”.

 

Police told the Post the woman was arrested on suspicion of common assault and remained in custody on Monday night, Hong Kong time.

 

LATEST: CCTV journalist who slapped student volunteer released by British police

 

State broadcaster CCTV demanded an apology from conference organisers, saying the rights of its reporter Kong Linlin had been violated, according to a report by its English-language station CGTN.

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

On 9/18/2018 at 3:35 PM, Randy W said:

 

. . . and more gossip from the SCMP

 

Fan Bingbing tax evasion scandal: four luxury brands caught up in the Chinese actress’ fall from grace

 

The actress, one of China’s highest-earning entertainers, has not been seen in public since the July scandal. Her disappearance poses some difficult questions for the luxury brands she endorses

 

 

Quote

China’s highest earning actress, Fan Bingbing, has not been seen in public since July when she was caught up in a tax evasion scandal. Her disappearance has fuelled rumours that the actress has been detained and faces punishment for improper tax filings.

 

Fan is one of the country’s most well-known entertainers and endorses multiple brands who are keen to get a slice of the burgeoning China market. The actress’ apparent fall from grace creates a headache for the companies she represents.

 

 

 

in the big news for today, from Variety

 

Chinese Actress Fan Bingbing Is Fined Millions for Tax Evasion

 

"China’s State Administration of Taxation said that, following an investigation, the actress is to pay “hundreds of millions” of yuan in back taxes and fines. Calculations according to formulas issued by state news agency Xinhua suggest that Fan and her companies could be liable for a staggering RMB 883 million ($129 million). If she pays in full, she could avoid a criminal trial and inevitable conviction."

Edited December 21, 2020 by Randy W (see edit history)

[True Blue]

Randy,

 

Based on what you can sense there (I realize the "news" is pretty tightly controlled), is the general sentiment that her disappearance is of her own doing (is she laying low to avoid prison)? Or do most people think her disappearance is because she is aleady in custody?

[Randy W]

Randy,

 

Based on what you can sense there (I realize the "news" is pretty tightly controlled), is the general sentiment that her disappearance is of her own doing (is she laying low to avoid prison)? Or do most people think her disappearance is because she is aleady in custody?

 

 

You never know, but, with the fine, she's off the hook!

[tsap seui]

She had better pay the fine and live on another day. Otherwise, she may get a cheap piece of lead suddenly injected into the back of her pretty lil' skull.

Edited October 4, 2018 by tsap seui (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Looks like someone noticed she was missing . . .

China’s film industry grinds to a halt because of Fan Bingbing tax scandal

Star’s disappearance and concerns about tighter Communist Party controls caused investors to pull the plug on new productions, insiders say

Alfred Cheung Kin-ting, a veteran film director based in Hong Kong, said he expected there to be two years of “cold winters” in China’s film and television industry as investors avoided uncertainty and put their productions on hold.

But he said he was not surprised by the recent revelations about Fan, as tax evasion was commonplace in the industry.

“Before the Fan incident, most production houses on the mainland would use one way or another to dodge tax payments, like offering lump sums off the books to their actors,” he said.

But since then, neither producers nor stars had gone near such deals, he said.

. . .

“Over the years, the payments to superstars have become so high that the quality of the movie is compromised as the rest of the filmmakers, such as scriptwriters and producers, are all underpaid.”

 

 

 

[Randy W]

from Abacus and Bloomberg

 

Chinese state media calls spy chips story “science fiction”

Bloomberg says servers bound for Apple, Amazon had secret chips installed

“Has the US lost their mind in the past 24 hours?”

. . .

“I saw the Bloomberg spy chip story, and it’s inconceivable,” one user says, “Anyone with basic engineering knowledge wouldn’t believe such bullshit. How can you incorporate memory and networking capability into a rice-sized chip?”

Funnily enough, some think the technology in this hack is too advanced for China -- pointing to the ZTE saga, when it argued that a ban on buying US components would cripple the company.

. . .

But there was one funny note. Some commenters say they’ve found the spy chips in question… on Taobao. For 15 cents.

 

 

 

The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies

The attack by Chinese spies reached almost 30 U.S. companies, including Amazon and Apple, by compromising America’s technology supply chain, according to extensive interviews with government and corporate sources.

 

When a server was installed and switched on, the microchip altered the operating system’s core so it could accept modifications. The chip could also contact computers controlled by the attackers in search of further instructions and code.

 

[Randy W]

Randy,

 

Based on what you can sense there (I realize the "news" is pretty tightly controlled), is the general sentiment that her disappearance is of her own doing (is she laying low to avoid prison)? Or do most people think her disappearance is because she is aleady in custody?

 

This seems to answer the questions - from the SCMP

 

Fan Bingbing’s punishment serves as a chilling deterrent for others

The harsh financial penalties imposed on the top mainland actress for tax evasion assures the public that there is not one rule for the rich and famous, and another for the rest

After disappearing from public view for more than three months during an investigation, she has emerged from a form of secret residential detention with a promise to pay a staggering bill of nearly 884 million yuan (US$129 million) for unpaid taxes and fines. As a tax-evasion first offender, she is fortunate that if she keeps a promise to pay up promptly she will not face criminal charges and the prospect of jail. Nonetheless the authorities have made her pay a heavy personal price to achieve a chilling deterrent effect on others.

 

. . .

 

Hopefully, a precedent is to be found in the case of an equally famous entertainer who became entangled in a tax probe 16 years ago. Liu Xiaoqing, a big-name actress and savvy businesswoman, was jailed for a year. She emerged to reclaim her superstar status and continue her career.

 

[Randy W]

“I saw the Bloomberg spy chip story, and it’s inconceivable,” one user says, “Anyone with basic engineering knowledge wouldn’t believe such bullshit. How can you incorporate memory and networking capability into a rice-sized chip?”

 

 

It's easy enough to use a computer's existing resources, especially when an ethernet card has the malicious chip.

 

From Bloomberg

 

New Evidence of Hacked Supermicro Hardware Found in U.S. Telecom

The discovery shows that China continues to sabotage critical technology components bound for America.

 

 

The executive said he has seen similar manipulations of different vendors' computer hardware made by contractors in China, not just products from Supermicro. “Supermicro is a victim -- so is everyone else,” he said. Appleboum said his concern is that there are countless points in the supply chain in China where manipulations can be introduced, and deducing them can in many cases be impossible. “That's the problem with the Chinese supply chain,” he said.

Supermicro, based in San Jose, California, gave this statement: “The security of our customers and the integrity of our products are core to our business and our company values. We take care to secure the integrity of our products throughout the manufacturing process, and supply chain security is an important topic of discussion for our industry. We still have no knowledge of any unauthorized components and have not been informed by any customer that such components have been found. We are dismayed that Bloomberg would give us only limited information, no documentation, and half a day to respond to these new allegations.”

. . .

The more recent manipulation is different from the one described in the Bloomberg Businessweek report last week, but it shares key characteristics: They’re both designed to give attackers invisible access to data on a computer network in which the server is installed; and the alterations were found to have been made at the factory as the motherboard was being produced by a Supermicro subcontractor in China.