Current Events

[Randy W]

Canada clamps down on researchers with ties to China, Russia and Iran

 

The move targets government funding for academics with links to universities connected to defence and security entities in countries that could harm security

 

The institutions affected are mostly based in China but a few from Iran and Russia are also listed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

GM said to be ending ‘Ultra Cruise’ semi-autonomous driving development

 

 

[Randy W]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/chineseculturelab/permalink/702688855247843/?mibextid=Nif5oz

#CoveredBridgesofChina    This is another bridge that is very worthy of its name. “Gao” means high in Chinese and the Gaoqiao Bridge is 35 meters long, 2 meters wide and 25 meters high. It has the highest piers of all covered bridges in China.   The bridge spans across the Longchuan River, which has its source in Gaoligong Mountain and its large volume accumulates upon entering Gaoqiao Canyon. Du Fuguang, vice mayor of Jietou Town, explained that "during the rainy seasons, the rapid stream of the Longchuan River dashes against the cliffs of Gaoqiao Gorge, and as a result the surface of the cliff walls are riddled with abrasions. Old people say this is a sign of a dragon's paw, and the dragon tries to destroy the Gaoqiao bridge but fails.  More fantastic stories?  http://www.heychinaculture.com/ #temple #bridges #tiger #folktale #bridge

Edited January 17 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

At least 23 killed in massive explosion at Thai fireworks factory

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

China aircraft carrier

 

Edited January 18 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

China scientists clone first rhesus
monkey using new method
Scientists in China have successfully cloned a rhesus monkey
using a modified version of the technique that created Dolly the
sheep, providing valuable insights into the scientific process.
The cloned monkey, named ReTro, has survived for over two
years, and researchers hope this technique will lead to the
creation of identical monkeys for medical research. However,
the success rate for the new method remains very low.
The scientists replaced the trophoblast cells, which were
causing abnormalities in cloned embryos, with cells from a
non-cloned embryo, significantly improving the success rate of
cloning by SCNT.

In a groundbreaking feat, Chinese researchers have
achieved the long-sought goal of cloning a rhesus monkey.
marking a major leap forward in primate cloning
technology. This accomplishment comes over 25 years
after Dolly the sheep became the first cloned mammal,
ushering in a new era of scientific exploration. The cloning
pf the rhesus monkey stands as a significant
accomplishment due to its widespread use in medical
esearch, given its physiological similarity to humans, which
is why the researchers could speed up drug testing
According to a BBC report, previous attempts to clone a
thesus have either not led to births or the offspring have
died a few hours later. In mammals, sexual reproduction
leads to offspring made up of a mixture of genes from their
father and mother. In cloning, techniques are used to create
a genetically identical copy of a single animal.

 

 

 

[Randy W]

UFO' spotted by Beijing residents Description A mysterious 'glowing object' was spotted flying over Beijing and other parts of China on Sunday evening. An astronomer suggested it could have been a SpaceX rocket launching the latest Starlink satellites

Read more: https://sc.mp/jir8

UFO seen over Beijing could have been SpaceX rocket, astronomer says

• People in the capital and other parts of China saw ‘glowing object’ that flew rapidly from west to east
• Expert believes it was likely to have been the rocket used to launch the latest Starlink satellites

 

[Randy W]

The  Royal Albert Hall was furious The Beatles wrote about them in a bad light in their song A Day in the Life.
John Lennon wrote back in the only way he knew how.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1670619553197677/permalink/3611532969106316/?mibextid=Nif5oz

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

About 1,000 tourists trapped in China's Xinjiang after avalanches

Around 1,000 tourists remain stranded in a remote holiday village after avalanches hit China's northwestern Xinjiang region with meters-high snow and fickle weather impeding evacuation, state TV reported on Tuesday.

Road access to Hemu village, a scenic destination near the borders of Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia where the tourists were trapped, has been cut off by avalanches for several days now. The village is situated in Xinjiang's Altay Prefecture where continuous snowfall in some areas has lasted 10 days, it said.

About 1,000 tourists trapped in China's Xinjiang after avalanches

https://ground.news/article/about-1-000-tourists-trapped-in-chinas-xinjiang-after-avalanches

 

 

 

[Martin B]

Haven't seen this here, but this story blew up in the past day or so: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1858438/fury-china-tourists-pianist-filming-row

The video is here: 

 

 

What an embarrassment. 

 

[Randy W]

8 dead in China as landslide buries mountain village

• More than a dozen homes were in the disaster’s path as it struck on Monday morning, state media report
• Relief operation is under way in freezing conditions after a night of heavy snow in the area

 

 

[Randy W]

China’s intelligence agency calls case of ‘extreme environmentalism’ a threat to national security

• Ministry says it ‘lawfully punished’ Chinese resident who ‘fabricated’ materials suggesting environmental issues in fishing industry
• It claims the person had helped ‘some countries’ to enact trade restrictions against China in ‘carefully orchestrated political conspiracy’

from the SCMP
 

Quote

 

In a post on its official WeChat account on Wednesday, the ministry said it had “lawfully punished” a Chinese resident who was “deeply influenced” by extreme environmentalism while overseas. It said the person, surnamed Li, had engaged in “illegal activities” that endangered China’s national security.

Li had “enthusiastically” taken part in environmental protection activities and was recruited by “anti-China forces” while studying abroad, building connections with non-government organisations, overseas industry associations and multinational companies, according to the post.

The ministry said that with the support of an overseas agency, Li had set up a consulting firm in China to collect information on the fishing industry, including industry policy and data, to share with those contacts.

 

 

 

Edited February 1 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Beijing court hands down suspended death sentence to Australian writer Yang Jun for spying

 

 

 

[Randy W]

Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, in first meeting in a year, agree to new talks

• Biden cites counter-narcotics, artificial intelligence and climate change as issues that the US and China must address jointly
• Xi turns quickly to ‘grave’ economic problems, including ‘protectionism’

 

Quote

 

In a readout shortly after their two-hour meeting and a follow-on working lunch held at a secluded estate just south of San Francisco, China called for cooperation and mutual respect, appearing to signal a hoped-for reset after a prolonged downward spiral in relations.
But Beijing also underscored that its concerns, especially regarding Taiwan, must be respected.

“China has interests that must be safeguarded, principles that must be defended, and bottom lines that must be adhered to,” it said.

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

Angela Chao allegedly died on Mitch Connell and Elaine Chao’s ranch in Texas. The Chao family is trying to cover it up with help from the local police. The Chinese hacking firm IS00N is one of Beijing’s contractors that recently experienced a data leak on GitHub. The documents dumped on GitHub might have given us a hint on who is behind the leak.   

Time stamp:
0:42    Shocking details of Angela Chao’s death
14:50  Who is behind the Chinese IS00N data leak?
34:30   Q&A
 

 

US officials combing leaked documents from Chinese tech firm for clues about Beijing's hacking campaigns

from CNN Newsletter

Quote

 

US officials have been scouring a trove of newly leaked documents from a Chinese tech firm for clues on how the government in Beijing allegedly uses the company in extensive hacking campaigns, multiple US cybersecurity officials familiar with the matter told CNN.

The Biden administration’s study of the leak is ongoing, but private experts told CNN it offers some of the clearest public evidence yet of how they believe China’s powerful security agencies outsource hacking operations to tech firms to target victims around the world.

The documents, posted anonymously online last weekend for anyone to access, include screenshots of chat logs, as well as records of employees and Chinese government clients of the tech firm I-Soon. The company’s hacking victims range from Tibetan exile-run political groups, hospitals in Taiwan and India to Hong Kong’s universities following the city’s mass pro-democracy protests in 2019, according to the leaked data. More than a dozen, mostly Asian, foreign governments are listed as targets.

I-Soon’s clients include China’s police, intelligence service and military, according to a spreadsheet listing 183 contracts signed between 2016 and 2022 by I-Soon’s subsidiary in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

“This is some of the best visibility we’ve had into Chinese hacking operations outside of a government SCIF,” said Adam Kozy, who used to track Chinese hackers for the FBI, using an acronym for classified facilities.

“I’m not aware of the specifics you mentioned. In principle, I want to emphasize that China firmly opposes the unwarranted denigration and smearing against China,” Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, said in an emailed statement when asked for comment.

“The so-called claim that ‘the Chinese authorities surveil dissidents overseas’ is completely fabricated,” Liu’s statement continued. “China is a major victim of cyber attacks. We keep a firm stance against all forms of cyber attacks and resort to lawful methods in tackling them. China does not encourage, support or condone attacks launched by hackers.”

Wu Haibo, the CEO of privately owned and Shanghai-based I-Soon, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The leak comes amid unprecedented tensions in US-China relations in cyberspace and appears to fly in the face of Beijing’s repeated denials that it sponsors cyberattacks.

FBI Director Christopher Wray and other top US officials warned Congress last month that another set of Chinese hackers unrelated to I-Soon have infiltrated critical US infrastructure and could use that access to disrupt any US military response to a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Beijing has strongly denied the allegations and in turn accuses the US of conducting its own cyberattacks.

“The Chinese government is really trying to change this narrative that China hacks other countries,” Dakota Cary, a consultant at security firm SentinelOne who focuses on China, told CNN. “So I think [the leaks will] really upset them.”

GitHub, the popular software developer platform where the leaked data appeared, took the documents down late Thursday, saying the data was a “violation of GitHub’s terms of service.”

 

 

Edited February 23 by Randy W (see edit history)