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Showing posts from August, 2023

In the dispute over the South China Sea, the Philippines takes on Beijing head-on

On the island of Palawan in the Philippines, a fisherman named Benjo Atay says, "We're scared of China" as the wind and rain smash his small bamboo boat. "We're scared of China." He yells orders at his youthful crew, the majority of whom are members of his own family, while they pull on ropes in order to leave the harbor. They are already covered in sea water and sweat, but it is not the climate that causes them concern. They are afraid of something else. He claims that Chinese ships are following closely behind us and circling us. "When we are anchored, they will force us to leave," the captain said. They intended to eliminate us as a threat. A territorial dispute between the Philippines and China's capital city of Beijing is becoming increasingly contentious in the South China Sea. It is one of several nations that has lodged a complaint against a map that was released by China this week. On the map, China reaffirmed its sovereignty over more

Is there a 'ticking time bomb' lurking in China's economy?

The Chinese economy has been hit hard by a string of negative developments over the past half year, including sluggish growth, record levels of youth unemployment, low levels of foreign investment, weak exports and currency, and a housing market that is in crisis. Joe Biden, the Vice President of the United States, recently referred to the economy of the world's second-largest country as "a ticking time bomb," warning that public dissatisfaction will continue to rise. In response, the leader of China, Xi Jinping, defended the "strong resilience, tremendous potential, and great vitality" of the economy. Who then has the better argument, Mr. Biden or Mr. Xi? As is so frequently the case, the answer is most likely to be found somewhere in the middle. China is facing enormous challenges that have their roots deep in the ground, despite the fact that the economy is not likely to collapse anytime in the near future. A housing shortage combined with lower-income househ

In October, Australia will have a historic vote for Indigenous people through a referendum on voice

On October 14, the citizens of Australia will participate in a historic referendum to decide whether or not to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. If successful, the vote would recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the country's constitution and establish a permanent body for them to give advice on laws. Additionally, the vote would establish a body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to give advice on legislation. In Australia, there is a heated debate going on about the plan right now. Since the beginning of virtually the next half century, the nation has not had a referendum that was successful. In order for it to be successful, it is necessary for the majority of Australians to vote in favor of it. In addition to this, there must be support from the population at large in at least four of Australia's six states. The parliament would subsequently be responsible for designing and debating the body's make-up, its functions, and its

Terry Gou is a Taiwanese iPhone billionaire with aspirations of becoming the country's president

Terry Gou, a 72-year-old millionaire and the creator of Foxconn, which is responsible for manufacturing iPhones, is the newest candidate to enter the contest for the presidency of Taiwan. Mr. Gou is a magnetic entrepreneur who rose from humble beginnings to amass a fortune, a large amount of cash, and significant name recognition. According to observers in Taipei, Mr. Gou would have a decent chance of winning the election if he was the only candidate running against the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is currently in power. However, he is not. Instead, the opposition vote in the presidential election that will take place in January 2024 will be split three ways due to his candidacy. When there are already two opposition candidates fighting to overthrow the incumbent party in a presidential system that awards all of the seats to the winner, adding a third candidate to the mix is probably not going to make the process any simpler. The situation is a textbook illustration of the

China takes retaliatory action in response to Japan's release of purified nuclear water following the Fukushima disaster

The contentious dumping of treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean has begun in Japan, which has sparked protests in the surrounding area and retribution from Beijing. China is Japan's largest customer for fish, but on Thursday, China said that it will stop all imports of seafood from Japan. The Japanese government maintains that the water is safe to drink, and numerous scientists concur. The idea has also received approval from the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations. However, detractors argue that the release should be postponed until additional research has been conducted on the topic. Over the next three decades, the nuclear reactor will release more than one million metric tons' worth of water that has been stored there. China, which has been the most outspoken opponent of the plan ever since it was disclosed two years ago, referred to the water discharge as a "extremely selfish and irresponsible act" and claimed that Japan

Japan is planning to release cleaned water within the next 48 hours in response to the nuclear tragedy at Fukushima

In spite of protests from its neighbors, Japan is going ahead with plans to begin releasing radioactive water that has been treated from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear facility into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday. The decision was reached some weeks after the nuclear inspector of the UN gave its approval to the scheme. Since the facility was wrecked by the tsunami in 2011, around 1.34 million metric tons of water have accumulated. This amount of water is sufficient to fill 500 pools of Olympic size. Following filtration and diluting, the water will be made available to the public after a period of thirty years. After a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that the authorities will make a request for the plant's operator to "promptly prepare" for the disposal to begin on August 24 if the weather and sea conditions are suitable. After Mr. Kishida's visit to the plant on Sunday, rumors began to circulate that the release was about to

Greece's wildfires have resulted in the discovery of eighteen dead in the country's forests

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According to the Greek fire department, a total of eighteen remains have been discovered in a forested region of northern Greece that has been ravaged by wildfires for the previous four days. According to the first reports, it appears as though those who passed away were migrants. A medical examiner and a team of investigators are currently en route to the scene in the Dadia woodland. Several flames have wreaked havoc on the Evros region of north-eastern Greece, which is not too far from the border with Turkey. An evacuation was necessary at a hospital located in the city of Alexandroupolis. Patients in intensive care units and those who had just given birth were among those transferred overnight to a vessel at the port. An earlier fatality, which was also suspected to have been that of a migrant, had been recorded in a village adjacent to the seaside city, and emergency officials had sent mobile text messages to the neighboring districts requesting people to evacuate the area. It is b