Almost two years since the start of the pandemic, we still don’t know how or when the deadly Sars-Cov-2 virus emerged. Investigating new viruses is always extremely complex, but scientists have been able to find the source of the two previous coronavirus outbreaks – both of which have emerged from animals. BBC
Since 2017, the People’s Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps (PLANMC) has undergone significant expansion, growing from two brigades to eight. The major impetus behind these efforts is a desire to build the service arm into an expeditionary force capable of operating in most environments at short notice. However, PLANMC reform has also bolstered its ability to contribute to major campaigns along China’s periphery, including a Taiwan invasion scenario. This report examines the PLANMC’s role in a cross-strait amphibious campaign and analyzes how new additions to the force could be used…
Advertisement A Danish artist is seeking to get back his sculpture in Hong Kong commemorating the victims of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown as a deadline passed for its removal Wednesday. Jens Galschioet said in an emailed statement that he had hired a lawyer and hopes he will be able to transport the sculpture out of Hong Kong “under orderly conditions and without it having suffered from any damage.” Hong Kong University last week demanded the removal of the “Pillar of Shame” sculpture by 5 p.m. (0900 GMT) on Wednesday.…
Advertisement In a bid to further concentrate state control over public messaging, China released draft regulations on Friday that would ban “non-public capital” from funding “news gathering, editing and broadcasting.” The proposal is contained in the Market Access Negative List (2021), released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country’s main economic planning agency. If adopted, the Negative List would deal a significant blow to Caixin, a print and online financial news service revered for investigative journalism, including into the death toll of COVID-19 in Wuhan last year.…