Vuong Thanh Thuan, a member of the independent Pure Hoa Hao Buddhist group, has been released from prison seven months early, his family told Radio Free Asia. Thuan, 33, was arrested with his father, Vuong Van Tha, and two other followers, Nguyen Nhat Truong and Nguyen Van Thuong, on May 18, 2017. They were all charged with “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the Criminal Code. In the trial on January 23, 2018, Thuan was sentenced to seven years in prison and three years of probation while his father…
Day: October 22, 2023
N Korea calls for condemnation of US over Israel conflict
North Korea blamed the Israel-Palestine conflict on the United States, increasing its efforts to solidify an anti-American “united front.” The Middle East conflict was a “tragedy created entirely by the United States,” North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Monday, adding that the U.S. has only sided with Israel in the conflict. “The U.S. has turned a blind eye to Israel, its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, continuous armed assaults, civilian casualties, and the expansion of Jewish settlements,” the state media said. KCNA, however, did not mention the Hamas…
Foxconn: iPhone-maker investigated by Chinese authorities
The Global Times also cited experts as saying the investigation may impact the elections and that “if the secessionists who seek ‘Taiwan independence’ win the elections, that would be a huge disaster to the peace and stability of the region, and the Chinese people of both sides of the Taiwan Straits, including the ones in the business circle, should work together to prevent disaster from happening.” BBC
Chinese scientists’ new map of the Milky Way turns the tables on cosmic radiation theories
Kazumasa Kawata, of the University of Tokyo’s Institute for Cosmic Ray Research in Kashiwa, Japan, said the findings would “give new insight into the propagation, interaction processes and origin of the highest energy cosmic rays in our galaxy”. 01:28 ‘Supermassive’ black hole at the centre of our galaxy viewed for the first time ‘Supermassive’ black hole at the centre of our galaxy viewed for the first time Ever since cosmic rays were discovered by Austrian physicist Victor Hess in 1912, scientists have built detectors in space and on the ground…
Toyota nears mass production of solid-state batteries
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Toyota says it is close to being able to manufacture next-generation solid-state batteries at the same rate as existing batteries for electric vehicles, marking a milestone in the global race to commercialise the technology. Its headway in manufacturing technology follows a “breakthrough” in battery materials recently claimed by the world’s largest carmaker by vehicles sold. It would allow Toyota to mass-produce solid-state batteries by 2027 or 2028. Solid-state batteries have…
China and the Philippines trade blame over two South China Sea collisions
Beijing and Manila have traded blame for two separate collisions on Sunday between Chinese vessels and Philippine boats on a resupply mission to Filipino troops on a remote outpost in the disputed South China Sea. The incidents occurred near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands – a hotly contested region where Beijing deploys ships to assert its claims over almost the entire sea. The Philippines accused China’s coast guard of colliding with a supply boat, saying the “dangerous blocking manoeuvres of China Coast Guard vessel 5203 caused it to…
Chinese Sci-Fi Steps Into Spotlight
Chengdu, China — Once effectively banned, Chinese science fiction has exploded into the mainstream, embraced by the government and public alike — inviting scrutiny of a genre that has become known for its expanding diversity and relative freedom. Its new status was epitomized by this week’s Worldcon, the world’s oldest and most influential sci-fi gathering, which closed Sunday after taking place in China for the first time. Held in the gleaming new Chengdu Science Fiction Museum, the event’s star was Liu Cixin, author of the international phenomenon “Three-Body” series and…
US tours help firm impressions of Taiwan presidential contenders
Beijing considers Taiwan a rogue province, to be eventually united with the mainland, by force if necessary. The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, and ever since, like most other countries, does not consider the self-governing island an independent state. But US maintains unofficial ties and supplies the island with a range of weapons to defend itself against any potential attack. In recent weeks, each of Taiwan’s three leading presidential candidates – Taiwanese Vice-President William Lai Ching-te, the ruling DPP’s candidate; the KMT’s Hou Yu-ih,…
Apple Supplier Foxconn Subjected to Tax Inspections by Chinese Authorities
Bangkok, Thailand — Foxconn, a Fortune 500 company known globally for making Apple iPhones, was recently subjected to searches by Chinese tax authorities, according to local reports Sunday. Foxconn, a Taiwan-headquartered company officially registered as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd, had its offices in Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces searched by tax officials, according to a report in the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper. The Ministry of Natural Resources also inspected Foxconn offices in Henan and Hubei provinces, where the company has major factories. Foxconn employs hundreds of thousands of…
South Korean Christians turn to AI for prayer
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The word of God is reaching the ears of South Korean Christians through chatbots. Online church services using artificial intelligence are rapidly becoming an essential part of worship in Korea, where Christianity is the biggest religion, as tens of thousands turn to chatbots and audio bibles for spiritual sustenance. This year, local start-ups have launched generative AI bible study and prayer service apps, which in particular pull in young protestants.…