Storm Adam brought torrential rain to eastern Spain earlier this week. In Pego, Alicante, 632mm fell in 36 hours with 430mm of this falling in just six hours, while the Valencian town of Olivia received 600mm in 24 hours. As a result, 145 municipalities, approximately 850,000 people, across Valencia and Alicante were placed in a temporary lockdown on Monday due to the severe flooding. At least five people have died and 500 have been rescued and 2,100 evacuated. The storm also affected the Balearic Islands, with more than 130 incidents…
Author: Media Library
Magnitude-7 earthquake hits China’s Tibet, killing at least 16 and destroying hundreds of homes
A magnitude-7 earthquake has hit China’s Tibet region, killing at least 16 people, injuring 54 and collapsing hundreds of homes in the northern regional city of Nagqu, official media said. Search and rescue efforts continued after the collapse of at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds, the Nagqu media office said, citing city government officials. More than 1,600 people from the local county were deployed for rescue efforts. Supplies including 1,000 prefabricated housing units and about 3,000 tents and folding beds as well as torches and winter clothing arrived…
Why am I obsessed with China’s ancient golden age? I took my daughter on a trip to find out – podcast
I felt a duty to write about the Tang dynasty and its incredible social and cultural sophistication – but also to connect my Chinese past with my child By Xiaolu Guo. Read by Elizabeth Chan Read the text version here Support the Guardian today: theguardian.com/longreadpod Continue reading… The Guardian
‘I hope that she will be free before long’ Aung San Suu Kyi’s son Kim Aris says
Myanmar’s military-backed government announced on Thursday that former leader Aung San Suu Kyi – currently under house arrest – was allowed to talk for 20 minutes to her son Kim Aris at 2:30 p.m. via a call placed to the Myanmar embassy in London, where Aris resides. He speaks in an exclusive interview with Radio Free Asia. Radio Free Asia: After more than five years without direct contact, how did you get the opportunity to speak with your mother and how did the Myanmar Embassy in London reach out to…
China, Djibouti Express ‘Serious Concern’ Over Threats to Red Sea Shipping
Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Abdoulkader Houssein Omar is visiting China from October 19 to 25. On October 21, he held a meeting with his counterpart and host, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. According to a spokesperson from China’s Foreign Ministry, “They had an in-depth exchange of views on the Horn of Africa situation and the safety of shipping lanes across the Red Sea.” The Red Sea is under siege – a major concern for Djibouti, which sits on the Horn of Africa, at the junction between the Red Sea and the…
Aung San Suu Kyi phone call is ‘political calculation’ by military-backed government
Read a version of this story in Burmese Updated 5:05 PM ET Allowing Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi to speak on the phone with her son for the first time in five years is not enough – the military government must immediately release her and all other political prisoners, a human rights advocate told Radio Free Asia Thursday. The country’s military-backed government announced that the former leader – currently under house arrest – was allowed to talk for 20 minutes to her son Kim Aris at 2:30…
Hong Kong’s Vanishing Rainbow Shows How China’s Social Control Travels
China’s growing pressure on LGBTQ communities is increasingly transnational. Chinese nationals who attend Pride events overseas can attract police attention after returning home; overseas Chinese LGBTQ groups remain vulnerable to censorship on Chinese platforms; cultural spaces in Europe can lose access to Chinese social media for promoting transgender films; and mainland writers publishing gay fiction on overseas platforms have faced prosecution at home. Hong Kong offers a particularly revealing entry point because similar pressures are visible there even though same-sex relationships are legal (though not legally recognized as marriages). In…
Ahead of Communist Party plenum, Xi Jinping warns that China faces a ‘new Long March’
A strong and united party leadership is vital to victory, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a keynote speech on Thursday marking the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March. Speaking days before an important Communist Party meeting known as the fifth plenum, Xi said the party managed to turn the tide of defeat into a path to victory 90 years ago because it rallied around the leadership of Mao Zedong. By linking the Red Army’s historic endurance with today’s geopolitical struggles,… South China Morning Post
No purchase, no seats: Starbucks China rolls out new policy
Taking a seat at a Starbucks in China? Just make sure you’re also ordering something there. A new policy by Starbucks China takes effect across all its 8,000 stores on Thursday, making it mandatory for people to purchase items if they want to sit in its cafes. Starbucks China said the move was part of efforts to improve the “in-store experience” for customers. The company is facing stiff competition from homegrown brands such as Luckin Coffee. Reports of the new policy circulated this week, along with social media videos of…
China Maritime Report #59: Be Focused, Be Humble, Be Happy: Career Progression, Organization, and Training of PLAN Submariners
Main Findings Led by the political commissar with the commanding officer serving as deputy, party committees are responsible for major decision-making, maintaining party control, training, and general leadership aboard People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) submarines. While Chinese sources extoll this collective leadership model, it is unclear how this command structure influences decision-making efficacy in practice. PLAN political officers play a critical role in the leadership and decision making on PLAN submarines, but reportedly lack understanding of submarine operations. Despite attempts to improve the operational competency of political officers, this likely…