Asked whether he had ever cautioned restraint from a director, the film producer Jeremy Thomas replied: “My nature would be to go further and see what we can get away with.” Thomas, who has died aged 77, was an expert in getting away with it. A taste for irreverence ran in his family: he was the son of Ralph Thomas, director of the Doctor … comedies that began in 1954 with Doctor in the House, and the nephew of Gerald Thomas, who made all 31 Carry On titles. Jeremy’s own…
Tag: China
What Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei Argued in His Call for AI Slowdown
Dario Amodei, the chief executive of the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, published a 3,800-word open letter on Saturday calling for a slowdown in the development of A.I. The essay prompted other A.I. leaders, including Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI; Elon Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive; and Demis Hassabis, the chair of Google DeepMind, to speak out in agreement. Here are the key arguments that Mr. Amodei made in his essay: Why A.I. Needs to Slow Down Mr. Amodei said two recent developments convinced him that simply investing in A.I.…
Leaders of Russia, India and China Gather for BRICS Summit
new video loaded: Leaders of Russia, India and China Gather for BRICS Summit <img src="https://www.chinastrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/leaders-of-russia-india-and-china-gather-for-brics-summit.jpg" data-testid="betamax-poster" sizes="(width The leaders of Russia, India, China and other nations met in New Delhi for this weekend’s BRICS summit. The coalition of nations was conceived as a counterweight to the West. By Jorge Mitssunaga September 12, 2026 NYT
Xi Jinping gets red carpet at Brics summit amid thaw in India-China relations
The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has received a red-carpet welcome in India for a summit of Brics developing nations, as regional rivals Beijing and Delhi make a public display of thawing relations while quietly competing to lead at a time of shaky US global dominance. As Xi stepped off the plane, he was walked past an honour guard of Indian soldiers and traditional dancers in colourful dresses. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, had already been welcomed by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, who is…
Book Review: ‘A Shadow Over the World,’ by William I. Hitchcock
A SHADOW OVER THE WORLD: Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Rise of Fascism, and the Making of America’s World War II, by William I. Hitchcock In “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, the protagonist, Robert Jordan, proclaims his uncompromising worldview early in the story. Beside a campfire in a cave amid the pine-covered hills, Jordan is asked whether he is a communist. “No,” he replies. “I am an antifascist.” “For a long time?” “Since I have understood fascism.” Nearly a…
Why Emerging Powers Keep Joining BRICS, Even When They Disagree
At a gathering of nations that are challenging the dominance of the United States, Iran’s president took the main stage on Friday, flanked by the leaders of Russia and India, to condemn “military aggression” by the United States. Iran wants to show that Western sanctions have not left it isolated, even as it digs into a war with the United States that has severely restricted the crucial Strait of Hormuz route for oil and other commodities. President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran spoke at the BRICS Business Forum, ahead of the…
Tiananmen Square vigil organisers jailed for seven years in Hong Kong
Two pro-democracy activists who were put on trial for organising an annual Tiananmen Square massacre vigil in Hong Kong have been sentenced to seven years in jail, in one of the city’s most significant national security cases. Chow Hang-tung, 41 and Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, were found guilty in August of incitement to subversion. The court found they had “incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power”. Chow and Lee were leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance,…
Putin arrives in India for Brics summit set to be dominated by Iran and Ukraine wars
Vladimir Putin has arrived in India’s capital of Delhi ahead of an 11-member Brics summit set to be dominated by wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as economic challenges. The Russian president and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, were due to hold talks with India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, while Chinese leader Xi Jinping was also expected to attend the two-day meeting. Putin arrived at Palam air force Station in Delhi, where he was greeted by India’s minister of state for external affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, according…
The Russia-tied French billionaires opening UK’s first historical theme park – explainer
French company Puy du Fou is planning a £600m history-themed park in Oxfordshire. A Guardian investigation has found the company continued working with associates of Konstantin Malofeyev, a pro-Kremlin oligarch under sanctions, on plans for a theme park in Russian-occupied Crimea for longer than it had previously disclosed, and later explored projects in Iran and China. Business reporter Rob Davies explains his findings, including documents that raise questions about whether Puy du Fou’s activities tested the limits of EU sanctions imposed after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. He also examines…
Sydney man jailed for 3.5 years over fake defence reports prepared for Chinese spies
A seemingly innocuous message on a social media platform has snowballed into a Sydney man being jailed for foreign interference. Alexander Csergo, 58, was jailed for three years and six months on Thursday, after being found guilty by a jury in March of helping Chinese spies. With time served, he will be eligible for parole in October. Between May and December 2022, the business owner knew he was assisting Chinese operatives – known only as Ken and Evelyn – when he prepared fake, plagiarised reports about Australia’s defence arrangements, the…