The Chinese government tries to maintain strict control over citizens’ access to the internet, but computer-savvy free-speech activists abroad are making that job more difficult. Among those activists is Bill Xia, a North Carolinian who distributes a program called “Freegate” that allows Chinese...
Surfing the Web last fall, a Chinese high-school student who calls himself Zivn noticed something missing. It was Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that accepts contributions or edits from users, and that he himself had...
It was a rare moment when a national leader could empathize with ordinary citizens: German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted with fury to reports in Der Spiegel that her personal phone was a target of the US National Security Agency. Earlier, during the election campaign as reports dribbled out...
Click here for the article in Spiegel Online International.
Donald Trump has warned that China may meddle in the US midterm congressional elections, including propaganda presented as news. Similar concerns have been raised about German media. China rejects the allegation. A German newsletter agreed to carry content from China's state news service,...
Turkey’s currency is falling against the dollar even as the US president threatens more tariffs – 20 percent on aluminum and 50 percent on steel. Turkey’s president calls the actions “economic war.” Turkey, like the United States, is among the top 10 countries that produce steel. The lira’s fall “...
Nations are wary about fast-dropping oil prices and just how long those prices could stay low. Some nations are lured into ongoing dependence on fossil fuels while others reduce consumer subsidies and redirect funds into infrastructure development. Will Hickey, associate professor at Linton Global...
Risky bets on oil: Indonesia's President Jokowi cuts consumer oil subsidy but not for producers (top); South Korean shipyards continue to build gigantic container ships, unmindful of future energy costs
DAEJEON: Oil prices worldwide are collapsing...
A group of immigrants seeking Canadian citizenship have gone to court, claiming that the country’s oath for citizenship – requiring “true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors” – is unconstitutional. The oath also requires obeying Canada’s laws and...
Click here for the article in The Globe and Mail.
China does not let the grass grow under its feet in studying and adapting high-value technology, then mastering and distributing the same. Such is the case with the high-speed rails pioneered by Japanese and European firms, with China now supplying similar technology to Saudi Arabia, the US and...
QINGDAO, China – When the Japanese and European companies that pioneered high-speed rail agreed to build trains for China, they thought they'd be getting access to a booming new market, billions of dollars worth of contracts and the cachet of...
