Tag Archives: China

News, Politics, Videos

News: Top 5 Stories On June 14, 2021 (Reuters)

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Five stories to know for June 14, 2021:

1. Following the G7 summit in England, Joe Biden attends a NATO summit in Brussels. The U.S. president will rally Western allies to support a U.S. strategy to contain China’s military rise as well as showing unity in the face of Russian aggression.

2. One of 14 people hurt in a mass shooting in Austin, Texas, died according to media reports. Two men opened fire at each other in a busy entertainment district. Police arrested one suspect and are searching for another.

3. Benjamin Netanyahu’s record run in office ended on Sunday with Israel’s parliament approving, by a razor-thin majority of 60-59, a new administration led by Naftali Bennett, a nationalist whose views mirror Netanyahu’s on many issues. In Tel Aviv, thousands turned out to welcome the result, after four inconclusive elections in two years.

4. The United States is looking into reports of a leak at a Chinese nuclear power plant, after warnings of an “imminent radiological threat” by a French company that helps operate it, CNN reported on Monday.

5. Bitcoin climbed just shy of $40,000 on Monday, after yet another weekend of price swings following tweets from Tesla boss Elon Musk, who fended off criticism over his market influence and said Tesla sold bitcoin but may resume transactions using it.

Environment, News, Podcasts, Politics

Morning News: Historic Drought In Western U.S., China, Voting Rights

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The western US is in the middle of one of the worst droughts in at least the past 1,200 years. And as soon as this week, Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country, could reach its lowest point since it was first created in the 1930s.

  • Plus, Secretary of State Tony Blinken talks China with Mike Allen.
  • And, Jonathan Swan takes us inside the progressive fight over voting rights.

Guests: Axios’ Andrew Freedman, Jonathan Swan and Mike Allen.

Analysis, Military, Reviews, Technology, Videos

Analysis: The Future Of Modern Warfare (Video)

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The world is entering a new era of warfare, with cyber and autonomous weapons taking center stage. These technologies are making militaries faster, smarter, more efficient. But if unchecked, they threaten to destabilize the world. DW takes a deep dive into the future of conflict, uncovering an even more volatile world.

Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 02:37 – The Cyber Nuclear Nightmare 17:05 – Flash Wars And Autonomous Weapons 30:12 – Trading Markets And Flash Crashes 31:45 – Time To Act

Where a cyber intrusion against a nuclear early warning system can unleash a terrifying spiral of escalation; where “flash wars” can erupt from autonomous weapons interacting so fast that no human could keep up. Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tells DW that we have already entered the technological arms race that is propelling us towards this future. “We’re right in the middle of it. That’s the reality we have to deal with.” And yet the world is failing to meet the challenge. Talks on controlling autonomous weapons have repeatedly been stalled by major powers seeking to carve out their own advantage. And cyber conflict has become not just a fear of the future but a permanent state of affairs. DW finds out what must happen to steer the world in a safer direction, with leading voices from the fields of politics, diplomacy, intelligence, academia, and activism speaking out.

Analysis, Business, Economics, Reviews, Technology, Videos

Analysis: How Will Fossil Watches Survive? (Video)

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The global watchmaking industry has changed since the introduction of the smartphone and as demand for fitness trackers and smartwatches grow. Legacy watchmakers, like Fossil, have had to adapt and give customers new reasons to keep timepieces on their wrists. The company has been planning for the future by bringing its own smartwatches to market, initiating a multi-year turnaround plan and focusing on growing markets in China and India. But will that be enough?

News, Politics, Videos

News: Top 5 Stories For June 1, 2021 (Reuters)

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June 1, 2021: Biden to visit Tulsa massacre site, Texas voting bill, assailants open fire on a crowd in Florida, indigenous groups in Canada demand a nationwide search for further graves

1. Joe Biden will be the first sitting U.S. president to visit the site of the Tulsa massacre, where hundreds of Black Americans were killed by a white mob. Biden’s trip is a sharp contrast to a year ago, when then-President Donald Trump, a Republican who criticized Black Lives Matter and other racial justice movements, planned a political rally in Tulsa on June 19, the “Juneteenth” anniversary that celebrates the end of U.S. slavery in 1865. The rally was postponed after criticism.

2. Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives boycotted a legislative session, blocking a vote on an election reform bill critics say would make it harder for Blacks and Hispanics to vote.

3. A shooting in Miami early on Sunday, killed two people and wounded more than 20, police and media reported. Assailants opened fire on a crowd outside a concert.

4. Indigenous groups in Canada are calling for a nationwide search for mass graves at residential school sites after the discovery of the remains of 215 children at one former school last week shocked the country.

5. China’s decision to allow families to have up to three children was met with skepticism, with doubts expressed on social media whether it would make much difference.

News, Podcasts, Politics

Morning News Podcast: Israel Politics, Balkan Gangsters, Canada Butter

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The only thing that unites the parties of a would-be government is the will to oust Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. What chance their coalition can secure political stability?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/47V5RPioEovanZT0mMj1XU

A new report reveals where the gangsters of the Balkans are stashing their loot: in an increasingly distorted property market. And a look at the mysterious case of Canada’s hardened butter.

Cities, Documentaries, Housing, Society, Videos, Views

Urban Views: Living In China’s Megacities (Video)

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More than 60 percent of China’s population of 1.4 billion currently lives in cities. Within a decade, the share of urban dwellers is expected to increase to 75 percent. Construction is booming and competition for residential land is fierce.

But the right to live in a city in China is conditional. Authorities want their modern cities to be peopled with well-educated, highly-qualified or politically well-connected residents. As a result, certain standards have to be met to be eligible for a modern, urban home. Only members of China’s political classes and the financially successful have a hope of qualifying. Yet more than half of the people who live in cities are so-called “migrant workers.” They come from rural communities and have no official rights to settle in cities. They are there to work. With no proper rights, they are merely tolerated while they serve as merchants, servants, waitstaff, cleaners, construction workers and tradespeople.

But while they are indispensible to daily life in the cities, they are unable to afford their exorbitant rents. This documentary looks at how and where these workers live, and asks whether middle and working class Chinese even figure in the official vision of shiny, high-tech cities. The filmmakers also look at what happens to those who oppose official plans, or stand in the way of the building boom.

Travel, Videos, Views

Views: Glass Skywalk & Roller Slide In China (4K)

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Zhangjiajie Glass footpath is a skywalkbridge in Zhangjiajie, Hunan, above the Wulingyuan area. The bridge, built as an attraction for tourists, is glass-bottomed and is transparent. When it opened it was the longest and tallest glass bottomed bridge in the world.

Video timeline: 0:00 Intro 1:00 The Glass Skywalk Bridge 9:00 The Roller Slide ride 12:22 The Garden 16:11 The Electric Bike Tour 28:00 The sunflower garden

Analysis, Automobiles, Reviews, Technology, Transportation, Videos

Analysis: Can EV Battery Swapping Gain In The U.S.?

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San Francisco-based Ample has brought electric vehicle battery swapping to the U.S. The company was in stealth mode for seven years before launching recently with five swapping stations in the Bay Area. Uber drivers in the area are Ample’s first customers.

The concept isn’t new. A start-up called Better Place launched an EV and battery swapping company after it raised $850 million in venture funding, but it ultimately went bankrupt in 2013. Tesla also demoed battery swapping in 2013 but only opened one station for about a year. Elon Musk said Tesla owners were not interested in it.

Battery swapping is already common in China. Electric vehicle maker Nio, for example, plans to double its network of swapping stations to 500 this year and plans to open stations in Norway as part of its expansion into Europe. Ample has a different approach, with modular batteries and a focus on fleets. CNBC got an inside look at its headquarters and battery factory in San Francisco to learn how the company plans to bring battery swapping into the mainstream.