Posts

flood

Rescue Efforts Continue In Nepal As Death Toll Exceeds 1,000

/in , /by

Rescue teams are continuing to search through debris, rocks, destroyed roads, and mud this week on the border of Nepal and China as thousands of people are still missing after devastating floods took over communities all throughout the region, with the UN now reporting that more than 1,000 have died from the disaster. 

It’s been reported that police in Kathmandu are burying dozens of bodies in trenches. Nepal’s disaster agency said that 1,003 deaths have been counted there with over 3,900 people missing, including 583 foreign nationals. In China’s most recent update, they reported 16 deaths with 546 people missing, including 261 foreigners. 

The disaster occurred on August 26th and devastated both nations due to how large it was. Extremely heavy flooding led to intense landslides that destroyed roads and buildings while isolating more remote areas, making rescue efforts difficult. 

Embed from Getty Images

The unstable terrain and debris are making it even more difficult for rescue crews to find people, and many are worried that the death toll could become much higher than it is currently. 

One of the rescue efforts involves hundreds of workers who are trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects in Nepal due to flooding. According to local authorities, around 900 workers are missing from 12 projects with about 500 believed to be trapped in the tunnels themselves. 

Nepal’s army spokesperson, Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet, stated that teams who are being assisted by foreign experts were working at several hydropower projects. 

In China, rescue crews are dealing with a lot of rescue missions in areas hit by mudslides, specifically around the Gyirong Port border crossing which was destroyed. 

Rescuers are utilizing search dogs to look among rocks and debris for signs of life, with other teams using heavy machinery to clear out areas to make way for more equipment, personnel, and supplies to reach the disaster zone, according to China’s state-run Global Times newspaper. 

In Kathmandu, police have also been dealing with heavy rain conditions this week as they continue to bury dozens of bodies in multiple tranches adjacent to forested areas. 

All throughout Nepal, authorities have been using temporary graves until the individuals can be identified. As a part of this effort they’re also preserving DNA samples, photographing distinguishing marks and facial features, and taking detailed records of each victim to ideally be able to swiftly give their loved ones some closure. 

Embed from Getty Images

Authorities in Nepal reported that at least 11,814 people have been rescued so far, with emergency crews using helicopters and other aircrafts to reach communities that are stranded due to roads and bridges being destroyed from flooding and landslides. 

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, stated that efforts are being stepped up to help provide assistance to survivors in areas that have been cut off or damaged. He emphasized that a second batch of relief supplies was being sent to Nepal. Drones, DNA testing, and water purification equipment will be utilized. 

Bimal Sharma, a helicopter pilot who’s experienced in flying rescue and relief missions, told the media that he was shocked to see the devastation in Timure, the border town close to Tibet. 

“It felt like I was flying over an entirely different landscape. I can see the pain in [the survivors] eyes. It’s heartbreaking.”

Scientists who are studying satellite imagery of the disaster stated that it began in the Himalayas when a glacial collapse sent a large amount of rocks, ice , and meltwater into the valleys below, which triggered the major flooding. The rockfall alone was powerful enough to register as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event. 

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated that the disaster shows just how much the world needs to take action to combat climate change. 

“This incident has indicated that the risks we face in the Himalayan region are increasing with climate change,” Shah said.

“Therefore, this region must be alert, and at the same time, it is time for us to strongly raise the issue of disasters caused by climate change before the international community.”

Trump Accuses China of 2020 Election Interference Ahead of Midterms

/in /by

President Donald Trump used a primetime White House address on Thursday to renew his push for sweeping changes to US election laws, while accusing China of interfering in the 2020 presidential race and warning of what he described as “shocking vulnerabilities” in American voting systems. The half-hour speech came three months before November’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress for the remainder of Trump’s presidency.

Read more

China’s New Ethnic Unity Law Extends Assimilation Push Beyond Its Borders

/in /by

China has enacted a sweeping new law requiring schools, families and government agencies to promote a unified national identity while giving authorities the ability to pursue organizations and individuals overseas accused of threatening Beijing’s vision of social cohesion. The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, which took effect July 1, prohibits acts that “undermine ethnic unity or create ethnic division” among China’s 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, including the Han Chinese majority, which makes up more than 90% of the country’s 1.4 billion people.

Read more
Arcadia Mayor

Arcadia Mayor Resigns After Agreeing to Plead Guilty to Acting As Illegal Agent for China

/in /by

The mayor of a Southern California city has stepped down after federal prosecutors announced she agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government.

Eileen Wang, 58, who had served as mayor of Arcadia since February, agreed to plead guilty to one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government in the United States after admitting that she worked with another man to advance messaging favorable to the People’s Republic of China, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a May 11 news release.

Arcadia is located about 15 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city has roughly 54,000 residents, and about 59% of its population is Asian American, according to the U.S. Census.

Arcadia City Council stated that Wang resigned from her post on Monday. She is expected to formally enter the plea in the coming weeks, prosecutors said. The charge carries a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

Wang’s attorneys, Jason Liang and Brian Sun, said in a statement that Wang accepts responsibility for “past personal mistakes.”

“Her love and devotion for the Arcadia community have not changed and did not waver,” they added.

“This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said.

“Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy.”

Embed from Getty Images

Wang’s alleged conduct occurred before she took office in Arcadia, according to city officials. She was sworn in to the City Council in December 2022 and became mayor earlier this year. Arcadia’s mayor is chosen from the five-member City Council on a rotating basis, allowing each council member to serve about 9.5 months during their 4-year term.

Arcadia City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said in a statement that the City Council will choose a new mayor at its next meeting.

“The allegations at the center of this case, that a foreign government sought to exert influence over a local elected official, are deeply troubling. We take them seriously,” Lazzaretto said.

“We want to be clear: this investigation concerns individual conduct, and the charges are for conduct that ceased after Ms. Wang was sworn into office in December 2022. Following an internal review, we can confirm that no City finances, staff, or decision-making processes were involved.”

City Council actions are taken by the body as a whole, and “no single member holds unilateral authority,” Lazzaretto added. “We have found no actions that require reconsideration or that are invalidated as a result of these developments.”

Federal prosecutors said Wang worked with Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, of Chino Hills, to promote Chinese government propaganda in the U.S. Sun is currently serving a four-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in October 2025 to the same foreign-agent charge.

Between late 2020 and 2022, Wang and Sun operated U.S. News Center, a website that appeared to be aimed at the region’s Chinese American community. The two posted pro-China content on the website at the direction of Chinese government operatives.

One example cited by prosecutors involved a June 2021 message from a Chinese government official to Wang and others in a group chat. The official allegedly sent pre-written articles, including one that had been published in the Los Angeles Times as a letter to the editor rejecting allegations of forced labor and genocide in China’s Xinjiang region.

Embed from Getty Images

Wang later posted the same article to her website.

Two months later, in August 2021, Wang allegedly revised the article after the Chinese official requested changes. Prosecutors stated she then sent the official a link to the post and a screenshot showing it had received more than 15,000 views.

The official responded, “Great!” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Wang replied, “Thank you, leader.”

“Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said.

“It is deeply concerning that someone who previously received and executed directives from PRC government officials is now in a position of public trust at all, but particularly so because that relationship with that foreign government had never been disclosed.”

Prosecutors also described Wang’s connection to another man, John Chen, who was sentenced to 20 months in prison for acting as an unregistered agent and bribing an Internal Revenue Service agent.

Sun, meanwhile, had previously coordinated with Chinese officials on several efforts, including organizing support for a political candidate he described to Beijing as a “new political star.” The Los Angeles Times identified that candidate as Wang.

Sun served as Wang’s city council campaign adviser and was described by prosecutors as a “close personal confidante.” After Wang won election to the council, she and Sun attended a meeting with people Sun described as a team “dedicated” to Chinese interests, according to Sun’s plea agreement.

pandas

Last Of Japan’s Pandas Are Heading Home To China Amid Severing Ties 

/in , /by

Hundreds of people in Japan have gathered within the past couple of weeks to say goodbye to the country’s last pair of pandas before they went back home to China this week, leaving the nation without any of the bears for the first time in 50 years.

Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao are the panda twins who have been living at the Ueno zoological gardens since their birth. Now, four-years-later, they’ve been transported back to China via truck. Many fans of the pair have been left saddened and disappointed by this move, as they’ve grown to love the furry twins. 

Embed from Getty Images

The media spoke to Nene Hashino, a woman wearing a panda-themed jacket while holding a stuffed bear toy towards the end of Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao’s stay in Japan, who said that she’s been “coming to watch them since they were born. It feels like my own children are going somewhere far away. It’s sad.” 

The pandas’ return to China was suddenly announced just last month after a diplomatic spat occurred. Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi recently hinted that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan, and her comment provoked a strong reaction from Beijing, which regards Taiwan as its own territory. 

The bears were loaned to Japan as a part of China’s “panda diplomacy” program, and was known to be a symbol of friendship and peace between Beijing and Tokyo since they first created ties in 1972. 

The return of Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao came a month before their loan period expired, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government, which operated Ueno zoo. 

“According to the relevant agreement between China and Japan, the giant pandas who were living in Japan, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, today began their return trip to China,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, said this week. 

“As always, we welcome the Japanese public to come see giant pandas in China.”

Embed from Getty Images

Japan has also supposedly been seeking the loan for a new pair of pandas. The public opinion, however, doesn’t fully support a new loan. The Asahi Shumbun newspaper showed that 70% of those surveyed did not think the government should negotiate with China on the lease of new pandas, with 26% supporting the lease. 

As a sendoff, on Sunday the Ueno zoo invited 4,400 winners of an online lottery to see the panda twins for the last time. Fans wore panda-themed clothes, hats, patches, and stuffed animals as they lined the streets for hours to say their last goodbye. 

Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao were delivered in 2021 by their mother Sin Sin, who arrived to Japan in 2011 and was returned to China in 2024 due to her declining health. 

Since last year, China has been discouraging citizens from traveling to Japan over claims of deteriorating public security and criminal acts against Chinese nationals in the nation. Beijing has also reportedly begun closing off exports to Japan of rare-earth products that are integral for the production of electric cars and missiles, according to reports. 

On the other end, China may not be politically motivated when it comes to the removal of the twin pandas, as they often remove their pandas from foreign countries after a series of months to years, according to Masaki Ienaga, a professor at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University who is also an expert in east Asian international relations. 

“Other countries used animals as tools of diplomacy, including Thailand with its elephants and Australia with its koalas. But pandas are special. They have strong customer-drawing power, and … they can earn money,” Ienaga said.

“If you talk about [Chinese] politics, the timing of sending pandas is what counts, and pandas could return to Japan if bilateral ties warm.”

smoke detector

Hong Kong Fire Investigation Widens and Arrests Mount as Officials Uncover Major Safety Failures

/in /by

Hong Kong is deepening its investigation into last week’s catastrophic blaze at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate, revealing a chain of safety lapses that officials now say intensified the city’s deadliest fire in more than 70 years. By Monday, the number of arrests tied to the inquiry had climbed to 13, all facing suspected manslaughter charges.

The inferno, which tore through seven residential towers on Wednesday, has so far claimed at least 151 lives. Entire families perished as smoke swept through corridors and stairwells, and dozens of residents still have not been found.

Recovery teams continue to comb the skeletons of the buildings that once housed more than 4,000 people. The towers most heavily consumed by the flames are now the focus of a painstaking search expected to stretch for weeks.

In many sections, investigators can only proceed in full protective gear, stepping through soot-coated water and the remnants of rooms reduced to blackened shells. Some of the dead were discovered in stairwells and even on rooftops, suggesting they became trapped mid-escape, police official Tsang Shuk-yin told journalists.

“Some of the bodies have turned into ash. Therefore, we might not be able to locate all missing individuals.”

More than 40 people remain unaccounted for.

The widening criminal probe has begun to center on contractors who had been carrying out renovation work at the estate before the fire. Investigators revealed that samples of the green mesh wrapped around bamboo scaffolding failed to meet fire-resistant standards.

Embed from Getty Images

According to officials, the material had been installed in spots intentionally difficult for inspectors to reach, said Chief Secretary Eric Chan.

Authorities also highlighted the use of flammable foam insulation, accusing it of accelerating the spread of the blaze. Fire alarms inside the estate were also not functioning properly at the time, they said.

Memorial lines have extended for more than a half-mile along a canal near the estate as thousands pay respects. Among the dead are at least nine Indonesian domestic workers and one Filipina, prompting vigils abroad. Ceremonies are scheduled for later this week in Tokyo, London, and Taipei.

The magnitude of the tragedy has stirred collective shock and is further intensified by the revelation that residents had long complained about safety concerns. According to the city’s Labour Department, tenants warned authorities in September 2024 about the possible flammability of the scaffolding materials. Officials responded at the time that the estate presented “relatively low fire risks.”

The blaze is the most lethal since 1948, when a warehouse fire killed 176 people.

While many residents mourn, others have pushed for accountability, and some have faced consequences. One organizer behind a petition demanding an independent investigation and deeper oversight of Hong Kong’s construction practices was held for about two days, according to people familiar with the situation.

Security Chief Chris Tang declined to discuss specific operations but warned of individuals allegedly exploiting the tragedy.

“I’ve noticed that some people with malicious intent, aiming to harm Hong Kong and national security, have taken advantage of this painful moment for society. Therefore, we must take appropriate action, including enforcement measures.”

The South China Morning Post has reported that two additional people have been arrested for “seditious intent.”

Embed from Getty Images

China’s national security office echoed these warnings, accusing unnamed actors of attempting to revive unrest reminiscent of the 2019 protest movement.

“We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors who attempt to disrupt Hong Kong through disaster. No matter what methods you use, you will certainly be held accountable and strictly punished.”

As searches continue, authorities have shifted thousands of displaced residents into temporary accommodations. More than 1,100 people have relocated from emergency centers into interim housing, and another 680 have been placed in youth hostels or local hotels.

Many escaped the blaze with nothing. The government is distributing HK$10,000 (US$1,284) per household in emergency aid and is fast-tracking the issuance of replacement identity documents, passports, and marriage certificates.

The calamity comes only days before Hong Kong’s legislative elections, casting a long shadow over the city’s political landscape. On Monday afternoon, 24-year-old activist Miles Kwan, who was involved in the petition campaign, was seen leaving a police station in a taxi. It is still unclear whether he was formally arrested.

For now, the focus remains on the grim work inside the ruins of Wang Fuk Court — a task officials admit may never yield a complete accounting of the lives lost.

typhoon

2 Million Evacuated In Southern China As Typhoon Ragasa Unleashes Deadly Flooding In Taiwan

/in , /by

Around 2 million people in southern China have been evacuated as an intense typhoon makes its way through one of the most populated coasts in the world. Deadly flooding from Typhoon Ragasa has already taken over Taiwan and killed at least 17 people.

Read more
tiktok

TikTok To Remain Operational In The US After Deal With China Is Reached 

/in , /by

The Trump administration announced this week that a deal has officially been reached with China to keep TikTok operational in the United States, after a yearlong effort that began back when Trump was in office for his first term, CNN reports. 

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in Madrid this week that a framework agreement has been reached, and Trump is set to speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday in order to finalize the deal. 

“President Trump played a role in this, we had a call with him last night, we had specific guidance from him and we shared it with our Chinese counterparts. Without his leadership and the leverage he provides, we would not have been able to include the deal today,” Bessent said.

Embed from Getty Images

The Trump administration did not specifically name the US-backed buyer, but it’s expected to be the Oracle executive chairman Larry Ellison. Back in January, Trump stated that he would “champion” Ellison in buying TikTok’s US assets. 

Both Chinese and US diplomats have been holding meetings in Spain this week to hold trade discussions and talk about other matters. Bessent is leading the latest rounds of talks, and emphasized how TikTok was one of the major subjects being addressed. 

“We were very focused on TikTok and making sure that it was a deal that is fair for the Chinese and completely respects US national security concerns, and that’s the deal we reached,” said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

“Of course, we want to ensure that the Chinese have a fair, invested environment in the United States, but always that US national security comes first.”

China’s top trade negotiator and vice minister of commerce, Li Chenggang, stated that the US and China held “candid and in-depth exchanges,” and have reached a “basic framework consensus” in order to keep TikTok operational in America. 

The framework includes “resolving TikTok-related issues through cooperation, reducing investment barriers, and promoting-relevant economic and trade cooperation,” Li told the media in Madrid. 

Deputy director of China’s Cyberspace Administration, Wang Jingtao, stated that the deal could also include methods that would ensure entrusted operation of TikTok’s US user data and intellectual property rights, David Goldman of CNN reports. 

Throughout the year, Trump has extended a self-imposed deadline to reach a deal with China so that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, would sell at least part of the US’s TikTok business to an American-backed owner. 

Embed from Getty Images

On January 18th, TikTok briefly shut down in the US, but a day before Trump took office, January 19th, the president said he would sign an executive action to ensure US companies wouldn’t be punished for having TikTok on their app stores or servers. 

Once the order was signed on January 20th, the ban on TikTok in the US was delayed for 75 days. The deadline was extended again in June to September 17th, and was expected to be extended again. 

Many investment groups throughout the US have expressed their interest in purchasing TikTok throughout the year, including former LA Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and famous “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary. 

Despite the interest, TikTok in general is likely to cost in the tens of billions, which is why industry analysts are reporting someone like Ellison is more likely to lead the charge for purchasing, as he would lead a group of investors. Additionally, Oracle also has an established relationship with TikTok. 

In 2020, Oracle began hosting TikTok’s US data, and during Trump’s first administration, the company and social media platform briefly reached a deal of acquisition, but it was eventually blocked. 

CNN reported that US officials said a meeting between Trump and Xi wouldn’t be happening if there wasn’t a TikTok deal in place. The agreement would also make it more likely that both leaders will sit down in October when Trump visits Asia, the officials said. 

Regarding the deal, Trump posted online: “The big Trade Meeting in Europe between The United States of America, and China, has gone VERY WELL! It will be concluded shortly.”

“A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy! I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday.”

vaccine

China Deploys Drones and Mosquito-Eating Fish to Combat Chikungunya Outbreak

/in , /by

Southern China is grappling with a major outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral illness that has rapidly infected thousands in recent weeks—marking one of the country’s largest recorded surges since the disease was first detected there nearly 20 years ago.

Read more
tiktok

TikTok Facing New Privacy Investigation From Europe Over China Data Transfers 

/in , /by

Popular social media app TikTok is facing a new privacy investigation from the European Union due to user data being sent to China, regulators stated this week. 

Embed from Getty Images

The Data Protection Commission opened up the inquiry as a follow up to a previous investigation that ended earlier this year with a 530 million euro ($620 million) fine. The fine was enforced after it was found that TikTok put its user’s data at risk of being exposed and spied on by allowing remote access from China. 

TikTok’s European headquarters are based in Dublin, Ireland, so the Irish national watchdog will be serving as TikTok’s lead data privacy regulator in the 27-nation EU. 

During a previous investigation, TikTok told the regulator that they didn’t store European user data in China, and the data itself was remotely accessible by staff in China. 

Later on, it backtracked and stated that some data had been stored on Chinese servers, and the watchdog responded by stating they would consider regulatory action, according to the Associated Press.

“As a result of that consideration, the DPC has now decided to open this new inquiry into TikTok,” the watchdog stated.

“The purpose of the inquiry is to determine whether TikTok has complied with its relevant obligations under the GDPR in the context of the transfers now at issue, including the lawfulness of the transfers,” the regulator said, referencing the General Data Protection Regulation which is the European Union’s privacy rules.  

Embed from Getty Images

TikTok is owned by China’s ByteDance, and has been under scrutiny from multiple nations over how they handle personal user information and data. Western officials specifically believe that the app poses a security risk which the EU has also cited. 

“Our teams proactively discovered this issue through the comprehensive monitoring TikTok implemented under Project Clover,” the company said in a statement. 

“We promptly deleted this minimal amount of data from the servers and informed the DPC. Our proactive report to the DPC underscores our commitment to transparency and data security.”

Under the GDPR, European user data can only be transferred outside of the bloc if there are safeguards in place. These safeguards ensure a certain level of protection, and only 15 countries or territories are deemed to have an equal data privacy obligation as the EU.