World News

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3997245

According to China's National Bureau of Statistics on the 21st, the unemployment rate of young people (16-24 years old) reached 18.8% in August. It's the highest it's been this year. This is attributed to the fact that a large number of students who graduated from school in the first half of this year jumped into the job front.

[...]

Chinese authorities temporarily suspended the release of monthly figures after youth unemployment hit an all-time high of 21.3% in June last year. Since then, new standards have been applied and announced from this year excluding enrolled students from the statistical target. Nevertheless, the youth unemployment rate, which was 14.6% in January this year, is steadily rising.

Last month, the story of 24-year-old Lee became a hot topic on Weibo, a Chinese social network service (SNS). After completing a master's degree in physics at the graduate school, it was known that he got a job as a cleaner at a high school in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

[...]

In fact, many young Chinese people are flocking to gig workers (short-time workers). The number of delivery drivers registered on Meituan, a large delivery platform, jumped from 3.98 million in 2019 to 7.45 million last year. The growth of the delivery market slowed due to the end of the "COVID-19 lockdown" policy, but the number of delivery drivers increased.

[...]

Against this backdrop, the Chinese government has recently decided to strengthen its crackdown on slang and newly coined words on the Internet. Some analysts say that they intend to censor terms that criticize the Chinese Communist Party and the government.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3997391

Saturday's vote will pit an unprecedented alliance of pro-Western opposition forces against the ruling Georgian Dream party, accused by Brussels of shifting towards authoritarianism and derailing EU candidate Tbilisi from its European path.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators, waving EU and Georgian flags and holding banners that read "Georgia chooses the European Union" gathered at Tbilisi's central Freedom Square after marching towards the venue from five different locations

[...]

Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili -- at loggerheads with the government -- joined the rally, which she said "shows that Georgia has already won and will reintegrate with Europe".

[...]

Analysts have warned of the risk of turmoil if Georgian Dream attempts to hold onto power regardless of the vote's outcome.

In power since 2012, the party initially pursued a liberal pro-Western policy agenda, but over the last two years has reversed course and been accused of moving closer to Moscow.

Bids for membership of the EU and NATO are enshrined in Georgia's constitution and supported by some 80 percent of the population, according to multiple opinion polls commissioned by groups including the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3971767

Foreign nationals and Dutch citizens with a family heritage from at least eight different countries often face intense pressure to show loyalty to foreign governments, carry out espionage activities on their behalf, or to monitor those in their communities, Dutch counterterrorism office NCTV and intelligence service AIVD warns.

The AIVD said it confirmed that Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey and others specifically attempt to gather intelligence on their diaspora communities in the Netherlands, and there is a strong suspicion that China, Eritrea and Syria does the same.

Further, people in the Netherlands identified as dissidents by Russia, China and Iran have also been secretly monitored by those governments. The report cautioned that people with heritage and connections to the eight countries mentioned, and others not mentioned, can face intimidation, threats of kidnapping and murder, in addition to others spying on them.

“These forms of state interference not only put pressure on the personal freedoms of residents of the Netherlands, but also undermine the democratic legal order in the Netherlands,” the NCTV said. Its report about foreign state interference in diaspora communities noted that that this can attempt to “influence political decisions or sentiment in Dutch society.”

The report noted a wide range of attempts to either monitor or influence foreign residents of the Netherlands, and Dutch citizens with familial ties to other countries. This includes identifying those who might be able to be used to influence those communities, while also observing those who might become supporters of an opposition movement.

[...]

That intelligence can then be used to either repress people and their families, or manipulate them into carrying out economic espionage in the Netherlands. The two agencies again raised warnings about the China Scholarship Council, which helps Chinese students get grants to study abroad in exchange for loyalty pledges, and a promise to obey directives from Chinese embassies and consulates.

The NCTV and AIVD also noted China’s treatment of Uyghurs living in the Netherlands. The ethnic minority has been subjected to years of harassment, unjust imprisonment, and discrimination in China.

Once [Chinese citizens are] in the Netherlands, they can find themselves on the receiving end of phone calls about family members who are “under the control” of Chinese authorities. “This message is usually accompanied by a clear ‘request’ to stop certain activities, such as publishing critical publications, or participating in or organising demonstrations, or to cooperate with the Chinese authorities,” the NCTV and AIVD stated.

It also noted reports about incidents of harassment that Russian scientists and students have had to endure. “The callers claimed to be from the Russian government and asked them where their loyalty lay in the war with Ukraine. The AIVD confirmed the practices after the reported incidents and made a direct connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” the report said.

[...]

As first reported by the Free Beacon, following a July investigation into possible transnational repression at an anti-CCP protest on Harvard University's campus, Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) uncovered shocking documents that show Harvard placed anti-CCP protestors on disciplinary probation while taking no action to address the illegal behavior of the pro-CCP agitator who assaulted the protestors.

"[...] Harvard is punishing brave students who spoke out against the CCP’s human rights abuses while not only letting the student who assaulted them off scot-free but also handing him an apology. The American higher education system needs to wake up to the Chinese Communist Party’s influence on our nation’s campuses and protect students who speak out against the CCP, not punish them for standing up to bullies," said Chairman Moolenaar.

“Once again, Harvard has proven to be completely corrupted by adversarial foreign influence. Harvard is kowtowing to Communist China [...] I look forward to working with Chairman Moolenaar and Chairwoman Foxx to hold Harvard accountable and to end Communist China’s infiltration of American universities,” said Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.

"I wish I could say I was surprised, but this is par for the course for Harvard – the only consistent part of the university’s disciplinary standards is that they’re always applied selectively to the benefit of favored groups," said Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx.

On April 20, 2024, Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng delivered a speech at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. During Ambassador Xie’s speech, Cosette Wu, a Harvard undergraduate student, protested the Chinese government’s human rights abuses by shouting slogans. Subsequently, the pro-CCP agitator dragged her out of the event against her will. As seen on video recorded at the event, Harvard officials watched this attack and did nothing to assist the victim.

Additionally, Tsering Yangchen, another Harvard student protester removed from the event after Wu, later told Voice of America that the same graduate student approached her and asked for the names of protestors. That individual then followed her, causing her to feel afraid on campus.

[...]

Documents also revealed that Harvard placed Ms. Wu and Ms. Yangchen on disciplinary probation from Harvard for their protest, but took no action against the graduate student for his assault of the protestors. In fact, Harvard apologized to the graduate student for his involvement in the incident.

Indigenous organizations in Colombia have long advocated for the formalization of territorial entities mandated by the 1991 Constitution. These entities are designed to provide political, legal, and administrative autonomy to indigenous communities, similar to the governance structures in over 1,100 municipalities and 32 departments across the country. The newly recognized authority is expected to empower 115 indigenous communities to manage their natural resources and protect the Amazon, which covers 44% of Colombia’s territorial surface.

“The decree defines indigenous authorities as environmental authorities for their populations and territories,” said Environment Minister Susana Muhamad. “These communities will exercise governance based on their ancestral knowledge and practices.”

Under the decree, indigenous peoples will have sovereignty over their lands, enabling them to formulate rules for the management and conservation of their ecosystems, plan budgets, and make decisions regarding land use. The specifics, however, of how these powers will be exercised remain unclear.

Back then, becoming Christian came with risks from Hindu vigilante groups who considered this an affront to India’s majority religion. But Bastar’s rugged terrain and low internet penetration meant that news about conversions often didn’t spread widely. Meanwhile, Jaldhar’s family found hope and solace in their new church; they also mortgaged their farmland to pay for his mother’s treatment. Her cancer went into remission.

By the time the cancer returned and took Jaldhar’s mother this past May, India was a different country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took office the same year the Kashyaps converted, had transformed the nation, emboldening the far right, and more members of Hindu nationalist groups were becoming lawmakers. That transformation, combined with expanded internet access, cheap data, and the organizing power of WhatsApp, supercharged attacks against religious minorities.

Rest of World has documented in depth how such attacks have targeted Christians in Bastar — where a vigilante mob approached Jaldhar’s house. The mob had been coordinated on WhatsApp and had one goal: to prevent the Kashyap family from burying their matriarch, Radhibai, unless they converted to Hinduism.

North Korea has started sending troops to fight with Russia in Ukraine, South Korea's spy agency has said as Seoul warned of a "grave security threat".

The allegation comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed 10,000 North Korean soldiers could join the war, based on intelligence information.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for a security meeting on Friday and said the international community must respond with "all available means". According to the spy agency, 1,500 troops have already arrived in Russia - with anonymous sources telling South Korean media the final figure could be closer to 12,000.

This comes as evidence mounts that North Korea is supplying Russia with ammunition, as recently demonstrated by the recovery of a missile in Ukraine’s Poltava region.

Moscow and Pyongyang have also been deepening their cooperation in recent months.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3877004

Russia has had to cope with an almost systematic increase in sanctions in scope and scale in order to conduct its invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions aim to hobble Russia’s capacity to procure and produce the necessary products to resupply its military. However, while sanctions have significantly affected Russia’s economy and war effort, Russia has shown adaptability in circumventing these restrictions through various initiatives and engaging with strategic partners, most importantly, the People’s Republic of China and its business entities.

[...]

A study by the KSE Institute utilizing Harmonized System (HS) codes [...] analyses forty-five common high-priority items (i.e., battlefield goods) and 485 HS codes for critical components [...] Between January and October 2023, Russian imports of battlefield goods totalled $8.77 billion, while critical components amounted to $22.23 billion. Within the 2023 KSE Institute compiled dataset, China has exercised a pivotal role in Russia’s efforts to import battlefield goods and critical components for its military and defence industry. This is observed from the immediate aftermath of Western sanctions being imposed to August-December 2022 when imports of battlefield goods and critical components increased by 84% and 42% respectively.

[...]

China was instrumental in all stages of the Russian defence industry’s external supply chain between January and October 2023. For instance, where businesses are headquartered, China accounts for 41% of battlefield goods and 41.2% of critical components. Interestingly, the total non-coalition sanctions accounted for 48%, and of these, China represented 46.7%, making China the most dominant power outside the coalition-sanction countries and the most dominant single entity.

China’s role increases substantially during manufacturing, representing 63.1% of battlefield goods and 58.7% of critical components produced for Russia.

[...]

Data shows that Chinese and Hong Kongese companies’ data combined led the sales of the goods and components in question to Russia, accounting for 68.9% of battlefield goods and 57% of critical components. Finally, China also plays a pivotal role in goods and components shipped directly to Russia, with China representing 53.2% of battlefield goods and 53.8% of critical components, respectively. Again, China is followed by Hong Kong at 22.7% and 12.9, with a combined 75.9% and 66.7%.

[...]

Specific Chinese exports of dual-use components and materials related to Russia’s defence industry and equipment that is being utilized by Russia’s military, including construction equipment, comprises:

• Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines
• Semiconductors
• Microelectronics and Electronic Components
• Ball Bearings
• Nitrocellulose
• Drones and Electronic Warfare systems
• Body armour and Helmets

[...]

China’s continued support for Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine poses significant risks and challenges that far outweigh any short-term benefits. By aiding Russia, China jeopardizes its international reputation as a responsible global power, becoming a complicit actor in the conflict, violating international law and the core principles of sovereignty.

Moreover, Chinese entities supporting Russia and the Chinese government’s lackadaisical response to Western complaints will eventually lead to secondary sanctions, deepening economic strains and retaliation from Western nations.

[...]

The event, scheduled for next week, will feature the construction of a sukkah as part of a "city of sukkahs" initiative by the Nachala movement, which is known for establishing illegal outposts in the West Bank.

Social Equality Minister May Golan, along with MKs Tally Gotliv, Osher Shkalim and Hanoch Milwidsky, confirmed to Haaretz that they will attend the event. The invitation also mentions that six other Likud MKs are expected to participate.

The Nachala movement stated that "the event is not just a theoretical conference, but a practical exercise and preparation for renewed settlement in Gaza." The movement added that "the return to settlement in Gaza is no longer just an idea but a process that is already in advanced stages, with government and public support."

The biodigester solution began as a means of managing food waste. In 2011 HECAF360 built a single-chamber, underground biodigester at Bir Hospital, Kathmandu. A culture of biogas has existed in Nepal for more than 40 years, according to a nationwide survey, which suggests 69% of the country's total energy demand is met by biomass energy. Homes and farms dispose of their animals' manure into small biodigesters on their land, which releases methane gas to fuel cooking.

At Bir hospital, methane released by digested food waste was piped into the staff tearoom. But Nakarmi faced a new challenge at Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital, where he installed a biodigester in 2016. "After Bir, hospitals we worked with had maternity services which produce placentas as well as food waste," he says. "We modified the biodigester to make it suitable for both types of waste."

Before hospital staff began adding waste, constructors put in cow dung to "seed" the chambers. This contains bacteria the mix needs to digest the hospital waste and generate methane. Hospital workers throw pathological and some food waste into the first underground chamber through an inlet above the ground. The majority of the hospital's food waste goes into the second inlet and chamber. "You feed placentas and some food to balance that carbon and nitrogen into the first chamber," says Stringer. "Food, which is much bulkier but doesn't need such a long residence time – because there's no potential for infection – is fed into the second."

The team trained hospital staff to segregate waste and ensure they only fed suitable organic materials into the digester. Staff also regularly pour water into the inlets to keep the mixture fluid. Gravity slowly moves it though the system. The digestate ends its passage by tipping out of the second chamber into a sewer, from where it safely washes away. By this time, any pathogens have died. "Most viruses can last maximum a week outside of the body," says Stringer. "There's no risk."

The methane gas produced by the biodigester at TUTH is piped out of the chambers into the staff room. It fuels a stove used for cooking, and has replaced some of the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) the hospital used to buy. The biodigester in Tribhuvan produces 1.5 cubic metres a day of methane gas – the equivalent of five standard-size LPG gas cylinders. One cylinder is enough for a family of five to cook two meals a day for a month and costs about £15 ($20), according to Nakarmi.

By replacing the incinerator, 4.6 tonnes of CO2 emissions were avoided in 2019, as well as all diesel fuel and methane gas emissions, the assessment estimates.

"The dehumanization of Palestinians and the collective punishment they endure from Israel's war in Gaza have shattered the very fabric of their society, much like what China has inflicted upon my people," writes exiled Uyghur human rights lawyer Rayhan Asat.

The Palestinian mother watching a bulldozer tear through her house reminds me of every Uyghur mother whose home was invaded by Chinese forces. The rubble of schools and mosques destroyed in Gaza takes me back to my homeland, where the oldest shrines have been leveled, and our teachers handed life sentences. The surveillance system China tested against the Uyghurs has been exported to the streets of occupied Hebron. As Israeli settlers flood the West Bank with the full support of Israel's government, I'm reminded of the millions of Han people that China brought into my homeland, where they receive special privileges in an apartheid system the world has ignored for decades.

[...]

Israeli atrocities in Gaza, and the intentional blocking of humanitarian aid that has led to starvation and the spread of polio in the besieged territory, have sparked global outrage, especially among young people. However, this same level of outrage has not been directed toward China's systematic efforts to slowly eradicate the Uyghur people in its prison camps. Some argue that the differing reactions are due to America's direct support for Israel's war in Gaza, but victims do not suffer less because of the identity of their perpetrator. If human rights are truly universal, then what happens in Gaza and Xinjiang should equally outrage us all.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3843819

Archived link

The sudden order to remove the symbol of the cross from the roof and entrance of a village church in China’s Anhui province cited unspecified “safety” hazards.

The notice, issued in March, was a shock to the church in Yongqing, eastern China, which had reportedly passed official safety inspections for the cross on the roof five years ago. The second cross had stood at the door of the church for over 40 years without any security concerns.

[...]

Nicola Smith Asia Correspondent. Jenny Pan Related Topics

Xi Jinping, China, Christianity, Religion 

05 October 2024 2:00pm BST 98

Worshippers in a Roman Catholic church in China Worshippers in a Roman Catholic church in China Sally and Richard Greenhill/Alamy Stock Photo

The sudden order to remove the symbol of the cross from the roof and entrance of a village church in China’s Anhui province cited unspecified “safety” hazards.

The notice, issued in March, was a shock to the church in Yongqing, eastern China, which had reportedly passed official safety inspections for the cross on the roof five years ago. The second cross had stood at the door of the church for over 40 years without any security concerns.

ChinaAid, a US-based group that advocates for religious freedom in China, alleged the order had been made by the villagers’ committee with no legal basis, suggesting it may have originated with higher-level authorities who wanted to avoid international criticism. Party slogans and censorship

It was one of multiple examples of oppression cited in a report last week by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an agency that reviews violations of religious freedoms overseas and makes policy recommendations to the President and Congress.

In their effort to “exert total control” over religion and to “sinicise” Catholic and Protestant Christianity, the authorities have “ordered the removal of crosses from churches [and] replaced images of Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary with pictures of President Xi Jinping,” the report said.

The Chinese government has also required “the display of CCP [Chinese Communist Party] slogans at the entrances of churches, censored religious texts, imposed CCP-approved religious materials, and instructed clergy to preach CCP ideology,” the USCIRF report said.

Its investigation pointed to a report from 2019 of a Catholic church in the eastern province of Jiangxi that was forced to replace a painting of the Virgin Mary with her child with one of President Xi.

[...]

Dachshunds are famed for their sausage shape, but their extra-long backs and extra-short legs can create crippling strain on their spines. This animal welfare bill would ban what it calls “torture breeding” — the breeding of animals with structural disabilities — not just of dachshunds with bad backs, but German shepherds with bad hips or French bulldogs with breathing problems.

Dachshund owners say they’ve got the problem under control, and that a breeding ban, rather than helping, could doom the dachshund. More than 18,000 people have signed a petition against the bill, and the national dachshund club has mounted a pressure campaign on legislators.

The bill isn’t just about dog breeding. It is meant to protect all kinds of animals in places from livestock farms to circuses to slaughterhouses. Germany already has one of the world’s strongest animal welfare laws, with animal protection written into its national constitution. Some 90% of Germans support stronger legal protections for animal welfare. That makes the debate more complicated than a simple for or against.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3815253

Chinese authorities have forcibly detained four Tibetan students, aged 15 to 18, for refusing to attend a state-run boarding school following the closure of the Buddhist primary school at Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery in Dzoge County, according to a report by Radio Free Asia. The students have been subjected to “political education” as part of the government’s efforts to enforce attendance at state-run institutions.

The Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery School was shut down on October 1, coinciding with China’s National Day celebrations. On October 2, authorities forced more than 200 students, aged 15 to 18, to attend state-run schools in Dzoge County as part of China’s compulsory education policy, marking the complete closure of the monastery school. Starting in July, over 300 younger students, aged 6 to 14, had already been forcibly transferred to various state-run schools in the county.

[...]

The forcibly enrolled young monks are being educated primarily through Chinese textbooks. However, they are also receiving separate political education sessions focused on Chinese politics and ‘Xi Jinping’s Thought,’ according to an anonymous source inside Tibet.

[...]

Cyprus has outstripped all other EU member states in embracing hot-water solar systems, with an estimated 93.5 % of households exploiting the alternative energy form for domestic needs.

The solar thermal systems not only collected solar energy as heat – usually generated through electricity and the burning of fossil fuels – they were extremely cost-effective and had helped spawn an entire industry, he explains.

“It’s been great for low-income families and then there’s the jobs: so many have been generated,” the MP says. “There are the local manufacturers who produce the parts and then all the people who are trained to install them. It’s big business.”

In his role as environment commissioner, Theopemptou pushed hard to make the solar systems obligatory on all newly constructed residential and commercial buildings – a move instituted by Israel back in the 1970s.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3765597

Archived link

[...]

While censorship on economic issues is hardly new, the level of repression has taken a darker turn of late, sending chills through anyone in the country who analyzes the economy as part of their profession.

The most extreme example is the reported disappearance of Zhu Hengpeng, one of China’s most prominent and well-connected economists. Zhu is a director at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), a leading think tank that reports directly to the cabinet.

[...]

He is believed to have been forcibly disappeared in April after he made disparaging remarks about the economy in a private chat group on the Chinese social media platform WeChat. The specifics of what Zhu said are unclear, but some reports indicate that he had “improperly discussed central policies” and made a reference to the “mortality” of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping.

[...]

While economic information is perceived as being less politically sensitive than discussions about democracy or human rights in China, [...] research shows that over the past decade, the CCP has repeatedly ratcheted up restrictions whenever the economy appears to be in trouble. This year, the crackdown has increasingly focused on content that addresses income inequality, youth employment, and poverty – in other words, deep-rooted problems that affect large swaths of the population and could undermine a key pillar of the CCP’s political legitimacy.

[...]

Chinese citizens are also prohibited from expressing their feelings about the economy. In February, WeChat removed a popular article that reported on survey findings from the Guangzhou-based Canton Public Opinion Research Center, which revealed a prevailing sense of pessimism about the country’s economic well-being. Around the same time, the CCP’s flagship mouthpiece People’s Daily published an article titled “The Whole Country Is Filled with Optimism,” attempting to project positivity online. Netizens immediately flooded the social media platform Weibo with posts ridiculing the article. Within hours, the hashtag being used to discuss the piece was removed from public view.

[...] information on the economy is a daily concern for almost everyone in China. Tight censorship on this topic can breed mass distrust in approved sources and compel more netizens to circumvent the CCP’s draconian internet censorship, despite the possibility of punishment, in search of more objective news and analysis on China’s economic situation. In other words, censorship on the economy could ultimately backfire on censorship in general, exposing the regime to an even greater crisis of legitimacy.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/3677707

https://archive.is/j0Rlm

According to senior defense officials, the Israeli government is not seeking to revive hostage talks and the political leadership is pushing for the gradual annexation of large parts of the Gaza Strip. In closed-room discussions, these officials say the chances of reaching a hostage deal appear slim right now. One of the reasons cited is that since negotiations were suspended, there has been no discussion among international players involved in the talks.

In addition, they say, Israel's political leaders have not held any discussions with the various security branches about the condition of the hostages. Army commanders in the field who spoke with Haaretz say the recent decision to launch operations in northern Gaza was taken without any in-depth discussion. They said it appeared that the operations were aimed principally at pressuring local residents, who were again told to evacuate the area for the coast as winter is approaching.

It is possible that the operation is laying the groundwork for a decision by the government to put into effect the so-called surrender or starve plan of Maj. Gen. (ret.) Giora Eiland. That plan calls for all the residents of northern Gaza to be evacuated to humanitarian zones in the south, with those choosing to remain deemed Hamas operatives and legitimate military targets. While Gazans in the south are getting humanitarian assistance, those who remain in the north will face hunger.

Defense officials who were asked to respond to the Eiland plan pointed out that it violated international law and that the chances of the United States and the international community supporting it were virtually zero. They said it would further undermine the legitimacy of Israel's entire Gaza offensive.

Research has shown time and again that news consumption on print has plummeted in the last decade. Both print circulation and advertising revenue are shrinking for most publications. Many publishers have moved to digital-only offerings or are printing fewer days a week.

But two titles in North America that have shunned the pivot to digital, as it is shown by Dave Bidini from Canada’s West End Phoenix, a monthly publication in a Toronto neighbourhood, and Dan Jacobson from U.S.’ TriCity News, a weekly newspaper published in New Jersey.

“Slow print for fast times” is the slogan of the West End Phoenix, a monthly local newspaper for Toronto’s West End neighbourhood. Its founder and editor, Dave Bidini, launched the paper eight years ago. “I discovered that all of the community newspapers in the West End had disappeared, so I felt it was important to try to save the print media in our neighbourhoods,” he says.

This sentiment is shared by Dan Jacobson, publisher and founder of TriCity News, a weekly newspaper published in New Jersey. The paper describes itself as “an alternative newspaper focusing on the arts, culture and politics in eastern Monmouth County.”

According to Jacobson, the paper serves the creative spirit of the community, filling a niche that is underserved by other outlets. The first edition of the paper was published in 1999 and they have stood the test of time and technology.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3750687

For years, posts related to events during World War Two have proliferated on the Chinese internet, with the Japanese invasion during the war remaining a sensitive topic for nationalists on both sides. In China, Japan’s wartime atrocities have long been a sore point as Beijing maintains that Tokyo has never fully apologised.

The online posts are part of a wider phenomenon, which encompasses both xenophobia and attacks on Chinese nationals for being unpatriotic. One argument by analysts is that this digital nationalism has gone mostly unchecked by the Chinese government, with online patriotism fanning flames of anti-foreigner sentiment as well as accusations against Chinese figures.

Some are asking if this has gone too far. [...]They see echoes of the violent, state-sponsored campaign against so-called enemies of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that traumatised the country in the 1960 and 1970s. Hundreds of thousands died in purges often led by youth militias known as the Red Guards. Families and neighbours turned on each other.

In a recent essay, author and university professor Zhang Sheng noted that “in the past people summoned the Red Guards, now people summon the ‘little pinks’” – a popular nickname for the virtual army of online nationalists.

[...]

It is not just foreigners facing the ire of cyber-nationalists. In recent months, Chinese public figures and companies have also been castigated for being insufficiently patriotic.

Beverage giant Nongfu Spring is considered a Chinese business success story, with its mineral water bottles a ubiquitous sight across the country’s convenience stores and restaurant tables. But in March, nationalists accused the company of using Japanese elements in its product design. One of its logos was said to resemble a Shinto temple, while the iconic mineral water bottle’s red cap was deemed to be a reference to the Japanese flag.

It resulted in a brief but intense online campaign: some called for a boycott, while videos of people angrily stamping on Nongfu Spring bottles and chucking their drinks down the toilet were all over social media.

Similarly, the author and Nobel Literature Prize laureate Mo Yan was accused of “beautifying” Japanese soldiers and being unpatriotic in his works by a nationalist blogger, who controversially sued the writer for insulting China.

[...]

Even state media has accused online nationalists of “making patriotism a business”. One commentary by CCP mouthpiece People’s Daily said those who “stir up public opinion and add fuel to the flames in order to… gain traffic and make personal gains, should be severely punished”.

But the ruling party has had a hand in stoking the fire, some say.