#arunachal pradesh news

[rightnewshindi]

केंद्रीय मंत्री किरन रिजिजू ने सेना के जवानों के साथ मनाई दिवाली, चीनी सैनिकों के साथ भी की बातचीत

Arunachal Pradesh News: अरुणाचल प्रदेश के बुमला पास पर केंद्रीय मंत्री और अल्पसंख्यक मामलों के मंत्री किरन रिजिजू ने भारतीय सेना के जवानों के साथ दिवाली मनाई। इस दौरान उन्होंने भारत के सीमावर्ती विकास की सराहना करते हुए इसे चीन के विकास से तुलना की। रिजिजू ने एक्स पर एक पोस्ट में लिखा, “चीनी सैनिकों से बातचीत करने और बुनियादी ढांचे को देखने के बाद, हर कोई अब भारत के सीमा विकास पर गर्व महसूस…

[mrbeings-blog]

[shamelessislamreligionhorse]

An Indian prophet would have a very large following of the common people, who would convert materialism into spiritualism.

- Prediction of Boriska about Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj

[raja81bcs]

The government’s approval of SJVN’s DPRs for the Etalin and Attunli hydro projects signals a significant leap forward in bolstering India’s energy infrastructure. As these projects move closer to realization, they not only promise to transform the power landscape but also bring about comprehensive socio-economic development in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. SJVN’s commitment to sustainability and multi-faceted growth positions these hydro projects as key contributors to the nation’s progress.

[werindialive]

Home Minister Amit Shah replies to Chinese Claim of Indian parts of Arunachal Pradesh

Home Minister Amit Shah is on a visit to Arunachal Pradesh where he said that no one has the right to question "India's territorial integrity". His statement came in the backdrop of China naming parts of Arunachal Pradesh recently. "Nobody can take even a pin's tip worth of our land," he said.

"Gone are those days when people could encroach into our land. Now, they cannot even take a pin's tip worth of our land," Mr. Shah said as he launched 'Vibrant Villages Programme' from Kibithoo, a village located in the Anjaw district just 11 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

China has already expressed its objection to Shah visiting Arunachal Pradesh claiming it to be a violation of Beijing's territorial sovereignty. The same was confirmed by a Chinese spokesperson earlier on Monday.

Answering a question about Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Chinese spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, "Zangnan (Beijing refers to Arunachal as Zangnan) is China's territory."

"The Indian official's visit to Zangnan violates China's territorial sovereignty and is not conducive to the peace and tranquillity of the border situation,” he added.

It is the first time that Amit Shah is visiting the north-eastern state as Home Minister. He is on a two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Shah asserted that India believes Arunachal Pradesh to be an inalienable part of the country and that any claim from China or any effort of giving its inventive name will not change the ground reality.

"This is not the first time that China is making such attempts, and we have criticized such attempts. Arunachal Pradesh is an inalienable part of India. China giving its own inventive names will not change the ground reality. I would like to re-emphasize that," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said last week.

Referring to Kithboo village, Shah said, "This is the area where the light of sunshine reaches first in the country. Earlier, people used to call this the last village of the country but now we call it the first village of India, that is the conceptual change PM Modi has brought."

For more national news India in Hindi, subscribe to our newsletter.

[herpsandbirds]

Do you have some pigeons? I think they're misunderstood and underappreciated

Oh yeah, here are some pigeon species you may not have seen before...

Band-tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata), family Columbidae, order Columbiformes, CA, USA

photograph by Paul Fenwick

Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica), family Columbidae, order Columbiformes, found in islands and coastal regions of South and SE Asia and the Australasian Archipelago

photograph by Alex Han (@alexhan_wildlife)

Pheasant Pigeon (Otidiphaps nobilis), family Columbidae, order Columbiformes, found in New Guinea and nearby islands

photograph by Jindřich Pavelka (500px)

Snow Pigeon (Columba leuconota), family Columbidae, order Columbiformes, Sela, Arunachal Pradesh, India

photograph by Raj Kimar

Kereru or New Zealand Wood Pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae), family Columbidae, Tāwharanui Peninsula, New Zealand

photograph by JJ Harrison

White-headed Pigeon (Columba leucomela) male, family Columbidae, Brunkerville, New South Wales, Australia

photograph by JJ Harrison 

Ashy Wood Pigeon (Columba pulchricollis), family Columbidae, Nepal

photograph by Rita Rossi

Philippine Green Pigeon (Treron axillaris), family Columbidae, Zambales, Philippines

photograph by Gid Ferrer

[internationalnewz]

US sends stern message to China on Tawang clash: 'Fully support India's effort'

China is growingly asserting itself and being proactive in areas directed toward US allies and partners in Indo-Pacific, Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said.

The Pentagon said the US department of defence is closely watching the situation along the Line of Actual Control and slammed China for continuing to “amass forces and build military infrastructure along the so-called LAC”. Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said it is important to point out the growing trend by China to assert itself and ‘be proactive’ in areas directed toward US allies and partners in Indo-Pacific. “We will continue to remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure the security of our partners. We fully support India’s effort to de-escalate the situation,” Pat Ryder said.

On December 9, there was a clash between the Indian soldiers and the Chinese troops at the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh on the India-China border. Chinese troops tries to transgress the LAC and unilaterally change the status quo leading to a clash in which the Indian soldiers gave a firm and resolute response forcing the Chinese side to retreat. In his statement presented in Parliament. defence minister Rajnath Singh said there was no fatality and no serious injuries to the Indian soldiers.

Following the face-off, the local commander of the Indian Army held a flag meeting with his counterpart on December 11.

This is the second major face-off between the Indian and the Chinese troops after Galwan in 2020 while talks regarding the border issues are going on between the two sides.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US is closely monitoring the situation and is glad to note that there was a quick disengagement.

India and the United States recently held the 18th edition of the two country’s joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ in Uttarakhand about 100 km from the Line of Actual Control to which China expressed its objection and said it violated the spirit of the two agreements signed between New Delhi and Beijing.

Both India and US rejected China’s opposition to the joint exercise and said no third country is allowed to comment on such matters. While India said the India-US exercise had nothing to do with the 1993 and 1996 agreements, the US said it was none of China’s business to comment.

Three Indian Army troops — Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Jat regiment and Sikh Light Infantry — thwarted the attack from the Chinese troops who came armed with clubs, sticks and other equipment, reports said. The Indian side was prepared and when the attack took place, one of the units was being relieved by a new unit. Chinese troops came with drones apparently to shoot the entire clash, reports said.

[typhlonectes]

A NEW MONTANE-DWELLING SPECIES OF Japalura GRAY, 1853 (SQUAMATA: AGAMIDAE) FROM ARUNACHAL PRADESH, INDIA

Zeeshan A. Mirza*, Gaurang Gowande, Tejas Thackeray, Harshal Bhosale,Mandar Sawant, Pushkar Phansalkar & Harshil Patel

Abstract

The montane agamid lizard Japalura austeniana (Annandale, 1908), is rare and is distributed across parts of the eastern Himalayas of India and China. Support from molecular and morphological data provide evidence for the existence of a species complex in the populations referred to as that binomen, and we here describe a morphologically cryptic allied new species. Evidence from molecular data suggests the presence of additional undescribed species across the distribution of that species complex. Elevation might be the restricting factor for gene flow explaining most of the diversification of that montane species complex across the Himalayas.

Read the paper here: v13i1.317 | Volume 13 | Number 1 | May 2024 | Taprobanica

[indianmovielinks]

Horror Movies to Watch on Halloween/Samhain/All Soul's Night

Free & legal streaming links to a few of the Letterboxd top-rated Indian horror movies

Bramayugam (The Age of Madness) - Thevan, a folk singer of the Paanan caste, has a fateful encounter when escaping slavery, leading to discover an ancient tradition altering his destiny.

Bulbbul - A child bride grows into an enigmatic woman ruling over her household and hiding her painful past, as supernatural murders of men plague her village.

Manichitrathazhu - A young couple, Ganga and Nakulan, arrive at Madampalli, Nakulan's ancestral home. Hailing from a family that follows tradition and superstitions, Nakulan’s uncle Thampi objects to the couple’s idea of moving into the allegedly haunted mansion, which Nakulan ignores. The couple moves in anyway following which seemingly supernatural events begin to happen.

Stree - Based on the urban legend of Nale Ba that went viral in Karnataka in the 1990s, a town is held in the grip of terror by tales of a mysterious woman who calls men by their name and then abducts them, leaving only their clothes behind.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa - When U.S.-based Siddharth visits his Indian home town with his new wife, he insists they stay at his ancestral home, laughing off family members' warnings of ghostly goings-on in the mansion.

Pizza - Michael, a pizza delivery boy, lives with Anu, an aspiring horror fiction writer. One day, on a delivery run, he goes to a bungalow and mysterious events begin to unfold.

Shaitaan - Kabir and his family’s fun weekend retreat takes terrifying turn when an intruder takes over the control of the body of his teenage daughter, putting her at the mercy of his increasingly sinister orders.

Bhediya - Inspired by legendary folklore rooted in Arunachal Pradesh, Bhediya tells the story of Bhaskar, a man who gets bitten by a mythical wolf and begins to transform into the creature himself. As Bhaskar and his ragtag buddies try to find answers, he is worried that the monster in him will wipe out human existence in the local town.

Bhooter Bhabishyat - A young director listens to a hilariously scary story narrated by a stranger, where a group of ghosts try to save the only place they can haunt in peace.

Romancham - A game of Ouija board goes hilariously wrong when seven bachelors unexpectedly invite a spirit and try to make the best out of the situation.

Tumbbad - In 1918 on the outskirts of Tumbbad, a cursed village where it always rains, Vinayak, along with his mother and his brother, care of a mysterious old woman who keeps the secret of an ancestral treasure that Vinayak gets obsessed with.

Please reblog so more people can find movies to watch tonight!

[mariacallous]

In the waters of the South China Sea, Chinese coast guard vessels have clashed with Philippine ships. In the air above the Taiwan Strait, Chinese warplanes have challenged Taiwanese jet fighters. And in the valleys of the Himalayas, Chinese troops have fought Indian soldiers.

Across several frontiers, China has been using its armed forces to dispute territory not internationally recognized as part of China but nevertheless claimed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

In August 2023, Beijing laid out its current territorial claims for the world to see. The new edition of the standard map of China includes lands that are today a part of India and Russia, along with island territories such as Taiwan and comprehensive stretches of the East and South China Seas that are also claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

China often invokes historical narratives to justify these claims. Beijing, for example, has said that the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, which it claims under the name of the Diaoyu Islands, “have been an inherent territory of China since ancient times.” Chinese officials have used the same words to back China’s right to parts of the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese government also claims that its sovereignty over the South China Sea is based on its own historic maritime maps.

However, in certain periods since ancient times China has also held sway over other states in the region—Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Vietnam. Yet Beijing is currently not laying claim to any of these.

Instead, Beijing has embraced a selective irredentism, wielding specific chapters of China’s historical record when they suit existing aims and leaving former Chinese territories be when they don’t. Over time, as Beijing’s interests and power relations have shifted, some of these claims have faded from importance, while new ones have taken their place. Yet for Taiwan, Chinese claims remain unchanged, as the fate of the island state is tied to the very legitimacy of the CCP as well as the vitality of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s political vision.

Many of the CCP’s territorial claims have roots in the 19th and 20th centuries during the late rule of the Qing Dynasty. Following diplomatic pressure and repeated military defeats, the Qing Dynasty was forced to cede territory to several Western colonial powers, as well as the Russian and Japanese empires. These concessions are part of what are known in China as the “unequal treaties,” while the 100 years in which the treaties were signed and enforced are known as the “century of humiliation.” These territorial losses eventually passed from the dynasty to the Republic of China and then, following the Chinese Civil War, to the CCP. As a result, upon the CCP’s establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the new Chinese state inherited outstanding territorial disputes with most of its neighbors.

But despite the humiliation the Qing Dynasty’s losses had caused, the CCP proved willing to compromise and reduce its territorial aims during times of high internal unrest. Following the Tibetan uprising in 1959, for instance, the CCP negotiated territorial settlements with countries bordering the Tibet region, including Myanmar, Nepal, and India. Similarly, when unrest rocked the Uyghur region in the 1960s and ‘90s, Beijing pursued territorial compromises with several bordering countries such as Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. In the aftermath of the Great Leap Forward in the early 1960s and the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, the CCP also pursued territorial settlements with Mongolia, Laos, and Vietnam in the hopes of securing China’s borders during times of domestic instability. Instead of pursuing diversionary wars, the CCP relied on diplomacy to settle border and territory disputes.

But China has changed quite a lot since then. In recent years, the CCP has avoided the inflammatory domestic political chaos of previous decades, and its once-tentative hold over border regions, such as Tibet and the Uyghur region, has been replaced by an iron grip. With this upper hand, the CCP has little incentive to pursue peaceful resolutions to remaining territorial disputes.

“China’s national power has increased significantly, reducing the benefits of compromise and enabling China to drive a much harder bargain,” said M. Taylor Fravel, a political science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In this context, the CCP has expanded its irredentist ambitions. After the discovery of potential oil reserves around the Senkaku Islands, and the United States’ return of the islands to Japan in the 1970s, Beijing drew on its historical record to lay claim to the islands, even though it had previously referred to them as part of the Japanese Ryukyu Islands. Similarly, though Beijing and Moscow settled a dispute over Heixiazi Island, located along China’s northeastern border, in 2004, the 2023 map of China depicted the entire island (ceded, along with vast Pacific territories, by the Qing Dynasty to the Russian Empire in 1860) as part of its domain, much to the ire of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Collin Koh Swee Lean, a senior fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, argues that the Chinese mapping of Heixiazi Island shows that Beijing holds on to certain core interests and simply waits for the opportune time to assert them.

“Given the current context of the war in Ukraine and Russia’s increased dependence on China, it might have appeared to Beijing that it has the chips in its pockets because, after all, Moscow needs Beijing more than the other way around,” Koh said on the German Marshall Fund’s China Global podcast.

This raises the question of whether territorial disputes that were settled during times of CCP weakness can be revisited and become subject to irredentist ambitions should power balances shift in China’s favor.

According to Steve Tsang, the director of the China Institute at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, there is currently a limit to how far the CCP will push territorial claims against Russia, since President Xi will need Russian support to sustain his grand ambitions for Chinese leadership on the global stage.

Although it would be a long shot, even Russia may not be safe from these ambitions indefinitely. Given that large swaths of Russia’s Pacific territories were part of China until 1860, “China could claim back the Russian Far East when it deems the time is right,” Tsang said. Such control would grant Beijing unrestricted access to the region’s abundance of coal, timber, tin, and gold while moving it geographically closer to its ambition of becoming an Arctic power.

While there is plenty of historical evidence pointing to former Chinese control over the southeastern portion of the Russian Far East, the historical record is less unequivocal about Chinese control over Taiwan. Anything resembling mainland Chinese control over Taiwan was not established until after 1684 by the Qing Dynasty, and even then central authority remained weak. In 1895, the Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to the Empire of Japan following the First Sino-Japanese War, and by the time Chinese authority was restored in 1945, Taiwan had undergone several decades of Japanization.

These details have not prevented the CCP from claiming that Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China since ancient times. Yet more than any other irredentist claim, Xi has made unification with Taiwan a major component of his vision to rejuvenate the Chinese nation.

Unification, however, has little to do with ancient history and more to do with the challenge that Taiwan presently poses to Xi’s aims, according to Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor who teaches about Chinese foreign policy at the National University of Singapore.

“The CCP pursues a Chinese nationalism that emphasizes unity and homogeneity centered around the CCP leadership while they also often claim that their single-party rule is acceptable to Chinese people,” Chong said.

In contrast, Taiwan holds free elections in which multiple political parties compete for the favor of a people that have increasingly developed an identity distinct from mainland China.

“The Taiwanese experience is a clear affront to the CCP narrative,” Chong said.

Control over Taiwan is also attractive to Beijing because it is key to unlocking the Chinese leadership’s broader ambition of maritime hegemony in waters where almost half of the world’s container fleet passed through in 2022.

As with the case of Taiwan, the CCP’s historical arguments regarding its claims on island groups and islets in the East and South China Seas are likewise much weaker than many of its land-based claims.

Instead, Chinese territorial intransigence in the maritime arena is more about a strategic shift in the value of the seas around China, Fravel said.

Today, it has been estimated that more than 21 percent of global trade passes through the South China Sea. And beneath these waters are not only subsea cables that carry sensitive internet data but also vast estimated reserves of oil and natural gas.

Although it may say otherwise, Beijing’s unwillingness to let up on its tenuous territorial maritime claims suggests that China is pursuing long-held ambitions and global aspirations rather than attempting to reverse past losses. So long as the CCP wields its historical record selectively and changeably to serve its aims—and is willing to back its claims up with military action—China’s neighbors will remain at risk.

[beardedmrbean]

India says it has lodged a "strong protest" with China over a new map that lays claim to its territory.

Indian media have reported that the map shows the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh and the disputed Aksai Chin plateau as China's territory.

It was released by China's ministry of natural resources on Monday.

"We reject these claims as they have no basis," India's foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

He added that such steps by China "only complicate the resolution of the boundary question".

Beijing has not officially responded yet.

India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar also called China's claim "absurd".

"China has even in the past put out maps which claim the territories which are not China's, which belong to other countries. This is an old habit of theirs," he told TV channel NDTV on Tuesday.

India's protest comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on the sidelines of the Brics summit in South Africa. An Indian official said afterwards that the two countries had agreed to "intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation" along the disputed border.

Shadow of 60-year-old war at India-China flashpoint

The Indian monastery town coveted by China

India has often reacted angrily to China's attempts to stake claim to its territory.

The source of the tension between the neighbours is a disputed 3,440km (2,100 mile)-long de facto border along the Himalayas - called the Line of Actual Control, or LAC - which is poorly demarcated. The presence of rivers, lakes and snowcaps means the line can shift in places.

Soldiers on either side come face to face at many points, which can spark tensions - the last time being in December when Indian and Chinese troops clashed along the border in the town of Tawang.

China says it considers the whole of Arunachal Pradesh its territory, calling it "South Tibet" - a claim India firmly rejects. India claims the Aksai Chin plateau in the Himalayas, which is controlled by China.

In April, Delhi reacted sharply to China's attempts to rename 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, saying the state would always be "an "integral and inalienable part of India".

Relations between India and China have worsened since 2020, when their troops were involved in a deadly clash at the Galwan valley in Ladakh - it was the first fatal confrontation between the two sides since 1975.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Hot Heads Chili Day

Chili lovers celebrate National Hot Heads Chili Day on January 17 every year. On this day, chili heads, heat-seekers, and extreme eaters try out the spiciest chilis. National Hot Heads Chili Day is celebrated with habanero-eating challenges, fancy-dress contests, and cook-offs of popular recipes. Chilis are also made to take the official Scoville heat scale. This doesn’t mean that you have to be a daredevil to celebrate the day — anyone who likes their meal a little hot can celebrate the day! Spices and chilis add a distinct flavor to the dish. Thai, Indian, Creole and Caribbean dishes are famous for their heat content and boast of some excellent gastronomic experiences!

History of National Hot Heads Chili Day

We don’t quite know how National Hot Heads Chili Day came to be but it’s safe to say that one fine day all the chili lovers got together and decided to celebrate hot and spicy food. This makes sense given how humans have always had a knack for chilis in their food — the first recipes for spicy foods go back to 6,000 years! This means that humans have been enjoying spicy food for quite some time. While the foods that we enjoy today may have changed and recipes altered, we still love spicy food. Unlike other animals, humans prefer spicy food simply because it tastes so incredible and on a plus side, spices also offer several health benefits.

Spices such as turmeric and cumin that have powerful antimicrobial and antioxidant properties can kill bacteria outright. Studies show that the capsaicin in hot peppers can reduce inflammation and decrease the chances of heart disease. It can also aid in weight loss. In Ayurvedic medicine, the inflammatory properties of chilis have brought relief from many different conditions, such as headaches, autoimmune disorders, and arthritis. Spicy foods can also help fasten your metabolism. Studies also show that certain spices, like pepper chilies, turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin can curb your appetite and improve your metabolic resting rate. Who knew chilis could be so versatile!

National Hot Heads Chili Day timeline

3500 B.C.

Chilis Are Cultivated

Chilis are grown and cultivated for the first time.

1498

Chilis Arrive In India

Vasco-da-Gama reaches Indian shores and introduces India to chilis.

1912

Scoville Organoleptic Test

Wilbur L. Scoville finds a new method to measure the pungency of chilis.

1975

Chili’s

Larry Lavine opens the first Chili's in Dallas.

National Hot Heads Chili Day FAQs

Are chillies native to India?

After the Portuguese arrival in India, chilies were first introduced to Goa, from where they spread to South India. Today, India is the largest producer of red dried chili in the world.

Which chili is the spiciest?

A Guinness Book record holder, Bhut Jolokia is certified as the hottest chili in the world. It is also known as ‘ghost pepper’ and is cultivated in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur.

Which chili is the healthiest?

Green chilies have high water content and zero calories which makes them a healthy choice for those who are trying to shed some pounds.

National Hot Heads Chili Day Activities

Host a dinner party: Chilis are regularly used in Indian, Chinese, and Thai cooking. Host a dinner party and serve these cuisines to friends and family.

Learn about different chilis from around the world: On National Hot Heads Chili Day, learn more about the different chilies that are available around the world. There are so many different types, including Carolina Reapers, Ghost Peppers, Habanero, Red Cayenne Pepper, Serrano, Guajillo, Poblano, Peppadew, and much more.

Organize a cook-off: Invite your friends over and see who can create the best hot and spicy dish. Flavor your dishes with different types of chilis and find out which one is the hottest.

5 Facts About Chilis That Will Blow Your Mind

Chilis can make you happy: They help release feel-good endorphins and dopamine, which results in a sense of euphoria.

The Japanese had an innovative use: Instead of eating them, the Japanese put them in their socks to keep their toes warm.

They are rich in nutrients: They contain large amounts of vitamin C, provitamin A, and beta-carotene.

Only mammals are sensitive to chilis: Capsaicin may burn and irritate the flesh of mammals but birds are completely immune to its effects

They can be used as first aid: Cayenne pepper can help stop bleeding.

Why We Love National Hot Heads Chili Day

A day to enjoy your favorite foods: Most of us love spicy foods but it’s not possible to savor them every day. National Hot Heads Chili Day offers the perfect opportunity to indulge in your favorite spicy food.

Try a new cuisine: If you don't have an adventurous palate, today is the best day to rectify that. Sample spicy foods from India, Thailand, the Philippines, and the Caribbean.

A day to be adventurous: If you are an adventurous foodie, then National Hot Heads Chili Day invites you to taste some of the hottest and steamiest chilies from the world over. Go on a gastronomic adventure today!

Source

[shamelessislamreligionhorse]

Amongst the different viewpoints and sadhnas (ways of worship) which one is in accordance with the scripture and which one is against the scriptures, only the true Holy Scriptures will decide this, which should be acceptable to everyone. (This evidence is in Shrimad Bhagwat Gita Adhyay 16 Shlok 23-24)

[tinyshe]

A few countries have rejected China’s new 2023 standard map because they think it oversteps China’s boundaries. Here are all of China’s ongoing border disputes, mapped.

-- Video Chapters --

0:00 Intro

4:39 The New Map

5:13 Kashmir

6:44 Nepal

7:34 Bhutan

9:36 Arunachal Pradesh

10:47 Myanmar

11:24 South China Sea

13:21 Senkaku Islands

13:49 Taiwan

14:59 Russia

15:22 Conclusion

15:56 Credits

[ognimdo2002]

Red Panda – Red Cuddler

The Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens), or Lesser Panda, is one of the species of carnivorans found in mountainous forests from Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Later, DNA analysis suggested that red pandas might belong in the bear family. However, later genetic research placed red pandas in their own family: Ailuridae.

Distribution and Habitat

The red panda lives in Nepal, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in China, the Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal, and Arunachal Pradesh, Bhutan, southern Tibet, and northern Myanmar. The red panda's maximum global habitat size has been calculated to be 47,100 km2 (18,200 sq mi). This habitat is in the Himalayas' moderate climate zone, where the average annual temperature ranges from 18 to 24 °C (64 to 75 °F). It has been observed at elevations between 2,000 and 4,300 meters (6,600 and 14,100 feet) throughout this range. The red panda prefers steep slopes with dense bamboo cover close to water sources. It lives in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests as well as coniferous forests. It is mostly arboreal and solitary. In addition to fruits and blooms, it primarily eats bamboo shoots and leaves.

Conservation

The species has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2015. It is protected in all range countries. Their main risks include poaching, human meddling, and habitat loss and degradation. The total number of red pandas has reportedly decreased over the past two decades by 40%, according to researchers.

Lore

This is the only member of the Ailuridae family; the family consists of the red panda (the sole living representative) and its extinct relatives. The red panda was first formally described in 1825. The two currently recognized subspecies, the Himalayan and the Chinese red panda, genetically diverged about 250,000 years ago. The red panda's place on the evolutionary tree has been debated, but modern genetic evidence places it in close affinity with raccoons, weasels, and skunks. It is not closely related to the giant panda, which is a bear, though both possess elongated wrist bones, or "false thumbs," used for grasping bamboo. The evolutionary lineage of the red panda (Ailuridae) stretches back around 25 to 18 million years, as indicated by extinct fossil relatives found in Eurasia and North America.

The red panda's role in the culture and folklore of local people is limited. A drawing of a red panda exists on a 13th-century Chinese scroll. In Nepal's Taplejung District, red panda claws are used for treating epilepsy; its skin is used in rituals for treating sick people, making hats, scarecrows and decorating houses. In China, the fur is used for local cultural ceremonies. At weddings, the bridegroom traditionally carries the hide. Hats made of red panda tails are also used by local newlyweds as a "good-luck charm".

In western Nepal, Magar shamans use its skin and fur in their ritual dresses and believe that it protects against evil spirits. People in central Bhutan consider red pandas to be reincarnations of Buddhist monks. Some tribal people in northeast India and the Yi people believe that it brings good luck to wear red panda tails or hats made of its fur.

In Turning Red, the story follows Meilin "Mei" Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian student who transforms into a giant red panda when she experiences any strong emotion due to a hereditary curse from her ancestor in ancient China. Sun Yee was the ancestress of the main protagonists, and she was the poet and the member of a hybrid from the Assassin Order and Templar Order, the real enemies of Conservationist Hunters, the peacekeepers of planet Earth that either hunt or preserve creatures or people from extinction.

Reference

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_panda

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_Red

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/red-panda

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/news/red-panda-bear-and-more-red-panda-facts#:~:text=Red%20pandas%20were%20first%20described,in%20their%20own%20family%3A%20Ailuridae.

[warningsine]

BEIJING (AP) — China and Syria announced the formation of a strategic partnership on Friday as Chinese leader Xi Jinping kicked off a series of diplomatic meetings ahead of the upcoming Asian Games.

Xi met Syrian President Bashar Assad in the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou, which is hosting the 15-day sports competition.

“In the face of the unstable and uncertain international situation, China is willing to work with Syria to firmly support each other ... and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice,” Xi said in a video clip posted online by state broadcaster CCTV.

Assad’s visit parallels in some ways that of Russian President Vladimir Putin last year for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Both leaders are virtual pariahs in the West but welcomed by China as it tries to expand its global influence and promote an alternative to the U.S.-led international order.

The Syrian leader will attend the Asian Games opening ceremony on Saturday night along with the king of Cambodia, the crown prince of Kuwait and the prime ministers of Nepal, East Timor and South Korea, China’s Foreign Ministry has said.

Xi also met Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah on Friday and said he would work with him to take bilateral relations to a new level, CCTV reported.

Both meetings took place at a state guest house at West Lake, a scenic tourist destination in Hangzhou that has inspired Chinese painters for centuries.

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni arrived Friday at the airport in Hangzhou. CCTV video posted online showed him walking down the stairs from his plane to the tarmac for a red carpet welcome that included the Asian Games mascots.

Assad, who is making a rare trip abroad, is looking for ways to emerge from the international isolation brought on by a brutal war at home that shows no sign of ending after 12 years. He was expected to discuss economic assistance from China, which could play a major role in Syria’s future reconstruction.

Syrian state TV quoted Assad as thanking Xi and his government for standing on the side of the Syrian people “during the crisis and suffering.” China has backed Assad, using its veto on the U.N. Security Council eight times to block resolutions against his government.

Xi told Assad that China supports Syria in opposing external interference and unilateral bullying and promoting a political solution that is led and owned by Syrians, China’s CCTV said.

Assad expressed hope that the meeting would be the basis for “wide-ranging and long-term strategic cooperation in all fields” between China and Syria.

The Asian Games, which have more participants than the Olympics, also sparked a diplomatic row between India and China. Three Indian athletes from Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as its territory, refused to accept their visas and stayed home after they were given visas stapled to their passports — different from those given to the rest of the team.

The Asian Games were scheduled for last year but postponed because of China’s then-strict pandemic restrictions. China eased its restrictions in December of last year.