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xtruss · 2 years ago

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German Cartoon Mocks India’s Population! German Cartoon Stirs Row For Mocking India's Population: When Caricatures Turned Controversial

German magazine ‘Der Spiegel’ published a cartoon taking a dig at India’s rising population. It has been termed ‘racist’. Political caricatures often hurt sentiments. Der Spiegel’s Trump cartoon and Charlie Hebdo’s Turkey quake sketch have outraged many

— FP Explainers | April 26, 2023

A new cartoon published by the German magazine named Der Spiegel depicts India’s population overtaking China. Image Courtesy: @KanchanGupta/Twitter

A new cartoon published by the German magazine named Der Spiegel depicts India’s population overtaking China. Cartoons have been a way to depict harsh realities or highlight double standards.

However, sometimes, the illustrations themselves exhibit double standards. The cartoon has elicited sharp reactions from Indians, who have dubbed it as “racist.”

In the cartoon from Der Spiegel, an overcrowded Indian train passes a modernised Chinese bullet train travelling on a parallel track with only two drivers inside. The passengers on top of the Indian train are holding the tricolour.

India is on course to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation by July of this year, according to a UN report released earlier this month.

While people on social media have been expressing their outrage about the inaccurate portrayal, some politicians and other authorities have also used Twitter to condemn the cartoon as “racist” and “derogatory.”

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar tweeted, ”Dear Cartoonist at @derspiegel…Notwithstanding your attempt at mocking India… it’s not smart to bet against India under PM @narendramodi ji….In a few years, India’s economy will be bigger than Germany’s.”

Well, this isn’t the first time, a cartoon has stirred controversy. Take a look.

Also read: US papers drop comic strip ‘Dilbert’ after creator Scott Adams’s racist remarks

Der Spiegel’s Trump Cartoon

German weekly magazine Der Spiegel isn’t new to controversy. Earlier, it drew criticism with a front cover illustration of former US president Donald Trump beheading the Statue of Liberty, according to Reuters.

The cartoon showed a figure of Trump with a bloodied knife in one hand and the statue’s head, dripping with blood, in the other. It carried the caption: “America First.”

Der Spiegel’s front cover illustration of former US president Donald Trump beheading the Statue of Liberty. Reuters

The artist who designed the cover, Edel Rodriguez, a Cuban who came to the United States in 1980 as a political refugee, told The Washington Post: “It’s a beheading of democracy, a beheading of a sacred symbol.”

The cover set off a debate on Twitter and in German and international media, with Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, a member of Germany’s Free Democrats (FDP) and vice president of the European Parliament, describing it as “tasteless.”

The cover followed a series of attacks on Berlin’s policies by Trump and his aides, marking a rapid deterioration in German relations with the United States. Chancellor Angela Merkel was the go-to European ally for former US president Barack Obama, who praised her as “an outstanding partner.”

Charlie Hebdo’s Turkey Earthquake Cartoon

The controversial French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo released a caricature that appeared to be making fun of the earthquake victims in Turkey.

No need to send tanks, read the artwork by Pierrick Juin, which featured tottering structures amidst mounds of debris.

The cartoon drew harsh criticism on Twitter, with some users accusing it of being ugly, racist, and incredibly insensitive while others claimed it was making fun of the innumerable earthquake victims.

Omar Suleiman, an American Muslim academic and civil rights activist with the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, tweeted in response to the cartoon that it “dehumanises” Muslims as victims in “every way.”

Many Turks criticising the magazine claimed that they had organised marches in support of “Je Suis Charlie” when its headquarters had been attacked in 2015 only to be punished in this way.

Even the Turkish president’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Kalin, condemned the cartoon in a tweet that read, “Modern barbarians! Suffocate in your hatred and grudges.”

Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Cartoon

When it published caricatures of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the French satirical publication enraged the Islamic Republic.

The cartoon was created in support of Iran’s first-ever female-led rallies, which got underway in September of last year following the passing of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been imprisoned for “incorrectly” donning the hijab.

Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian wrote on Twitter, “The insulting and indecent act of a French publication in publishing cartoons against the religious and political authority will not go without an effective and decisive response.”

“We will not allow the French government to go beyond its bounds. They have definitely chosen the wrong path,” he added.

The 12 Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Cartoons

The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 caricatures along with an article titled “Muhammeds ansigt (The face of Muhammad)” on 30 September 2005. It stated that they were a critique of Danish media self-censorship.

The following year, Charlie Hebdo published these caricatures.

Following their initial publication, the cartoons drew criticism from all across the world for being blasphemous and feeding prejudices about Muslims as terrorists.

They incited violent demonstrations throughout Asia and the Middle East, and many called for a boycott of Danish products.

A protester holds a poster reading ‘Stop Charlie’ during a demonstration against French publication Charlie Hebdo. The magazine has outraged the Muslim world time and again over its caricatures of Prophet Muhammad. AFP

The New Yorker Magazine’s Obama Cartoon

Barack Obama’s campaign staff criticised The New Yorker magazine for a front-cover cartoon from 2008 that showed him dressed in traditional Muslim outfit and his wife as a terrorist, according to BBC.

The cartoon by Barry Blitt, according to the publication, was meant to make fun of some of the exaggerated right-wing attacks on the Democratic senator.

However, the cartoon was referred to as “tasteless and offensive” by an Obama campaign spokesperson.

Tintin Cartoon in the Book

According to BBC, in 2010, a Congolese citizen attempted to get a contentious Tintin book outlawed in Belgium, the nation that gave rise to the cartoon character.

In Tintin in the Congo, Bienvenu Mbutu claimed that the “little (black) helper” of the ginger sleuth was seen as “stupid and without qualities”.

Mbutu, a resident of Belgium, claimed that it “makes people think that blacks have not evolved.”

Mbutu wasn’t the only person to criticise the book for its offensive racial stereotypes. The UK’s Commission for Racial Equality demanded that the book be outlawed on the grounds that it contained language and illustrations that displayed abhorrent racial prejudice.

Jesus on Malaysian Newspaper

As per the report, in 2007, after publishing a picture of Jesus holding a cigarette and what appeared to be a beer can, a Malaysian newspaper came under pressure to close.

The newspaper later apologised, stating that a graphics editor had unintentionally pulled the picture off the internet.

Two magazines were shut down by the nation’s Muslim-dominated government the year before for publishing contentious Muhammad drawings.

Aseem Trivedi’s Anti-corruption Cartoons

Aseem, a political activist and cartoonist, was detained after being charged with sedition for presenting anti-corruption caricatures at the Anna Hazare demonstration in November 2011, according to Scoop Whoop.

With inputs from agencies

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newsaryavart · 5 years ago

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ताइवान पर कवरेज से भड़का चीनी ड्रैगन, भारतीय मीडिया पर गलतफहमी पैदा करने का लगाया आरोप taiwan china dispute : ताइवान पर भारतीय मीडिया में कवरेज से चीन (China vs India) बौखला गया है। चीन के सरकारी समाचार पत्र ग्‍लोबल टाइम्‍स ने भारतीय मीडिया (China Indian media) पर गलतफहमी पैदा करने का आरोप लगाया। ग्‍लोबल टाइम्‍स ने भारतीयों की भी काफी आलोचना की।

#china criticised Indian media #China Indian media #China taiwan Indian media #India-China standoff #taiwan india china #taiwan india relation #चीन ताइवान व‍िवाद #चीन बनाम भारत #चीन भारतीय मीडिया #ताइवान चीन भारत

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disaster-j · 2 years ago

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Hi,

As an Indian do you think we will ever get Indian BLs? and why haven't we gotten one already. I mean China did it. Yes, they[pre-2016 ban] are all bad and sad but they exist. I don't think I've seen any Indian queer story driven by love as the main plot.

And if we did get one what would you like it to be? Style or story or whatever comes to mind.

At first I wasn't hopeful even after Badhai Do[which was more a queer angst story than queer joy, which is what I associate with BL] but after Kinnporsche trended in top 10 on twitter week after week...I'm not so sure...But I want one.

Queer Indians deserve one. And yes there was Subh mangal zyada savdhan but that's just one and frankly I didn't really vibe with it. I was in theatres with friends and they were like what a good story and I was like huh??? good??? Okay, maybe but good??? Like maybe they liked it because they hadn't consumed as much queer content [at the time it was only Western] as I had. And I was so irritated by the Ayushman Khurana wears a gay flag and gives a speech. Felt like a lecture and not a movie, if you know what I mean.

Okay so, from where I'm standing, having an indian bl industry is kind of impossible. See, these industries' survival is based almost entirely on their audience's buying power. Specifically, buying novels and merch. Those sales numbers are what attracts investors and advertisors whose investments keep projects afloat. BL audiences are made up of majorly young girls and young girls in India simply don't have the kind of financial freedom to buy explicitly gay merch.

The lack of financial freedom that a majority of teenage girls and unmarried women face in our country has been a cause for concern for a long time and there just hasn't been enough progress made on that front. Same sex relation and content depicting the same is also still a pretty big tabboo across the country. Sexual content of ANY kind is a big tabboo too and most BLs are explicit to some extent. The target audience in this case will not be able to meet the kind of sales goals these producers need to justify the cost of producing BLs. This isn't even an educated guess, the creators of queer indian cinema like SMZS have said that since these same sex love stories don't sell, production houses are discouraged from making more such content in the future. Everything is about money and people will not make stuff they cannot sell.

The few queer shows and movies we do have constantly get overly criticised, with even queer audiences expecting much higher standards from queer media than they do from non queer media which causes these films to consistently flop. Yes the flag cape scene in SMZS is a bit preachy but that's the point? The character is actively preaching. He's being shunned and dehumanized and he's reacting to that by refusing to be silenced and forced away from the man he loves. He's being as obnoxious as possible so he's impossible to ignore. Sure SMZS may not be everyone's cut of tea but they did their best to tell a love story between two men with all the grand gestures typical of a bollywood romance and got no recognition for putting in the effort where no one else did even that much. That's demoralising. No one wants to make content that will get nitpicked and boycotted. No one is going to go out there and dedicate their careers to making movies and shows that y'all are just going to rip to shreds at first sight bc it's not this or that enough while straight content gets to be however bad it wants without a second thought bc "no one expects perfection from bollywood."

I want more queer content just as much as the next queer Indian. Understand that the key to getting that is actually appreciating the content that is already there for all the good that it has brought to table, alongside its faults. Watch the few mainstream queer movies like SMZS, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha, Badhaai Do. Watch the ott content like Romil and Juggal or Made in Heaven. Watch the web shows like Firsts and All About Section 377. Create a non-hostile environment where queer media is allowed a chance to thrive the same way cishet media gets without any conditions and you'll see the content you want emerge with time.

#ask #anon #queer media #indian queer media

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disuv · 4 years ago

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We love to watch Photo !!

Physically what we see don't enjoy much but digitally we enjoy and get surprised, do praise photographer and the visuals . Isn't this right ?

We have given aur happiness to camera to maintain our joy and sorrows . Digitally we want to short out mystery of life and the way we have involved that there is no Chance to suspend camera from our lives . We can't even think and go into deep to think over this that it's digital century which has engulfed us and direct us to live . Our Bared eyes can't see physical beauty except opposite sex interest- that too for a split second .

How enduring this road is ? Ah! Looks like heaven ! We can't hold our emotions seeing the above digital picture. I know if somebody form us gets chance to visit above parts of this mundan - he/ she will clik photos rather than enjoying the opportunity . Why there is de-attachment we are feeling and so not able to sustain our relationship . It's all happening because we have hired camera so we have camera life to live. Surprisingly we call it fitness element instead of Paralysis carrier .

Recently I met a man who was happy just five month ago because he was getting hits and likes on his TikTok videos from his 1 millions followers . It took him 5 years to reach to 5M followers but one decision,"Ban TikTok in india", was taken by indian Government due to political issues between India and china and this man's happy going life , thrilling life immediately met to the end.

Now this man is in trauma and upset . Day and night he is criticising present government and writing on social media against government decision . He tells everyone about his past popularity , shows to many his videos from saved folders & desperately wants back reactions . He gets appreciation but physically which is unbearable to him - No hits, No likes , No comment . He is alive yet but many digital stars committed suicide . It is true .

Let us not give our lives to camera to control our happiness. We must use digital platform as a boon and immediately we should get out from its clutch so that we could have in our hand accelerator to speed up or to slow down our precious life . Let's give our eyes an open universe to enjoy it's beauty physically .

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gracebolton · 4 years ago

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Energy Consumption – A Consumer Outlook

Though not generally a political type, some of the stories I am reading about the energy market give me pause for energy consumption into the future.

This seriousness will result in a mostly wordy bit of prose, quoting some people and websites more clever and studied than I, with no pictures (sorry).

The leadout story this week from my point of view was Giles Parkinson at Renew Economy, discussing the QLD regulator’s rejection of the increase to FiT (feed in tariff).

The findings of the QPC are not a surprise, given its past and current attitude to solar and the networks generally. It and other state-based regulators are criticised for seeking only to protect the interests of the incumbent network operators and gen-tailers.

There is even talk in the report of cuts to tariffs, rather than a holistic approach toward balancing energy consumption and transport patterns.

Those who consume energy can also produce it, after all. Clean power sold for energy consumption locally has a wide range of benefits, not the least of which is reduction in future infrastructure investment costs (which consumers will bear).

When you also consider the health benefits of low-carbon energy, you start producing a compelling financial argument beyond comparing (green) apples with (carbon) apples.

Big economies like China and India could derail The Paris Agreement for the rest of us, if they continue as-is. The good news is, those countries are considering implications beyond cost-benefit of network and employment, on behalf of their growing populations as energy consumption increases.

It would be grossly unfair if the West denied these growing economies, particularly in the Third World, a chance to power their nations. The question is whether we let them continue with old technology, or help lead them with new, to the benefit of all.

If I may digress gleefully for a moment, another article from Giles at Renew Economy has some of the best quotes I’ve ever seen in regard to Base Load power, from the Chairman of Chinese State Grid Liu Zhenya:

… fundamental solution was to accelerate clean energy, with the aim of replacing coal and oil. … the only hurdle to overcome [for base load power] is ‘mindset’ … there’s no technical challenge at all.

When you consider he was addressing a group heavily invested in oil and gas, that is solid gold from Mr Liu.

And yet, here in Australia we have campaigns running like Little Black Rock which purports to fly in and save our way of life. That is in spite of coal tanking globally, putting several projects by local and foreign companies under threat.

Indian company Adani, who were due to develop the massively controversial Carmichael coal mine, are looking to shift their focus to renewables, as one example.

Which brings me to the next in a long line of great article quotes from Renew Economy, this time in relation to something a little closer to home.

AGL is now working with 68 households in Carrum Downs, Victoria, to get a better understanding of energy management technology, solar, and storage. The trial is aimed at reshaping grid usage through smarter use of devices, as Jason Clark from AGL says:

“If peak demand can be reshaped through minor changes to customer behaviour, network companies may be able to delay or avoid major investment that would put upward pressure on energy prices, while maintaining the same levels of supply reliability,”

This is a very interesting move from a retailer, and parallels a development in my own little world.

A few weeks ago, a nice chap from Endeavour Energy called to see how the Powerwall was going. After some general enthusiasm from both parties, the point was reached: they wanted data about household energy consumption as it relates to storage. They wanted my help to prepare for their infrastructure planning.

I’m usually pretty wary of these things, and I know some would be tempted to laugh in their face and bid them good day.

Yet, I agreed, and expect my install to be joined by others.

It is important that the infrastructure companies understand what is coming from a planning and engineering point of view, first and foremost. This will hopefully give them insight into how to most efficiently build future networks.

Stop sniggering, you lot. I’m serious!

I accept that the electricity retailers, in particular, will try and jack prices up in response to decreased revenue from people going solar at an accelerated pace. However, at the same time, purchase cost for solar hybrid will drop through research, development, and most importantly competition.

The next logical step for the energy triumvirate (government, wholesalers, retailers) would probably be removal of subsidies for renewables. This creates an environment where solar is suddenly more expensive, and so people stay on the grid, and state-based energy consumption.

I would argue that removal of subsidies is inevitable as the cost dives, and the government starts looking at penny pinching (they’re not going near negative gearing for a while at least). The only question is timing. Will the consumer market make this move possible before the electricity Illuminati ask for it?

(wait – elecminati? Uh… nope… )

Overarching all this, home electricity storage is moving into the mainstream. Large companies like Samsung, Panasonic, and LG are on board after seeing what a host of smaller ventures could achieve.

A suite of electric cars will be coming onto the market over the next few years, from mainstream manufacturers such as Volkswagen and Daimler as well as the continued development from Tesla, the Model 3.

Regardless of the engineering shortcomings of Lithium batteries pointed out by some very clever people, this isn’t a science fair. With apologies to The Simpsons, you don’t win friends with a big steel box, full of lead-acid gel cells weighing 50kg each. Consumers won’t go there in numbers.

If they did, companies like AGL would have run consumer trials years ago. Endeavour Energy wouldn’t ring nerds like me to see if they could, pretty please, get some data out of my system. The game has changed. A sexy, compact lithium battery with enough media coverage has seen to that.

In the near future, the government will have angry energy retailers on one side, and big corporates on the other, both looking for profits.

The government will have to start thinking, and hard. Particularly as consumers are presented with more, and cheaper, options for managing consumption of their energy.

And, just quietly, a penchant for throwing out incumbent governments…

We may have some short-term pain as our present members of parliament flap their arms about renewable energy, complain about imaginary wind farm illnesses, and so on. They have lobby funding to protect, after all.

This year feels like its going to be massive for renewables in Australia, and across the world. All it needs is companies like AGL and Endeavour Energy to continue to reach out to customers. At the same time, we should be involved willingly, to ensure that we’re getting a say or at least know what is going on.

Meanwhile, all of us need to start putting pressure on governments to get with the program. Follow websites like Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid to stay informed about the news, views, and general interest stories.

Look at your energy consumption. Check your power bills and see if there is something better out there for you. Educate yourself, and others, to make a difference.

from https://www.sustainablefuturegroup.com.au/18/energy-consumption-a-consumer-outlook/ from https://sustainablfutg.tumblr.com/post/623692145789943808 from https://gracebolton.blogspot.com/2020/07/energy-consumption-consumer-outlook.html

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brajeshupadhyay · 5 years ago

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Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday ordered the military to scale up the battle preparedness, visualising the worst-case scenarios, and asked them to resolutely defend the country's sovereignty. Xi, 66, who is also the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the two-million-strong military with prospects of lifelong tenure in power, made the remarks while attending a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and People's Armed Police Force during the current parliament session being held here. Xi ordered the military to think about worst-case scenarios, scale up training and battle preparedness, promptly and effectively deal with all sorts of complex situations and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, state-run Xinhua news agency reported, without mentioning any specific issues that posed a threat to the country. His comments came in the backdrop of the continuing standoff between the militaries of India and China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Several areas along the LAC in Ladakh and North Sikkim have witnessed major military build-up by both the Indian and Chinese armies recently, in a clear signal of escalating tension and hardening of respective positions by the two sides even two weeks after they were engaged in two separate face-offs. The nearly 3,500-km-long LAC is the de-facto border between the two countries. The US-China military frictions were also on the rise with the US navy stepping its patrols in the disputed South China Sea as well as the Taiwan Straits. Washington and Beijing are also engaged in a war of words over the origin of the coronavirus pandemic. On Sunday, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticised the attempts of some US politicians to blame China for the pandemic. The US, he said, was pushing ties with China to "the brink of a new Cold War". On May 22, China, the second-largest military spender after the US, hiked its defence budget by 6.6 per cent to USD 179 billion, nearly three times that of India, the lowest increment in recent years amidst the massive disruption caused to the communist giant's economy by the COVID-19 pandemic. In his meeting with a PLA delegation on Tuesday, he stressed on achieving the targets and missions of strengthening the national defence and armed forces for 2020, while maintaining effective epidemic control on a regular basis. He listened to speeches by the military deputies on fulfilling epidemic control tasks, strengthening training amid the epidemic, and accelerating capacity building on biosecurity defence, among others. Commending their role in battling the COVID-19, Xi said the people's armed forces have once again proven themselves to be heroic forces that can be fully trusted by the Communist Party and the people. Xi said the epidemic has brought a profound impact on the global landscape and on China's security and development as well. Xi demanded reform and innovation to address new situations and problems exposed in the epidemic and ordered accelerating the research and development on COVID-19 drugs and vaccines by tapping the advantages of military medical research. Noting that this year marks the end of the 13th five-year plan for military development, Xi said extraordinary measures must be taken to overcome the impact of the epidemic to ensure major tasks on the military building are achieved. On defence expenditure, Xi said every penny must be well spent to produce maximum results . Xi has been stressing on the troops battle preparedness ever since he came to power in 2012 insisting on real time exercises to win wars. He has also revamped defence forces, cutting the PLA's strength by three lakh troops and enhanced its naval and air power as Beijing expanded its influence abroad. Meanwhile, a Chinese expert commented that unlike the previous standoffs between the Chinese and Indian armies, the latest border friction was not caused by accident, but was a planned move of New Delhi. "India has been crossing the boundary line into the Galwan Valley region and entering Chinese territory. Indian soldiers have also deliberately instigated conflicts with their Chinese counterparts. If India failed to stop such provocations as soon as possible, it will impact on Beijing-New Delhi ties - and may even exceed the sort of intensity of the Doklam standoff, an article in the state-run Global Times written by Long Xingchun, president of Chengdu Institute of World Affairs, said. India has said the Chinese military was hindering normal patrolling by its troops along the LAC in Ladakh and Sikkim and strongly refuted Beijing's contention that the escalating tension between the two armies was triggered by trespassing of Indian forces across the Chinese side. The Ministry of External Affairs said all Indian activities were carried out on its side of the border, asserting that India has always taken a very responsible approach towards border management. At the same time, it said, India was deeply committed to protect its sovereignty and security. "Any suggestion that Indian troops had undertaken activity across the LAC in the Western sector or the Sikkim sector is not accurate. Indian troops are fully familiar with the alignment of the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas and abide by it scrupulously," MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at an online media briefing last week.

http://sansaartimes.blogspot.com/2020/05/xi-jinping-orders-chinese-military-to.html

#SEO #Local SEO training #daily news paper #daily news india #daily news newspaper #technology news a

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whatisonthemoon · 3 years ago

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December 2021 Kathmandu Post article on Hak Ja Han

Pictured: KP Sharma Oli Hey Bhagwan: Politicising religion in Nepal has the potential to create major social and religious conflicts.

Karl Marx, the founder and primary theorist of Marxism, viewed religion as the "opium of the masses". Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union, said, “A true communist would always promote atheism and combat religion.” During the first two decades of the Soviet Union, “some 200,000 members of the clergy were murdered”. Mao Zedong established state atheism in the People's Republic of China. He considered popular religious movements seditious. The Chinese Communist Party’s national security agency monitors citizens' religious activity.

Until recently, atheism was quite popular amongst Nepali communists as well. Both KP Sharma Oli and Prachanda, two of Nepal’s most prominent communist leaders and former prime ministers, have, on several occasions in the past, publicly disparaged religion. KP Sharma Oli is on record saying, “If there is any God, it is only in Karl Marx.” During their insurgency, Prachanda’s Maoist comrades slaughtered cows and forced devout Hindus to eat the meat. These leaders make all their important decisions under the watchful gaze of the trinity of atheism—Marx, Lenin, and Mao—who adorn their official meeting rooms.

Lately, with the demand for declaring Hinduism the country’s state religion getting louder, these leaders suddenly seem to be on the way to becoming reborn Hindus. This is an ideological apostasy, but it is happening. When did the turnabout start, and what will be its impact?

Pictured: Oli and Hak Ja Han The turnabout

Oli's image building as a proponent of Hindu gods took a paradoxical route. It started about three years ago with the arrival of Hak Ja Han, the leader of a Korean Christian cult, the Unification Church. She had come to Kathmandu at Oli’s invitation when he was prime minister. The finale of Han’s programme was Oli and then his comrade, Madhav Kumar Nepal, publicly drinking wine blessed by Han (derisively described in Nepal media as “drinking holy wine”).

This reverence to the leader of a Christian cult, previously prosecuted in the United States for criminal activity, by the prime minister of a secular country, did not go down well. It was severely criticised by the media and Oli’s senior colleagues in the UML.

Oli’s ongoing trouble within his party for poor governance, hubris and corruption started intensifying soon after Han’s visit. Oli had to divert public attention from the troubles in his leadership, and he decided to use Hinduism as the means. Out of the blue, one fine day in July 2020, he declared that the Hindu god, Ram, was born in Nepal. This helped him find the diversion he needed: Whip up religious nationalism and win support from gullible Hindus. Until now, the Indians had claimed Ayodhya as the birthplace of Ram. The declaration was a direct challenge to India. “Standing up to India” pays well in Nepali politics.

From here on, Oli’s public acts of “dedication” to Hindu gods intensified. He ordered replacing the existing shower (jalahari), made of silver, at the Pashupatinath Temple with a shower made of gold at the cost of millions in public money, and building a new temple of Ram, Sita, Laxman and Hanuman in “Ayodhyapuri” in Chitwan district, the district of his political nemesis Prachanda.

Prachanda, the Maoist chairman, could not stay quiet. He had been seen before actively participating in some of the most traditional (Saptaha) and regressive Hindu religious practices (for example, votive offerings of a live buffalo). It garnered intense criticism at the time, but it was forgotten until his photographs with Ramdev recently appeared in the media. The controversial Indian yoga guru, billionaire businessman and proponent of Hindutva was visiting Nepal and had gone to see Prachanda the day he arrived.

One of the photos shows Prachanda, Ramdev, and Ramdev’s assistant sitting in Prachanda’s ornate living room which included, amongst others, several shiny Buddha idols. The juxtaposition of Buddha idols, a Hindu guru and a communist leader, stained with the blood of the thousands killed in the failed insurgency he led, raised numerous questions. Was the soul of the dead beginning to haunt him that he was seeking solace in god? Or was he using religion to further his political agenda? No one knows the answer, but desperate communists seeking religion to further their politics is not uncommon.

About eight years ago, the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov, became a passionate supporter of the Russian Orthodox Church—his ploy to capture the votes of devout Russians. “Lenin wanted to build a society similar to what Jesus Christ wanted; Christ was the first communist," he says. Cuba is deeply Catholic. A 20-metre high The Christ of Havana overlooks the city of Havana from a hilltop. After denying Christians membership in the Communist Party for years, Fidel Castro called Christ a revolutionary and removed atheism from the country’s statute.

Deuba joins the fray

Sher Bahadur Deuba, current prime minister and president of the Nepali Congress, concerned with the communists targeting Hindu votes, would not be left behind. Cognisant of Ramdev’s popularity in Nepal, he inaugurated the establishment of two television channels dedicated to the promotion of Hinduism. Both channels are owned by Ramdev. This was a rather hurried, clumsy show. Ramdev’s TV has, as yet, no licence to operate in Nepal. A bureaucrat commented, “Deuba was just inaugurating the TV’s logo, not the channel!"

If the leaders have turned to religion to recompense for their unsavoury past, it is their private matter and is a good thing. But for the government to promote any particular religion is against the spirit of the country’s secular constitution. Politicising religion in a country with religious and cultural diversity like Nepal has the potential to create major social and religious conflict. This should worry us all.

My friend Hemesh captured the sentiments of many exasperated with the politicisation of religion and the hypocrisy of the politicians, “Hey Bhagwan,” (Oh God) he sighed. “Hey Bhagwan'' indeed!

#politics #Prachanda #hak ja han #Sharma Oli #nepal #unification church in asia #unification church in south asia #unification church in nepal #communism #anti-communism #counterinsurgency

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xtruss · 4 years ago

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The Dead Professor and the Vast Pro-India Disinformation Campaign

— By Abid Hussain & Shruti Menon | BBC Urdu & BBC Reality Check | December 10, 2020

captionThe UN Human Rights Council meets at least three times a year and reviews UN member states' rights records

A dead professor and numerous defunct organisations were resurrected and used alongside at least 750 fake media outlets in a vast 15-year global disinformation campaign to serve Indian interests, a new investigation has revealed.

The man whose identity was stolen was regarded as one of the founding fathers of international human rights law, who died aged 92 in 2006.

"It is the largest network we have exposed," said Alexandre Alaphilippe, executive director of EU DisinfoLab, which undertook the investigation and published an extensive report on Wednesday.

The network was designed primarily to "discredit Pakistan internationally" and influence decision-making at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and European Parliament, EU DisinfoLab said.

EU DisinfoLab partially exposed the network last year but now says the operation is much larger and more resilient than it first suspected.

REVEALED: Indian Chronicles – how a massive 15-year influence operation successfully targeted the EU & UN with 750+ fake local media and 10+ zombie-NGOs. Executive Summary & full report: http://indianchronicles.eu Here are the facts 👇 (1/n) (EU DisinfoLab @disinfoEU)

There is no evidence the network is linked to India's government, but it relies heavily on amplifying content produced on fake media outlets with the help of Asian News International (ANI) - India's largest wire service and a key focus of the investigation.

The EU DisinfoLab researchers, who are based in Brussels, believe the network's purpose is to disseminate propaganda against India's neighbour and rival Pakistan. Both countries have long sought to control the narrative against the other.

Last year, the researchers uncovered 265 pro-Indian sites operating across 65 countries, and traced them back to a Delhi-based Indian holding company, the Srivastava Group (SG).

Wednesday's report, titled Indian Chronicles, reveals that the operation, run by SG, is spread over at least 116 countries and has targeted members of the European Parliament and the United Nations - raising questions about how much EU and UN staff knew about SG's activities, and whether they could have done more to counter those activities, especially after last year's report.

Mr Alaphilippe said the EU DisinfoLab researchers had never encountered such co-ordination between different stakeholders to spread disinformation.

"During the last 15 years, and even after being exposed last year, the fact that this network managed to operate so effectively shows the sophistication and the drive of the actors behind Indian Chronicles," he said.

Some of the many news sites the investigation found to be fake

"You need more than a few computers to plan and sustain such an action," he said.

The researchers cautioned against "definitively attributing Indian Chronicles to some specific actors such as Indian intelligence services" without further investigation.

Ben Nimmo, a disinformation network expert, told the BBC the uncovered network was "one of the most persistent and complex operations" he had seen, but he too was wary of attributing it to a specific actor.

Mr Nimmo, who is director of investigations at digital monitoring firm Graphika, cited previous examples of privately-run large-scale troll operations. "Just because they're big, it doesn't necessarily mean they're directly run by the state," he said.

The BBC approached the Indian government for comment but had received no response by the time of publication.

Of ghosts and defunct NGOs

One of the most important findings of the open-source investigation was establishing direct links between the Srivastava Group (SG) and at least 10 UN-accredited NGOs, along with several others, which were used to promote Indian interests and criticise Pakistan internationally.

"In Geneva, these think tanks and NGOs are in charge of lobbying, of organising demonstrations, speaking during press conferences and UN side-events, and they were often given the floor at the UN on behalf of the accredited organisations," the report says.

The investigation shows that the operation led by SG began in late 2005, a few months after the UNHRC was founded in its current form.

One particular NGO which caught the eye of the researchers was the Commission to Study the Organisation of Peace (CSOP). The CSOP was founded in the 1930s and won UN-accreditation in 1975 but became inactive later in the 1970s.

The investigation found that a former chairman of the CSOP - Prof Louis B Sohn, one of the 20th Century's leading international law scholars and a Harvard Law faculty member for 39 years - was listed under the name Louis Shon as a CSOP participant at the UNHRC session in 2007 and at a separate event in Washington DC in 2011.

The listings shocked the researchers because Prof Sohn died in 2006.

Louis B Sohn "appeared" at events years after he died

The authors dedicated their investigation to the professor's memory, writing that his name had been "usurped by the malicious actors in this report". They said CSOP "had been resurrected, and its identity hijacked in 2005 by the same actors depicted in our first investigation".

The investigation also shows there were several hundred pro-Indian interventions by the non-accredited NGOs, which were repeatedly given the floor at the UNHRC on behalf of the accredited organisations, pursuing the same agenda of maligning Pakistan.

On other occasions, NGOs and organisations which seemingly had nothing to do with Pakistan or India according to their stated objectives would get the opportunity to speak at the UNHRC and target Pakistan.

In March 2019, during the UNHRC's 40th session, United Schools International (USI), another UN-accredited organisation with direct links to SG, allowed its slot to be used by Yoana Barakova, a research analyst with an Amsterdam-based think-tank called the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS).

Ms Barakova spoke about "atrocities committed by Pakistan" during the session. She told the BBC that EFSAS was a partner with USI and she was "not responsible for organisational logistics". The BBC received no reply when it contacted the director of EFSAS, who also represented USI at the same session to criticise Pakistan.

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The primary news agency re-packaging and boosting pro-India content related to SG appears to be ANI, established in 1971, which describes itself as "South Asia's leading multimedia news agency, with more than 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe". Indian news media, especially broadcast media, thrive on content provided by ANI.

EU DisinfoLab found at least 13 instances of ANI re-publishing mostly anti-Pakistan and sometimes anti-China op-eds by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), originally published on EU Chronicle, one of the fake news sites linked to SG.

EU Chronicle was born in May this year when EP Today, a site flagged in the previous disinformation report, was simply discontinued and renamed.

The EU DisinfoLab report said: "The actors behind the operation hijacked the names of others, tried to impersonate regular media such as the EU Observer... used the letterhead of the European Parliament, registered websites under avatars with fake phone numbers, provided fake addresses to the United Nations, created publishing companies to print books of the think-tanks they owned.

"They used layers of fake media that would quote and republish one another. They used politicians who genuinely wanted to defend women or minority rights to ultimately serve geopolitical interests and gave a platform to far-right politicians when convergent objectives could be reached."

Protesters demonstrate against Pakistan outside the UNHRC in Geneva last year

Mr Alaphilippe said the news agency ANI was being used to give legitimacy to the entire "influence operation", which relied "more on ANI than on any other distribution channel" to give it "both credibility and a wide reach to its content".

ANI's news reports have found space in many mainstream Indian news outlets and publishers. Its content was further reproduced on more than 500 fake media websites across 95 countries, the researchers found.

Demonstrations in Europe conducted by organisations linked to the Srivastava Group have also been covered by ANI, as well as by fake media websites linked to SG.

Focus on the EU and UN

According to the findings of the investigation, the disinformation network had a two-pronged strategy to spread influence.

In Geneva, the think-tanks and NGOs were in charge of lobbying and protesting, and taking the floor at the UNHRC on behalf of accredited organisations.

In Brussels, the focus was on the MEPs, who were taken on international trips and solicited to write "exclusive" op-eds for fake outlets like EU Chronicle, which would then be amplified using ANI, the researchers found.

A group of MEPs appear regularly in the investigation. One of them, French MEP Thierry Mariani, has written two op-eds for EU Chronicle and was also part of a controversial visit to Indian-administered Kashmir last year.

"If the Indian government is behind the newspaper [EU Chronicle], it is not my problem," Mr Mariani, a member of France's far-right National Rally, told the BBC.

Organisers and delegation members met Indian PM Narendra Modi during the MEPs' controversial 2019 Kashmir trip

"I sign what I want and I feel, it is my opinion. I have connections in [India's governing] Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and I support the government of [Narendra] Modi," he said.

Two other MEPs named in the report - Angel Dzhambazki from Bulgaria and Grzegorz Tobiszowski from Poland - denied having written op-eds that were published on EU Chronicle.

The articles under their names were also reproduced on ANI.

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Asked what the EU is doing to fight disinformation networks, EU spokesperson on foreign affairs Peter Stano pointed to the action taken to expose EP Today last year.

"Exposing the disinformation and those who spread it is one of our main instruments," he told the BBC. "We will continue to identify them and call them out."

But he said questions about finances and transparency of NGOs registered in Brussels were for Belgian authorities to answer.

Rolando Gomez, a spokesperson for the UNHRC, told the BBC that it was the prerogative of NGOs to raise whichever issue they wish to address and whoever they grant space to speak on the floor.

"There are no rules stating that an NGO must speak to specific issues. Doing so would amount to infringing on their freedom of speech," Mr Gomez said.

The International Institute of Non-aligned Studies is UN-accredited and openly linked with the Srivastava Group

Gary Machado, managing director of EU DisinfoLab, said he thought the muted reaction to the revelation of the disinformation network was partly because it was "clearly managed by Indian stakeholders".

"Imagine if the same operation was run by China or Russia. How do you think the world would have reacted? Probably with international outrage, leading to public inquiries and probably sanctions," he told the BBC.

But the activities of MEPs named in the report prompted criticism from some of their colleagues.

MEP Daniel Freund from the Greens said fellow members needed to declare their activities.

"There have been at least 24 breaches of rules in the past years. Not a single violation has been sanctioned. So there is little incentive to respect the rules when the worst that can happen is to file a declaration after you have been caught," he said.

Another member, who did not want to be named, said MEPs contributing to sites like EU Chronicles had been identified as "election tourists".

"A ragtag group of MEPs from the bottom of the parliamentary barrel who prefer to travel on sponsored trips by unsavoury governments rather than invest in their mandate," the MEP told the BBC. "How PR stunts with such individuals could be even conceived as helpful is baffling."

The BBC put questions to ANI and to nine other MEPs who have written op-eds for the EU Chronicle and made visits to India, Bangladesh and the Maldives, but received no response.

Who are the Srivastavas - and what next?

The investigations from last year and this year show a man called Ankit Srivastava at the centre of the entire global operation that was uncovered. More than 400 domain names have been bought through Mr Srivastava's private email address or through email addresses belonging to his organisations, the EU DisinfoLab investigations found.

The Srivastava office gate, with the Indian Institute for Non-Aligned Studies and New Delhi Times on the right

Then, there's a case of the mysterious SG-owned tech firm Aglaya. Its website has been inaccessible since at least February this year but in the past the company has advertised products for "hacking/spy tools" and "information warfare services".

Aglaya's marketing brochure mentioned the ability to "hamper country level reputations" and described some of its services as "Cyber Nukes". In a 2017 interview with Forbes magazine, a man called Ankur Srivastava claimed he "only sold to Indian intelligence agencies".

It's unclear what relation, if any, he has to Ankit Srivastava.

A third Srivastava appears to be Dr Pramila Srivastava, chairperson of the group and mother of Ankit Srivastava.

Dr Harshindar Kaur, a paediatrician from the Indian state of Punjab, told the EU DisinfoLab researchers that in 2009 she had been invited to the UNHRC in Geneva to give a lecture on female foeticide when she was threatened by a woman called Dr P Srivastava, who claimed to be a "very senior government official from India".

Dr Kaur told the BBC it was Pramila Srivastava who had threatened her.

The BBC emailed Ankit Srivastava asking him to respond to this and the other allegations in the report, but received no reply. When the BBC visited the firm's offices in Delhi's Safdarjung Enclave, staff there would not answer questions.

What might happen to the network, or how it might evolve, in the light of the latest investigation is unclear.

The authors of Indian Chronicles say their findings "should serve as a call to action for decision-makers to put in place a relevant framework to sanction actors abusing international institutions".

Mr Alaphilippe said following the 2019 investigation there had been "no official communication, no sanction, nothing. This passivity gave a message to Indian Chronicles: you've been exposed, but no consequences".

"We think there should be consequences to disinformation and we expect actions to be taken. The biggest failure from institutions would be if another report is released next year on the same actors with the same techniques," he told the BBC.

"This would mean that EU institutions are ok with foreign interference."

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doonitedin · 3 years ago

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India facing new war paradigm on borders: Rahul Gandhi on China's infra ramp up

India facing new war paradigm on borders: Rahul Gandhi on China’s infra ramp up

Gandhi has also repeatedly criticised the government for its handling of the border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries New Delhi: India is facing a new war paradigm on its borders and ignoring it won’t work, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday, citing a media report on China ramping up its border infrastructure. The former Congress chief’s remarks came over a media…

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techrise · 3 years ago

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India Adopts a Two-Pronged Approach to Mitigate Cyberattacks

The information warfare between India and its neighbouring rivals is steadily increasing, owing to the rapid evolution of cyberspace. As a result, India is building offensive cyber capabilities and simultaneously strengthening the policies to prevent future cyberattacks.

India has had several cases of information warfare, and other forms of conflict inflicted upon by the rival nations to achieve information superiority. The Kargil War was the first incident where the impact of information war was observed both in India and Pakistan. The conflict later turned into a news propaganda war becoming the first live war in South Asia.

Both India and Pakistan have a history of producing conflicting claims and counterclaims against each other. To criticise and defame India on the international stage, the Pakistani media has launched disinformation campaigns on social media. To counter these attacks, Indian private actors launched advertisements in foreign publications detailing Pakistan’s role in the growing anti-India sentiments.

Srivastava Group emerged to internationally malign the Indian adversaries. The Indian firm launched 750+ fake media sites that were live in 119 states spreading pro-India content. The firm backed the entire operation promoting content against Pakistan and China and consolidating power for India at the EU and UN.

As the need to address cyber threats become more critical, the Indian government stepped up to strengthen the existing IT policies. The new social media rules with effect from May 25, required the large social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, to appoint the chief compliance officer, nodal contact person, and resident grievance officer while following due diligence.

The move was considered necessary amid India’s rising prominence in geopolitical areas that have made the country a lucrative target for state-sponsored & financially motivated threat actors. The social media companies would lose their intermediary status if they failed to comply with the newly released rules. Since India is one of the biggest markets for these tech companies, serious actions against these platforms could highly impact their business objectives in the country.

Some of the reports suggested that Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn have partially complied with the new IT rules, whereas Twitter has asked for three months time before it could comply with the new rules. The microblogging platform was under criticism for placing manipulated media tags on tweets posted by political leaders. On the other hand, Facebook-owned WhatsApp had sued the Indian government for the new IT rules.

Confronting the propagation of misinformation on social media has certainly become a critical task for India. The adversaries are using up the opportunities to exploit the information infrastructure which has the potential to alter the future nature of warfare.

As a result, the Indian government is not only strengthening the Indian offensive cyber front but taking extra safeguards to fight back cyber-attacks through strict IT policies. It is expecting tech businesses to adhere to all regulations. If not, India could decide to ban these applications from operating in order to fight the information warfare and the adversaries’ waging war tactics.

#Cyberwar South Asia #Indian cyber offensive #Indian Cybersecurity #Indian cyberwarfare #Indian Hackers #Indian IT rules #Information Warfare #Twitter Disinformation campaign

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thelocalrebel · 7 years ago

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If you’ve been living under a rock, you may not be aware of Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ which was recently released this year and scoring many box office milestones including topping $1.28 billion worldwide. Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler with an (almost) all-black cast garnered lots of love and support worldwide. I, myself, have caught the movie four times and in all those four times, I enjoyed myself. From the visuals, to the soundtracks, and the plot - it was holistically a movie that was long overdue in terms of representation.

This article won’t review Marvel’s Black Panther. Instead, I’ll talk about the representation of black people in the movie. In this context, representation means the portrayal of Black Culture in the movie - which is quite rare in whitewashed Hollywood. Black Panther depicts various African culture through Wakanda, a fictional country located in East Africa. Despite Black Panther’s success, we have to keep in mind that this does not put an end to racism.

China-Africa Relations

Take for example, China’s moviegoers reviewing Black Panther. Though most of them might be trolling, they’re still racist - the same way people are lying about Black Panther fans attacking white people. Plus, that trolling takes a racist slant reflects the social structures that enable and normalise such behaviour. Their online reviews were mainly negative, expressing their strong dislike towards how the cast members were mainly black. They even accused Marvel of trying too hard to be “politically correct” with the Black Panther cast.

Surprisingly, people in China know about American racial dynamics enough to criticise political correctness the same way racists in America do! To groups that won’t benefit from PC-ness (usually white people or the dominant majority), their definition of political correctness is so that “people won’t get offended”. In proper terms, being PC simply means to be more wary of how things are presented to not further marginalise people disadvantaged in society based on their race, sexual orientation, gender, or disability (etc). Below are some of the negative comments from the site - originally in Chinese and translated into English.

Fig. 1: A moviegoer expressing their colourist view of the dark-skinned actors in Black Panther (src)

Fig. 2: A moviegoer attempting to justify their racism towards black people by claiming that the movie was trying to be politically correct (src)

Fig. 3: A misogynistic and racist moviegoer (src)

Other negative comments by moviegoers as reported in Quartz Media include, “I’ve never been in a theater so dark that I couldn’t find my seat”, as well as, “The film is filled with black actors and actresses. Also, because the film’s colors are a bit dark, it’s nearly a torture for the eyes to watch the film’s 3D version in the theater.”

It’s no surprise that the people of China have such narrow-minded views towards Black Panther. With Han Chinese comprising 91.59% of the population, their perception of race and nationality is limited. White people have no trouble in claiming their nationality when in China. However, for Black People, they are always assumed to be from Africa. People in China have negative views towards black people; seeing them as a “parasitic” race. China’s understanding of Africa is also backwards, whereby they think that the continent is poorer than China and is constantly receiving aid from China’s government. This leads to them thinking that they are more superior than Black peoples, aside from feeling resentment because their government is not doing enough for their people. Instead, they use national resources to aid Africa.

Their standard of beauty is also Sinocentric. A common Chinese saying goes, “A girl can be ugly, as long as she has white skin”. To them, whiteness represents purity. In February this year, a Chinese woman on China’s Spring Festival gala donned blackface to portray a black person. Instead of acknowledging that what they did was offensive, a dean from a local university defended that they had to don blackface as they needed someone to represent an African person. Ironically, there were other black people in the skit except that they were playing the character of a monkey.

Turning Homeward

In Singapore, anti-blackness is not as prominent in China. However, it’s sad to say that it still exists. A twitter user (due to their privacy settings, we can’t screenshot their tweet) posted a screenshot of a local with tasteless humour with regards to Black Panther. The screenshot below is of him calling an Indian person running and referring the man as a “Black Pant-er”. Locally, many Indians are referred to as “Blacks” solely due to their dark skin. This itself is a colourist comment and is usually meant to discriminate against people with darker skin as if there’s anything wrong with it. That’s beside how Black people and Indians are vastly incomparable - due to differing histories, cultures, nationalities and social situations.

Fig 4: Instagram user @cockanadan calling an Indian guy “black”

Most locals, upon watching Black Panther, think it’s hilarious to mock African accents. This is the same for many who have watched either Get Out (2017) or Moonlight (2016). Just because the movies are diverse and revolve around race will not bring an end to bigotry. This is a small (yet crucial) progression that offers people an opportunity to unlearn problematic ways of perceiving and shaping the world. Hopefully, being exposed to more diverse films over time will normalise diversity and eradicate prejudice, especially since prejudice arises due to insular thinking - where people often get to know and see others via stereotypes first before the person.

With help of thinkpieces for movies such as Get Out and Moonlight, the audience can reflect on the movie and further understand the message that was intended for them to take away. For those who get represented in the mentioned films (e.g. black youths), they get to realise that not everything in the world surrounds white people. With Black Panther, little black kids have a black superhero to look up to. With Moonlight, queer black people get both their sexuality and race discussed the way it should - without censorship and with pride. We hope that in the future, there will be more movies that cast more POC, as well as provide representation for other marginalised groups - e.g. the MOGAI community and non-ablebodied people.

Representation is a small step in allowing people to realise that being white, cis, or able-bodied is not the default. Nor is representation merely about quantity of roles they fill - what narratives and characters do they play? Is it representation if their roles are still racist portrayals, or prop up a white person’s story? We also should remember that just because representation of minority groups in mass media exists, their struggles will not automatically disappear. Other social institutions influence and reinforce such prejudices - be it the state, schools, or the legal system. As mentioned above, even with representation in Black Panther, there are still people who still uphold their prejudiced mindset. If change could be solved from above, then why hasn’t it happened?

Thus, change starts with us.

#film #media #representation #racism #growingupasian #growingupsingaporean #articles

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

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Biden’s plan to ‘make China NASA's partner' before Beijing caused chaos with rogue rocket NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has slammed Xi Jinping’s nation for “failing to meet responsible standards” after an out-of-control rocket plunged back to Earth during China’s mission to deliver parts to an under-construction space station. It was temporarily feared debris could hit cities including New York, Rome, and Madrid before it crashed into the Indian Ocean in the early hours of Sunday morning. The wreckage is believed to have splashed down somewhere southwest of India and Sri Lanka and caused no harm after breaking upon its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Chinese state media had played down fears that the rocket could have caused damage, saying it was “not worth panicking about,” but US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has called on stricter measures to make sure it does not happen again. And Brandon Weichert, author of ‘Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower’ previously claimed that under Mr Biden’s presidency, “US space policy will return to the same turgid place it was during the Obama years”. During this time, while Mr Biden was Vice President, Mr Weichert claimed his “big idea” was to “have NASA conduct joint space missions with China”. Xi Jinping’s nation has been banned from the International Space Station (ISS) since 2000 and legislation was later passed in Congress to forbid NASA and US companies from sharing technological advancements with the Chinese government after security fears were raised. Despite this, in 2008, Mr Biden said he “wanted to make China a full partner in space exploration, rather than a frustrated new entrant that had to catch up to the US”. A post-debate summary also referenced the fact that Mr Biden professed his support for robotic programmes, and when asked about human spaceflight, he said: “With clear leadership, we can do anything, good luck.” After being selected as the Vice Presidential candidate for Mr Obama, Mr Biden alluded to his plans once more. He criticised the gap between the Space Shuttle retirement and the next generation of rockets, spoke favourably regarding commercial crew proposals, and specifically focused on the job creation aspects of investing in NASA. Mr Weichert commented in his piece for RealClearPolitics in September: “In this case, it was fortunate that Obama was largely uninterested in the space programme. READ MORE: Joe Biden to rely on ‘world class’ Royal Navy as UK capacity hailed ‘better than France’ “Because of that indifference, even Biden’s harebrained scheme – which would have resulted in the greatest tech transfer in history from America to China — was avoided.” But Biden has not signalled these intentions yet. In April he proposed a $24.7billion (£17.6billion) NASA budget, a $1.5billion (£1.07billion) increase on what Congress allocated to the agency for the fiscal year that began in October 2020. NASA’s then-acting Administrator Steve Jurczyk welcomed the proposals in an agency statement. He said: ”This funding request demonstrates the Biden Administration’s commitment to NASA and its partners who have worked so hard this past year under difficult circumstances and achieved unprecedented success.” It proposed $6.9billion (£4.94billion) for the Artemis program, NASA’s plan to land humans on the Moon. DON’T MISSTehran’s war capability revealed amid tensions with West [ANALYSISUS soldier risked ‘cataclysmic outcome’ with defection to USSR [COMMENTTurkey close to Russia’s grasp amid Trump fury after Venezuela ruling [ANALYSIS] Under President Donald Trump’s administration, the agency was working to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024, widely acknowledged to be an ambitious timeline. The Biden administration has not yet announced whether it will slow the programme’s goals, or whether it does indeed plan to work with China. But Biden took aim at China in his first speech to Congress last week. He said: ”China and other countries are closing in fast. We have to develop and dominate the products and technologies of the future He has repeatedly identified competition with China as the greatest foreign policy challenge the country faces. He and his fellow Democrats as well as opposition Republicans have all moved toward a harder line on dealings with Beijing. if(typeof utag_data.ads.fb_pixel!=="undefined"&&utag_data.ads.fb_pixel==!0)!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window,document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');fbq('init','568781449942811');fbq('track','PageView') Source link Orbem News #Beijing #Bidens #Caused #Chaos #China #NASAs #partner #Plan #rocket #rogue

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yhwhrulz · 4 years ago

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expatimes · 4 years ago

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Why is everyone talking about Clubhouse? Some say it’s FOMO

What is Clubhouse and why is the audio chat app so popular?

Clubhouse, the invitation-only audio chat app, exploded in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic when people could not get together in person – but now the once niche platform has far higher goals.

Launched less than a year ago, Clubhouse – which recently encountered a censorship hiccup in China – is looking to establish itself as the standard-bearer for digital audio.

The concept is simple: Once you are invited to join, you can start or listen to conversations in digital “rooms”, ranging from a major talk by someone famous to a chat within a small group.

No posts, no photos, no videos – just audio. Think of it as live podcasts, with the possibility for listeners to chime in.

To get invited to join Clubhouse, an existing Clubhouse user has to send an invite from their app, which adds to the exclusivity of the “club”.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg cropped up on the platform last week, talking about the technology of the future.

In fact, Clubhouse is so popular that Facebook is now building its own version of the chat app, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed up on Clubhouse late last month to talk about the GameStop trading frenzy.

In Germany, Minister President of Thuringia Bodo Ramelow admitted in a talk on Clubhouse to playing Candy Crush on his phone during online pandemic response meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

But the app was quickly blocked in China, where unfiltered conversations about normally taboo topics, such as democracy protests in Hong Kong and the mass detention of Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang, ran afoul of government censors.

Unfiltered talk on Clubhouse ran afoul of government censors in China, which banned the app

The app, available only on Apple devices, thrives on the concept of FOMO – fear of missing out. If you are not online when a conversation happens, you miss it.

“I was very active in April and May,” says Sheel Mohnot, a California investor with more than a million Clubhouse followers. “And then, you know, you get busy and other stuff was going on. And it’s just hard to make it a priority.”

“But once again, now, I would say, I’m back on pretty regularly,” added Mohnot, who even had a second date on the platform – with two dozen-odd people listening and a psychologist in the background to comment on how it went.

Beyond FOMO, Clubhouse – launched in March 2020 in Silicon Valley for the chosen few, but now used by about two million people every week – thrives on its portability.

Users can walk their dog or cook dinner while listening to talks on financing a start-up or the current state of education – or even tune in while playing trivia games.

Unlike podcasts, everything is live and users can participate – as long as they are invited to do so by chat moderators.

Star-studded user base

A Clubhouse chat can be mundane – but it can also be transformed into a must-hear event if someone famous shows up. In addition to Zuckerberg’s and Musk’s recent appearances, comedian Kevin Hart popped up in a chat last year.

For Musk’s appearance with the boss of trading app Robinhood, the maximum “room” capacity of 5,000 people was quickly reached, so secondary overflow rooms were opened.

“I didn’t get in the room. But someone that had gotten into the room was livestreaming on YouTube,” said Bobby Thakkar, a managing partner at Ampersand Ventures and an early Clubhouse adopter.

In the early days, Thakkar would spend 25 hours a week on Clubhouse, given how little he could go out because of pandemic lockdown measures.

“Everyone knew each other” when Clubhouse first launched, Thakkar told the AFP news agency. Now, he prefers chat rooms where he is just talking with his friends or about topics related to his business.

Mohnot says he is happy that Clubhouse is expanding so quickly.

“Think about it like a podcast, and having more listeners. If you have more listeners, it makes you more excited about doing the podcast,” he told AFP.

Last year, Mohnot participated in all sorts of conversations, including the public second date. He now hosts two weekly shows – one on advances in financial technology and the other on Indian American culture.

At the outset, Clubhouse was criticised for being elitist and not allowing enough users, but some of the initial communities – many of which formed around California investors – are nevertheless still influential.

Simply put, you have to be part of the club.

Audio’s big moment

For David Bchiri, the US director for the consulting firm, Fabernovel, “Clubhouse landed right on time as the platform where people could go vent their thoughts and emotions” about the pandemic and the summer protests against racial injustice in the United States.

The app now must face the usual challenges in the social media world, from how to monetise its popularity to how to pay content creators – to how to moderate that content.

“We now want to open Clubhouse to the whole world,” app founders Paul Davison and Rohan Seth said in late January.

Beyond the apparent problems in China, the app is flying high.

With the backing of more than 180 investors after a new round of fundraising, Clubhouse is valued at about $1bn, according to The Information, a publication for tech executives.

“The last go-round effectively put up a barrier to anyone trying to buy out the company,” Bchiri told AFP, noting that he believes investors are trying to shield Clubhouse from Big Tech.

Clubhouse is nevertheless definitely getting Big Tech’s attention.

Twitter is testing out “Spaces” – audio chat rooms where up to 10 people can talk to an unlimited number of spectators. Facebook is rumoured to be looking at a similar offering.

“We’re in the audio era,” says Bchiri.

“Our grandchildren will never have keyboards. They won’t need to interact with machines in that way. Everything will be done with voice commands or simply by thinking about a task.”

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