Tag Archives: China

Montana just banned TikTok | TechCrunch

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte just signed the nation’s strongest restrictions on Chinese-owned social media app TikTok into law.

TikTok has faced mounting pressure in the U.S. from Congress and state legislatures alike in recent months, but Montana’s actions escalate those threats considerably, even if the issue of enforcement remains an open question.

“Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans’ private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party,” Gianforte said.

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China Covid: Shocking protests are huge challenge for China’s leaders | BBC News

Acts of dissent are not unusual in China.

Over the years, sudden, local explosions of defiance have been triggered by a range of issues – from toxic pollution to illegal land grabs, or the mistreatment of a community member at the hands of the police.

But this time it’s different.

There is one subject at the forefront of Chinese people’s minds, and many are increasingly fed up with it – prompting widespread pushback against the government’s zero-Covid restrictions.

This has come in the form of residents smashing down barriers designed to enforce social distancing, and now large street protests in cities and university campuses across the country

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China ride-hailing giant Didi sees losses deepen after crackdown | BBC News

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing has seen its losses deepen after Beijing ordered online stores not to offer the company’s app.

The firm reported an operating loss of $6.3bn (£4.7bn) for the first nine months of year as revenues in China fell by 5% in the third quarter.

The Chinese crackdown came just days after Didi made its New York stock market debut at the end of June.

This month, it said it will move its share listing to Hong Kong from the US.

In recent months, Didi has become one of the most high profile targets of Beijing’s clampdown on the country’s technology industry.

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Say Goodbye To Bitcoin And Say Hello To The Digital Dollar | Forbes

Yesterday we talked about the prospects of a digital dollar coming down the pike.

It seems clear that global governments will not allow non-sovereign forms of money to continue to proliferate.

The Senate Banking committee’s hearing on the digital dollar two weeks ago was not only a public exploration and introduction to the concept a central bank-backed digital currency, the hearing was also used as a platform to publicly assassinate the viability of the private (“bogus” in the words of Senator Warren) cryptocurrency market (bitcoin, stablecoins, etc.).

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The buzzwords reflecting the frustration of China’s young generation | BBC News

_118826694_gettyimages-1215935424In China, the rat race begins almost the minute you are born – from getting into a good school to getting that prestigious job. But millions now want to break free of this cycle, with two words shedding a light on the frustration felt by the younger generation.

When Sun Ke graduated from college in 2017, he went to Shanghai to pursue a dream shared by many from his generation – a good career, a car, perhaps even a house.

The 27-year-old didn’t expect it to be very difficult. His parents managed to start from scratch on their own, and now own several properties in their hometown, a small town near Shanghai.

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Major U.S. airlines expand flight cancellations to China and Hong Kong | CNN

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines announced more flight cancellations to China on Saturday as coronavirus cases rise rapidly.

Delta said it will suspend flights between the United States and China starting on Sunday until at least April 30, according to a press release.

That’s four days earlier than it had initially planned. Delta’s last China-bound flight leaves on Saturday, February 1 and its last returning flight from China to the United States leaves on Sunday.

Delta moved the date up after the US State Department warned this week that people should not travel to China due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus, which was first discovered in Wuhan, China, in December.

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Coronavirus outbreak is ‘public health emergency of international concern,’ WHO declares | Live Science

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the new coronavirus outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern, officials announced today (Jan. 30).

The news comes as the case count and death toll from the virus have soared in recent days. As of Thursday (Jan. 30), there were 7,736 cases and 170 deaths in China, as well as 98 cases in 18 other countries, the WHO said.

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Alibaba’s FlyZoo hotel uses facial recognition check in tech | Fast Company

Alibaba has created the hotel of the future and it’s wild, wonderful, and just a little creepy. FlyZoo, which is reportedly a Chinese pun for “must stay,” is a 290-room ultra-modern boutique hotel in Hangzhou, China that lets guests play with technology, check in with ease, and spend the night in the future for a low price of around $205—and at the cost of your privacy.

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Apple blames China as it cuts forecast | BBC News

Apple has rattled investors with news that its sales have been slowing, blaming economic weakness in China.

In a surprise disclosure, the iPhone maker said it anticipated revenue of about $84bn (£67bn) for the three months to 29 December.

In November it forecast sales of at least $89bn – a prediction that had already disappointed investors.

Apple’s share price sank more than 7% in after hours trade, extending its more than 28% slide since November.

The festive season is typically Apple’s strongest quarter.

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China splits the internet while the U.S. dithers | TechCrunch

There are few stories as important right now as the internet being ripped asunder by the increasing animosity between the U.S. and China. Eric Schmidt, the former chairman of Alphabet, said last week at a private event in San Francisco that “I think the most likely scenario now is not a splintering, but rather a bifurcation into a Chinese-led internet and a non-Chinese internet led by America.”

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