Many of these fighters were trained by the CIA. They bear experiences that few outside their circle can fathom. Their stories are filled with code names, secret camps, clandestine border crossings, and survival in brutal conditions. They played a pivotal role in helping Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, escape into exile.
fredag 30. mai 2025
Tibetan resistance veterans offer legacy of unity, defiance in their twilight years
In the tranquil hills of Nepal’s Gandaki province, where the land rises in its northern district of Mustang toward the border with Tibet, the pace of life has slowed for the last legion of the Tibetan armed resistance. Now in their twilight years, these are the warriors who mounted a united campaign from the 1950s through to the mid-1970s against the Chinese occupation of their homeland. They live quiet, spiritual lives far removed from the days of gathering intelligence and ambushing Chinese military convoys.
Many of these fighters were trained by the CIA. They bear experiences that few outside their circle can fathom. Their stories are filled with code names, secret camps, clandestine border crossings, and survival in brutal conditions. They played a pivotal role in helping Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, escape into exile.
Many of these fighters were trained by the CIA. They bear experiences that few outside their circle can fathom. Their stories are filled with code names, secret camps, clandestine border crossings, and survival in brutal conditions. They played a pivotal role in helping Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, escape into exile.
Torbjørn Færøvik: The terrifying ghost of McCarthyism once again haunts America
Ghosts never disappear. They merely hide, only to reappear once more.
The terrifying ghost of McCarthyism is a good example. This spring marks 75 years since Senator Joe McCarthy was at the height of his rampage in the United States. He claimed to see communists and enemies of the people everywhere, unleashing an unparalleled uproar. It took four years to stop him.
He berated his political opponents mercilessly and labeled people from all walks of life. Those who protested quickly realized how hopeless it was. Thousands lost their jobs. Many, like Charlie Chaplin, chose to leave the country, while others took their own lives. For a few dreadful months in 1950 and beyond, the rule of law was tossed overboard and replaced with farcical hearings and political hysteria. Many see striking similarities between McCarthy and today’s hard-hitting American president.
McCarthy made no secret of his methods: “To those of you who dislike my tough tactics, I would remind you that any farm boy knows how to kill a rattlesnake or a skunk. We use our fists, and I intend to keep doing that.”
Students or spies? The young Chinese caught in Trump's crosshairs
Xiao Chen turned up at the US Consulate in Shanghai on Thursday morning, hours after Washington announced that it would "aggressively" revoke the visas of Chinese students. The 22-year-old had a visa appointment: she was headed to Michigan in the autumn to study communications. After a "pleasant" conversation, she was told her application had been rejected. She was not given a reason.
"I feel like a drifting duckweed tossed in wind and storm," she said, using a common Chinese expression to describe feeling both uncertain and helpless. She had been hopeful because she already had the acceptance letter. And she thought she had narrowly escaped the bombshells in recent days.
First, Donald Trump's administration moved to end Harvard University's ability to enrol international students, a move that has since been blocked in court. And then it said it had stopped visa appointments for all foreign students. But now, Chen is ready for plan B. "If I can't get the visa eventually, I'll probably take a gap year. Then I'll wait to see if things will get better next year."
"I feel like a drifting duckweed tossed in wind and storm," she said, using a common Chinese expression to describe feeling both uncertain and helpless. She had been hopeful because she already had the acceptance letter. And she thought she had narrowly escaped the bombshells in recent days.
First, Donald Trump's administration moved to end Harvard University's ability to enrol international students, a move that has since been blocked in court. And then it said it had stopped visa appointments for all foreign students. But now, Chen is ready for plan B. "If I can't get the visa eventually, I'll probably take a gap year. Then I'll wait to see if things will get better next year."
Trump administration took action against China due to frustration on trade talks, officials say
The flurry of punitive measures taken against China by the Trump administration over the last few days was prompted by a belief among US officials that China has failed to live up to commitments it made in trade talks earlier this month, three administration officials told CNN.
This week the administration made moves to revoke visas for Chinese students and suspend the sale of some critical technology to Chinese companies. The officials said they are frustrated that China failed to follow through on the commitments that were meant to deescalate the trade conflict between the two countries, as they seek an overall deal by the middle of August.
The dispute underscores the highly fraught relationship between the world’s two largest economies. Even as the two sides emerged from the talks in Switzerland having agreed to reduce the withering tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump, the gulf appears to be widening on supply chains that each nation believes are critical to national security.
This week the administration made moves to revoke visas for Chinese students and suspend the sale of some critical technology to Chinese companies. The officials said they are frustrated that China failed to follow through on the commitments that were meant to deescalate the trade conflict between the two countries, as they seek an overall deal by the middle of August.
The dispute underscores the highly fraught relationship between the world’s two largest economies. Even as the two sides emerged from the talks in Switzerland having agreed to reduce the withering tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump, the gulf appears to be widening on supply chains that each nation believes are critical to national security.
Dreams cut short, Chinese students anxious and angry over ‘aggressive’ US visa ban plans
Kiwi Zhang, a computer science student from China, was full of hope for his academic future in the United States – until his visa was revoked at the US border last week.The first-year PhD student at a university in central US had just presented his research at a conference in Asia. He was returning to the US after a brief visit home when his American dream was abruptly cut short.
According to Zhang, he was detained at the border for 48 hours by US officials, who confiscated his phone and laptop, and searched his belongings. He said they questioned him about his ties to the Chinese Communist Party and meetings with friends while in China. At the end of the interrogation, Zhang said he was deported and barred from the US for five years, on suspicion of having shared his research with the Chinese government – an allegation he denies. He is now back in China and mulling his next steps.
“I never imagined this could happen to me,” said Zhang, who – like everyone CNN spoke to for this story – asked to use a pseudonym out of fear of retaliation. “I didn’t know things would get this extreme after Donald Trump returned to office. His administration is jeopardizing my academic future, and I feel powerless to defend my rights.”
According to Zhang, he was detained at the border for 48 hours by US officials, who confiscated his phone and laptop, and searched his belongings. He said they questioned him about his ties to the Chinese Communist Party and meetings with friends while in China. At the end of the interrogation, Zhang said he was deported and barred from the US for five years, on suspicion of having shared his research with the Chinese government – an allegation he denies. He is now back in China and mulling his next steps.
“I never imagined this could happen to me,” said Zhang, who – like everyone CNN spoke to for this story – asked to use a pseudonym out of fear of retaliation. “I didn’t know things would get this extreme after Donald Trump returned to office. His administration is jeopardizing my academic future, and I feel powerless to defend my rights.”
India says over 1,000 nationals deported by US since January
More than a thousand Indians have "come back or [been] deported" from the United States since January, India's foreign ministry has said. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that around 62% of them came on commercial flights, without providing more details. This comes in the wake of President Donald Trump's campaign against undocumented migrants to the US. Trump had earlier said that India "will do what's right" on the deportation of illegal migrants.
In February, the US had deported more than hundred Indians on a US military flight, with reports saying some of them were brought back shackled. "We have close cooperation between India and the United States on migration issues," Mr Jaiswal said during the ministry's weekly briefing, adding that India verifies nationalities before "we take them back".
In total, the US is said to have identified about 18,000 Indian nationals it believes entered the country illegally.
In February, the US had deported more than hundred Indians on a US military flight, with reports saying some of them were brought back shackled. "We have close cooperation between India and the United States on migration issues," Mr Jaiswal said during the ministry's weekly briefing, adding that India verifies nationalities before "we take them back".
In total, the US is said to have identified about 18,000 Indian nationals it believes entered the country illegally.
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