Kehoe said investigators do not have evidence that a foreign country is connected to the crime and are still investigating Zheng’s possible motivations.
fredag 27. mars 2026
Man charged with planting explosive device at US military base had fled to China
A man who has since fled to China was charged with placing an improvised explosive device outside the visitor’s center at a Florida military base housing US Central Command, which is leading the joint US-Israeli war effort against Iran. During a press conference Thursday, US Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Gregory W. Kehoe, detailed how investigators believe the man, Alen Zheng, placed the IED at the base and how his sister — Ann Mary Zheng — helped him cover up his crime and flee to China.
Kehoe said investigators do not have evidence that a foreign country is connected to the crime and are still investigating Zheng’s possible motivations.
Kehoe said investigators do not have evidence that a foreign country is connected to the crime and are still investigating Zheng’s possible motivations.
The China lessons India can ill-afford to ignore
Two months ago, China’s Communist Party leadership held a key gathering in Zhongnanhai. On January 30, the Politburo’s first study session signaled its strategic priorities.
Yet in India, the event passed with barely a whisper. No major paper or academic institution has analyzed the discussion. This silence signals a deeper failure to grasp the scale of the challenge across the Himalayas.The session launched China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. It did not address macroeconomic stabilization or geopolitical posturing, typical topics at such events. Instead, it focused entirely on planning and developing future industries. If the idea of “new quality productive forces” introduced two years ago was the strategy, this meeting laid out the plan.
China’s leaders were clear: seize the top positions in science and technology, and drive national development. Mastering future industries is not optional in great power competition; it is a compulsion. Those who lead these technologies will shape the global economy.
Yet in India, the event passed with barely a whisper. No major paper or academic institution has analyzed the discussion. This silence signals a deeper failure to grasp the scale of the challenge across the Himalayas.The session launched China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. It did not address macroeconomic stabilization or geopolitical posturing, typical topics at such events. Instead, it focused entirely on planning and developing future industries. If the idea of “new quality productive forces” introduced two years ago was the strategy, this meeting laid out the plan.
China’s leaders were clear: seize the top positions in science and technology, and drive national development. Mastering future industries is not optional in great power competition; it is a compulsion. Those who lead these technologies will shape the global economy.
China’s clean energy offer to Indonesia just got harder to refuse
China’s ambassador to ASEAN recently suggested that the current global energy shock triggered by war in the Middle East should be seen not only as a crisis, but as an opportunity to deepen cooperation on the transition to clean energy.
That framing may sound diplomatic. In reality, it is strategic — and increasingly hard to dispute. The disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has once again revealed a fundamental truth about the global economy: it runs on a fragile foundation.Roughly 20% of the world’s seaborne oil passes through this narrow corridor, much of it destined for Asia. When conflict chokes the artery, the consequences are immediately felt in supply shocks, price spikes and political instability that ripples far beyond the Middle East.
Across Asia, governments are scrambling to conserve fuel, stabilize prices and shield their economies from cascading impacts. Some, like the Philippines, have already declared energy emergencies. Others, including Indonesia, have so far maintained stability — but only within a system that remains deeply exposed to external shocks.
That framing may sound diplomatic. In reality, it is strategic — and increasingly hard to dispute. The disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has once again revealed a fundamental truth about the global economy: it runs on a fragile foundation.Roughly 20% of the world’s seaborne oil passes through this narrow corridor, much of it destined for Asia. When conflict chokes the artery, the consequences are immediately felt in supply shocks, price spikes and political instability that ripples far beyond the Middle East.
Across Asia, governments are scrambling to conserve fuel, stabilize prices and shield their economies from cascading impacts. Some, like the Philippines, have already declared energy emergencies. Others, including Indonesia, have so far maintained stability — but only within a system that remains deeply exposed to external shocks.
China industrial profits surge 15% to start year, but oil price shock threatens outlook
Chinese industrial firms saw their profits surge in the first two months of this year as officials pressed ahead with efforts to contain the fallout from industrial overcapacity and lackluster consumer demand. Industrial profits jumped 15.2% from a year earlier in the January-February period, National Bureau of Statistics data showed Friday, extending a sharp rebound from a 5.3% jump in December.
NBS chief statistician Yu Weining attributed the notable uptick to accelerated factory activity and rising product prices in the first two months this year. The high-tech manufacturing sector led the profit gains, Yu highlighted, with industrial profits surging 58.7% from a year earlier, driven by robust earnings growth in companies making unmanned aerial vehicles and semiconductors.
NBS chief statistician Yu Weining attributed the notable uptick to accelerated factory activity and rising product prices in the first two months this year. The high-tech manufacturing sector led the profit gains, Yu highlighted, with industrial profits surging 58.7% from a year earlier, driven by robust earnings growth in companies making unmanned aerial vehicles and semiconductors.
Iran war puts South Asia's Gulf remittances at risk
As the rich Arab states of the Persian Gulf are targeted by Iranian drones and missiles, protracted economic disruption brought on by the Iran war could threaten the hundreds of billions of dollars in remittances sent home every year by millions of South Asian foreign workers in the region. Most of them come from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and for decades they have helped drive the Gulf nations' economic boom, taking jobs in construction, hospitality, tourism and health care.
Their remittances have not only provided families at home with essential income, but also become a major source of foreign currency inflows for India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, acting like a financial cushion for their economies, and helping cover trade deficits.
With energy infrastructure under attack and oil and gas transit blocked in the Strait of Hormuz, the combination of prolonged high energy prices and a drop in remittances could pose a double threat for these developing economies.
Their remittances have not only provided families at home with essential income, but also become a major source of foreign currency inflows for India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, acting like a financial cushion for their economies, and helping cover trade deficits.
With energy infrastructure under attack and oil and gas transit blocked in the Strait of Hormuz, the combination of prolonged high energy prices and a drop in remittances could pose a double threat for these developing economies.
India sees spike in social media censorship amid Iran war
Over the past two weeks, internet watchdogs in India have reported dozens of removals of posts on social media that were critical of the government's failure to condemn the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The timing is significant, with a spike in social media account restrictions beginning around March 11, and the Internet Freedom Foundation documenting at least 42 instances by March 19.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel in late February, just days before Israel launched its strikes on Iran, and his typically cautions stance on the conflict placed India's foreign policy under unusual domestic scrutiny.
This week, Modi acknowledged in a speech to parliament that the situation is "worrisome," but that India's "inherent" economic strength would allow the country to weather the "unprecedented challenges" posed by the conflict.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel in late February, just days before Israel launched its strikes on Iran, and his typically cautions stance on the conflict placed India's foreign policy under unusual domestic scrutiny.
This week, Modi acknowledged in a speech to parliament that the situation is "worrisome," but that India's "inherent" economic strength would allow the country to weather the "unprecedented challenges" posed by the conflict.
Southeast Asia revisits nuclear power plans for AI data centers as Iran war disrupts energy supplies
Nuclear power is getting a second look in Southeast Asia as countries prepare to meet surging energy demand as they vie for artificial intelligence-focused data centers.
Several Southeast Asian nations are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and setting ambitious targets and nearly half of the region could, if they pursue those goals, have nuclear energy in the 2030s. Even countries without current plans have signaled their interest.
Southeast Asia has never produced a single watt of nuclear energy, despite long-held atomic ambitions. But that may soon change as pressure mounts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, while meeting growing power needs. The Iran war is underscoring the vulnerability of Asia’s energy supplies, raising the sense of urgency about finding alternatives to oil and gas in Southeast Asia, analysts say.
Several Southeast Asian nations are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and setting ambitious targets and nearly half of the region could, if they pursue those goals, have nuclear energy in the 2030s. Even countries without current plans have signaled their interest.
Southeast Asia has never produced a single watt of nuclear energy, despite long-held atomic ambitions. But that may soon change as pressure mounts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, while meeting growing power needs. The Iran war is underscoring the vulnerability of Asia’s energy supplies, raising the sense of urgency about finding alternatives to oil and gas in Southeast Asia, analysts say.
Why Pakistan has emerged as a mediator between US and Iran
As fears of a wider regional conflict escalate following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began in late February, Pakistan has emerged as an unexpected mediator, offering to help bring Washington and Tehran to the negotiating table.
Islamabad isn’t often called on to act as an intermediary in high-stakes diplomacy, but it’s stepped into the role this time for a number of reasons, both because it has relatively good ties with both Washington and Tehran and because it has a lot at stake in seeing the war resolved.
Pakistani government officials have said that their public peace effort follows weeks of quiet diplomacy, though they have provided few details. They have also said that Islamabad stands ready to host talks between representatives from the U.S. and Iran. Here’s what to know about Pakistan’s mediation effort.
Islamabad isn’t often called on to act as an intermediary in high-stakes diplomacy, but it’s stepped into the role this time for a number of reasons, both because it has relatively good ties with both Washington and Tehran and because it has a lot at stake in seeing the war resolved.
Pakistani government officials have said that their public peace effort follows weeks of quiet diplomacy, though they have provided few details. They have also said that Islamabad stands ready to host talks between representatives from the U.S. and Iran. Here’s what to know about Pakistan’s mediation effort.
onsdag 25. mars 2026
China Could Dominate the Physical AI Future
On Feb. 16, hundreds of millions of households watched as humanoid robots from four different Chinese companies danced, acted in a comedy skit, did parkour, and performed martial arts onstage at the Spring Festival Gala, China’s most-watched television broadcast. Across the country, drone shows lit up the night skies as China celebrated Lunar New Year, the synchronization of tens of thousands of drones coordinated by artificial intelligence.
The physical AI fervor has traveled across the Pacific. At the glitzy Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year, Chinese startups dominated the convention with AI-enabled hardware from smart home appliances and wearables to all kinds of robots.
While American frontier labs are battling each other across large language model leaderboards, China’s AI capabilities are showing up in physical ways—leaving screens and entering our daily lives. We’ve lived through over a decade of, in the words of venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, “software eating the world.” Now, metal and mathematics have converged and hardware is eating the world.
The physical AI fervor has traveled across the Pacific. At the glitzy Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year, Chinese startups dominated the convention with AI-enabled hardware from smart home appliances and wearables to all kinds of robots.
While American frontier labs are battling each other across large language model leaderboards, China’s AI capabilities are showing up in physical ways—leaving screens and entering our daily lives. We’ve lived through over a decade of, in the words of venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, “software eating the world.” Now, metal and mathematics have converged and hardware is eating the world.
Why is China Sitting Out the War on Iran
A question has become ubiquitous since President Donald Trump started the war against Iran: Why is Beijing not doing more to support Tehran? There are many answers, and they begin with a practical one. Given the intensity, pace, and scope of American and Israeli strikes, it is far from clear what assistance China could provide that would meaningfully enhance Iran’s capacity to retaliate in the short term.
But the more significant answer lies in China’s security priorities. China may have the world’s second largest defense budget, but its military modernization remains overwhelmingly oriented toward its objectives within Asia. The paramount objective for Beijing is advancing unification with Taiwan, followed by pressing its territorial claims across its disputed border with India, and across the contested waters of the East and South China Seas.
But the more significant answer lies in China’s security priorities. China may have the world’s second largest defense budget, but its military modernization remains overwhelmingly oriented toward its objectives within Asia. The paramount objective for Beijing is advancing unification with Taiwan, followed by pressing its territorial claims across its disputed border with India, and across the contested waters of the East and South China Seas.
What to Know About Trump’s 15-Point Peace Plan After Iran’s Rejection
Iran has rejected a U.S.-backed 15-point ceasefire proposal, according to its state-run English-language broadcaster Press TV, which cited an anonymous official on Wednesday. Iran has also put forward its own ceasefire proposal, calling for war reparations and sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Washington's proposal had been transmitted to Tehran via Pakistan, which is on a pause in its own war with Afghanistan. The rejection raises immediate doubts about the viability of a plan that the Trump Administration has been quietly advancing to halt the fighting. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the U.S. was talking to “the right people” in Iran to secure a deal and end the conflict, adding the Iranians were eager to do so. Iran’s reported rejection publicly undercuts that claim.
Washington's proposal had been transmitted to Tehran via Pakistan, which is on a pause in its own war with Afghanistan. The rejection raises immediate doubts about the viability of a plan that the Trump Administration has been quietly advancing to halt the fighting. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the U.S. was talking to “the right people” in Iran to secure a deal and end the conflict, adding the Iranians were eager to do so. Iran’s reported rejection publicly undercuts that claim.
Trump will travel to Beijing for rescheduled China trip May 14-15, after delay due to Iran war
President Donald Trump will travel to Beijing for a rescheduled summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14 and 15, the White House announced on Wednesday.
Trump had been scheduled to travel to China later this month but previously announced he was delaying the trip so he could be in Washington to help steward the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. The Republican president had announced a rescheduled trip even though the war in Iran continues and the U.S. is pressing Tehran to accept a ceasefire proposal.
The president and first lady Melania Trump also plan to host Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for a White House visit later this year, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Leavitt, when asked if the new dates for Trump’s trip could suggest he believes the Iran war could end soon, offered an optimistic tone that the conflict could reach an endgame before he travels.
Trump had been scheduled to travel to China later this month but previously announced he was delaying the trip so he could be in Washington to help steward the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. The Republican president had announced a rescheduled trip even though the war in Iran continues and the U.S. is pressing Tehran to accept a ceasefire proposal.
The president and first lady Melania Trump also plan to host Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for a White House visit later this year, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Leavitt, when asked if the new dates for Trump’s trip could suggest he believes the Iran war could end soon, offered an optimistic tone that the conflict could reach an endgame before he travels.
The worst oil crisis in history comes at a good time for China’s troubled EV giants
A historic oil shock and surging fuel prices are strengthening the case for electric vehicles. China’s EV makers are eager to deliver. The United States and Israel’s war against Iran has disrupted critical fossil fuel supplies from the Middle East, pushing up crude oil prices to as high as $119 a barrel last week. This has sparked fears of worsened inflation, or even a global recession.
But the turmoil couldn’t have come at a better time for China’s EV industry. While China manufactures and exports more electric cars than any other nation, its carmakers face fierce price competition and slowing growth at home. Chinese brands are under increasing pressure to find other markets.
But the turmoil couldn’t have come at a better time for China’s EV industry. While China manufactures and exports more electric cars than any other nation, its carmakers face fierce price competition and slowing growth at home. Chinese brands are under increasing pressure to find other markets.
Asia embraces energy austerity as dire fuel shortages force Philippines to declare national emergency
As the war with Iran drags on, energy-starved nations in Asia –– including close US allies –– are resorting to increasingly extreme measures to keep their economies afloat.
On Tuesday, the Philippines became the first country to declare a state of national energy emergency. South Koreans have been advised to take shorter showers and charge their phones during the day to conserve electricity. While Japan will begin its biggest-ever release of emergency oil reserves this week, and told citizens there was no need to hoard toilet paper amid growing panic over potential shortages of consumer goods.
The intensifying upheaval is a grim indication of what may come for the rest of the world, as the war in Iran has choked off a critical source of crude oil and natural gas. Asian countries are heavily reliant on imports from the Middle East, which accounts for about 60% of the region’s oil supply.
On Tuesday, the Philippines became the first country to declare a state of national energy emergency. South Koreans have been advised to take shorter showers and charge their phones during the day to conserve electricity. While Japan will begin its biggest-ever release of emergency oil reserves this week, and told citizens there was no need to hoard toilet paper amid growing panic over potential shortages of consumer goods.
The intensifying upheaval is a grim indication of what may come for the rest of the world, as the war in Iran has choked off a critical source of crude oil and natural gas. Asian countries are heavily reliant on imports from the Middle East, which accounts for about 60% of the region’s oil supply.
Kim Jong Un uses Iran war to justify North Korea’s decision to keep its nuclear weapons
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has said the United States’ war with Iranproves his country made the right decision to keep its nuclear weapons. In a speech to North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly published on Tuesday, Kim accused Washington of “acts of state sponsored terrorism and aggression,” but did not mention Iran by name.
“The present situation clearly proves” that North Korea was justified in rejecting what he described as US pressure and “sweet talk” to give up its nuclear arsenal, Kim said. He added that North Korea’s nuclear status is now “irreversible.”
US President Donald Trump has previously claimed Iran posed an “imminent” threat to the US, months after declaring the US had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Trump has cited preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb as one of his reasons for launching strikes on the country.
“The present situation clearly proves” that North Korea was justified in rejecting what he described as US pressure and “sweet talk” to give up its nuclear arsenal, Kim said. He added that North Korea’s nuclear status is now “irreversible.”
US President Donald Trump has previously claimed Iran posed an “imminent” threat to the US, months after declaring the US had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Trump has cited preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb as one of his reasons for launching strikes on the country.
Young Americans are embracing ‘Chinamaxxing’. That’s a soft power boost for Beijing
This article may be meeting you at a very Chinese time in your life.
At least, if you’ve spent enough time recently on social media, where the phenomenon of “Chinamaxxing” has swept feeds with videos of people sipping hot water, shuffling around the house in slippers and donning a viral Adidas jacket resembling historic Chinese fashion.
These things, content creators joke, will help you “become Chinese” – reflecting a growing Western fascination with Chinese culture and aesthetics.“Morning routine as a new Chinese baddie,” one TikTok creator captioned a video in which he does a series of traditional Chinese exercises. Another video, viewed more than 2.4 million times as of late February, shows the creator boiling apples to make fruit tea – a supposedly old-school Chinese elixir for gut health.
At least, if you’ve spent enough time recently on social media, where the phenomenon of “Chinamaxxing” has swept feeds with videos of people sipping hot water, shuffling around the house in slippers and donning a viral Adidas jacket resembling historic Chinese fashion.
These things, content creators joke, will help you “become Chinese” – reflecting a growing Western fascination with Chinese culture and aesthetics.“Morning routine as a new Chinese baddie,” one TikTok creator captioned a video in which he does a series of traditional Chinese exercises. Another video, viewed more than 2.4 million times as of late February, shows the creator boiling apples to make fruit tea – a supposedly old-school Chinese elixir for gut health.
North Korea says summit with Japan is off unless Tokyo drops ‘its anachronistic’ ways
The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Monday a summit between her brother and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won’t happen if Japan sticks to “its anachronistic” approach. Kim Yo Jong’s statement came after Takaichi told reporters last week that she had informed U.S. President Donald Trump during a summit in Washington that she had “a very strong desire” to meet Kim Jong Un.
“But this is not the one that comes true, as wanted or decided by Japan,” Kim Yo Jong said. “In order for the top leaders of the two countries to meet each other, Japan should first be determined to break with its anachronistic practice and habit.”
Japan conveys regrets to China after arrest of soldier over alleged break-in at Chinese embassy
Japan said Wednesday it conveyed regrets to China after authorities confirmed they arrested a Japanese army soldier on suspicion of trespass, a day after China protested over an alleged break-in at its embassy in Tokyo. The case, the latest point of friction in an escalating spat between Japan and China, surfaced Tuesday after Beijing protested to Tokyo.
An individual who claimed to be a Japan Self-Defense Forces officer scaled the wall and forced his way into the embassy compound on Tuesday morning, Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a news conference in Beijing.
The Tokyo police on Wednesday told The Associated Press that they arrested a 23-year-old member of the Ground Self-Defense Force, or Japan’s army, in the alleged trespassing into the Chinese embassy on Tuesday.
An individual who claimed to be a Japan Self-Defense Forces officer scaled the wall and forced his way into the embassy compound on Tuesday morning, Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a news conference in Beijing.
The Tokyo police on Wednesday told The Associated Press that they arrested a 23-year-old member of the Ground Self-Defense Force, or Japan’s army, in the alleged trespassing into the Chinese embassy on Tuesday.
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