In a post on X Sunday evening stateside, Bessent said “at dawn begins an economic D-Day,” framing the coming measures as the “endgame” for Washington’s campaign against Tehran. The new measures will add to an extensive sanctions regime already targeting Iran’s banking, energy, aviation and cryptocurrency sectors. The Trump administration has claimed that Iran’s economy is in freefall, with runaway inflation and a collapsing currency.
mandag 24. august 2026
U.S. to unveil ‘greatest financial offensive’ against Iran as Tehran threatens ship seizures
The U.S will unveil “the single greatest financial offensive ever” against Iran on Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, while Tehran threatened to seize vessels that violate transit rules in the Strait of Hormuz. The looming escalation comes as both sides missed a 60-day ceasefire window to reach a deal, closing off the formal truce mechanism aimed at ending the Middle East war now in its sixth month.
In a post on X Sunday evening stateside, Bessent said “at dawn begins an economic D-Day,” framing the coming measures as the “endgame” for Washington’s campaign against Tehran. The new measures will add to an extensive sanctions regime already targeting Iran’s banking, energy, aviation and cryptocurrency sectors. The Trump administration has claimed that Iran’s economy is in freefall, with runaway inflation and a collapsing currency.
In a post on X Sunday evening stateside, Bessent said “at dawn begins an economic D-Day,” framing the coming measures as the “endgame” for Washington’s campaign against Tehran. The new measures will add to an extensive sanctions regime already targeting Iran’s banking, energy, aviation and cryptocurrency sectors. The Trump administration has claimed that Iran’s economy is in freefall, with runaway inflation and a collapsing currency.
Before China’s First Emperor: Unearthing the Long Rise of the Qin
Wang Hui still remembers everything about the sensational tomb-robbing scandal that launched his career.
It was the early 1990s, barely a decade into China’s transition from planned to market economy, and grave robbing had become a lucrative cottage industry in the Chinese countryside — a rare way for villagers to get rich. So when a local farmer in northwestern China’s Gansu province uncovered bronzes while digging for oracle bones, it kicked off a feeding frenzy.
The looters who descended on the site — now known as Dabuzi — were embedded in a highly specialized chain covering target scouting, excavation, transportation, trafficking, and smuggling. At its peak, there were reportedly tens of thousands of grave robbers and dealers in Dabuzi and the surrounding Lixian County. Their numbers were so great that they generated entire side businesses, with people setting up camp near the tombs to sell them water, food, and cigarettes.
It was the early 1990s, barely a decade into China’s transition from planned to market economy, and grave robbing had become a lucrative cottage industry in the Chinese countryside — a rare way for villagers to get rich. So when a local farmer in northwestern China’s Gansu province uncovered bronzes while digging for oracle bones, it kicked off a feeding frenzy.
The looters who descended on the site — now known as Dabuzi — were embedded in a highly specialized chain covering target scouting, excavation, transportation, trafficking, and smuggling. At its peak, there were reportedly tens of thousands of grave robbers and dealers in Dabuzi and the surrounding Lixian County. Their numbers were so great that they generated entire side businesses, with people setting up camp near the tombs to sell them water, food, and cigarettes.
The Forgotten Legacy of China’s Greatest Explorer
During the opening decades of the 15th century, a eunuch from China’s imperial court led seven epic voyages across Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, pushing westward as far as the Red Sea and the shores of East Africa.
The expeditions were astonishing feats of engineering and navigation. Setting sail decades before Christopher Columbus or Vasco da Gama, Zheng He spent years crossing the oceans at the head of a vast fleet of 200 ships. Some of the vessels measured up to 70 meters long — three times the size of Columbus’ ships.
For many, Zheng deserves to rank among history’s greatest explorers. Yet, much about the voyages — and Zheng himself — remains shrouded in mystery. He barely features in the official records left by China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644), with court historians dismissing his expeditions as impressive, but ruinously expensive. Even the place and date of Zheng’s death are unknown.
The expeditions were astonishing feats of engineering and navigation. Setting sail decades before Christopher Columbus or Vasco da Gama, Zheng He spent years crossing the oceans at the head of a vast fleet of 200 ships. Some of the vessels measured up to 70 meters long — three times the size of Columbus’ ships.
For many, Zheng deserves to rank among history’s greatest explorers. Yet, much about the voyages — and Zheng himself — remains shrouded in mystery. He barely features in the official records left by China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644), with court historians dismissing his expeditions as impressive, but ruinously expensive. Even the place and date of Zheng’s death are unknown.
US envoy concludes Ladakh visit, misses Dalai Lama meeting
A strongly anticipated meeting between the US ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, and Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in the Union Territory of Ladakh did not take place after all. The Dalai Lama has been sojourning in Ladakh since Jun 28 for an extended summer stay while Gor arrived there on Aug 20 after high-profile engagements in neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Gor’s visit was the first by a top US envoy to this strategic frontier region of India since the 2020 Galwan clashes and subsequent border standoff with China.
While in J&K, Gor, speaking to reporters alongside Chief Minister Omar Abdullah following their high-level dialogue, remarked, “Kashmir is an important part of India. I am visiting the place for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place.”
Gor concluded his visit to J&K and Ladakh on Aug 21, after visiting the centuries-old, 12-storeyed Thiksey Monastery, one of the largest and most prominent monasteries in central Ladakh, located about 19km from capital Leh. The monastery is widely noted for its resemblance to the Potala Palace in Tibet’s capital Lhasa.
While in J&K, Gor, speaking to reporters alongside Chief Minister Omar Abdullah following their high-level dialogue, remarked, “Kashmir is an important part of India. I am visiting the place for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place.”
Gor concluded his visit to J&K and Ladakh on Aug 21, after visiting the centuries-old, 12-storeyed Thiksey Monastery, one of the largest and most prominent monasteries in central Ladakh, located about 19km from capital Leh. The monastery is widely noted for its resemblance to the Potala Palace in Tibet’s capital Lhasa.
Oil importer China won’t aid Trump economic warfare against Iran
The Trump administration is once again threatening to carry out “regime change” in Iran, this time using what President Donald Trump described as “economic warfare” against the nation rather than military might.
But as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent demands the world play along with efforts to isolate Iran, the second-largest economy, China, is refusing to join the US sanctions campaign. The Trump administration has failed to use military means to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz after it began restricting travel in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks in late February.
On Thursday, Bessent told CNBC that the new approach is to impose the “toughest sanctions in history” on Iran, ramping up a strategy that has inflicted suffering on the Iranian people but failed to force its leaders out of power for nearly 50 years. Bessent emphasized that it would only work with the help of “all of our allies” carrying out the “greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world.”
But as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent demands the world play along with efforts to isolate Iran, the second-largest economy, China, is refusing to join the US sanctions campaign. The Trump administration has failed to use military means to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz after it began restricting travel in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks in late February.
On Thursday, Bessent told CNBC that the new approach is to impose the “toughest sanctions in history” on Iran, ramping up a strategy that has inflicted suffering on the Iranian people but failed to force its leaders out of power for nearly 50 years. Bessent emphasized that it would only work with the help of “all of our allies” carrying out the “greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world.”
Obstacles will prevent wider use of China’ new Arctic trade route
Sea Legend, a Chinese shipping line, recently announced it was launching a regular container service between China and Europe via the Arctic. The announcement follows a trial crossing in 2025 that saw a container ship travel from the port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in eastern China to Felixstowe in the UK in 20 days.
This will not have gone unnoticed in the west. While the Iran war has not halted shipping traffic through the Suez Canal, it has sharply elevated risks around the Red Sea, complicating travel between Europe and Asia. The Arctic’s northern sea route, which shaves up to 40% off the journey, could present a solution. But various obstacles remain.
This will not have gone unnoticed in the west. While the Iran war has not halted shipping traffic through the Suez Canal, it has sharply elevated risks around the Red Sea, complicating travel between Europe and Asia. The Arctic’s northern sea route, which shaves up to 40% off the journey, could present a solution. But various obstacles remain.
Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigil fell dark years ago. Now its organizers have been convicted
Two key organizers behind what used to be the only large-scale public commemoration for the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre on Chinese soil have been found guilty of inciting subversion by a court in Hong Kong.
The verdict is the latest chapter in a years-long crackdown by Hong Kong authorities against publicly marking the moment in 1989 when the ruling Chinese Communist Party sent tanks in to violently quell peaceful, student-led democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
Chow Hang-tung, a prominent young human rights lawyer who conducted her own defense, and former opposition lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan were found guilty of inciting subversion at West Kowloon Court on Friday. They face a jail term of up to 10 years under a national security law imposed on the city by Beijing in 2020.
The verdict is the latest chapter in a years-long crackdown by Hong Kong authorities against publicly marking the moment in 1989 when the ruling Chinese Communist Party sent tanks in to violently quell peaceful, student-led democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
Chow Hang-tung, a prominent young human rights lawyer who conducted her own defense, and former opposition lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan were found guilty of inciting subversion at West Kowloon Court on Friday. They face a jail term of up to 10 years under a national security law imposed on the city by Beijing in 2020.
US supplies most of the world’s plasma. No country depends on it more than China
As she watched the pale yellow liquid drip into her mother’s vein, Ge Lan felt the weight of every drop. Her mother, recovering from stomach cancer surgery, relied on daily infusions of human albumin to restore her blood protein levels. At about $46 for a 10-gram bottle, the imported blood product was the costliest medicine in her mother’s treatment.
“I just hope (she) gets better soon,” the 44-year-old told CNN. “I’m worried about the money too, but I have no choice.”
Over two months, her mother used 72 bottles, costing the equivalent of seven months’ income for Ge, a local store worker in Henan, central China. Without help from her sister, she said she simply couldn’t have afforded the treatment – and without it, her mother’s condition could worsen.
“I just hope (she) gets better soon,” the 44-year-old told CNN. “I’m worried about the money too, but I have no choice.”
Over two months, her mother used 72 bottles, costing the equivalent of seven months’ income for Ge, a local store worker in Henan, central China. Without help from her sister, she said she simply couldn’t have afforded the treatment – and without it, her mother’s condition could worsen.
søndag 23. august 2026
Torbjørn Færøvik: The Killing Fields of Daxing (1966)
Land at the international airport near Beijing and you cannot fail to be impressed by the spectacular terminal, its great wings stretched wide. Not to mention the soft light filtering through the glass roof of the arrivals hall. Yet here, in Daxing District, 325 defenceless people were massacred in August 1966. Men, women and children. Twenty-two families were wiped out in their entirety. The youngest recorded victim was a baby about five weeks old; the oldest was eighty.
Sixty years have now passed, but the massacre is still rarely discussed in public.
It was simply horrific. Chairman Mao had launched his “Cultural Revolution”, a drama that would last for ten years. The aim was to crush the “class enemy”: former landlords and rich peasants, counter-revolutionaries, “bad elements” and rightists – and anyone else alleged to be an enemy of the revolution. Mao claimed they were lurking everywhere, thirsting for revenge for their defeat in 1949.
The movement began on a small scale in May 1966, but did not gather real momentum until late summer, when a female vice-principal in Beijing was killed by her own students. The weeks that followed became known as “Red August”. Encouraged by Mao, thousands of fevered Red Guards ran amok in the capital. They stormed private homes and dragged innocent people into the streets, where many were tortured to death. According to official figures released later, 1,772 Beijing residents were killed from 18 August through the end of September. The true number may have been higher.
Torbjørn Færøvik: Seksti år siden Daxing-massakren (1966)
Lander du på den internasjonale flyplassen nær Beijing, vil du la deg imponere av den spektakulære terminalen med sine utspente vinger. For ikke å snakke om det milde lyset som siver gjennom glasstaket i ankomsthallen. Men her, i Daxing-distriktet, ble 325 forsvarsløse mennesker massakrert i august 1966. Menn, kvinner og barn. Tjueto familier ble utslettet i sin helhet. Det yngste registrerte offeret var et spedbarn på omkring fem uker, den eldste åtti år.
Nå er seksti år gått, men massakren omtales sjelden offentlig.
Det var bare grusomt. Formann Mao hadde startet sin «kulturrevolusjon», et drama som skulle vare i ti år. Målet var å nedkjempe «klassefienden»: tidligere godseiere og rike bønder, kontrarevolusjonære, «dårlige elementer» og høyreavvikere – og alle andre påståtte fiender av revolusjonen. Mao hevdet at de lusket rundt overalt og tørstet etter hevn for nederlaget i 1949.
Nå er seksti år gått, men massakren omtales sjelden offentlig.
Det var bare grusomt. Formann Mao hadde startet sin «kulturrevolusjon», et drama som skulle vare i ti år. Målet var å nedkjempe «klassefienden»: tidligere godseiere og rike bønder, kontrarevolusjonære, «dårlige elementer» og høyreavvikere – og alle andre påståtte fiender av revolusjonen. Mao hevdet at de lusket rundt overalt og tørstet etter hevn for nederlaget i 1949.
Kinmen: The Sleepy Fishing Island That Could Be East Asia’s Biggest Flashpoint
“If you look over there, you can see the propaganda sign. It reads ‘unite China under one country two systems,’” a fisherman told me. I was standing surrounded by old rusted anti-tank spikes on the beach of Kinmen, an island administered by Taiwan, but geographically a part of China’s Fujian province. At this closest point, it feels like you can reach out and touch the skyscrapers of China’s Xiamen city, which is just 2 miles across the water.
The fisherman comes here every day with his rod and a bucket of bait. He knows the skyline of Xiamen like the back of his hand. “I don’t worry about China,” he tells me, “Life here is very peaceful, and we keep to ourselves.” This view is held by many residents of Kinmen, who view themselves neither as Taiwanese, nor as Fujianese. They take pride in their local identity.
The fisherman comes here every day with his rod and a bucket of bait. He knows the skyline of Xiamen like the back of his hand. “I don’t worry about China,” he tells me, “Life here is very peaceful, and we keep to ourselves.” This view is held by many residents of Kinmen, who view themselves neither as Taiwanese, nor as Fujianese. They take pride in their local identity.
lørdag 22. august 2026
Why are Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigil organisers facing prison?
Two prominent Hong Kong activists who helped organise annual vigils commemorating China’s deadly 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been convicted of inciting subversion under the city’s national security law.
On Friday, Hong Kong’s High Court found former legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and lawyer Chow Hang-tung, 41, guilty of what is one of the most serious offences under the sweeping security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.The pair, who pleaded not guilty to inciting subversion, have been held in detention since they were charged in September 2021. They face up to 10 years in prison, with sentencing to take place at a later date. A third defendant, veteran activist Albert Ho, 74, pleaded guilty before the trial began.
The case is among Hong Kong’s highest-profile prosecutions under the national security law and has renewed scrutiny of the erosion of political freedoms in the territory as Beijing expands its influence there. Here is what we know.
On Friday, Hong Kong’s High Court found former legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and lawyer Chow Hang-tung, 41, guilty of what is one of the most serious offences under the sweeping security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.The pair, who pleaded not guilty to inciting subversion, have been held in detention since they were charged in September 2021. They face up to 10 years in prison, with sentencing to take place at a later date. A third defendant, veteran activist Albert Ho, 74, pleaded guilty before the trial began.
The case is among Hong Kong’s highest-profile prosecutions under the national security law and has renewed scrutiny of the erosion of political freedoms in the territory as Beijing expands its influence there. Here is what we know.
China-appointed Panchen has asserted that ‘true Dharma’ begins with observing the coercive ethic unity law
While members of China’s so-called ethnic Minority groups in the free world, including Tibetans, as well as the international community, have condemned China’s recently implemented Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law as a tool of forced assimilation, the Chinese government-installed “11th Panchen Lama” Gyaltsen Norbu has on Aug 14 called the law a powerful instrument of national law and also an embodiment of the true Dharma on which religious precepts should be based, according to China’s online Tibet news service eng.tibet.cnAug 18.
Ethnic unity is the foundation of national unity, the cornerstone of social harmony, and the source of development and progress. The law offers robust institutional safeguards for strengthening the sense of community for the Chinese nation and consolidating the foundations of ethnic unity, and serves as a fundamental measure to consolidate and advance the cause of ethnic unity and progress in the new era, he has said.
Ethnic unity is the foundation of national unity, the cornerstone of social harmony, and the source of development and progress. The law offers robust institutional safeguards for strengthening the sense of community for the Chinese nation and consolidating the foundations of ethnic unity, and serves as a fundamental measure to consolidate and advance the cause of ethnic unity and progress in the new era, he has said.
Latest satellite images confirm China’s continuing assault on Larung Gar Buddhist learning centre in Tibet
Latest satellite images are stated to confirm reports that China has been carrying out large-scale demolitions at the famed – and the world’s largest Buddhist learning centre – located in a Tibetan County and prefecture in Sichuan Province. This has come as China began implementing its so-called Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law in its latest forced assimilation move that targets ethnic minorities and their cultural roots. Such demolitions have especially meant the expulsion of large numbers of various categories of students – monks, nuns and lay students and practitioners from other parts of the PRC as well as from other countries.
Citing satellite imagery analyzed by Radio Free Asia (RFA), rfa.org said Aug 18 that Chinese authorities had over the past month continued and expanded demolition at the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, located in Serthar County of Kardze Prefecture, which at its peak in the early 2000s was stated to be home to 40,000 Buddhist monastics.
Citing satellite imagery analyzed by Radio Free Asia (RFA), rfa.org said Aug 18 that Chinese authorities had over the past month continued and expanded demolition at the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, located in Serthar County of Kardze Prefecture, which at its peak in the early 2000s was stated to be home to 40,000 Buddhist monastics.
Facts on Record: The Second Fact-Finding Delegation to Tibet, 1980
Recently, a friend sent me a video (attached here) in which a person was giving a commentary about the delegation and its visit to Tibet. As I listened to it, I felt that the commentary had either been prepared in great haste or that the commentator had not had the opportunity to research and understand the subject fully. I noticed a number of factual errors and felt that it was important, as someone who was actually a member of the delegation, to put some of the facts on record.
According to the commentator, we allegedly said to Ngapo ‘Ape’ Ngawang Jigme, “You sold Tibet in Chamdo; why didn’t you fight against the Chinese? etc.” I have no recollection whatsoever of such a statement being made by any of us.
What I do remember clearly is that we spoke openly and frankly with Tibetans, even in the presence of Chinese officers and local Tibetan and Chinese officials. We did not hesitate to speak about what we had seen and learned on the ground. Our conversations were straightforward, open, and confident. We were there to see the situation for ourselves.
According to the commentator, we allegedly said to Ngapo ‘Ape’ Ngawang Jigme, “You sold Tibet in Chamdo; why didn’t you fight against the Chinese? etc.” I have no recollection whatsoever of such a statement being made by any of us.
What I do remember clearly is that we spoke openly and frankly with Tibetans, even in the presence of Chinese officers and local Tibetan and Chinese officials. We did not hesitate to speak about what we had seen and learned on the ground. Our conversations were straightforward, open, and confident. We were there to see the situation for ourselves.
AP reporter Christopher Bodeen, a tenacious chronicler of China’s rise, dies at 55
Christopher Bodeen, a tenacious, old-school wire service reporter who brought a keen analytical eye and a wry sense of humor to decades of work in China,Taiwan and in war zones and natural disasters across the globe for The Associated Press, has died. He was 55.
Bodeen died Monday after a struggle with cancer and complications from a stroke, his daughter, Ingrid, said Thursday by telephone from Taiwan.
Bodeen, who spoke fluent Mandarin with a proud Taiwan accent, spent much of his career detailing China’s rise to an economic, political and military superpower — and the accompanying friction from what critics have long called Beijing’s heavy-handed efforts to establish dominance in Asia and beyond.
Bodeen died Monday after a struggle with cancer and complications from a stroke, his daughter, Ingrid, said Thursday by telephone from Taiwan.
Bodeen, who spoke fluent Mandarin with a proud Taiwan accent, spent much of his career detailing China’s rise to an economic, political and military superpower — and the accompanying friction from what critics have long called Beijing’s heavy-handed efforts to establish dominance in Asia and beyond.
China investigates comedian after he altered a revolutionary song lyric onstage
One of China’s best-known comedians is under investigation and several of his shows have been canceled after he changed the lyrics of a revolutionary song during a performance.
Guo Degang, the country’s most prominent performer of traditional xiangsheng, a form of Chinese comedic dialogue, is under investigation by local authorities in the city of Wuhan in central China, local media reported. Guo’s show on Friday in the northwestern city of Xi’an was canceled due to “venue issues,” a statement on ticketing platform Damai released by his promotion company showed.
The company offered refunds for tickets as well as travel and hotel expenses. The exhibition center hosting the performance in Xi’an, which also cited “venue issues” on Wednesday, said the show had been “postponed,” without giving a new date.
Guo Degang, the country’s most prominent performer of traditional xiangsheng, a form of Chinese comedic dialogue, is under investigation by local authorities in the city of Wuhan in central China, local media reported. Guo’s show on Friday in the northwestern city of Xi’an was canceled due to “venue issues,” a statement on ticketing platform Damai released by his promotion company showed.
The company offered refunds for tickets as well as travel and hotel expenses. The exhibition center hosting the performance in Xi’an, which also cited “venue issues” on Wednesday, said the show had been “postponed,” without giving a new date.
2 organizers of Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigils convicted in national security case
Two former organizers of Hong Kong’s annual vigils in remembrance of th1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown were convicted Friday for what the government-approved judges ruled was inciting others to overthrow China’s communist leadership.
Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were charged in 2021 with inciting subversion under a China-imposed national security law that has effectively crushed the city’s previously thriving pro-democracy movement. They face a maximum prison term of 10 years. The alliance was also found guilty.
The three judges ruled that the alliance’s call to “end one-party dictatorship” aimed to end the ruling Communist Party’s leadership status under the constitution, and that the “end” in the phrase carried the meaning of “overthrowing” and “undermining.”
Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were charged in 2021 with inciting subversion under a China-imposed national security law that has effectively crushed the city’s previously thriving pro-democracy movement. They face a maximum prison term of 10 years. The alliance was also found guilty.
The three judges ruled that the alliance’s call to “end one-party dictatorship” aimed to end the ruling Communist Party’s leadership status under the constitution, and that the “end” in the phrase carried the meaning of “overthrowing” and “undermining.”
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