BEIJING — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is meeting with Chinese leaders Wednesday for talks that are expected to include the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and Dutch restrictions on the export of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China. The Netherlands imposed export licensing requirements in 2023 on the sale of machinery that can make advanced … Read more
HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s leader said Tuesday that prisoners convicted for serious national security crimes would not likely be granted early release under the tightened rules of a new national security law, signaling a hardening government stance against jailed political activists. Chief Executive John Lee said the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance stipulates that people … Read more
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin lights a candle during his visit to a church of the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on March 24, 2024, as Russia observes a national day of mourning after the Crocus City Hall attack. Mikhail Metzel | Afp | Getty … Read more
The flags of China and Hong Kong displayed in rows. Bloomberg Creative | Bloomberg Creative Photos | Getty Images China’s embassy hit back against U.S. criticism of Hong Kong’s new national security law on Thursday, saying the U.S. should “respect China’s sovereignty.” Hong Kong lawmakers passed a new national security law on Tuesday which critics … Read more
BEIJING — Uncertainty and “draconian regulations” have drastically raised risks for foreign businesses in China, a report by a European business group said Wednesday. The lengthy paper by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China urges China’s leaders to do more to address concerns that it says have “grown exponentially” in recent years. “This … Read more
DAJABON, Dominican Republic — Human rights activists are calling on the Dominican Republic’s government for a temporary reprieve in deportations as neighboring Haiti’s crisis spirals and people attempt to flee over the closed border from a surge in deadly gang violence. Small trucks with customized cages are ferrying dozens of Haitians every day from a … Read more
TikTok creators gather before a press conference to voice their opposition to the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” pending crackdown legislation on TikTok in the House of Representatives, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 12, 2024. Craig Hudson | Reuters White House national security adviser John Kirby said Sunday that the … Read more
Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is building an investor group to acquire ByteDance’s TikTok, as a bipartisan piece of legislation winding its way through Congress threatens its continued existence in the U.S. The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bipartisan bill that if signed into law would force ByteDance to either divest its flagship … Read more
Visitors are visiting TikTok’s stand at the Appliance & Electronics World Expo (AWE) in Shanghai, China, on April 27, 2023. On March 14, 2024, the United States will pass a bill banning TikTok. CostFoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images The U.S. could be about to force ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant that owns TikTok, to … Read more
HELSINKI — Latvia´s state security service has started criminal proceedings against an European Parliament lawmaker and a citizen of the Baltic country who is suspected of cooperating with Russian intelligence and security services, according to Latvian media reports Saturday. Latvian media outlets reported that the security service, known by the abbreviation VDD, has been investigating … Read more