The Ministry of National Defence (MND) tracked seven Chinese naval vessels and three military aircraft around Taiwan between 6 am on Wednesday and 6 am on Thursday, reported Taiwan News. "3 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces to respond," Taiwan Ministry of National Defence posted on X. According to MND, Of the three People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, none crossed the Taiwan Strait median line or entered the southwest corner of the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ). In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defence missile systems to monitor the PLA activity, as per Taiwan News. On April 3, Taiwan Defence Ministry detected 30 Chinese military aircraft and nine navy vessels operating around its nation between Tuesday 6 am and Wednesday 6 am, Taiwan Ministry of National Defence said. It added that 20 Chinese aircraft entered its northern middle line and Taiwan's southwest air defence identification zone (ADIZ). In an official post on X, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defence posted said, "30 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 20 of the aircraft entered Taiwan's northern, middle line, and SW ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate force to respond." Additionally, Taiwan tracked seven Chinese naval vessels and six military aircraft around the nation amid escalating cross-strait tensions on Tuesday, Taiwan News reported. According to Taiwan News, so far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 39 times and naval vessels 20 times. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan. Grey zone tactics are defined as "an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force." Source: Economic Times

Recent drills should serve as a reminder that China’s Communist Party (CCP) has laid claim to the self-ruling island nation of Taiwan as Chinese territory. Taiwan is considered a breakaway province that will be returned to mainland control and by force if necessary. China’s Navy Flexes Blue Water Muscles: A Glimpse into PLAN’s Expansive Maritime Operations and a Taiwan War Scenario - The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is conducting multiple operations this week, a sign of its continuing transition from a coastal defense force to a true blue water force. On Monday, a report published by Japan’s Defense Ministry showed three Chinese PLAN vessels transiting from the East China Sea to the Sea of China over the weekend via the Tsushima Strait. The warships are likely preparing for naval exercises with the Russian Navy. The Sea of Japan—known in the two Koreas as the East Sea—is a crowded waterway home to five nations’ commercial and strategic sea lines. It is also a go-to test site for North Korea’s ballistic missiles, while the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet is headquartered in the closed town of Fokino on the Peter the Great Gulf. The Chinese warships were reported to be the Type 054A frigate Daqing, the Type 903A replenishment ship Kekexilihu, and the Type 052D guided-missile destroyer (NATO reporting name Luyang III) Huainan. According to Newsweek, all three vessels are assigned to the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet under the Northern Theater Command. Although neither Beijing nor Moscow has announced any planned exercises, the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet was already active in the region and conducted combat drills against a simulated group of sea drones, according to Russian state media reports. China and Russia last held joint naval exercises in the Sea of Japan in July 2023. The deployment of the vessels from the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet followed live-fire exercises in the South China Sea, which included a group of Type 072III and Type 072A tank landing ships. These ships undertook training courses, including live-fire shooting against sea mine targets and side-by-side mooring. The vessels engaged in multi-course realistic combat exercises in an undisclosed area. At the same time, the Type 072 landing ships are designed to operate in waters nearer to the coast, ground on the shore, and then offload vehicles, troops, and cargo. The Chinese state-owned Global Times highlighted that the Type 072’s characteristics make them particularly useful in safeguarding China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights over islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Combined Force Drills The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command further conducted a series of joint combat exercises with the China Coast Guard (CCG) across multiple maritime regions amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Straits. The combined forces included units from the PLAN and People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Though the CCG is a maritime security force that falls under the jurisdiction of law enforcement rather than the Chinese military, it has increasingly operated alongside the PLAN—and is seen by Western observers as essentially an auxiliary naval force. Its role has evolved significantly, and Beijing’s enactment of the new CCG law authorizes it to enforce China’s maritime claims beyond the boundaries recognized by the United Nations Convention and the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS). Target Taiwan The multiple drills should serve as a reminder that China’s Communist Party (CCP) has laid claim to the self-ruling island nation of Taiwan as Chinese territory. Taiwan is considered a breakaway province that will be returned to mainland control and by force if necessary.

The US government is demanding that TikTok sell itself if it wants to continue operating in America. How likely is a sale, who can afford it and what are the challenges of such a takeover? For Sale: One of the world's most successful social media platforms with a billion users across 140 countries. Sounds like a good deal for someone with ambition and money. But Chinese-owned TikTok isn't just any short-video-sharing app. It is a phenomenon changing social media and how people communicate. Claims of national security concerns in the US don't make things any easier. Plus protectionist attitudes and sentiment on China in general have turned dark and Congress is moving fast to force the company's hand. US Congress in control? The US government now sees TikTok as more than entertainment — it is a news and information platform that can be used for propaganda, too. For decades, the US had restrictions on foreign ownership of traditional media like radio or cable stations; for policymakers restrictions on TikTok are a logical 21st-century consequence. On March 13, the US House of Representatives voted to force a sale of TikTok's US business within six months or have it banned from the Apple and Google app stores in the country. To become law, the bill needs Senate approval. President Joe Biden has vowed to sign it if it passes Congress. TikTok may be waiting for a knight in shining armor to save its US business. Yet the pool of available buyers is small and Elon Musk is already busy reworking X, formerly known as Twitter. Who else can they turn to? What will happen to the 170 million US users if TikTok just can't be sold? A short history in 60 seconds This isn't TikTok's first time on the possible selling block. Donald Trump tried with an executive order to force ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to sell the subsidiary to an American owner back in 2020. It seemed a deal with Oracle was close, but those efforts failed, as did an attempt to keep the app out of app stores.  Since then TikTok says it has gone to great lengths to delete the data on American users from ByteDance servers and move all that information to US-based servers, a move it calls Project Texas. This should in theory keep the data out of the hands of Chinese surveillance. Many experts like Milton Mueller, a cybersecurity expert at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, doubt there is any real security threat after having looked at all the evidence. Still, many US politicians and government intelligence and security agencies don't seem appeased and want to take it to the next level.  Who would want to buy TikTok? With all that in mind, buying all — or just the American part — of TikTok would not be a usual business transaction. It would be a geopolitical minefield. Would ByteDance still be a majority shareholder calling the shots in the background? Who would run and update its powerful algorithm? Mueller, who looks at TikTok several times a week, thinks a sale is "theoretically possible but highly complicated and not likely." Adding that "China's government might not allow it, and it is unclear what is gained, or even what it means, to sell 'part' of a globally interconnected social media service." ByteDance seems ready for a legal fight. For its part, the Chinese government has been restrained. But they could try to prevent a sale by putting an export ban on the technology behind the app. Without its algorithm, TikTok would be less attractive. Besides that, it is hard to put boundaries and prevent access to something as free-flowing as an app. App stores would have to block all new downloads and updates for those who have it already.   There is also a short timeline. Mueller has talked with a number of TikTok people recently who say as a technical or operational matter divestiture doesn't work in such a short period. They would have six months, "whereas the Grindr divestiture from a different Chinese company took a year," he said. A big big-ticket item The challenges just pile up. Any ban in America would surely lead to First Amendment constitutional challenges. "It would be US users whose speech would be suppressed, not foreigners or the Chinese government," Mueller said.  Then there is the price. Several analysts think that despite all the difficulties TikTok's US business could sell for over $50 billion (€45.8 billion). There are only a few companies that could afford to spend that much like Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft or Netflix. Some of these companies would then end up in the crosshairs of antitrust officials for owning too much important technology. Alternatively, all or part of TikTok could be spun off as an independent publicly listed company. Or US-based private equity giants could step in. After last week's House vote, former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, said he is working to put together a group of investors to take over the company without announcing any details. Ironically, Mnuchin was one of the people pushing for a sale four years ago while he was a member of Donald Trump's Cabinet.  It is likely not about apps at all Yet, in the end, it is not about good business or even national security says Milton Mueller. "It is a pawn in the broader US-China power competition, and it is also exploited for symbolic reasons." "Equating a commercial social media app with espionage, and calling TikTok's Singaporean CEO an agent of the Chinese Communist Party, is obviously inaccurate," but sells well to both Republicans and Democrats "who see the US as engaged in a competition with China to retain US hegemony," he said. Forcing an ownership sale would also set a dangerous precedent that could be used by other governments against US social media companies. In the end, Mueller expects such digital protectionism to lead to "less competition and innovation in the social media market." And there is always the next national security threat. Perhaps Chinese-made electric vehicles or battery systems? The retaliation may never end.

Coming 16 years after the original movie and eight since the most recent sequel, “Kung Fu Panda 4” actually benefits from what feels like pent-up demand, coupled with “The Simpsons” effect that animated characters don’t grow older. Slick and briskly paced, the film incorporates its origins while conjuring enough laughs and fun to effectively deliver for parents and their cubs. One of DreamWorks’ most agreeable franchises peaked early with its story of the unlikely Po (voiced with the usual gusto by Jack Black) rising from humble roots to become the Dragon Warrior, while facing off against a truly excellent and formidable villain in Tai Lung (Ian McShane). The sequels were fine but proved less memorable. This time, Po is reaping the rewards of his exalted status – even using it as a marketing come-on to assist his adoptive dad and birth dad, Ping and Li (James Hong, now 95, and Bryan Cranston) – when, inevitably, a fresh threat arises: The Chameleon (Viola Davis), a shape-shifting sorceress with supervillain-worthy ambitions that endanger the Valley of Peace. Po also gets a surprising instruction from Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), telling him that he must identify and begin to groom a successor. Yet he’s not only reluctant to give up the job, but distracted by this latest challenge, especially after a fast-talking thief, Zhen (Awkwafina), offers to lead him to the Chameleon’s stronghold. Although the best gags, involving some adorable but violence-loving bunnies, have been playing on a loop in the teaser trailers, the film still manages to combine muscular action with a healthy dollop of comedy, much of it having to do with Po’s posse and his seemingly unquenchable appetite. The A-list voice cast really boosts the way the characters play off each other, with most of the key players back (including McShane), Davis sinking her teeth into the venomous baddie and Ke Huy Quan among the other additions. Granted, there’s only so much that can be done at this point with this kind of concept beyond recycling it, but director Mike Mitchell (“Trolls”) keeps the story moving even during the relatively flat exposition, and the chase sequences and fights have considerable energy and visual flair. As noted, part of that might just have to do with the adage that absence makes the heart grow fonder, or in this case, “Panda” fans hungrier. Given that, looking at the growing intervals between movies, people should have worked up an appetite for bringing “Kung Fu Panda 5” out of hibernation somewhere around 2036.  Source: CNN

Chinese authorities in the historically Tibetan region of Sichuan Province had arrested a Buddhist monk in Jun 2023 for having republished books from the exile Tibetan community and also for having contact with people outside the country, reported the Tibetan service of rfa.org Feb 5, citing belated information from two unnamed local Tibetan sources. It was not clear what books were republished and what the nature of the contacts were. The report said the whereabouts of the monk, named as Lobsang Thabkhey, 54, remained unknown. He was reported to have served as the librarian of Kirti Monastery in the province’s Ngaba (Chinese: Aba) county when he republished and disseminated the books in question. The witnesses have spoken on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. The Ngaba police station, on being contacted by Radio Free Asia, has claimed ignorance about the monk. This was despite the fact that he was stated to have been summoned several times by Chinese police before his eventual arrest. China maintains especially tight control on information and channels of communication in the Tibetan areas in the name of fighting separatism, making it all the more difficult even to people within the country to get timely and proper information on developing situation. Thabkhey is said to originally belong to the county’s Meruma township. Source: Tibetan Review

“The current weather will persist for four to five days,” a meteorologist said.  The heavy fog and cutting chill of winter is likely to persist for a few more days, according to a forecast from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Dhaka and most other parts of the country have been blanketed by fog since Saturday. Sunday has brought no sun. Drizzles of rain and a northern wind have made it feel even colder.   A moderate cold wave is sweeping through Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Panchagarh, and Chuadanga districts. The lowest temperature in the country in the 24 hours to 6 am on Sunday was recorded at 8.5 degrees Celsius in Dinajpur. Dhaka recorded a low of 14 degrees Celsius and a high of 17.6 degrees Celsius over the same period. Meteorologists say Dhaka residents are feeling the cold due to the drop in both maximum and minimum temperatures. “This weather will persist for another four to five days,” said BMD Director Azizur Rahman. The fog will abate slightly after the rain. Temperatures will fall further too, intensifying the cold.” Dhaka is not currently experiencing a cold wave, but one may descend after the rain, he said.   “The cold wave will persist in the north, northwest and northeast of the country. Dinajpur, Rangpur, Panchagarh, and Ishwardi will particularly feel the chill.” The 48-hour forecast says the sky will be partially cloudy temporarily, but it is likely to remain dry in most areas.  

'It was my fault, my facebook account wasn't hacked.' Apu Biswas confirmed the info to RTV news after the relationship status of Apu Biswas from 'single' to 'got married' in a fb post. Earlier on Sunday, August 13 at 3:45 pm, the fan and social media user were seen the post in Apu Biswas fb account. She said that the account was not hacked. I have caused this accident myself, while checking info, removed quickly. I am sorry to everyone for that. Meanwhile, Shakib Khan got US green card. Their fans think, Apu and her son Joy will be go to that country!     

'It was my fault, my facebook account wasn't hacked.' Apu Biswas confirmed the info to RTV news after the relationship status of Apu Biswas from 'single' to 'got married' in a fb post. Earlier on Sunday, August 13 at 3:45 pm, the fan and social media user were seen the post in Apu Biswas fb account. She said that the account was not hacked. I have caused this accident myself, while checking info, removed quickly. I am sorry to everyone for that. Meanwhile, Shakib Khan got US green card. Their fans think, Apu and her son Joy will be go to that country!     

ISRO is now clearly on a very different and ambitious course, which is also very challenging. This new course has its origins in the decision to go in for planetary exploration, beginning with the moon. It was early 2000, I think, that we began discussing the road ahead for ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). By that time, most of Vikram Sarabhai’s early goals for the Indian space programme — self-reliance, launch capabilities, societal needs — had been met, and the question that stared us in the face was ‘what next’. I remember the issue was vigorously discussed, and a moon probe seemed to be one of the natural options for ISRO to explore. Dr K Kasturirangan, who was the chairman then, set up a committee under Dr George Joseph, director of Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad, to study what could be done in this regard. The Lunar Mission Study Task Force under Dr Joseph submitted its report shortly, and identified the gaps in our capabilities. One of the follow-up actions that I took after taking over from Dr Kasturirangan was to ask the VSSC (Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre) in Thiruvananthapuram to assess whether our existing launch vehicle could be used for a lunar mission. At that time, we had PSLV as our main rocket. VSSC came back to say that PSLV could deliver a payload of up to 1,000 kg to the moon orbit. We decided to strengthen the capabilities of PSLV, and when that was created, we realised that we had some excess capacity. It was then proposed that we could invite foreign space agencies to send their instruments on our mission. We received a dozen proposals of which we selected six experiments that complimented what we had planned for ourselves. That is how the foreign instruments got on our mission, which went on to be called Chandrayaan-1. Simultaneously, ISRO centres and scientists were working on designing the spacecraft, deciding on the science objectives, and building the technology know-how. When we were ready with our plan, we took our proposal to then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was in 2004, I think, at one of the routine six-monthly reviews of the Department of Space, that I brought up the proposal. Vajpayeeji was excited and immediately interested. In his characteristic poetic flourish, he remarked that the moon looks beautiful from a distance, but it might not be so if we observed it from up close. He was not off the mark, of course. Close-up pictures of the moon, taken from instruments aboard Chandrayaan-1 as well, show an uneven surface with lots of craters. Vajpayeeji cleared the proposal quickly, and we began preparations with a 2008 launch in mind. While we were still in the planning stages, President A P J Abdul Kalam once visited ISRO facilities and inquired about the Chandrayaan-1 mission. We gave him a detailed briefing on our plans, the instruments that we would send and the experiments that they would carry out. But he had us all totally stumped when he asked, “How would you prove that you have gone to the moon? What would be the evidence that we have been there?”. I said something to the effect that we will produce data, we will have photographs of the moon. That is not enough, he said, and suggested that just like we have the Indian flag fluttering in Antarctica, we should have something similar on the moon as well. It was Kalam’s suggestion that forced us to include the MIP (Moon Impact Probe) instrument in our mission. It was not part of the original plan. MIP, which had the Indian colours on its sides, was made to crash land on the moon when the Chandrayaan-1 mission went up in 2008. We had left our mark. Discussions over a follow-up mission, that would include a lander and rover, began immediately, but there were a number of challenges. PSLV was not capable of carrying higher payloads, and we had been facing some difficulties with the development of GSLV. Also, there were huge technological learnings involved, particularly with regard to the descent module that was supposed to land. In the meanwhile, the idea of sending a probe to Mars came up, and it took precedence over Chandrayaan-2, because this too was also only an Orbiter mission. The Mars mission was a resounding success too. Of course, the Chandrayaan-2 mission, when it was finally launched in 2019, could not make a soft landing, but it is a small setback. These things happen. I firmly believe that Chandrayaan-3, which is headed for the moon orbit now, will surely make up for the failure of Chandrayaan-2. ISRO is now clearly on a very different and ambitious course, which is also very challenging. This new course has its origins in the decision to go in for planetary exploration, beginning with the moon. Other space agencies like NASA or ESA (European Space Agency) had begun sending missions to the moon, and we were at the risk of being left behind. They would not have shared their data with us, or collaborated with us. Also, it might have looked futuristic that time, but the idea of having a permanent facility on the moon was very much at the back of our minds when we planned our first lunar mission. We are talking more and more about it now, but even back then, it was one of the drivers for beginning to explore the moon. Source: Indian Express

Taliban which itself destroyed the historically and culturally significant ‘Buddhas of Bamiyan’, now want to make money from the empty niches as it is desperately in need of cash. Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist of religions and author, wrote in his piece in Bitter Winter, how despite being an avid traveller he ended up rejecting the proposal to visit Afghanistan because he doesn’t want the Taliban to benefit from the sites destroyed by them. “The Afghan regime desperately needs cash. It cannot show the Bamiyan Buddhas for the good reason it blew them up. But it would take tourists to the site for a fee,” he stated. According to the author, the Taliban smashed the sixth-century CE giant statues in 2001 with artillery fire and by detonating anti-tank mines. Now, the public can only see the empty niches where these masterpieces of Buddhist sculpture once stood, and meditate there. But this not for free, but by paying money to the regime, Bitter Winter reported. The author went on to say that he can even pay a fee to see the Nuremberg propaganda headquarters of the Nazi Party and the location of the Khmer Rouge mass graves in Cambodia, because, here the money is not going to Adolf Hitler or Pol Pot, but the subsequent current governments. However, in the case of Afghanistan, it is the Taliban itself that perpetrated the crimes and are willing to reap money while being in the government. “I understand the empty niches of the destroyed statues do have their own melancholic beauty. But I do not want to support the Taliban with my ticket. I would rather not go,” Massimo Introvigne further stated in his piece. According to the author, the Taliban smashed the sixth-century CE giant statues in 2001 with artillery fire and by detonating anti-tank mines.