The company that owns Formula 1 swooped in to buy the MotoGP motorcycle championship on Monday in a deal worth €4.2 billion ($4.5 billion). US-based Liberty Media will acquire "approximately" 86% of MotoGP's current owner, Dorna, the company said. "We are thrilled to expand our portfolio of leading live sports and entertainment assets with the acquisition of MotoGP," Liberty Media president and CEO Greg Maffei said. What's next for MotoGP? Dorna management will retain around 14% of its equity in the business, and its longtime CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta will remain in his post. "This is the perfect next step in the evolution of MotoGP, and we are excited for what this milestone brings to Dorna, the MotoGP paddock and racing fans," Ezpeleta said. "We are proud of the global sport we've grown, and this transaction is a testament to the value of the sport today and its growth potential." F1 and MotoGP under the one umbrella The deal is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. However, it could attract regulatory scrutiny from competition authorities in various jurisdictions. Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners had owned both F1 and MotoGP in the past but was forced to sell the motorcycle racing series to buy F1 after European Union competition regulators raised objections.

At a time when US federal government is pushing for a ban on TikTok, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a law restricting children's access to social media. The law will come into effect on January 1, 2025. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed into law a bill restricting social media access for minors, as concerns grow over the negative effects such platforms are having on teens in the United States. The signing came barely two weeks after federal lawmakers in the House and Senate passed a bill that could see the Chinese-owned video platform TikTok banned in the US.  DeSantis on Monday said his administration is "trying to help parents navigate this very difficult terrain that we have now with raising kids." What we know so far The law, which will go into effect on January 1, 2025, will bar Florida children 13 and under from having social media accounts, and 14- and 15-year-olds will need parental consent to use them. "Governor Ron DeSantis signs HB3 to protect children from the harms of social media," the Florida Representative wrote on his official X account, formerly Twitter. Monday's bill was a watered down version of one previously put forth by Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Paul Renner that would have banned all children under 16 from social media. The new version of the bill also dropped wording that detailed exactly how platforms would have to verify a user's age. Though most social media platforms require users to be 13 or older, they do little in terms of enforcement. The new law does not target any one company but is aimed at restricting access to platforms that use "addictive" features such as "likes," push notifications, auto-play videos and those that encourage "infinite scrolling." According to Speaker Renner, social media is fraught with risks from traffickers and pedophiles. He also claimed "social media platforms have caused a devastating effect in the mental well being of our children." "Our bill is focused on addiction," said Renner. "Unlike an adult who can make an adult decision… a child, in their brain development, doesn’t have the ability to know they are being sucked into these addictive technologies, and to see the harm and step away from it." Child protection vs. free speech: battle lines drawn The law has sparked concern among those who fear it sets a precedent for restricting free speech online.  At the same time, there has also been growing concern across the country about the effects of social media on child and teen development. While proponents claim the social media ban gives parents oversight in the matter, others say the government should stay out of such issues altogether. Renner said he expects social media companies will, "sue the second after this is signed. But you know what? We're going to beat them. We're going to beat them and we're never, ever going to stop." DeSantis, former Republican presidential candidate and a combative "culture warrior," has seen similarly ambitious legislation overturned before. Just recently, for instance, a majority Republican appeals court struck down his signature 2022 "Stop Woke Act" for violating free speech rights. Those opposing the new law, among them giant tech companies like Meta, say it not only violates free speech rights, it also strips away parental authority — something DeSantis and fellow Republicans claim to champion. "This bill goes too far in taking away parents' rights," Democratic Representative Anna Eskamani said in a statement Monday. "Instead of banning social media access, it would be better to ensure improved parental oversight tools and improved access to data to stop bad actors — alongside major investments in Florida's mental health systems and programs."

Chinese reporters, often thought of as mouthpieces for Beijing, appeared to be pushed out of that role Wednesday when authorities physically intervened while several state media reporters were gathering news or doing live coverage from the scene of a deadly blast in Hebei province. The actions of local authorities triggered a quick response from the All-China Journalists Association, which issued a statement defending the role of journalists acting in their professional manner in Chinese society. The death toll from the blast that hollowed out a four-story building has risen to seven, according to state media reports, with dozens more injured. Local authorities told Chinese media on Thursday that the blast was caused by underground gas pipe leaks, not business entities that were housed in the building, as previously reported. Chinese reporters from multiple media outlets rushed to the scene within hours of the explosion, among them reporters from China Central Television, a key player in China’s state media conglomerate, along with People’s Daily and Xinhua. During CCTV Channel 2’s midday broadcast Wednesday, while two Beijing anchors questioned the station’s reporter on the scene live, viewers saw men, dressed in black, approach the reporter and block the camera. The reporter was cut off midsentence, causing the two anchors sitting in their studio in Beijing to say “be safe,” before turning to “other news.” In another incident from the blast scene, a team of reporters from another CCTV department, wearing media vests, were grabbed by about a dozen security officers before they were marched away, as seen in a video clip posted online by one of the reporters. The two incidents prompted the All-China Journalists Association to issue a statement Wednesday evening on WeChat. It briefly recounted the incidents, then raised and answered three questions. “Should journalists be out reporting?” the association asked. It answered yes, adding, “The public wants to know more about this grave and significant public safety incident.” It then asked whether reporters on the scene were causing trouble, to which it said no, adding that safeguarding the public’s right to know is part of journalists’ job. It also highlighted the CCTV teams’ professionalism on the scene. Finally, the association asked whether an official press release or its equivalent could replace reporting, to which the association answered no. “In the absence of trained reporters filing from the scene, the pubic is left with two sources of information,” the association said. “One is through official statements; the second is various information spread on the internet. However, an official statement won’t cover the details, while information spread on the internet could potentially spread rumors. Hence the role of professional media is critical.” The association concluded its statement by saying authorities should not crudely interfere or interrupt journalists at work. Members of China’s state media rarely are seen being physically harassed by authorities, especially not on live television. Even more rare is for a national trade association, in this case one representing China’s own journalists, to come out in defense of their members’ right to work and to be treated with respect. As Thursday began, a little more than 24 hours after Wednesday's deadly blast, the incident and associated developments was the number one searched topic on China’s social media platform Weibo, clocking in 440 million views, a third of China’s 1.4 billion population. By Thursday evening, however, the topic was nowhere to be seen among the top 10 “hot search” topics on Weibo. Many commentators on Weibo expressed support for the reporters and pointed to law enforcement figures’ actions as an example of the unchecked power wielded by multiple layers of the one-party state. When Hebei local authorities explained that the CCTV reporters’ live feed was interrupted out of “safety concerns,” one Weibo user responded: “The real threat to our safety is the violation of the public’s right to know and journalists’ right to do their job.” On Thursday, a statement was posted by the “command center in charge of the blast and fire incident,” acknowledging mishandling of the situation in which reporters were “forced to leave the scene.” “Looks like the authorities’ weiwen techniques were used on state media representatives, how ironic,” noted a Chinese commentator on Twitter/X. Weiwen is the term the government uses to describe efforts to maintain social stability. It is widely seen at home and abroad as the government’s means to suppress dissent, or potential dissent, often violently.   Source: VOA

Thirteen people have died in a school dormitory fire in central China's Henan province, the official Xinhua news agency reported Saturday (Jan 20). The blaze at the Yingcai School in Henan's Yanshanpu village was reported to the local fire department at 11 p.m. (1500 GMT) Friday night, Xinhua said. Thirteen people have been confirmed dead, the news agency said, adding that one person was injured. "Rescuers arrived at the scene quickly and the flames were extinguished at 11"38 p.m.," Xinhua said.   The injured survivor "is currently receiving treatment at the hospital and is in stable condition," according to Xinhua. Xinhua did not say if any of the dead were children. However, a report in the Hebai Daily said a teacher confirmed that all the victims were students from the same third-grade class of nine- and 10-year-olds. Local authorities are investigating the fire's cause, and at least one person linked to the school has been detained, Xinhua said.   Online anger Yanshanpu village lies on the outskirts of Nanyang, a city of nearly 10 million. Little information about the boarding school is publicly available, though social media videos published earlier showed young children including kindergarteners wearing smocks with the school's logo as well as older children learning calligraphy. Chinese social media users on Saturday expressed outrage about the fire and called for any safety lapses to be punished. "It's too scary, 13 children from 13 families, all gone in an instant. ... if there is no severe punishment their souls will not rest in peace," one commenter on the Weibo social media site wrote.   Fires and other deadly accidents are common in China due to lax safety standards and poor enforcement. In November, 26 people died and dozens were sent to hospital after a fire at a coal company office in northern China's Shanxi province. In July, 11 people died after the roof of a school gym collapsed in the country's northeast.   The month before, an explosion at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China left 31 dead and prompted official pledges of a nationwide campaign to promote workplace safety. In April, a hospital fire in Beijing killed 29 people and forced desperate survivors to jump out of windows to escape. After the coal company fire in November, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the country to "conduct in-depth investigations of hidden risks in key industries, improve emergency plans and prevention measures."

China has formally complained to Nepal that its recent ban on the Chinese-owned, Singapore-based TikTok app was for ‘geopolitical reasons’ and it would not look at it kindly, said an opinion piece posted on kathmandupost.com Dec 25. The piece also notes that China had become more hawkish in its diplomacy with Nepal in recent times amid perception that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal wants to keep a safe distance from it in his newfound realisation that to prolong his stay in power, it is New Delhi he must humour, not Beijing. While the prime minister struggled to explain that the TikTok ban had nothing to do with geopolitics, it is worth noting that official Chinese protests these days are not limited to decisions of the Nepal government and its agencies, the piece has noted. If a Nepali news outlet publishes something that even remotely smacks of support for Taiwan or Tibet, the Chinese quickly take it up with Kathmandu, columnist Biswas Baral has noted. So Rastriya Samachar Samiti and The Rising Nepal have stopped printing anything the Chinese may find problematic. The northern neighbour now wants the (often easily cowed) Nepali state to impose similar censorship on private media, Baral has said. What is more, Nepal is finding it difficult to deal with an increasingly assertive China which employs what amounts of wolf diplomacy more than Confucian charm on it. He has cited the instance when the Chinese Ambassador Chen Song openly declared that Nepal was unfortunate to have neighbours like India. “When the foreign ministry summons Chen for an explanation, he shrugs: He was just stating a plain truth. Talk to senior government officials and diplomats, and they seem to be at a loss for how to deal with such Chinese insouciance,” Baral has noted. Also, citing an interaction he had with a leader of the more pro-China CPN-UML after his recent visit to China, Baral has said that the Nepali communist party leader was miffed that the Chinese gave him short shrift whenever he tried to raise matters of Nepal’s interest, even as they enthusiastically spoke of Kathmandu’s need to support this or that initiative of their own. Baral suggests that for any kind of engagement with China, it is worth noting what former Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale, a fluent Mandarin speaker himself, had written: “A key to getting the Chinese negotiators to take serious notice of your concerns is to keep them from choreographing the negotiation. Challenge all points of their interest and raise all issues of your own even if they are not on the agenda. If this frustrates or irritates them, that helps limit their control of the negotiation.” This is because, in any negotiation, “they “the Chinese) like to set the agenda, put the other side on the defensive from the outset. As the low-ranking Chinese interlocutors don’t have the power to take vital decisions, they rarely budge from the line handed from above.”

Users are spending more time online. Among children, social media consumption has skyrocketed compared to pre-pandemic levels. In the US, tech giants are on trial for endangering minors with addictive platforms. Oh why not, just one more post. Not that good? Well then how about the next one? That content will surely be more interesting. Anyone who's been on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or TikTok knows the feeling: Before we realize it, "a quick peek" can easily become an hour or two of doom scrolling. Social media is everywhere. We can access it through our phones, on our computers, at work, or during our free time. We use it to chat, to post, to stay up-to-date, to follow the latest gosssip, to hear what others have to say. But social media has its dark sides. The number of people consuming excessive amounts of social media content is rising. Over 6% of Germany's youth, or about 600,000 girls and boys, are addicted to social media and gaming. That's according to a study by German health insurer DAK and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), published this spring. It found that over two million minors used social media or streaming platforms in ways it labeled, "problematic." Accordingly, the amount of time children and young adults spend in front of a screen has risen sharply compared to pre-pandemic levels, up to about two hours and 45 minutes a day on social media alone. Helpful or harmful? So are social media just another dangerous contraption? "At the very least, their role is ambivalent," said Tobias Dienlin, assistant professor for interactive communication at the University of Vienna in Austria. "There is a lot of trivial content, but some of it can also be beneficial."  The expert added: "You can use social media in many different ways. You can passively consume content, or you can actively engage with social media to communicate and maintain relationships." As long as this happens in moderation, everything is fine, he said. Things only become problematic, he cautioned, when users start excessively frequenting social media sites. To date, there is no precise medical definition of social media addiction. "But just because a diagnosis doesn't exist, doesn't mean the phenomenon doesn't exist," said Dienlin. The media expert explained that excessive social media consumption became an addiction when users weren't able to get around to other important things in their lives, when they had the desire to use social media less but found themselves unable to think about anything else, and when they started neglecting real-life social relationships. Attractive algorithms Most social media platforms exploit peoples' neurological hardwiring by offering a system of short-term rewards. Likes and emojis provide positive reinforcement, and any unpleasant content can easily be swiped away. "Introducing the possibility to scroll endlessly has meant that users never finish browsing. There's always new content to see," Dienlin said. "Of course that's extremely addictive, because it means users have to actively disengage from their screens. When I finish reading a book, then I'm done. All television shows come to an end. But that's not the case online." What's more, many social media platforms run on algorithms designed to tailor the content we see to our personal preferences. This makes it even harder to control how much we consume. Those who struggle in other areas of their lives are particularly vulnerable to media addiction. "People who already have weak impulse control, or who struggle to organize their daily lives, have an even harder time with social media," Dienlin said. Escapism and echo chambers  To people who are lonely, or depressed, consuming excessive amounts of social media can also be a welcome escape from reality. "In these cases, it helps us regulate our mood and exit uncomfortable situations," the expert explained. "If I'm feeling bored, or overwhelmed, or if I'm feeling ashamed and guilty, and then I reach for my phone and open social media, it's all gone. In an instant." On the other hand, excessive social media consumption can also worsen existing psychological conditions, such as depression or eating disorders. This can happen when users seek out certain harmful content, which algorithms then learn to present more frequently in accordance with the users' stated preferences. US class action again big tech In the United States, hundreds of families have now joined a class action lawsuit against four of the world's largest tech firms. They blame Facebook operator Meta, Chinese TikTok operator ByteDance, Google and YouTube operator Alphabet, and Snapchat operator Snap for not only disregarding the risk of children becoming addicted to social media, but also actively promoting it. Several school districts have also filed suit. Among other things, the plaintiffs claim companies have insufficiently enforced parental controls and age-verification systems, and made it unnecessarily difficult to delete social media accounts. It was long unclear if the lawsuit would proceed, as the defendants denied all accusations, brushing them off as unsubstantiated. But in mid-November, a US district court judge rejected the social media giants' bid to throw out the case. But how meaningful might the case be? Dienlin is unsure: "A lawsuit like this attracts a lot of attention. The way I see it, it's not irrelevant to point these things out. But, as is so often the case, there are two sides to the story. If providers want to make their services more attractive, which any profit-oriented business aims to do, then they of course automatically raise the potential risk for addiction. But users can't deny their responsibility. We have to do both: optimize technology, and also train and help users." The EU has meanwhile launched investigations into YouTube and TikTok, too, on suspicion of violations against child protection regulations. Strategies to prevent addiction Above all, the expert recommended users remain vigilant about their own social media habits, as well as those of their children. "It's good to discuss it as a family, and to practice abstinence, without immediately resorting to thinking that all social media is absolute hogwash." He also recommended restricting time spent on social media, and physically putting phones aside occassionally. It's important for users to rediscover alternatives to their smartphones, too. Dienlin suggested physical activity, pursuing a hobby, meeting friends, or volunteering. "It would be wrong to assume that social media networks are to blame for us feeling down. Oftentimes, being glued to one's phone is indicative of a wider problem. But it can cause more problems," he explained. Even just realizing this, he said, could be the first step out of social media addiction.

While many have expressed disappointment with the limited attention from the West regarding Myanmar’s political crisis, it is especially surprising that Myanmar’s neighboring countries have not exhibited more interest.  A perusal of Chinese newspapers – Myanmar’s most substantial neighbor – reveals scant coverage of the Myanmar population’s distress and the resistance forces opposing the military junta, the State Administration Council (SAC). This media oversight is not a coincidence. Politically speaking, the Chinese government may be apprehensive of its citizens drawing parallels or being influenced by Myanmar’s democratic struggles, especially in an era where information spreads rapidly across digital platforms. In a heavily censored information environment, Beijing is not interested in providing news coverage about the violence inflicted by the SAC on its citizens or footage of armed rebellions by ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and the anti-military People’s Defense Forces.  Despite the ongoing civil war, widespread resistance and associated violence, few in China are aware of what is going on in Myanmar. And even though Beijing has significant economic and strategic interests in Myanmar and has a strong preference for stability in the country, Chinese domestic media has been silent since the 2021 coup. Source: asiatimes.com

The European Union intends to usher in stricter rules on social media microtargeting — including tougher barriers for advertisers outside of the bloc to buy political ads aimed at residents of EU member states. Back in 2008, Barack Obama successfully deployed microtargeted social media adverts, which use personal data to precision-aim messaging at specific groups of voters, in his campaign for the presidency of the United States. Use of the marketing technique increased in the years after and ultimately gained notoriety among the wider public thanks to Cambridge Analytica, the British political consultancy that assisted Donald Trump in his successful 2016 US presidential campaign. It later emerged that the company had harvested data from tens of millions of Facebook profiles. Microtargeted political ads would no longer be allowed in the EU under a deal agreed to on Monday by negotiators representing the Council of the European Union, which brings together governmental ministers from the member states, and the European Parliament. Preventing hidden influence Their agreement paves the way for a new law stipulating that personal data can only be collected if users have expressly consented for it to be used for political advertising. Data that allow advertisers to build profiles based on ethnicity, political views or sexual orientation are to be completely excluded from collection, according to official press releases from the council and the European Parliament. The law still needs to be formally approved before it comes into force. Martin Emmer, a professor with the Institute for Media and Communication Studies at the Free University of Berlin, told DW that the new rules wouldn't completely spell the end of microtargeting. Emmer said microtargeting was an important tool for political parties to reach voters over social media. The regulations are mainly about preventing hidden influence, Emmer said, including advertising in which people receive "messages tailored to their life situation in such a way that it is no longer possible to recognize any party ideology." Under the rules, political adverts would have to be clearly labeled and users will be able to find out who is behind them. The idea is to build up a publicly viewable archive of political adverts. An 'information war' The rules are also intended to reduce the influence of non-EU countries on elections held within the bloc. Three months before polls or referendums in the European Union, the financing of adverts from third countries would be restricted, according to a press release from the European Parliament. In Germany, for example, the rules could prohibit voters of Turkish heritage from being targeted on behalf of Turkish politicians. Though Russia wasn't mentioned explicitly, attempts to rein in the Kremlin's influence are also likely behind the rules. The European Commission has repeatedly warned of Russian interference in recent years. Emmer doubts that the rules would deter actors who are intent on waging an "information war." However, he said, the rules would give the European Union and its member states more control over such advertising. Emmer also welcomed the introduction of an archive to allow researchers to probe the effectiveness of the measures. Most of the regulations won't come into force in time for the June 2024 elections to the European Parliament. An 18-month transition period is planned — beginning as soon as the legislature and EU member states give their official approval.  

The rumour mill of Chinese media is working overtime to make unsubstantiated claims about dramatic improvements in relations between China and Bhutan and to spread the impression that a settlement of the boundary dispute between China and Bhutan is round the corner. Reports from Thimphu do not indicate anything to corroborate such sweeping claims of Beijing. Claims to the effect that Bhutan is prepared to establish diplomatic relations with China which again do not find any corroboration from the Bhutanese authorities do indicate, however, that Beijing is mounting immense pressure on Thimphu for the establishment of diplomatic relations; as a first step bring the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan under its sphere of influence. All these sweeping claims have been made in the state-controlled news agency of China Xinhua and the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China Global Times while reporting on the 25th Round of Boundary Talks held between Bhutan and China on October 23 and 24, 2023, in Beijing. The text of the joint statement issued by the two countries and appearing in the websites of the Foreign Ministry of Bhutan and the Foreign Ministry of the People’s Republic of China are identical, but do not corroborate all the claims made in the Xinhua and Global Times reports. The Press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 25th Round of Boundary Talks between Bhutan and China on October 23 and 24 in Beijing is brief. It says the Bhutanese delegation was led by Foreign Minister of Bhutan Lyonpo Tandi Dorji. “The two sides held in-depth discussions on the boundary negotiations and noted the progress made through a series of Expert Group Meetings since the 24th Round of Boundary Talks in 2016. The two leaders of the delegations commended the Expert Group for the work done and agreed to build on the positive momentum. The two leaders of the delegations signed the Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Bhutan and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Responsibilities and Functions of the Joint Technical Team on the Delimitation and Demarcation of the Bhutan-China Boundary. The JTT was established during the 13th Expert Group Meeting to assist the Expert Group in the implementation of the MoU on the Three-Step Roadmap. The two sides agreed to continue working together to simultaneously push forward the implementation of all the steps of the Three Step Roadmap.” That was all. The postscript that the “discussions were held in a warm and friendly atmosphere in keeping with the ties of friendship and cooperation between Bhutan and China. The two sides also exchanged views on enhancing bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest” was most likely a diplomatic nicety. The release mentions that Tandi Dorji had meetings with Vice President of China Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi but makes no further comment on what was discussed.  According to the Xinhua report, during the meeting Wang Yi told Tandi Dorji that China was ready to conclude boundary negotiations and establish diplomatic relations with Bhutan as soon as possible. According to Wang Yi, China and Bhutan were “linked by mountains and rivers and enjoy a profound traditional friendship” and that the conclusion of boundary negotiations and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries “fully serve the long-term and fundamental interest of Bhutan,” emphasizing that the sides should “complete the important process as soon as possible in legal form.” The Xinhua report also claimed that Tandi Dorji said “Bhutan upholds one-China principle,”that “Bhutan is willing to work with China to strive for an early settlement of the boundary question and advance the political process of establishing diplomatic ties.” According to the report, Dorji said “Bhutan greatly appreciates and supports the China[1]proposed Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative.”The Global Times report basically replicated the Xinhua report. A belated report in Bhutanese newspaper Kuensel on October 28 mentioned about a news conference by Tandi Dorji in Beijing where he had said the Bhutan government was optimistic about reaching a conclusion in the boundary negotiations with China at the earliest and establishing diplomatic relations, Prime Minister of Bhutan Lotay Tshering in a recent interview had remained non-committal on the question of establishing diplomatic relations with China, emphasizing on the need to determine “when” and “how.” Going by the recent Indian experience of China occupying by deceit large parts of disputed territories in the Ladakh sector of the India – China boundary, the reported assertion of Wang Yi to Tandi Dorji that “China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries” should sound like a sick joke. It is not clear either how the conclusion of boundary negotiations and the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries will“fully serve the long-term and fundamental interest of Bhutan;”as claimed by Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi.  China has made sweeping claims on Bhutanese territories; in the north the valleys of Pasamlung and Jakarlung, and in western Bhutan the valleys of Doklam, Dramana, Charithang and Snichulungpa. Most surprisingly, in 2020 China also extended its claim to the Sakteng Sanctuary in eastern Bhutan. In the previous rounds of boundary negotiations between the two countries, there had been no mention of eastern Bhutan. Thimphu had duly lodged a protest with Beijing against the fresh claim on Sakteng Sanctuary. In fact, the origin of the border dispute between China and Bhutan is the intransigence of China in recognizing the traditional dividing line between Tibet and Bhutan after its illegal occupation of Tibet in 1950. Tibet and Bhutan have been neighbours since time immemorial with close historical and cultural ties. China has no locus standi in raising a border dispute between Bhutan and Tibet. The real interest of Beijing in making all these territorial claims in Bhutan is to gain control of strategically important territories in western Bhutan that overlook the vulnerable Siliguri corridor of India. Sakteng Sanctuary in eastern Bhutan is contiguous to the again strategically important Tawang sector. The claim on territories in northern Bhutan is just a red herring. Beijing has always worked against the interest of Thimphu, taking over the control of eight Bhutanese enclaves in Tibet in 1959. These enclaves were originally territories of the kingdom of Ladakh which exercised control over western Tibet. The rulers of Ladakh had gifted these enclaves to Bhutan as the rulers of both the countries were followers of the Drukpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.  It is not surprising that boundary negotiations between Bhutan and China have not made much progress ever since it was initiated in 1984. Any careful observer of the sequence of events pertaining to the border talks will not be impressed with the pace of progress. For, while the 25th Round of Boundary Talks between the two countries was held in October 2023, the earlier 24th Round of Boundary Talks, as stated in the joint communiqué, was held in 2016; long seven years ago. The boundary negotiations between China and Bhutan have thus progressed at snail’s pace, if at all. All that the 25th Round of Boundary Talks achieved was to decide on how the Joint Technical Team, which was set up in a meeting of an Expert Group in August 2023, would function and what its responsibilities would be. It was an exercise in determining the modalities, nothing concrete was achieved in the meeting held in Beijing on October 23 and 24. The ‘Three Step Roadmap’ which China wants to thrust on Bhutan involves, first, reaching an agreement on the border through negotiations, then conducting site visits on the ground physically to inspect and assess the border areas; and lastly formally to demarcate the boundary. Analysts say the Joint Technical Team would have a long way to go in reaching an agreement on the border through negotiations before the more difficult process of ground visits can commence.  Verbal assurances from Foreign Minister of Bhutan Tandi Dorji about Thimphu accepting the ‘One China Principle,’ again, is of little value. In the merciless world of diplomatic negotiations, such stands of nations have to be written down in the form of joint protocol. So also about Bhutan establishing full diplomatic relations with China; in a one-on-one meeting with his Chinese counterpart, the Foreign Minister of Bhutan could not have done otherwise.  The claim that the Foreign Minister of Bhutan has greatly appreciated the high sounding global initiatives that Beijing is planning to initiate — on development, security and civilization — does not sound too convincing either. There is no available report of Bhutan attending the Belt and Road Initiative conference held in Beijing on October 17 and 18; less than a week ahead of the visit of Tandi Dorji to the Chinese capital. It seems that Thimphu does not have much confidence in BRI, the pet project of President of China Xi Jinping. Beijing will do well to remember that its joy had been short-lived in 2022 to read an interview of Prime Minister of Bhutan Lotay Tshering in the Belgian newspaper La Libre that Bhutan would soon demarcate the boundary with China in the Doklam plateau where the viewpoint of Beijing would be accommodated.  Lotay Tshering himself had issued a clarification soon that there was no change in position of Bhutan and that India had an equal stake in the boundary dispute between Bhutan and China in the Doklam plateau.  More, soon after the interview of the Prime Minister of Bhutan in the Belgian newspaper, none other than the King of Bhutan himself had visited New Delhi and had with the Prime Minister of India “discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and of regional and global issues of mutual interest.”Bhutan, thus, continues to be the closest friend of India.

Elon Musk said Friday that his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, will soon launch two new tiers of premium subscriptions. "One is lower cost with all features, but no reduction in ads, and the other is more expensive, but has no ads," Musk said in a post on X. He did not add any more details about the plans. More changes coming to X Earlier this week, X started charging new users in New Zealand and the Philippines $1.00 for accessing the platform, in a test case called "Not a Bot," aimed at reducing spam and manipulation on the platform.  "This new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. It is not a profit driver," the X support account tweeted. Users who chose not to subscribe in those regions will only be able to read posts, watch videos and follow accounts. They would not have the option of commenting, liking, sharing or posting themselves. Musk bought the platform in October last year, and has since made a flurry of changes. This includes mass layoffs and disbanding content moderation teams. Earnings from advertising have since taken a hit.  He has acknowledged that the platform's revenue has dropped, citing activists pressuring advertisers as the reason.  Musk has also started charging users $8.00 (€7.50) per month as subscription for the blue tick, and offered discounts for advertisers.  Activists and watchdog groups say the changes have allowed misinformation to thrive on the platform.