Tag: China

The Haunted Midnight Bus of Beijing

You all must have heard of mysterious things like a mythical creature being spotted somewhere or someone experiencing something out of this world. People have even claim to have seen Aliens on above. People have came out with their own experiences about having encounter something that is not easy to believe. Most of the time we don’t even believe what the person is saying no matter how hard they try.

For them its just a story. People ignore it by saying that why it ever happens to them or why they don’t feel it. Well, what is there are several people witnessing it and there is nothing to prove it wrong.

Yes, this incident is something that happened in and to a bus so it is witnessed by more than one person . There are even many things to prove that the incident is nothing normal.

The incident took place in November of 1995. Bus number 375 off from Yuan Min in Beijing, China. The bus had two passengers and driver and conductor. The bus passengers were a student and an old lady. At one stop a couple enters the bus. Everything was normal and fine until the bus stopped for two persons. It was quite late and the bus was the last bus on that route. so, the driver stooped the bus to let them come in. But when the bus stopped they saw that it was not two but three people.

There were three people, in which two of them have old the third one as he was sick or unconscious.

They entered the bus and everyone was quite surprised to see them. All of them had clothes that were used in the era of 1600 to 1900s. But the ignored it. Another thing that was a little weird about them was that their skin was too white. It did not seem natural it was almost pale.

The bus conductor jokingly said that they might be actors and that’s why they had this uniform and makeup on them. The bus continued on its way. Later on a stop the couple who took the bus earlier got off.

Now there were 7 people in the bus. The old lady was sitting in the middle seat and the student was sitting in front of her and the three people who got in earlier were siting behind her. The lady was continuously looking at the passengers sitting behind her.

The Haunted Midnight Bus of Beijing

Suddenly she started yelling that the boy who was siting in front of her has stolen her purse. She complains to conductor that the boy has stolen her purse. But the boy kept refusing and said that how can he take her purse when is the one sitting ahead of her. He kept on insisting that its impossible for him to take the purse from her. The allegation turns into an argument and the old lay demands to go to the police station straight form the bus.

But the driver cannot go out of the route he was suppose to follow. So, he suggests that they go to the Police Station on their own. The bus stops at one of the bus stop and both the lady and the student get off the bus. As both of them get off the bus the boy asks the lady why she was wrongly accusing him. The lady told him that all that she did was to save both of their lives.

The boy got confused and asked her to clarify what she was talking about. The lady told him that she was continuously keeping an eye on those three persons. One time she saw that they had no legs when a blow of air came from wind. She also told him that the faces of those three people kept on changing and were getting bizarre. The boy was unable to believe cause he did not saw anything like that. Both of them went to police station and told the police everything that happened.

Police as usually thought that both of them had an argument and the lady was old so she might have had some misconception. They get their information and then tell them to leave.

The Haunted Midnight Bus of Beijing

But next morning a shocking thing happens. Bus number 375 never reached the BUS DEPOT. The bus was supposed to come back to its depot after its last route but it never did. The manager tried everything but he was not able to find anything about the bus. There was no information about the bus, the driver and conductor and the passengers of the bus.

Now the missing of the bus was reported to the police and they started looking for the bus. The CCTV s were available. So police started checking the footage. But shockingly the bus was not captured in of the camera after the lady and the boy got of the bus. There were four more stops after that and the bu was not captured on any of them.

But them remember about how the old lady and the boy came to report the same bus. They cal them again and start asking questions. The old lady repeats the whole scenario and tells them everything she told last night. The news spread like wild fire and it was everywhere. The description given by The old lady lead to everyone on the same conclusion that the three men she was talking about were non other than ghosts.

Soon a report is made about a bus being drowned in a river in Beijing. They check the bus and it was the same missing Bus. They check the bus and find five dead bodies in the bus. This was not all. The bodies of Driver and conductor were not that rotten as the bodies of the three men.The bodies of thee men were totally decomposed and it was not possible to happen in two days. And even if it was then why it did not happened to all the bodies.

The autopsy showed that the driver and conduct died from drowning but the three men were dead before bus got into water. It was all a mystery in itself when the manager of the bus revealed something more mysterious. The manager told the police that the buses are fueled up at the depot only and the refill is made only for the bus to complete its route. The drivers are not allowed to fuel up the buses anywhere else. If the driver tries that it would lead him to loosing his job.

In order to confirm if the driver did refilled the fuel or not, The police checked the fuel tank and it was another unsolved mystery. The fuel tank was full of blood. It was all kept on getting mysterious and Mysterious. So there were a lot of questions like how did bus went at the place it was found when it was 100 of km far from its stop point. Secondly how did they dies and what happened to those three men. Who were the? and why their bodies were so decomposed.

The questions are still unanswered and people still don’t know what really happened on that bus. This became a legend in China and people stopped using the route 375 totally. The route was considered haunted after the incident and the mystery of the midnight bus is still unsolved.

SO, What do you think happened on the bus and what was the reason behind the different way of bodies being decompose. Tell you thoughts in the comments and stay with us for more interesting things like this.

why is china so successful in olympics ?

In terms of athletes from a young age, training hard, and often away from families to go to training centers, this is true, but one needs to understand the context within China, the opportunities that present to these athletes (pay, education, better life), and these athletes’ background (from low socioeconomic families), before passing simple judgment. I will elaborate on this below at the bottom, as I also did in comment on someone else’s answer.

These facts below however are true of why China athletes succeed at the Olympics:

1) The Chinese train harder than anyone else in the world; as other foreign coaches working with China’s Olympic Team have stated in media in past: The Guardian. Following Confucius beliefs, the Chinese believe hard work gets results, and following a progressive long-term athletic development model with repetition of technique and skill they perfect every movement until optimised (thus why they succeed in sports like table tennis, diving, gymnastics, and even weightlifting requires perfection of technique).

2) Centralised Training Program with High Government Support & Funding: The Chinese government has a heavily fund and centralized top-down training model; with the one goal to achieve Olympic Gold. The exact figures of the funding are unknown, and not as transparent as other nations, but still estimated to be the highest funded high performance program in the world. These funds help to pay athletes’ salaries, have full-time staff supporting those athletes, get the best coaches & foreign expertise to improve it further, build big training facilities, and really do anything they want. With a structured pyramid program, with around 5000 sports schools, filtering into province training centers, and then the best up into the Olympic center. Ensuring that the Chinese Olympic program can run smoothly and succeed at its goal.

3) Foreign Expertise: The big jump made at Beijing 2008 and beyond, had a lot to do with foreign expertise. The sourced the world for the best coaches, the best staff. Head coaches alone, there were 28 foreign coaches for the last Olympics; so to say Chinese coaches are “torturing” kids, then ask yourself but what about the foreign coaches? I even know examples where athletes get injured and they fly in experts from around the world for their opinions. This spending of money for an athlete is rarely done elsewhere.

4) Strong talent Identification and Long-term Athletic Development Model: At young ages they look for kids who have the physical capabilities that will allow them to succeed in a sport, and then build on-top of that strong base with a long-term athletic development plan. E.g., start with basic skills and foundation until that is perfected, then build on top of that with another skill, etc.

5) Top-down sports system vs. bottom-up: China is a top-down sports system, a system where the top level controls and manages everything with the goal to achieve Olympic success. Meaning the entire reason athletes enter the system at the bottom (the sports schools), is with the aim to achieve the government’s goal of Olympic success. Some other Asian nations however have similar systems. This contrasts however to Western nations, whereas it’s a bottom-up system, whereas the community and club levels develop athletes, and athletes enter sport for their own goals. One where they just naturally develop going through lower levels, until they have a talent, and then get recognised and selected for national program (and not until then does the government or national sports governing body have much influence on that athlete’s life). Of course arguments and debate on which is optimal. However it’s not hard to see that if you have a control of athlete’s life and sports development from the day they enter sport, and plan & goal for those athletes to succeed at Olympics, then it is much easier to plan for accomplishing that goal (in point 4 above), e.g., what education do they need, what skills do they need, what physical requirements do they need, how much sleep do they need, what medical support do they need, etc.

6) Year round structured training (More prepared): Not to say not all athletes train year round, but the Chinese have a 365 days/year training together as a team generally in most sports. Although some sports like Basketball they have around 6 months (as they spend the other 6 months in their professional teams), but that’s still lot more time together in national team than other nations. What does this mean? Well it means they are going to function better as a team, be more prepared to work with the national coach, better skilled, and better in team environment & teams culture, and with the physical resilience and technical skills to succeed. A lot of other programs in Olympic sports around the world do not follow such a professional program, for example some Olympic teams athletes train independently and then only come together to join the national team in the months or even just weeks before the games.

7) Smart Allocation of Funding: They concentrate on sports that they can win, or succeed at, be it sports that they see an opportunity (less competitive) or sports that they know they win (e.g., table tennis). For example many gymnasts are changed into snow boarding, aerial skiing, and diving. Because of the Chinese athletes’ great gymnastic abilities, they thus would make a good for a similar sports that requires these skills to help and thus can become more competitive then people without those same gymnastic abilities. They also focus on sheer medal numbers; they concentrate on sports with different weight classes (e.g., weight lifting or wrestling) or sports with more medals (e.g., swimming). But then this same approach is done by most centralized sports systems, including Australia.

8) Repetition of Skill or Technical Focused Training: the old rule, repeat until you are perfect or ‘practice makes perfect’. Very much following Confucius thinking here, in China the kids do ONE sport, and repeat the same skill over and over, day in and day out. This is something not done or rare in many nations, for example kids in Australia or America would play many sports in their childhood, they develop better motor skills and coordination but not fine tuning one skill like the Chinese. Is thus the reason China often succeed in technical focused sports like table tennis, diving, gymnastics, because they have trained until they perfected the routine. However all sports do have a technical focus, even track & field, weightlifting, and swimming; related to efficiency and ease of movement.

9) Rewards for Athletes & Better Life: The rewards for those who make it are great. Some Olympic athletes earn more a week than their poor family can in a year. That way it’s a great way forward for poor families to jump to a better social class. This provides excellent motivation for them to train hard. China Olympic champions are suggested to get $200,000USD for an Olympic Gold (figure appears to vary in different sources), and add in houses, a high level job within the government upon retirement; even winning the All-China Games grants athletes $100,000USD (depending on the province). Most of these athletes come from families that work in factories, and/or farms, earning just enough to feed the family.

10) National Pride: sports is seen as a sign of power similar to GDP. A collective culture still, looking to better the community they are within. They do it for the family, nation, and less for themselves (opposite to the west). A way to show a strong and powerful nation.

However above all, one big factor: they want it more than anyone else in the world (similar to the Kenyans in distance running), that motivational factor is big thing in elite sport.

Malware hiding in AI neural networks

A trio of Cornell University academics discovered that malware code may be hidden inside AI neural networks. On the arXiv preprint server, Zhi Wang, Chaoge Liu, and Xiang Cui have published a paper outlining their experiences with inserting code into neural networks.

Criminals’ attempts to get into devices running new technology for their objectives, such as deleting or encrypting data and demanding payment from customers for its recovery, are becoming more complicated as computer technology becomes more complex. The researchers discovered a new technique to infect specific types of computer systems running artificial intelligence applications in their new study.

AI systems function by processing data in the same manner that the human brain does. However, the study team discovered that such networks are vulnerable to foreign code intrusion.

Foreign actors can infiltrate neural networks by their very nature. All such agents have to do is imitate the network’s structure, similar to how memories are added to the human brain. The researchers were able to accomplish so by embedding malware into the neural network powering an AI system dubbed AlexNet, despite the virus is very large, taking up 36.9 MiB of RAM on the AI system’s hardware. The researchers picked what they thought would be the optimum layer for injection to inject the code into the neural network. They also added it to a model that had previously been taught, although they cautioned that hackers may choose to target an untrained network since it would have less impact on the entire network.

Not only did ordinary antivirus software fail to detect the malware, but the AI system’s functionality remained nearly unchanged after infection, according to the researchers. As a result, if carried out surreptitiously, the infection may have gone unnoticed.

The researchers point out that merely inserting malware into the neural network would not be harmful—whoever snuck the code into the system would still need to figure out how to run it. They also point out that now that hackers can insert code into AI neural networks, antivirus software may be upgraded to detect it.

China’s three child policy

Earlier In china, one child policy was there which began in 1980 and was severely enforced until January 2016 when it was replaced by two-child policy. 

China’s Communist Party Politburo meeting, headed by President Xi Jinping, declared on May 31,2021 that each couple in the nation will be allowed to have up to three children, a significant increase from the previous two-child restriction.

It was in response to the findings of the 2020 census, after Chinese mothers gave birth to just 12 million kids in 2020 and the global population increased to 1.412 billion in 2020 from 1.4 billion the previous year. 

So therefore, As officials strive to resolve the country’s long-term demographic imbalances, Chinese couples will now be permitted to have up to three children. Supporting measures are also proposed which aims at easing the financial strain of raising children, including educational and housing expenditures. However, Existing exceptions to family planning, such as the lack of birth restrictions for some ethnic minority groups, remain in force. Couples that have more children than they are allowed risk significant fines, as well as unofficial consequences such as job loss, especially for those in the public sector.

Policymakers also stated that with addressing housing and school expenses they will also enhance maternity leave regulations, in order to reduce the costs of having children. But, administration made no specific promises on these topics, but did state that it would “protect the legitimate rights and interests of women in the workplace.” 

The question now is why did the government modify the regulations in the first place. So, the government did so because its census shows long-standing demographic imbalances that might jeopardize the country’s economic viability, forcing Party officials to take action. Furthermore, unlike industrialized countries with low fertility rates, China remains a growing middle-income country with a limited social safety net. The fact that China does not accept large numbers of immigrants, domestic reproduction is even more important in maintaining the size of its workforce. Demographers predict that by 2050, the people over 60 years old will account for a quarter of the population because of which China’s economic growth and social services would be hampered by a declining working-age population and an increasing senior population. According to a research issued in 2019 by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, urban pension funds might run out by 2035 owing to demographic issues. Also, The one-child policy also resulted in selective sex-based abortions, resulting in a long-term sex imbalance with 723.34 million males and 688.44 million women in 2020.

The reaction of people are very important on such issues. So Therefore, An online poll was taken shortly after the modification was revealed which showed that 90% of those polled stated they “would not contemplate” having three kids. In response to this, an independent political economist in Beijing said that The three-child policy may have limited appeal for China’s new ‘lying flat’ generation, but it may have some hold on others. He further added that to enhance people’s willingness to have more children, the government should work hard to reduce the burden of education, housing, and other things. However, young Chinese are unlikely to desire bigger families  

China’s 5 Year Plan (2021-2025): Proposed Dam on River Brahmaputra

The five-year plans are a sequence of economic and social development initiatives furnished by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) since 1949. The five-year plans were inspired by the five-year plans from the USSR and the focus was on launching new schemes, reforms and setting new growth targets.

Since the 11th five-year plan (2006-2010), the Chinese government has mentioned it as ‘Guidelines’ instead of plans. Currently China is on its 14th five-year plan/ guidelines. Unlike the previous five year plans, there is no specific GDP growth target and instead, the government announced that growth would be kept in “reasonable range” and an annual target would be set based on the specific conditions each year. The focus of the current plan is on self-sufficiency as the country had to endure difficulty after the United States had restricted China’s major chip makers from using American technology. Other areas of focus will be on the above 7 percent growth in the research and development spending. The government will also try to raise the urban residents to 65 percent of the population while maintaining green development and increasing the life expectancy by 1 year. Infrastructure will also be an area of priority with a focus on high-quality development of the belt and road initiative.

One of the biggest infrastructure projects of the 14th The five-year plan (2021-2025) has been officially approved to build a series of dams in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, as the Brahmaputra is known in Tibet before it flows into India.

The proposed dam would be in Medog, Tibet region will have a maximum possible capacity of 60 gigawatts and could potentially produce 300 billion kWh annually. The location is an area called ‘the great bend’ also known as ‘Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon’ where the river goes through a very drastic U-turn and then the river descents from an elevation of 3000 meters to around 800 meters. Due to the drastic elevation change, the river flow is quite strong and is also an ideal location to build the dam.

The location of the dam could be a strategically risky move by china as it is very close to the Indian border but the other issue is that this proposed dam can undermine the water security of India. India relies heavily on the Brahmaputra River for agriculture and various other purposes.  Due to this, the proposed Dibang Dam by India in downstream (Arunachal Pradesh) might be the solution to offset the effect of the Chinese proposed dam. Although the majority of the catchment area of Brahmaputra is on the Indian side there is still the issue of water flow from the upstream as Assam usually suffers from floods in the rainy season and any additional water flow from the Chinese dam would make the situation worse. The problem will not only affect India but also Bangladesh due to its low-lying land and flood-prone region. Problem is that the region is ecologically diverse and sensitive and any kind of development in this region will negatively affect the ecology of this region. Due to turbulent tectonic plates, there are high chances of landslides and earthquakes as well. India will have to be vigilant and develop its strategy according to the developments on the Chinese side.

References:

The Tiananmen Square Protests

What was it?

Tiananmen square is a city square in Beijing, China. In 1989, there were student-led protests and demonstrations calling for democracy, free speech and free press in China that culminated in this square. The pro-democracy student protestors had marched through Beijing to Tiananmen Square following the death of Hu Yao bang, a former communist party leader who had worked to introduce democratic reform in China. In mourning Hu, the students called for a more open, democratic government and also demanded the resignations of Chinese Communist Party leaders who were deemed repressive and inadequate. For nearly three weeks, the protesters kept up daily vigils, marched and chanted. The event drew around one million participants and was being captured and reported on by news channels all over the world. It had become a global event, but one which would have a terrifying ending.

The Tiananmen Square Massacre

The government had considered negotiating with the demonstrators and offering concessions. However, many in power were opposed to this and decided that to avoid anarchy, the protests needed to be suppressed forcibly. To this end, martial law was declared in Beijing, and army troops were stationed around the city. Initially, attempts by the troops to reach Tiananmen Square were thwarted by the citizens of Beijing who flooded the streets and blocked their way. Eventually however, the Chinese government decided to crack down on the protestors in Tiananmen square with all their might. They sent soldiers and security police that stormed through Tiananmen Square, firing indiscriminately into the crowds of protesters. Tanks and heavily armed troops advanced toward Tiananmen Square, opening fire on or crushing those who tried to block their way.

Hence, carnage ensued as tens of thousands of the young students tried to escape the terrorizing Chinese forces. Other protesters fought back, stoning the attacking troops and overturning and setting fire to military vehicles. Once the soldiers reached the square, a number of the few thousand remaining demonstrators chose to leave rather than face a continuation of the confrontation. By morning the area had been cleared of protesters, though sporadic shootings occurred throughout the day. By June 5, the military had secured complete control, though during the day there was a notable, widely reported incident involving a lone protester momentarily facing down a column of tanks as it advanced on him near the square. This incident is now a famous picture that serves as a representation of what happened at Tiananmen (featured image of the article).

The Aftermath

In the aftermath of the massacre and crackdown, the United States instituted economic and diplomatic sanctions on China for a time, and many other foreign governments criticized China’s handling of the protesters. Leaders and governments worldwide condemned the Chinese government’s military actions. Still, the Chinese government arrested thousands of individuals who were suspected to have been involved in the protests, and many of them received prison.

From the outset of the incident, the Chinese government’s official stance was to rationalize their actions, calling the protesters ‘counterrevolutionaries’ and minimizing the extent of the military actions. The government’s count of those killed was 241 (including soldiers), with some 7,000 wounded. However, most other estimates have put the death toll much higher. In the years since the incident, the government has attempted to suppress all references to it, and public commemoration of the incident is officially banned. However, the residents of Hong Kong have held an annual vigil on the anniversary of the crackdown, even after Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration. It remains a sensitive topic to date in China, and there is little to no discussion or debate about in Chinese public forums. Regardless, everyone in China and in the world knows and remembers the tragic events that occurred in Tiananmen square and the protestors that died while wishing for a better China.

Giant pandas no longer endangered!

The giant panda (panda bear/ panda) can be found in South Central China, primarily they live in China’s Yangtze river basin. Pandas were actually belongs to group of carnivorous animals but still it eats more of bamboo leaves and shoots. They occasionally eat grasses, wild tubers and even meat of birds or rodents.

Why giant pandas became endangered species of animals?

They were endangered mainly because of habitat loss. During the year of 1984 people of China started to clear bamboo forests which is needed more in number for the survival of pandas because they live in forests, they cannot adapt to live outside the forests and they also eat the same. People used to hunt them to make money from their skins. in the year 1990 pandas were declared as endangered.

Why pandas were removed from list of endangered species now?

After nearly 30 years of struggle to preserve species of giant pandas. Now there is an evidence documenting the increase in population of the pandas. Now 25% China’s land designated for ecological protection according to China’s State Council Information Office.

>>Stay connected to eduindex.org for more updates 🙂

Population is the cause of inequality?

Uttar Pradesh or UP is one of the largest states in India, and with a population of more than 22 crores(220 million), it would probably be the 5th most populous country in the world if independent following only China, India, US and the UK. This means that UP should have the resources to support such large population fiscally, in terms of proper remuneration and security. Research proves otherwise. And so, on the occasion of the World Population Day, Uttar Pradesh announced the two children policy in a bid to control the population of the state which has had a fertility rate more than the ideal 2.1 for decades now.

UP on a map of India
UP is the most populous Indian State with 22 crore or 220 million people
Horizontal tricolour flag bearing, from top to bottom, deep saffron, white, and green horizontal bands. In the centre of the white band is a navy-blue wheel with 24 spokes.
India has 1.33 billion people

However, there is a question that stands above all the policies that are to be enacted by the governments – is population really the main problem? And will controlling population be the answer to all the woes?

India is a partial welfare economy. That in turn means it is partially just a big corporate state speaking in terms of economics. The poor and the ones with quotas are provided with free fuel, almost free food and a remuneration even without jobs. This is a positive aspect to a country where the Moody’s announced in 2021 that the inflation rate has become alarmingly high and the government defending its every decision citing a lack of revenue. A lesser population would perhaps mean lesser poor, lesser taxes or probably a complete welfare state run by a capitalist model like those in Scandinavia. This dream might take more than a century to be realised, hence the word – perhaps. A lesser population might also mean a more even distribution of resources – as the incumbent Chief Minister of UP announced in his speech. A similar rhetoric was used by the World Trade Organisation for countries in Asia and Africa where the fertility rates have been traditionally high in an already large population. This rhetoric has also been used by the early Communist China and the Indian government since the 1970s in the name of family planning. Knowing these rhetorics might actually be helpful in understanding the way in which population is and is not a solution to the problems the world faces.

China was the most populous country when the Communist Party announced its victory in a long drawn Civil War. And it soon announced the Great Leap Forward Program followed by steps to open up the economy. And considering population to be the chief factor behind poverty, China announce the now infamous one child policy. The important thing is China is a strong economy in the present day and has reduced poverty to minimal levels and all this was done not because there was any absolute reduction in population (China saw a steady population growth rate in absolute numbers thanks to the pre-existing population being very large and will stay the most populous country at least till 2025), but because of a judicious use of the same. China introduced labour intensive industries in the country, drawing international investment and generating employment for virtually everyone there. The demographic effect of the one child policy has become apparent only in the recent years where China feared that the fertility rate less than 2 might lead to an ageing of the nation – a point where more people would be older than the then working population, prompting it to revise one child policy to a two children policy.

File:Flag-map of the People's Republic of China.svg - Wikimedia Commons
China renounced its One-Child Policy fearing an over aged population

India introduced the Two-Children policy back in the 1970s. The allegedly forced vasectomies during the Emergency months of the Indira Gandhi regime quite clearly reflect the apprehensions the stakeholders had regarding India’s future; the stakeholders being the government that needed funds and the World Bank and WTO that felt Indian population growth was alarming. India still maintains its family planning policy although in a relatively non-forced manner where the government uses mass media to convey this idea of ‘hum do humare do'(We two and our two) to the public. And while Indian population in the urban areas has quite neatly adopted to the idea, rural trends are not so appreciative of the same. India is projected to have more than 1.4 billion humans by 2030, about 15-18% of all humanity, the most populous nation on the planet. Indian government has failed to objectify its labour capital of its people – the government policies directed more towards social support than social upliftment. The generation of jobs was slow and inadequate and so was the generation of skilled labour per capita.

Most European countries, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong represent situations similar to India – large populations, high fertility rates in the middle and late 20th centuries and lack of land and resources. But their approach was to generate employment and skills while simultaneously reducing fertility rates which went down anyway as more people were educated, urban centers developed and prices of common commodities rose.

Hong Kong | History, Location, Map, & Facts | Britannica
Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated territories on the planet.

So, is state intervened birth control useful? In a nation as large as India, it might be, because a large population is still rural and poor and sustains on agricultural output alone or is an urban poor household that is keen on increasing the total labour it can provide to increase its income. However, one might quite clearly conclude understanding all previous scenarios explained that a large part of this intervened birth control is a propaganda or most probably a misjudgment of decades of flawed social and economic policies at the end of the Central and State governments.

To conclude, birth control policies are right considering the fact that a lesser population might mean lesser woes from both the government and the people, however, blaming population as the means and end to the prevalent problems by the state is just running away from accountability.

Happy World Population Day and we all can but await the results this new policy shall usher in the country.

National Security & The New Web

China on 10th July announced new internet rules adding to the already massive set of norms the Great Firewall is all about. The new rules require any internet company working in China and with more than a million registered users to undergo an additional cyber security review if offering an IPO in a foreign country. As per the Cyberspace Administration of China, companies listed in foreign countries can have their data “affected, controlled, and maliciously exploited by foreign governments”. Well, this is clearly a clever way by the CCP to control financial resources in China. Most companies will now prefer to list themselves in Hong Kong and not other large stock exchanges like the New York Exchange. This would mean that the companies will not have large foreign assets and yet have large foreign investments.

China - Wikipedia
Chinese government announced new regulations for the companies trying to list in other countries

But there is a greater observation associated with this the pace at which countries all over the world have initiated security protocols regarding big tech giants. In May, the government of India, the largest internet demographic in the world open to foreign investments – initiated a set of very strong rules changing the way in which many important aspects of the companies’ services functioned. Many internet freedom groups and NGOs accused the government of creating an authoritarian IT policy where the government has over-ridden the Right to Privacy. And the government has defended the same citing social and national interests at helm. The US and the EU with its GDPR – have themselves been torn between privacy activists and an age of increasing control of tech giants over the information of people from their connections to their interests.

All this drama can be understood in two chief points – one, the data privacy myth no longer exists. Most users are not even aware of the privacy policies in place. The Cambridge Analytica scam that rocked the US and created considerable difficulties for Facebook is a classic example where people themselves gave away their data. Even if one is aware of the privacy laws, the scandals involving Google tracking Incognito data on Chrome has led to serious questions about regulations and policies. Two, Countries have governments that are increasingly being assertive in not only ensuring that the globalisation of the data of its nationals is contained, but also that the tech enterprises respect the sovereignty and authority of the state in its matters. This is both good and bad. Good being that there is indeed an increasing trend of exploitation of data and social engineering attacks that can undermine the functioning of the state. Bad, because the states are also moving along and often on the other end of the boundary between a healthy interference and politically motivated censorships and extra judicial control.

Cambridge Analytica - Wikipedia
Cambridge Analytica was probably one of the most publicised cases of social engineering fraud

Who is responsible? Who is accountable? It’s the internet. Everyone is supposed to be responsible for everything here. And that is the new age of internet we are into. Right from ordering groceries and talking to friends to alleged recruitments into extra state organisations like the ISIS, every thing can happen here. The process of social engineering attacks led to large scale government interventions which in turn has led to growth of more private technologies like VPNs and secret or peer reviewed social networks like the Mastodon network. But, the tussle continues. And this is the web we shall live with for long now.

INTERNET CENSORSHIP

In today’s time everyone uses internet and all of us at least have one social media account. The Internet is massive. According to Broadband Search, the Internet connects 4.79 billion individuals, or over two-thirds of the world’s population. Of course, this number continues to rise and will continue to do so in the future. With so many individuals connected, we now live in an era when we have access to an infinite quantity of data.It is expanding at a breakneck speed that no one knows how many people use it. 

When the internet was first developed, it was intended to be a futuristic environment where people could freely interact and learn. However, depending on which nation you are in, the internet may not be as accessible. Hence, censorship come into play. So what basically is internet censorship?

The practice of banning or censoring particular online information is known as internet censorship. Information which is often censored is porn, file shared through decentralized networks which we call peer-to-peer network, the media reports on events, websites from other countries, social media etc. Censorship can be carried out by institutions, governments, or any other entity that has power over the visibility of others on the internet. Internet censorship can be good or bad depending on the reason of why is it banned? When utilized for good, it may be used to restrict hate speech or other dangerous or sensitive content, block access to copyrighted information, and more. However, when utilized for the wrong reasons, it may be used to restrict public opinion, freedom of expression, and demonstrations.

Many nations have internet filtering laws, and they vary widely throughout the world. The majority of western continents, such as Europe and North America have no internet regulation compared to other nations where the extent of internet censorship is extensive. For instance, In the People’s Republic of China, internet censorship is among the most severe in the world. Many major websites are prohibited, including Google, Facebook, and Twitter. Unfortunately, the Chinese government utilizes its authority to suppress information about the government, oppress citizens, and prohibit any kind of media that criticizes the government. 

So likewise, it can be said that internet censorship has its own pros and cons. The pros and cons are highlighted in the table given below:-

ADVANTAGESDISADVANTAGES
1. Internet censorship may be used to hunt down and shut down dangerous websites. Hence, it improves internet security.1.Freedom of expression is suppressed which is self-evident, and we’ve seen it in above instances that China and Myanmar are two countries that showcase how it has been abused. Simple remarks said against the government, or a favorite individual might result in imprisonment or detention.
2. Internet filtering can be used to prevent users from accessing unlawful or dangerous information. Human trafficking, illicit narcotics, frightening films, and other disturbing content are examples of this. This is very useful for the younger readership. therefore, it allows us to browse safely.  2. While limiting fake news and misleading information is a good thing, it may also be used to limit information. This is a common tactic employed by China to keep civilians from witnessing police violence and corruption. In other words, it has the ability to regulate information flow – sometimes excessively. And we all know that too much of everything is dangerous. 
3. We’ve all heard of false information. You can’t believe everything you read on the internet. We can fact-check sources and uncover incorrect information because of internet restrictions.3. it also limits economic opportunities because when a government approves legislation allowing Internet filtering, everyone must submit their material for approval before it can be published. That implies entrepreneurs would have to pitch their ideas to government officials with no assurance of being able to launch a firm which in turn leads to lower economic opportunity. 

Nowadays, Internet censorship is at the center of discussions around freedom of speech, as disinformation and foreign manipulation of social media have become key topics. The issue of internet censorship is divisive because it has two sides just like the coin has. One is for good and other one for evil. After studying how other nations manage digital censorship, I am certain that some kind of it should be implemented and placed in the hands of the appropriate authorities. After all, the Internet might be a very hazardous place if there are no rules in place but excess restriction is menacing. 

Afghanistan- A war-torn nation

World Trade Center after being hit by two planes on 9/11

With Al-Qaeda militants carrying out coordinated attacks on American soil,also known as 9/11 Attacks and Taliban government refusing to hand over the main culprit behind these attacks ‘Osama Bin Laden’. A war was declared by US and it’s allies against terrorism and Afghanistan was invaded in 2001.

US tried it’s best to avoid the mistakes done by British & Russia (then USSR),it gained some success by driving out the Taliban government and killing the Terrorists. This whole operation have costed US more than $800 billions and more than 2300 soldiers lives. While on the other side, Afghan civilians had been caught in between this war and have suffered at the hands of both US & Terrorists (Al-Qaeda & Taliban) .

There is a popular saying about Afghanistan – ‘The Graveyard Of Empires’ for those who have tried to conquer it. Afghanistan is tough to rule, not only because of its terrain but also of the hostilities between the different tribes present there.

US Navy seals carried out a mission code-named ‘Operation Neptune Spear’ and killed Laden on 2nd May 2011 in Pakistan. US thought that by killing Laden they had achieved their goal but they were mistaken.

India aided in the overthrow of the Taliban-led government and has been the largest regional provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid in the country. India have provided over $3 billion in assistance and every year it continues to do so.

Afghan parliament constructed by India

Challenges ahead for Afghanistan and it’s neighbours

Afghan forces taking position in fight against Taliban

Taliban is slowly gaining pace and have formed alliance with other terror outfits to overthrow the present government. Civil war is not far, after US withdrawal. Fight is going on between Afghan security forces supported by civilians against the Taliban.

There’s little hope that Taliban will agree on the terms mentioned in peace talks . War-torn Afghanistan is now at the same stage before US invasion and onus now is on China,india,pakistan,Iran to maintain peace and provide stability in the Afghanistan.

Why China Wants To Choose The Next Dalai Lama

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama and Tibet’s spiritual leader, will turn 86 years old on July 6, 2021. As the Tibetan spiritual leader becomes older, doubts about his succession resurface. China recently released a white paper demanding that the next Dalai Lama be chosen with Chinese official permission, claiming historical practices.

The Dalai Lama, one of Buddhism’s most known faces, is a significant aspect in disseminating Buddhist teachings to the international population. Senior monastic disciples have historically recognised the Dalai Lama’s successor, relying on spiritual indications and visions. However, the Chinese foreign ministry announced in 2011 that only the Chinese government can choose the next Dalai Lama, and that no other candidate ought to be acknowledged.

CHINESE OPPRESSION AND TIBETAN UNREST

Even after six decades of occupation in Tibet, the Chinese government has failed terribly in its attempts to win the hearts and minds of Tibetans. Tibetans have never used violence in the course of their resistance, no matter what they’ve done.  The selection procedure for the next Dalai Lama is now in limbo. China’s communist regime annexed Tibet in 1950, claiming that it has always belonged to China. The Dalai Lama escaped in 1959 and established an exile administration.

Presently, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) is one of the world’s most well-established democratic exile governments. Many refer to it as a “bonsai democracy.” In reality, such an exile setup isn’t really a low-hanging fruit. It was envisaged by Tibet’s Dalai Lama and yielded fruition after six decades.

When he was six years old, the Chinese government arrested the Dalai Lama’s candidate for the 10th Panchen Lama’s successor, Gendun Choeki Nyima, in the year 1995. China has remained tight-lipped regarding his location since then. When the freshly elected 11th Panchen Lama was arrested, the Tibetan people revolted. In response, the Chinese government appointed its own Panchen Lama, the son of a Chinese security officer. Historically, the panchen lamas and dalai lamas have played important roles in identifying each other’s upcoming incarnations.

OPTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Because of the Chinese threat, the 14th Dalai Lama has made a series of remarks that would make a Chinese-appointed 15th Dalai Lama difficult to regard as genuine.

For instance, he has said that the institution of the Dalai Lama may no longer be required. However, he has also stated that it is up to the people to preserve this part of Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama lineage. Another possibility offered by the Dalai Lama is to announce his future reincarnation before he dies. In this situation, the Dalai Lama will pass on his spiritual enlightenment to the next Dalai Lama.

Tenzin Gyatso has also stated that if he dies outside of Tibet and the Panchen Lama remains absent, his reincarnation would be found elsewhere, probably in India.Lastly, he has suggested the idea of reincarnating as a woman — although he added in 2015 and 2019 interviews that he’d have to be an extremely attractive lady. After this remark drew considerable criticism in 2019, his staff issued an apology and expression of remorse for the harm he had caused.

The Dalai Lama is certain that no one would accept the Chinese government’s choice. As he has stated, the Tibetan population will never recognize a Chinese-appointed Dalai Lama.

INDIA’S STAKES IN TIBET

The Tibetan elite tended to view the  world through the lens of India, and thousands of Tibetans fled to India as refugees in 1959. Today, India is home to the world’s biggest Tibetan community, with over 75,000 individuals.

Today, India’s land boundaries with China are largely those which exist between India and Tibet. China’s views on India are impacted in many ways by its Tibet policy. If a puppet Dalai Lama emerges from China, India could face significant geopolitical issues. Not only India, but also the entire Himalayan area. It is very likely that China would utilise the ‘Dalai Lama Institution’ as a political tool to encroach on these areas. China is skilled at fabricating tales that even history cannot follow. 

To discourage China’s politicisation of the Dalai Lama and leadership in Buddhism, New Delhi must give the  Dalai Lama more realistic attention, similar to US legislation on Tibet, which explicitly says that China must not intervene in the selection of the next Dalai Lama. So far, India has opted not to intervene in the matter.

Explosive study claims:Chinese scientists created Corona virus

An explosive study claimed that Chinese scientists created virus in lab: Amid all the studies and research, an explosive new study has found that Chinese scientists were responsible for Corona virus. The study has found that Chinese scientists created the virus in a laboratory in Wuhan, and later they tried to hide their tracks by some reverse engineering versions of the virus so that it may look like it has evolved naturally and it is not created by some artificial means.

As per a report by The Daily Mail on sunday, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus is not having any “credible natural ancestor” and was created by Chinese scientists who were working on a ‘Gain of Function‘ project in a Wuhan lab. The report was citing a new research paper by British professor Angus Dalgleish and Norwegian scientist Dr Birger Sorensen. As per the research, it is claimed that scientists took a natural coronavirus backbone which is usually present in Chinese cave bats. They later spliced onto it a new spike, which turned it into the deadly and rapidly transmissible Covid 19.

As per the report from The Daily Mail, researchers even found some unique fingerprints in some Covid 19 samples and it is evident that such fingerprints could have only arisen due to some manipulation in laboratory. It also claimed deliberate destruction, concealment or contamination of data at Chinese labs and the mysterious disappearing of many Chinese scientists who used to spoke about such activities. It is estimated that this research study is going to affect a lot to the current Covid issue and also intensify all the debates related to this.

In this 22 paged research, Dalgleish and Sorensen pieced together how Chinese scientists, some even working with American universities, allegedly built the tools to create the deadly coronavirus. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Mail, Sorensen told that there is positive charge on four amino acids on the spike, which makes this virus more infectious as the positive charge sticks to the negatively charged parts of human. Also since these positively charged amino acids repel each other, it is rare to find three in organisms. While, four amino acids are not natural for sure.

Dalgeish told that “the laws of physics mean that you cannot have four positively charged amino acids in a row. The only way you can get this is if you artificially manufacture it,” . He further added that “We think that there have been retro-engineered viruses created. They’ve changed the virus, then tried to make out it was in a sequence years ago,“. He also emphasised on the fact that the scientists who tried to throw some light on this issue were mysteriously disappeared. He estimated that the virus escaped from some low security areas where he believes Gain of Function research was performed.

He further also said “We have seen lab leaks and we know it’s happening. We also know from the reports we’ve seen, that coronavirus is worked on in Biosafety Level 2 or 3 labs. If they do Gain of Function in such labs, what do you expect?” Before this an Australian daily has also estimated the same. And now US has also announced that it will check on this issue.

A temporary peace

After a long period of worsening tensions on the contested Himalayan border, the countries India and China have surprised everyone by announcing that their troops are to quickly extricate.

A marathon meeting between Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow has been followed by this announcement. It came despite the regular eloquence between the nuclear-armed neighbors, that had suggested increasing bitterness.

Earlier, in this week, China’s state-run Global Times had said Chinese troops would “quickly deal a heavy blow to Indian troops, and they will be all annihilated” if Delhi provoked a war.

India also had upped the ante, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh saying “there should be no doubt” about the country’s resolve to protect its territorial integrity.

The statements reflected the reality on the ground : a hostile face-off between troops.

In June they fought a deadly clash in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley with clubs and stones leaving 20 soldiers dead. Both countries still have a huge development in the region where they have overlapping territorial claims ; and overcoming their differences will not be easy.

‘Ice breaker’ envoy

Many observers, including Michael Kugelman, deputy director at the Wilson Center think-tank, believe that both countries were ready for a confrontation, but they also realised that a war even a limited one , was not an option.

It would have been catastrophic for both countries and the wider region. The economic stakes were too high to risk a war,” he said.

The fact that Mr Jaishankar served as ambassador in Beijing for many years and is known to share good relations with Chinese diplomats appears to have helped.

It did break the ice, Mr Kugelman says, adding that personal relations often play a role in crucial diplomatic negotiations.

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Weather, an unlikely factor, may have also played a role. The higher ridges of the Galwan Valley become inhospitable in winters.

Lieutenant General (retired) Vinod Bhatia, who served in the Indian army, says troops are used to operating in harsh conditions, but “given a chance, both armies would want to avoid that”.

Reports also suggest that Indian troops recently occupied some ridges overlooking Chinese posts. Neither country has officially confirmed the reports.

“India may have used this advantage as a bargaining chip,” Lt-Gen Bhatia adds.

Both countries also have many other crises to deal with. India’s Covid-19 caseload continues to rise at an alarming rate and its economy is suffering. Any armed confrontation would affect the country’s ability to overcome these issues.

China, meanwhile, has tensions with the US and a host of other countries to deal with, as well as global condemnation of its controversial security law in Hong Kong.

How soon could peace be restored?

Yun Sun, director of the China Programme at the Stimson Center think-tank in Washington, says the joint declaration lacks details.

Firstly, it doesn’t mention the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the de facto boundary separating the countries.

“Several points along the LAC are contentious where troops are still stationed, so there is no clarity on the resolution of these issues,” she says.
De-escalation takes time, says Lt-Gen Bhatia, and it will take longer in the current scenario.

“The area is too big and it will take time for commanders to come to an understanding. The military-level talks will happen when tensions are still high and emotions are raw,” he says.

Both countries want to maintain the status quo. And that is tricky, says Ms Yun, because the two sides define the status quo differently.

“Chinese troops have gone deep into the territory India claims, and there is no clarity if they will vacate those positions.”

What caused the escalation will also determine how quickly disengagement can happen. A major factor cited as a source of tension is a new road that connects Indian army stations in the region to a forward air base.

But Ms Yun believes the road can’t be the only source because its construction took 20 years and “it wasn’t a secret”.
She believes many factors, including India’s controversial decision to revoke a law that gave special status to the region and Washington’s improving relations with Delhi, played a role.

“Beijing felt punishing India will give a warning to Delhi and Washington at the same time. But what they did not calculate was that India will refuse to back down,” she says.

China has been in diplomatic confrontation with a number of countries since US officials accused it of not controlling the coronavirus outbreak effectively
So, they became more aggressive, she says, adding that this was reflected in the statements of Beijing officials in recent days. Aggression has been a key factor in China’s foreign policy – particularly in recent months. And Chinese state media often remind the country’s neighbours of its superior military might.

This happened during the stand-off with India as well – but only in the past few days.

Officials in Delhi and Beijing were largely restrained in their comments in June and July, even after the Galwan clash that left the Indian soldiers dead.

Mr Kugleman says this was because they didn’t want to undo PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s efforts in improving relations. The two have met 18 times since Mr Modi came to power in 2014.

“But it all came undone in recent days, and now it will be interesting to see how China and India sell the announcement to their people,” he says.

Ms Yun says China will find it tricky to reverse the rhetoric because “it can’t come across as weak or bullied by India”.

Resolving these core issues, including unsettled disputes going back decades, along the LAC that stretches for 3,440km (2,100 miles), will not be resolved in a few days.

“So, it’s a good start,” Mr Kugleman says. “Talks are better than no talks, but we just have to be cautiously optimistic.”

Secretary Pompeo urges more assertive approach to China

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech slamming China was an “angry lament” and “extended ideological rant” that would do little to change Beijing’s behavior, said Daniel Russel, former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. Later Pompeo said Washington and its allies should use “more creative and assertive ways” to press the Chinese Communist Party to change its ways, calling it the mission of our time.

He also called for the engagement and empowerment of the Chinese people whom he described as “dynamic and freedom-loving people who are completely distinct from the Chinese Communist Party.”

He said “blind engagement” with China and repeated frequently leveled U.S. charges about its unfair trade practices, human rights abuses and efforts to infiltrate American society.

He said China’s military had became “stronger and more menacing” and the approach to Beijing should be “distrust and verify,” adapting President Ronald Reagan’s “trust but verify” mantra about the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

Relations between the U.S. and China — the world’s top two economies — have been at their worst in decades. In addition to the countries’ ongoing trade war, both sides have recently sparred over a range of issues including the origin of the corona virus and China’s move to implement a national security law in Hong Kong.

Later he said one NATO ally, which he did not name, was unwilling to stand up for freedom in Hong Kong because it feared restricted access to China’s market.

While some conservative commentators praised Pompeo’s speech on social media and elsewhere, some other analysts were not impressed.