Western media is calling an indiscriminate Israeli terrorist attack across Lebanon that has killed several, including at least one child and injured thousands, “unprecedented” and “sophisticated”. Yet nothing about the attack, which reportedly involved 5,000 pagers rigged with remotely detonated explosives before distribution, was unpredictable or unpreventable.
China’s hybrid “state capitalist” system, driven by centralized planning and fierce competition, has led to dominance in critical technological fields and emerging markets. Western multinational corporations are advised to adopt a pragmatic approach to capitalize on four key strengths of China’s economy: its innovation ecosystem, its investment in the Global South, its ultra-competitive markets, and its vast consumer base. Those who fail to engage risk losing global revenue and strategic opportunities.
While J.D. Vance has his own controversies, his close connection to billionaire Peter Thiel, who is poised to have unprecedented influence in a new Trump administration, should deeply unsettle every American who cares about freedom, privacy and reining in the surveillance state.
American tech giants Tesla and Apple are suffering as they face intense competition from Chinese competitors. Elon Musk’s EV company reported a 55% drop in profit and 9% drop in first-quarter revenue Tuesday, its biggest year-on-year fall since 2012. Analysts began forecasting trouble for Musk’s EV empire after Tesla announced price cuts in China. Apple, meanwhile, saw a 19% dip in smartphone shipments to China this quarter, its worst performance since 2020, as it lost ground to local competitors like Huawei. Chinese smartphones are cheaper than iPhones, and have gained traction with more premium design and software features.
Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy” has allowed Hanoi to carefully enter strategic partnerships with the U.S. and China while maintaining its own independence and security, its foreign minister said Tuesday at a Brookings Institution event.
A federal judge on Tuesday refused to bring back a class action lawsuit alleging four auto manufacturers had violated Washington state’s privacy laws by using vehicles’ on-board infotainment systems to record and intercept customers’ private text messages and mobile phone call logs.
Israel is perhaps more acutely aware than any other government on earth of how disadvantageous it is to have your crimes recorded in the light of day and shared with the world.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang told the Financial Times earlier this year that the 2022 controls had left the Silicon Valley company with its “hands tied behind our back” by barring sales of its most advanced chips to China. He has said further restrictions could seriously harm US chipmakers by eating into their ability to finance investment.
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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