Free Republic

We are pleased to welcome this Guest Article by Dr. Pranit Desai, Mr. Preetam Chavan, Dr. Kshipra Gharpure, Dr. Chitra Bargaje & Dr. Dhananjay Bakhle, presenting you an update about the COVID-19 situation in India, and more precisely an analysis of the response by the authorities, which seem to be well on their way in “flattening the curve.”On January 30, 2021, India completed one year since the first Covid-19 case was detected in India from Kerala. At the start of the pandemic, India as a country was very vulnerable for a major coronavirus outbreak. Not only is India the world’s...

The mother of murder victim Poon Hiu-win, who has asked not to be named, sent a pink suitcase to the man accused of killing her daughter. South China Morning Post On Christmas in Hong Kong last year, Reverend Peter Koon Ho-ming received a surprise gift – a pink suitcase similar to the one that Taiwanese police found three years ago containing the body of a pregnant woman. The suitcase was sent by the mother of Poon Hiu-wing, as a reminder that Koon must get her alleged killer, Chan Tong-kai, to surrender to authorities on the self-ruled island as soon as...

A senior Biden National Security Council member – Kurt Campbell – has worked with Chinese Communist Party front groups, even keynote-ing a major conference alongside a man Hunter Biden worked with and called “the f*__ing spy chief of China,” The National Pulse can exclusively reveal.The details including the connections to the 46th President’s son, Hunter, will no doubt cause consternation in national security and China-hawk circles, as well as raise questions as to Campbell’s relationship with a company charged with bribing U.S. figures.Campbell – President Biden’s new “Asia Czar” – has bounced around the Washington, D.C. “think tank” circuit for...

Globalist billionaire George Soros held meetings in 2013 and 2017 with Myanmar’s deposed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and held great influence over her regime, records reveal. Soros’ son Alexander visited Myanmar in 2020. Suu Kyi has been a neoliberal cause celebre feted at Buckingham Palace and championed by Hollywood actors Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell. Now, the military has overthrown Suu Kyi, alleging election fraud. This is causing concern in Soros-world, and thus it is causing concern with the Biden White House. The Biden administration is strongly involving itself in Myanmar affairs. The Biden regime is threatening Myanmar’s...

*Population data released by some Chinese provinces and cities has shown dramatic declines in the number of newborns in 2020 compared to a year earlier *Over the next five years, China’s total population will enter the range of zero growth, putting pressure on government plans to boost economic expansion Despite the delayed publication of national population data, a slew of local birth statistics in China has hinted at a growing population crisis in the world’s most populous country. Births are steadily falling in China and experts say they will only shrink further, putting pressure on Beijing’s lofty development goals, “unless...

Many signs pointed to an inevitable conclusion that Myanmar's so-called transition to a democracy was a farce. Nevertheless, Obama embraced it wholeheartedly.The small South East Asian nation Myanmar became headline news last week after its military staged a coup, seizing power after detaining the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected political leaders.Only a decade ago, Myanmar’s transition from military dictatorship to democracy was celebrated as one of President Obama’s foreign policy accomplishments. Now, the small nation is President Joe Biden’s first foreign policy nightmare.A Proxy For PowerMyanmar, also known as Burma, is a country...

Greta Thunberg accidentally shared a message showing she was getting told what to write on Twitter about the ongoing violent farmers’ revolt in India — leading Thursday to her being probed for criminal conspiracy by police there, according to reports. The 18-year-old left-wing eco-activist shared — and then quickly deleted — a message that detailed a list of “suggested posts” about the ongoing protests, according to the posts that were saved by Breaking 911. The list gave a series of tips on what to post, asking her to also repost and tag other celebrities tweeting about it, including pop star...

The State Department is warning of the potential for "civil and political unrest in Burma" following the dramatic military takeover of the country and arrest of its civilian leadership Monday. This as all international travel has been halted, and various communications including internet were cut to the capital. The Biden administration has now formally declared it as a coup d'état, which means Washington is required by law to cut off all foreign assistance to the southeast Asian country. It further announced that targeted action will be taken "against those responsible" for the arrests and continued detention of the elected civilian...

The Biden administration's China policy must not sacrifice national security nor the U.S. economy for China's empty climate promises.With President Biden signing a series of executive orders aimed at combating climate, he appears more than willing to sacrifice both the economy and good-paying American jobs to theoretically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Biden’s climate czar, John Kerry, seems to believe America must have China’s cooperation to succeed in emissions reduction.Yet, according to the latest United Nation’s Emissions Gap Report 2020, Biden and Kerry couldn’t be more wrong. In truth, the United States has done more for reducing GHG emissions than...

President Biden has been part of the problem in Washington for a half-century. Yet, apparently, he just discovered China. “We want to approach this with some strategic patience,” White House flak Jen Psaki cautiously explained this week when asked about the president’s approach to the world’s most populous country whose communist government is hellbent on destroying America. “Strategic patience” is diplo-speak for “do nothing,” “ignore problem” and “pretend does not exist and hope goes away.” “Strategic patience” is usually followed by “need to learn to speak Chinese!” In the White House press briefing room, Ms. Psaki went on to say...

A mountain's thin air and rocky soil can make it an inhospitable place to grow crops. But for all the challenges these conditions present farmers with, they can reward them in equal measures, such as with cold temperatures, dry air, and reduced dependence on pesticides. Actually going to market, however, requires hauling one's produce down the mountain—a task not for the faint of heart. In some tea-growing regions of Southeast Asia, the quickest way is via the biggest motor vehicles that can maneuver down mountainous trails: Motorcycles. Recent videos uploaded to social media show farmers traversing the treacherous terraces of...

Voice of America News (VOA) reported Monday that a theory about the curious disappearance of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma is growing in credibility among foreign observers: the true goal of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pressuring Ma into handing over the vast trove of consumer credit data accumulated by his Alibaba e-commerce company and its titanic financial services offshoot, the Ant Group. The flamboyant Ma, a multimedia celebrity in addition to once being China’s richest man, vanished from the public eye after criticizing the CCP’s heavy-handed financial regulators at a public forum in October. When speculation about his disappearance...

In December 2013, the Chinese launched an all-out island building campaign in the South China Sea – literally creating dry land where none had existed. These islands became military bases. The Chinese deployed forces including aircraft and missiles. One of the world’s most strategic waterways was incorporated into the Chinese Communist state. In the midst of this offensive, Joe Biden, then Vice-President of the United States landed in Beijing for meetings with Chinese leaders. Biden was the administration’s lead man in the so-called “Pivot to Asia.” His most critical job in that role was combatting Chinese expansionism. With Joe on...

At least 34 people were killed after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Indonesia's Sulawesi Island early on Friday (Jan 15) morning, said authorities. Hundreds more were injured when the earthquake struck in the early hours, triggering panic among the terrified residents of the island. "The latest information we have is that 26 people are dead ... in Mamuju city," said Ali Rahman, head of the local disaster mitigation agency, adding "that number could grow".

Communist China is betting on a return to the status quo ante of American acquiescence to, and support of, its hegemonic ambitions through comprehensive "engagement" and outright appeasement under a Biden administration. That is the primary takeaway, if the recent remarks of Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi are any indication. In the waning days of 2020, Wang delivered a speech at the Asia Society entitled, "Reorient and Steer Clear of Disruptions for a Smooth Sailing of China-U.S. Relations." The title itself gives away the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) game: It seeks a reversion to the...

Another pro-Trump rally/demo being held in Nagoya , Japan as I write . There are been others in Osaka and Tokyo .

There is nothing like Christmas in the Land of the Rising Sun to unleash a collective frenzy of romance What makes Christmas in Japan so unique? Faith has no place in it. Being a secular holiday is not only a time for the usual shopping spree but also a special day for couples to go on a date. A dinner at a luxury French restaurant will be followed by a walk through the “illumination” sites, which are spectacular Christmas lights. They call them the kurisumasu irumineshon, and often in the background, a famous jingle is the Koibito ga Santa kurousu...

A U.S. guided-missile destroyer moved through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement.“The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG-89) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit Dec. 19 (local time) in accordance with international law,” the Navy said in a statement. “The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”Following Mustin’s move through the strait, Reuters reported that China’s new aircraft carrier on Sunday performed its own transit through the strait. Shandong conducted the transit while heading to train in the South China Sea, the Chinese navy...

Apple Inc’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) Asian supply chain has been rocked by protests in both China and India over unpaid wages and bonuses, the Financial Times reported Sunday. What Happened: On Friday and Saturday, more than 100 workers on the iPhone maker’s assembly lines protested in China over unpaid bonuses, according to FT. The demonstration against Taiwanese Pegatron Corporation was centered around unpaid bonuses of RMB 10,000 ($1,530) each, according to China Labor Watch. The workers raised the slogan, “Give us back our blood and sweat money,” as per a video seen by FT. Last week, Apple workers in India vandalized...

Taiwan’s navy and air force were deployed on Sunday as a Chinese aircraft carrier group led by the country’s newest carrier, the Shandong, sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, the day after a U.S. warship transited the same waterway. While it is not the first time China’s carriers have passed close to Taiwan, it comes at a time of heightened tension between Taipei and Beijing, which claims the democratically-ruled island as its territory. Taiwan has complained of repeated Chinese military activity, including China’s regular flying of air force aircraft near the island. China says such drills are aimed at protecting...