Society

US President Donald Trump's administration is considering blacklisting a Chinese video surveillance giants from buying American technology, in a latest attempt to counter Beijings global economic ambitions, a media report said. The move would effectively place the company, Hikvision, on a US blacklist. It would mark the first time the Trump administration punished a Chinese company for its role in the surveillance and mass detention of the Uyghur Muslim ethnic minority, informed sources told The New York Times on Tuesday. The development is also likely to inflame the tensions that have escalated in President Trump's renewed trade war with Chinese leaders. Trump, in the span of two weeks, has raised tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, threatened to tax all imports and taken steps to cripple the Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei. China has promised to retaliate against American industries. Hikvision is one of the world's largest manufacturers of video surveillance … [Read more...] about Trump may blacklist Chinese surveillance tech firm

Swedish prosecutors on Monday requested that the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, be detained to face questioning over rape allegations he had originally evaded by seeking diplomatic asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for almost seven years. Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Eva-Marie Persson submitted an application for a detention order to Uppsala District Court in which she requested the court to detain the Australian who is currently in custody in the UK. "I request the District Court to detain Assange in his absence, on probable cause suspected for rape," said Persson. "If the court decides to detain him, I will issue a European Arrest Warrant concerning surrender to Sweden," she added, reported Efe news. The Australian is currently serving a 50-week sentence in the UK's Belmarsh prison after he was found guilty of breaching the terms of his bail relating to allegations, including "lesser-degree rape," lodged in Sweden, where an investigation was reopened … [Read more...] about Swedish prosecutors seeks Julian Assange’s detention

At least 34 people were injured when a "runaway" train rammed into another train in Metro Manila of the Philippines, officials said on Sunday. Manila Light Rail Transit Authority spokesperson Hernando Cabrera told a press conference that the accident occurred 9.51 p.m. (local time) on Saturday between the Anonas and Araneta Centre Cubao Stations in Metro Manila. The accident forced the train authority to suspend operation between the two stations on Sunday morning as the damaged trains were removed and the track cleared of any debris, Xinhua news agency reported. According to Cabrera, the runaway train that slammed into another train malfunctioned on Saturday afternoon, prompting train operators to park it on a pocket track between the two stations for towing. But for a still unknown reason, he said, the non-functioning train moved, rolled onto the eastbound tracks and started moving towards Cubao station, into the path of an oncoming train in the opposite direction. The driver of the … [Read more...] about Two trains collide in Philippines, 34 injured

With Microsoft informing users that it would end free technical support for Windows 7 operating system next year, South Korean government has decided to switch from Windows 7 to open source operating system Linux. According to Korea Herald, the decision from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety comes amid "concerns about the cost of continuing to maintain Windows". The ministry would first test-run Linux on its PCs and if no security issues arise, Linux systems will be introduced more widely within the government. "The transition to Linux OS and the purchase of new PCs are expected to cost the government about $655 million," the report said. Windows 7 support will end on January 14 next year, and that is a huge problem for both governments and enterprises as upgrading to Windows 10 would involve a hefty cost. According to Choi Jang-hyuk, Service Bureau Chief of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the government is hoping a long-term cost savings by switching its entire … [Read more...] about South Korean government to ditch Windows 7 for Linux

A Myanmar National Airlines plane with 89 people on board made an emergency landing at Mandalay International Airport on Sunday, with only its rear wheels after the front landing gear failed to deploy. The Embraer 190 aircraft skidded down the runway at the airport before grinding to a stop. The pilot managed to land the plane on its nose, causing no injuries to the dozens of passengers and crew on board. Captain Myat Moe Aung circled the airport twice to allow air traffic controllers to determine if the landing gear was down, the airline was cited as saying by the BBC. The aircraft had departed from Yangon and was approaching Mandalay when the pilot was unable to extend the front landing gear. He followed emergency procedures and burned excess fuel to reduce the aircraft's weight, according to the airline. A video of the landing showed the plane landing on its rear wheels before the nose touched down on the runway. The plane skidded for about 25 seconds before it stopped. The incident … [Read more...] about Myanmar plane lands without front wheel