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Determined to be with his beloved, Liang made the difficult decision to resign from his job and move to Wuhan to be with her. Leaving behind his familiar life in Shenyang, he packed his bags and set off on a new journey filled with uncertainty and hope.
Stay tuned for more updates on these and other developments as the Italian Serie A season unfolds. The twists and turns of the footballing world are sure to keep fans on the edge of their seats as the drama continues to unfold.No. 16 Cincinnati tests efficient offense vs. Alabama State
President-elect Donald Trump will return to power next year with a raft of technological tools at his disposal that would help deliver his campaign promise of cracking down on immigration — among them, surveillance and artificial intelligence technology that the Biden administration already uses to help make crucial decisions in tracking, detaining and ultimately deporting immigrants lacking permanent legal status. While immigration officials have used the tech for years, an October letter from the Department of Homeland Security obtained exclusively by The Associated Press details how those tools — some of them powered by AI — help make life-altering decisions for immigrants, including whether they should be detained or surveilled. One algorithm, for example, ranks immigrants with a “Hurricane Score,” ranging from 1-5, to assess whether someone will “abscond” from the agency's supervision. The letter, sent by DHS Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer Eric Hysen to the immigrant rights group Just Futures Law, revealed that the score calculates the potential risk that an immigrant — with a pending case — will fail to check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The algorithm relies on several factors, he said, including an immigrant’s number of violations and length of time in the program, and whether the person has a travel document. Hysen wrote that ICE officers consider the score, among other information, when making decisions about an immigrant’s case. “The Hurricane Score does not make decisions on detention, deportation, or surveillance; instead, it is used to inform human decision-making,” Hysen wrote. Also included in the government’s tool kit is a mobile app called SmartLINK that uses facial matching and can track an immigrant’s specific location. Nearly 200,000 people without legal status who are in removal proceedings are enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program, under which certain immigrants can live in the U.S. while their immigration cases are pending. In exchange, SmartLINK and GPS trackers used by ICE rigorously surveil them and their movements. The phone application draws on facial matching technology and geolocation data, which has been used before to find and arrest those using the app. Just Futures Law wrote to Hysen earlier this year, questioning the fairness of using an algorithm to assess whether someone is a flight risk and raising concerns over how much data SmartLINK collects. Such AI systems, which score or screen people, are used widely but remain largely unregulated even though some have been found to discriminate on race, gender or other protected traits. DHS said in an email that it is committed to ensuring that its use of AI is transparent and safeguards privacy and civil rights while avoiding biases. The agency said it is working to implement the Biden administration’s requirements on using AI , but Hysen said in his letter that security officials may waive those requirements for certain uses. Trump has publicly vowed to repeal Biden's AI policy when he returns to the White House in January. “DHS uses AI to assist our personnel in their work, but DHS does not use the outputs of AI systems as the sole basis for any law enforcement action or denial of benefits,” a spokesperson for DHS told the AP. Trump has not revealed how he plans to carry out his promised deportation of an estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally. Although he has proposed invoking wartime powers, as well as military involvement, the plan would face major logistical challenges — such as where to keep those who have been detained and how to find people spread across the country — that AI-powered surveillance tools could potentially address. Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump, did not answer questions about how they plan to use DHS’ tech, but said in a statement that “President Trump will marshal every federal and state power necessary to institute the largest deportation operation” in American history. Over 100 civil society groups sent a letter on Friday urging the Office of Management and Budget to require DHS to comply with the Biden administration’s guidelines. OMB did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Just Futures Law’s executive director, Paromita Shah, said if immigrants are scored as flight risks, they are more likely to remain in detention, "limiting their ability to prepare a defense in their case in immigration court, which is already difficult enough as it is.” SmartLINK, part of the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, is run by BI Inc., a subsidiary of the private prison company The GEO Group. The GEO Group also contracts with ICE to run detention centers. ICE is tight-lipped about how it uses SmartLINK’s location feature to find and arrest immigrants. Still, public records show that during Trump’s first term in 2018, Manassas, Virginia-based employees of BI Inc. relayed immigrants’ GPS locations to federal authorities, who then arrested over 40 people. In a report last year to address privacy issues and concerns, DHS said that the mobile app includes security features that “prohibit access to information on the participant’s mobile device, with the exception of location data points when the app is open.” But the report notes that there remains a risk that data collected from people "may be misused for unauthorized persistent monitoring.” Such information could also be stored in other ICE and DHS databases and used for other DHS mission purposes, the report said. On investor calls earlier this month, private prison companies were clear-eyed about the opportunities ahead. The GEO Group’s executive chairman George Christopher Zoley said that he expects the incoming Trump administration to “take a much more aggressive approach regarding border security as well as interior enforcement and to request additional funding from Congress to achieve these goals.” “In GEO’s ISAP program, we can scale up from the present 182,500 participants to several hundreds of thousands, or even millions of participants,” Zoley said. That same day, the head of another private prison company told investors he would be watching closely to see how the new administration may change immigrant monitoring programs. “It’s an opportunity for multiple vendors to engage ICE about the program going forward and think about creative and innovative solutions to not only get better outcomes, but also scale up the program as necessary,” Damon Hininger, CEO of the private prison company CoreCivic Inc. said on an earnings call. GEO did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement, CoreCivic said that it has played “a valued but limited role in America’s immigration system” for both Democrats and Republicans for over 40 years.
The railway authorities, represented by 12306, have responded to the incident by clarifying the rules and regulations regarding carrying knives on trains. According to their official statement, passengers are allowed to carry knives with blades that are under 60mm in length. This regulation aims to accommodate passengers who may be carrying small knives for various reasons such as self-defense, work-related tasks, or personal use.In addition to the ruby slippers, the auction featured a range of other items from classic films, including costumes, props, and memorabilia. Collectors and enthusiasts had the opportunity to bid on items from a variety of Hollywood classics, from "Gone with the Wind" to "Casablanca" to "Star Wars".The skies above the White House were cold and grey. Joe Biden greeted the championship winning , quipping about his Irish ancestry and tossing a basketball into the crowd. But the US president could not resist drawing a wider lesson. “When we get knocked down, we get back up,” . “As my dad would say, ‘Just get up, Joe. Get up.’ Character to keep going and keep the faith, that’s the Celtic way of life. That’s sports. And that’s America.” Such events continue to be among the ceremonial duties of a with waning influence. Biden has cut a diminished figure in recent months, first surrendering his chance to seek re-election, then finding himself sidelined by the doomed presidential campaign of his vice-president, Kamala Harris. But with his legacy imperiled by Donald Trump, the president is facing calls to mitigate the oncoming storm. Advocacy groups say Biden, who turned 82 this week, can still take actions during his final two months in office to accelerate spending on climate and healthcare, secure civil liberties, and Trump-proof at least some fundamentals of US democracy. Trump’s signature campaign promise was a draconian crackdown on illegal immigration. He has nominated officials including and , architects of family separations at the southern border during his first term, and to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. The plans include mandatory detention, potentially trapping immigrants in inhumane conditions for years as they fight deportation. The is leading an opposition effort, urging Biden to halt the current expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention facilities, especially those with records of human rights abuses. , a senior staff attorney with the ACLU national prison project, said Ice detention facilities “characterised by abusive conditions, pervasive neglect and utter disregard for the dignity of people in their custody” are key to Trump’s logistical plan. Dozens of people have died in Ice detention facilities – mostly owned or operated by private prison corporations – over the past four years, according to the ACLU, and 95% were likely preventable if appropriate medical care had been provided. Yet the Biden administration has backed new Ice detention facilities in states where they did not existed before, such as Kansas, Wyoming and Missouri. “We are calling on the Biden administration to take action now, in the final days of the administration, to halt any efforts to expand immigration detention and to shut down specifically abusive facilities once and for all,” Cho told reporters . “We don’t need to put down runway for the Trump administration to put in place these mass detention and deportation machines.” She warned: “We know that the anti-immigrant policies of a second administration are going to be far more aggressive than what we saw in the first term, and mass arrest and detention is going to become perhaps the norm to create and carry out these deportation operations unless we can do all we can to put a halt to them.” Another crucial area for Biden to make a last stand is criminal justice. In his first term, Trump oversaw the execution of more people than the previous 10 presidents combined. Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, then a moratorium on federal executions in 2021. Trump has indicated his intention to resume such executions and even expand the death penalty. His nominee for attorney general, , issued a public apology in 2013 while serving as Florida’s top law enforcement officer after she sought to delay the execution of a convicted killer because it conflicted with a fundraiser for her re-election campaign. , director of the ACLU’s capital punishment project, told reporters via Zoom that Trump said “he will work to expand the death penalty. He’s going to try to expand it to people who do not even commit killings. He’s called for expanding the death penalty to his political opponents. “But perhaps most dangerously in Project 2025 [a policy blueprint from the Heritage Foundation thinktank] – and we believe every word of it is this – he promised to try to kill everyone on death row, and the reason why we have to believe this and take it so seriously is the record that Donald Trump left where he, in a span of six months, carried out 13 executions.” The ACLU and other groups are therefore pressing Biden to commute the sentences of all individuals on federal death row to life in prison, fulfilling a campaign promise and preventing potential executions under Trump. Commuting “is really the thing that Biden can do to make it harder for Trump to restart executions”, Stubbs added. Pastor Brandi Slaughter, a board member of the pressure group , told reporters this week: “We know what the next president plans to do if any prisoners are left under a sentence of death under the Biden administration. We’ve been there, we’ve done that.” Biden has also received serving non-death penalty sentences that he could either reduce or pardon. The former senator has long been criticised for his role in drawing up a 1994 crime law that led to the incarceration of thousands of Black men and women for drug offences. This week, members of Congress including Ayanna Pressley and James Clyburn led 64 colleagues in to Biden urging him to use his clemency power “to reunite families, address longstanding injustices in our legal system and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration”. They were joined on Capitol Hill by Maria Garza, 50, from Illinois, a prison reform advocate who spent 12 years in a state prison. She said in an interview: “There is a sense of urgency because a lot of the people that are sitting waiting for clemency are people that have de facto life sentences that will die in prison if they don’t [receive clemency]. A lot of their unjust sentencing was because of the 1994 crime bill that he was the founding father of.” , whose 29-year-old son Jonathan is incarcerated on a seven-and-a-half-year federal cannabis charge, called on Biden to keep a campaign promise to grant clemency to more than 4,000 people in federal prison for nonviolent cannabis crimes. “We voted for President Biden,” she said. “He gave us hope and we’re asking him to do nothing more than keep his promise.” Wall, 63, from Maryland, added: “President Biden was partly responsible for writing the 1994 crime bill that thrust families into abject poverty and pain. I know he feels bad about that and he can right that wrong with the power of the pen. I’m appealing to him as a father whose son [Hunter] could very possibly be going to prison. In other efforts to protect civil liberties, the ACLU is recommending a moratorium on all federal government purchases of Americans’ personal data without a warrant. It is also asking Congress to pass the Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act to prevent potential abuse of surveillance technologies under the Trump administration. Meanwhile, Trump has pledged to rescind unspent funds in Biden’s landmark climate and healthcare law and stop clean-energy development projects. White House officials are working against the clock to dole out billions of dollars in grants for existing programmes to minimise Trump’s ability to rescind or redirect these funds. Earlier this month, the transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, more than $3.4bn in grants for infrastructure projects across the country. , a political science professor at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, notes that Trump will have the power of impoundment to stall the money flowing out of the government and can order rescissions to programmes funded by Congress. “The singular thing that Joe Biden can do is expedite the flow of federal dollars in all the programmes,” Schiller said. “Any money that is supposed to leave the treasury to go to schools, food safety, environmental protection – anything that is not yet distributed needs to get distributed. It’s like emptying literally the piggy bank before you go on a trip. President Biden needs to be literally getting as much money out the door in the hands of state, local and community organisations as he can.” Another priority for the White House is getting Senate confirmation of as many federal judges as possible, given the potential impact of the judiciary in challenging Trump administration policies. The Marshall Project, a non-profit news organisation, noted: “Federal judges during his first term, and will likely play a significant role in determining the trajectory of his second.” Senate Republicans forced numerous procedural votes and late-night sessions this week in attempt to stall confirmations. Eventually a deal was struck that will bring Biden within striking distance of the 234 judicial confirmations that occurred in Trump’s first term – but four of Biden’s appellate court nominees will not be considered. The outgoing president could also engage and localities to bolster protections and establish “firewalls” against Trump’s agenda, particularly in areas such as immigration. These collaborations could involve reinforcing sanctuary city policies and providing resources to states that are likely to face pressure from the Trump administration. , former coalitions director for Harris, said: “What will be interesting is how or what can President Biden to work with states, especially where we have Democratic leadership in place, to be able to brace themselves and arm themselves with more protection. We already have places like a Michigan or Illinois where you have governors vowing to make sure that they have protections – even in the Trump presidency. As Barack Obama discovered before handing Trump the keys to the Oval Office in 2017, however, lame duck presidents can only do so much. Trump will come into office with a flurry of executive orders, a supportive Congress and fewer guardrails than the first time around. , a former adviser in the Bill Clinton administration, said: “On January 20 Donald Trump will control all the instruments of government and, at that point, it’ll be up to the courts – and public opinion – to restrain him.”
Big Ten could place four teams in playoff, thanks to IU's riseOne of the most important features of enterprise SSDs is their high endurance and reliability. Enterprise-grade SSDs are designed to handle a much heavier workload compared to consumer-grade SSDs. They are built with advanced error correction algorithms, wear-leveling technology, and power loss protection to ensure data integrity and reliability. This means that businesses can rely on enterprise SSDs to perform consistently under demanding workloads without the risk of data loss or drive failure. The high endurance of enterprise SSDs also translates to a longer lifespan, reducing the need for frequent replacements and lowering overall maintenance costs.
Big Ten could place four teams in playoff, thanks to IU's riseNo. 16 Cincinnati tests efficient offense vs. Alabama StateThe New York Knicks narrowly defeated the Toronto Raptors in a thrilling game, with Barnes forced to leave the game due to injury. Towns' outstanding performance of 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists, including crucial baskets in the final moments, sealed the victory for the Knicks.
Black Friday will officially start later this week with the biggest bargains expected to begin on November 29. However, if you can't wait that long don't panic as there a swathe of UK retailers who have launched surprise early deals including Argos . The UK store had already slashed costs earlier this month but now they are reducing even more exciting tech such as consoles, fitness trackers, TVs and phones. If you haven't got the time or patience to be scrolling through endless offers, Express.co.uk has been online shopping to help you find the best and biggest discounts. Here is our pick of the top 10 surprise Argos early deals not to be missed. PlayStation 5 Slim NOW £399 - SAVE £60 GOOD DEAL: The PS5 continues to be one of the best consoles on the market and it's now even better thanks to the slimline model getting a massive price drop. It still features oodles of power and a 1TB hard drive but it's design makes it much smaller to pop by the side of your TV. SEE THE PS5 DEAL HERE Xbox One S NOW £199 - SAVE £50 GOOD DEAL: The Xbox One S is a brilliant entry-level console that offers plenty of oomph for the average gamer along with full access to Microsoft's Xbox Games Pass service. SEE THE XBOX DEAL HERE Apple iPhone 12 NOW £399 - SAVE £100 GOOD DEAL: The iPhone 12 might be four years old but this is still a solid smartphone that's half the price of buying the latest iPhone 16. You get a 6.1-inch screen, powerful A14 Bionic processor, dual-lens camera and wireless charging SEE THE iPHONE DEAL HERE Ring Doorbell NOW £64.99 - SAVE £55 GOOD DEAL: Now is a good time to join the revolution with these smart cameras now starting from just £64.99. They offer instant alerts on your phone, will record footage in full HD and you can even chat to whoever is on your drive even if you are on the other side of the world. SEE THE RING DEAL HERE Sonos Era NOW £199 - SAVE £50 GOOD DEAL: One of the best speakers you can buy is now more affordable. The Sonos Era 100 offers great sound, full Alexa support and can link with your other Sonos kit for a multi-room experience. SEE THE SONOS ERA DEAL HERE Fire TV Stick Lite NOW £21.99 - SAVE £12 GOOD DEAL: The Fire TV Stick Lite might not be the most powerful streaming device but it's certainly one of the cheapest. For under £22, you get a device that is powered by Alexa and offers access to all the most popular free and premium streaming services. SEE THE FIRE TV STICK DEAL HERE LG 43-inch HDR TV NOW £179 - 'LOWEST EVER PRICE' GOOD DEAL: If you want to spend even less on a solid TV then this is the deal for you. This LG smart TV is being sold at its lowest ever price according to Argos, with LG's built-in software letting you stream your favourite shows and apps without the need for a Fire TV Stick. Just bear in mind it's not a 4K telly. SEE THE LG TV DEAL HERE Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarer glasses NOW £229 - SAVE £80 GOOD DEAL: These very smart glasses not only let you snap movies and photos without reaching for your phone but also offer hands-free calls and messaging. They are made by Ray-Ban but are powered by the team behind Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. SEE THE RAY-BAN DEAL HERE Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarer glasses NOW £229 - SAVE £80 GOOD DEAL: These very smart glasses not only let you snap movies and photos without reaching for your phone but also offer hands-free calls and messaging. They are made by Ray-Ban but are powered by the team behind Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. SEE THE RAY-BAN DEAL HERE Samsung A25 NOW £179 - SAVE £70 GOOD DEAL: This Galaxy phone from Samsung features a triple-lens rear camera, 6.5-inch SUPER AMOLED screen and plenty of power. It won't beat the Galaxy S24 for performance but it's a cheap way of getting a Samsung phone in your pocket. SEE THE SAMSUNG DEAL HERE Of course, expect more Black Friday bargains in the run-up to the big day on November 29. It's also worth price checking before buying things online and make sure you really need what you are purchasing. Express.co.uk will be bringing you all the best and biggest deals over the coming days so watch this space. Of course, Argos is not the only firm offering early deals with Argos, Currys and John Lewis also dropping prices. There’s money off TVs, iPhones, and laptops, with some devices slashed in price by hundreds of pounds. See all the best deals below • BEST EARLY ARGOS BLACK FRIDAY DEALS • BEST EARLY CURRYS BLACK FRIDAY DEALS • BEST JOHN LEWIS BLACK FRIDAY DEALS • BEST EARLY AMAZON BLACK FRIDAY DEALS • BEST EARLY VERY BLACK FRIDAY DEALS
New Delhi, Nov 27 (PTI) A Project Implementation Agreement has been signed between the Ministry of External Affairs and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to execute new solar projects in Fiji, Comoros, Madagascar and Seychelles, an official statement said. The agreement was signed on Tuesday, the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Also Read | Constitution Day 2024: Constitution 'Guiding Light', Spirit of 'Nation First' Will Keep It Alive for Centuries, Says PM Narendra Modi. The Wilmington Declaration released at the Quad Leaders' Summit in Delaware in the US on September 21 stated that the Quad countries will work together, through policy and public finance, to operationalise their commitment to catalyse complementary and high-standard private sector investment in allied and partner clean energy supply chains, it said. "To this end, India has committed to invest USD 2 million in new solar projects in Fiji, Comoros, Madagascar and Seychelles," it added. Also Read | Food Poisoning in Telangana: 21 Students Fall Ill After Consuming Mid-Day Meals in Government School in Narayanpet District. On November 26, the Project Implementation Agreement (PIA) was signed between the MEA and the ISA to execute the projects in these Indo-Pacific countries. The ISA, as the Project Implementing Agency, would provide programmatic assistance to Comoros, Fiji, Madagascar and Seychelles with financial support from India, according to the statement. According to a study undertaken by the ISA, the countries under consideration for solar projects have energy issues related to perishability of agricultural products, unreliable electricity supply in health centres and for irrigation purposes in remote areas where grid power supply or solar mini-grids are not available yet, the MEA said. Based on discussions with the project recipient countries, solar projects in the areas of cold storage, solarisation of healthcare facilities and solar water pumping systems are under consideration, it said. The successful execution of these projects is expected to enhance energy access, create employment and provide reliable and quality power supply in these Indo-Pacific countries. "Unequal access to reliable and secure sources of energy and electricity has inhibited holistic economic development and social justice for nations and communities across the world. Solar energy is a viable solution to help these countries address climate change-related challenges," the statement said. The latest round of clean energy investments by India in these countries shall help strengthen the commitment of the Quad to address the challenges posed by climate change and facilitate their transition to a clean energy economy for the people, planet and our shared prosperity, the MEA said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)None
Will a new LA County department be created to consolidate homeless services? Board of Supervisors voted to pursue it.
At just €61 million, the transfer fee for this rising star has been heralded as a stroke of genius by Chelsea's recruitment team. In an era where top players are commanding fees upwards of €100 million, securing such a promising talent for a relatively modest sum is a testament to the club's shrewd negotiation skills. The value for money that Chelsea have secured in this deal is sure to have their rivals green with envy.Who truly has Beijing’s ear when it comes to economic policymaking? As China navigates a period of profound economic challenges, this question has taken on new urgency. While outsiders often perceive China’s economic policies as dictated in a top-down, insulated manner, the reality is more nuanced. Policy-making in Beijing frequently involves regular engagement with trusted experts through roundtables, study sessions, and advisory committees. The voices shaping economic strategy extend beyond the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s inner circle to include a select “brain trust” of economists whose ideas inform and influence key decisions. To understand China’s policy direction, it is crucial to identify this brain trust. Our project does just that by analyzing the perspectives of economists who have become integral to the policymaking process. These figures include chief economists at major financial institutions, respected academics, and former officials with deep experience in economic governance. By examining their insights, we aim to uncover where their views align, where they diverge, and what these dynamics reveal about China’s economic challenges and priorities. We selected these experts based on five dimensions: influence, prominence, rigor, political proximity, and expertise. Together, they offer a window into the intellectual framework underpinning Beijing’s economic decision-making. The debates among these experts shed light on the priorities shaping China’s economic policies and offer insight into the trade-offs Beijing must grapple with. Understanding these voices is critical – not just to predicting China’s next moves but also to grasping the constraints and opportunities within its evolving economic system. By unpacking the perspectives of China’s economic whisperers, we aim to shed light on the most pressing economic policy debates of recent months and delve into the areas where expert opinions converge and diverge. Stabilizing the Present: Monetary and Fiscal Moves The Chinese government has implemented unconventional monetary and fiscal policies in recent months in an effort to stabilize its economy. The People’s Bank of China’s (PBoC) new liquidity facility and the Ministry of Finance’s debt-restructuring plan exemplify a growing willingness to experiment with creative solutions. But are these measures bold enough to address the scale of the challenges? The PBoC’s Securities, Funds, and Insurance Companies Swap Facility (SFISF), launched in September, has drawn significant attention. By allowing financial institutions to swap illiquid securities for treasury bonds and central bank bills, it aims to inject 500 billion yuan into the capital markets. Economists such as Yugen Xun of Haitong Securities have lauded the move as a confidence booster, calling it a decisive signal of the PBoC’s commitment to stabilizing financial markets. Similarly, Yuanchun Liu of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics has interpreted the SFISF as a harbinger of more aggressive monetary interventions. However, foreign investors remain wary. Ziqiang Xing of Morgan Stanley was skeptical, noting that while the facility provides short-term relief, it falls short of the level of monetary expansion deemed necessary by many foreign stakeholders. The Ministry of Finance’s debt-swapping scheme, which aims to restructure 10 trillion yuan in hidden local government debt over five years, has similarly received mixed reviews. While Zhiheng Luo of Yuekai Securities praised it for reducing debt servicing costs and enhancing transparency, critics argued it merely delays a reckoning with the underlying fiscal imbalances. One area of consensus among economists is the likelihood of further monetary easing. Ming Ming of CITIC Securities predicted multiple cuts to the reserve requirement ratio and interest rates in 2025, while Qingyou Guan, an independent economist, advocated slashing mortgage rates to stimulate the real estate market. Ge Wu of Changjiang Securities warned that concerns about the yuan’s depreciation and declining deposit rates might constrain aggressive easing but argued that steady monetary expansions and interest rate cuts are nonetheless indispensable. Fiscal policy, by contrast, has revealed deeper divisions. Tao Wang of UBS supports targeted fiscal stimulus of 1.5–2 trillion yuan to spur growth. Meanwhile, Daokui Li, a former PBoC official, urged restraint, warning that large-scale government spending could jeopardize long-term fiscal sustainability. Shijin Liu, a former deputy director of the State Council’s Development Research Center, offered a compromise, emphasizing that any stimulus must prioritize improving public service quality and promoting equitable urbanization. This debate underscores the tension between addressing immediate crises and maintaining fiscal discipline. Searching for a New Growth Engine China’s economic growth has long relied on real estate, but the collapse of this model has sparked an urgent search for alternatives. The debate among experts centers on three interrelated priorities: systemic reform, technological innovation, and economic openness. Systemic reform is widely regarded as a prerequisite for sustainable growth. Xuetao Song of TF Securities advocated for strengthening corporate rights protections, improving public service quality, and curbing wasteful expenditures. For Xunlei Li of Zhongtai Securities, enhancing the social safety net is particularly urgent. He argued that raising household incomes and expanding access to education and healthcare will not only boost domestic consumption but also create new opportunities in the tertiary sector. Shanwen Gao of Essence International Financial Holdings echoed this view, emphasizing that policies to stimulate consumption are critical for economic rebalancing. Others contend that technology, rather than systemic reform, will drive China’s next growth phase. Justin Yifu Lin, a former World Bank chief economist, and Xiaonian Xu of CEIBS both stressed the need to improve corporate productivity and move beyond reliance on investment-led growth. Former IMF Vice President Min Zhu took this argument further, highlighting the importance of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), green energy, and data-driven tools in boosting productivity and fostering new industries. Zhu suggested that China could even lead the global transition to sustainable energy and digital economies if it fully embraces technological innovation. A third school of thought prioritizes greater economic openness. Xinli Zheng, a former deputy director of the CCP Central Policy Research Office, has been a vocal advocate for “institutional opening-up,” urging China to align with global regulatory standards and deepen its integration into international trade systems. Jianguo Wei, a former deputy minister of commerce, highlighted the potential of digital trade and agreements like the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement to attract foreign investment and position China as a leader in high-value global supply chains. Navigating the Trump Factor The return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency adds another layer of complexity to China’s economic calculus. Trump’s first term saw a historic trade war that slowed China’s growth and disrupted global supply chains. His reelection raises the likelihood of renewed tariffs and heightened protectionism, forcing Beijing to rethink its economic strategy. Economists are divided on how damaging another round of China-U.S. trade tensions could be. Tao Wang estimated that a full-blown global trade war could shave 2 percentage points off China’s GDP – a significant hit for an economy already facing headwinds. However, Zhiwu Chen of HKU Business School noted a potential silver lining. He argued that heightened trade tensions could accelerate China’s pivot from export-driven growth to a domestic consumption model, as the government would be compelled to reallocate resources toward struggling consumer sectors. Most experts agree that Beijing will need to pursue a dual strategy: mitigating short-term risks while diversifying its trade relationships. Strengthening economic ties with Europe, particularly if EU-U.S. relations sour, is viewed as a key avenue for offsetting American protectionism. At the same time, China is likely to offer more favorable terms to foreign investors, as it did with Tesla, to attract the capital needed for domestic growth. Where Experts Diverge – and Why It Matters A striking feature of the current economic debate is the divergence between experts in financial institutions and those with policymaking experience. The former group tends to favor aggressive stimulus and easing measures to address immediate challenges, reflecting the priorities of capital markets. In contrast, academics and former officials often emphasize structural reforms and strategic investments as essential for long-term stability. These differences reflect deeper ideological divides over the role of the state in managing the economy. Should Beijing prioritize short-term interventions to stabilize markets and reassure investors? Or should it focus on building a more resilient economic foundation, even at the cost of slower recovery in the near term? Another source of contention lies in the balance between fiscal and monetary policy. While most agree that monetary easing will play a central role in the short term, the scale and scope of fiscal intervention remain hotly debated. The controversy underscores the challenges of navigating China’s unique economic pressures, where traditional tools may no longer suffice. What China’s Economic Whisperers Reveal About China’s Economy The varied perspectives among China’s leading economists offer a unique lens into the complexities of the country’s economy and its policymaking process. Points of convergence reflect the recognition of shared structural challenges, while divergences expose the competing priorities and uncertainties shaping China’s path forward. Together, these perspectives offer valuable lessons – not just for Beijing but for a global audience grappling with the ripple effects of China’s economic trajectory. The broad agreement on the need for monetary easing highlights a consensus that immediate stabilization is critical. Economists recognize the urgency of addressing liquidity constraints and restoring confidence in markets. This shared perspective underscores the fragility of China’s current economic framework, where even incremental measures like the SFISF are seen as essential lifelines. For policymakers abroad, this serves as a reminder of how interconnected China’s financial stability is with global markets. A wobble in Chinese liquidity sends ripples through supply chains, investor sentiment, and trade flows worldwide. At the same time, disagreements over fiscal policy and long-term growth strategies reflect the difficult balancing act China faces. The debate over whether to prioritize fiscal restraint or stimulus reveals an economy at a tipping point, struggling to reconcile short-term demands with the imperative of structural reform. Divergent views on the roles of systemic change and technological innovation further illustrate the challenge of building a sustainable growth model. For international observers, these debates point to a larger truth: the solutions that propelled China’s rise – heavy investment, real estate expansion, and export dependency – are no longer sufficient. Beijing must innovate within an increasingly constrained global and domestic environment. The divides also underscore the evolving complexity of China’s economic governance. Unlike earlier decades, when a clear policy consensus often emerged swiftly, today’s debates are shaped by diverse and sometimes conflicting views on China’s direction amid structural slowdowns and global headwinds. Economists focusing on market sentiments advocate bold, immediate interventions to reverse low confidence and sluggish recovery, while those with policymaking backgrounds promote more measured, wait-and-see approaches. This fragmentation reflects the complexity within China’s economic system and signals that China’s policymaking, while decisive, is far from monolithic – and that uncertainty is an inherent feature of its economic transition. Finally, the convergence on external risks – particularly the potential fallout from a renewed China-U.S. trade war – reveals a shared acknowledgment of how geopolitics increasingly shapes economic realities. The recognition that diversification and domestic consumption are critical buffers points to a China recalibrating its strategy for a less stable global environment. In the end, the convergence and divergence of China’s economic voices reveal a country navigating one of the most pivotal transitions in its modern history. While China’s decision-making process remains opaque, identifying these debates offers valuable insights into the trade-offs Beijing faces. For policymakers, investors, and analysts worldwide, understanding these dynamics is key to interpreting the complexities of China’s evolving economic strategy.
In a shocking turn of events, the South Korean Defense Ministry's Counterintelligence Command was raided earlier this week, leading to the seizure of several top-secret documents and information. The unexpected raid has sent shockwaves through the security establishment, raising concerns about potential national security risks and espionage activities.
In conclusion, the rapid growth of the HarmonyOS ecosystem in Fujian province is a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and digital adoption. With nearly 350 native applications now available on the platform, users in the region have access to a diverse array of tools and services that cater to their evolving digital needs. As the ecosystem continues to expand and evolve, Fujian is poised to lead the way in driving digital transformation and embracing the future of connectivity and innovation.
Additionally, China's proactive trade policies and efforts to enhance trade facilitation have played a crucial role in supporting the country's foreign trade. The implementation of various measures to streamline customs procedures, reduce trade barriers, and promote international cooperation has helped to create a more favorable environment for trade and investment.By ALEXANDRA OLSON and CATHY BUSSEWITZ NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are revaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world’s biggest retailer followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The risk associated with some of programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump’s incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches — the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President — are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI,” Glasgow said. “The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America’s top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart’s announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart’s need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company no longer has explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer’s ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart.” Related Articles National News | Man found guilty of holding down teen while he was raped at a youth center in 1998 National News | What Black Friday’s history tells us about holiday shopping in 2024 National News | New rule allows HIV-positive organ transplants National News | Today in History: November 26, Mumbai terror attacks of 2008 begin National News | Walmart becomes latest – and biggest – company to roll back its DEI policies Walmart’s announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.