Leo Timm
Leo Timm covers China-related news, culture, and history. Follow him on Twitter at @kunlunpeaks
Ukraine Reinforces Border as Russia, Belarus Start Massive 10-day Drill
Military forces of Russia and its ally Belarus began a 10-day series of exercises on Thursday, Feb. 10. Operating in Belarusian territory near the border of Ukraine, the troops are being overseen by Valery Gerasimov,...
Gold Medalist Eileen Gu Says There’s No Internet Censorship in China Because ‘Anyone can download a VPN’
On Feb. 8, gold medalist Eileen Gu posted on Instagram to announce her win at the Beijing Winter Olympics. As social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are banned in China, many Chinese have questioned...
US Urges Canada to Crack Down on Protest ‘Situation’ as Truckers Block Key Border Crossings
Biden administration cabinet officials have urged their Canadian counterparts to use “federal powers” to handle the Freedom Convoy protests obtaining at key U.S.-Canada border crossings. Since mid-January, thousands of Canadian truckers and their supporters have...
Worldwide Chemical Pollution Has Exceeded ‘Safe Operating Space’ for Human Life: Study
Production of harmful chemicals has crossed the threshold of “safe operating space” for the human organism, a study released last month concludes. The report, Outside the Safe Operating Space of the Planetary Boundary for Novel...
Chained Mother of 8 in Xuzhou Draws Attention to Widespread Abduction and Trafficking of Chinese Women
Shocking videos and reports of a woman — apparently kidnapped as a teen to a rural part of eastern China and repeatedly raped to the point of insanity — called domestic and international attention to the...
Foreign Athletes at Beijing Olympics Not Getting the Food Needed to Compete Properly: Reports
Foreign athletes in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics have complained of bad conditions while quarantined under the Chinese authorities’ high-intensity COVID-19 measures — giving the elite sportists a glimpse of the treatment many Chinese...
Ottawa Mayor Thanks GoFundMe for Seizing $8 Million in Donations Meant for Freedom Convoy Protestors
The mayor of Canada’s capital, Jim Watson, has publicly thanked crowdfunding site GoFundMe for withholding CAD$10 million donated in support of the Freedom Convoy demonstration currently in Ottawa. “I want to sincerely thank the team...
Teachers, School Board Members Clash on Tennessee County’s Decision to Ban ‘Maus’ Comic Over Graphic Depiction of Holocaust
A Jan. 10 vote by the McMinn County School Board in Tennessee to ban Maus, an acclaimed graphic novel depicting the Nazi genocide in World War II has stirred up controversy and accusations of racism. ...
Ordinary North Koreans Steal Feces for Fertilizer While Officials Import Chinese New Year Luxuries
In both North and South Korea, the lunar new year, known as Seollal, is supposed to be a time of celebration and feasting. As with their Chinese neighbors, Koreans welcomed the Year of the Tiger...
China Isolates Foreign Olympic Athletes for COVID, Jeopardizing Their Participation in Games
More than 200 of some 8,000 foreign arrivals for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Feb. 1, prompting the Chinese authorities to isolate them in accordance with the regime’s...
‘Brazen’ Chinese Espionage Against US ‘Felt Across the Country’: FBI Director Wray
The harm wrought by Communist China’s hacking, espionage, and other “unrestricted warfare” activities affecting the U.S. are “felt across the country in a whole range of industries,” FBI Director Christopher Wray told an audience in...
Sun Lijun, China’s Ousted Vice-Minister of Police, Formally Charged With Political Crimes
The former deputy head of China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Sun Lijun, has been indicted for a litany of crimes, from accepting “an exceptionally large” amount of bribes and illegal firearms possession to market...