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Chinese Communist Party Upheld Death Sentence For Australian Writer’s Ahead of China Premier’s Visit, Supporters Say Australian writer Yang Hengjun’s suspended death sentence has been upheld by Beijing’s High People’s Court, with the decision relayed to Australian officials two weeks before China’s Premier Li Qiang arrived in Australia, his supporters said on Sunday. Chinese Communist Party fully controls Beijing’s High People’s Court, a feature of the totalitarian state which Mr. Li presides over, the critics said. In a statement on Sunday evening, Mr. Yang’s supporters said Beijing’s High People’s Court had reviewed and upheld the lower court’s sentence. Australian diplomats were informed on May 30 and were denied a consular visit last week, and Mr. Yang was being moved to a permanent prison after five years in a state security detention centre. “Our most immediate concern is that Yang’s medical conditions remain serious and unaddressed”. “For these reasons, we urge Prime Minister Albanese to use his meeting with Premier Li Qiang to directly demand that Yang be released on medical parole or otherwise be transferred to safety in Australia,” said the statement. Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last week he would raise Yang’s case with China’s second-highest ranked official. Join Theo | Join Theo.Health | Donate

China and Phillipines Ships Collide in Disputed Waters - China’ report A Philippine and a Chinese ship collided near the Spratly Islands on Monday in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. An early report published by the China Coast Guard accused Manila of "ignoring many warnings." Beijing's report, primarily an accusation, revealed that China’s used force against the Phillipines vessel on Monday. The report said, China's Coast Guard 'enforced measures against the Philippine vessel', a clear indication China attacked a Manila’s vessel. The report blamed Manila for the incident, accusing Philippine vessels of “illegally” entering the sea near Ren'ai Reef in the Nansha Islands, the Chinese name for the Spratly Islands. The Philippines asserts that the shoal, located less than 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its coast, is within its internationally recognized exclusive economic zone. They often refer to the 2016 international arbitration ruling, which rejected Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea. Join Theo | Join Theo.Health | Donate

China’s Factory Output Disappoints, Property Sector Crisis Deepens China’s May industrial output lagged expectations and a crisis in the property sector showed no signs of easing despite the central bank’s policy support. May industrial output grew 5.6 per cent from a year earlier, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data showed, slowing from the 6.7 per cent pace in April and below expectations for a 6.0 per cent increase by some analysts. Private sector investment grew 0.1 per cent in January-May, down from 0.3 per cent in the first four months, pointing to still weak confidence among private businesses. Fixed asset investment rose 4.0 per cent in the first five months of 2024 from the same period a year earlier, versus expectations for a 4.2 per cent rise. Property investment fell 10.1 per cent year-on-year in January-May, deepening from a decline of 9.8 per cent in January-April. New home prices slipped 0.7 per cent in May from April, marking the 11th straight month-on-month decline and steepest drop since October 2014, according to the calculations based on NBS data. Join Theo | Join Theo.Health | Donate

Oil Down Oil prices slipped in Australasian trading on Monday after a survey on Friday showed weaker U.S. consumer demand. Brent crude futures for August delivery were down 0.4 per cent, at $82.33 per barrel. While U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for July delivery were also down 0.4 per cent at $78.16 a barrel. The more-active August delivery WTI contract slipped 0.4 per cent as well at $77.76. Join Theo | Join Theo.Health | Donate

Microsoft Delays AI Recall Feature On New Windows Computers Over Infiltration Concerns New laptops equipped with Microsoft Windows start shipping to customers next week without a flagship feature called Recall that drew concerns about privacy and cybersecurity. Recall works by periodically taking snapshots of a computer screen to give Microsoft’s AI assistant Copilot a “photographic memory” of a person’s virtual activity, ostensibly to help someone remember what they did earlier. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explained exactly in this manner. But during the weekend, the company confirmed it was delaying a “broadly available” preview of Recall that was supposed to be included with new PCs starting Tuesday. Instead, it will first go to a smaller set of users who are part of the Windows Insider software testing program. Those expert early adopters will help “ensure the experience meets our high standards for quality and security,” said Pavan Davaluri, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows and devices, in a statement. Last week, several specialists warned that a Microsoft AI feature risks being hijacked by hackers or becoming a victim of hostile malware that would outsource data. Join Theo | Join Theo.Health | Donate

Al Qaeda Affiliate Claims Responsibility For Burkina Attack Al Qaeda affiliate Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) group has claimed responsibility for what it said was attack on June 11 that killed over 100 Burkina Faso soldiers in Mansila area near the border with Niger, the SITE Intelligence Group stated on Sunday. SITE quoted a JNIM statement as saying that five days ago terrorists “stormed a military post in the town, where they killed 107 soldiers and took control of the site”. Several videos available online, allegedly published by the terrorists, showed raging gunfire around the army base. One video showed a display of dozens of weapons and ammunitions, and at least seven Burkina Faso soldiers captured by the terror group. The reported attack was one of the deadliest suffered by the West African Sahel nation’s army as it, alongside neighbours Niger and Mali, struggle to contain terror formations linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. Over more than a decade, the Islamic terrorists have killed thousands and displaced over two million in Burkina Faso. Join Theo | Join Theo.Health | Donate

Global Oil Demand To Remain Robust “In 2024 and 2025”, Leading Energy Market Analyst Say In three independently published assessments this weekend, the economist focused on energy market research and analysis and said they were expecting global oil demand to grow in the next ten years and beyond. Goldman Sachs, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and US Energy Information Administration (EIA) analysts shared their views with the banks and other financial institutions in their in their bi-annual letter. Goldman Sachs analysts said they were expecting global oil demand to grow by 1.25 million bpd in 2024. The bank cited robust growth in jet fuel, petrochemical-driven LPG and naphtha, and gasoline and diesel demand as key drivers of this growth. The OPEC maintained its initial forecast for 2.25 million barrels per day (mbpd) of growth for 2024. It said it also expected strong global oil demand growth in 2025 and beyond, with a projected increase of 1.85 mbpd. The EIA economist raised its 2024 global oil demand growth forecast to 1.1 million barrels per day, up from its previous estimate of 900,000 bpd. This revision is based on expectations for travel and tourism in the second half of the year. EIA projects even stronger demand growth for 2025 of 1.5 mbpd. All analysts emphasize that the current strong demand for crude oil is matched by similar growth in demand for natural gas, coal, and even wood within the energy sector. They also add that the industry cannot rapidly establish green energy production plants to support economic growth and technological development. Therefore, fossil fuel-based energy sources will continue to be necessary in the long term. Join Theo | Join Theo.Health | Donate

China New Bank Loans' Rise Less Than Expected, Outstanding Loans Increase Surprises - report New bank lending in China hit record lows in May, a fact that was unexpected. The suprising rise in outstanding loans, contrary to the market's expectation of a gradual fall, has sparked intrigue in the economic landscape. This surprising turn of events suggests that the new fiscal measures may not be as effective as initially thought, leading to a dip in confidence. Chinese banks issued 950 billion yuan ($130.93 billion) in new yuan loans in May, while investors expected loans to rise to 1.255 trillion yuan. The annual growth of outstanding total social financing (TSF), a broad measure of economic credit and liquidity, increased slightly to 8.4 percent in May from a record low of 8.3 percent in April. "The deleveraging in the households continues," commented diplomatically Mr. Zhou Hao, chief economist at Guotai Junan International. "The scale of this mess is significantly larger than previously thought," said Dr. Gianluigi Perra, market analyst at UniCredit. The Chinese economy saw a significant impact with corporate loans dropping to 740 billion yuan from 860 billion yuan in April. This decrease, while not unexpected, should raise concerns about the overall health of the economy. "Bank loan growth in China hit a record low in May", Capital Economics noted, a statement that should raise caution among investors and economists alike. China started issuing 1 trillion yuan in ultra-long government bonds in May. Join Theo | Join Theo.Health | Donate

Biden’s Stance On Missile Defense - The System Creates Opposite Effect Than He Predicted (…)In the South Pacific, China’s growing aggression and world-class hypersonic missile capabilities pose a direct threat to American military assets and key allies like Japan and Australia. In May, Admiral John Aquilino, the outgoing head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, warned that the Chinese Communist Party is “getting more bold, and it’s getting more dangerous,” an alert which echoes the concerns of other experts in the region. (…) In the largest Iranian attack earlier this year [against Israel], there were three waves of attack. The first consisted of 170 Shahed drones intended to overwhelm radars. The second consisted of 30 cruise missiles, which Israeli engineer Tal Inbar told me was the “most significant” such barrage he could recall. The third wave consisted of 120 ballistic missiles, which Inbar said was “more than double the amount of missiles that Saddam Hussein fired against Israel over the span of two months in 1991.” Despite this daunting onslaught, however, the multi-layered missile defense shield of the Israeli Defense Forces succeeded in effectively neutralizing the attack. The American Patriot missile system stopped the first wave of attack, while “David’s Sling” ship-based interceptors and the “Arrow” system halted the second and third waves, respectively. Biden has a long history of skepticism toward missile defense investments going back to his time as a senator. (…) However, the real-world evidence since then has proven how wrong Senator Biden was. In Israel’s case, other Arab countries such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE contributed to the defense of the Jewish state in what retired Brigadier General Shachar Shohat called “the largest orchestra ever played in the region.” Instead of ratcheting up tensions, Israel’s investment in missile defense promoted common cause and acted as a deterrent against more attacks. (…) The one thing Senator Biden was correct about was that missile defense would be “the most crucial national security debate and decision in our lifetime.” (…) #Communist #China #Japan #Australia #Israel #IDF #Guam #Missile #Military #Defense #Pentagon #WhiteHouse #Leftist #JoeBiden #Democrat #DonaldTrump #Republican #Conservative #USA #American #AMAC #BenSolis #TheO https://amac.us/newsline/national-security/bidens-missile-defense-failures-put-america-at-risk/ Join Theo | Join Theo.Health | Donate

Meta Pauses AI Models Launch In Europe Due To Irish Request Regarding Exploitation of Users’ Content Meta Platforms will not launch its Meta AI models in Europe for now after the Irish privacy regulator told it to delay its plan to harness data from Facebook and Instagram users, the U.S. social media company said on Friday. The move by Meta came after complaints and a call by advocacy group NOYB to data protection authorities in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Spain to act against the company. At issue is Meta’s plan to use personal data to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models without seeking consent, although the company has said it would use publicly available and licensed online information. Meta on Friday said the Irish privacy watchdog had asked it to delay training its large language models (LLMs) using public content shared by Facebook and Instagram adult users. “We’re disappointed by the request from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), our lead regulator, on behalf of the European DPAs … particularly since we incorporated regulatory feedback and the European DPAs have been informed since March,” the company said in an updated blogpost. Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) welcomed Meta’s decision, saying it would continue to monitor major developers of generative AI, including Meta, to review the safeguards they have put in place and ensure the information rights of UK users are protected. NOYB’s chair Max Schrems attributed Meta’s temporary halt to the group’s complaints filed last week. Join Theo | Join Theo.Health | Donate