Microsoft has announced that while making their newest browser from Google's Chromium code, they will also be including a legacy "Internet Explorer Mode" for "businesses" and South Korea (archived). Apparently Microsoft's accumulated technical debt is so great that in brushing away the mess of its past, it needs to bundle the mess it was trying to escape with the perceived solution.
Category Archives: Asia
China Souring On Dirty Canadian Agricultral Products
Exports from Canadian farms are increasinly being rejected or delayed in Chinese ports due to concerns over pests, sanitation, and other potential threats to the Chinese environment (archived). The Canada government abducted Chinese businesswoman Meng Wanzhou in December of 2018 at the behest of an organized crime operation in the US.
Sea Is No Escape: Thai Navy Pursues Couple For Constructing And Settling Offshore Platform
The Royal Thai Navy is pursuing local woman Supranee Thepdet and her gringo spouse Chad Andrew Elwartowski for aggression against Section 119 of Criminal Code involving:
any acts that cause the country or parts of it to fall under the sovereignty of a foreign state or deterioration of the state's independence (archived)
The couple is alleged to be plotting the birth of new nation on their 6 meter wide floating platform parked outside of Thai territorial waters yet within a portion of the Thai Exclusive Economic Zone the Thais claim is a critical route taken by oil tankers on their way Phuket. Thai law offers sentences of death or life imprisonment for violations of Section 119.
The couple are not defending the sovereignty of their offshore "seasteading" platform. Beyond what they aren't doing their location is unknown.
F-35 Pain Continues: Japan Loses One Over Pacific, Grounds Rest
International malaise among US allies purchasing F-35 fighters continues as Japan loses one of their few over the Pacific, an event that has lead them to ground the rest of their F-35 fleet (archived). Other US allies including Italy are looking to escape the costly boondoggle while NATO member Turkey managed to escape the program by prioritizing the purchase of state of the art Russian air defense missiles over the fighters of a utility so questionable the US has had to resort to purchasing foreign turboprop aircraft to handle a portion of the F-35's designed mission.
Taliban's Late Mullah Omar Lived Out His Days 3 Miles From US Outpost
Former Taliban leader Mullah Omar, whose 2013 death was only revealed two years later, reportedly lived out his years after the US invasion separated from a US base by a very walkable 3 mile distance (archived). The nearby Forward Operating Base Wolverine held a garrison of 1000 soldiers during the period and frequently hosted US and allied special operations forces. Even though the US and some Tajiks "won" their initial war over the Taliban in 2 months (archived), the US has been continuously fighting a war in Afghanistan against the Taliban and others since October 7th, 2001.
Huawei Sues USG Over Blackballing
Huawei is suing the United States government, including the United States Congress, over the unconstitutional blacklisting of their business in the "John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019" under the US Consitution's Bill of Attainer clause and other Federal Statutes prohibiting the individual targeting of companies and persons for punishment without trial. The complaint alleges that Congress illegally deprived Huawei of due process while trashing Congress's own:
general reputation and its specific commitment to honoring the laws of the United States.
Huawei filed the suit in the Eastern District of Texas. The full complain is reproduced below: Continue reading
Indian Licenses Russian Assault Rifle For Domestic Production While US Scolds Pakistan Over Potential F-16 "Misuse"
The two south Asian giants in a hot border dispute are enjoying very different relationships with their major foreign arms suppliers. Indian managed to sign an agreement with Russia allowing them to produce more than 700,000 AK-203 assault rifles to replace their current standard issue INSAS rifle (archived). The move is being hailed as an end to the hunt to replace INSAS which disappoints in many of the environments where India needs the rifles to be used.
Meanwhile the US State Department is investigating whether Pakistan broke a clause in their F-16 purchase agreement which supposes that Pakistan needs to ask the US for permission before deploying the fighter jets in any situation where they might be useful (archived). For this reason Pakistan is producing and deploying Chinese designed JF-17 fighters to complement/replace their US made F-16 fleet. Pakistan has already lost one of their F-16 fighters in combat against Indian MiG-21 fighters during this conflict (archived).
Canada Begins Process Of Extraditing Abducted Huawei CFO To US
Canada has begun the formal extradition process to deliver abducted Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou to the US (archived). Canada abducted Meng back in December and held her though the USG did not present charges against the Huawei CFO until the end of January. The USG has made discouraging the purchase of Huawei kit a point of foreign policy pushed on foreign governments by Madame Secretary of State Mike Pompeo zherself.
India And Pakistan Exchanging Fire
India and Pakistan are exchanging fire over their mutually disputed territory of Kashmir (archived). So far Pakistan is holding one captured pilot from India after downing two Indian planes which were allegedly striking targets on Pakistan's side of the contested territory. Both combatants are "liberal democracies" with parliamentry systems of goverment in the British tradition.
Huawei Sales Director Arrested In Poland Over Ambiguous Spying Charges
A Huawei sales director and a form Polish internal security service professional have been arrested in Poland (archived). Some sort of connection between the Chinese firm and China's state intelligence services is alleged, but details about how exactly this created a problem for this specific Huawei employee remain ellusive.