China's Hand

China is playing chess while the West plays checkers. Here's your daily news digest for 11 January 2023.

China's Hand
Photo by Ave Calvar / Unsplash
China Cements its Position in the Middle East
Saudi Arabia is now not only one of China’s most important suppliers of energy, but the kingdom is also an important link in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) -- a gigantic global development project to enhance China’s global influence from East

Australia

Private Health Insurers Must Prove Value
Australian health insurers are being urged to deliver better value for money after making huge profits during the ...
Carbon emission ceiling on Australia’s biggest polluters to be lowered 4.9 per cent each year to 2030
The government will revamp a climate mechanism introduced by the Coalition government, proposing a 4.9 per cent cut on allowable emissions for the nation’s biggest emitters each year to 2030.
The 4 economic wildcards between now and election day
There are four economic wildcards between now and the election, and we know exactly when each will be played. The first is...

International

House Unites in Support for Iranian Protesters
The Republican-controlled House is rallying around a resolution that expresses solidarity and support for Iranian protesters who are risking their lives to demonstrate against the hardline regime.
Visualizing the Changing World Population, by Country
These charts highlight the changing world population between 2022 and 2050, showing which countries are growing—and shrinking—the fastest.
Did the West impose austerity on Africa?
America’s pandemic victory is catastrophic for the global poor

Business, Finance & Investment

“The Fed Should Be Irrelevant” - Peter Schiff Warns It’s “Not How Capitalism Is Supposed To Work”
“Everything is riding on the decision of a few guys sitting in a room in Washington, D.C. That’s not how capitalism is supposed to work...”
How To Survive The War On Merit: When Hard Work Isn’t Enough
Getting ahead based on merit is the ideal scenario. Having success given to you based on anything else strips away the satisfaction of earning what you deserve. Since 2020, however, there seems to be a growing ‘war on merit.’ The San Francisco School Board voted to end Lowell High School’s entrance…
Stagflation to Terrorize the Economy in 2023
Whether gold gains popularity among ordinary investors this year as a safe haven remains to be seen. The public, unfortunately, may not become interested in a big way until..

Culture

We Have a Tripledemic. Not of Disease, But of Fear.
Getting sick sometimes is the price of returning to normal. Dr. Vinay Prasad thinks it’s more than worth it.
Reparations For All?
A majority of the white ethnicities, such as the French Huguenots, the Irish, the Scots, and others, came to the original colonies to escape oppression and persecution. Some came as slaves. English debtors were sold into indentured servitude to cover their debts. The notion of Woke white liberals…
Big Pharma’s Solution To Childhood Obesity Is More Drugs
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published new guidelines for tackling childhood obesity with medication and surgery.

Crypto & Blockchain

Easy Crypto - The world’s choice for crypto
The world’s favourite place to buy and sell Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Delivery in less than 2 minutes, easiest order process, and we’re open 24/7.
More Transparency Is Needed in the Crypto Industry
The high-profile collapse of FTX was more proof, if we needed any, that the crypto bull run is over.
Crypto Winter Gets Chillier: Coinbase Cuts 1,000 Positions
Crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) is letting go of about 1,000 employees as part of a critical strategy to weather down the crypto winter.

Postscript

China’s Weibo bans more accounts for Covid policy criticism
At least 1,000 accounts.

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