https://archive.ph/6wb79

Microsoft has closed its IoT & AI Insider Lab in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang hi-tech zone, marking the latest sign of the US tech giant’s retreat from China amid rising geopolitical tensions.

The Shanghai lab, meant to help with domestic development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, closed earlier this year, according to people who work in the Zhangjiang AI Island area.

The lab was dark and unoccupied during a recent visit by the South China Morning Post, with the logo removed and office equipment cleared out.

The area houses the offices of several Big Tech firms, including German chipmaker Infineon Technologies and Chinese internet search giant Baidu.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27675348

Generated Summary:

Main Topic: The potential for a large-scale war between the United States and Iran, and the perspectives of Scott Ritter and Larry Johnson on the situation.

Key Points:

• Imminent War Threat: Reports suggest an imminent, large-scale US attack on Iran, potentially involving tactical nuclear weapons. This is driven by Iran's possession of 60% enriched uranium, which could be quickly converted into nuclear weapons.
• Iran's Actions: Iran's accumulation of 60% enriched uranium and statements by Iranian officials suggesting a near-term nuclear weapons capability are seen as provoking the US.
• US Justification: The US government views Iran's potential nuclear weapons program as an existential threat to Israel, justifying a preemptive strike.
• Consequences of War: Both Ritter and Johnson warn of catastrophic regional consequences, including potential escalation

Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave an interview with Megyn Kelly on 30 January 2025 which could signal the beginning of the end of America’s hegemonic security strategy. Rubio recognised that unipolarity, having one centre of power in the world, was a temporary phenomenon that has now passed:

“it’s not normal for the world to simply have a unipolar power. That was not – that was an anomaly. It was a product of the end of the Cold War, but eventually you were going to reach back to a point where you had a multipolar world, multi-great powers in different parts of the planet”.

Rubio suggested that the hegemonic position of the US resulted in a weakening of the Westphalian system based on sovereign states, and replaced it with a globalist system where the US claimed the role of a world policeman:

“And I think that was lost at the end of the Cold War, because we were the only power in the

Something to keep an eye upon.

• Halford Mackinder, 1861–1947
• Nicholas Spykman, 1893–1943
• George Kennan, 1904–2005
• Henry Kissinger, 1923–2023
• Zbigniew Brzeziński, 1928–2017

Probably the first nation to do so.

5 eyes, hard at work.

Russia told everyone about America designs on Bangladesh. No one cared.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/2667069

Sneaky Biden.

Also, subscribe to this person, trying to help 'em out.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/2202139

TIL

cross-posted from: https://lemy.lol/post/21905961

By Matthias Williams and John Irish March 19, 20244:34 AM GMT+5:30Updated 17 hours ago

Putin wins 87% of vote in weekend election, says Kremlin Western governments say election was rigged, undemocratic Condemn holding of election in occupied Ukraine regions China, North Korea, India, Iran congratulate Putin

LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - Western governments lined up on Monday to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin's landslide reelection as unfair and undemocratic, but China, India and North Korea congratulated the veteran leader on extending his rule by a further six years.

The contrasting reactions underscored the geopolitical fault lines that have gaped wider since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, triggering the deepest crisis in relations with the West since the end of the Cold War.

Arriving in Brussels on Monday, EU foreign ministers roundly dismissed the election r

For more than half a century, governments all over the world trusted a single company to keep the communications of their spies, soldiers and diplomats secret.

The arctic sea route, versus the Suez Canal, shortens time to deliver by 1 week.