Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · 7d

Question: How can broadband providers claim that a £4 increase on an annual bill of £26.99 is 'in line with inlfation'?

Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · 10d

I'm not an avid golf watcher but so pleased Europe won the Ryder Cup, especially given the throughly unpleasant crowd they had to deal with www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s...

US fan ugliness at the Ryder Cup was merely a reflection of Trump’s all-caps America | Bryan Armen Graham

European players were subjected to slurs and crude insults about their families. They were no surprise as public discourse in America has broken down

www.theguardian.com

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Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · 12d

Nothing more moronic or obnoxious in the world of sport than the U-S-A chant

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Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · 21d

What terrible questions from the UK and US press at that Starmer/Trump presser.

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Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · 24d

Interesting www.ft.com/content/9ef2...

UK drops charges against two men accused of spying for China

Prosecutors had filed charges last year against the two for ‘providing prejudicial information’ to China

www.ft.com

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Reposted by Andrew Peaple

The Wire China @thewirechina.bsky.social · Sep 9

In a Q&A with Brent Crane, writer and academic Dan Wang discusses why the core differences between the world's two largest economies, the brutality of China's former one-child policy and whether it's right call it a Marxist country.

Dan Wang on China’s ‘Engineering State’ versus America’s ‘Lawyerly Society’ - The Wire China

Dan Wang discusses why the core differences between the world's two largest economies, the brutality of China's former one-child policy and whether it's right call it a Marxist country

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Reposted by Andrew Peaple

Victor Shih @vicshih.bsky.social · Sep 8

www.bloomberg.com/news/article... / wait what? The price of labubu won’t go up forever??

Pop Mart Shares Fall on Demand Concern, Post-Index Entry Selling

Pop Mart International Group Ltd.’s shares tumbled, reflecting concerns over product demand for the Chinese toy maker and profit taking after the stock’s inclusion into two major indexes.

www.bloomberg.com

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Reposted by Andrew Peaple

Michael H Whitworth @profmhwhitworth.bsky.social · Sep 3

On the subject of Melvyn Bragg, I think of this Private Eye cartoon more frequently than I care to admit, when I’m struggling to raise the energy for a lecture or graduate supervision

Cartoon Melvyn Bragg raises issues of fierce philosophical complexity with a stubbly & bleary-eyed crew of academics, one of whom responds “fucking hell, Melvyn, it’s a bit early for all that.”

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The Wire China @thewirechina.bsky.social · Sep 3

Since floating shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Laopu Gold has become the territory’s hottest stock. @rachelcheung.bsky.social looks at the unlikely rise of Laopu and its founder Xu Gaoming, who was previously a fisheries bureau clerk in Hunan. buff.ly/xNhKMNl

Fool's Gold? - The Wire China

Laopu Gold, a homegrown jewelry brand that defied the consumer slowdown, is hailed as China’s Hermès. But some are raising doubts over whether it can sustain its success.

www.thewirechina.com

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Reposted by Andrew Peaple

The Wire China @thewirechina.bsky.social · Sep 2

Involution, or “irrational production”, has spread to China’s once-promising green industries. @aligarciaherrero.bsky.social warns that the government’s reflex reaction, forced consolidation, is not the answer to the problem. buff.ly/Vus25Yi

Beijing Is Failing to Solve Its Involution Problem - The Wire China

If China truly wants to get rid of its green tech involution problem, creating oligopolies will not do the trick.

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Dave Jones @cleanpowerdave.bsky.social · Aug 26

NEW: The first evidence of a solar take-off in Africa☀️✈️

x33 rise in Algeria solar panel imports in the 12 mths to June 2025, compared to previous 12 mths.
x8 in Zambia
x7 in Botswana
x6 in Sudan
x3 in each of Liberia, DRC, Benin, Angola, Ethiopia

🧵

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Paul J Davies @pauljdavies.bsky.social · Aug 26

This is pretty confusing and I might have it wrong but it seems to be saying the first family is just out there running an actual ponzi?
Streetwise: What’s not to like about infinite free money? Well, several things, says @jmackin2.bsky.social www.wsj.com/finance/inve...

The Trump Family Cashes In on ‘the Infinite Money Glitch’

When President Trump gets in on a new online moneymaking idea, his followers often pile in—but two out of the last three times they went on to lose bigly.

www.wsj.com

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Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · Aug 25

Tariffs are making baseball kit more expensive - great piece by @noahberman.bsky.social for @thewirechina.bsky.social www.thewirechina.com/2025/08/24/a...

America's Pastime Gets Caught Out - The Wire China

For companies that produce the goods needed to take part in ‘America’s Pastime’ — baseball — tariffs are now top of mind.

www.thewirechina.com

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Reposted by Andrew Peaple

Helen Davidson @heldavidson.bsky.social · Aug 13

Super interesting interview with @heguisen.bsky.social about his new book Ghost Nation.
www.thewirechina.com/2025/08/10/c...
"Democratic countries have decisions to make now on what kind of Taiwan they want to see in the future."

Chris Horton on Taiwan the Ghost Nation - The Wire China

The journalist and author discusses Taiwan’s uncertain place in the world and how different generations have responded to the challenges it faces.

www.thewirechina.com

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Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · Jul 30

Is it safe to visit China? Few are better placed to answer this question than Michael Kovrig, one of the 'two Michaels' imprisoned in China for nearly 3 years. Read his @thewirechina.bsky.social op-ed here: www.thewirechina.com/2025/07/30/i...

Is it Safe to Visit China? A Former Detainee’s Warning - The Wire China

From exit bans to arbitrary arrests, vague laws, unsubstantiated charges, grueling prison sentences, and secret executions — the risks keep growing.

www.thewirechina.com

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Reposted by Andrew Peaple

Sense Hofstede @sensehofstede.nl · Jul 29

Watching China in Europe—August 2025 – Noah Barkin: ‘Another EU official put it this way: “The Chinese have shifted gears. They are convinced that they managed the US. And they are confident that they will manage us even better.”’

Watching China in Europe—August 2025

www.gmfus.org

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The Wire China @thewirechina.bsky.social · Jul 22

"A decade later, the memory of 709 remains a grim milestone in the CCP’s war on the rule of law. But it also remains a testament to the courage and resistance of those who fight for justice and rule of law inside a dictatorial system."

A Decade After China's Crackdown on Lawyers, Persecution and Resistance Persist - The Wire China

While many remain in jail, the bravery of those at the forefront of pushing for the rule of law in China should not be forgotten.

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Reposted by Andrew Peaple

Robert Shrimsley @robertshrimsley.bsky.social · Jul 17

The first industrial revolution built the middle class. What if the next hollows it out? If the next political revolt comes from the liberal establishment?

www.ft.com/content/50e0...

Politics faces its own AI reckoning

A new class of imperilled white-collar workers could radically reshape British democracy

www.ft.com

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Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · Jun 30

How is China viewing the Israel-Iran conflict and the US's intervention? Great insights here from Yun Sun www.thewirechina.com/2025/06/29/h... @thewirechina.bsky.social

How China Sees Iran’s Future - The Wire China

Beijjing has been critical of Tehran’s recent strategic blunders, but sees Iran’s continuing existence as still vital to its interests.

www.thewirechina.com

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Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · Jun 24

It's pathetic and craven

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Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · Jun 24

Remarkable that both the @nytimes.com and @wsj.com fail to quote Trump swearing www.wsj.com/livecoverage... www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06...

Israel-Iran Live Updates: Trump Scolds Israel, Iran as Ceasefire Teeters

President Trump said he was unhappy with continued attacks by Iran and Israel after he announced a cease-fire between the two countries. Follow along for live news, updates and analysis as the Iran-Is...

www.wsj.com

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Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · Jun 19

Our @thewirechina.bsky.social piece on the remarkable shift in attitude towards TikTok in the US www.thewirechina.com/2025/06/17/t...

Andrew Peaple @andypeaps.bsky.social · Jun 17

So many things but as an example that we can do infrastructure: Some of the major train station redevelopments of recent years are genuinely impressive - King's Cross, St Pancras, Waterloo etc.

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The Wire China @thewirechina.bsky.social · Jun 9

StepFun's founder, Jiang Daxin, worked for Microsoft for 16 years and obtained a doctorate in computer science from the University at Buffalo. After OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022, Jiang has said, “I thought, I can do it myself, maybe even better.” Noah Berman reports.

What is StepFun? - The Wire China

Shanghai-based AI firm StepFun is one of China’s ‘AI tigers,’ with models that can process videos and images as well as text.

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