Your Thursday Briefing: US Senate Approves Semiconductor Bill, #Thurs #Briefing #US #Senate #Amends #Semiconductor Bill OLASMEDIA TV NEWSThis is what we have for you today:
We’re talking about the US Senate passing a major industrial policy law and Japan’s difficulties dealing with its monkey population.
US Senate approves $280 billion bill to counter China
In a rare bipartisan fashion, the US Senate has passed a sizable $280 billion bill intended to build America’s manufacturing and technological edge to counter China.
The legislation would provide billions of dollars in subsidies to domestic semiconductor manufacturers and fund scientific research into artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum computing — areas the US fears is falling behind China. It passed the House by a vote of 64 to 33 and is expected to pass in the House with some support from Republicans.
The bill’s margin of approval illustrated how commercial and military competition with Beijing — and the promise of thousands of new American jobs — has dramatically changed party orthodoxy, leading to a consensus between Republicans who shunned market interventions and Democrats who resisted overcharging. large corporations with federal generosity.
context: The share of modern manufacturing capacity in the US has plunged to 12 percent, leaving the country dependent on foreign countries amid a chip shortage that has sent shockwaves through the global supply chain.
Xi threatens to get big for Hong Kong leaders
Hong Kong’s top officials rush to embrace Xi Jinping, China’s leader, a feat of dedication that is a shocking shift for Hong Kong’s once rambunctious political culture.
On his first full day in office, Hong Kong’s new leader John Lee shared a photo of himself along with a printout of what he described as an important speech from Xi. City lawmakers held a six-hour session this month praising Xi’s recent visit to Hong Kong. And hundreds of top officials attended group study sessions, including one titled “Spirit of the President’s Important Speech.”
Such displays of devotion – common in mainland China – represent a major change in the former British colony that gained a high degree of autonomy 25 years ago when it came back under Chinese control. Hong Kong has long had to abide by Beijing’s decisions on key issues, but the bureaucracy’s embrace of Xi has crystallized its new identity as a territory firmly in Beijing’s grip.
context: Xi’s embrace is also a sign of the weakness of the local government. Lee, who spent most of his career in the police and security services, lacks the kind of broad network that his predecessors brought to the job through years of experience in the civil service or in business.
The marauding monkeys of Japan
Officials in the western Japanese city of Yamaguchi this week killed a monkey they believe was responsible for a spate of attacks on humans.
About 25,000 monkeys are killed annually in Japan, mostly by municipalities. Collisions between humans and macaques – also known as snow monkeys – are becoming more frequent. In Yamaguchi alone, 56 victims were attacked by a monkey this month, including a baby girl who was injured in her home and a 4-year-old girl who stormed into a kindergarten.
Japan’s macaque population is thriving, in large part because conservation efforts have been a little too successful. Population recovery has “provoked and intensified” human-Macaque conflicts to the point where humans living near the animals are now at serious risk of invading their own habitats, Hiroto Enari, a primate expert, wrote in a recent paper. research.
The biggest concern, Enari said, is that the animals could spread hepatitis B or other diseases to humans.
Elsewhere in Asia: Anthropoid conflicts are not new to the region. In Thailand, the city of Lopburi has been besieged for years by aggressive crab-eating macaques. In Singapore, officials recently had to guard an apartment complex against invading monkeys.
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Asia-Pacific
Economic devastation looms in the Caribbean, which faces a future of climate crisis and mounting debt. In Barbados, Mia Mottley, the country’s first woman to lead, has been working to restructure the country’s billions of dollars in debt in a way that would free up money to invest in its economy and protect against climate catastrophes.
ART AND IDEAS
The year of Barbie
The color of the season is pink. The inspiration: Barbie.
It started with the high-fashion world. During Paris Fashion Week, Valentino debuted a pink collection, and this month Anne Hathaway attended his show in Rome in a bright pink sequined dress. Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Kim Kardashian and other celebrities have also been spotted in pink.
The trend, called ‘Barbiecore’, is also popular among millennials and Gen Z. Like the website Who wears what?: “Yes, the dolls you played with as a child now bear the sartorial burden. Talking about a WHERE nostalgic revival.”
Then there’s the live-action Barbie movie coming out next year, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. Pictures of the actors skating extremely bright outfits are hard to miss online: “the social media dopamine hit of the summer,” as Vanessa Friedman, the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times, put it.
PLAY, WATCH, EAT
What to cook?
That was it for today’s briefing. Until next time. — Matthew
PS The Times won three awards of the Association of Educational Writers.
The latest episode of “The Daily” is about NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson.
You can reach Matthew and the team at [email protected].