Beijing
CNN
–

A 1-2 punch from the US risks shattering the already fragile trade war ceasefire between Washington and Beijing, with both Chinese tech companies and students taking a shocking blow by the Trump administration on Wednesday night.

Things were being looked up after the two biggest economies of the world agreed to dramatically rewind the sudden tariffs, as seen from within China.

The factory was beginning to become enthusiastic once again. Long-standing shipping containers have begun to leave China’s ports for the US. While Chinese media celebrated the agreement as a national victory, the highest officials adopted a cheerful tone when explaining cooperation between the two superpower rivals.

But two jabs from Washington on Wednesday have far-reaching effects across China, angering families and authorities. They also question the future of US-China trade talks. The temporary ceasefire lasts only 90 days, and the clock is ticking to reach a long-term agreement.

The first hit was in a Financial Times report on Wednesday that a move by US President Donald Trump effectively blocked the sale of software used to design semiconductors to China.

A Siemens spokesperson later told CNN that the US government on Friday informed the industry about new export controls regarding chip design software for China and China’s military end users.

These small chips have bolstered smartphones, computers, automobiles and home appliances, but have been at the forefront of US-China technology battles in recent years. The Biden administration blocked China from accessing US-made semiconductors, and earlier this month Washington warned businesses about using AI chips created by Chinese tech giant Huawei.

The obstacles were furious for Beijing, especially as they poured tens of thousands of dollars into the semiconductor industry, boosting home production and not relying on the US or other countries.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the US Chinese Embassy, ​​declined to comment on the reported chip software moves, but accused the US of “overstretching the concept of national security, abused export controls, and maliciously blocked and restrained China.”

However, landing in the Chinese family’s living room was the second blow from the White House, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying the US will “actively cancel visas for Chinese students.”

It’s hard to exaggerate the impact. In 2024 there were over 270,000 Chinese students in the United States, but even before the pandemic. Some come from China’s political and business elites, but many also come from middle class families.

The road to the US is attractive, but difficult. Chinese families save years, spend exorbitant amounts of money to send their children abroad, and students attend cram schools and hire private tutors to hone their applications. Rubio’s announcement puts all of that at risk. Students face potential deportation in the middle of a hard-working education.

As China is a one-party state that reaches deep into almost every aspect of society, it can be difficult or impossible to disprove the claim that many students are associated with the Communist Party.

A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry on Thursday accused the US of “unfairly” revoking its visa “under the pretext of ideology and national security,” and said it was “strongly opposed” to the move.

Candy, a statistical student at the University of Michigan, said she didn’t want to give her her full name and feared that her visa would be cancelled before graduation.

“It’s something I’m afraid to finish with just a high school diploma,” she said from China, where she is visiting her family. “I hope that your undergraduate course is safe and smooth.”

“When I first heard the news, I wanted to curse Trump.”

The visa threat arises as a shock, but some argue that targeting students is actually a boon for China in the end.

The number of Chinese students in the US has been declining in recent years, in part due to significant changes in both policy and public perception. Experts say many Chinese students and families are now worried about the safety of the United States, racism and discrimination, and the difficulties of immigration. Particularly because other countries, including China itself, are opening up more competitive higher education options.

Trump’s crackdown will allow us to see more Chinese scholars, including some of the brightest minds in their field, and return to our country. Or, they chose to reject US education because of their Chinese degree in the first place.

And these researchers, including leading leaders in the technology field, could be key to catch up with China, or to reel them into the US, the very things many Trump officials are trying to prevent.

Wednesday brought a bit of good news to China. Federal courts prevented Trump from impose most of his global tariffs, including China’s current 30% tariffs. However, the administration quickly appealed the decision, leaving those tariffs and trade war status in the air.

CNN
–

To SAP Ukrainian morale, Russia will dramatically bolster missile and drone attacks across Ukraine this month, but it is bolstering ground attacks along the long frontline, according to Ukrainian officials and analysts.

Some of these attacks were successful. Donetsk and North returned from several positions, and some rural areas to the south were also lost.

However, Ukraine’s own drones, deployed on several layers of the battlefield, helped Kiev suffer major losses to opposition forces with minimal casualties among its troops. They may become even more critical in the coming months.

Ukrainians are looking to expand their own drone industry to create defensive corridors along the main sections of the frontline, often referred to as “drone walls.”

Meanwhile, the Kremlin is pursuing two extension strategies aimed at ignoring President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a ceasefire to Ukraine, hoping to force Ukraine to admit defeat and destroy cities from the sky and remove lines of defence on the ground.

Russia has rapidly expanded its production of its own drones and missiles over the past year, using mass attacks with hundreds of projectiles at once. Russia’s strategy is trying to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defense with many low-cost drones, so that missile strikes will be successful at the same time.

On the ground, Russian forces are simultaneously investigating Ukrainian defenses along many parts of the frontline, advancing in small numbers into abandoned villages and open countrysides, from Zapolijazia to the south to Smee in the north.

Rather than rolling Ukrainian defenses, the Russians use cars, motorcycles and scattered infantry platoons to drive them away.

According to the Washington Institute (ISW), Russian troops have averaged about 14 square kilometers (5.4 square miles) per day so far this year. This rate means that nearly four more years will be required to complete the occupation of four regions illegally annexed by Moscow.

These are the well-stated goals of the Kremlin, but they are also trying to instill a sense among Kiev’s allies of Russia’s superiority over the Ukrainian army.

Much of the battle is Donetsk, and the Russians are still determined to seize the entire region. This is unless handed over in peace negotiations, a non-starter for Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky.

The Russian Ministry of Defense on Tuesday claimed that a village south of the main town of Kostiantinibka was taken. The ISW assesses that the Russian troops have seized about 65 square Curie territory, but at the same time they cannot intensify their attack operations in several different directions.

According to Jack Watling, a senior researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, “main Russian efforts for the summer will once again oppose the major towns of Kostiantinibka and Pokrovsk,” according to Jack Watling of Donetsk.

The Russian units bordered hundreds of miles north and several kilometers into the Smie area.

Zelensky told journalists Tuesday that the Russians “we’re gathering troops in the Smie direction right now. Over 50,000 people. We understand that. But we’re making progress there.”

Zelensky said the Russians “wanted to build this buffer zone called 10km (6.2 miles) deep in Ukraine, but lacked capacity.

Russians are supporting these operations with missiles and air launch guided bomb attacks.

The attack on Sumy will involve the army creating buffer zones (Sumy and Kharkiv regions) within northern Ukraine in accordance with the Kremlin orders of May 21. It happened when President Vladimir Putin crossed the border and visited Russia’s Kursk region.

Capturing the capital of the Smie region is probably beyond the Russians. The topography is thick and covered in forests. However, through their attacks, the Russians can prevent the Ukrainians from relocating their units to Donetsk.

Furthermore, to the east, there was a rise in recent fighting around Vovchansk in the Kharkov region.

At the 1,000-kilometer (621 miles) frontline, Ukrainian forces will need to decide which regions are under the greatest threat, where to withdraw, and how to redeploy.

The balance of manpower, despite its huge losses, remains extremely important in the favor of Russia. Putin recently claimed that 60,000 volunteers are recruited monthly. Observers believe this is probably exaggerated, but it makes the sign-up bonus warding off Russian civilian wages an attractive option.

Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Silsky said earlier this month that Kiev was “facing an “enemy grouping of up to 640,000 staff,” which was higher than the early days of the invasion. Zelensky said in January that Ukraine had 880,000 soldiers, but “880,000 are protecting the entire territory. The Russian army is concentrated in a certain direction.”

According to RUSI analyst Watling, Russia’s recruitment “is surpassing the monthly Kremlin targets of 2025.” “With shuffling the reserves of commanders and equipment, Russia is now set to increase the tempo and scale of the attack.”

However, according to Western assessments, in every square kilometre of Ukrainian land captured by Russia, Moscow has probably lost around 100 men.

Drone development and deployment continues to be important in the air campaign being played out above and behind the frontline and by Moscow.

Recent Russian advances in Donetsk, albeit incrementally, have been made possible by tactics to isolate the battlefield. Ukrainian units have reduced supply from the supply via drone strikes with supply vehicles ranging from the frontline up to 30 km (18.6 miles).

Ukraine’s defenses rely heavily on a layer of drones. According to Mick Ryan, author of Blog Futura Doctorina, Ukrainians are developing a concept called “drone wall” called “drone wall.”

“The Ukrainian army is increasingly deadly with the coordination of drones and craftsmen. The Russian attacks – motorcycle bases and armor – were defeated at several fronts in April with minimal Ukrainian losses.”

However, Ryan points out that effective drone walls need to be integrated with “and possibly AI-supported decision-making and analysis,” and integration with electronic warfare.

And that’s two-way. Ukrainian drones are “guided by small radars, and Russia is currently working systematically to find and target these radar stations,” writes Watling.

Zelensky said Tuesday that Russia plans to increase production of Shahed attack drones to 300-350 a day. When asked if the time would come when Russia would launch 1,000 drones in a day, he replied, “I can’t say this won’t happen.”

When you send hundreds of drones, they accumulate in the target area, causing air defense to saturate. Russia has also developed a drone that avoids Ukraine’s interference and can fly higher and faster than previous models. Ukrainian analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko said last week that one sharp was observed at a record altitude of 4,900 meters.

According to Zelensky, Ukraine is currently complementing air defense by deploying F-16s and Mirage Fighter Jets. “We’re also heading from drone to drone interceptors,” he said Tuesday.

Valeri Zarzhni, former Ukrainian military chief, says Ukraine must engage in a “high-tech war of survival,” in which drones play a key role, in order to “create the economic burden of wars that Russia cannot withstand.”

Speaking to the Kiev Forum last week, Zarzhni, now the Ukrainian ambassador to London, said his country had failed to exploit the innovation that “where he was ahead of the enemy yesterday. The enemy is already outweighing us.”

Analysts cite the rise in Russia’s use of short-range fiber optic drones that are not hindered as an example of technology races. Ukraine has not yet expanded the use of such drones. The drone relies on a few miles of optical fiber, albeit thick.

Zelensky denied that Ukraine had lost its drone war.

“We have as many drones as Russians, 300-500 drones per day. We’re very close to that,” he said.

The problem wasn’t production, Zelensky said – it was financial. As Ukraine often tries to work with Western manufacturers to produce their own weapons, Zelensky added:

But that’s a long-term goal.

Rusi’s Watling envisions tough months for Ukraine, “putting premiums on the efficiency of Ukrainian drone and artillery operations, the ability of Ukrainian commanders to maintain their troops, and the continuity of supply flowing from international Ukrainian partners.”

I’m not sure if US supplies will continue to continue as Trump is hot and cold about whether he should continue to help Ukraine protect itself.

According to ISW, Putin is “desperately sought to prevent future supply of Western military aid to Ukraine,” and “resourced Ukrainian forces have consistently demonstrated their ability to inflict unsustainable losses on Russian forces.”

Innovation and tactical agility are as influential as brute force as the war enters the fourth summer.

Kosta Gak and Victoria Butenko of CNN contributed the report.

Tokyo
CNN
–

When you go to Japan, you may meet people with unusual names such as “Nike”, “Pikachu”, and “Pudding”.

Although still in the minority, these names have become more popular in recent decades as parents reject traditional Japanese names for something more unique.

However, this practice has attracted criticism. It’s mainly confusing for the authorities who don’t know how hospitals, schools and authorities can pronounce them.

Now, the government is cracking down on these so-called “slick” names. The new rules come into effect Monday, restricting parents from giving baby names pronounced in unconventional ways.

This news was filled with mixed reactions. Some social media users argued that the sparkly name is an expression of individualism, is rather harmless and does not justify government regulations.

“They are not children of the country, right? They are children of their parents,” one person wrote in X after the announcement.

But more people welcomed the change. They lament the possibility that children with unusual names can face harassment and at least complicate the complexity of administrative tasks such as registration and banking.

“Why did certain people give their children sparkly names? It just makes them bully those kids,” wrote one X user. Another joke quipped sarcastically: “Stop limiting sparkly names. Looking at the names of children reveals the intelligence of their parents.

Japan uses three writing systems, Kanji, based on Kanji and two other voice systems. The name is usually written in kanji, and this is where the trouble arises.

These kanji were mixed with existing Japanese, so each kanji can be pronounced in multiple ways. Deciphering the “correct” pronunciation based on the contextual cues and other characters in the sentence.

With sparkling names that have become popular since the 1980s, parents choose their names based on the sound of the sound. For example, you want your child’s name to sound like “Pikachu.”

The problem is that these characters may not normally be that prominent. It is about deciphering how teachers and nurses can properly say a child’s name simply by looking at the written kanji shape.

Over the past decade, some have drawn more similarities to how American parents have chosen unusual spellings of ordinary names, such as Ashley and Caitlin, instead of Ashley.

The new Japanese government rules aim to limit this by requiring that only widely accepted pronunciation of Kanji characters are permitted.

Parents should include audio measurements for the baby’s name in their registry. If a local official confirms that the name’s voice sounds do not match how the character is normally pronounced, they may reject the name or request additional documentation.

This is not the first time that strict naming rules have sparked debate in Japan.

Unlike most other major economies that have abolished tradition, Japan legally requires married couples to share the same surname. Usually, a wife takes the husband’s name. This is because same-sex marriage is not legal in Japan.

The move to change the rules regarding surnames was a brewery led by women’s rights advocates and those seeking to maintain diversity in Japanese surnames in a country where only a handful of names are becoming more and more common.

The first name gave more room for experimentation, at least until the latest rules came into play.

A 2022 survey analysing baby names published in local newsletters over the past decades shows that more and more people have been given extraordinary names over the past 40 years.

This trend suggests a shift towards seeking “originality and independence” in Japan, according to the study, which also shows changes in other parts of Japanese life at the time, such as family structure and social values.

In particular, girls saw the glittering names on the rise. Perhaps it suggests that parents “want their daughters to be unique and independent than their sons.”

It’s not just the country that has seen an upward trend with rare baby names. A 2016 survey found that American parents chose more unusual names between 2004 and 2015, pointing to a “increasing individualism” in culture.

Even in China, rapid economic growth and upward mobility means that people today value individualism and autonomy more than their previous generations, according to a 2018 survey.

Like in Japan, this study found that Chinese girls were more likely to have unusual names than boys. It probably reflects a different “parent expectations.”

However, it is also common to introduce rules of names that are acceptable to the state. In the US, this is often statewide. California names can only be used with 26 English alphabetical characters. This easily caused problems when Elon Musk and Grimes named the baby “XæA-12.” They eventually changed their name to “very slightly – “xæa-xii”.

In Germany, authorities can overthrow the baby’s name if they determine that it is offensive or potentially harmful to the child’s best interests. For example, they have previously banned references to “Borusia,” or “gastritis,” which are references to soccer teams, and have claimed that the name “puts child welfare at risk,” according to the official Frankfurt city administration.

New Zealand, meanwhile, also maintains strict rules that prohibit mention of titles, meaning names such as “king” and “prince” are routinely rejected.

Mexico City
CNN
–

Gadi Mokotov turns the car into a bullet. Living in Mexico City, he sees all sorts of demand for armored vehicles, from military trucks and secret government vehicles to high-roller Cadillacs in the capital, to even 10-year-old Honda.

His line of service grew longer as criminal violence was etched across the country. And many of his customized cars are back for repairs with bullet statues and crushed windows.

“We live in war,” he told CNN. “War with the Cartel.”

Government figures show that despite successive government efforts to combat Mexico’s deeply entrenched cartels, tens of thousands of people are killed each year in crime-related deaths. Recently, Mokotov says he is grateful that one of Guadalajara’s private clients brought a Ford pickup truck back to his shop with over 100 bullet marks, shedding tears and surviving the ambush.

For the past few years, Mexico City has been considered a relatively peaceful oasis within the country. But even here, violence has skyrocketed, with murders rising more than 150% compared to the same period last year, according to a report by El Pais.

Some attacks appear to be designed to send a message to the Mexican political class. Last week, two aides on the mayor of Mexico City were shot on their way to their work after authorities concluded it was a “direct and highly planned attack.” A few days ago, the mayoral candidate from Veracruz was shot dead along with three others during a celebratory campaign march.

Armored vehicles and bulletproof vests: the fear of violence ahead of Mexico’s judicial elections

Armored vehicles and bulletproof vests: the fear of violence ahead of Mexico’s judicial elections

04:18

As the controversial national election approaches Sunday, some Mexicans across the country are preparing for the worst.

Last year’s legislative elections were the most violent on record, with over 40 candidates being assassinated and hundreds of violent incidents, including attacks and tricks, largely due to cartels that aim to shake up votes and threaten candidates.

Although preparations for this year’s judicial vote were not so bloody, the terrifying environment persists. Nationally, at least four candidates have already abandoned the campaign after being threatened, with several judges completely refusing to campaign in areas controlled by the cartel, according to the Crisis Group of the International Conflict Research Institute. Since 2012, at least 17 judges and six clerks have been killed in connection with their work, the group notes.

One of the last acts of former President Andrez Manuel Lopez Obrador in 2024 was to pass constitutional reforms, which required that all judges in the country be elected by direct vote.

The vote, seen by supporters as an effort to ensure the autonomy and fairness of judges, has been accepted by President Claudia Sheinbaum, the successor and protégé of Lopez Obrador. On Sunday, June 1st, thousands of candidates will compete to win 881 seats.

Mexico City criminal attorney César Gutiérrez Priego, a criminal attorney running for the country’s Supreme Court seat, told CNN that he is running a campaign this spring in a bulletproof vest under his case.

“It doesn’t smell very good, but that’s what I need to do because I have to protect myself. I have two kids and I don’t want to be another number,” he says of the vest he’s worn for two months on the campaign trajectory.

Priego is not a man who is unaware of the potential for violence and corruption in Mexican politics. He decided to study law when he was in his 20s.

Trust in the judicial system has been broken many times across the country. Judges are widely recognized among the nation’s most corrupt officials, with many well-known cases not being concluded. According to Human Rights Watch, only 16% of criminal investigations were resolved overall in 2022.

Critics argue that addressing these issues requires much deeper changes, such as suppressing organized crime and dealing with corruption at the prosecution level and at the government, than this week’s judicial vote can address.

Both the Biden and Trump administrations in the US have warned against judicial votes, expressing concern that running for judges could expose them to political interests and potential corruption or threats by organized crime groups.

Still, Priego says he’s willing to try out the new system and face the personal risks of his life for shots in the country’s tallest bench seat.

“In Mexico, there’s a big problem here in our country. And what’s that problem? Criminals are some places, some agencies, and one of those agencies is the judicial system. And if we change, even if we put criminals in prison, you can go to prison.

Everyone agrees, ending the immunity has been a long time domestically behind, but not everyone agrees to a way to get there.

In his Mexico City Garage, Mokotov sees daily evidence of the crisis, including a burgeoning first-time client seeking his services: a woman who wants to add bulletproof armor to her humble commuter vehicle.

It’s a demand that even he gets a little intrusive, he says. “It’s not good to see moms here saying, ‘We need to protect our kids to go to school.’ They fear the lives of their children. ”

CNN
–

Mexico is scheduled to hold its first judicial election on Sunday, with hundreds of judges, magistrates and justice taking part in votes across the country.

It’s an unprecedented contest where supporters democratize courts, but critics fear it will be susceptible to politicians and criminal groups.

Nearly 900 federal positions, including all nine seats in the Supreme Court, will include around 1,800 local positions in 19 states. Sunday’s event is the first of two voting stages, with the second voting stage for 2027 set.

The vote is the result of constitutional reforms approved last year in the final weeks of Andre’s Manuel Lopez Obrador’s presidency. He argued that the change was necessary to be exempt from the court and to give voters a greater say in the judicial process.

However, opposition viewed it as Lopez Obrador’s attempt to strengthen the strength of his dominant Morena party by reviewing the judiciary that often blocked some of his policy proposals.

Critics also worry that selecting judges through the popular vote could compromise the independent authority of the court, thereby maintaining the law and restraining other authority in times of rampaging crime and corruption.

Before reforms were enacted, Supreme Court judges were appointed by the President and approved by the Senate, while federal judges were selected by the Judicial Committee using exams and coursework that assessed candidates on a judicial system basis.

In the new system, federal candidates will be elected to the public after being examined and appointed by the three branches of the government.

Unlike other elections, people running for judicial positions cannot be nominated or supported by political parties, according to Mexican election officials. They also cannot receive public or private funds. This means you have to fund your campaign yourself. Reform proponents say it reduces the likelihood that political actors will be affected, but critics say they prefer wealthy candidates.

Candidates are also prohibited from purchasing campaign ads on TV or radio, but can promote themselves on social media, interviews and other forums.

Upon in office, the elected judge will be assessed by the newly established Judicial Disciplinary Tribunal. It has the power to investigate and sanction legal personnel except for Supreme Court Justice and election magistrates. These sanctions include suspension, financial penalties, dismissals and disqualification.

The rules prohibit political parties from providing direct support to candidates, but critics warn that encouraging voters to select people to suit their interests can still affect race.

Local media reports that some politicians and their supporters have been accused of distributing pamphlets or cheat sheets.

A few days before the election, the National Institute of Elections (INE) has organized the votes – said it is investigating two complaints related to the use of such pamphlets.

“The law is very clear about who can’t intervene in this. There is no political government or political party at either level,” INE adviser Claudia Zabara said in an interview with Millenio TV.

CNN has checked with Zavala for details.

Another concern is that political parties may theoretically have the say that candidates will be nominated in the first place. If a single party shakes three branches of the government that oversees the nomination process of candidates, that party could affect those who arrive at the vote.

“We’ve been working hard to get the better of our customers,” said Stephanie Brewer, Mexico’s director of the Washington office in Latin America.

There is similar concern about the new judicial disciplinary court, which aims to oversee inauguration judges. Brewer says if political actors can influence it, they could then put pressure on the overseeing judge.

One of the biggest concerns rights groups warn is that elections can also be affected by criminal groups.

In previous races, Mexican cartels used violence to influence the outcome of the vote. Often by attacking or assassinating candidates they oppose. Last year, the country recorded record number of victims of political crimes as human rights group Datasivika reported 661 attacks on people and facilities. Many of the victims either held or were running at the local government level position.

This year, the assessment of think tank Mexico warned that eight states are at a high risk of political crime violence in future judicial elections, saying “through violence, organized crime is likely to seek to seize jurisdiction, particularly at the local level.”

Several political attacks have been documented in the lead-up to the election, but most of them involved mayoral candidates.

Miguel Meza, the defensorxs rights group, has yet to see any attacks on judicial candidates, but says there are other risks remaining.

“The cartel could identify winners that could potentially be exchanged for loyalty and provide support,” he said. Such actions have happened before and have never seen them in this election, but “in other people it could intensify.”

Defensorxs has also raised questions about some judicial candidates. While many have extensive experience in the judicial field, Defensorxs determined that it was “related to organized crime, sexual crime, political religion and other injustice.”

One of them served in a US prison on drug crimes for nearly six years after being accused of smuggling more than four kilograms of methamphetamine, according to Reuters. The candidate said on Facebook that he was faced with an “unjust” judicial process and “moved ahead.”

Another candidate was a defense attorney who joined the team representing Dr. Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in 2016. This is a decision he defended by telling the AP that “everyone has an effective defence right.”

Meza said his group filed complaints with INE against some of these candidates, but was told that election officials could not nullify the candidacy at this point. If one of them was to win the election, Meza said the group was told that they could try and challenge the victory in the election court.

CNN has contacted INE for more details.

A poll by the Pew Research Center found that most Mexicans approve judicial reform.

The policy sparked protests in September when Congress was voting for it, but 66% of those surveyed earlier this year supported it, saying it has high approval among Morena supporters and younger adults.

Still, judicial elections face intense criticism from the opposition.

Former Pan President Vicente Fox urged people not to vote on Sunday.

“Judicial elections are not democratic. It’s a farce. It’s a hoax… don’t go, don’t waste your time,” he said in X.

Several private organisations and opposition figures show they will boycott the vote on Sunday, with some calling for national protests on Election Day.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum opposed these calls and urged Mexicans to participate in the election process and decide who constitutes the judiciary.

“It would be better for millions of people to vote than the president and the Republican Senator,” she said.