Tag: china

Is Your Medication Made in a Contaminated Factory? The FDA Won’t Tell You.

They were the sort of disturbing discoveries that anyone taking generic medication would want to know.

At one Indian factory manufacturing drugs for the United States, pigeons infested a storage room and defecated on boxes of sterilized equipment. At another, pathogens contaminated purified water used to produce drugs. At a third, stagnant urine pooled on a bathroom floor not far from where injectable medication was made.

But when the Food and Drug Administration released the grim inspection reports and hundreds of others like them, the agency made a decision that undermined its mission to protect Americans from dangerous drugs.

Instead of sharing the names of the medications coming from the errant foreign factories, the FDA routinely blacked them out, keeping the information secret from the public. That decision prevented doctors, pharmacists and patients from knowing whether the drugs they counted on were tainted by manufacturing failures — and potentially ineffective or unsafe.

“Is there some quality issue? Is there a greater difference in potency than expected? Is there a contaminant? I don’t know,” said Dr. Donna Kirchoff, a pediatrician in Oregon who has spent hours trying to find out where certain drugs were made for patients reporting unexplained reactions.

There’s no specific requirement that the FDA block out drug names on inspection reports about foreign facilities. Still, the agency preemptively kept that information hidden, invoking a cautious interpretation of a law that requires the government to protect trade secrets.

It’s part of a decades-long pattern of discounting the interests of consumers who want to make informed choices about the drugs they take — even as 9 out of 10 prescriptions in the United States are filled with generics, many from India and China.

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State Department Employee Arrested For Stealing Thousands of Pages of “Top Secret” Classified Documents Released to Home Confinement

As previously reported, State Department contractor stole thousands of pages of “TOP SECRET” classified documents and met with Beijing officials.

Ashley Tellis, an expert on India and South Asian affairs, removed the top secret documents from secure locations and met with Chinese officials.

The classified documents were located in Tellis’s Virginia home during a raid.

“On Sept. 25, he allegedly printed U.S. Air Force documents concerning military aircraft capabilities. Federal prosecutors allege that he met with Chinese government officials multiple times over the past several years,” Fox News reported.

Prosecutors said in September 2022 that Tellis brought a manila envelope with him when he met with Chinese officials in a Virginia restaurant.

Tellis has been in jail since October 11.

He was charged with one count of retaining national defense information.

Tellis’ attorneys insist their client did not disclose any classified information to a foreign government and claimed government investigators are interpreting his “routine professional duties” as something sinister.

“Regrettably, investigators appeared to interpret his routine professional duties, such as liaison work and international travel, as clandestine activity, reading something sinister into what were standard think-tank and scholarly foreign policy engagements,” Tellis’ attorneys wrote in a court filing, according to The Washington Post.

Newly sworn in US Attorney Lindsey Halligan charged Tellis.

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Japan rejects US call to halt Russian energy imports

Japan’s Trade Minister Yoji Muto announced on 21 October that Tokyo will base its energy import decisions on national interests, resisting pressure from the US to stop purchasing Russian oil and gas.

While Muto stressed Japan’s autonomy, he also noted that “since the invasion of Ukraine, Japan has been steadily reducing its dependence on Russian energy,” according to Reuters.

His remarks followed a meeting between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato, during which Bessent urged Japan to end all Russian oil and gas imports.

Muto stressed that Tokyo’s approach would balance energy security and diplomatic considerations. 

“We recognise that LNG from Sakhalin-2 plays an extremely important role in Japan’s energy security,” he said, noting that the Russian project supplies roughly three percent of Japan’s electricity generation.

Despite formally joining the G7’s price-cap scheme – which limits how much countries can pay for Russian oil – Japan has kept exemptions in place due to its reliance on Sakhalin-2 for energy security.

In September, Tokyo lowered its price ceiling on Russian crude from $60 to $47.60 a barrel – a symbolic step to match Europe’s tighter cap, despite Japan’s exemption.

The US has intensified its campaign to cut Russian energy revenues by pressing top buyers, namely Japan, India, and China, to scale back purchases. 

Washington argues that such steps would weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain its military operation in Ukraine.

Earlier this month, India also pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s claims that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to halt Russian oil imports. 

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s “import policies are guided entirely by the need to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer,” emphasizing that diversification and stable pricing remain central to New Delhi’s strategy.

Beijing similarly dismissed the US demands, calling them “a typical example of unilateral bullying and economic coercion.” 

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International Student from China Accused of Drugging and Raping Multiple Women on Campus

A Chinese national faces felony charges after he reportedly drugged and raped three women while enrolled at the University of Southern California.

Sizhe “Steven” Weng, 30, allegedly committed the crimes between 2021 and 2024 while pursuing his doctoral degree, according to a Wednesday news release published by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

He was arraigned Sept. 2 and pleaded not guilty to all felony charges: one count of forcible rape; two counts of sodomy by controlled substance or anesthesia; one count of rape by controlled substance; and four counts of sexual penetration by controlled substance or anesthesia, according to the release.

“No one should ever have to endure the trauma of being drugged, sexually assaulted and stripped of their ability to consent,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.

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Over 1,000 South Koreans Brutally Tortured, Drugged, Enslaved by Chinese-Linked Crime Syndicates in Southeast Asia

Over 1,000 South Koreans were scammed, brutally tortured, drugged and enslaved by Chinese-linked crime syndicates in southeast Asia.

Via Yonhap News.

Horrific video was released showing the South Koreans being electricuted and beaten by their handlers.

A massive human trafficking and torture network has been uncovered in Cambodia, involving more than one thousand South Koreans who were deceived, confined, and forced into criminal labor under Chinese-run compounds.

Many of these victims were subjected to forced drug injections to keep them awake or submissive while carrying out online fraud and money-laundering operations for their captors.

According to Yonhap News (Oct 20, 2025) and multiple verified Korean sources, the body of a 22-year-old South Korean university student was found in Kampot Province after he had been abducted, tortured, and killed. His death represents only one case within a much larger system that continues to operate across Southeast Asia.

Thousands of Koreans—mostly young men and women—were lured by fake employment ads and trafficked into Chinese-controlled criminal compounds in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
Once inside, they were stripped of their passports, confined behind guarded fences, and beaten, electrocuted, drugged, and forced to work up to 20 hours a day.
Those who resisted were brutally punished or killed.

Leaked footage and survivor accounts show victims being forced to scam their own citizens online, turning them into both perpetrators and victims under extreme duress.
Several survivors reported that captors used narcotics and psychotropic drugs to suppress resistance and maintain total control.

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China accuses US of major cyber-attack

China has accused the US National Security Agency (NSA) of waging a “major” multi-year cyberattack on the Chinese agency responsible for keeping national time.

In a statement posted on its official social media account on Sunday, the Ministry of State Security (MSS) said it had “obtained irrefutable evidence” that the NSA infiltrated the National Time Service Center. The covert operation allegedly began in March 2022, aiming to steal state secrets and conduct acts of cyber sabotage.

The center serves as China’s official time authority, issuing and broadcasting ‘Beijing Time’ to key sectors including finance, energy, transport, and defense. A disruption to this critical piece of infrastructure could have caused widespread instability in financial markets, logistics and power supply, according to the MSS.

According to the MSS, the NSA first exploited a vulnerability in the foreign-made mobile phones of several staff members at the center, gaining access to sensitive data.

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Microsoft: Sharp Increase in Ai-Aided Cyberattacks From Russia, China

Foreign adversaries are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) in their cyber influence campaigns, with operations picking up “aggressively” this year, Microsoft said on Oct. 16.

In July, Microsoft identified more than 200 instances of AI-generated content from nation-state adversaries, more than four times the number in July 2024, and more than 10 times the number in July 2023, the company’s annual Digital Defense Report shows.

AI can create increasingly convincing emails and generate digital clones of senior government officials or news anchors, according to the report. The sophistication of AI tools has made the operations “easier to scale, more effective, and harder to trace,” and it is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate state- and non-state actors, the report stated.

For scammers, AI is making it easier to quickly create more convincing websites, profiles, emails, and IDs, the report said. Microsoft said it blocked 1.6 million fake account creation attempts per hour on the company’s platforms.

“Everyone—from industry to government—must be proactive to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated attackers and to ensure that defenders keep ahead of adversaries,” said Amy Hogan-Burney, Microsoft’s vice president for customer security and trust, who oversaw the report.

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China Arrests Almost 30 Pastors, Members Of One Of Its Biggest Underground Churches

Nearly 30 pastors and members of China’s unsanctioned Zion Church were detained Friday in the biggest Christian crackdown since 2018.

Founder and Pastor Jin Mingri was also detained at his home, his daughter, Grace Jin, and church spokesperson, Sean Long, told Reuters.

“What just happened is part of a new wave of religious persecution this year,” Long said, adding that authorities have questioned more than 150 church members and have increased harassment during Sunday church services over the last few months.

Long said five pastors and church members have been released, but he showed Reuters an official detention notice saying Mingri is being held on suspicion of “illegal use of information networks.” The charge could potentially land Mingri in jail for up to seven years, the outlet reported.

Jin said she is concerned for the health of her 56-year-old father, who was previously hospitalized for diabetes.

“We’re worried since he requires medication,” Jin said. “I’ve also been notified that lawyers are not allowed to meet the pastors, so that is very concerning to us.”

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US proposal to ban Chinese flights over Russian airspace could increase travel costs

China’s biggest state-owned air carriers have hit back at a U.S. proposal to bar them from flying over Russia when traveling to or from the U.S.

The U.S. side has stated that such flights give Chinese airlines an unfair cost advantage over American carriers, which are unable to cross through Russian airspace. Moscow closed Russian airspace to U.S. air carriers and most European airlines in 2022 in response to Western sanctions for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern are among six Chinese airlines that have filed complaints over the proposed order last week to prohibit such flights by Chinese carriers.

China Eastern said in its filing this week to the U.S. Department of Transportation that the proposed ban would “harm the public interest” and “inconvenience travelers” from both China and the U.S. The additional flight time would result in higher costs and elevated air fares, which would increase the burden on all travelers, it said.

China Southern warned that a Russian airspace ban would adversely affect thousands of travelers. Air China said it estimates at least 4,400 passengers would be affected if the ban takes effect during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.

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State Department Employee Steals Thousands of Pages of “Top Secret” Classified Documents, Meets with Chinese Officials

A State Department contractor stole thousands of pages of “TOP SECRET” classified documents and met with Beijing officials.

Ashley Tellis, an expert on India and South Asian affairs, removed the top secret documents from secure locations and met with Chinese officials.

The classified documents were located in Tellis’s Virginia home during a raid.

“On Sept. 25, he allegedly printed U.S. Air Force documents concerning military aircraft capabilities. Federal prosecutors allege that he met with Chinese government officials multiple times over the past several years,” Fox News reported.

Prosecutors said in September 2022 that Tellis brought a manila envelope with him when he met with Chinese officials in a Virginia restaurant.

Fox News reported:

A State Department employee is accused of removing classified documents from secure locations and meeting with Chinese officials dating back to 2023.

The Justice Department said Ashley Tellis was an unpaid senior adviser to the State Department and also a contractor with the Office of Net Assessment at the Department of Defense, recently renamed the Department of War. He is considered a subject-matter expert on India and South Asian affairs in his role at the Office of Net Assessment.

Tellis began working for the State Department in 2001, court documents state. He is accused of unlawful retention of national defense information, according to an affidavit.

He held a top-secret clearance and had access to sensitive information, federal prosecutors said in court documents. He was also employed as a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

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