In an interview with reporters on October 16, Luo Xiaohu, the chairman of Yulin Mingjie Agricultural Investment Potato Industry Co., Ltd., expressed pride in the quality of Yulin’s potatoes. “Our fries, made from Yulin potatoes, have a uniquely crisp texture. They are not only supplied to international fast-food chains but are also exported to Southeast Asia and markets in Europe and America, where they are extremely popular,” he stated while observing the production line in their modern facility.
On that day, reporters visited a potato deep-processing project in Yulin, Shaanxi Province, which handles 200,000 tons of potatoes annually. Located in the Yuyang District’s modern agricultural industrial park, this project is invested in by Yulin Mingjie Agricultural Investment Potato Industry Co., Ltd. Spanning 221 acres, the facility includes state-of-the-art automated potato processing equipment, as well as cold storage for finished products, processing workshops, and storage facilities. Once operational, the project is expected to process 200,000 tons of potatoes each year, producing 108,000 tons of French fries and 18,000 tons of other products such as potato cakes and flour.
According to officials from Shaanxi, this project represents the largest full industrial chain for potato products in northwest China, covering production, research and development, and sales.
“We use an entirely imported, high-efficiency processing line from the Netherlands, equipped with a cutting-edge, fully automated central control system,” said Lu Yu, the company’s vice president of operations. “This production line can create the highest-grade French fries on the market, improving raw material utilization by 20% and reducing energy consumption by 10%.”
Lu highlighted the advantages of the local environment for potato cultivation: “The sandy, well-drained soil in Yulin, combined with significant temperature variations between day and night and ample sunlight, offers an ideal growing environment that enhances the growth and expansion of potatoes. We only use locally grown varieties, which are large, uniform, with shallow eyes, high starch content, and a delicate, powdery texture. They are rich in antioxidants and selenium, making them highly favored by consumers.”
Not far from the factory, local farmers were busy harvesting potatoes from their fields, creating small “hills” of freshly dug potatoes.
Shaanxi officials noted that this project leverages the region’s modernized potato farming industry to provide a stable sales channel for nearly 100,000 acres of local potato cultivation. Additionally, it promotes the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, creating around 200 jobs and helping local residents increase their income.
On October 23, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill to expand New York State’s red-light camera program, setting in motion the largest expansion of camera coverage in New York City’s history. This initiative will increase the current number of cameras from 150 to 600.
The legislation, passed by the state Senate this June, grants the Department of Transportation (DOT) the authority to increase the number of red-light cameras and extend the time frame for capturing traffic violations until December 1, 2027.
New York City’s red-light camera program dates back to 1994 when state lawmakers approved a series of measures permitting the installation of cameras at 150 intersections across the city. These laws were initially set to expire after 30 years, which will be at the end of this year.
Assemblymember Grace Lee emphasized the significance of this bill for busy areas like downtown Manhattan. She pointed out that critical intersections, such as the one at Canal Street and Lafayette Street in Chinatown, have already had red-light cameras installed. This location is known for heavy traffic and a high rate of accidents. According to data from the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, Canal Street has been labeled as “Manhattan’s most dangerous stretch.” Just last week, a multi-vehicle accident occurred at this intersection during the night, resulting in six injuries.
Chen Tso-Chau, the executive director of the Manhattan Chinatown Business Improvement District (BID), noted that even when New York had only a few dozen cameras, the presence of cameras at intersections significantly improved traffic safety. “Each additional camera means an extra layer of protection,” he stated. He underscored the sobering reality that while hundreds may die each year in accidents, the number of injuries can reach tens of thousands, with many individuals left to live in wheelchairs due to such incidents. “If we can’t control the weight of the vehicles, we can at least control their speed, which helps ensure road safety,” he added.
In addition, Bill S.9504A/A.3120A raises the fines for illegal passing and violating school bus rules. For repeated offenders within three years, fines will increase from $1,000 to $1,500. Another bill, S760B/A402B, broadens the definition of reckless driving to include dangerous behaviors in parking lots. State Senator John Liu remarked that illegal street racing and tire-burning in parking lots have long troubled New Yorkers, and this legislation will empower law enforcement to crack down on those endangering public safety.
We thank God for the long life of General Yakubu Gowon, the youngest ever, the most smartly dressed ever, the most cheerful ever, probably the most compassionate ever, the second most gentle ever, the most dazzling ever, the only bachelor ever, cumulatively the third longest ever, and the second longest lived person ever to rule Nigeria.
Youngest ever, who became the military Head of State at 31. Smartest ever, in terms of appearance in military uniform with his very engaging voice that was very pleasant in the radio. Most cheerful ever, because the other ruler who was frequently smiling with a gap tooth, his cheer was thought to be non-genuine. I said probably the most compassionate, because the first and only prime minister would give General Gowon a good run on the scale of compassion. The second most gentle ever, because no one could beat the prime minister in gentle mien. The most dazzling ever, because as school children we were electrified when we saw Gowon at the Race Course; he walked down the podium and went through the rows of students. We would say, “Up Gowon!” and he would say, “Up Student!” We would say, “Go On With One Nigeria!” and he would say, “God bless you!”
General Gowon was the only person to become Nigeria’s Head of State before he got married. Two years after in 1968, I was sitting in front of my father’s house in Sokoto when a Government House kit car stopped and handed over to me twelve huge white kolanuts for my father. The Military Governor of North Western State, Chief Superintendent of Police Usman Faruk, distributed it for the Head of State’s wedding to the trained nurse, Miss Victoria Zakari. General Gowon’s nine year stretch as Head of State was surpassed only by General Obasanjo’s cumulative eleven and a half years and General Buhari’s cumulative nine and a half years as military and civilian Presidents. General Babangida’s eight years was only slightly shorter.
At 90, Gowon is the second longest lived former Nigerian ruler, just short of the age of President Shehu Shagari, Gowon’s former Federal Commissioner of Finance who passed away at 93. Gowon has outlived almost all his peers, including his Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters, Vice Admiral Akinwale Wey; his Deputy Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters, Major General Hassan Usman Katsina; his Chief of Staff, Army [as it was then], Major General David Ejoor; his Chief of Staff, Navy, Rear Admiral Nelson Soroh; his Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Kam Salem; his Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. T.A Fagbola and his Head of Special Branch, Alhaji M.D. Yusuf. His Chief of Staff, Airforce, Brigadier [before General Murtala changed the Airforce’s titles] Emmanuel Ikwue, is still living. Of Gowon’s eleven military governors and the Administrator East Central State, only Brigadier Oluwole Rotimi and King Alfred Diette-Spiff are living today.
It was supreme irony that the most gentlemanly of the string of Army Generals who once ruled Nigeria was also the one who led the Federal forces to fight the civil war of 1967-70. As Southern Americans who, in the 19th century, tried but failed to secede from the United States, often say, “What was civil about the civil war?” Though over a million lives were lost, the war preserved Nigeria as Africa’s most populous country. When the war ended in 1970, Gowon became known all over Africa for his declaration of “No victor, no vanquished,” quickly followed by the Three R’s policy of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction. It was probably the most compassionate end to an African war anywhere.
Let me see. General Gowon’s rule of Nigeria ended on July 29, 1975, nine months short of 50 years ago. At least 70 percent of Nigerians living today were not born that time. At least another 10 percent, who were born that time, were too young to know what was happening. Roughly 80% of Nigerians do not know what happened the day Gowon’s regime was overthrown, so they could do with a small reminder. General Murtala Mohammed’s forceful speech that evening said, “The country has been left to drift…This situation, if not arrested, would have inevitably led to chaos and even bloodshed.” The new government, Murtala said, “will not tolerate indiscipline. This government will not condone abuse of office,” which he implied were the hallmarks of the Gowon regime.
Were they? Fifty years later, when so much [dirty] water has gushed under the [Alau Dam-style] Nigerian bridge, General Gowon’s standing is completely reassessed to the level of political sainthood. Gowon never shot coup plotters, as two of his successors did. Before he departed for the OAU Summit in Kampala in 1975, he knew some officers were plotting a coup against him but he told them to make sure there was no bloodshed. Although the Murtala regime probed his administration and declared ten of his 11 military governors, the Administrator East Central State and several of his Federal Commissioners guilty of corruption, Gowon himself was never implicated in corruption.
In the current situation of cost-of-living crisis, Nigerians old enough to remember the Gowon era will probably liken it to Heaven. The US dollar was 20 kobo under Gowon, compared to 1,660 naira today. During his time, we had the large two-shilling coin that we called “dala,” because it was equivalent to one US dollar. In contrast to these days when negotiations to increase the minimum wage take forever, Gowon not only speedily accepted Udoji Commission’s recommendation for a hefty wage increase for civil servants but he gave it two years’ retroactive effect. He then paid two years’ arrears, which even Udoji Commission did not recommend!
The main charges that gave Gowon a bad image in the news media at the time was, one, he stayed too long; two, he did not change his military governors and federal commissioners; three, many of them were accused of committing corrupt acts and, four, he reneged on his promise to hand over to civilians by 1976. With the benefit of hindsight, all four accusations sound laughable today. Stayed too long? Both Obasanjo and Buhari have cumulatively exceeded Gowon’s stay as Nigeria’s rulers, never mind the claim that they were elected. Most of Gowon’s military governors were in office from May 1967 to July 1975 when the regime fell, a total of 8 years. Can you count, in this Republic, how many governors ruled their states for eight years and then continued to rule their states by proxy after those eight years?
Some Gowon era military governors and federal commissioners [i.e. ministers] were accused of corruption. Two pioneer anti-corruption crusaders, Godwin Daboh and Aper Aku, sensationally swore affidavits in court in 1974 accusing a federal commissioner and a military governor, respectively, of corruption. Let me remind Nigerian youngsters what we called “corruption” in those days. As curious school boys we used to sneak during break time to the venue of the judicial commission of inquiry that probed the former North Western State military government. The most sensational charge then was that the North Western State government acquired a lone drilling rig to drill boreholes all over the state but that at one point, the Military Governor sent it to his hometown, where it drilled a borehole at his farm and came back. Note that he did not steal the rig; it only drilled a borehole and came back. Today, if a Local Government Chairman does that, will you waste your time alleging corruption?
Critics at the time harped on General Gowon’s October 1, 1974 speech where he said 1976 [the promised date for returning power to civilians] “is no longer realistic.” Is that not much better than what happened in 1987-1993, when a “transition to civil rule program” was amended 100 times, by Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s count; a presidential election was held, only for the result to be withheld and the election annulled? General Gowon did not use an Association for Better Nigeria [ABN] to obtain a court order to stop the conduct of a scheduled election; he bravely made a broadcast and said the date was unrealistic. That was only one amendment.
Some people alleged at the time that Gowon was trying to prolong his tenure, when he had already ruled for nine years. Ok, compare that to “Third Term,” when a Senate committee rigmaroled its way through a constitutional amendment to elongate the tenure of an elected president, who had already served a cumulative eleven and a half years as Nigeria’s ruler.
Everyone is entitled to a mistake during his lifetime. General Gowon did try to return as an elected President during the Option A4 primaries of 1993. I was with General Hassan Usman Katsina, trying to do a biographical interview, when he complained to me that Gowon had been to his house to tell him that he was going to contest in the election. General Hassan said he pleaded with him “not to expose us to ridicule.” General Gowon won the Wusasa Ward NRC primaries and would probably have been unbeatable at the state and national levels, but he was stopped at the Zaria Local Government level. The late Dr Shehu Lawal, who was Permanent Secretary, Political in the Kaduna Governor’s Office at the time, told me that Governor Dabo Lere did everything he could to get Gowon elected but the atmosphere had been poisoned by the Zangon Kataf inter-communal riots of the previous year.
Today, we remember General Yakubu Gowon from our youth for creating 12 states; for keeping Nigeria one; for his compassionate end to the Civil War; for his arduous road tours of all the states; for his spectacular state visits to UK and China; for his chairmanship of the Organisation of African Unity; for his charismatic hosting of the All Africa Games and Nigeria-Ghana Games; for the Adebo and Udoji salary awards; for shifting us to right-hand driving in 1972; for discarding pound and shilling in favour of Naira and Kobo in 1973; for his standing shoulder to shoulder with Queen Elizabeth, Mao Zedong, Indira Gandhi, Gamal Abdel Nasser, U Thant and Kurt Waldheim; and for being the Father of ECOWAS. One former Nigerian military ruler sensationally returned to school after his tenure and did a Diploma in Theology but Gowon returned to school after his tenure and did a B Sc, M Sc and Ph D. Talk about setting good examples.
Striking Boeing workers have turned down a new proposal from the aviation giant that included a significant 35% pay increase over the next four years. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union announced that 64% of its striking members voted against the deal.
The walkout, which began on September 13, has seen more than 30,000 Boeing employees participate, following the rejection of the initial offer. This strike comes after Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg warned that the company is at a “crossroads,” facing losses estimated at around $6 billion.
In a statement, union representatives expressed, “After 10 years of sacrifices, we still have ground to make up, and we’re hopeful to do so by resuming negotiations promptly. This is workplace democracy – and also clear evidence that there are consequences when a company mistreats its workers year after year.”
As of now, Boeing has not issued a public comment regarding the rejection of its latest offer. Notably, this is the second time striking workers have formally voted down a proposed deal; the previous offer was rejected by an overwhelming 95% of workers last month.
Earlier in the week, Ortberg, who took on the CEO role in August, shared that he has been working “feverishly” to stabilize the company, amid efforts to restore its reputation, which has been marred by manufacturing and safety issues. “This is a big ship that will take some time to turn, but when it does, it has the capacity to be great again,” he added.
On October 23rd, a tragic incident unfolded at the headquarters of the Turkish Aerospace Industries in the outskirts of Ankara, where explosions and gunfire were reported. Initial assessments by the Turkish Interior Ministry suggest that this was a terrorist attack, resulting in the deaths of five individuals and injuries to 22 others.
The events began around 3 PM local time. According to local news reports, an armed assailant, brandishing a rifle, arrived at the entrance of the building via taxi during a security shift change. Subsequently, the attacker detonated a bomb, creating chaos, and took the opportunity to storm into the premises, engaging in a firefight with security personnel on site. Eyewitness accounts describe scenes of panic with the sounds of gunfire and explosions ringing out.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya expressed his condolences, stating, “Regrettably, we have lost five heroes, and 22 others have been wounded in this attack. Of those injured, three have been discharged from the hospital, while 19 are continuing their treatment.” He also noted that both male and female attackers were killed during the confrontation, although their identities have not yet been confirmed, and it remains unclear if others are still at large.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the horrendous act of terrorism and expressed sympathy for the fallen. Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz added that of the five deceased, four were employees of the Turkish Aerospace Industries, and one was the taxi driver who transported the assailants to the scene.
As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler has pointed fingers at the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), citing their repeated failure to reform despite previous punitive actions. He asserted that the military will continue operations against them until the last terrorist is eliminated.
In a recent interview, Chris Taylor, the Chief of Policy at the Australian Banking Association, discussed the potential benefits of reducing the 3% serviceability buffer for first home buyers. According to Taylor, this adjustment could provide much-needed support for newcomers to the property market.
“The current buffer set by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority could be more flexible for first home buyers,” Taylor stated. “It should be tailored to reflect a borrower’s unique circumstances and current market conditions. This change could really help more buyers get their foot in the door when purchasing their first home.”
Taylor emphasized that there’s room for lenders to consider the future income growth of borrowers within existing regulatory guidelines. “This could open up more opportunities for those who are cautiously optimistic about their financial prospects,” he noted.
However, consumer rights advocates have raised concerns about the implications of easing lending criteria. They warn that such proposals could lead individuals deeper into debt, particularly those least equipped to handle it. Domenique Meyrick, co-CEO of Financial Counselling Australia, highlighted a troubling trend, noting that since July, 42,000 people have reached out to the national debt line for assistance, with a third of those calls specifically concerning mortgage stress.
Meyrick remarked, “The current policy measures are effectively keeping a crisis at bay. It’s crucial that we maintain these protective measures to safeguard the community, as we are witnessing increasing levels of financial stress.”
Julia Davis from the Financial Rights Legal Centre echoed these sentiments, stating that while allowing higher borrowing limits might stimulate the economy, it could also push individuals beyond their financial capabilities. “It’s a lazy policy idea that shifts the burden onto those who can ill afford it,” she asserted.
Historical data supports the advocacy group’s concerns, with 5,000 home repossessions occurring annually in New South Wales before the introduction of the 3% buffer. Last year, the state recorded 1,413 repossessions.
In defense of the proposal, Taylor reported a rise in new homeowners, largely due to government initiatives like the federal first-home guarantee scheme, where buyers contribute 5% of a loan with an additional 15% backed by the government. “In the last five years, banks have provided $298 billion in loans to over 683,000 first-time buyers, a 41% increase compared to the previous five years,” he said.
The inquiry heard from representatives of major banks, including NAB, Westpac, and Commonwealth Bank, who confirmed that about 10% of their lending went to first home buyers. However, Taylor cautioned that policies aimed solely at increasing demand could exacerbate existing market challenges, driving property prices higher and leaving many prospective buyers priced out of the market.
According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center reported by Bloomberg on October 24, there is a significant lack of confidence among voters regarding the Supreme Court’s ability to remain politically neutral if legal issues arise in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
The survey revealed that only 20% of registered voters expressed strong confidence in the Supreme Court’s impartiality. There are notable differences along party lines—34% of supporters of former President Donald Trump indicated they trust the Court’s neutrality, while only 6% of Vice President Kamala Harris’s supporters felt the same way.
Currently, three of the nine Supreme Court justices were appointed by Trump, contributing to a conservative majority. Just this past July, the Court suspended a federal criminal case against Trump and ruled that the president enjoys a presumption of immunity for actions taken while in office.
As it stands, over 160 lawsuits related to the election have been filed, though it’s still uncertain whether any of these cases will ultimately require Supreme Court intervention.
Overall, the Pew Research Center’s polling suggests that many Americans believe the election will proceed smoothly. Among Harris’s supporters, 90% reported at least “some confidence” that the election will go off without a hitch, while only 57% of Trump supporters shared this optimistic view.
The survey was conducted from September 30 to October 6 and included 5,110 U.S. adults, of which 4,025 were registered voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.7%.
During an exclusive briefing on October 24, President Xi Jinping attended the “Brics Plus” leaders’ dialogue at the Kazan Expo Center, where he delivered a significant speech titled “Gathering the Powerful Forces of the Global South to Jointly Promote the Building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind.”
In his address, Xi emphasized that regardless of how the international landscape evolves, China remains deeply committed to the Global South. He called for increased support for more countries from the Global South to join the Brics initiative, with the goal of consolidating their strengths to collaboratively advance the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity.
On October 22, a reporter spoke with officials from the Jiangxi Poyang Lake Nanji Wetland National Nature Reserve Administration in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, regarding their recent wintering waterbird survey. The reserve recently conducted its second synchronized survey for the 2024-2025 wintering season, leading to the remarkable count of nearly 40,000 wintering waterbirds.
The survey recorded a total of 32 species across 10 families of wintering waterbirds. Notably, the count included significant numbers of species such as Bean Geese, Baikal Teal, White-fronted Geese, Grey Herons, and Eurasian Spoonbills. Among the highlights were sightings of three first-class protected species: the Oriental Stork, as well as 2,299 second-class protected Eurasian Spoonbills, 3,666 White-fronted Geese, 498 Lesser White-fronted Geese, 75 Grey Cranes, and 29 bean geese. Compared to the first synchronized survey of the 2024-2025 season, there was an increase in the overall number of waterbirds observed. Additionally, eight first-class protected Milu deer were spotted in the Shentang Lake area of the reserve.
In an interesting development, on October 21, staff members conducting regular patrols in the lake area observed four critically endangered White Cranes in the midsection of East Lake. This marks the first sighting of White Cranes in the reserve this fall.
Last year, the staff recorded their first sighting of White Cranes in the reserve on November 7. “This year, the ‘advance team’ of White Cranes arrived earlier than in previous years. We expect more White Cranes to arrive at the Nanji Wetland Reserve by early November,” an official stated. “We are actively conducting monitoring efforts to support the migration of wintering birds.”
On October 23, during the 2024 World Science and Technology Development Forum held in Beijing, the theme of “Innovative AI Governance to Build International Trust in Technology Governance” took center stage. At this event, academician Qiao Hong from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chairman of the World Robot Organization unveiled the “2024 Outlook on the Top Ten Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence Technologies.” This report includes four common AI technologies, three large-scale pre-training models, two embodied intelligence innovations, and one area of generative AI, aiming to spark both scholarly and public discussion on advancing AI development and its applications.
The report highlights key trends in AI technology such as: the rise of “small data and high-quality data,” “human-AI alignment: Building Trusted AI Systems,” “AI ‘Constitution’: Ensuring Compliance and Safety,” “Explainable Models: Making AI More Transparent and Trustworthy,” “Revolution of Pre-training Models under the Scale Law,” “Omni-modal Large Models: Breaking Data Barriers,” “A New Era of AI-Driven Scientific Research,” “Embodied Cerebellum Models: Providing Real-time Response Capabilities to Robots,” “Entity AI Systems: Empowering the Physical World,” and “World Simulators: Creating Infinite Possibilities in the Digital Realm.”
With regard to human-AI alignment, Qiao emphasized that simply relying on data and algorithms is not sufficient. It is vital to translate human values and ethics into reinforcement learning reward functions that guide models toward behaviors that align with human expectations.
As concerns regarding compliance, safety, and ethical issues associated with current AI systems grow increasingly prominent, establishing a supervisory model framework is essential. This framework aims to set clear standards and guidelines to ensure that all AI systems adhere to established principles during their development and use, thereby mitigating risks from the unregulated usage of AI technologies.
Qiao also discussed the significance of large-scale pre-training models, which, utilizing vast parameters and training data, enhance human-AI interaction and reasoning capabilities, ultimately increasing the variety and richness of tasks that can be accomplished.
In the realm of AI-driven scientific research, advanced models and generative technologies can significantly boost the efficiency of hypothesis generation, experimental design, and data analysis, leading to faster and more accurate research outcomes. This agile research methodology holds the potential to markedly increase the likelihood of discovering new scientific patterns, thereby accelerating the progress of scientific exploration.
The embodied cerebellum model, integral to robotic movement, focuses on addressing the integration of software algorithms with physical spaces and reconciling the trade-off between high-performance singular systems and versatile capabilities, enabling intelligent robotic systems to meet the intricate operational and real-time control demands of the real world.
Humanoid robots represent the pinnacle of entity AI systems, equipped with multimodal perception and understanding abilities that allow for natural interaction with humans. They can also make autonomous decisions and act independently in complex environments, promising wider application in challenging job scenarios in the future.
World simulators enhance model generalization capabilities by integrating data quality, diversity, training strategies, and regularization techniques, offering immersive and high-fidelity experiences through digital interactive engines. These simulators create richer and more diverse digital worlds, applicable in education, entertainment, and various other fields, while also enabling the creation of advanced digital environments.
According to Qiao Hong, AI’s applications span industries from smart manufacturing to smart cities, healthcare, and financial services. Its profound impact presents both challenges and opportunities. Therefore, it’s crucial to contemplate AI’s developmental trajectory, promote technological innovations and industry upgrades, and ensure the sustainable advancement of AI technologies.
In summary, AI’s evolution is accelerating technological progress and social transformation at an unprecedented pace. The fields of common AI technologies, large-scale pre-training models, embodied intelligence, and generative AI are teeming with possibilities and potential. The advancements in these technologies promise to offer more convenient and efficient lifestyles while driving innovation and growth across various sectors.
