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Was Beijing trying to sabotage talks with the US, monitor the speed of its military response, or just test Joe Biden’s mettle?
Now the in a puff of smoke and debris by a US air-launched missile, after perplexing Washington with its three-day odyssey over the continental US, the question is: what was it all for?
Once the balloon was spotted, Beijing claimed it was a weather observation airship that had been blown off course, drawing a snort of derision from the Pentagon, which said the balloon was able to manoeuvre and had made some deliberate turns, bringing it at one point over Montana, home of some of the US arsenal of silo-based nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

Death collection | State school success | Ballooning problem | Rose-tinted Brexit | Passport to the polls
“It’s not who we are,” says British Gas in response to criticism of its bullying tactics (). Oh, yes it is. This is a company with a “bereavement team” that is, in fact, a debt collection agency. Nothing could surprise me now about British Gas. Edith Nicoll Menstrie, Clackmannanshire
• In response to Janet Mansfield (), as a politics teacher at Loreto sixth-form college in Manchester, I can confirm that John Harris is one of many alumni who have gone on to excel in their careers of choice after having gained places at Oxford, Cambridge and Russell group universities. We are proud of all our students, past and present, at this large, diverse, stated funded college. Kate Boon Chorlton, Manchester

The United States is working to recover a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, according to a statement released by the Pentagon on Sunday.

Lowy Institute ranks country sixth overall in the Asia Power Index, behind US, China, Japan, India and Russia
Australia has enjoyed a big increase in its diplomatic influence in Asia over the past year, according to the latest ratings of power across the region.
The Lowy Institute’s , published on Monday, also shows Australia’s standing has emerged unscathed from pandemic-era disruptions, unlike the region’s big players the US and China and many other countries.

Footage shows a suspected Chinese spy balloon being shot down over the Carolina coast. Two US fighter jets circled the balloon before launching an air missile to destroy it. Beijing claimed it was a weather observation airship that had been blown off course, but the Pentagon claimed it had been able to manoeuvre and make deliberate turns. The US said it reached Montana, home to some of the US arsenal of nuclear ballistic missiles. Some Republicans called for the balloon to be shot down over land, despite the risk of deaths and property damage below. The Biden administration took the decision to disable it once it reached Carolina's coastline

US and European fears about China exploiting TikTok’s data harvest and promoting Beijing’s worldview look set to inspire an urgent overhaul in data privacy laws
The FBI has called it a national security threat. The US government has forcing officials to delete it from their phones. Texas senator Ted Cruz has as “a Trojan horse the Chinese Communist party can use to influence what Americans see, hear, and ultimately think”. And in March its CEO will defend its existence . For those unaware of the debate broiling on the other side of the Atlantic, the target of this strong rhetoric might prove surprising: an app best known for viral dances, launching generation Z media stars, and sucking teens down an hours-long content abyss.
But the rancorous debate over TikTok that began under the Trump administration has rolled on under President Biden. In addition to a ban of the app on all federal government devices, at least have blocked TikTok on devices they’ve issued, affecting a number of state schools and universities, too. A bipartisan bill, introduced in Congress last December, stipulates banning the app’s use by everyone in the United States.

"China had too much respect for 'TRUMP' for this to have happened, and it NEVER did," the former president said Sunday.

Senator Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Biden's "dereliction of duty" on dealing with the Chinese spy balloon started with his failure to inform the American public.

Senator Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Biden's "dereliction of duty" on dealing with the Chinese spy balloon started with his failure to inform the American public.

Senator Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Biden's "dereliction of duty" on dealing with the Chinese spy balloon started with his failure to inform the American public.

Beijing used a national security law to quash dissent. Now another warning is being sent, with the mass trial of what was once Hong Kong’s political opposition.

Washington and Beijing need to resume talks quickly before the hawks bring the world to war
It must be admitted that over an enormous Chinese balloon that flew or blew, unannounced, over the US and Canada last week has a certain funny side. Pentagon generals went on high alert, fearful that their missile silos in Montana were being spied on. Joe Biden, not normally a trigger-happy man, had to be persuaded not to shoot it down, and then changed his mind. Republicans accused the president of being weak on balloon defence. Red-faced officials in Beijing scrambled to talk the over-excited Americans down.
The balloon, most likely a clandestine surveillance device, was ultimately deemed not to pose a physical threat. The Chinese, while insisting it was a weather device accidentally gone astray, .