This is a thread specifically for the war, not a general megathread (use the pinned /c/genzedong thread for that).
Please keep related news in this thread rather than making separate posts. Remember to include sources and avoid spreading rumours.
China Accelerates Efforts to Cut Reliance on US Technology
China is moving to accelerate the replacement of Windows with Linux in some government bodies, bringing forward plans to reduce reliance on US technology as Beijing pushes for greater digital sovereignty.
According to a recent Bloomberg report, several Chinese government agencies have been ordered to replace Windows 10 China Government Edition with Chinese-made Linux distributions ahead of the previously planned transition.
The decision to bypass Windows 11 underscores China’s broader effort to reduce dependence on US companies and foreign technology, particularly in sensitive government systems.
China has increasingly sought locally developed alternatives across software, hardware and other technology sectors as officials raise concerns over digital security and dependence on foreign products and services.
Microsoft told Bloomberg it was not aware of any security incident affecting Windows 10 China Government Edition and said the system continued to receive regular security updates.
The China-specific version of Windows 10 had already been scheduled for retirement in February 2027, but the latest shift is expected to bring that transition forward to late 2026.
The China Government Edition was not developed directly by Microsoft.
C&M Information Technologies (CMIT) developed the customized version through a 2016 joint venture between Microsoft and the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group.
The system was designed to meet Chinese government requirements, including localized activation and update measures, while removing certain customer services and adding support for Chinese cryptographic standards.
The move is also likely to benefit China’s domestic Linux industry.
Shares of Kylin Software and Tongxin Software Technology (UnionTech) rose after news emerged that Windows would be replaced in some government systems.
Kylin Software’s KylinOS offers desktop, server and specialized editions, while openKylin provides a free, open-source version.
UnionTech OS (UOS), meanwhile, is based on Deepin and Debian Linux.
Both companies have focused heavily on government and enterprise customers, making their platforms established candidates for institutional deployment.
Huawei’s HarmonyOS 2, which was originally an Android variant and has since become a proprietary operating system, is also being adapted for PC use.
However, the development process means KylinOS and UOS are currently the more established environments for large-scale institutional deployment.
The transition will nevertheless present significant technical and operational challenges.
Government agencies will have to address application compatibility, driver and device support, file-format compatibility and staff training, while some software designed specifically for Windows may need to be replaced or adapted.
There have been no reports detailing how the Linux migration will be carried out, but the accelerated timetable indicates that Chinese authorities are moving to address those challenges.
The move does not amount to a nationwide ban on Windows in China.
Microsoft has already introduced a restricted, factory-locked, Chinese-language-only version of Windows 11, Windows Home China 11, as it seeks to maintain its position in the Chinese market.
For now, the accelerated transition applies only to some government bodies, suggesting that Beijing may be pursuing a phased migration designed to make the shift more manageable.
The move nonetheless sends a clear signal that China is accelerating efforts to reduce dependence on American technology and establish greater control over the software infrastructure used by its government.
China is moving to accelerate the replacement of Windows with Linux in some government bodies
And I plan to do the same at home.
❗️Dollar regains strength as markets weigh expanded US Iran sanctions
Expand
The US dollar strengthened on Tuesday as investors assessed Washington’s expanded sanctions on Iran and renewed efforts to ease pressure on longer-term Treasury yields, while cryptocurrencies extended their rally amid concerns about currency debasement.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced an expansion of sanctions against Iran on Monday, warning countries to sever business ties with Tehran or risk being cut off from the dollar-based financial system.
“That potentially is one source of a slight reversal of the dollar weakness that we had at the end of last week,” Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at National Australia Bank, said in a podcast.
“The suggestion being that, maybe if you’re going to be sanctioned and you’re not going to have access to US dollars, then you better buy some dollars first before that happens.”
I just got this reply for saying that all Western economies are tied to the USD, and that people are selling bonds, with USA buying their own, no one’s currency backed by silver, gold, or petroleum, but by debt.
My first degree was economics & finance, I know how it works. Yes the dollarisation of international trade and economics is something China has been trying to break for decades. They’ll succeed in a decade ir so too I expect, but it won’t look at all like you seem to think from these comments, and you certainly can’t flip the underpinnings of an economy like flipping a coin.
In really simple terms your key export markets determine the construct, Canada has a massive percent in trade with the US and EU (vast majority of exports). This dictates a lot of things.
The only BRICS member a sane person would consider aligning themselves economically with is China, and that is happening organically as a function of trade balances and their economic rise. Eventually the yuan will eclipse the dollar but Canada (and Europe) are not there yet.
Lmao
Jordanian police arrest Drop Site correspondent for ‘sedition’ over online post
The Jordanian-American citizen is accused of ‘undermining national security’ for sharing an article urging Washington to cut aid to Amman
❗️Dubai airport passenger traffic plunges 31% in first half amid war on Iran
Dubai International Airport recorded a 31.3% decline in passenger traffic during the first half of the year, its operator said on Wednesday, as the US-Israeli war on Iran severely disrupted air travel across the Gulf, including at the major international hub.
DXB handled 13 million passengers in the second quarter, taking total traffic for the first six months of the year to 31.5 million, Dubai Airports said in a statement. That was down from 46 million passengers during the same period last year.
Aircraft movements also fell 32.1% year on year to 150,600 during the first half, the operator said.
❗️French photo festival quietly removes Gaza image after pressure from pro-Israel activists
Expand
Organizers of the Deauville Sport Images Festival in France discreetly removed a photograph taken by Associated Press reporter Jehad Alshrafi following pressure from pro-Israel activists, according to a report from l’Humanité.
The image, which was part of the festival’s second edition running through 6 September, captured a football match between players from the Gaza Sports Club and Al-Ahly on a makeshift pitch surrounded by buildings reduced to ash after Israeli attacks.
Local Socialist Party secretary Sylvain Larcher flagged the disappearance after the display was swapped out for a picture of cyclists. The Deauville municipality defended the removal by stating it wanted “not to enter into controversy or offend anyone,” opting to obscure the reality of the genocide in Gaza as depicted in the frame.
Pro-Israel accounts on social media celebrated the removal, with activist Mike Krief posting online that organizers caved to demands after pressure campaigns.
https://t.me/thecradlemedia/66756
I don’t know why but this one has me really angry.
It’s just such a cowardly display imo. There’s little reason to submit to the demands of these bastsrds, but to do so nonetheless is just infuriatingly spineless.
❗️Israeli occupation forces continue to bomb residential homes in central Gaza as part of a demolition operation.
https://t.me/thecradlemedia/66765
❗️This morning, Israeli settlers blocked the road at the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing, preventing trucks carrying aid to Gaza from passing.
According to Hebrew sources, the settlers were protesting plans to allow international forces into the Gaza Strip and reconstruction efforts.
Video: https://t.me/thecradlemedia/66789
I know that they’d probably be shot by the IDF if they tried… but I’m sometimes a little surprised that someone with road rage driving these trucks doesn’t just hit the gas and flatten these vermin after so much stress.
Maybe it was a year or so after Oct. 7, but I recall a video of a truck driver doing exactly that.
I hope that person receives good things. Be it this life and the next.
❗️Israeli occupation forces occupy UNRWA training center in East Jerusalem for second day
Israeli occupation forces have extended their takeover of the Qalandiya Vocational Training Institute, an UNRWA facility in occupied East Jerusalem, raising the Israeli flag over the premises.
Municipal technical crews entered the compound to execute unauthorized maintenance and conversion work, transforming the humanitarian and educational center into a complex intended for Israeli students.
The aggressive seizure, spearheaded by Israeli authorities, builds on a pattern of systematic violations targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. UN leadership and international bodies sharply condemned the escalation, emphasizing that such actions directly cripple the agency’s vital mandate to serve Palestinian refugees.
SDF chief announces dissolution of US proxy, ‘full integration’ into new Syrian army
The Kurdish-led SDF has joined a military made up of factions that for years committed war crimes against Kurdish civilians
❗️Maritime data shows declining vessel crossings across Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab
Data released by MarineTraffic indicates that vessel traffic dropped across key West Asian maritime chokepoints. Crossings through the Strait of Hormuz fell to five confirmed transits, marking a 28.6 percent decrease day on day compared to seven
Two vessels entered the Persian Gulf while three exited, with every recorded ship navigating via the Iranian Unilateral Scheme. Simultaneously, the Bab al-Mandab strait registered 36 confirmed crossings, reflecting a 7.7 percent decline from 39.
Movement figures for this corridor included 15 vessels entering the Red Sea alongside 21 departures, accompanied by two identified dark transits.
🇮🇷 Do you remember two Iranian rockets falling into the Gulf of Oman about two weeks ago?
Do you recall that UAE said one fell in its territorial waters and another outside?
Those were not glaring misses.
Those missiles are designed to lay mines.
This was one of Martyr Tangsiri’s last major contributions to Sepah (IRGC) Navy before his assassination by Israel.
The Strait of Hormuz cannot be de-mined for any length of time.
Iran can use its specifically designed Fajr-5C guided rockets to lay new mines.
Close to 100 mines could be laid with pinpoint accuracy in sixty minutes.
Taking notice of the Trump regime’s ridiculous claims and publicity stunts is foolish.
@SimurghRes
🇷🇺🇸🇾 President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Syrian Arab Republic Ahmed al-Sharaa
🔹The leaders discussed the current state and prospects of Russia-Syria relations and expressed readiness to deepen political dialogue and cooperation in trade, the economy, humanitarian affairs and other areas.
🔹During an exchange of views on the situation around Syria, Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s principled position in support of Syria’s unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as efforts to create conditions for lasting stability and post-conflict recovery. Both sides underscored the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding On the Reorganisation of the Khmeimim Air Base and the Tartus Material-Technical Support Point, signed on August 9.
🔹It was agreed to continue contacts at various levels.
❗️Iranian attacks inflict billions in unprecedented damage on US intelligence sites in West Asia
Expand
Iranian missile and drone operations have inflicted unprecedented destruction upon United States intelligence infrastructure and surveillance assets across West Asia, according to a recent report by NBC News.
Four individuals with direct knowledge of the intelligence assessments verified that the scale of the damage surpasses any previous physical blows sustained by US spy networks in the region.
The precision strikes severely impacted multiple facilities and specialized hardware utilized directly by the Central Intelligence Agency alongside other US intelligence apparatuses.
Government planners anticipate that the total expenditure required to fully repair or completely replace the compromised installations will reach into the billions of dollars.
❗️Israel expels Dutch representatives from Gaza coordination center
Expand
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday that Dutch representatives would be expelled from the US-backed international coordination center for Gaza in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, pointing to a series of “anti-Israel measures” adopted by the Netherlands.
“Representatives of the Netherlands will be expelled immediately from the International Gaza Aid Center in Kiryat Gat. I made this decision today, with the approval of Prime Minister Netanyahu, following a series of anti-Israel measures taken by the Dutch government,” Saar wrote on X.
As the latest example, he pointed to the Netherlands’ July decision to ban imports from Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, with the measure set to take effect on 22 September.
“Notice of this decision was delivered this evening to the Dutch Embassy in Israel and, of course, also to our American friends. The Dutch representatives have been instructed to leave Israel within one week,” Saar added.
—❗️🇮🇷/🇴🇲 NEW: At the request of Iran, the Sultanate of Oman has stopped cooperating with the U.S. to facilitate escorted tanker movements through the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz
In the past 24 hours, no vessels have passed the Strait via the Omani route. Today, while attempting a crossing, an Indian vessel ‘HAANA’ faced warning shots from the IRGC Navy, forcing it to turn around.
@Middle_East_Spectator
