Levent Soysal

[Li Zexin 李泽欣 @XH_Lee23]

This 3D transparent screen can fly in the air. The secret lies in the ultra-thin display film invented by a tech company in China's Shenzhen.

The company now holds over 150 patents, and its products are sold to 89 countries.

SZ has countless innovative companies like this.

[The Cradle @TheCradleMedia]

VIDEO | Scenes from the funeral procession of veteran resistance fighter and solidarity activist Kozo Okamoto, also known as "Ahmad al-Yabani" (Ahmad the Japanese), in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Okamoto, who lived in Beirut in exile after being freed in a 1985 prisoner exchange, passed away yesterday at 78 after a prolonged illness.

In attendance is liberated Lebanese fighter and activist Georges Abdallah, released in July 2025 after 40 years in French detention.

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

This absolutely blew my mind: today I learned that China still has a living princess who resides in a royal palace - and she is Uyghur.

She is, in a very real way, the last princess of China.

So we were walking around Kuqa (库车), where we just arrived on day 19 of our Xinjiang RV roadtrip. This town was once the capital of the region under the Tang Dynasty, it's built around an oasis North of the Taklamakan Desert.

On a town square, we noticed a palace called "Prince Mansion of Kuqa" (see video). We looked up the place and were astonished to learn that this place - to this day - genuinely has an actual princess still living there. Her name is Reyanamu Dawut (热亚南木·达吾提), and she is the widow of the 12th and last hereditary Prince of Kuqa.

The lineage goes back to the beginning of the Qing dynasty when emperor Qianlong rewarded a local chief - Mirza Ödui - for siding with him during the suppression of the Khoja revolt. Qianlong rewarded him with a hereditary princely rank and sent Han craftsmen to build him a palace which - at the time - was named "hereditary mansion of the Muslim-region prince."

The last prince, Dawut Mahsut (1927–2014) gave up the title, and was hit hard by political campaigns in the early years of the PRC but he was rehabilitated in the 1980s and served as vice-chair of the Kuqa CPPCC until his death.

Reyanamu, born 1966, was his fifth wife - she married him at 30 when he was around 70, and they had eighteen years together. Dawut Mahsut explicitly asked that the state give her no special treatment after his death, but she was still given residence rights in the palace. It's apparently extremely common for visitors of the palace to see her.

So yup, China still has a princess in 2026: the last aristocratic line of the Chinese empire is a Uyghur one, living in a Uyghur-style palace. Fit that into the story you've been told about Xinjiang...

PS: we ended up not visiting the palace because it was too late in the day, but maybe we'll go tomorrow!

[Mosab Abu Toha @MosabAbuToha]

My wife, our children, and I are immensely heartbroken to learn that Chris Affleck has passed away.

Chris was far more than a friend. She was like a mother to me and Maram, and a grandmother to our two, and later three, children during the time we lived in Cambridge between 2019 and 2020. She took our kids to the Children’s Museum, accompanied Maram to the Cambridge Public Library as she learned English, and made sure we never felt alone.

Thousands of miles away from our families, when Maram gave birth to Mostafa in May 2020, Chris brought us meals, comfort, and the kind of love only family gives.

Many people know Chris as the mother of Ben and Casey Affleck. What many, perhaps most, do not know is that she was also one of the most steadfast advocates for Palestine. During the Covid pandemic, she stopped by to see us with a “Free Gaza” poster displayed on her car.

Whenever I returned to Cambridge or Boston to give a reading or speak, Chris was there. She always greeted us with tears, warm encouragement, and thoughtful gifts for our children.

The last time we saw each other was after my reading at Harvard in February 2025.

In May 2023, I gave Chris a necklace and a ring embroidered by my sister-in-law, who remains in Gaza today. Chris was overjoyed and immediately put them on.

We will miss you dearly, Chris. Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, and your unwavering solidarity.
May you rest in peace.
Free Gaza. Free Palestine.

[Li Zexin 李泽欣 @XH_Lee23]

JUST IN: Chinese mathematicians, Wang Hong & Deng Yu, WIN the Fields Medal for the FIRST time in history!🏅🇨🇳

Known as the "Nobel Prize of mathematics", the Fields Medal is awarded only once every 4 years to mathematicians under 40. This is even harder than the Nobel Prize!

[Levent Soysal @lsoysal]

@yilmaz_hakan Sanırım o konsere gitmiştim

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

Soccer fans faced the priciest tickets in the history of the World Cup this summer. So we asked attendees of the final match in New Jersey: How much did you pay to get in?

(Corrects an earlier video, now deleted, that misspelled Justin Bieber's last name)

[Bruno Maçães @MacaesBruno]

Argentina are the first ever team to fail to have a single shot in 90 minutes in a World Cup final. Should never have been there

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

People in the comments have been asking me for videos of a local supermarket during my current roadtrip in Xinjiang, so here you go 👇

It's actually proven to be a very humbling experience: the abundance and diversity of products vastly exceeds anything you'd find in most supermarkets in the West, even in my native France.

And we're not even in a big city: I'm at a local supermarket in a small remote town named 特克斯, only 50k inhabitants, which is super tiny by Chinese standards.

[Glenn Diesen @Glenn_Diesen]

Trump attempts to insert himself into the World Cup trophy celebration

[Oğul Tuna @sogultuna]

Prof. Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s (@nntaleb) recent comments on the Young Turks have gone particularly viral in Turkey.

I compiled this reading list to offer some historical context and a better understanding of the Young Turks beyond the conventional narrative. I hope you find it useful.

The full essay is here: https://t.co/P9Bs2c9mG3

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

And, this is what happens these days in China when you go to natural sites, the sky is literally filled with drones: everyone brings their drone to get the best possible shot.

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

It's day 10 of our Xinjiang RV roadtrip and we're now driving through the legendary TianShan mountains ("TianShan" - 天山 - literally means mountains of heaven), one of the highest mountain ranges in the world with peaks as high as 7,439 meters (24,406 ft).

As you can see, quite the scenic drive!

Our destination tonight is Zhaosu, a place famous to have the most extraordinary horse breed in the world: the Akhal-Teke, known in Chinese as the "blood-sweating treasure horse" (han xue bao ma, 汗血宝马) because - apparently - they sweat blood when they run and, as a result, are pink in color.

These horses are so precious in Chinese history that the emperor of the Han dynasty (emperor Wu) launched not one but two full-scale military campaigns into Central Asia just to get his hands on them.

So expect a lot of horse-related posts tomorrow ☺️

[Furkan Gözükara @FurkanGozukara]

FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 is literally rigged

[Lula @LulaOficial]

Nota à imprensa sobre a imposição de tarifas unilaterais contra o Brasil pelos Estados Unidos

O dia 15 de julho de 2026 passará para a história das relações entre Brasil e EUA como um marco lastimável.

O governo brasileiro repudia a decisão anunciada hoje pelo governo dos EUA relativa à imposição de tarifas de 25% sobre produtos brasileiros, com base na Seção 301 da Lei de Comércio de 1974.

Não há justificativa para medidas unilaterais contra o nosso país. Segundo estatísticas do próprio governo norte-americano, os EUA acumularam nos últimos 15 anos US$ 424,5 bilhões em superávit de bens e serviços com o Brasil.

Em 2025, 76% das importações originárias dos EUA entraram no país sem pagar imposto de importação, e a alíquota média efetivamente aplicada sobre produtos norte-americanos foi de apenas 3,1%.

O Brasil não reconhece a legitimidade de investigações sem amparo nas regras multilaterais de comércio. Apesar disso, nunca deixamos a mesa de negociação para defender os interesses nacionais.

Ao longo do último ano, o governo brasileiro atuou ininterruptamente junto ao Escritório do Representante Comercial dos Estados Unidos (USTR) pelo encerramento das investigações baseadas na Seção 301, apresentando evidências que refutam cada uma das alegações sobre supostas práticas desleais de comércio adotadas pelo Brasil.

Demonstramos que são descabidas as alegações contra o PIX e a regulação de plataformas digitais, bem como são absurdas as acusações sobre desmatamento. O PIX é um patrimônio do nosso povo e referência internacional de infraestrutura pública digital. No Brasil, não vamos abdicar de proteger nossas famílias e nossas crianças contra a ganância de um punhado de tecno-oligarcas. A liberdade de expressão não é carta branca para a criminalidade. O mundo inteiro sabe que, a partir de 2023, combatemos de forma incisiva os ilícitos ambientais e reduzimos drasticamente o desmatamento em todos os biomas brasileiros.

Nas audiências públicas promovidas pelo USTR na semana passada, 63 das 78 intervenções feitas por representantes do setor privado brasileiro e norte-americano foram contrárias ao tarifaço.

O governo do Brasil seguirá adotando medidas para reduzir os danos causados à economia e à renda dos brasileiros. Continuaremos a diversificar parcerias comerciais e a abrir novos mercados para nossos produtos, como fizemos ao firmar acordos do MERCOSUL com a União Europeia, a Associação Europeia de Livre Comércio e Singapura.

Por meio do Plano Brasil Soberano, manteremos medidas de proteção aos setores afetados por tarifas ilegais e arbitrariamente impostas pelo governo dos EUA, preservando empregos e a capacidade produtiva nacional.

O Brasil iniciará imediatamente os trâmites para acionar os instrumentos previstos na Lei de Reciprocidade, aprovada por unanimidade pelo Congresso Nacional, e retomará o tema no âmbito do mecanismo de solução de controvérsias da OMC.

É triste constatar que o lamentável desfecho das investigações baseadas na Seção 301 faz parte do enredo construído com a ativa colaboração da família Bolsonaro. São falsos patriotas que arquitetaram e defenderam publicamente ações contra o nosso país, movidos por objetivos eleitoreiros.

Não se pode amar o Brasil apenas quando vencemos eleições. Proteger a nossa soberania é uma obrigação que está acima de todos os partidos e todas as tendências. O governo brasileiro não vacilará em seu dever de preservá-la.

Secretaria de Comunicação Social da Presidência da República

[Ben Cohen @YoBenCohen]

Today, Magnum ordered the @benandjerrysfoundation out of its own corporate office.

Since its founding in 1985, the Foundation has funded and supported hundreds of grassroots organizations across the country working for progressive social change — community organizing, environmental justice, racial equity, human rights. #freebenandjerrys

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

This is absolutely fascinating. That's the salary level for entry-level workers in Xinjiang right now.

We just saw this hiring ad 👇 in front of an ice cream shop in Yining:
- 5k to 10k monthly salary ($750 to $1,500)
- Free accommodation
- Free food

Not a bad package, even better than France! The so-called "SMIC" (base salary) in France is roughly $1,500 a month but you obviously don't get free accommodation or food with that, and it's the bunch of people's monthly expenses. And, of course, everything is much cheaper in China than in France.

So we're literally at a stage where an entry-level ice cream shop worker in Xinjiang has better purchasing power than a minimum wage worker in France.

[Kemal Okuyan @OkuyanKemal]

Haluk Levent vakası, toplumun “kahraman” bağımlılığının yol açtığı yeni bir yıkım olarak görülmeli. Dayanışma gibi son derece toplumsal bir eylemin çürüyen bir düzenin kurumlarından alınıp bu kez kerameti kendinden menkul bireylere emanet edilmesi, yurttaşlarımızın karşı karşıya kaldığı çaresizlik ve kuşatmanın boyutlarını gözler önüne seriyor.

Kızılay’a güvenmeyenlerin aslında hiç tanımadıkları bir kişiye sonsuz bir güvenle milyarlar bağışlaması birden fazla düzlemde sorgulanmalı. “Kahraman” bağımlılığı bu düzlemlerden bana göre en önemlisidir.

Siyasetten diğer toplumsal alanlara varıncaya kadar “star” sisteminin yarattığı bu “kahraman”lar, bizzat toplum tarafından giydirilen dokunulmazlık zırhına sığınarak vasatı, cehaleti, zaafları kolayca gizleyebiliyor.

Bu “kahraman”lar çoğu kez kendilerini yaratan mekanizmalar tarafından kısa sürede yerin dibine batırılmakta. Depremzedeler için toplanan paralarla kumar oynamak bayağı ağır bir çürümenin ifadesi elbette. Ancak sistemin Haluk Levent’i tepetaklak indirmesi ne bir arınma çabasının ne de gelişkin ahlaki değerlerin ürünüdür.

“Kahraman”lar doğası gereği gerçeklik algısını yitirir ve çoklukla kendilerine ayrılan sınırların ötesine geçerler. Sistemin onları yerin dibine geçirmesi genellikle çok hızlı ve zahmetsiz bir işlemdir.

Bu konu siyasette özellikle yaşamsaldır. O yüzden, ideoloji önemli, program önemli diyoruz. O yüzden ekip çalışması, kolektivizm diyoruz. O yüzden gelişkin örgüt diyoruz.

İdeoloji geriye çekilmişse, bir gün sağa bir gün sola şirinlik yapılır örneğin ve kimse ses etmez. Program önemsizleşmişse, kişiler her şeyi belirler, itiraz edecek kimse çıkmaz. Örgüt yoksa, “kahraman”lara bağımlı olursunuz. Oysa gerçek “kahramanlar” ideolojilerin ve doğrultusu olan toplumsal hareketlerin ürünüdür. Toplumsal hareketleri ortaya çıkarıp, tarihin akışını değiştiren bireylerin sayısı ise tarihte çok azdır; onlar da son tahlilde koşullar tarafından şekillenmişlerdir.

Halkımız “kahraman”lar yaratıp hayal kırıklığına uğramaktan vazgeçmeli. Bu nedenle çubuğu tersine iyice büküp “kahraman diye bir şey yok” demek bile gerekebilir.

Haluk Levent vakasının siyaset alanında çok daha vahim örneklerine tanık olacağımızdan emin olabiliriz. Burada esas olan “en ahlaklı kişi”yi aramak değil, en yüksek denetim, kolektif akıl ve geliştirici mekanizmaları yaratmaktır.

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

Tonight we're staying in another very charming little village in Xinjiang, adorably called 晃晃 (Huanghuang) which literally means "shaky shaky."

Somewhat random because, to my knowledge, it's not a place with earthquakes or anything but it's a cute name!

Here's an unedited 5min video of us discovering Huanghuang so you can see what a tiny village in Xinjiang actually looks like today!