A Moscow summer with war on people's minds

 

After the Russian capital was targeted by drones, BBC Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg asks people in his neighbourhood how they feel about the war and their country's future.

Like any of those asked are going to give an honest answer. They can't, because they know consequences for doing so. Its like walking up to someone in Beijing and asking them what they think of Xi, 

Beijing funeral homes overwhelmed by surge in COVID deaths

The Chinese capital Beijing is seeing a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. And high numbers of workers testing positive for the virus means the city's funeral homes are overwhelmed. Undertakers say they are short on drivers and workers, so families have to wait longer to cremate their relatives. Local media have reported more coronavirus-linked deaths, even though official tallies do not include the latest victims.

'Chilling': Protester tells CNN what the atmosphere is like in China

 

Selina Wang speaks with a protester in China about why he took the risk to speak out against China's zero-Covid policy.

The Chinese business tycoon revealing the secrets of Beijing's elite

 

Hong Kong billionaire's last interview as a free man - BBC News

 

Jimmy Lai is the billionaire owner of Hong Kong’s last opposition newspaper, Apple Daily, and an outspoken critic of Beijing.

Why is China picking so many fights - and where are they leading?

The West is pushing back against Beijing over a growing list of human rights concerns, including its security law in Hong Kong and efforts to extinguish dissent on the semi-autonomous territory.
 

Coronavirus: Beijing's back and forth lockdown

An increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 has led to fresh restrictions in some parts of the UK. But how do other countries cope? Much of China has returned to a more normal pace of life after authorities began relaxing coronavirus lockdowns in late spring.
 

The problem with banning TikTok

 

On August 6, President Trump issued an executive order prohibiting transactions with the video-sharing app TikTok. His order said that because TikTok is owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance, the app could pose national security and privacy risks to users in the US.

What China's new security law means for Hong Kong

Beijing has imposed sweeping new national security legislation on Hong Kong, criminalising 'secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces'. Critics fear the law will enable a crackdown on protest and dissent as China seeks to exert new levels of control over the semi-autonomous territory. The Guardian's Beijing bureau chief, Lily Kuo, explains what this means for the city after a year of unrest

Millions in Hong Kong to gain rights to live and work in UK

Up to 3 million people in Hong Kong are to be granted new rights to live and work in the UK. The decision follows China's imposition of a new security law which makes it a crime to undermine Beijing's authority.

China says new coronavirus outbreaks in Beijing are under control

China has reported 25 new COVID-19 cases in the capital Beijing, saying that it now has the latest coronavirus outbreak under control. Authorities activated strict lockdown measures after the virus was spread at a food market earlier this week. But critics are increasingly questioning how Beijing is dealing with the crisis and how it's suppressing any doubts about its containment policies.

Fears of second wave in China - as questions continue about origins of coronavirus - BBC News

Millions of people in China’s capital Beijing are living under renewed restrictions, as a surge in coronavirus cases leads to fears of a second wave of the disease. Around the world new cases are still rising sharply. The pandemic is thought to have originated on the 1st of December 2019 when a man in Wuhan was taken ill and later identified as a victim of Covid-19. It was widely reported that the virus had originated in a market where live animals are sold for human consumption.

Beijing back in lockdown as city faces new surge of coronavirus cases

Beijing is re-imposing restrictions in many parts of the city in response to a new cluster of covid cases. As other countries emerge from months of lockdown the new outbreak is a reminder of how difficult the road to recovery could be. Questions are still being asked about China’s early handling of the outbreak. The first case of Covid-19 appeared in the city of Wuhan, probably at the start of December last year.

Dozens of new coronavirus cases tracked to Beijing food market

China has reported the highest daily number of new coronavirus cases in two months, sparking fears that a new wave of infections could spread across China. Dozens of new cases have been recorded in the last 24 hours, representing an increase of more than 400% over previous days.

Will China’s new security law being forced on Hong Kong be the end of autonomy in the territory?

In an exclusive interview with DW’s Conflict Zone, Hong Kong’s former security secretary, Regina Ip, says China had to act. “Beijing authorities have no option but to get on with introducing a set of laws that will protect national security and discourage separatist activities,” Ip told Tim Sebastian.

Hong Kong: Thousands defy lockdown orders to protest China's security law | DW News

In Hong Kong, thousands took to the streets to protest Beijing's plans to impose a security law on the former British colony. It would bypass the local legislature and is expected to ban what China calls treason and sedition. Pro-democracy campaigners say it's a threat to Hong Kong's freedoms and semi-autonomy. Hong Kong's security chief says "terrorism" is on the rise in the city as police arrested some 180 protesters during renewed unrest.

Hong Kong protesters rally against China's planned security law | DW News

Protests have been broken out in Hong Kong after China sparked outrage with proposed new legislation. It would ban what Beijing calls secessionism and subversive activity and could allow Chinese security agents to operate in the territory. Pro-democracy campaigners are calling it a threat to Hong Kong's autonomy.

Hong Kong police used teargas, pepper spray and water cannon on crowds as thousands rallied against Beijing’s declaration that it intends to impose national security laws on the semi-autonomous region – a highly criticised move because of the 'one country, two systems' rule.

At least 120 people were arrested, according to police, in one of the biggest gatherings in the country since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic as proposed law is to be approved next week at China’s National People’s Congress.

A Day In Life In Beijing Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Bloomberg's reporter Peter Martin shows us how daily life is being impacted in Beijing as coronavirus outbreak hits China. The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak reached 910, higher than during SARS, and one estimate put the mortality rate from the disease at 1%. Britain reported four more cases, warned of an imminent threat to public health and tightened quarantine rules. Globally, 40,626 have been infected so far.

The Irony Of Holding Media Summit In Doha

One has to wonder at the senise of humor of the people who decided that holding summit on the future of the media and press freedom in Doha Qutar.

Qatari authorities arrest another European TV crew

A BBC crew was arrested in Qatar on 2 May for filming Nepali workers without permission, becoming the second European TV crew to be arrested in the space of a few weeks for trying to cover the conditions of migrant workers in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Reporter Mark Lobel said no charge was brought against him and the three other members of his crew, but they had to spend two nights in prison and their equipment was not returned.
The BBC crew was invited on a tour organized by the government to show improvements in conditions for migrant workers. Saif al-Thani, the head of the government’s press office, said they broke the law because they entered a workers’ camp without permission, thereby trespassing on private property.
After being released, the BBC crew was finally able to leave Qatar on 10 May. The German TV crew that was arrested on 27 March also had its equipment confiscated.

These journalists were detained for investigating the appalling working conditions for those working to construct facilities for the 2022 World Cup.

Somehow below statement doesn't quite inspire confidence about protecting journalists when the government hosting the event tightly controls the country's media.   

The urgent need to protect journalists - and the future of their profession - will be the focus of two events in Doha this week.

Do journalists need protections which ensure their ability to work without fear of censorship, arrest or death? Of course. Yet, like Doha the previous two summits were held, first in Beijing and the second in Moscow neither having an exemplary record when it comes to protecting a working free press.

  

  

China; How To Stifle Dissent In Hong Kong

When Hong Kong returned to Chinese control in 1997 it was done under an agreement which allowed the city to continue to exercise the rights granted it under the British.  Over the last five years the people of Hong Kong have felt these rights slipping away as Beijing imposed its will in the form of censorship and refusing to relinquish its right to choose the cities government.  An independent film released last year has given the people of Hong Kong a lesson in power, control, political pressure and self censorship.

Ten Years – the terrifying vision of Hong Kong that Beijing wants obscured

A dystopian independent film has played to packed houses but after Chinese criticism it has disappeared from public screens

It has been hailed as one of the best films to come out of Hong Kong in decades, playing to packed houses and picking up nominations for two major Asian awards.

But if you want to see the independent production Ten Years the only places are private showings advertised through Facebook.

As Beijing steps up its crackdown on political dissent, the film’s disappearance has left some moviegoers scratching their heads and wondering whether the long hand of the mainland authorities may be responsible.

The timing of attacks from the mainland and the content of Ten Years appears to bear this out.

The film is a dystopian narrative composed of five short stories in which Hong Kong has been totally taken over by China to the point that neither the language, Cantonese, nor local agricultural products can be freely used.