Peng Shuai backlash leaves IOC facing familiar criticism over human rights

 The IOC isn't concerned with human rights or the health and welfare of a hosting nations citizens.  When the Summer Olympics were awarded to Beijing for 2008 the IOC assured the world that the CCP would adhere to human rights norms they didn't.  Any citizen that complained was jailed, whole neighbours were destroyed and business were forced to shut in the name of improving the IOC profits.  The Rio and Sochi Olympics were just corruption run a muck.  And then, came the pandemic of 2020 and postponement of the Tokyo Olympics.   As the IOC's only interest is the continuation of its profit streams the Japanese government at the height of that nations coronavirus epidemic and with the complete lack of support from the citizens couldn't cancel the games.  As the signed contract only allowed the IOC to do that.  With revenue on the line the IOC was never going cancel the games.    

With the Beijing Winter Games in peril the IOC decided that playing the useful propaganda idiot for the Chinese government was the best way of the impending disaster they found themselves in. 

Analysis: Olympic committee is accused of engaging in a ‘publicity stunt’ by taking part in video call

As human rights organisations and the world’s media questioned the whereabouts of the Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, the International Olympic Committee opted for a “quiet diplomacy” approach, arguing that was the most effective way to deal with such a case.

“Experience shows that quiet diplomacy offers the best opportunity to find a solution for questions of such nature. This explains why the IOC will not comment any further at this stage,” the Lausanne-based organisation said in an emailed statement on Thursday about the case of Peng, who disappeared from public view after she made an accusation of sexual assault against a former senior Chinese official.

Yet the IOC’s approach to the Peng saga, which resulted in a half-hour-long video call between its president, Thomas Bach, and the player on Sunday, appeared to have failed to ease concerns. Instead, the committee was accused by rights activists of engaging in a “publicity stunt” for Beijing.

US lifts pandemic travel ban after nearly two-years

From today, the US is lifting an international travel ban imposed nearly two years ago to curb the spread of COVID-19. Travelers from 33 countries, including from the EU, will be able to enter the US again.

How was Indonesia's recent COVID-19 spike triggered?

 

In early summer Indonesia became the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. On the island of Java, volunteers help bury the dead. DW reports on 12-year-old Denaz, who's lost both of his parents to Covid-19. He is one of around 15,000 children in Indonesia orphaned by the pandemic.

Asia eases travel restrictions for tourists

 

Many Asian tourist destinations are opening up to holidaymakers. For those depending on tourism this move doesn't come a moment too soon. But with the pandemic still not under control - is the time really ripe for international travel?

COVID-19 threatens to cause irreversible harm to education and well-being of kids

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on many families. Work and school both have been taking place at home. A difficult time for parents - and especially for children. Many kids have psychological issues. They are afraid of new lockdowns.

At least 1 million underage girls pregnant since pandemic began

 

The pandemic has kept teenagers across the world out of school in some places this has had devastating consequences. Also, the number of teen pregnancies has been soaring.

China – Ai Weiwei's struggle for truth

 China has become even more powerful since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet the country remains difficult to understand. Not least because its government continues to restrict access to reliable information.

India shatters global record as COVID-19 cases surge again | DW News

 

India reported a record high of more than 414,000 new infections and over 3,900 deaths over the past 24 hours. The new figures take the country's total case count to nearly 21.5 million and total recorded fatalities to over 234,000.

Teen Saves Grandpa's Sushi Restaurant With TikTok

Here’s how one teen helped save his grandpa’s sushi restaurant with his viral TikTok video 🍣
 

What will life look like after the coronavirus pandemic?

 What might life be like after the COVID-19 pandemic? British-American sociologist Richard Sennett is one of the world's most important theorists of urban studies, or the architecture and social life of cities. He's currently a member of the Council of Urban Initiatives for United Nations Habitat.

Barakan Discovers: The Tokyo of 2020 - NHK WORLD-JAPAN

 

Tokyo was undergoing massive changes as it prepared to welcome the world to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games until the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything an abrupt halt. Peter Barakan meets with people from a wide range of countries that have settled in Tokyo to get their perspectives on the current situation and what the future holds moving forward.

COVID & child labour: Some kids may never return to school | COVID-19 Special

 

An estimated 152 million children are being put to work around the world. Hard manual labor in mines, in fields, on family farms. In Africa, one in five children is involved in child labour. Girls are especially vulnerable. The number of children at work is set to dramatically worsen because of the pandemic.

We Went to Hollywood During the Most SEVERE LOCKDOWN

With all of the news coming out of China that the USA and California is under crazy severe lockdown, we decided to go see for ourselves. We went to downtown Hollywood during the most severe lockdown in the USA.

3 Days that Stopped the World

Footage obtained by Al Jazeera shows the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak and Chinese government censorship attempts.

Video footage from Wuhan during the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak shows how the Chinese government could have done more to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, and its attempts to stop journalists from reporting on it.

In 3 Days that Stopped the World, two Chinese journalists, through undercover filming and diaries, reveal the almost overnight transformation of the city of 11 million people as nonchalance about the virus was replaced by panic and overcrowded hospitals within hours. The journalists’ names have been not been disclosed for their safety.

Food Insecurity Soars in Silicon Valley During Pandemic

 

Food banks in one of America's wealthiest cities are struggling to meet record-high demand amid the economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Here's how these volunteers and nonprofits are working around the clock to help the most vulnerable.

Frontline healthcare workers increasingly suffer from stress and exhaustion

 

In the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline healthcare workers are having to work under particularly intense stress levels. They must work in makeshift settings created to handle the overflow of patients from intensive care units, sometimes with inadequate access to optimal protective equipment.

Can common sense guide us out of the coronavirus pandemic? - BBC Newsnight

 UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to keep Christmas celebrations "short" and "small" to reduce the risk of spreading Covid over the festive period, despite growing pressure from doctors and scientists to abandon the relaxation of restrictions over Christmas.

Uruguay: A role model in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic? | COVID-19 Special

 It may be a global pandemic. But when it comes to individual nations, the response has been anything but uniform. While some governments were quick to implement lockdowns and mask wearing others only reacted when the virus had already wreaked havoc.

US crosses horrific milestone mid-interview. See Azar's response

 More than 300,000 people in the US have now died from Covid-19. CNN's Jake Tapper asks HHS secretary Alex Azar why the US is struggling to deal with this pandemic.

Pandemic division in the US Infections surge in Turkey | Coronavirus Update

 US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday, which his administration says will ensure that "Americans receive priority access" to the new coronavirus vaccines procured by the US government before they are made available to other nations