China’s capital, Beijing, has dialled up measures to stop Covid, strengthening public checks and locking down some residential compounds after a quadrupling of its cases in recent weeks, just as a key Communist party congress entered full swing. The city of 21 million people on Thursday reported 18 new locally transmitted cases for the previous day, bringing the tally for the past 10 days to 197. That is four times more than the 49 infections detected in the previous 10-day period. While the number of cases is very small compared…
Day: October 19, 2022
Protester condemns ‘barbaric’ attack in Manchester outside China consulate
A pro-democracy protester who appeared to be beaten up by men from China’s consulate in Manchester has condemned the attack as “barbaric” and backed calls for the UK government to expel any Chinese officials involved. Speaking for the first time since the incident, which was captured on video, Bob Chan said: “I’m shocked and hurt by this unprovoked attack,” adding he had been taking part in a “peaceful protest”. He said he had bruises on his eye, neck and back and had nightmares about possible repercussions against his family. Chan…
Ethnic minorities in Lao struggle with pregnancy-related deaths and infant mortality
Pregnancy-related deaths of women and infant mortality still plague some impoverished, rural provinces of Laos, mainly due to a lack of nutrition and access to health care, despite declines in these figures for the entire country, according to Lao health officials and a United Nations agency. The rate of women who die while giving birth and newborns is pervasive among ethnic citizens who live in rural areas where medical care is scarce, especially in Sekong, Borikhamxay and Luang Prabang provinces, they said. The country had an infant mortality rate of…
UK government sued over forced-labor imports from Xinjiang
Britain’s government will appear in court at the end of October to answer charges it has failed to block products made with forced labor in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang from entering the UK, rights groups said in a statement Wednesday. The Oct. 25-26 hearing in Britain’s High Court follows a suit brought by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) — a rights watchdog with offices in the UK and Ireland — and the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC), both groups said in a joint statement. ”Customs authorities are failing…
In Britain, Demands for Tough Response After Beating at Chinese Consulate
LONDON — The rally outside the Chinese Consulate in Manchester, in northern England, began like others before it, with demonstrators against repression in Hong Kong hanging banners and preparing to shout slogans. But the scene turned violent on Sunday after a group of men emerged from the consulate, removed a poster of Xi Jinping, China’s leader, and then dragged one protester through the gates. They kicked and beat him as police officers and other protesters rushed to separate them. Journalists at the scene caught the melee on video seen around…
Surging inflation and stagnant wages are squeezing Lao households
With inflation surging to 34 percent in Laos, many households are struggling to pay for basic necessities, and some government employees are taking second jobs or quitting to earn more in the private sector to just to put food on the table, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia. September’s year-on-year inflation rate was the highest in 22 years, Xinhua reported. That, combined with an ongoing devaluation of Laos’ currency, the kip, have caused prices of food and gas to climb ever higher, and people are tightening their belts…
Hong Kong Offers New Visa to Woo Talent Amid Brain Drain
Advertisement Hong Kong’s leader on Wednesday unveiled a new visa scheme to woo global talent, as the city seeks to stem a brain drain that is undermining its status as an international financial center. Chief Executive John Lee said the new Top Talent Pass Scheme will allow those earning an annual salary of 2.5 million Hong Kong dollars ($318,472) or more and graduates of the world’s top universities to work or pursue opportunities in the city for two years. Hong Kong, a former British colony handed to Chinese control in…
Reports of teenager dying in Covid quarantine cause outcry in China
Reports that a 16-year-old girl has died in a Covid quarantine centre after pleas from her family for medical help were ignored have caused anger in China, where ongoing tight pandemic controls have started to take their toll on a weary population. Videos of the girl have spread across Chinese social media in the last 24 hours. The distressing footage, which the Guardian has not been able to independently verify, shows the teenager ill, struggling to breathe and convulsing in a bunk bed at what is purported to be a…
South Korea Gets Squeezed Between the US and China
SOSEONG-RI, South Korea — Do Geum-yeon, 86, has lived in this valley in South Korea all her life. During the Korean War in the 1950s, her village was so peaceful that she remembers refugees taking shelter in its humble homes and quiet hills. These days, though, Ms. Do spends much of her time protesting an unwanted guest: an American military base that is expanding on a nearby hilltop. “Now, if there is war, our village will become the first target because of that machine up there,” she said impatiently. The…