13-year-old Boy in Hong Kong Persists on Remembering 7.21 #YuenLongAttack, Stopped and Searched by the Police
On July 21, 2022, some Hongkongers donned black, some brought flowers to remember the 7.21 Yuen Long Attack. In 2019, white-clad gangsters indiscriminately assaulted pro-democracy citizens, train passengers and pedestrians, as police reportedly turned a blind eye.
In 2022, those who insisted to remember included a 13-year-old boy. He recalled the day three years ago when he was still in primary school, "many white clad people launched attack that day, but only 7 of them were charged."
The boy brought with him a paper that wrote "lest we forget 7.21" and was stopped and searched by the police.
Source: InMedia #Jul21
https://bit.ly/3zlW5p1
#YuenLong721 #PoliceState #NeverForget #3years
On July 21, 2022, some Hongkongers donned black, some brought flowers to remember the 7.21 Yuen Long Attack. In 2019, white-clad gangsters indiscriminately assaulted pro-democracy citizens, train passengers and pedestrians, as police reportedly turned a blind eye.
In 2022, those who insisted to remember included a 13-year-old boy. He recalled the day three years ago when he was still in primary school, "many white clad people launched attack that day, but only 7 of them were charged."
The boy brought with him a paper that wrote "lest we forget 7.21" and was stopped and searched by the police.
Source: InMedia #Jul21
https://bit.ly/3zlW5p1
#YuenLong721 #PoliceState #NeverForget #3years
FBI investigation determined Chinese-made #Huawei equipment could disrupt US nuclear arsenal communications
//In 2017, the Chinese government was offering to spend $100 million to build an ornate Chinese garden at the #NationalArboretum in Washington DC. Complete with temples, pavilions and a 70-foot white pagoda, the project thrilled local officials, who hoped it would attract thousands of tourists every year.
But when US counterintelligence officials began digging into the details, they found numerous red flags. The pagoda, they noted, would have been strategically placed on one of the highest points in #WashingtonDC, just two miles from the #USCapitol, a perfect spot for signals intelligence collection, multiple sources familiar with the episode told CNN.
Also alarming was that Chinese officials wanted to build the pagoda with materials shipped to the US in diplomatic pouches, which #USCustoms officials are barred from examining, the sources said...
Among the most alarming things the #FBI uncovered pertains to Chinese-made Huawei equipment atop cell towers near US military bases in the rural Midwest. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the FBI determined the equipment was capable of capturing and disrupting highly restricted Defense Department communications, including those used by US Strategic Command, which oversees the country's nuclear weapons....//
Read the full article:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/23/politics/fbi-investigation-huawei-china-defense-department-communications-nuclear/index.html
Source: CNN #Jul23
#CNNExclusive
#ChinaThreat #MadeinChina #Security #Espionage #ChineseGarden
//In 2017, the Chinese government was offering to spend $100 million to build an ornate Chinese garden at the #NationalArboretum in Washington DC. Complete with temples, pavilions and a 70-foot white pagoda, the project thrilled local officials, who hoped it would attract thousands of tourists every year.
But when US counterintelligence officials began digging into the details, they found numerous red flags. The pagoda, they noted, would have been strategically placed on one of the highest points in #WashingtonDC, just two miles from the #USCapitol, a perfect spot for signals intelligence collection, multiple sources familiar with the episode told CNN.
Also alarming was that Chinese officials wanted to build the pagoda with materials shipped to the US in diplomatic pouches, which #USCustoms officials are barred from examining, the sources said...
Among the most alarming things the #FBI uncovered pertains to Chinese-made Huawei equipment atop cell towers near US military bases in the rural Midwest. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the FBI determined the equipment was capable of capturing and disrupting highly restricted Defense Department communications, including those used by US Strategic Command, which oversees the country's nuclear weapons....//
Read the full article:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/23/politics/fbi-investigation-huawei-china-defense-department-communications-nuclear/index.html
Source: CNN #Jul23
#CNNExclusive
#ChinaThreat #MadeinChina #Security #Espionage #ChineseGarden
CNN
CNN Exclusive: FBI investigation determined Chinese-made Huawei equipment could disrupt US nuclear arsenal communications | CNN…
On paper, it looked like a fantastic deal. In 2017, the Chinese government was offering to spend $100 million to build an ornate Chinese garden at the National Arboretum in Washington DC. Complete with temples, pavilions and a 70-foot white pagoda, the project…
#China uses #coronavirus warning app to stifle #dissent
//China's #COVID19 warning app enables health authorities to move quickly against a virus outbreak. But it seems officials also use the app to stop perfectly healthy people from doing what Beijing doesn't want them to do. And the target is dissidents.//
Watch the video:
https://www.dw.com/en/china-uses-coronavirus-warning-app-to-stifle-dissent/av-62501253
Source: DW #Jul17
#HealthCode #MassSurveillance #Beijing #Authoritarianism
//China's #COVID19 warning app enables health authorities to move quickly against a virus outbreak. But it seems officials also use the app to stop perfectly healthy people from doing what Beijing doesn't want them to do. And the target is dissidents.//
Watch the video:
https://www.dw.com/en/china-uses-coronavirus-warning-app-to-stifle-dissent/av-62501253
Source: DW #Jul17
#HealthCode #MassSurveillance #Beijing #Authoritarianism
#China Targeted #US Federal Reserve system to Build Informant Network and Access #Data, Probe Finds
//China tried to build a network of informants inside the Federal Reserve system, at one point threatening to imprison a Fed economist during a trip to Shanghai unless he agreed to provide nonpublic economic data, a congressional investigation found.
The investigation by Republican staff members of the Senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs found that Fed employees were offered contracts with Chinese talent-recruitment programs, which often include cash payments, and asked to provide information on the U.S. economy, interest-rate changes and policies, according to a report of the findings released Tuesday [July 26, 2022].//
Read more:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-targeted-fed-to-build-informant-network-access-data-a-probe-says-11658826000
Source: WSJ #Jul26
#Espionage #Beijing #Security #Infiltration #FED
//China tried to build a network of informants inside the Federal Reserve system, at one point threatening to imprison a Fed economist during a trip to Shanghai unless he agreed to provide nonpublic economic data, a congressional investigation found.
The investigation by Republican staff members of the Senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs found that Fed employees were offered contracts with Chinese talent-recruitment programs, which often include cash payments, and asked to provide information on the U.S. economy, interest-rate changes and policies, according to a report of the findings released Tuesday [July 26, 2022].//
Read more:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-targeted-fed-to-build-informant-network-access-data-a-probe-says-11658826000
Source: WSJ #Jul26
#Espionage #Beijing #Security #Infiltration #FED
Oversea activists working on a Hong Kong Parliament
A group of oversea Hong Kong activists announced the Election Committee for the Hong Kong Parliament has been successfully formed on 27 July. They planned to organise a Hong Kong parliament member election, and all Hong Kong citizens, whether they are abroad or not, can vote.
Organizers Victor Ho and Elmer Yuen hope to achieve universal suffrage with this committee, and elect representatives truly belong to the people.
Source：HongKonger Unity Square #Jul27
#HongKongParliament #UniversalSuffrage #OverseasHKers #Election #HongKongActivists
A group of oversea Hong Kong activists announced the Election Committee for the Hong Kong Parliament has been successfully formed on 27 July. They planned to organise a Hong Kong parliament member election, and all Hong Kong citizens, whether they are abroad or not, can vote.
Organizers Victor Ho and Elmer Yuen hope to achieve universal suffrage with this committee, and elect representatives truly belong to the people.
Source：HongKonger Unity Square #Jul27
#HongKongParliament #UniversalSuffrage #OverseasHKers #Election #HongKongActivists
#HongKong Bashes #GlobalMedia With Hundreds of Complaint Letters
Source: Bloomberg #Jul25
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Source: Bloomberg #Jul25
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#HongKong Bashes #GlobalMedia With Hundreds of Complaint Letters
//From Slovakia to Japan, top Hong Kong officials have fired off at least 500 letters in 2022 blasting critical foreign media coverage, as the city wages a global battle to safeguard its reputation as a liberal financial hub.
At least 174 media outlets in almost 30 countries received missives from city leaders -- including its now chief executive, #JohnLee -- since China announced in May 2020 that it would impose a national security law on the former British colony. The correspondence, often written both in English and the publication’s native language, was uploaded to the “Clarifications” tab of the government’s communications platform known as Brand Hong Kong.
About half of the letters, which responded to a mix of reports and editorials, hit back at criticism of Beijing’s sweeping security law, while roughly a third defended a mandate that only Communist Party loyalists can hold office in the city. Neighboring Asian nations got 42% of the complaints, led by Japan and South Korea, while business publications including the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Economist got the most letters. Bloomberg received seven...
Hong Kong’s crackdown on freedoms has eroded the city’s reputation among many foreign governments...
Hong Kong’s press freedom ranking has plummeted since the security law clamped down on free speech. The city came 148 in the Reporters Without Borders 2022 World Press Freedom Index, representing a fall of 68 places from last year.//
Source: Bloomberg #Jul25
https://t.co/OHZN4fVjye
#Whitewash #Censorship #PressFreedom #NationalSecurityLaw #PoliceState #Authoritarianism
//From Slovakia to Japan, top Hong Kong officials have fired off at least 500 letters in 2022 blasting critical foreign media coverage, as the city wages a global battle to safeguard its reputation as a liberal financial hub.
At least 174 media outlets in almost 30 countries received missives from city leaders -- including its now chief executive, #JohnLee -- since China announced in May 2020 that it would impose a national security law on the former British colony. The correspondence, often written both in English and the publication’s native language, was uploaded to the “Clarifications” tab of the government’s communications platform known as Brand Hong Kong.
About half of the letters, which responded to a mix of reports and editorials, hit back at criticism of Beijing’s sweeping security law, while roughly a third defended a mandate that only Communist Party loyalists can hold office in the city. Neighboring Asian nations got 42% of the complaints, led by Japan and South Korea, while business publications including the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Economist got the most letters. Bloomberg received seven...
Hong Kong’s crackdown on freedoms has eroded the city’s reputation among many foreign governments...
Hong Kong’s press freedom ranking has plummeted since the security law clamped down on free speech. The city came 148 in the Reporters Without Borders 2022 World Press Freedom Index, representing a fall of 68 places from last year.//
Source: Bloomberg #Jul25
https://t.co/OHZN4fVjye
#Whitewash #Censorship #PressFreedom #NationalSecurityLaw #PoliceState #Authoritarianism
Bloomberg.com
Hong Kong Bashes Global Media With Hundreds of Complaint Letters
From Slovakia to Japan, top Hong Kong officials have fired off at least 500 letters blasting critical foreign media coverage, as the city wages a global battle to safeguard its reputation as a liberal financial hub.
Studies point to China's #HuananMarket as #epicenter of #Covid19, wildlife trade associated
The following is excerpted from a statement released by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (#AAAS), which is the publisher of the peer-reviewed journal "Science", on July 26, 2022:
//Two studies published in #Science by #MichaelWorobey et al. and #JonathanPekar et al. use complementary approaches – involving spatial and environmental analyses, as well as molecular analyses – to provide evidence that the Huanan market in #Wuhan, China, was the early epicenter for the COVID-19 #pandemic.
The scientists concluded that SARS-CoV-2 was very likely present in live mammals sold at this market in late 2019 and suggest the virus spilled over into people working or shopping there ... //
Read more:
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/959879
Source: AAAS; Canada TV #Jul27
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/studies-suggest-covid-19-likely-emerged-from-wuhan-market-1.6003139
#WuhanPneumonia
The following is excerpted from a statement released by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (#AAAS), which is the publisher of the peer-reviewed journal "Science", on July 26, 2022:
//Two studies published in #Science by #MichaelWorobey et al. and #JonathanPekar et al. use complementary approaches – involving spatial and environmental analyses, as well as molecular analyses – to provide evidence that the Huanan market in #Wuhan, China, was the early epicenter for the COVID-19 #pandemic.
The scientists concluded that SARS-CoV-2 was very likely present in live mammals sold at this market in late 2019 and suggest the virus spilled over into people working or shopping there ... //
Read more:
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/959879
Source: AAAS; Canada TV #Jul27
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/studies-suggest-covid-19-likely-emerged-from-wuhan-market-1.6003139
#WuhanPneumonia
#IMF cuts global growth outlook amid US, #China slowdowns
//Surging inflation and severe slowdowns in the United States and China prompted the IMF Tuesday [July 26, 2022] to downgrade its outlook for the global economy this year and next, while warning that the situation could get much worse...
"The outlook has darkened significantly since April," said IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas. "The world may soon be teetering on the edge of a global recession, only two years after the last one."
"The world's three largest economies, the United States, China and the euro area are stalling with important consequences for the global outlook," he said at a briefing.
...China's economy is expected to slow dramatically in 2022, expanding just 3.3 percent -- the lowest in more than four decades other than the 2020 pandemic crisis -- due to Covid concerns and the "worsening crisis" in the property sector, the report said.
"The slowdown in China has global consequences: lockdowns added to global supply chain disruptions and the decline in domestic spending are reducing demand for goods and services from China's trade partners," the report said.//
Read more:
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220726-imf-cuts-global-growth-outlook-amid-us-china-slowdowns
Source: France 24 #Jul26
#Economy #Pandemic #Covid19
//Surging inflation and severe slowdowns in the United States and China prompted the IMF Tuesday [July 26, 2022] to downgrade its outlook for the global economy this year and next, while warning that the situation could get much worse...
"The outlook has darkened significantly since April," said IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas. "The world may soon be teetering on the edge of a global recession, only two years after the last one."
"The world's three largest economies, the United States, China and the euro area are stalling with important consequences for the global outlook," he said at a briefing.
...China's economy is expected to slow dramatically in 2022, expanding just 3.3 percent -- the lowest in more than four decades other than the 2020 pandemic crisis -- due to Covid concerns and the "worsening crisis" in the property sector, the report said.
"The slowdown in China has global consequences: lockdowns added to global supply chain disruptions and the decline in domestic spending are reducing demand for goods and services from China's trade partners," the report said.//
Read more:
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220726-imf-cuts-global-growth-outlook-amid-us-china-slowdowns
Source: France 24 #Jul26
#Economy #Pandemic #Covid19
France 24
IMF cuts global growth outlook amid US, China slowdowns
Surging inflation and severe slowdowns in the United States and China prompted the IMF Tuesday to downgrade its outlook for the global economy this year and next, while warning that the situation could…
#Court
Student Activists from #StudentPoliticism plead guilty to "conspiring to incite subversion"
Source: InMedia #Jul29
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Student Activists from #StudentPoliticism plead guilty to "conspiring to incite subversion"
Source: InMedia #Jul29
Read more
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#Court
Student Activists from #StudentPoliticism plead guilty to "conspiring to incite subversion"
Four former members of the now-disbanded pro-democracy group "Student Politicism" were charged with "conspiring to incite subversion". Former convenor Wong Yat-chin (aged 21), ex-secretary general Chan Chi-sum (aged 21), and ex-spokespersons Jessica Chu (aged 19) and Alice Wong (aged 20) were presented at the District Court in Hong Kong on July 29, 2022. They pleaded guilty.
Apart from Chu, the other three members have been detained for more than 10 months.
They were prosecuted for holding street booths on seven occasions between October 2020 and June 2021. The prosecution alleged that the group called on fellow citizens to "keep on fighting" and chanted the slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times".
Source: InMedia #Jul29
https://bit.ly/3Q0eZr8
#NationalSecurityLaw #PoliticalPrisoner #PoliceState
Student Activists from #StudentPoliticism plead guilty to "conspiring to incite subversion"
Four former members of the now-disbanded pro-democracy group "Student Politicism" were charged with "conspiring to incite subversion". Former convenor Wong Yat-chin (aged 21), ex-secretary general Chan Chi-sum (aged 21), and ex-spokespersons Jessica Chu (aged 19) and Alice Wong (aged 20) were presented at the District Court in Hong Kong on July 29, 2022. They pleaded guilty.
Apart from Chu, the other three members have been detained for more than 10 months.
They were prosecuted for holding street booths on seven occasions between October 2020 and June 2021. The prosecution alleged that the group called on fellow citizens to "keep on fighting" and chanted the slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times".
Source: InMedia #Jul29
https://bit.ly/3Q0eZr8
#NationalSecurityLaw #PoliticalPrisoner #PoliceState
Hong Kong gov’t to refund HK$147K fee for hanging #Chinaflags on lampposts, hours after leader #JohnLee’s request
Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Jul22
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Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Jul22
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Hong Kong gov’t to refund HK$147K fee for hanging #Chinaflags on lampposts, hours after leader #JohnLee’s request
//A group who applied to hang Chinese national flags on lampposts over multiple highways in Hong Kong last year will see fees totalling HK$147,000 refunded by the Highways Department, following instructions from #ChiefExecutive John Lee.
Lee said he learnt that a community group was asked to pay administrative fees and inspection fees by the government after applying to hang national flags over some highways in the New Territories for National Day last year.
The leader wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday night that he had asked the relevant department to educate the public on how to properly hang the national and Hong Kong flags. Lee said he also required the government body to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
“The government values the promotion of patriotic education and has been actively pushing community groups and the public to celebrate special dates such as the National Day, with respect to the flags and symbols of the nation and Hong Kong,” Lee added.
Less than two hours after Lee’s post, the Highways Department published a statement saying that it had approved the waiver and will inform the group of refund arrangements “as soon as possible.”
Pro-Beijing backlashes
The issue was first raised by pro-Beijing columnist Chris Wat in an opinion piece published on Tuesday in Headline Daily.
Wat said a group was asked to pay HK$147,670 by the Highways Department for hanging some 1,200 national flags on lampposts around Kam Tin Road and Fan Kam Road between September 20 to October 9 last year.
“When the people self-initiated to do what the government didn’t, why are you still punishing these patriots who gave their heart and sweat?” Wat wrote in her article.
A day after, lawmakers Michael Lee and Rock Chen wrote to the department to ask what legal grounds the fees were based on.
“During the riots in 2019, many political parties and groups were hanging flags and leaflets on streets as well – how were you dealing with those items?” Lee and Chen wrote.
After John Lee announced that he had asked the department to waive the fees in question, Michael Lee thanked the leader for his “immediate concern” on Facebook on Thursday night as well.//
Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Jul22
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/07/22/hong-kong-govt-to-refund-hk147k-fee-for-hanging-china-flags-on-lampposts-hours-after-leader-john-lees-request/
#ChineseNationalism #FailedState #Taxpayers #GovernmentExpenses
//A group who applied to hang Chinese national flags on lampposts over multiple highways in Hong Kong last year will see fees totalling HK$147,000 refunded by the Highways Department, following instructions from #ChiefExecutive John Lee.
Lee said he learnt that a community group was asked to pay administrative fees and inspection fees by the government after applying to hang national flags over some highways in the New Territories for National Day last year.
The leader wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday night that he had asked the relevant department to educate the public on how to properly hang the national and Hong Kong flags. Lee said he also required the government body to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
“The government values the promotion of patriotic education and has been actively pushing community groups and the public to celebrate special dates such as the National Day, with respect to the flags and symbols of the nation and Hong Kong,” Lee added.
Less than two hours after Lee’s post, the Highways Department published a statement saying that it had approved the waiver and will inform the group of refund arrangements “as soon as possible.”
Pro-Beijing backlashes
The issue was first raised by pro-Beijing columnist Chris Wat in an opinion piece published on Tuesday in Headline Daily.
Wat said a group was asked to pay HK$147,670 by the Highways Department for hanging some 1,200 national flags on lampposts around Kam Tin Road and Fan Kam Road between September 20 to October 9 last year.
“When the people self-initiated to do what the government didn’t, why are you still punishing these patriots who gave their heart and sweat?” Wat wrote in her article.
A day after, lawmakers Michael Lee and Rock Chen wrote to the department to ask what legal grounds the fees were based on.
“During the riots in 2019, many political parties and groups were hanging flags and leaflets on streets as well – how were you dealing with those items?” Lee and Chen wrote.
After John Lee announced that he had asked the department to waive the fees in question, Michael Lee thanked the leader for his “immediate concern” on Facebook on Thursday night as well.//
Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Jul22
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/07/22/hong-kong-govt-to-refund-hk147k-fee-for-hanging-china-flags-on-lampposts-hours-after-leader-john-lees-request/
#ChineseNationalism #FailedState #Taxpayers #GovernmentExpenses
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
Hong Kong gov’t to refund HK$147K fee for hanging China flags on lampposts, hours after leader John Lee’s request
A group who applied to hang Chinese national flags on lampposts over multiple highways in Hong Kong last year will see fees totalling HK$147,000 refunded by the Highways Department, following instr…