Dominic Raab calls QC acting for Hong Kong government 'mercenary'

The foreign secretary Dominic Raab said on 17 Jan said that David Perry QC, the barrister acting for the Hong Kong government in its efforts to jail pro-democracy activists, was behaving in “a pretty mercenary way” and providing the Chinese government with a PR coup

Under the Bar code of ethics, Raab believed a case like this could be resisted and frankly. He also mentioned the Chinese treatment of the Uighur people that he did not believe it was right for the British high court to be given a role in determining whether acts of genocide may be under way in China or anywhere else.

Source: The Guardian #Jan17

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/17/dominic-raab-calls-qc-acting-for-hong-kong-government-mercenary

#HongKong #DavidPerry #DominicRaab

COVID-19 found in Tianjin ice cream; 2747 boxes sold

Three samples of ice cream produced in Tianjin were found to contain COVID-19, the anti-epidemic authorities of Tianjin immediately sealed 2089 boxes of ice cream but it is believed that as many as 4836 boxes were affected, some of which were already exported to other province. The three samples were chocolate flavored ice cream (lot number 20210105), strawberry flavored ice cream (lot number 20210106), and taro flavored ice cream (lot number 20210107).

The Tianjin Centre for Disease Control (TCDC) reported that it conducted nucleic acid test on three ice cream samples submitted by Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Co. Ltd., which yield positive result on COVID-19, and subsequent tests reconfirmed the case. These three samples were chocolate flavor ice cream (lot number 20210105), strawberry flavor ice cream (lot number 20210106), and taro flavor ice cream (lot number 20210107).

Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Company was sealed off, personnel and goods were prohibited from entering and leaving the site. Moreover, 2089 boxes of ice cream in the inventory were sealed, and shipped ones were being tracked. The TCDC said that 2747 boxes of ice cream has been sold, with 1812 of them were shipped to other provinces. The authority has notified CDC in other municipal of the case. As for the 935 boxes sold in Tianjin, 65 of them were sold through retail, and the authorities said the vast majority have not been sold yet.

Source: The Stand News #Jan17

https://bit.ly/2MvPkLG

#China #COVID19 #IceCream #Tianjin #CentreForDiseaseControl #TianjinDaqiaodao

The EU could throw out its landmark trade deal with China over concerns about Beijing's human rights record

A leading member of the European Parliament has raised significant concerns about the EU's landmark investment deal with China over its alleged human rights abuses and fears that it could harm relations with the new Biden administration.

The EU-China investment deal aims to liberalize trade between Beijing and Brussels and was struck in the last days of December after last-minute concessions from Chinese premier Xi Jinping.

But there is mounting concern in the European Parliament, which still needs to approve the deal, about the deal given China's human rights record on issues including alleged forced labor camps and a crackdown in Hong Kong which began last year.

"To lay such a Christmas present under Xi Jinping's Christmas tree after the year that we've had with China, that is quite a stretch," said Reinhard Bütikofer, chair of the European Parliament's China delegation, in an interview with Insider.

Source: Business Insider #Jan17

https://www.businessinsider.com/china-human-rights-european-parliament-concerns-over-eu-china-deal-2021-1

#EUChinaInvestmentDeal #EUParliament #ChinaAbuseHumanRight

#CCP #Smearing
#China’s claim that #Omicron case came from Canadian mail dismissed as ‘ludicrous’

//A claim by Chinese health authorities that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was introduced to a resident of Beijing through a piece of regular mail from Canada was dismissed Monday as being ludicrous and comical.

A Chinese state-controlled news outlet first reported that the Jan. 7 infection of a Beijing resident was the result of receiving a letter or parcel from Canada that passed through Hong Kong.

The Chinese report attributed that scenario to the deputy director of the Beijing Centre for Disease Control in a briefing, even though organizations such as the World Health Organization and Canada Post say the risk of contracting coronavirus from a piece of mail is low.//

Read the full article:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-20/bankers-are-shunning-hong-kong-as-finance-hub-loses-luster

Source: Globe and Mail #Jan17

#Pandemic #Covid19 #Canada

Canadian and Taiwanese Artists Uses Music and Drawings to Show their Support on Human Rights

Source: RFA #Jan17

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Canadian and Taiwanese Artists Uses Music and Drawings to Show their Support on Human Rights

#BeijingWinterOlympics has begun since #Feb04 with boycotts voices circulating the world.

Some artists show their dissatisfaction with #HumanRightsViolation in China with paintbrushes and music notes. A Canadian painter creates "Genocide Games" to mock Beijing Winter Olympic while a Taiwanese band composes "The Times Looking After the Righteous (#時代看顧正義的人)" to criticise dictatorship.

Both works show support to the belief in democracy and freedom.

The Canadian artist, Ricker Choi, is originally from Hong Kong but emigrated to Canada when he was 13. Yet, he is always concerning the situation in Hong Kong. Ricker has created lots of artworks since 2019, supporting Hong Kong democracy movements.

When the winter Olympics was approaching, his heart was filled with emotions. As a result, he picked up his pen and produced a picture "#GenocideGames".

Ricker said, "China claimed to improve the human rights issues in 2008 #OlympicGames, to be free, democratic and open. In fact, the reality is, however, the opposite. They suppress #Uyghurs and #Tibetans, persecuting Hong Kong, threatening Taiwan. Letting them host the Olympic Games again is the greatest sarcasm."

Ricker Choi's Twitter post:
https://twitter.com/RickerChoi/status/1478919590520438785

Source: RFA #Jan17

https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/lf-01172022161411.html?encoding=traditional

#Genocide