#WuhanPneumonia #Death
"They Were Us": New York Times Frontpage Names Nearly 100,000 Deceased Patients of Coronavirus Outbreak

On the front page of The New York Times on May 24, 2020, nearly 100,000 names of those who died of COVID-19 in the United States were printed as a commemoration.

As of May 24, over 5.2 million cases of coronavitus are confirmed around the world.

Source: New York Times #May24 #US #CoronavirusPandemic

#ESPN Reporter Responds “Fuck You” to Criticism from Republican Senator Who Supports Hong Kong, Facing One-Week Suspension at the Least
 
Another political dispute arose in the NBA as ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski was suspended for at least a week following his “Fuck You” response to Republican Senator Josh Hawley’s statement, which criticised NBA’s pro-China stance.  Some prominent NBA players had initiated a #FreeWOJ campaign on Twitter in support of Wojnarowski.
 
A supporter of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, Republican Senator Josh Hawley released a statement titled “Senator Hawley Blasts NBA for Kowtowing to Beijing & Refusing to Support US Military and Law Enforcement”, which linked to the Senator’s letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.  The statement asked that since NBA planned to display messages supporting Black Lives Matter on their jerseys, it should also allow players to express support for the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, their views on the human rights issues in Xinjiang, as well as support for US military and police officers.
 
ESPN’s well known NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski at once responded “Fuck You” to Hawley through his work email.  The Hawley office took a screenshot of the email and wrote on Twitter, “Don’t criticize #China or express support for law enforcement to @espn. It makes them real mad”.  Wojnarowski apologised subsequently, while ESPN released a statement calling his behaviour “unacceptable” and stating that it would address the issue with him.
 
On Sunday, Hawley wrote on Twitter that ESPN should not suspend the reporter, but should “ask tough questions” about NBA’s relationship with China.  He also requested to meet with ESPN CEO Jimmy Pitaro.  Meanwhile, LeBron James and a number of NBA stars had initiated a #FreeWOJ campaign on Twitter in support of Wojnarowski.  Details of Wojnarowski’s suspension are unclear as of now.
 
Editor’s Note:  As of July 15th, Wojnarowski is reportedly being suspended without pay for 2 weeks according to various US media outlets.
 
Source: Stand News  #Jul13
#US #JoshHawley #NBA

#ProtestArt #US
"Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Times" sculpture unveiled in the United States

A group of Hongkongers in US unveiled the "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our Times" sculpture during an opening ceremony in the Liberty Sculpture Park in Los Angeles on August 29. Lennon walls were erected and the protest song "Glory to Hong Kong" was played at the ceremony to commemorate the anti-ELAB movement.

Weighing more than 70 tons, the sculpture completed today was the latest work of Chen Weiming, who also created a large-scale relief representation of the Tiananmen Massacre and Goddess of Democracy replica.

Chen said in the ceremony that last year, Hong Kong people shedded blood to mark democracy and freedom on the land of Hong Kong. He wanted to show his support by creating this sculpture and installing it on a land of freedom.

Source: Stand News; PPPNews #Aug30
#LosAngeles #LibertySculpturePark #ChenWeiming #Sculpture

BTS Makes Award Speech in Remembrance of Shared History in Korean War. Mainland Netizens Say Award Commemorates US Army in the War, Decry Speech as Insulting and Ask BTS to Leave China

Bangtan Boys (BTS), a world-famous K-pop boy band with a huge following, received the James A. Van Fleet Award last Wednesday (Oct 7) for their contributions to promoting US-Korea relations. In their award speech, members mentioned the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War, saying, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women.” The speech attracted criticisms from mainland netizens, who stated through Weibo that it insulted China, some even commented, “Go away, BTS has died”. The post in question received 1.66 million likes and 36 thousand comments.

The James A. Van Fleet Award was organised by US non-profit organisation The Korea Society and established in 1995 in commemoration of James A. Van Fleet, Commander of the US Eighth Army during the Korean War and Founder of the organisation. The award is mainly given to persons or organisations that promoted US-Korea relations. The award ceremony this year was held online last Wednesday, during which the BTS was given the award for their musical achievements, influence on fans globally and promotion of US-Korea relations. During the award speech, the group’s leader Kim Nam-joon (RM) mentioned that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, which gave special significance to the organisation’s annual gala this year. “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women. After 70 years, the world we are living in is much closer than before, and boundaries in many aspects are getting more blurred.” Kim’s speech did not specify the two nations mentioned.

Source: Stand News #Oct11

#Korea #US #China #Weibo #BTS #AwardCeremony #TheKoreanSociety #JamesAVanFleetAward

https://bit.ly/2GVLPLM

US State Department Reportedly Recommends Putting China’s Ant Group on Trade Blacklist

As US-China relations remain tense, sources have indicated to Reuters that the State Department had proposed placing Ant Group on the trade blacklist to the Trump administration ahead of its listing on the US stock market.

A financial technology firm, Ant Group is planning to be listed on stock markets in Shanghai and Hong Kong with an estimated market value of a record-breaking 35 billion US dollars. It is unclear at the moment as to when the US government will add the firm to its Entity List, but it is believed that this is a sign from hardliners in Washington that American investors should refrain from taking part in the firm’s initial public offering.

While the local law makes it difficult for US firms to sell high-tech products to companies on the Entity List, how this latest move actually affects China is still a matter of debate. Reuters noted that while telecom companies like Huawei may suffer from being blacklisted, placing a fintech firm on the list could be more of a gesture.

Source: Stand News #Oct15

#US #China #AntGroup #EntityList #TradeWar #Finance

https://bit.ly/34cR2Yu

The US Listed Six more Chinese Media Companies as Foreign Missions,
Hu Xijin: China may Retaliate Against US Media in HK

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday (October 21) that the State Department listed another six Chinese media companies in the US as foreign missions, estimated to make the US-China relations worsen. The Global Times editor Hu Xijin criticized that "the US has gone too far" and warned that "China must retaliate, and may implicate the US media companies in Hong Kong".

It was at least the fifth time to list Chinese organizations and media as foreign missions in six months. The Chinese media included the Yicai Global, Jiefang Daily, the Xinmin Evening News, Social Sciences in China Press, the Beijing Review, and the Economic Daily.

According to the Foreign Missions Act, foreign missions must obtain approval from the US for the list of declared personnel and their salary information, their assets owned or leased in the US, and the purchase or lease of any property.

#China #US #StateDepartment #ChineseCompanies #ChineseMedia #ForeignMissions #Pompeo

Source: Standnews #Oct22

https://bit.ly/2THDnTq