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☆ China: A spate of stabbings has sparked online debate about country’s economic woes
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But China has been rocked by a number of high-profile stabbing cases in recent decades, including multiple such attacks at schools. These worries were clear on Chinese social media after the latest attacks, with several commentators connecting China’s dire economic circumstances to the violence, even as the attackers’ motives remained unclear. Rare violent crimeTwo of the most high-profile recent attacks came in June – and both targeted foreign nationals. Video Ad Feedback Four Americans are stabbed in a shock attack in China 04:20 - Source: CNNUltra-nationalism has risen across China and Chinese social media in recent years, as has anti-American and anti-Japanese sentiment. On social media, the belief that economic insecurity is making the country less safe remains palpable.

Persons: “, haven’t, China –, Michelle Miao, ”, Mao Ning, Adam Zabner, David Zabner, Adam, Stabbings, Miao, CUHK Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Chinese University of Hong, Stanford University’s Center, Behavioral Sciences, CNN, Ministry of Public Security, World Bank, United Nations Office, Drugs, Americas, Xinhua, Youth Locations: Hong Kong, China, Guangxi, Weibo, ”, Chinese University of Hong Kong, –, Iowa, Beishan Park, Jilin, Asia

The echoes of well-known North Korean songs celebrating friendship spilled into nearby neighborhoods, as families filled booths serving both North and South Korean treats such as the deep-fried confection yakgwa, and fruit punch, or hwachae. A booth at the Defectors' Day festival sells North Korean styles of traditional treats, including watermelon punch (hwachae) and the deep-fried sweet yakgwa. Maybe there (are) many thousands of thousands of North Korean defectors who want to come to (South) Korea and have a prosperous life. “We express our respect and applause to the 34,000 North Korean defectors who are pioneering new lives every day (in South Korea), he said. “I didn’t know that a day like Defectors’ Day would happen, but now that it has been established, I feel like I have to work harder,” she said.

Persons: ’, Kim Jong Un, Mike Valerio, ”, resettling, –, Daeheyon, ‘, ’ ”, “, Kwon Ji, Yoonjung Seo, Yoon Suk Yeol, ” Yoon, “ It’s, Han Bong, he’d Organizations: South Korea CNN —, North, South, CNN, ”, Sunday, Blue House Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Pyongyang, North, South, Korean, China, Asia, South Koreans, Korea, North Koreans

☆ Thomas Matthew Crooks: FBI identifies Trump rally shooter as 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Authorities have identified the gunman involved in the attack against former US President Donald Trump on Saturday as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene after the shooting. The FBI named Crooks in a statement early Sunday morning, identifying him as a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – about 35 miles south of Butler, where Trump was holding his rally. Crooks fired on Trump while perched on a nearby building rooftop outside the rally’s security perimeter, before being killed by the Secret Service, according to law enforcement officials. Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, according to a local media report and a video of the school’s commencement. When reached by CNN late Saturday night, Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, said he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but would “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before speaking about his son.

Persons: Donald Trump, Thomas Matthew Crooks, Crooks, Trump, he’d, Thomas Crooks, Crooks ’, Matthew Crooks, ” Kevin Rojek Organizations: CNN — Authorities, Secret Service, FBI, Trump, Secret, Bethel Park High School, Republican, Commission, Democratic, CNN Locations: Bethel Park , Pennsylvania, Butler, Newark , New Jersey, Bethel, Federal, Pittsburgh

☆ San Diego Zoo shares first look at new giant pandas following their arrival in US
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Kaila Nichols | Amanda Musa | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —San Diego’s newest giant pandas are acclimating well to their new state-side home, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said Tuesday. The zoo shared first-look photos of the pair, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, who are the first giant pandas to enter the United States in 21 years, according to the zoo. Since their arrival in the Golden State on June 27, the zoo says, “They are acclimating well to their new home in a private habitat and will not be viewable to the public for several weeks.”Yun Chuan is a nearly five-year-old male who can be identified by his "long, slightly pointed nose," the zoo said. San Diego Zoo Wildlife AlliancePhotos of the new residents show Yun Chuan chomping on a blade of grass and Xin Bao lounging in her enclosure. CNN’s Jessie Yeung, Manveena Suri and Fred He contributed to this report.

Persons: Yun Chuan, Xin Bao, “, ” Yun Chuan, Xin Bao lounging, Jessie Yeung, Manveena Suri, Fred Organizations: CNN, Diego’s, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Golden State, San Diego Zoo Locations: United States, Golden

☆ Investors look to upcoming earnings to keep stock rally going
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —With interest rate cuts on the backburner, Wall Street is looking to corporate earnings to continue powering the 2024 stock market rally. Analysts polled by FactSet expect second-quarter earnings of S&P 500 companies to grow about 8.7% on average from the prior year. Strong corporate earnings have helped the S&P 500 gain a whopping 16% and notch repeated record high closes this year. Since the Fed isn’t likely to cut rates anytime soon, the onus is on strong corporate earnings to continue driving the market rally. Earnings season kicks off July 12 when big banks including JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup report results.

Persons: FactSet, Jerome Powell, ”, Jeffrey Buchbinder, Wells, Dow, Lisa Shalett, Jessie Yeung, Hanako Montgomery, Junko Ogura, “, Tadashi Matsubara, ” Read, Laura He, Pan Gongsheng, Read Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Federal, LPL, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta, Dow Jones, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Kanpou, “, Beijing Money, Silicon Valley Bank, People’s Bank of China, prudential Locations: New York, Sintra , Portugal, Wells Fargo, Banks, Japan, Nepal, China, Beijing, Silicon, United States, Shanghai

☆ Japan court orders government to pay damages for forced sterilizations under now-defunct eugenics law
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Junko Ogura | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Tokyo CNN —In a landmark decision, Japan’s Supreme Court has ordered the government to pay damages to people who were forcibly sterilized under a now-defunct eugenics law, ruling the practice was unconstitutional and had violated their rights. About 25,000 people were sterilized without consent during that period, according to the court ruling, citing ministry data. In the fifth case, the lower court had ruled against the plaintiffs and dismissed their case, citing the 20-year statute of limitations. The Supreme Court overturned this decision on Wednesday, calling the statute “unacceptable” and “extremely contrary to the principles of justice and fairness.”The case is now sent back to the lower court to determine how much the government should pay. In a press conference after the court ruling, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed the government’s remorse and apology to victims, NHK reported.

Persons: Wednesday’s, Yuichi Yamazaki, ”, Saburo Tokura, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Fumio Kishida Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Supreme, Getty, NHK, – Locations: Japan, Tokyo, AFP

CNN —India’s T20 World Cup-winning cricket team will finally be able to fly home Tuesday after being stuck in Barbados due to Hurricane Beryl, a powerful storm churning through the Caribbean. CNN has reached out to India’s Board of Control for Cricket for comment. The hurricane made landfall on Grenada’s Carriacou Island in the Caribbean Sea on Monday morning, causing extreme damage and one confirmed death. As of early Tuesday, Hurricane Beryl had winds of 165 miles (265 kilometers) per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). India’s T20 World Cup victory – its first since winning the inaugural 2007 edition – sparked emotional celebrations after a year of heartbreak for many of its players, who lost to Australia in the finals of both the ODI Cricket World Cup and World Test Championship.

Persons: CNN —, Mia Mottley, Vincent, Hurricane Beryl, It’s Organizations: CNN, Caribbean, South, Board of Control, Cricket, National Hurricane Center Locations: Barbados, South Africa, Grenadines, Jamaica, Australia

“Without Nepal, Japan would not function.”The yellow flowers of the paperbush shrub seen in Dolakha, Nepal, in December 2023. Its bark has long, strong fibers that are perfect for making thin yet durable paper, according to the Kantou website. But as the shortage of Japanese paperbush became evident in the following years, Kanpou and the Nepali farmers ramped up production until they became the main source of the yen bill. It’s a protracted process, said Matsubara: farmers plant seedlings in early summer, harvest their branches in the fall, then spend several months processing the bark through steaming, peeling, washing and drying. The profits from the paperbush sales have provided a new revenue stream to Nepali communities, said Matsubara.

Persons: “, ”, Tadashi Matsubara, Matsubara, Tadashi Matsubara Kanpou, It’s, it’s, Eiichi Shibusawa, –, Kanpou Organizations: Tokyo CNN — Banks, Kanpou, “, National Printing Bureau, Kyodo, Bank of Japan, Observatory, Ministry of Economy, Trade, Industry, government’s Japan International Cooperation Agency, CNN Locations: Japan, Nepal, China, Dolakha, Everest, Tokyo, Farmers, Kathmandu, Indian, Kolkata, Yokohama, Odawara, Ilam, Nepal’s Ilam

☆ Gautam Adani wants to transform India’s biggest slum
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Noemi Cassanelli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Noemi Cassanelli/CNNA man works at Shaikh’s workshop in Dharavi slum on April 14. “All slum redevelopment is quite fraught,” Kamath said. Noemi Cassanelli/CNNWomen chatting in Dharavi on April 14 Noemi Cassanelli/CNNA woman carrying fabric walks along a narrow alley in Dharavi on April 14. He is India’s largest airport operator and owns India’s biggest private port operator and private thermal power operator. The state and Adani deny any wrongdoing, but that hasn’t stopped many residents from viewing Adani and his government ties with suspicion.

Persons: Noemi Cassanelli, Masoom Ali Shaikh, ”, “, Gautam Adani, Jeff Bezos, ” Adani, ” Shaikh, ” Lofty, Dharavi, they’re, Lalitha Kamath, ” Kamath, aren’t, Dilip Gabekar, Narendra Modi, Adani, ’, Gabekar, Shaikh, They’re, Baburao Mane, Mane, CNN Neeta Jadhav, Neeta Jadhav, Jadhav, Dhanshuk Purshottamwala, He’s, Kamath, Prasant, hasn’t, Modi, ferociously, Reshma Prasant Organizations: CNN, India CNN, Adani, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Reuters, Adani Enterprises, Bharatiya Janata Party, Private, Manohar Joshi, NDTV Locations: Mumbai, India, CNN Mumbai, Dharavi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, “, Adani, Maharashtra, It’s, India’s

☆ San Diego Zoo: First panda pair to enter the US in 21 years take off from China
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

They were given a celebratory farewell at the Chinese base, attended by American and Chinese dignitaries, including performances and a gift exchange, according to a statement from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. China loans pandas to more than 20 countries under a program often referred to as “panda diplomacy.” Its panda loans with Washington stretch back to 1972 – though the number of loans have decreased in recent years as US-China relations have worsened. The San Diego Zoo, one of the world’s most renowned, was the first American institution to carry out cooperative research on giant pandas with China. Yun Chuan’s mother, Zhen Zhen, was born at San Diego Zoo in 2007 to parents Bai Yun and Gao Gao, according to a press release issued by San Diego Zoo in April. Grandmother Bai Yun was born in China in 1991, and arrived at the San Diego Zoo in 1996.

Persons: Yun Chuan, Xin Bao, Xi Jinping, –, Yun Chuan’s, Zhen Zhen, Bai Yun, Gao Gao, Grandmother Bai Yun, Xi, Joe Biden, “ Organizations: CNN, Diego’s, China Conservation and Research Center, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Washington, World Wildlife Fund, Smithsonian National Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, Economic Cooperation Locations: China, California, Beijing, United States, Sichuan province, Ya'an City, Sichuan, Washington ,, Asia, San Francisco

For many years, South Korean activists and North Korean defectors have sent balloons to the North, loaded with propaganda material criticizing dictator Kim Jong Un and USB sticks filled with K-pop songs and South Korean television shows – all strictly prohibited in the impoverished, highly isolated nation. Choi, co-founder of the Committee for Reforming and Opening North Korea, is among the North Korean defectors who have vowed to continue sending balloons to their homeland. The leaflets include declarations of freedom for the North Korean people, and propaganda messages against dictator Kim Jong Un. Charles Miller/CNNFitted with GPS trackers, the activists can monitor these next generation “smart” balloons in real time on journeys that often span hundreds of kilometers. Relations between the two countries thawed somewhat in 2017 and 2018, allowing some South Korean elements, including parts of its pop culture, to seep into the hermit nation.

Persons: Choi, Kim Jong, Kim Yo Jong, North, Yoonjung Seo, Kim Jong Un, Charles Miller, ” Choi, “ It’s, ‘, ’ ”, Kim ramped, Vladimir Putin, ” Organizations: South Korea CNN, CNN, South, North, South Korean, North Korean, GPS, Workers ’ Party, Nations, Chiefs of Staff Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, South Korea’s, South Korean, Korean, Pyongyang, Korea, China, “ North Korea, North Korean, Japan, United States

Seoul, South Korea CNN —The oldest member of the K-pop phenomenon BTS is spending his day hugging 1,000 fans, after finishing his mandatory military service in South Korea on Wednesday. Jin made his first public appearance at Seoul’s Jamsil Sports Complex this afternoon, where he is performing and meeting fans. Some BTS superfans – known as ARMY (Adorable Representative MC for Youth) – have journeyed from overseas to attend the BTS Festa event. “I wish to tell Jin if he comes to Thailand, can he hold a concert for seven days, because I love BTS so much,” Cheenchanya said. “BTS themselves pour out so much love – they put love into their music, into their personalities, their fans,” said Stoudnour.

Persons: Jin, –, Jin –, ” Cheenchanya, Holly Campbell, Ashley Stoudnour, ” Campbell, V, ”, ” Stoudnor, Anthony Wallace, Kim Yoon, jeong, Michelle Pedraza, They’ve, Louis Vuitton, Dior Organizations: South Korea CNN, Mim, CNN, BTS, Getty, Billboard Music Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Thailand, Melbourne, Australia, Florida, AFP, California

CNN —A United Nations inquiry into the first few months of the war in Gaza has found both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes and grave violations of international law, in the body’s first in-depth investigation into the October 7 attacks and the ensuing conflict. Rockets are launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip towards Israel on October 7, 2023. Hatem Moussa/APIn the first 2.5 months of the conflict, the commission found, Israel committed war crimes as well as crimes against humanity – the latter defined as a widespread, systemic attack directed at a civilian population. The International Criminal Court announced last month it was seeking arrest warrants for several top Hamas and Israeli leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. “It is imperative that all those who have committed crimes be held accountable,” said commission chair Navi Pillay.

Persons: Hatem Moussa, Israel, –, Israel’s, maiming, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Netanyahu, West Bank –, …, Said Khatib, Mahmud Hams, Nir, Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant, Gilad Erdan, Erdan, Anwar Organizations: CNN, United, The United Nations Commission, Rockets, AP, Criminal, Palestinian, West Bank, Getty, Al, Israel Defense Forces, UN, Gaza, National, Finance, UN Human Rights, Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Human Rights, Israel, UN Security Council, Assembly, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, Anwar Amro, UNRWA, Navi Pillay Locations: United Nations, Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Rafah, AFP, Aqsa, Israel’s, Palestinian, United States, Lebanese, Beirut, East Jerusalem

More than a year later, she is still in debt and resorting to sex work to pay her bills. But now she would have to repay him – with sex work the only way to raise the cash. Yu is one of hundreds of women coerced to sell their bodies after frequenting Japan’s so-called “host clubs,” experts told CNN. Of those detained, 40% told police they were soliciting to repay debts run up at host clubs, NHK reported. “It’s a romance scam, basically,” said Ayaka Shiomura, a member of Japan’s upper house of parliament, who has unsuccessfully pushed for better safeguards against exploitative host clubs.

Persons: Tokyo CNN — Yu, she’d, Yu, ’ ”, “, ” Yu, Daniel Campisi, Behrouz Meheri, ”, Ayaka Shiomura, Mikami Rui, ” Mikami Rui, Hidemori, Gen, Shiomura, “ let’s, ” –, ‘, ’ ” Yu, –, Rui, “ I’m Organizations: Tokyo CNN, CNN, Getty, Tokyo, NHK, Asahi Shimbun, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders Locations: Japan’s, Kabukicho, Tokyo, AFP, Japan, Okinawa, Macao, Hong Kong

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, UN school strike, Lebanon border tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

An Israeli soldier carries an injured comrade after projectiles were fired from Lebanon towards Israel, in Hurfeish, Israel, on Wednesday, June 5. In one clip, a paramedic can be seen carrying a uniformed Israeli soldier on his back toward an ambulance. According to the Israeli military, Wednesday saw approximately 30 rockets and drones launched from Lebanon towards Israel. "The [Israeli] strikes included terrorist infrastructure in Naqoura and Matmoura, Hezbollah military structures in Ayta ash Shab, and a Hezbollah observation post in Khiam," the military added. Tensions ramp up: Iran-backed-Hezbollah has increased attacks on Israel's border in recent months, saying they are in protest at Israel's war in Gaza.

Persons: Avi Ohayon, Israel’s, “, ” Anwar Maer, Tamar Michaelis Organizations: Reuters, Galilee Medical, Hezbollah Locations: Israeli, Lebanon, Israel, Hurfeish, Galilee, Nahariya, Naqoura, Matmoura, Khiam, Iran, Gaza

☆ North Korea sent trash balloons to South Korea. Activists are sending balloons back with K-pop and K-dramas
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korean activists sent balloons carrying K-pop and K-dramas on USB sticks to their northern neighbor on Thursday, days after North Korean balloons of trash and “filth” floated in the opposite direction. In May, North Korea responded by sending its own giant balloons back south – containing trash, soil, pieces of paper and plastic, and what South Korean authorities described as “filth.”A balloon believed to have been sent by North Korea, carrying what appeared to be trash, seen in Incheon, South Korea, on June 2, 2024. South Korean activists say they will continue to send the balloons north – even though doing so was banned by the government years ago. Trash spills from a broken balloon, believed to be sent by North Korea, in Incheon, South Korea, on June 2, 2024. “South Korea is not an American colony or a wasteland of humanity like I learned in North Korea,” he told CNN on Wednesday.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim Kang Il, Park, “, ”, Kim, Kim Jong Nam Organizations: South Korea CNN — South, Fighters, North, South, Yonhap, Agency, Reuters, North Korea’s, South Korean, CNN, South Korea Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Incheon, Reuters Pyongyang, North Korean, China, American, Yongin, South

☆ Tiananmen Square: How journalists smuggled out the iconic ‘Tank Man’ photo
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Mike Chinoy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The photo and footage of the so-called “tank man” became the defining image of the Tiananmen Square crackdown whose 35th anniversary passed on Tuesday. People hold candles at a vigil in Hong Kong to mark the Tiananmen Square anniversary on June 4, 2017. Jeff Widener/AP“I’m biking towards the Beijing Hotel and there’s just debris and charred buses on the ground,” he said. It went out.”A student protester before a burning armored personnel carrier that rammed through student lines, injuring many during an attack on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, on June 4, 1989. Several media outlets took a photo of “Tank Man,” but Widener’s shot was the most used.

Persons: Mike Chinoy, ”, Isaac Lawrence, Jeff Widener, Chinoy, Liu Heung, Widener, ‘, Kirk Martsen –, Jonathan Schaer, He’d, “, ” Schaer, “ I’m, ” Jeff Widener's, I’m, ” Liu, Liu, didn’t, ” Widener Organizations: University of Southern, China Institute, CNN, American Journalists, Chinese Communist Party, Getty, Associated Press, AP, of, People, Beijing, Widener, Sony Locations: University of Southern California’s US, Beijing, Asia, China, People’s Republic, Hong Kong, British, AFP, CNN’s Beijing, –, Bangkok, CNN’s, Tiananmen Square, Beijing –

The World Food Programme (WFP) is currently serving only 27,000 people in Rafah, according to Matthew Hollingworth, the organization’s country director in Gaza. Rafah had previously been the central artery for aid to flow into Gaza, as the only border crossing not controlled by Israel. Israel’s military has continued to push further into Rafah, defying international concern and anger over its operations in the city. “IDF troops in central Rafah located Hamas rocket launchers, terror tunnel shafts, and weapons. Hollingworth added that the WFP’s warehouse in Rafah, which was once capable of storing 2,700 tons of food, is no longer operational.

Persons: Matthew Hollingworth, ” Hollingworth, ”, Hollingsworth, Jack Guez, Israel, Erez, Hollingworth, – Organizations: CNN, United, Food Programme, Getty, WFP, Israel Defense Forces, “, UN, IDF Locations: United Nations, Rafah, Gaza, Israel, AFP, Egypt, ”, May, Kerem, Erez

☆ North Korean trash balloons are dumping ‘filth’ on South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea has adopted a new strategy to contend with its southern neighbor: sending floating bags of trash containing “filth” across the border, carried by massive balloons. South Korean authorities said the balloons, which landed in several locations, were filled with "filth and garbage." “All responsibility arising from the North Korean balloons lies entirely with North Korea, and we sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop its inhumane and low-level actions.”Local governments also sent messages to residents in the northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces to warn of the “unidentified objects,” and advised against outdoor activities. Earlier this year a South Korean research group has released rare footage that it claimed showed North Korean teenagers sentenced to hard labor for watching and distributing K-dramas. But the situation in North Korea deteriorated in the following years and diplomatic talks fell apart – prompting strict rules to snap back into place in the North.

Persons: ”, Kim Kang Il, KCNA, Staff “, ” Kim, Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Organizations: South Korea CNN, South Korean, country’s, Chiefs of Staff, United Nations Command, Korea’s, Chiefs, Staff, North Korea’s, National Defense, South, South Korea’s, Reuters, North, Fighters Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, North Korea, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Korean, South, China

The Hong Kong and Beijing governments have repeatedly denied the national security law is suppressing freedoms, arguing it has ended chaos and “restored stability” to the city. Since the national security law came into effect in 2020, civil groups have disbanded, and independent media outlets have been shut down. They are the first defendants to be acquitted in a national security law trial in Hong Kong. But that strategy is in doubt after another local national security law enacted earlier this year curtailed access to reduced sentences for guilty pleas. “It’s absolutely clear that the national security law reduced the independence and the autonomy of the judiciary.

Persons: Hong Kong’s, Hong, Gwyneth Ho, Leung Kwok, ”, Lawrence Lau, Lee Yu, –, “, Joshua Wong, Benny Tai, Claudia Mo, Eric Lai, John Burns, Hong Kong Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Beijing, British, Hong, Hong Kong’s Legislative, Georgetown Center, Asian Law, Communist Party, city’s, University of Hong Locations: Hong Kong, Hong, Beijing, Hong Kong’s, China, University of Hong Kong

☆ Vietnam’s vintage 1960s steam locomotives are back on the rails
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Train enthusiasts and history buffs alike will soon have a new Southeast Asian destination to visit, as Vietnam prepares to unveil a revamped pair of vintage steam locomotives from the 1960s. The two Revolution Express locomotives are the last working steam trains in Vietnam, dating from when the country was still a French colony, according to hospitality brand Wafaifo Optimisers, which is managing the project. In recent years, the trains have been slowly restored to working condition using original parts, and crafted by the last remaining steam engineers working for the national railway system. Wafaifo & Revolution ExpressVietnam declared its independence from France on September 2, 1945 – a claim that neither France nor the United States recognized. By 1954, Vietnam signed the Geneva Accords – splitting the country into two halves, the Communist-led north and US-supported south, and kicking off the bloody Vietnam War, which would last nearly two decades.

Persons: Wafaifo Optimisers, Wafaifo, ”, Michael Gebbie Organizations: CNN, Revolution, Lang Co, Indochina Rail Tourist Service, Revolution Express, Geneva Accords, Communist, UNESCO Locations: Vietnam, Da Nang, Hue, Lang, Lang Co, Indochina, Revolution Express Vietnam, France, United States, Saigon, Chi Minh City

☆ China has launched new drills encircling Taiwan. Why now?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Tensions are once again ratcheting up in the Taiwan Strait, with China launching military drills encircling Taiwan just days after the democracy swore in a new leader long loathed by Beijing. The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said it launched joint military drills involving the army, navy, air force and rocket force in areas around Taiwan early Thursday morning. The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait – a narrow body of water separating the self-ruling island with mainland China – as well as north, south and east of Taiwan. The Chinese guided missile frigate Nantong, one of the vessels in the series of military drills around Taiwan. The defeated Nationalist Party fled to Taiwan, moving the seat of their Republic of China (ROC) government from the mainland to Taipei.

Persons: ”, Lai Ching, China’s, Xi Jinping, Li Xi, Lai, Wu Mei, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Tsai Ing, Tsai –, Mike Gallagher Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, Eastern Theater Command, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, People's Liberation Army, Weibo, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Nationalist Party, US, Communist, Beijing, Tuesday Locations: Taiwan, China, Beijing, Kinmen, Taipei, People’s Republic of China, Republic of China, Xi, Washington

☆ New Caledonia unrest: Tourists stranded and desperate as Macron arrives in strife-torn French territory
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Other Australians stranded have had to go scrounge coconuts to eat,” he said. Maxwell Winchester and his wife, an Australian couple stranded in New Caledonia after the unrest broke out. But Winchester said he and other tourists have no sense of when it might be their turn. People line up at a store for supplies in New Caledonia, with larger supermarkets nearby burned and looted during the riots on the French territory. And among the stranded tourists, frustration is growing over what they say is a lack of assistance or clear instructions from their governments.

Persons: Maxwell Winchester, it’s, We’ve, ”, Emmanuel Macron, “, “ We’re, Winchester, Macron, Prisca Thevenot, Theo Rouby, we’re, – Organizations: CNN, ”, New Zealand, Facebook, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealanders, Olympic, Paris Olympic Games, ” CNN, Getty Locations: South, New Caledonia, Victoria, Australian, ” Australia, New, Brisbane, Australia’s, ”, Brisbane , New Caledonia, Paris, France, “, Winchester, Noumea , New Caledonia, AFP, French

☆ Iran President Raisi: Days of funeral ceremonies begin as investigators probe helicopter crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Funeral ceremonies are set to begin on Tuesday for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a helicopter crash, as authorities probe what caused the aircraft to smash into the side of a remote mountainside during foggy weather on Sunday morning. A helicopter carrying Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi takes off on May 19, 2024, before the crash took place. There is no indication what might have caused the crash – and why so many senior Iranian government officials were traveling in a single, decades-old helicopter. A high-ranking delegation will go to the crash site in Eastern Azerbaijan, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Inside Iran, where many of the country’s restive youth population have grown tired of rule by conservative clerics, Raisi had a much more polarizing legacy.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Khamenei, Mohsen Mansouri, Ali Hamed Haghdoust, Mansouri, Reza, Khamenei, “, ”, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Uraloglu, Iran’s, ’, Ayatollah Khamenei —, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong, Kim, Xi, Raisi’s, Azin, ” Xi, Putin, Russia, ” Raisi, Raisi Organizations: CNN, Wana News Agency, Reuters, Mehr, Iranian, Turkish Transportation, Infrastructure, TRT, Moj News Agency, AP, Kremlin, US Locations: Tabriz, Iran, Qom, Tehran, Mashhad, Turkey, Turkish, Eastern Azerbaijan, Israel, Korean, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, China, North Korea, Russia, Iranian

☆ Taichung, Taiwan: Passengers subdue Taiwan metro knife assailant on tenth anniversary of deadly attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Xiaofei Xu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The attack came on the tenth anniversary of a deadly knife rampage on Taipei’s metro that shocked an island with a reputation for being generally safe, and led to the eventual execution of the man who carried out the attack. Three passengers were injured in the incident on Tuesday in Taichung and were taken to hospital, city’s mayor Lu Shiow-yen told reporters. “As we were pinning him down, another man pried (the attacker’s) fingers and took away the knife,” a female witness told journalists at the scene. “I saw him (the attacker) holding a cooking knife and later saw a fruit knife on the floor,” he said. The incident also happened on the ten-year anniversary of a similar stabbing attack in the Taipei metro which killed four people and injured over twenty.

Persons: Lu Shiow, “, …, ” Organizations: CNN Locations: Taichung, Kaohsiung, Taipei

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