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[1/5] Hong Kong Newspapers from June 5, 1989, reporting the Tiananmen Square China uprising, is pictured during a press preview of the Tiananmen June 4th Memorial permanent exhibition, which opens June 2 in Manhattan, in New York City, U.S., June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mike SegarNEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) - The hope for a "free China" lives on in a new Manhattan museum dedicated to China's 1989 suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations around Tiananmen Square, exhibit organizers said on Thursday ahead of the 34th anniversary of the crackdown. The June 4th Memorial Museum in New York will be the only such permanent exhibition in the world, following the 2021 closure of a similar museum in Hong Kong under pressure from authorities. Public memorials of the crackdown were once allowed in Hong Kong, but Hong Kong police have barred a vigil there since 2020, citing COVID-19 concerns. Wang Dan, another former Tiananmen student leader who helped establish the museum, said he felt it was his obligation to show his respect for the protesters who died.

Persons: Mike Segar, Zhou Fengsuo, Zhou, Wang Dan, Wang, Aleksandra Michalska, Michael Martina, James Pomfret, Jessie Pang, Don Durfee, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Hong Kong Newspapers, REUTERS, Museum, China's, Hong, Overseas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Tiananmen, New York, Hong Kong, Beijing, Washington, British, Taipei, London, Berlin

☆ ‘Uncle Roger’ jokes about China and censors don’t see the funny side
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

By Saturday his account on China’s highly censored Weibo platform had been barred from creating new posts. ‘Don’t make him disappear’Ng, 32, shot to fame three years ago with a video of Uncle Roger – an outspoken middle-aged man who speaks with a thick Malay accent – making fun of BBC Food presenter Hersha Patel’s way of cooking Chinese-style egg-fried rice. The sketch Ng posted on Twitter last week was filmed at his recent stand-up tour, which broached more political subjects. In one clip, after learning that an audience member is from China’s southern Guangzhou province, Uncle Roger says China is a “good country.”“We have to say that now, correct? “Uncle Roger good comrades,” he quipped.

HONG KONG, May 16 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's leader said on Tuesday public libraries needed to ensure books don't violate local laws, amid criticism that many books and videos related to China's Tiananmen Square crackdown have now been removed from library shelves. If they want to buy, they can buy," Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee told reporters when asked about the removal of June 4 literature and documentaries from public libraries. "What libraries need to do is to ensure that there's no breach of any laws in Hong Kong, including of course, copyrights etc, and also if they spread any kind of messages that are not in the interests of Hong Kong," Lee added, without elaborating. Public memorials and commemorations of China's bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 were once allowed in Hong Kong, unlike mainland China where it is a taboo and censored topic. Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper reported that more than 40 percent of video materials and books involving "political themes" had been removed from public libraries since 2020.

☆ I Got My Name From Connie Chung. So Did They. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Connie Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +21 min

In my freshman class alone, there was a Connie Zheng, a Connie Guo, a Connie Xu, a few Connie Chengs, and multiple Connie Wangs. That ayi was Constance Yu-Hwa Chung, or, as the world knows her, Connie Chung. Connie Chung hosting the “CBS Evening News” in 1991, the year after the author named herself Connie. Connie Wang Connie Koh Connie Yang Connie Tang Connie Jang Connie Chung Connie Moy Connie Huang Connie Kwok Connie Chang Connie Sun Connie Chung, center, surrounded by 10 members of Generation Connie. Clockwise from top right, Connie Yang, Connie Tang, Connie Moy, Connie Sun, Connie Chang, Connie Kwok, Connie Huang, Connie Jang, Connie Wang and Connie Koh.

☆ Hong Kong police seize statue in "incitement to subversion" probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, May 5 (Reuters) - Hong Kong police seized an exhibit on Friday in connection with what they said was an attempt to incite subversion, with media reporting it was a statue commemorating Beijing's Tiananmen Square crackdown on democracy protesters in 1989. Hong Kong had traditionally held the largest annual vigils in the world to commemorate the crackdown. The two-tonne copper Pillar of Shame was first exhibited at a Tiananmen Square commemoration in Hong Kong in 1997, the same year Britain handed the city back to China. In 2021, the University of Hong Kong dismantled and removed the statue "based on external legal advice and risk assessment for the best interest of the university". It is not clear if the Tiananmen Square vigil will take place this year.

☆ China weighs giving single women IVF access to stem population decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Crucially, Chen could access in-vitro fertility (IVF) treatment legally in a private clinic. We have liberalized the policies here and I know a lot of single women are doing IVF." watch nowLiberalizing IVF nationwide could unleash more demand for fertility treatment in what is already the world's biggest market, straining limited fertility services. The NHC's Sichuan branch did not address questions from Reuters about whether it would offer IVF treatment to all women in public hospitals. Shanghai and the southern Guangdong province have also permitted unmarried women to register their children but IVF services for single women remain banned.

CNN —A Taiwan-based book publisher has been placed under investigation in China on suspicion of “endangering state security,” Beijing said Tuesday amid mounting concern over his disappearance. Li’s detention comes at a tense moment in cross-strait relations, and several Taiwan citizens have been detained in China on state security grounds in recent years. CNN has reached out to Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Office to inquire about Li’s citizenship status. One of them, Lam Wing-kee, has said he was kidnapped by Chinese “special forces” after crossing the border into mainland China from Hong Kong. Hong Kong used to be a hub for publishing politically sensitive books that would be banned in mainland China.

CNN —A young Chinese woman who was arrested after attending a peaceful protest against Covid-19 restrictions in Beijing last year has been released alongside several of her friends after four months in police custody, according to a source familiar with their situation. Cao was released Wednesday evening, according to a source with direct knowledge. Three of her friends who were detained around the same time in December were also released, according to the source, who learned of their situation through mutual friends. Under Chinese law, the two others released alongside Cao would also likely have been formally charged to remain in custody until Wednesday, though CNN has not confirmed their charges. Two others in the group were released on bail in January, CNN confirmed at the time, while two more were released in February, according to the source familiar with the situation of those released this week.

LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Binance founder Changpeng Zhao could never be accused of thinking small. The 46-year-old CEO didn't waver in his belief as he built up his crypto exchange. Binance and Zhao did not respond to requests for comment for this article. Binance became the world's biggest crypto exchange within six months, and now accounts for about 60% of global crypto trading volumes, according to research firm CryptoCompare. While Binance has hired widely from the traditional financial and regulatory worlds in recent years, Zhao's tight control over his company has continued.

☆ Hong Kong police keep tight tabs on first authorized protest in years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong police on Sunday permitted a small protest march under tight restrictions in one of the first demonstrations to be approved since the enactment of a sweeping national security law in 2020. "We need to have a more free-spirited protest culture," said James Ockenden, 49, who was marching with his three children. Police granted the organizers a "no objection" letter for the protest on the condition they ensure it would not violate national security laws, including seditious displays or speech. Organizers said up to 50 people took part in the first protest to be authorized by the city's police for several years. The last of Hong Kong's Covid restrictions was scrapped this year, following China's decision to end its "zero-Covid" policies.

☆ Hong Kong police keep tight tabs on first authorised protest in years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Tyrone SiuHONG KONG, March 26 (Reuters) - Hong Kong police on Sunday permitted a small protest march under tight restrictions in one of the first demonstrations to be approved since the enactment of a sweeping national security law in 2020. Participants chanted slogans against the reclamation project as they marched in the rain with banners in the eastern district of Tseung Kwan O, where the project is slated to be built. Police granted the organisers a "no objection" letter for the protest on the condition they ensure it would not violate national security laws, including seditious displays or speech. Organisers said up to 50 people took part in the first protest to be authorised by the city's police for several years. Since the China-imposed national security law, enacted in June 2020 in response to protracted pro-democracy protests in 2019, authorities have clamped down on freedoms and arrested scores of opposition politicians and activists.

☆ Baidu's Ernie writes poems but says it has insufficient information on Xi, tests show
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Eduardo Baptista | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Tingshu WangBEIJING, March 20 (Reuters) - Baidu's (9888.HK) Ernie bot can within seconds generate pictures of flowers and write Tang dynasty-style poems but will decline questions about Chinese President Xi Jinping by saying it has not yet learnt how to answer them, Reuters tests showed. Some analysts and users soon began posting positive reviews of their experiences with Ernie bot, and side-by-side comparisons with ChatGPT, that drove Baidu's share price higher. Tests by Reuters of ChatGPT indicated that the Microsoft-backed chatbot is not averse to answering such questions. "Let's change the subject and start again," read a prompt Reuters received over a dozen times in response to sensitive questions. The Ernie bot would also produce the same restart prompts when asked similar questions about U.S. President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump.

HONG KONG, March 11 (Reuters) - Three former members of a Hong Kong group that organised annual vigils to mark China's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, were jailed on Saturday for four and a half months for not complying with a national security police request for information. Chow Hang-tung, 38, a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and former vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, was among those convicted by a magistrate's court. The now-disbanded Alliance was the main organiser of Hong Kong's June 4 candlelight vigil for victims of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown. The national security law, which punishes acts including subversion and collusion with foreign forces, has been criticised by some Western governments as a tool to crush dissent. The Hong Kong and Chinese governments say the law had brought stability since it was enacted in 2020 in response to mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.

☆ Factbox: What to look for at China's NPC meeting of parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Laurie Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Besides meeting annually to deliberate legislation and appoint government personnel, it oversees the State Council, China's cabinet. Its top body, the roughly 170-member NPC Standing Committee, meets more frequently to pass legislation. The Standing Committee also has the power to amend semiautonomous Hong Kong's mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law. The NPC will also appoint top government positions including vice president, NPC chair, vice premiers, state councillors, head of the Supreme Court and ministers. Several NPC and CPPCC delegates have put forth policy proposals in recent days, with China's historically low fertility rate a hot topic.

☆ Hong Kong court convicts activists behind Tiananmen vigil
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

They were leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China before it disbanded under the shadow of the Beijing-imposed law. The alliance was best known for organizing candlelight vigils in Hong Kong on the anniversary of the Chinese military's crushing of the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests. Critics say its shutdown has shown freedoms that were promised when Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 are eroding. watch nowUnder the security law's implementation rules, the police chief can request a range of information from a foreign agent. Failure to comply with the request could result in six months in jail and a fine of 100,000 Hong Kong dollars ($12,740) if convicted.

☆ Hong Kong court convicts 3 members of Tiananmen vigil group for security offence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Jessie Pang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, March 4 (Reuters) - Three former members of a Hong Kong group that organised annual vigils to mark China's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, were found guilty on Saturday of not complying with a national security police request for information. Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and barrister Chow Hang-tung, 38, was among those convicted by the magistrate court. Chow is a former vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China. The national security law, which punishes acts including subversion and collusion with foreign forces has been criticised by some Western governments as a tool to crush dissent. Chinese and Hong Kong officials say the law is necessary to restore stability to the city after the city's protracted anti-China protests in 2019.

☆ China's economy, government revamp in focus as parliament set to open
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Tony Munroe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Thomas PeterBEIJING, March 5 (Reuters) - China opens its annual parliamentary session on Sunday, with the National People's Congress (NPC) set to implement the biggest government shakeup in a decade as Beijing confronts a host of challenges and looks to revive its COVID-battered economy. During the NPC, former Shanghai party chief Li Qiang, a longtime Xi ally, is expected to be confirmed as premier. "We might see institutional changes that indicate an elevated importance of, and more party control over, the financial regulatory system," Goldman Sachs analysts wrote. On the opening day of the NPC, China is also likely to announce its central and military spending budgets. Reporting by Tony Munroe; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: What to look for as China kicks off its annual session of parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Laurie Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Besides meeting annually to deliberate legislation and appoint government personnel, it oversees the State Council, China's cabinet. Its top body, the roughly 170-member NPC Standing Committee, meets more frequently to pass legislation. The Standing Committee also has the power to amend semiautonomous Hong Kong's mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law. The NPC will also appoint top government positions including vice president, NPC chair, vice premiers, state councillors, head of the Supreme Court and ministers. China will announce its central and local government budgets, military spending budget and economic growth target on the opening day of the NPC.

[1/4] A worker walks across a construction site in the Central Business District, ahead of the opening of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China, February 28, 2023. Nearly 3,000 delegates will gather in the Great Hall of the People west of Tiananmen Square for the first National People's Congress (NPC) of the post-zero-COVID era, although some precautions remain including testing and quarantine for journalists. It will also discuss Xi's plans for an "intensive" and "wide-ranging" re-organisation of state and Communist Party entities, state media reported on Tuesday, after a three-day meeting of the party's central committee. China's economy grew just 3% last year, one of its worst showings in nearly half a century. "We will strive to spur growth and have policy tools to do that, mainly by channelling money into big projects," Xu Hongcai, deputy director of the economic policy commission at the state-backed China Association of Policy Science, told Reuters.

☆ Analysis: In China, Tesla could win electric vehicle price battle – but lose the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/5] Visitors check a Tesla Model 3 car next to a Model Y displayed at a showroom of the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker in Beijing, China February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Florence LoSummarySummary Companies Tesla price cuts have jumpstarted sales in world no. Most immediately, Tesla's January price cuts drove deliveries of its China-made vehicles up 18% from December. From 15% in 2020, its share of the China EV market fell by a third to just 10% in 2022, according to data from the CPCA. After the latest price cuts, the Model 3 starts at about $34,000 and the Model Y at $38,000.

☆ China cranking up political espionage, German official tells newspaper
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] German and Chinese national flags fly in Tiananmen Square ahead of the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Beijing, China, May 23, 2018. We must be prepared for these to increase in the coming years," Verfassungsschutz agency chief Thomas Haldenwang told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. He warned that economic dependence on China could be exploited for political influence. "The political leadership is already using its economic power, which also results from intensive relations with the German and European economies, to implement political goals." The German government has been reassessing its economic relations with authoritarian countries after the Ukraine war laid bare the vulnerabilities of Berlin's years-long energy dependence on Russia.

☆ Disney drops 'Simpsons' episode in Hong Kong in which character references 'forced labor camps' in China, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Disney dropped a "Simpsons" episode from its streaming service in Hong Kong, the FT first reported. Another Simpsons episode, referring to the Tiananmen Square massacre, was cut in Hong Kong in 2021. Beijing has sought to exert greater control over Hong Kong, a semiautonomous region of China, since pro-democracy protests erupted there in 2019. It's been accused among other things of conducting forced labor, surveillance, forced sterilization, and setting up re-education camps. Disney cut another episode of The Simpsons from its streaming service in Hong Kong in 2021.

☆ Disney's Hong Kong service drops 'Simpsons' episode with 'forced labor' reference
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) has cut an episode from the hit cartoon series "The Simpsons" that contains a reference to "forced labour camps" in China from its streaming service in Hong Kong, according to a check of the service. The episode "One Angry Lisa", which first aired in October on television, is not available on the U.S. company's Disney Plus streaming service in Hong Kong, according to a check by Reuters. Reuters was not able to establish when it was removed from the Hong Kong service and Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bitcoin mines, forced labour camps where children make smartphones.”China denies any suggestion that forced labour occurs there. In 2021, Disney removed an episode of "The Simpsons" that made a reference to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown when it first launched its Disney Plus service in Hong Kong.

☆ Simpsons episode that mentions 'forced labor camps' in China is cut from Disney+ in Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —An episode of “The Simpsons” that includes a line about “forced labor camps” in mainland China has been pulled from Disney’s streaming platform in Hong Kong. Bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones, and romance.”CNN has confirmed that the episode — which first aired in October — is unavailable on the Hong Kong version of Disney+. Disney (DIS) declined to comment, while the Hong Kong government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In November 2021, the Hollywood giant removed another episode of “The Simpsons” from its Disney+ platform in Hong Kong. Former detainees have alleged they were subjected to intense political indoctrination, forced labor, torture, and sexual abuse in such sites.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

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