Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 299

‘The Exiles’: Chinese democracy activists reflect on their banishment

Good documentaries need to have one of two elements: a wealth of archival material, whether that be footage, documents, photographs, etc., to build a strong visual and atmospheric foundation of the past, or a compelling character to catalyze the story. The Exiles, the Sundance-winning debut feature from Violet Columbus and Ben Klein, has both.The film opens with Columbus and Klein interviewing

How private Chinese companies are winning in Africa

Economic relations between Africa and China are dominated by state-to-state interactions, specifically related to infrastructure development. However, the Chinese private sector is operating in Africa in a manner distinct from the private sectors of Europe and North America, and is making a unique impact on the continent’s economic transformation. This article will lay out the key features,

China Railway Cuts Daily Schedules by 70% Amid COVID-19 Surge

China’s railway operator has slashed its daily schedules by over 70% to prevent possible transmission of the coronavirus as several cities scramble to contain outbreaks, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday. China Railway said it has suspended or greatly reduced the number of trains departing from areas currently experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks, according to the report. Currently, there

China’s Judicial Transparency Project Faces an Uncertain Future

Over the past two decades, China has made improving judicial transparency a key plank of its reform platform. Many court hearings are videotaped or livestreamed, and judges are increasingly expected to explain their reasoning during sentencing. But arguably no transparency measure has been more impactful than the decision to make millions of court decisions freely accessible online.In 2013,

The American Fighting for the Future of Women’s Rights in China

Kim Lee thought her days as a leader of China’s feminist movement were over. Now, she’s facing arguably the most important fight of her life. Eleven years ago, the American became a hero to women across China when she took to Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social platform, and accused her then-husband Li Yang of domestic violence.The post, which included photos of Lee’s bruised and bloodied face,

Myanmar jailed more writers in 2021 than any other country, says rights group

Myanmar jailed more writers and public intellectuals in crackdowns last year than any other country, according to a freedom of expression advocacy group. PEN America’s annual census of detained writers, the Freedom to Write Index, found Myanmar’s junta detained at least 26 writers in 2021 as it sought to suppress opposition after seizing power from the democratically elected government of Aung

North Korea marks founder Kim Il-sung’s birthday with mass parade but no weapons

Thousands of North Koreans marched in a choreographed display of loyalty to the ruling Kim family during a massive civilian parade celebrating the birthday of the country’s founder attended by his grandson and current leader, Kim Jong-un. State media images showed Kim waving from a balcony overlooking the vast square in Pyongyang named after his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, as huge columns of people

Chinese officials are 'painfully aware' of economic fallout from lockdowns: European Chamber President

Chinese officials are grappling with the economic distress caused by their Covid-19 restrictions, as several cities remain in lockdown, according to the head of a European trade group. Jörg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, said in an interview with CNN Business on Thursday that his latest conversations with the government had been encouraging as pressure built

China's Covid controls risk sparking crisis for the country -- and its leader Xi Jinping

Across China, cities are locking down their residents, supply lines are rupturing, and officials are scrambling to secure the movement of basic goods -- as its largest ever recorded outbreak of Covid-19 threatens to spiral into a national crisis of the government's own making.At least 44 Chinese cities are under either a full or partial lockdown as authorities persist in trying to curb the spread

Torbjørn Færøvik: Riper i lakken og bulker i panseret

Bak lukkede dører i Beijing forbereder Kinas fremste menn høstens viktige partikongress. Men utenfra forstyrres de av en stadig sterkere klagesang. Tjuetre kinesiske byer med rundt to hundre millioner innbyggere er nå helt eller delvis nedstengt på grunn av covid-19. Folk lider, og viruset sprer seg fra dag til dag. I Shanghai, en by med 26 millioner innbyggere, er gatene tomme. Bare matbudene