Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 368

Hongkongers snub ‘patriots’ election with lowest turnout in three decades

Hongkongers have snubbed a legislature poll taking place under new “patriots only” rules imposed by China, with the lowest turnout since residents started electing lawmakers three decades ago, according to official figures released on Monday. Only 30%, or 1,350,680 of the 4,472,863 registered voters, cast their ballots for city lawmakers in Sunday’s election, Hong Kong’s top election official,

Across China, Species on the Brink

Four decades into an economic boom that had little regard for the environment, China is rethinking its relationship with nature. This series of articles, published to — roughly — coincide with a United Nations meeting on biodiversity held in the southwestern city of Kunming, looks at whether efforts to save China’s endangered animals can undo enough damage before it’s too late.Read more

Indian Christians fear attacks or jail over conversions

One Sunday in October, Pastor Somu Avaradhi got a shock when he entered his church in Hubballi city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. "There were people sitting inside, singing Hindu religious songs and shouting slogans," he told the BBC.He says he called the police, but when they arrived, the protesters accused him of abusing and forcing a Hindu man to convert to Christianity. The

Pew study: Little change in India's religious make-up in 70 years

All religious groups in India have shown major declines in fertility rates, a study from Pew Research Center has found. As a result there have been only "modest changes" in the religious make-up of the people since 1951. The two largest groups, Hindus and Muslims, make up 94% of India's 1.2 billion people.Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains together make up the remaining 6% of the

Hong Kong: Pro-Beijing candidates sweep controversial LegCo election

Pro-Beijing candidates have claimed a victory in Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) election, as the city saw its lowest-ever voter turnout. It was the first LegCo election since China made sweeping controversial changes to the city's electoral system. Officials argue the changes were needed to ensure stability, but critics say they weakened democracy.On Monday, Beijing also unveiled a

Hong Kong sees record low voter turnout in first 'patriots only' election

Hong Kong's first "patriots only" legislative election witnessed a record low turnout on Sunday, reflecting a steep decline in civic and political engagement following Beijing's overhaul of the city's electoral processes. According to a government news release, provisional turnout was 30.2% by close of polls -- far lower than the previous record low of 43.6%, in 2000. The last legislative

Xi Jinping has been taking on China's capitalists. Here's why that will change in 2022

One year ago, Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to spend 2021 reining in "disorderly" private businesses that were growing too powerful and taking on too much risk. The sweeping regulatory crackdown that followed accomplished just that, claiming some high-profile casualties along the way. But the economy is now looking a lot shakier than it was, and Xi doesn't seem ready to rock the boat any

Tortured to death: Myanmar mass killings revealed

The Myanmar military carried out a series of mass killings of civilians in July that resulted in the deaths of at least 40 men, according to a BBC investigation. Eyewitnesses and survivors said that soldiers, some as young as 17, rounded up villagers before separating the men and killing them. Video footage and images from the incidents appears to show most of those killed were tortured first and

The pandemic forced Kim Jong Un into retreat. The world should brace for his resurgence

Ten years ago, the world watched as a young Kim Jong Unsolemnly walked beside his father's hearse on a snowy morning in Pyongyang as distraught North Koreans wailed in grief. Kim's long black coat and hairstyle, reminiscent of his late grandfather Kim Il Sung, were viewed as a superficial effort to emulate the authority of his forebears. But the 20-something heir to the North Korean leadership

Hanne Skartveit: Norsk naivitet i møte med Kina

Det ser ut til at den nye regjeringen fortsetter der den gamle slapp - med en naiv tilnærming til Kina. Det kan komme til å koste oss dyrt. Igjen ser vi kinesisk maktmisbruk overfor nasjoner som ikke oppfører seg slik det mektige kinesiske regimet ønsker. Etter at Litauen i november i år ønsket Taiwans representasjonskontor velkommen i hovedstaden Vilnius, straffer Kina landet økonomisk. Ikke