Emanuele Scimia

Four are students, including the former president of the Chinese university student union. The new bishop of Hong Kong petitions for the reduction of the sentence for one of the accused. Police set to deploy 3,000 officers to stop June 4 Tiananmen vigil.

Some 38 areas in Guangzhou are in lockdown. People cannot leave their homes. Due to the new outbreak, the Shanghai Air Expo was postponed. WHO approves Sinovac, China's second vaccine. Chinese authorities claim that the H10N3 strain of the avian flu virus is not very infectious.

Ban violators face up to five years in jail. Some people will light candles or turn on their smartphones at home or in places other than Victoria Park. COVID-19 measures will be enforced against the vigil, but not other public events. On the eve of the anniversary, the authorities in mainland China are forcing dissidents to leave Beijing.

Convicted of having "defamed the martyrs" of the border clash. Beijing declares four dead, but unconfirmed sources contest the number. Five other Chinese bloggers are under arrest on the same charge. The case of Wang Jingyu, a dissident who was arrested and then released in Dubai.

Prosecutors are asking for their case to be referred to the High Court. Only 11 defendants have been granted bail. Jimmy Lai, Benny Tai and Joshua Wong are among the accused. Defence lawyers are racing against time. A trial without jury is likely.

The measure lifts the limit of two children per family unit. Decades of one-child policy have contributed to the country's demographic slowdown. Unspecified aid is provided for those who want to have children. Chinese youth do not want to procreate in order to maintain their current standard of living.

At least 20 new cases of contagion yesterday in Guangdong: 18 in its capital. Parts of the city closed; hundreds of flights from the local airport cancelled. The new infections linked to the Indian variant of the disease. Acceleration of the national vaccination campaign.

Dalian Ocean Fishing is accused of employing forced labour on board of its 33 longline tuna vessels. Indonesian workers are forced to work 18 hours a day for US$ 300 a month. The fishing industry in Japan, Russia, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand is high on the Global Slavery Index. The US has banned Xinjiang cotton.

After his release, Wang travelled to Turkey where he had fled before his arrest. He had criticised the Chinese government's lack of transparency over its losses in the last year’s border clash with India. For this he was accused of “defaming heroes and martyrs”. In detention, he came under pressure to consent to his return to China. The US turned its attention to his case.

He is found guilty of organizing or taking part in an unauthorized demonstration in October 2019. Tougher punishment for Figo Chan, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho. All the defendants are on trial for other charges. Activists: the city is now an open-air "prison".

Hong Kong’s parliament voted 40 to 2 in favour of the changes. Pro-democracy members were absent. Now lawmakers will be picked by the pro-Beijing Election Committee and police will vet would-be candidates. The 4 June memorial vigil for Tiananmen victims has been banned.

Secretary for Security John Lee warns Citibank and HSBC, where the pro-democracy media mogul has bank accounts. Hong Kong police recently froze US$ 64 million in assets that belong to Lai. Hong Kong’s national security law might drive away foreign investors.