China

Today's headlines: Hong Kong reports its first Covid-19-related fatality in five months; Pakistan hunts for a healer who drove a nail into a pregnant woman's head to give her a son; Baghdad completes payment of 46 billion euros in compensation for the invasion of Kuwait; Beijing suspends the award ceremony for Russian skaters due to suspected use of banned substances (traces of marijuana).

The Nepali government wants to settle the issue by diplomatic means. The affected area borders on Tibet. China denies accusations that it is limiting religious and economic activities on the Nepali side. Security considerations are said to be behind China’s actions.

Today's news: Chinese scientists carry out rapid Covid test as reliable as molecular; Tokyo and 20 other governments condemn Hong Kong for press freedom violations; joint military exercises between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia get underway; Israeli raids on Syria, one soldier killed; Putin and Macron agree on de-escalation in Ukraine.

His sixth profile on the popular messaging site has been deleted. The lawyer says Tencent - owner of the social media - is trampling on civil rights. It was a veiled attack on the authorities, who tightly control the Internet. The academic has long been a government target.

Today's headlines: China's second-hand goods market booms; Hong Kong stockpiling food for fear of Covid restrictions; the US offers millions of euros for information on the Isis leader in Afghanistan; Iraq's parliament postpones Presidential elections; a high school teacher in St Petersburg is fired for reading dissident poets to students.

Tourist receipts are down by 3.9 per cent in one year, and now represent only 56.3 per cent of those reported in 2019, before the pandemic. The authorities issued a warning against domestic travel, while Beijing is in a security bubble for the Winter Olympics. China’s zero-tolerance policy against the coronavirus is a threat to growth.

Today's headlines: athletes at the Winter Olympics accuse Beijing of human rights violations; in Myanmar, more and more families are "repudiating" relatives who oppose the military dictatorship; Pyongyang's cyber attacks have earned 45 million euros, used for the missile programme; Russian schools must submit collaboration with foreign institutes for government approval.

Koo Sze-yiu, 75, allegedly wanted to protest outside the Beijing Liaison Office to draw attention to imprisoned members of the pro-democracy movement. Meanwhile in Guangzhou, a Christian who has been in prison for months will be put on trial on 11 February for calling for prayers in memory of those who died in Tiananmen.

Four articles in Ta Kung Pao slam the cardinal for the 2019 protest movement and the pro-democracy movement, which was recently muzzled by the authorities under the security law. The move could herald a crackdown against religious activities in Hong Kong with Catholic and Protestant schools as the first targets.

In five years’ time the People's Liberation Army will be 100 years in operation. Prominent academic Jin Canrong: Beijing can take the island in a week, and the US can't avoid it. Pentagon prepares response with mobilising of troops and military machinery in the region. Nationalist professor reprimands Japan.

Iraq would be the first beneficiary of Chinese investments for 2021 under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Nine billion euros have been earmarked for infrastructure projects. According to Chinese data, Iraq is the third most important Belt and Road partner after Pakistan and Russia. However, some sources deny the Chinese figures. In Iraqi Kurdistan, university students are attracted by the study of the Chinese language.

A report published by Peking University notes that the United States is still ahead in artificial intelligence, information technology and the aerospace technology. Decoupling brings disadvantages to both sides, but more to China. So far, Xi Jinping has not responded to the US boycott of Chinese hi-tech giants.