The leader of the “Umbrella Movement” – who was due to be released from prison in January 2027 following his first trial for pro-democracy activities – has found himself in the dock facing new charges of “collusion with foreign forces”. He hopes this will at least enable him to avoid a life sentence for a crime of opinion.
The number of older inmates rose from 2,801 to 6,504 between 2014 and 2023, from 8.4 per cent to 17.1 per cent. For South Korea’s political class, this emergency is a low priority because it is not a vote-getter; yet, the system risks collapse from inaction. The aging inmate population is also reflected in the aging of prison guards, three quarter of whom are aged 40 and 50.
At the conference ‘Youth and Faith in Greater China’ that AsiaNews is promoting for 3 December in Milan, the Chinese translation of theologian Severino Dianich's book ‘Jesus. A tale for those who know nothing ... or has forgotten’. A new initiative promoted by the PIME Foundation as an instrument of first evangelisation for those who approach the places of the Christian tradition in Italy and Europe.
China's State Council released a white paper on rural road construction. Between 2013 and 2023, paved roads expanded by 21.7 per cent. Road construction is another of Beijing’s cards in cooperation with developing countries within the Belt and Road Initiative.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister met with President Yoon Suk-yeol to share information on military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. Donald Trump’s return to the White House remains the unknown factor in the war. So far, South Korea has only sent non-lethal military equipment to Kyiv, but it remains among the world's largest arms exporters.
New supply chain regulations adopted by the United States and the European Union are forcing many companies to take a stand on the issue of Uyghur exploitation. The German automaker sold its controversial Urumqi plant "for economic reasons", but it is still renewing its business plans in China. The Japanese clothing brand says that it does not use cotton from Xinjiang.
Faced with the dozens of people run over out of ‘revenge’ in Zhuhai and the multiplication of similar incidents, the Beijing government is calling for ‘in-depth investigations’ into the disputes involving families, neighbours, and missing wages. Former Red Guard writer Yan Chunguo: ‘Social unrest is the result of a State that has lost the idea of justice, making the people lose their soul’.
The gigantic Manas logistic-commercial centre in the village of Leninskoe, which the Chinese are building not far from Biškek, is a candidate to become a fundamental junction (and alternative to the Russian route) for trade between East and West. With Kyrgyz Prime Minister Žaparov having already dubbed it the ‘great seaport’ of a landlocked country.
On the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe, the traditional relay of the symbols of the WYD, the cross and the Marian icon, took place. The Portuguese delegation met the Korean delegation in St Peter's, which consisted of about 100 young people accompanied by Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taek. In his homily, the pope turned his thoughts to accusations, approval and truth. On Myanmar, he said, “may all weapons be silenced and may a sincere and inclusive dialogue be opened.”
Regular inspections by the city found again high concentrations of chemicals in baby clothing sold by online platforms like Temu, Shein and AliExpress. Other countries in Asia have reported similar problems with Chinese e-commerce.
After pressure from investors, Japan becomes one of 38 countries with visa-free entry to China. This follows a meeting in Lima (Peru) between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. In the background, historical animosity lingers, as evinced in the latest match between the two countries’ football teams a few days ago in Xiamen.
Shanghai-based SpaceSail wants to reach remote areas of Brazil in the coming years thanks to an alternative to Starlink. The South American country currently relies on Elon Musk's company, but the latter has recently faced off the country’s Supreme Court.
One of the 45 people given very harsh sentences yesterday for organising primary elections in Hong Kong was able to smuggle her thoughts out of prison. “We dared to confront the regime with the question,” she writes. “Will democracy ever be possible within such a structure? The answer was a complete crackdown on all fronts of society.” “Defend and repair your own democracy,” she says in an appeal to the world. “Give authoritarian dictators one less example of failed democracy to justify their rule, and give freedom fighters around the world one more inspiration to continue the struggle”.
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