beijing
Woman sparks outrage in China after throwing puppy out fourth-floor window during fight
- In a viral video circulating on Chinese social media, a woman pushes a Labrador retriever out of a window from her fourth-floor apartment window during an argument with her husband.
- The dog was injured after landing on a car below. It has since recovered from its injuries, according to reports.
- The car owner, identified as Yang, told the couple to take their wounded dog to the vet. He also decided to bring them adoption paperwork for the dog.
- The incident has sparked national outrage in China, with many Weibo users condemning the couple’s behavior.
- Although China has a law that protects wild animals, the country has no national law that prohibits the abuse of other animals, including pets.
A woman in Beijing threw a dog out of a fourth-floor window during an argument with her husband.
In a viral video circulating on Chinese social media, a woman is seen pushing a Labrador retriever out of a window from her fourth-floor apartment. The dog was injured after landing on a car below.
China facing UN action after damning human rights report
- China is reportedly facing action from some countries in the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) following a recent report that accused it of “serious human rights violations” against Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
- Diplomats from three countries and a rights expert previously accused China of attempting to block the report’s publication.
- The debate on holding China accountable for its alleged abuses reportedly intensified as the HRC opened a new term on Monday.
China is reportedly facing a collective response from member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) after the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) concluded that Beijing has committed “serious human rights violations” against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.
The violations, which are seen as potential crimes against humanity, are detailed in a long-awaited report released on Aug. 31. Diplomats from three countries and a rights expert previously accused China of working to block its publication.
Chinese scientists successfully create world’s first mammal with fully reprogrammed genes
Chinese scientists have successfully recombined a mouse’s chromosomes to create the world’s first mammal with fully reprogrammed genes.
Using the gene-editing tool CRISPR, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Beijing broke down the chromosomes into different segments and rearranged them in different combinations to create a new package of genes, resulting in the mouse called “Xiao Zhu” (Little Bamboo).
Chinese rock star Zheng Jun accused of child abuse after posting about son’s 1,000-kowtow punishment
- Chinese rock star Zheng Jun received online backlash after he revealed on Weibo that he punished his 11-year-old son by having him kowtow 1,000 times for lying.
- His son then asked him if he could choose another form of punishment after completing 200 kowtows, to which Jun gave him the choice to be physically beaten or sit cross-legged in an uncomfortable yoga position.
- The post went viral, with Weibo users accusing Jun of child abuse, leading the singer to edit his social media post and advise parents not to follow his punishment.
- Jun also claimed that the yoga movement is similar to a Tibetan Buddhism ritual that he and his son have been practicing sitting cross-legged.
Chinese rock star Zheng Jun received online backlash after he revealed that he punished his 11-year-old son by having him kowtow 1,000 times for lying.
The Beijing-based singer posted on Weibo about his son’s punishment on Sunday. He ordered him to kowtow 1,000 times after he caught him lying.
New Hong Kong textbooks say it was never a British colony, calls 2019 protests ‘terrorist activities’
- New Hong Kong textbooks appear to favor Beijing accounts of history, with them now stating that the island was never a British colony and describing the 2019 pro-democracy protests as “terrorist activities.”
- A textbook claimed that Hong Kong was not previously a British colony since the Chinese government had not recognized the unequal treaties that ceded the city to Britain during the 19th century.
- The textbooks introduced a new curriculum to take the place of liberal studies, which will reportedly focus on topics of national security, identity, lawfulness and patriotism.
- Since the 2019 pro-democracy and anti-government protests in Hong Kong, the territory has seen significant changes to its schools’ educational materials.
- News of the revised textbooks comes at a time when Beijing appears to be tightening its control of the territory and Beijing loyalist John Lee has been elected the next chief executive.
New Hong Kong textbooks appear to favor Beijing’s accounts of history, with the texts stating that the island was never a British colony and describing the 2019 pro-democracy protests as “terrorist activities.”
A textbook was found to have asserted that Hong Kong was not previously a British colony since the Chinese government had not recognized the unequal treaties that ceded the city to Britain during the 19th century.
Kris Wu faces possible 3 to 10 years in jail if convicted of rape charges at Beijing secret trial
Chinese Canadian rapper and pop star Kris Wu attended his closed-door trial at a court in Beijing last week, with reports saying the former EXO member could receive between three to 10 years of jail time on rape charges.
The trial was held at Chaoyang District People’s Court on Friday to protect the victims’ privacy, the Beijing High People’s Court said in a news release.
San Jose man faces up to 30 years in prison for smuggling US aviation tech from NASA contractor to China
- Jonathan Yet Wing Soong, 34, has been charged with smuggling and violating export control laws after allegedly sending sensitive aeronautics software to Beihang University, a public university in Beijing.
- Beihang is included on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s strictly regulated “Entity List” due to its involvement in the Chinese government’s military rocket systems and unmanned air vehicle systems.
- Despite reportedly being aware of Beihang’s inclusion on the list, Soong allegedly facilitated the sale and transfer of a software package called CIFER — used in the development of unmanned aircraft — when he worked as a program administrator for the nonprofit Universities Space Research Association (USRA), which is contracted by NASA.
- A certain Beijing Rainbow Technical Development Ltd. allegedly functioned as an intermediary and sent Soong payment on behalf of Beihang.
- If convicted, Soong faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines.
A man from San Jose, California, has been charged with smuggling and violating export control laws after allegedly sending sensitive aeronautics software to a public university in Beijing.
Jonathan Yet Wing Soong, 34, worked as a program administrator for the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) between April 2016 and September 2020. USRA is contracted by NASA to “distribute domestically and internationally sensitive aeronautics-related software developed through the Army’s Software Transfer Agreement (STA) program,” according to a news release published by the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday.
Viral clip shows man apparently stopping Olympian Eileen Gu from leaving after a selfie in Beijing
- A recent video shows a man seemingly trying to stop Olympic gold medalist Eileen Gu from leaving after they take a selfie together.
- The athlete was out exercising with her mother in Beijing when the stranger asked for a photo.
- The clip of their encounter, which has since gone viral, angered Chinese social media users, who called the man “rude.”
- “I am a loyal fan of Eileen Gu,” he explained in a video uploaded to Douyin after the encounter. “I didn’t try to stop her from leaving. There happened to be a vehicle coming when she tried to cross the road. I asked her to be mindful of road safety. I definitely didn’t intend to hold her back.”
A now-viral video shows a man seemingly trying to stop Olympic gold medalist skier Eileen Gu from leaving after they take a selfie together in Beijing.
The 18-year-old athlete, who often jogs around the city’s streets, was accompanied by her mother riding a bicycle at the time of the incident, which occurred on Chaoyang Road.
US State Department criticizes China’s human rights record in latest report
- The U.S. State Department’s latest global human rights report accused China of meddling in Hong Kong’s political affairs by revising its electoral process and imposing new laws. The department published similar findings in an earlier Hong Kong Policy Act Report on March 31.
- The report also highlighted the targeting of ethnic minorities in China and Beijing’s efforts to detain overseas critics.
- Beijing previously published its own report listing human rights violations committed by the U.S., which it accused of “playing with fake democracy.”
The U.S. State Department has once again accused the Chinese government of several offenses in its latest global human rights report released on Tuesday.
The department’s 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which cited research by diplomats, NGOs and news outlets’ accounts as sources, came less than two weeks after the department released its Hong Kong Policy Act Report, an annual publication mandated by the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992.
Australian journalist Chen Lei faces spy charges in closed-door Beijing trial
- Australian journalist Cheng Lei, an anchor for Chinese state-run outlet CGTN for nearly a decade, faced allegations of “supplying state secrets” at a closed-door trial in Beijing court on Thursday.
- Lei was originally detained in 2020 before she was formally arrested in February last year over state secrets charges.
- International journalists and diplomats were not permitted to enter the courtroom.
- “This is deeply concerning, unsatisfactory and regrettable,” said Graham Fletcher, Australia’s ambassador in Beijing. “We can have no confidence in the validity of a process which is conducted in secret.”
- The court deferred its verdict when the trial ended in less than a day.
An Australian journalist accused by the Chinese government of “supplying state secrets” faced a closed-door trial in Beijing court on Thursday.
Cheng Lei, a television anchor for the Chinese state-run outlet CGTN for nearly a decade, was tried in court after being detained for over 19 months.
Chinese man charged for plot to coerce ‘fugitive’ expats in US to return to China
- A Chinese national has been charged with conspiring to act as an illegal agent of the Chinese government in the U.S.
- Sun Hoi Ying, 53, reportedly hired U.S. private investigators from February 2017 to February 2022 to coerce supposed fugitives of the Chinese government to return to China.
- In one case, Sun hired a law enforcement officer to threaten a target for refusing to comply with the demands of the Chinese government.
- In another, he hired private investigators to gather personal information on a Chinese dissident living in the U.S.
- Sun, who remains at large in China, operated under Beijing’s "Operation Fox Hunt," a plan announced in 2014 that aims to repatriate supposed Chinese fugitives.
A Chinese national was charged in a New York federal court with attempting to coerce targeted Chinese individuals in the U.S. while acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government.
Court documents describe how 53-year-old Sun Hoi Ying hired private investigators while he operated out of the U.S. from February 2017 to February 2022.
‘I’m starving’: Chloe Kim asks reporters for snacks on her way to achieving Olympics gold medal history
- Chloe Kim, the back-to-back Olympic gold medal champion in the snowboard halfpipe, asked reporters for snacks after hunger set in during a post-event press conference.
- “Also, if anybody has some snacks in their pockets, maybe?” she asked. “I’m starving. It’s lunch time.”
- Members of the media immediately handed over snacks and asked if she wanted to eat right then.
- “Thank you,” Kim said. “It’s not a hurry. I’ll eat this in a bit.”
The back-to-back Olympic gold medal champion in the snowboard halfpipe, Chloe Kim, announced she was hungry and asked reporters for snacks during a post-event press conference.
“Also, if anybody has some snacks in their pockets, maybe?” she asked after answering a reporter’s question. “I’m starving. It’s lunch time.”
