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On the two-year anniversary of Chinese authorities’ crackdown on the peaceful “Blank Paper” demonstrations, Chinese Human Rights Defenders calls on Beijing to release all wrongfully detained protesters.

"We urge the international human rights community to press the Chinese government to fulfill its human rights obligations to protect freedom of peaceful assembly, expression, and the right to fair trials," the organization writes on its websites.

In late November 2022, people across China, outraged by a deadly fire in Urumqi and frustrated by strict COVID-19 lockdown measures, took to the streets in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Wuhan. Demonstrators held up blank sheets of paper, symbolizing censorship and their inability to express dissent openly. They chanted various slogans, including “End zero-COVID.” Some even called for “Down with Xi Jinping” and “Down with the Communist Party!”

The protests represented a rare instance of spontaneous demonstrations across multiple Chinese cities since the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests in 1989, with citizens openly expressing dissent in public space. Authorities responded with widespread detentions of students, journalists and other citizens across the country.

Two years ago, Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) tracked the names of more than 30 people who were taken into custody and estimated that at least 100 people had been detained. No official figures of arrests have been released. Some people were released shortly after their arrests. However, others faced harsher punishments, including imprisonment and enforced disappearances

[...]

The ongoing prosecution of participants and supporters of the Blank Paper protests underscores the urgent need to hold the Chinese government accountable and to put an end to its impunity for repeated and ongoing violations of its obligations to protect human rights.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/5070152

TLDR: In recent years, as China has suffered from an economic downturn, the rate of random mass attacks has soared. After three random mass killings unfolded in Chinese coastal cities in the last two weeks, some people on social media echoed the official line of harsh punishment, while others called for freedom of expression so that people could express their grievances and the authorities could address their pain in time.

Some also suggested economic reform to boost the employment rate and policy reform, such as social welfare and labour laws, to improve working conditions. In short, people need to see hope for their future.

[...]

However, as anticipated, the Chinese authorities are fixated on their standard social control handbook. While social profiling is common in China through it's social credit system, on Weibo, many said that the Chinese Communist Party’s grassroots branches have started profiling residents into additional categories, namely, “4-without” (四無) and “5-failure” (五失).

The “4-without” are those without a spouse and children, job and regular income, normal social connections, and assets like property and cars. The “5-failure” are those who “fail” in their investments, lives, relationships, and suffer from mental illness.

**The party branches were told to pay special attention to people labelled “4-without” and “5-failure” as they are assumed to have nothing to lose, and thus might be more likely to harm society. **

However, such a measure won’t relieve the social strain. One social media user pointed out that the two social groups are victims of an unjust system and need assistance, rather than further social labels and control.

Having them screened out, and then what, put in jail? [People labelled] 4-without and 5-failure have not broken the law, and almost all of them are in need of economic assistance. The CCP does not have a comprehensive social welfare system, so how can it let these people who are in trouble get through their difficulties? The CCP keeps giving local governments money to solve their debt crisis, and it keeps pumping money into the stability maintenance system, but it is not willing to spend any money to solve the real problem! Shouldn’t the CCP know which is more effective: damming or dredging the river?

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/5070152

TLDR: In recent years, as China has suffered from an economic downturn, the rate of random mass attacks has soared. After three random mass killings unfolded in Chinese coastal cities in the last two weeks, some people on social media echoed the official line of harsh punishment, while others called for freedom of expression so that people could express their grievances and the authorities could address their pain in time.

Some also suggested economic reform to boost the employment rate and policy reform, such as social welfare and labour laws, to improve working conditions. In short, people need to see hope for their future.

[...]

However, as anticipated, the Chinese authorities are fixated on their standard social control handbook. While social profiling is common in China through it's social credit system, on Weibo, many said that the Chinese Communist Party’s grassroots branches have started profiling residents into additional categories, namely, “4-without” (四無) and “5-failure” (五失).

The “4-without” are those without a spouse and children, job and regular income, normal social connections, and assets like property and cars. The “5-failure” are those who “fail” in their investments, lives, relationships, and suffer from mental illness.

**The party branches were told to pay special attention to people labelled “4-without” and “5-failure” as they are assumed to have nothing to lose, and thus might be more likely to harm society. **

However, such a measure won’t relieve the social strain. One social media user pointed out that the two social groups are victims of an unjust system and need assistance, rather than further social labels and control.

Having them screened out, and then what, put in jail? [People labelled] 4-without and 5-failure have not broken the law, and almost all of them are in need of economic assistance. The CCP does not have a comprehensive social welfare system, so how can it let these people who are in trouble get through their difficulties? The CCP keeps giving local governments money to solve their debt crisis, and it keeps pumping money into the stability maintenance system, but it is not willing to spend any money to solve the real problem! Shouldn’t the CCP know which is more effective: damming or dredging the river?

Bereits im September wurde CDU-Chef Friedrich Merz als Kanzlerkandidat seiner Partei nominiert. In der Vergangenheit ist Merz immer wieder unangemessen mit Interessenkonflikten und Lobbytätigkeiten umgegangen. Während seiner ersten Jahre als Bundestagsabgeordneter verdiente er nebenher kräftig in der Wirtschaft hinzu. Im Jahr 2006 beliefen sich seine Nebenverdienste laut Schätzungen des Manager Magazins auf rund eine Viertelmillion Euro.

Ein Problem sah er darin nicht. Ganz im Gegenteil: Er stemmte sich sogar dagegen, seine Nebenverdienste veröffentlichen zu müssen. 2006 klagte er gegen die Vorschriften zur Offenlegung von Nebentätigkeiten – ohne Erfolg. Das spricht für ein höchst fragwürdiges Verständnis von Transparenz und Integrität. Die entsprechenden Regelungen für Abgeordnete wurden angesichts mehrerer Lobbyaffären inzwischen deutlich verschärft.

Zusammenfassung:

• Es gibt immer wieder Spekulationen darüber, dass der Springer-Hauptaktionär KKR Einfluss auf die BILD-Zeitung genommen hat, um fossile Interessen in Deutschland durchzusetzen. Als Beispiel dafür dient die Debatte um das Heizungsgesetz, gegen das die BILD-Zeitung Stimmung gemacht hatte.
• KKR hat als Anteilseigner fossiler Firmen – wie unter anderem LNG-Terminals – ein geschäftliches Interesse daran, Klimaschutzgesetze zu verhindern oder zumindest zu verwässern. Dazu könnte auch das deutsche Heizungsgesetz zählen.
• LobbyControl liegen erstmals Belege dafür vor, dass KKR in Deutschland Lobbyarbeit für energiepolitische Themen macht. Es bleibt aber unklar, zu welchen Fragen Einfluss genommen wurde. Auffällig ist allerdings, dass es besonders viele Treffen zwischen KKR und Kanzleramt vor und während der Debatte um das Heizungsgesetz gab.
• In der Vergangenheit gab es bereits Einflussnahme des Springer-Konzerns auf die Redaktion der BILD-Zeitung. Die Döpfner-Leaks hatten gezeigt, dass Springer-Chef Döpfner über die BILD-Zeitung die FDP stärken wollte. Die FDP wiederum war wesentlich daran beteiligt, das ursprünglich geplante Heizungsgesetz zu verzögern und zu verwässern.

• IPO freeze, economic issues lead to rise in redemption requests
• Founders responsible for redemption; startups risk failure
• 14,000 startups at risk of refund requests, law firm estimates
• Startups' predicament challenges China's self-sufficiency drive
• Redemption rights offer protection, investor says

Chinese startups are increasingly struggling with demands from early-stage venture capitalists to return their investment or face lawsuits, after failing to provide an exit via a market listing within an agreed time frame, industry executives said.

Startups worldwide often agree redemption rights allowing private equity and venture capital investors to ask for their money back along with a premium if targets such as an initial public offering are not met.

In China, however, a near freezing of the IPO market this year and declining sources of capital in an economy hobbled by a property crisis and struggling for growth has given rise to reimbursement requests, threatening many startups' existence, executives said.

The situation conflicts with the government's resolve to foster innovation and achieve technological self-reliance in systemically important industries to insulate the country from the impact of geopolitics.

TLDR: In recent years, as China has suffered from an economic downturn, the rate of random mass attacks has soared. After three random mass killings unfolded in Chinese coastal cities in the last two weeks, some people on social media echoed the official line of harsh punishment, while others called for freedom of expression so that people could express their grievances and the authorities could address their pain in time.

Some also suggested economic reform to boost the employment rate and policy reform, such as social welfare and labour laws, to improve working conditions. In short, people need to see hope for their future.

[...]

However, as anticipated, the Chinese authorities are fixated on their standard social control handbook. While social profiling is common in China through it's social credit system, on Weibo, many said that the Chinese Communist Party’s grassroots branches have started profiling residents into additional categories, namely, “4-without” (四無) and “5-failure” (五失).

The “4-without” are those without a spouse and children, job and regular income, normal social connections, and assets like property and cars. The “5-failure” are those who “fail” in their investments, lives, relationships, and suffer from mental illness.

**The party branches were told to pay special attention to people labelled “4-without” and “5-failure” as they are assumed to have nothing to lose, and thus might be more likely to harm society. **

However, such a measure won’t relieve the social strain. One social media user pointed out that the two social groups are victims of an unjust system and need assistance, rather than further social labels and control.

Having them screened out, and then what, put in jail? [People labelled] 4-without and 5-failure have not broken the law, and almost all of them are in need of economic assistance. The CCP does not have a comprehensive social welfare system, so how can it let these people who are in trouble get through their difficulties? The CCP keeps giving local governments money to solve their debt crisis, and it keeps pumping money into the stability maintenance system, but it is not willing to spend any money to solve the real problem! Shouldn’t the CCP know which is more effective: damming or dredging the river?

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4989993

A British man admitted on Friday that he carried out an arson attack on a London commercial property linked to Ukraine, and that he had accepted pay from a foreign intelligence agency, in a case prosecutors have linked to Russia.

Jake Reeves, 22, pleaded guilty at London's Woolwich Crown Court to charges of aggravated arson on the premises belonging to a "Mr X" on an industrial estate in east London in March.

He also admitted a charge under Britain's new National Security Act (NSA) of obtaining a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service.

He denied a further charge under the NSA of engaging in preparations for an act endangering the life of a person or creating serious risk to the health or safety of the public, and prosecutors said they would not pursue that charge.

Last month another man, Dylan Earl, 20, also admitted carrying out the arson attack. He pleaded guilty to a preparatory act under the NSA, which was brought in last year to crack down on hostile activity by foreign states.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4989993

A British man admitted on Friday that he carried out an arson attack on a London commercial property linked to Ukraine, and that he had accepted pay from a foreign intelligence agency, in a case prosecutors have linked to Russia.

Jake Reeves, 22, pleaded guilty at London's Woolwich Crown Court to charges of aggravated arson on the premises belonging to a "Mr X" on an industrial estate in east London in March.

He also admitted a charge under Britain's new National Security Act (NSA) of obtaining a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service.

He denied a further charge under the NSA of engaging in preparations for an act endangering the life of a person or creating serious risk to the health or safety of the public, and prosecutors said they would not pursue that charge.

Last month another man, Dylan Earl, 20, also admitted carrying out the arson attack. He pleaded guilty to a preparatory act under the NSA, which was brought in last year to crack down on hostile activity by foreign states.

A British man admitted on Friday that he carried out an arson attack on a London commercial property linked to Ukraine, and that he had accepted pay from a foreign intelligence agency, in a case prosecutors have linked to Russia.

Jake Reeves, 22, pleaded guilty at London's Woolwich Crown Court to charges of aggravated arson on the premises belonging to a "Mr X" on an industrial estate in east London in March.

He also admitted a charge under Britain's new National Security Act (NSA) of obtaining a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service.

He denied a further charge under the NSA of engaging in preparations for an act endangering the life of a person or creating serious risk to the health or safety of the public, and prosecutors said they would not pursue that charge.

Last month another man, Dylan Earl, 20, also admitted carrying out the arson attack. He pleaded guilty to a preparatory act under the NSA, which was brought in last year to crack down on hostile activity by foreign states.