CHINA BANS BBC WORLD NEWS FROM BROADCASTING
China has banned BBC World News from broadcasting in the country, its
television and radio regulator announced on Thursday.
China has criticised the BBC for its reporting on coronavirus and the
persecution of ethnic minority Uighurs.
The BBC said it was "disappointed" by the decision.
It follows British media regulator Ofcom revoking state broadcaster China
Global Television Network's (CGTN) licence to broadcast in the UK.
Ofcom's decision earlier this month came after it found that CGTN's licence
was wrongfully held by Star China Media Ltd.
CGTN was also found in breach of British broadcasting regulations last year,
for airing the allegedly forced confession of UK citizen Peter Humphrey.
In its decision, China's State Film, TV and Radio Administration said BBC
World News reports about China were found to "seriously violate" broadcast
guidelines, including "the requirement that news should be truthful and
fair" and not "harm China's national interests".
It said that the BBC's application to air for another year would not be
accepted.
The United States on Thursday condemned China for banning the broadcasting
of BBC World News for reporting on issues such as human rights violations in
Xinjiang and the country's handling of Covid-19.
GOOGLE MULLS PULLING OUT OF AUSTRALIA
Imagine a world without Google, the search engine so pervasive its the
starting point for more than five billion queries a day. Thats the reality
facing Australia, where the tech giant is threatening to unplug its homepage
in a standoff with the govt.
Google opposes a planned law that would force the company and Facebook Inc.
to pay Australian publishers for news content. The Internet juggernauts
ultimatum to local lawmakers change the legislation, or else has left a
digital vacuum hanging over a nation that essentially knows just one way to
navigate the web. Google runs 95% of Internet searches in Australia.
Potential fallout from the spat goes far beyond Australia for Alphabet
Inc.-owned Google, whose dominance of global advertising has made it a
target for watchdogs worldwide. If the company backs down in Australia, the
pay-for-news law risks becoming a template for jurisdictions including
Canada and the European Union that are following the quarrel and keen to
shorten Googles lead.
But disabling what is arguably the worlds most famous website would hand
all of Australia to rivals, including Microsoft Corp.s Bing and DuckDuckGo,
which have failed to dislodge Google as the gateway to the web. These
search-engine competitors would suddenly have a playground for development
and a foothold to advance on the global stage.
IMPEACHMENT: 'CONVICT TRUMP OR IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN,' TRIAL TOLD
Democrats have concluded their arguments that Donald Trump incited the 6
January Capitol riot, warning "he can do this again" if he is not convicted.
Impeachment prosecutors on Thursday used rioters' own words to link Mr Trump
to the violence while arguing the riot had caused long-term harm as well.
Democrats also presented accounts from police, staff, intelligence officials
and foreign media to pursue their case.
The former president's defence team will present their arguments on Friday.
The Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached Mr Trump last month,
accusing him of inciting the riot. Lawmakers from the House have been
presenting their case to senators this week.
Mr Trump's lawyers have argued he was using his right to freedom of speech
when declaring last November's presidential election fraudulent.
On Thursday, they embarked on the final point of their prosecution: the harm
they say Mr Trump caused to property, people and democracy.
"Because impeachment, conviction and disqualification [from office] is not
just about the past. It's about the future," Congressman Ted Lieu told the
trial, after arguing Mr Trump also showed no remorse for his actions.
"It's making sure that no future official, no future president does the same
exact thing."
PRESIDENT BIDEN CANCELS FUNDING FOR TRUMP BORDER WALL
US President Joe Biden has rescinded the national emergency order used to
fund Donald Trump's border wall.
In a letter to Congress on Thursday, Mr Biden wrote that the order was
"unwarranted" and said that no further tax dollars will be spent on the
wall.
Mr Trump declared a state of emergency over the southern border in 2019,
which allowed him to bypass Congress and use military funds for its
construction.
When Mr Trump left office, about $25bn (£18bn) had been spent on the
project.
The announcement from President Biden is the latest in a series of executive
orders that have rolled back key parts of the former president's agenda.
In a letter on Thursday, Mr Biden wrote that he would also seek a review of
"all resources appropriated or redirected" to the construction of the wall.
AUSTRALIA'S VICTORIA STATE IMPOSES FIVE-DAY COVID-19 LOCKDOWN
Australia's second-most populous state of Victoria will be placed under a
five-day lockdown until Wednesday, state Premier Daniel Andrews said on
Friday, after a cluster linked to a quarantine hotel in Melbourne reached 13
cases.
"Because this is so infectious and is moving so fast, we need a circuit
breaker," Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.
Residents must stay home, except for essential work, healthcare, grocery
shopping or exercise and masks must be worn everywhere, Andrews said.
SEVERAL INJURED IN ANTI-GOVERNMENT CLASH IN NEPAL
Several protestors were injured on Thursday in Kathmandu as resistance
against the dissolution of parliament continued to intensify in the
Himalayan nation.
Cadres and members of the student union of a rival faction of the ruling
Nepal Communist Party clashed with police near the parliament in a bid to
enter the restricted area which left several injured.
The protest against the "unconstitutional move of Oli to dissolve
parliament" on Thursday intensified with the arrest of a female leader Ram
Kumari Jhakri from her house earlier in the afternoon.
She was arrested in line with Clause 58 of the National Penal (Code) Act,
2017 related to the Prohibition of Intimidation of the President or
Parliament.
Jhakri while addressing a mass meeting in recent weeks had made comments
over President Bhandari which led to the arrest of the leader.
Protestors raised slogans against Oli demanding his resignation along with
the home minister for not being able to maintain peace and stability in the
society.
Kathmandu has been marred by anti-government protests on a daily basis which
has been growing significantly over the period of time starting from
December 20 when now caretaker Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli dissolved the
parliament.
This move by Oli which has been called unconstitutional and challenged in
court has split the ruling party led to the expulsion of now caretaker PM
from the party.
PAKISTAN SUCCESSFULLY TEST FIRES SURFACE-TO-SURFACE MISSILE
Pakistan's military on Thursday successfully test-fired a short range
surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of hitting land and sea targets
with 'high precision' up to 490 kilometers (about 280 miles) away, the
military said.
In a statement, it said the Babur cruise missile was "launched from a
state-of-the-art Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle."
According to the statement, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister
Imran Khan and the country's military leadership congratulated scientists
and engineers over successful launch of the missile.
Pakistan's nuclear and missile program is primarily targeted at India, which
also routinely conducts missile tests.
Both nations have nuclear arms and have fought two of their three wars over
Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
ERDOGANS CALL FOR REVAMPED CONSTITUTION STIRS SUSPICIONS
Four years after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assumed sweeping
powers, he has wrong-footed his opponents once again by calling for a new
Constitution, sparking accusations of trying to set up a diversion from the
countrys woes.
Taking seemingly everyone off guard, Mr. Erdogan mentioned early last week
during one of his near-daily speeches that it may be time for Turkey to
reopen the debate about a new Constitution.
The timing aroused immediate suspicions over the intentions of a man who has
been at the apex of Turkish political life since 2003, first as Prime
Minister and as President since 2014.
The 66-year-old Turkish leader is facing a sudden burst of student protests,
an economy that was under strain even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck
last year, and polls showing a melting support base.
The current Constitution was changed in a controversial 2017 referendum,
which created an executive presidency.
It went into force barely a year later when Mr. Erdogan won re-election,
with the amendments allowing him to consolidate his power.
Since then the only politicians demanding constitutional changes have been
members of the opposition, all calling for a return to the previous
parliamentary democracy.
Comments (0)