Headlines- The United Nations warns that 800,000 people in Yemen have lost access to life-saving food aid due to the conflict's escalation, and hospitals are overcrowded with injured combatants.
- Since October 1, 20 attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have been reported, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. Two of these incidents were reported on Wednesday.
- Iran was accused by a U.S. official of lying about a cargo ship that sank on Wednesday and of attacking it, most likely with a missile.
- A cargo ship struck a naval mine on Wednesday while trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz via "an unauthorized and hazardous route," according to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.
- Protests against the government in the capital of Albania Tirana turned violent on Wednesday, leaving several official buildings severely damaged and at least one on fire.
- After the arrest of a Japanese journalist on suspicion of espionage by Russia's FSB security agency, Japan's Foreign Ministry summoned in Russia's ambassador on Wednesday.
Tag: RFA
Chinese Police Order Residents to Hand...
Police in the central Chinese province of Hunan have ordered local residents to hand over their passports to police, promising to return them “when the pandemic is over,” amid a massive surge in people looking for ways to leave China or obtain overseas immigration status
Foreign Students ‘Taken From Shanghai’ as...
The Shanghai lockdown has prompted an exodus of foreign students and teaching staff, as the city reported its first deaths from COVID-19
Interview: ‘Do You Realize There is...
Wang Jixian is Chinese national living in Odessa who turned citizen journalist when the war in Ukraine began, posting first-hand accounts of the conflict. But his outspoken YouTube videos cursing out Russian troops were out of step with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s official stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and have been deleted or blocked from social media platforms in China by government censors, while Wang’s personal social media accounts have been shut down
Hong Kong Police Are ‘Weaponizing’ the...
Lawyers for jailed pro-democracy media magnate Jimmy Lai, who is awaiting trial under a draconian national security law, have called on the United Nations to investigate the multiple criminal cases against him
Police in China’s Guangdong Move Ahead...
Authorities in the southern province of Guangdong have moved to prosecute feminist activist and journalist Sophia Huang and fellow activist Wang Jianbing, rights groups reported
Press Freedom in Hong Kong Gets...
Public satisfaction with the media in Hong Kong has hit rock bottom, according to a recent public opinion survey
Interview: ‘They Have Been Wiping Out...
Yaxue Cao, editor-in-chief of the U.S.-based website China Change, has been tracking human rights issues in China for years. With the help of human rights attorneys in China, dissident artist Ai Weiwei, professor and film-maker Ai Xiaoming and overseas-based rights activist, she recently released an hour-long film about the crucial role played by Chinese lawyers in defending people’s basic rights. The documentary, titled “The Defenders — 20 Years of Human Rights Lawyers in China,” offers rarely-seen footage of top rights attorneys including Li Heping, Jiang Tianyong and Pu Zhiqiang to an overseas audience. Cao spoke to RFA’s Mandarin Service about the project
Uyghur Farmer Sentenced to Prison For...
A Uyghur farmer jailed for moving his pregnant wife from their hometown in Xinjiang to prevent authorities from forcing her to have an abortion died in 2020 while serving an eight-year prison sentence, a Uyghur with knowledge of the situation and local police officials confirmed to RFA this month
China’s Anti-Trafficking Activists Face Vast Network...
Public anger over widespread trafficking in women and girls, mostly for “marriage” to men who can’t find willing partners, is running in high in China since a woman was found chained by the neck in a freezing outbuilding in the eastern province of Jiangsu in January
Former Hong Kong Healthcare Union Founder...
Authorities in Hong Kong have revoked bail for former healthcare union chief and democracy activist Winnie Yu, putting her back behind bars on International Women’s Day