No Oscars or sensitive art spark Hong Kong censorship fears
People walk in front of "M+" visual culture museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District of Hong Kong, Monday, March 29, 2021. Hong Kong authorities have taken a tougher stance on opposition following Beijingโs imposition of a national security law on the city, arresting prominent pro-democracy activists and participants in anti-government protests in 2019. Earlier this month, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said authorities were on โfull alertโ to ensure that exhibitions in the city do not violate the national security law. Pro-Beijing lawmakers have said that some of M+โs artwork is politically sensitive and could be in breach of the legislation. Searches for โNomadlandโ were blocked on the Chinese internet, which is heavily censored and filtered to scrub content deemed politically sensitive by the government.
2 films offer 2 tales ahead of Wuhan lockdown anniversary
China is rolling out the state-backed film praising Wuhan ahead of the anniversary of the 76-day lockdown in the central Chinese city where the coronavirus was first detected. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)WUHAN โ Two new films about Wuhan were released Friday, the eve of the anniversary of the 76-day lockdown in the central Chinese city where the coronavirus was first detected. The state-backed film, directed by Cao Jinling, debuted in Wuhan and goes into general release in other Chinese cities on Friday. Aiโs film tackles the same story from the perspective of construction workers, delivery staff, medical workers and Wuhan residents. ___Associated Press photographer Ng Han Guan in Wuhan, China, and writer Huizhong Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.
UK judge to rule on US extradition for WikiLeaks' Assange
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out Monday Jan. 4, 2021, whether he can be extradited from the U.K. to the U.S. to face espionage charges over the publication of secret American military documents. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)LONDON โ WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out Monday whether he can be extradited from the U.K. to the U.S. to face espionage charges over the publication of secret American military documents. U.S. prosecutors indicted the 49-year-old Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse that carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. His legal team argued that Assange would, if extradited, likely face solitary confinement that would put him at a heightened risk of suicide. Assange and his legal team will be hoping that developments in the U.S. bring an end to his ordeal if the judge grants the U.S. extradition request.
In '76 Days,' a documentary portrait of lockdown in Wuhan
An elderly woman with COVID-19, center, is escorted by two nurses after being admitted to a hospital in Wuhan, China in a scene from the documentary "76 Days." The film, shot in four Wuhan hospitals, captures a local horror before it became a global nightmare. (MTV Documentary Films via AP)NEW YORK โ โPapa!โ screams a hospital worker, covered from head to toe in a Hazmat suit and PPE, in the opening moments of the documentary โ76 Days." Her colleagues restrain her as she sobs, moaning, โPapa, you'll stay forever in my heart.โโ76 Days," shot in four Wuhan hospitals, captures a local horror before it became a global nightmare. โI feel like right now there is such a toxic background to a lot of the discussions around the virus,โ Wu says.
Ai Weiwei says new security law is the end of Hong Kong
In this image made from a Skype video interview with Chinese artist dissident Ai Weiwei comments on the recent security law planned for Hong kong from a location in Cambridge, England, Wednesday, May 27, 2020. Ai Weiwei believes the newly passed national security law for Hong Kong augurs the end for the semi-autonomous city. (AP Photo/Park Juwon)SEOUL Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei believes the newly passed national security law for Hong Kong augurs the end for the semi-autonomous city. Critics of the new law say it may allow mainland security organs to interfere in local law enforcement, among other things. Young people in Hong Kong, they are smart, they are rational, and they are very brave, Ai said.