Hong Kong and Beijing officials defend security laws, citing threat of terrorism

China’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong and the city’s security chief on Monday defended proposed national security laws by describing some acts in mass pro-democracy protests last year as terrorism.

Several government departments issued statements in defence of the proposal after the biggest protest in the city since the coronavirus lockdown on Sunday.
The security legislation, some details of which were announced last week, aims to tackle secession, subversion and terrorist activities and could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in semi-autonomous Hong Kong, one of the world’s leading financial hubs. READ MORE

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Ebola outbreak exposes lack of cooperation and solidarity among African nations

The first incidence of Ebola outbreak occurred in 1976 in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. The epidemic was less severe and thus, it was understandable the low response and fewer media coverage of the deadly virus then. However, the recent outbreak in West Africa proved to be more virulent and spreading like a wild fire. Concerns are raised in various quarters but actions seem to fall below the rhetoric coming from concerned institutions. While lives are lost daily to the virus in the affected areas, many countries’ response around the world were panic-driven at best and precautionary at the least. Travel bans were imposed and borders outrightly closed; an action that drew the ire of World Health Organisation (WHO) stating that such actions of border closing and travel bans are counterproductive. This same point was echoed by American president, Barrack Obama that imposing a travel ban could further aggravate the situation and plight of the affected countries. In...

China getting serious with its science reputation, cracks down on fraudulent peer-review process

A massive peer-review fraud has triggered a tough response from the Chinese government. Officials last week announced that more than 400 researchers listed as authors on some 100 now-retracted papers will face disciplinary action because their misconduct has seriously damaged China’s scientific reputation. Some institutions have barred the scientists linked to the fraud from pursuing their research, at least temporarily. And they have imposed other penalties, including canceling promotions, honors, and grants. Government ministries have also announced new “zero tolerance” policies aimed at stamping out research fraud. "We should eradicate the problem from its roots," said He Defang, director of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s (MOST’s) regulatory division in Beijing. Although China has previously cracked down on scientific misconduct, a chronic problem. These penalties "are the harshest ever," says Chen Bikun, an information scientist at the Nanjing...

Five Steps Trump Administration Has Taken So Far to Save US Economy Amid Pandemic

The mainstream media in the US has mainly questioned the Trump team's recent call to "trust" POTUS to restore the economy after the pandemic ends, yet few outlets have bothered to dissect what the administration has already done to prevent the economy from collapsing. The coronavirus pandemic has ruined Trump's perceived strong point in this year's presidential election, that POTUS greatly boosted the country's economy over the last four years. READ MORE

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