In open societies, there is a close relationship between a responsible and uncensored media on the one hand and democracy and the rule of law on the other.

China reported seven new deaths from COVID-19 in Shanghai on Tuesday, raising the official toll after hundreds of thousands of cases in the metropolis during a weeks-long lockdown.City authorities revealed the first virus deaths on Monday, with Tuesday's fatalities bringing the total official toll to just 10, despite the scale of the outbreak.Beijing insists its zero-COVID policy of hard lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines has averted fatalities and the public health crises t

The United States (US) government has once again accused government officials and security forces/services in countries like China, India, Russia, and even the Philippines, of committing human rights violations based on the recently released State Department’s 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The report has once again accused China of "genocide and crimes against humanity” for its treatment of the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religi

The return to Earth of three astronauts on Saturday after six months at China's new space station marks a landmark step in the country's space ambitions, ending its longest crewed mission ever.The world's second-largest economy has put billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of eventually sending humans to the Moon.China has come a long way in catching up with the United States (US) and Russia, whose astronauts and cosmonauts have decades of experience in spa

United States (US) President Joe Biden will meet in mid-May with the leaders of Southeast Asian nations, with a likely focus on the rising power of China, the host country announced Saturday.The summit, originally scheduled for March, "will demonstrate the United States' enduring commitment to ASEAN," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations."It is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration t

Dozens of elderly patients at a hospital in Shanghai have died after contracting COVID-19, but official government figures claim no deaths in the city have been caused by the disease since 2020.The BBC has spoken to a hospital manager and had access to correspondence sent to relatives of patients who've died during the Omicron outbreak that is sweeping through China's biggest city.We've also had access to official documents that suggest at least 27 patients from a single hospit

China has said it held military drills around Taiwan, as a group of United States (US) lawmakers visited the self-ruled island in a show of support that Beijing slammed as “deliberately provocative”.The Chinese military sent frigates, bombers and fighter planes to the East China Sea and the area around Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command said on Friday, in a statement released as the US legislators were holding a news conference in Taipei.

When Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for a “sense of urgency” about growing economic risks during a meeting with provincial officials earlier this week, it was his third such warning in days.“We need to be highly vigilant for unexpected changes in the international and domestic situations, and downward economic pressure has further mounted,” China’s No 2 official told a symposium in Jiangxi province on Monday, according to a report in South China Morning Post, less than a week after drawing

It's the first time Shanghai has imposed such strict restrictions – until last month, it had taken a more relaxed approach than other Chinese cities.What's Happening In Shanghai?People in the city are confined to their homes, and most have to order in food and water and wait for government drop-offs of vegetables, meat and eggs.Videos shared on social media show complaints by angry residents about food shortages and inadequate medical supplies.It's Shanghai's first experie

The Philippines-China friendship, mutual understanding, and cooperation have withstood the test of time.