Just a quick update in case you missed it.
 | Released on 02.02.2024 |  |
 | TikTok is snooping on users. Why don’t they seem to care? ByteDance, the Beijing-based company that owns and controls TikTok, is currently under investigation by the US Justice Department for spying on citizens, including journalists. In September last year, European Union regulators fined TikTok €345 million ($560m) for violating data protection laws. That was after the UK data watchdog levelled a £12.7m ($24m) fine at the company for illegally processing the data of 1.4 million children under 13 who were using its platform. Read more: aspistrategist.org.au |
 | Navigating Struggles: ‘My Name Is Loh Kiwan’ Unveils the Gripping Odyssey of a North Korean Defector in Belgium Netflix’s latest release, ‘My Name Is Loh Kiwan,’ delves into the compelling narrative of a North Korean defector facing adversities in Belgium. This eagerly anticipated film, based on Cho Hae-jin’s novel and directed by Kim Hee-jin, captures the heart-wrenching journey of its protagonist, Loh Kiwan, played by the talented Song Joong-ki. Read more: chennaiprint.i |
 | FBI Warns of Chinese Hacker Threats on US Infrastructure Chinese government hackers are targeting critical infrastructure inside the U.S., FBI Director Christopher Wray told House lawmakers on Wednesday. The warning comes as the Biden administration credits its outreach to China as key in reducing tension between the countries. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports; Jeff Seldin and Anita Powell contributed to this report. Read more: voanews.com |
 | How many countries still have the death penalty, and how many people are executed? The Amnesty International figures are compiled from official statistics, media reports and information passed on from individuals sentenced to death, and their families and representatives. The organization believes that China is the world's leading executioner, killing thousands of people every year. But because China does not release details about its use of the death penalty, it is impossible to provide reliable numbers. Read more: bbc.com |
 | China, New White Paper Hails “Deprogramming” of “Religious Extremists” Last week, China’s human right record was under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations. China’s UPR is always more interesting for side events and documents filed by China’s opponents, which do get some media coverage, than for the official UN reports, documents usually of interest mostly to the Chinese media. Beijing easily manages to control these reports through friendly countries that command a majority in the Human Rights Council. Read more: bitterwinter.org |
 | Recent Xinjiang quake caused school’s collapse; 7 students seriously hurt The recent magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Xinjiang’s Uchturpan county caused the roof of an elementary boarding school to partially collapse, leaving seven students with serious injuries and 12 others requiring treatment at a hospital, a local source told Radio Free Asia. Several students remained hospitalized earlier this week with brain injuries from the Jan. 23 quake, according to the school’s principal. Read more: rfa.org |
 | Secret calls and code names: The risky business of sending money to N. Korea Every year, hundreds of North Korean defectors, who have since settled in the South, send much-needed money back home. But this is getting riskier as both countries are increasingly cracking down on illegal transfers of money. "It is like a spy movie and people are putting their lives on the line," says Hwang Ji-sung, who has been a broker in South Korea for more than a decade. As a defector himself, he knows how complex and difficult the task is - requiring a covert network of brokers and couriers spread across South Korea, China and North Korea. Read more: bbc.comorth |