China’s major cities are in lockdown in a bid to curb a growing cluster of COVID-19 infections
It’s sparking a fresh outcry over the strict lockdown measures, which are keeping millions confined to their homes.
Most recently in Shanghai, an elderly man was taken in a body bag to the morgue, while alive — depicting something out of a horror movie.
The footage, which shows workers dressed in full protective gear unzip a body bag to find a nursing home resident still alive, has gone viral on Chinese social media.
It has sparked outrage amongst Shanghai residents who are at breaking point after a month long lockdown.
Has China’s COVID policy gone too far?
Yaqiu Wang from Human Rights Watch spoke exclusively to tickerNEWS.
She says the Chinese government doesn’t care about human life, concerned China’s COVID zero policy has gone too far.
“The whole zero COVID lockdown was carried out in the name of protecting people’s life and health.” Wang says.
“But then they would actually stuff a live person into a bag and send the person to the morgue, it really says the government doesn’t care.”
Yaqiu wang, human rights watch
In recent weeks, the Shanghai lockdown has created headlines for a number of oppressive policies.
While COVID deaths in the country have been few, Wang says many people have died because they were restricted to their apartments, and refused access to medical treatment.
“There were terrible abuses related to the lockdown measures.” She says.
Last week, reports of people being fenced into residential buildings surfaced, and with full reliance on the state for resources, many people are suffering from a lack of food and medical supplies.
Why should we be concerned about the human rights of Chinese citizens?
Wang says its important for international media to hold the Chinese government accountable for human rights abuses.
China is one of the most heavily censored nations in the world, and internet content within the nation is highly regulated by the government.
It also has one of the lowest press freedom ratings, ranking 175 out of 180 nations.
But despite this, Wang says people are managing to voice their anger over the terrible conditions they are being forced to live in.
“They are, you know, knocking things and trying to make noise about this.” She says
“But that’s the extent that they can hold the government accountable just by you know, saying something on the internet. Beyond that there’s not many mechanisms.”
Yaqiu wang, human rights watch
This is why Wang believes its so important for external media to cover the alleged abuses.
“You’re showing to the world that this is very abusive, and that people are suffering terribly.”
“I hope the Chinese government get the message that you know, people are angry, people are suffering terribly.” She says.
Is a COVID Zero policy unachievable?
China’s lockdown has become a difficult ideological issue for the government to back down from.
When directly compared with countries like the US, which has recorded nearly a million COVID deaths, China has escaped with relatively few.
Because of this, the government has been able to champion its zero COVID policy.
“The past two years the government has been saying, look, you know, our COVID policy really worked because we protected people’s lives. Look at America. You know, it’s very chaotic, and a million people died from COVID.” Wang says
“It became an issue that we’re better than the US model. So when you become political, it’s hard for the government to walk back from that kind of ideology.”
Yaqiu wang, human rights watch
According to Wang, It’s harder for Beijing to open up because the Chinese population is not as widely vaccinated as other places in the world, and because China’s main vaccine is not as effective as Western brands.
So even with the less deadly Omicron variant sweeping the globe, Wang believes it is unlikely the Chinese government will abandon their COIVD zero policy.
“The government feel, you know, this has been successful, and we want to continue this policy.” She says.
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance will join Meta and Alphabet in paying new levies for Australian news unless they reach agreements with publishers.
Apple and Microsoft may also be affected if their revenues in Australia exceed $250 million annually.
Labor’s policy seeks to compel Meta to negotiate after it previously refused to pay for news.
Under the proposed legislation, the Australian Taxation Office will impose an annual levy on social media and search companies, exceeding the current news media bargaining code’s value of about $200 million annually.
Companies that negotiate payments to news publishers can offset these payments against their levy.
For example, if a platform faces an $11 million levy with a 10% uplift, it must secure at least $10 million in deals to avoid paying the ATO.
News Distribution
Any shortfall between deals and the annual charge will be collected by the ATO and distributed to publishers.
Final policy details will emerge after consultations early next year.
The law takes effect on January 1, emphasizing quick negotiations with tech companies.
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones clarified that the policy aims to facilitate negotiations, not increase government revenue, stating that digital platforms benefit financially from Australia and should support quality journalism.
Labor’s decision follows Meta’s refusal to renegotiate under the existing bargaining code, which could lead to significant job losses in journalism.
The Labor-controlled committee has deemed the current code “broken” and called for an alternative.
Australia’s unemployment rate fell to 3.9% last month, highlighting a robust job market and influencing interest rate forecasts.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported an increase of 35,600 jobs, marking the unemployment rate’s first decline below 4% since March.
Economists attribute this growth primarily to expansion in public service and government-funded roles in healthcare and education.
Source: AFR/ABS
Following the job report, Australian shares lost momentum while the local dollar rose by 0.7%, reflecting positive market reactions.
Despite the strong job numbers, Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock indicated a potential cash rate cut from 4.35% as early as February, suggesting confidence in returning inflation to the target range.
New expectations
This shift in the RBA’s stance revives expectations for a pre-election rate cut by the Albanese government, which had seemed unlikely amid solid job data.
NAB’s head of market economics, Tapas Strickland, noted that the employment figures may challenge the RBA’s confidence in its inflation projections.
The current unemployment rate averages 4% this December quarter, below the RBA’s prediction of 4.3%.
Betashares chief economist David Bassanese suggested that the strong employment report diminishes chances for a February rate cut, with May seen as a more likely time for adjustment post-election.
In the aftermath of Luigi Mangione’s murder charge for killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a significant online fundraiser for his legal defense has garnered over a thousand donations.
The contributions come with messages that support Mangione and, in some cases, celebrate the act itself.
In New York, “Wanted” posters featuring CEOs have surfaced, and merchandise like “CEO Hunter” hats has appeared online.
Some social media users have expressed admiration for Mangione, highlighting his appearance.
Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson on December 4 outside a Manhattan hotel during an industry conference, which triggered a five-day manhunt.
Online support
While the crime has drawn widespread condemnation, the 26-year-old has gained a controversial following as a sort of folk hero in certain online communities. This support has grown since his arrest.
The messages on the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo reveal a shared frustration with the U.S. healthcare system and rising income inequality.
Some donors have argued that denying healthcare coverage can be seen as a lethal offense. More than $31,000 has been raised on the platform.
Former NYPD detective Felipe Rodriguez expressed concern over Mangione’s martyrdom status among some supporters, asserting that the reality of the crime should not be overlooked. Currently, Mangione faces extradition to New York as police link him to the murder through recovered evidence.