#InternationalCourt orders Russia to immediately cease invasion in #Ukraine, only Judges of #Russia and #China disagree

On March 17, 2022, the International Court of Justice (#ICJ), the top court of the United Nations, has ordered Russia to “immediately suspend” its military operations in Ukraine.

Of the 15 judges, almost all agreed to order Russia to “immediately suspend” its military operations, except two dissenters: the judges of Russian, Kirill Gevorgian and Chinese, Xue Hanqin.

ICJ rulings are binding under the UN Charter although the international body has no means to enforce it.

"Ukraine gained a complete victory in its case against Russia at the international court of justice,” Ukrainian president #VolodymyrZelenskiy said in a tweet. “Russia must comply immediately. Ignoring the order will isolate Russia even further.”

Source: Inmediahk; #Mar17
https://bit.ly/3IjEAqR

#Russia Allegedly Move Thousands of #Ukrainians to Russia Against their Will

//An official in Mariupol on Saturday, March 19, 2022 accused Russian forces of having taken thousands of Ukrainians against their will across the border into Russia who he feared could be compelled into forced labor.

Russian forces have taken “between 4,000 and 4,500 #Mariupol residents forcibly across the border to Taganrog,” Pyotr Andryuschenko, an assistant to the city’s mayor, said, referring to a city in southwestern Russia. Given chaos in the city — ongoing fighting, the lack of cellphone and internet service — his claim could not be immediately independently verified, though it was supported by testimony from others who recently fled the city.//

Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/19/world/ukraine-russia-war/a-mariupol-official-accuses-russia-of-forcibly-taking-ukrainians-across-the-border

Source: New York Times #Mar19

#HumanitarianCrisis #WarCrime #RussianInvasion

Chinese in Ukraine Are Trying to Pass for Japanese as Anger Grows over Pro-Invasion Comments by ‘Little Pink’

As #Russia receives overwhelming censure for invading #Ukraine, comments supporting the aggression and deriding Ukrainian women were made on the Internet by the jingoistic #LittlePink and opinion leaders in #China. With the locals getting word of the remarks and anger boiling over, Chinese students in Ukraine are reportedly trying to pass for Japanese. China’s embassy in Ukraine issued an advisory in the early hours of Saturday, 26 February, warning nationals against openly identifying as Chinese and displaying the Chinese flag.

In a clip circulating on Twitter, a Chinese man claiming to be a student at Ukraine’s National University of Life and Environmental Sciences notes that some of his compatriots are making derisive comments on the Internet like “It’s a good war they’re waging in Ukraine—the more deaths the better. That way I’ll be getting a Ukrainian girl as wife”. With the remarks translated into English and Russian and having made their way to Ukraine, he says, Chinese students in Ukraine are finding themselves isolated.

“I just got a message saying that many in China are making gibes on the Internet like ‘It’s a good war they’re waging in Ukraine—the more deaths the better. That way I’ll be getting a Ukrainian girl as wife’,” the student reports. “You know the Ukrainian media have picked them up and translated them, and now basically every Ukrainian knows about them. Down in the bomb shelters in the Kyiv subway, old ladies and young people went asking Chinese students if they really feel that way. A lot of us are now scared to stay there. To all the keyboard fighters in China: show some respect and give us a chance to live.”

Source: RFA #Feb28

https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/cool-02282022040203.html

China State Media Demonizes its Netizens' #StandWithUkraine Effort

Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, Chinese-language comments supporting the aggression and deriding Ukrainian women were made by #LittlePink and opinion leaders on various social media platforms in China. Other Chinese-speaking netizens, who were appalled at these comments and behaviors, began translating them into other languages and posting them online for the world to see.

Calling themselves "The Great Translation Movement", the volunteer translators soon caught the attention of international media - as well as China's own propaganda machine.

Global Times, a tabloid owned by the Chinese Communist Party, condemned these volunteer translation efforts for painting China in a negative light. In a Weibo post on March 17, 2022, The Party mouthpiece called the translations an "evil force", inciting Anti-China hate on the Internet and endangering China as a whole. It also accused the participants to be supported by "foreign, anti-China forces", suggesting that they lacked "normal morals" and could not bear to see China's successful development - and its "temporary problems".

See also: Chinese in Ukraine Are Trying to Pass for Japanese as Anger Grows over Pro-Invasion Comments by ‘Little Pink’
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/312

Source: Global Times Weibo, The Great Translation Movement Twitter #Mar17
https://twitter.com/TGTM_Official/status/1504448184763904001?t=WLgra5Yo_4hpAR0H37dD3Q&s=19

#Regime #GlobalTimes #Propaganda #TheGreatTranslationMovement

ICANN refused to cut Russia's network, saying not to interfere with the war

#Russia has invaded #Ukraine for more than a month with suspension by companies and countries around the world suspending Russia.

The Ukrainian authority recently requested #ICANN, a non-profit organisation responsible for coordinating global network management, cut the network in Russia, but received denial. ICANN also indicated not to interfere in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

ICANN replied to the Ukrainian officials on #Mar02 that the relevant suggestion was not feasible and also violated the mission of ICANN. Its CEO, Gordon Marby, stated, "Internet is a decentralised system. No one has the power to control it or to shut it down."

He continues, "I am deeply sorry to the Ukrainian citizens who suffered so much in the war. However, ICANN does not have the responsibility to punish or to sanction a specific region or country connecting the internet.

#Invasion

Source: unwire.hk #Mar06

https://unwire.hk/2022/03/06/icann/fun-tech/?fbclid=IwAR3hO-FloVZsCS78cF9vyoXHcJJ_5H7Y2YSArfK-jitU0_-ZWYIg15p467k

#Regimes
#LegalPacts between #HongKong and #Russia expected to be brought to legislature in 2022

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Mar28

Read more
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#Regimes
#LegalPacts between #HongKong and #Russia expected to be brought to legislature in 2022

//Two bilateral agreements between Hong Kong and Russia that would allow the jurisdictions to cooperate in criminal investigations and transfer convicts are expected to be tabled to lawmakers this year, bringing them a step closer to enforcement.

Hong Kong security chief Chris Tang and Russian Minister of Justice Konstantin Chuychenko signed a mutual legal assistance agreement and a transfer of sentenced persons agreement via video conference last September. Neither has been enacted.

Ming Pao reported on Monday that the agreements would be brought to the Legislative Council this year.

The mutual legal assistance agreement would enable Hong Kong and Russia to work together in areas such as identifying people, collecting evidence and executing requests for searches.//

Read the full article:
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/03/28/legal-pacts-between-hong-kong-and-russia-expected-to-be-brought-to-legislature-this-year/

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Mar28

For Europe, confronting China should begin at home

All eyes may currently be on Russia, but meanwhile, concerns regarding the European Union’s relationship with China continue to mount. From the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics to confronting China’s economic punishment of Lithuania and tackling its authoritarian model within the multilateral system, the list grows longer by the day. However, it’s important to remember that, just like with Russia, simply achieving a unified EU position on China is not a fait accompli.

Source: Politico #Feb07

https://www.politico.eu/article/for-europe-confronting-china-should-begin-at-home/

#Europe #China #Russia

Putin: Countries who set up a #Ukraine no-fly zone will be considered at war

Russian President #VladimirPutin said on March 5 that any country intending to set a no-fly zone above #Ukraine will be deemed as participating in an armed conflict.

According to AFP, #Putin told staff of Russian airline company Aeroflot that he needed a "demilitarised" and "denazified" Ukraine as a neutral neighbouring country. He also considered that the western measures on #Russia were like a declaration of war, "but thank God it has not come to that," he said.

Ukraine have been asking the West to set up a #NoFlyZone over their airspace. Putin commented that Europe and the whole world would face "colossal and catastrophic consequences" if countries followed Ukraine's call.

Source: TW Apple Daily #Mar06

https://tw.appledaily.com/international/20220306/NDT4MSZZD5HM5KH2UXA3RX7VBE/

#RussianInvasion

Chinese Tech Giants Quietly Retreat From Doing Business With Russia

Chinese tech companies are quietly pulling back from doing business in Russia under pressure from U.S. sanctions and suppliers, despite calls by Beijing for companies to resist overseas coercion.

Several major companies are curtailing shipments in Russia, where Chinese tech firms dominate the market for many products, without making any public announcements, according to interviews with people familiar with the matter.

They include PC giant Lenovo Group Ltd. and smartphone and gadget maker Xiaomi Corp., the people said. In contrast to many Western firms, the companies have avoided making public statements about Russia’s war in Ukraine or their business there as Beijing opposes Western sanctions.

Source: WSJ #May06

https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-tech-giants-quietly-stop-doing-business-with-russia-11651845795

#Chinese #Russia #US #Sanction #Ukraine

#Russia #Invasion #Ukraine
Google ordered translators to censor the word "war" in Russia

As the Russia-Ukraine war continues, many international companies impose sanctions on Russia to show their support to Ukraine. These companies include Meta and Google.

In late March, #Google has told its Russian translators not to use the word "war" when describing the war in Ukraine, instead of vague terms including “extraordinary circumstances”, according to The Intercept.

According to a translator who spoke to The Intercept, the order applies to all Google products translated into Russian, including Google Maps, Gmail, AdWords, and Google’s policies and communications with users.

Read the full article on #TheIntercept
https://theintercept.com/2022/03/28/google-russia-ukraine-war-censorship/


Source: Unwired Hong Kong; #April
https://unwire.hk/2022/03/29/google-9/fun-tech/

Japan turns away from post-WWII pacifism as China threat grows

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is a man on a mission.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, he has imposed sanctions on Moscow, agreed to pursue a nuclear-free world with the Pope and taken a diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia and Europe to rally world leaders to protect democracy.

But it's not just democracy in Ukraine that he's trying to protect - Kishida sees parallels between Russia's actions in Europe and China's expansion in the Indo-Pacific, a region stretching from America's Pacific coastline to the Indian Ocean.

Source: CNN #May22

https://t.co/kn0IOz1zgi

#China #Japan #Russia #Ukraine

#China, #Russia Again Veto UN Statement on #Myanmar Conflict

Source: The Diplomat #May30

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#China, #Russia Again Veto UN Statement on #Myanmar Conflict

// On May 30, 2022, Russia and China once again wielded their vetoes to forestall the release of a United Nations Security Council (#UNSC) resolution expressing its concern over the escalating humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.

The two nations’ delegations reportedly objected to the wording of the statement
[...] authored by the United Kingdom’s delegation, the statement expressed its concern at the violence and serious humanitarian situation in Myanmar, 16 months on from the February 2021 coup that overthrew the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. It also expressed misgivings about the “limited progress” on the implementation of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus peace plan.

According to other reports, the delegations from the U.K. and China blamed each other for the failure of the day-long negotiations. For the U.K. officials, Beijing was asking for “too much,” which led to the collapse of the negotiations, according to AFP. One of the sticking points for the Chinese delegation was the use of the word “limited” to refer to the progress on ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus, which it suggested replacing with the word “slow.” A spokeswoman told AFP that China’s proposed wording was “factual but less condescending,” adding that “it’s a real shame” that there was no agreement.//

Source: The Diplomat #May30

#Regime #Dictatorship #UnitedNations

Most Canadians want Ottawa to set up foreign-influence registry

A strong majority of Canadians favour a registry of foreign agents, similar to ones in Australia and the United States, to shed light on Canadian citizens paid to influence Canada’s political process on behalf of countries such as China or Russia.

A public-opinion survey by Nanos Research found that 88 per cent of Canadians support or somewhat support a foreign-influence registry. Only 7 per cent of those surveyed oppose or somewhat oppose having lawyers, lobbyists and retired politicians register when they take on paid roles for foreign governments and companies linked to these countries.

Source: TheGlobeAndMail #Dec26

#Canada #China #Russia #Ottawa #Foreign #Influence

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-china-russia-canada-foreign-influence-registry/?fbclid=IwAR04zyTPoQmfda0GDZMO8pDLmufZn7vvw22cJR5t0PqSPJf-0wa6gnYi6WQ