<p>Around 1,000 people marched through Hong Kong Sunday, led by some of the city&#39;s high-profile democracy campaigners including Joshua Wong, in what they billed an &quot;anti-authoritarian&quot; protest.</p>

<p>Activists say Hong Kong is at risk of losing its rights and liberties in the face of growing Chinese pressure on the semi-autonomous city.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The jailing of campaigners following court hearings, and fears that Hong Kong will introduce an anti-subversion law, are among the key concerns in the pro-democracy camp.</p>

<p>Wong, 21, was jailed in August over his role in the Umbrella Movement mass pro-democracy protests of 2014 and is on bail pending an appeal.</p>

<p>He will be sentenced on another protest-related charge Thursday, which could mean more jail time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;No one likes to serve a prison sentence, (but) if it can mobilise more people to care about justice and democracy in Hong Kong, I think it&#39;s valuable and I will pay this price,&quot; Wong told AFP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Protesters carried placards reading: &quot;The Hong Kong spirit can never be imprisoned&quot; and &quot;Walk with the resisters, fight authoritarian rule&quot;.</p>

<p>Some held up caricatures of city leaders.</p>

<p>Others played a recording of China&#39;s national anthem and paraded a doll bearing the sign: &quot;When you hear the national anthem, don&#39;t eat. Stand up immediately.&quot; A new law introduced by Beijing against disrespecting the anthem will also be applied to Hong Kong.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The city was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 and is governed by a &quot;one country, two systems&quot; deal which grants it freedoms unseen on the mainland.</p>

<p>But with the emergence of a fledgling pro-independence movement, Beijing is pushing a tougher line on Hong Kong.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There are also concerns about a new express railway to the mainland, which will mean that parts of the train terminus come under Chinese jurisdiction.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Student Kelvin Muk, 20, said he had joined the march because he feared he may eventually lose the right to do so.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We are increasingly coming out to protest because we want to at least hold on to the last remaining freedoms we have,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>


Activists say Hong Kong is at a risk of losing its rights and liberties in the face of growing Chinese pressure on the semi-autonomous city

Around 1,000 people marched through Hong Kong Sunday, led by some of the city's high-profile democracy campaigners including Joshua Wong, in what they billed an "anti-authoritarian" protest. Activists say Hong Kong is at risk of losing its rights and liberties in the face of growing Chinese pressure on the semi-autonomous city. The jailing of campaigners following court hearings, and fears that Hong Kong will introduce an anti-subversion law, are among the key concerns in the pro-democracy camp. Wong, 21, was jailed in August over his role in the Umbrella Movement mass pro-democracy protests of 2014 and is on bail pending an appeal. He will be sentenced on another protest-related charge Thursday, which could mean more jail time. "No one likes to serve a prison sentence, (but) if it can mobilise more people to care about justice and democracy in Hong Kong, I think it's valuable and I will pay this price," Wong told AFP. Protesters carried placards reading: "The Hong Kong spirit can never be imprisoned" and "Walk with the resisters, fight authoritarian rule". Some held up caricatures of city leaders. Others played a recording of China's national anthem and paraded a doll bearing the sign: "When you hear the national anthem, don't eat. Stand up immediately." A new law introduced by Beijing against disrespecting the anthem will also be applied to Hong Kong. The city was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 and is governed by a "one country, two systems" deal which grants it freedoms unseen on the mainland. But with the emergence of a fledgling pro-independence movement, Beijing is pushing a tougher line on Hong Kong. There are also concerns about a new express railway to the mainland, which will mean that parts of the train terminus come under Chinese jurisdiction. Student Kelvin Muk, 20, said he had joined the march because he feared he may eventually lose the right to do so. "We are increasingly coming out to protest because we want to at least hold on to the last remaining freedoms we have," he said.

'Anti-authoritarian' march in Hong Kong

<p>&nbsp;A court in&nbsp;Vietnam&nbsp;jailed&nbsp;dissident&nbsp;Nguyen Van Oai for a further&nbsp;five&nbsp;years&nbsp;on Monday for violating the terms of his probation after a spell in prison, his lawyer said.</p>

<p>Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the Communist-ruled country&#39;s biggest crackdown&nbsp;on&nbsp;activists&nbsp;in&nbsp;years.</p>

<p>Oai, 36, was arrested in January while on probation after a 2013 sentence for activities aimed at overthrowing the government. He had been released in 2015.</p>

<p>On Monday, the people&#39;s court in Nghe An, central&nbsp;Vietnam, also found him guilty of resisting security personnel in performing their duty. He was given another four&nbsp;years&nbsp;on probation as well as the prison sentence.</p>

<p>&quot;Oai said he was innocent and he would appeal,&quot; his lawyer, Ha Huy Son, told Reuters.</p>

<p>The court made no immediate comment.</p>

<p>Despite sweeping economic reforms and growing openness to social change,&nbsp;Vietnam&#39;s Communist Party retains tight media censorship and does not tolerate criticism.</p>


Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the Communist-ruled country's biggest crackdown?on?activists?in?years.

A court in Vietnam jailed dissident Nguyen Van Oai for a further five years on Monday for violating the terms of his probation after a spell in prison, his lawyer said. Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the Communist-ruled country's biggest crackdown on activists in years. Oai, 36, was arrested in January while on probation after a 2013 sentence for activities aimed at overthrowing the government. He had been released in 2015. On Monday, the people's court in Nghe An, central Vietnam, also found him guilty of resisting security personnel in performing their duty. He was given another four years on probation as well as the prison sentence. "Oai said he was innocent and he would appeal," his lawyer, Ha Huy Son, told Reuters. The court made no immediate comment. Despite sweeping economic reforms and growing openness to social change, Vietnam's Communist Party retains tight media censorship and does not tolerate criticism.

Vietnam jails dissident in crackdown on activists

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<p>As the city&#39;s fall nears, Aleppo&#39;s remaining&nbsp;residents&nbsp;are tweeting their &ldquo;final goodbyes&rdquo;.</p>

<p>NInety-eight&nbsp;per cent of the city is under regime control and the rebels holed up in one tiny, heavily-bombarded pocket,</p>

<p>In one such tweet, a media activist sent out a video message which he called &ldquo;close to if not the last communication&rdquo;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Perhaps my final message from E. Aleppo. Regime forces are closing in and bunker busters are raining down. <a href="https://t.co/XgK0DSa08x">pic.twitter.com/XgK0DSa08x</a></p>
&mdash; Bilal Abdul Kareem (@BilalKareem) <a href="https://twitter.com/BilalKareem/status/808354660469850112">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<p>A man from Aleppo tweeted photos of his daughter, saying: &ldquo;Will I see her for another day&rdquo;. &ldquo;This is a call and this might be the last call,&rdquo;&nbsp;he tweeted, calling on viewers to &ldquo;save&rsquo; the people of Aleppo.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">this is a call and might be the last call.<br />
Save Aleppo people. Save my daughter and other children. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StandWithAleppo?src=hash">#StandWithAleppo</a></p>
&mdash; @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mr_Alhamdo/status/808264257162846209">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lamar is beginning me to hold her up.<br />
Will I see her for another day? <a href="https://t.co/nQ3lvsoBC1">pic.twitter.com/nQ3lvsoBC1</a></p>
&mdash; @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mr_Alhamdo/status/808208964412436480">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I can tweet now but I might not do it forever. please save my daughter&#39;s life and others. this is a call from a father.</p>
&mdash; @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mr_Alhamdo/status/808287461432557569">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<p>Another man said he was &ldquo;surprised&rdquo; he was still alive and tweeting.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Final message - people are dying since last night. I am very surprised I am tweeting right now &amp; still alive. - Fatemah <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aleppo?src=hash">#Aleppo</a></p>
&mdash; Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlabedBana/status/808292745504813056">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<p>Others said they should not be lulled into believing the fall of Aleppo would mean a return to &quot;normalcy&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">1/ We need to be very careful before thinking that the &quot;fall of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aleppo?src=hash">#Aleppo</a>&quot; will mean a return to peace, calm, or normalcy in any sense.</p>
&mdash; Shawn Carri&eacute; (@shawncarrie) <a href="https://twitter.com/shawncarrie/status/808375829017272321">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">2/ &quot;Now it&#39;s not about victory, it is about a hundred thousand civilians,&quot; a member of the local council in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aleppo?src=hash">#Aleppo</a> told me today.</p>
&mdash; Shawn Carri&eacute; (@shawncarrie) <a href="https://twitter.com/shawncarrie/status/808376200171319297">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">3/ Every person in East <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aleppo?src=hash">#Aleppo</a> is at risk of imprisonment as soon as they are back in the regime&#39;s hands. Every single one.</p>
&mdash; Shawn Carri&eacute; (@shawncarrie) <a href="https://twitter.com/shawncarrie/status/808406028652085253">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


'I can tweet now but I might not do it forever. Please save my daughter's life,' said one

As the city's fall nears, Aleppo's remaining residents are tweeting their “final goodbyes”. NInety-eight per cent of the city is under regime control and the rebels holed up in one tiny, heavily-bombarded pocket, In one such tweet, a media activist sent out a video message which he called “close to if not the last communication”. Perhaps my final message from E. Aleppo. Regime forces are closing in and bunker busters are raining down. pic.twitter.com/XgK0DSa08x — Bilal Abdul Kareem (@BilalKareem) December 12, 2016 × A man from Aleppo tweeted photos of his daughter, saying: “Will I see her for another day”. “This is a call and this might be the last call,” he tweeted, calling on viewers to “save’ the people of Aleppo. this is a call and might be the last call. Save Aleppo people. Save my daughter and other children. #StandWithAleppo — @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016 × Lamar is beginning me to hold her up. Will I see her for another day? pic.twitter.com/nQ3lvsoBC1 — @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016 × I can tweet now but I might not do it forever. please save my daughter's life and others. this is a call from a father. — @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016 × Another man said he was “surprised” he was still alive and tweeting. Final message - people are dying since last night. I am very surprised I am tweeting right now & still alive. - Fatemah #Aleppo — Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 12, 2016 × Others said they should not be lulled into believing the fall of Aleppo would mean a return to "normalcy". 1/ We need to be very careful before thinking that the "fall of #Aleppo" will mean a return to peace, calm, or normalcy in any sense. — Shawn Carrié (@shawncarrie) December 12, 2016 × 2/ "Now it's not about victory, it is about a hundred thousand civilians," a member of the local council in #Aleppo told me today. — Shawn Carrié (@shawncarrie) December 12, 2016 × 3/ Every person in East #Aleppo is at risk of imprisonment as soon as they are back in the regime's hands. Every single one. — Shawn Carrié (@shawncarrie) December 12, 2016 × (WION)

As offensive nears end, Aleppo residents tweet 'final goodbyes'

The Indian makers of a $4 smartphone hope its low price will allow millions of the poorest to own a mobile phone in a market which at present has seen only 10 per cent penetration.<br />
<br />
But labour rights campaigners worry that the push to churn out cheap handsets and tablets may lead to greater abuse of workers&#39; rights in India, world&#39;s fastest-growing smartphone market.<br />
<br />
Ringing Bells&#39; Freedom 251 smartphone, whose launch in February crashed the company&#39;s website, is priced at Rs251.<br />
<br />
On Thursday, the company&#39;s chief executive Mohit Goel said the first shipment of about 200,000 handsets was due next week.<br />
<br />
Ringing Bells pays fair wages to its workers and its pricier models will help offset the cost of the $4 phone, he added.<br />
<br />
&quot;Our vision is to make mobile phones more affordable to the millions of poor Indians who do not own one,&quot; Goel told Reuters.<br />
<br />
India sold 103 million handsets last year, an increase of 29 per cent on the previous year.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
With only one in 10 Indians owning a mobile phone, there is enormous potential - much of it at the lower end of the market where dozens of local and foreign brands are vying for customers with some handsets selling for less than $25.<br />
<br />
However, the pressure to keep costs low is pushing manufacturers to pay low wages, rely on cheaper contract labour and insist on unpaid overtime, activists say.<br />
<br />
&quot;Responsibility of the supply chain and workers lies with brand companies,&quot; said Gopinath Parakuni, general secretary at Cividep, a workers&#39; rights campaign group.<br />
<br />
&quot;Our regulations simply aren&#39;t strong enough to ensure workers in the electronics industry are taken care of,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
&#39;Who pays the price?&#39;<br />
<br />
Last month Cividep and Amsterdam-based GoodElectronics issued a report on Samsung Electronics, the leader in India&#39;s mobile market, which found that Samsung workers were poorly paid with no way to effectively have their grievances addressed.<br />
<br />
A Samsung India spokesman said the company complies by all relevant labour laws and regulations wherever it operates.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&quot;Fairness and respect for all are the values that form the foundation of our business,&quot; the spokesman said in a statement.<br />
<br />
While most of the 100-odd phone companies in India largely import from China and Taiwan, companies are increasingly heeding Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s call to &#39;Make in India&#39;, an initiative launched in 2014.<br />
<br />
Chinese phone maker Xiaomi rolled out its first, locally-made smartphones last year from a facility in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.<br />
<br />
The &#39;Make in India&#39; drive to boost manufacturing is aimed at luring more investment, raising economic growth and creating jobs in industries such as electronics and apparel.<br />
<br />
But these efforts lack sufficient checks and balances for millions of workers who face archaic labour laws, low wages, few benefits and little job security in businesses that often flout laws on safety or underage workers, activists say.<br />
<br />
In India&#39;s electronics industry, working conditions are &quot;among the worst&quot;, according to a 2013 report by Hong Kong-based labour rights non-profit Asia Monitor Resource Centre.<br />
<br />
Not all efforts to produce cheap electronics have been successful. In 2008, the Indian government unveiled a $10 laptop that ended up costing more than $100, while a $20 Android tablet sold through a subsidy scheme failed to capture significant market share.<br />
<br />
&quot;Companies like to say cheap phones and computers is about digital empowerment and democracy,&quot; said Raphel Jose at the Centre for Responsible Business in New Delhi.<br />
<br />
&quot;But we must stop and ask, &#39;what is the real cost of these cheap devices? Who pays the price?&#39; Cheap is not always good,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
($1 = 67.55 Indian Rupees)&nbsp;<br />
<br />
(Reuters)

Activists claim that to keep costs low, manufacturers pay low wages, rely on cheaper contract labour and insist on unpaid overtime

The Indian makers of a $4 smartphone hope its low price will allow millions of the poorest to own a mobile phone in a market which at present has seen only 10 per cent penetration. But labour rights campaigners worry that the push to churn out cheap handsets and tablets may lead to greater abuse of workers' rights in India, world's fastest-growing smartphone market. Ringing Bells' Freedom 251 smartphone, whose launch in February crashed the company's website, is priced at Rs251. On Thursday, the company's chief executive Mohit Goel said the first shipment of about 200,000 handsets was due next week. Ringing Bells pays fair wages to its workers and its pricier models will help offset the cost of the $4 phone, he added. "Our vision is to make mobile phones more affordable to the millions of poor Indians who do not own one," Goel told Reuters. India sold 103 million handsets last year, an increase of 29 per cent on the previous year. With only one in 10 Indians owning a mobile phone, there is enormous potential - much of it at the lower end of the market where dozens of local and foreign brands are vying for customers with some handsets selling for less than $25. However, the pressure to keep costs low is pushing manufacturers to pay low wages, rely on cheaper contract labour and insist on unpaid overtime, activists say. "Responsibility of the supply chain and workers lies with brand companies," said Gopinath Parakuni, general secretary at Cividep, a workers' rights campaign group. "Our regulations simply aren't strong enough to ensure workers in the electronics industry are taken care of," he said. 'Who pays the price?' Last month Cividep and Amsterdam-based GoodElectronics issued a report on Samsung Electronics, the leader in India's mobile market, which found that Samsung workers were poorly paid with no way to effectively have their grievances addressed. A Samsung India spokesman said the company complies by all relevant labour laws and regulations wherever it operates. "Fairness and respect for all are the values that form the foundation of our business," the spokesman said in a statement. While most of the 100-odd phone companies in India largely import from China and Taiwan, companies are increasingly heeding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to 'Make in India', an initiative launched in 2014. Chinese phone maker Xiaomi rolled out its first, locally-made smartphones last year from a facility in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The 'Make in India' drive to boost manufacturing is aimed at luring more investment, raising economic growth and creating jobs in industries such as electronics and apparel. But these efforts lack sufficient checks and balances for millions of workers who face archaic labour laws, low wages, few benefits and little job security in businesses that often flout laws on safety or underage workers, activists say. In India's electronics industry, working conditions are "among the worst", according to a 2013 report by Hong Kong-based labour rights non-profit Asia Monitor Resource Centre. Not all efforts to produce cheap electronics have been successful. In 2008, the Indian government unveiled a $10 laptop that ended up costing more than $100, while a $20 Android tablet sold through a subsidy scheme failed to capture significant market share. "Companies like to say cheap phones and computers is about digital empowerment and democracy," said Raphel Jose at the Centre for Responsible Business in New Delhi. "But we must stop and ask, 'what is the real cost of these cheap devices? Who pays the price?' Cheap is not always good," he said. ($1 = 67.55 Indian Rupees) (Reuters)

India's $4 smartphone will further hurt underpaid workers' conditions, campaigners say

An Angolan court today ordered the conditional release of 17 young activists, including a well-known rapper, three months after they were jailed for rebellion against President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.<br />
<br />
Most of group were arrested during a book club meeting in June last year where one of the books on the line-up was about non-violent resistance to repressive regimes.<br />
<br />
The activists maintained throughout their trial they were peaceful campaigners for the departure of dos Santos, who has been in power since September, 1979 and rules the oil-rich country with an iron fist.<br />
<br />
&quot;Release warrants under house arrest were issued on behalf of 17 applicants to be executed from the present day,&quot; the Supreme Court in Luanda said in a statement.<br />
<br />
The ruling overturns sentences ranging from two to eight years in prison, which were handed down at the end of a lengthy trial in March amid complaints about political repression.<br />
<br />
One of the accused, rapper Luaty Beirao, went on hunger strike for over a month last year to protest against his detention.<br />
<br />
Defence lawyer Francisco Miguel Michel said today that he was &quot;very happy&quot;.<br />
<br />
&quot;Any court concerned with the application of justice would have ruled the same,&quot; he said, insisting his clients &quot;committed no crime&quot;.<br />
Human Rights Watch researcher Zenaida Machado told AFP the ruling was &quot;long overdue&quot;.<br />
<br />
&quot;The order should have been given immediately after the verdict in March... I am satisfied that the Supreme Court is upholding the law of the country,&quot; she said.<br />
<br />
(AFP)

The activists were jailed for rebellion against President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has been in power since 1979

An Angolan court today ordered the conditional release of 17 young activists, including a well-known rapper, three months after they were jailed for rebellion against President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Most of group were arrested during a book club meeting in June last year where one of the books on the line-up was about non-violent resistance to repressive regimes. The activists maintained throughout their trial they were peaceful campaigners for the departure of dos Santos, who has been in power since September, 1979 and rules the oil-rich country with an iron fist. "Release warrants under house arrest were issued on behalf of 17 applicants to be executed from the present day," the Supreme Court in Luanda said in a statement. The ruling overturns sentences ranging from two to eight years in prison, which were handed down at the end of a lengthy trial in March amid complaints about political repression. One of the accused, rapper Luaty Beirao, went on hunger strike for over a month last year to protest against his detention. Defence lawyer Francisco Miguel Michel said today that he was "very happy". "Any court concerned with the application of justice would have ruled the same," he said, insisting his clients "committed no crime". Human Rights Watch researcher Zenaida Machado told AFP the ruling was "long overdue". "The order should have been given immediately after the verdict in March... I am satisfied that the Supreme Court is upholding the law of the country," she said. (AFP)

Angolan court frees 17 jailed activists

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