One man was shot in the chest by police in Hong Kong on Tuesday during widespread and violent protests that coincided with celebrations across China marking 70 years of the Communist state. The incident marked the first time live fire was used by Hong Kong police in their attempts to quell unrest, which is now in its fifth month.
Speaking at a celebration and military parade in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China remains committed to "the strategy of peaceful reunification" and to "one country, two systems," the governing framework established after the Hong Kong handover in 1997.
"No force can ever undermine China's status, or stop the Chinese people and nation from marching forward," Xi said at the National Day ceremony in Tiananmen Square, adding that China will "maintain lasting prosperity and stability" in Hong Kong.
<i>A portrait of President Xi Jinping during a parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China in Beijing. Photo Credit: Mark Schiefelbein/AP/Shutterstock</i>
Unrest in Hong Kong first broke out in June in opposition to legislation that would have permitted extraditions to mainland China. Residents, moreover, largely took to the streets to voice their objection to China's growing influence over the city's government and Hong Kong at large, which has enjoyed relative autonomy as a special administrative region. The unrest significantly escalated in August after anti-government protesters occupied the city's international airport and held large-scale demonstrations throughout Hong Kong, which has long been a major financial hub for global banking and commerce.
The extradition bill was suspended — and later fully withdrawn — but dramatic protests continued with Hong Kongers calling for democratic voting rights and independent investigations into widespread reports of police abuse.
In Hong Kong on Tuesday, thousands of demonstrators marched peacefully through the city's major thoroughfares to air their grievances and mar National Day celebrations in mainland China. Several violent clashes, however, erupted between protestors and police, which resulted in the shooting of the young activist, who was 18-years-old.
"HK police is celebrating the [People's Republic of China] national day by shooting a young activist," Nathan Law, a leading activist, said on Twitter. "Big prize to communist party? Disgusting. Shame on the police."
Hong Kong police confirmed that the victim was taken to the hospital and, according to local media, remains in critical condition. Throughout the day Tuesday, police condemned "rioters" for starting fires, damaging property, and instigating violence. Authorities also urged all residents to stay indoors and find safe spaces.
Joshua Wong, one of the most prominent pro-democracy activists and politicians, said on Twitter that "on China's National Day ... HK fallen into a de facto police state" and that "paramilitary security forces completely took over this city."
<i>Police clash with anti-government protesters in central Hong Kong. Photo Credit: Vincent Yu/AP/Shutterstock</i>
The unrest in the streets of Hong Kong were in stark contrast to the military procession in Beijing. Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, reported that the parade consisted of 15,000 personnel, 580 pieces of armament, over 160 aircrafts, and new, advanced intercontinental nuclear missiles. Fireworks later lit up the sky as entertainers performed for thousands of festival goers.
"At this very moment, Chinese people of all ethnic groups and all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation at home and abroad take pride in and joyfully give our best wishes to our great motherland," Xi added in his remarks.
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's embattled chief executive, was in Beijing to attend the National Day celebration.
By end of day Tuesday, over 180 people were arrested and 25 police officers were injured, the South China Morning Post reported citing police chief Stephen Lo. It has been “one of Hong Kong’s most violent and chaotic days," Lo said.
A 2021 report from UK Research and Innovation found that the shipping industry makes up at least 2.5 percent of the world's total CO2 emissions. It's a problem that energy solutions company, Leclanché, is trying to solve. Founded in 1909, the company has been developing and producing batteries for more than 100 years. Today, Leclanché's lithium-ion battery is used to electrify not just ships, but also railroad locomotives, trucks, and specialty vehicles. Cheddar News spoke with Pierre Blanc, chief technology and industrial officer of Leclanché, to discuss.
Amazon is betting that ammonia could be the fuel of the future, participating in a Series A round for the Brooklyn-based company Amogy in December. Amogy aims to de-carbonize transportation with a clean energy system that uses ammonia as a renewable fuel. Amogy is partnering with Amazon on its first commercial product - an ammonia-powered cargo-shipping vessel. Amogy CEO Seonghoon Woo joins Cheddar Climate to discuss.
One of the world's largest transport companies is kicking off Black History Month with a new initiative aimed at the next generation of business leaders. Today, FedEx announced the launch of its Student Ambassador Program. Participants selected from eight historically black colleges and universities will receive career guidance from FedEx executives. The program is part of FedEx's ongoing commitment to HBCUs and will also help the company expand its pipeline for diverse talent. Cheddar News welcomes senior vice president at FedEx, Jenny Robertson, and Jerryl Briggs, President of Mississippi Valley State University, to discuss.
"Sing 2" has overthrown "Spider-Man: No Way Home" as the number one film at the UK box office. The animated sequel brought in $8.1 million, in just its two first weekends. However, "No Way Home" is still on track to beat "Avatar" as the number one grossing movie of all time.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has been a driving force for youth mentorship since 1904. The nonprofit organization is launching its annual Big Draft campaign this month in partnership with the NFL, and Artis Stevens, the first Black CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, joined Cheddar to discuss the push for adding more "Bigs" as mentors on his one-year anniversary leading the non-profit organization. "While the NFL is recruiting and drafting more players, they're also helping us to draft more mentors and, particularly, men all the way from across February to all the way to April of this year," Stevens explained.
The Supreme Court will reconsider race-based affirmative action in college admissions. The court will examine admissions policies at Harvard University and The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, which count the race of applicants as a factor in admissions. The court has upheld affirmative action policies in the past, saying it helps to create more diverse student bodies. However, the conservative Supreme Court could be skeptical and even possibly hostile to such policies. Nick Anderson, Higher Education Writer, Washington Post joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
The value of most cryptocurrencies have plummeted in recent months since reaching all-time highs in November, wiping out more than $1 trillion in value globally. The steep crash has some talking about the possibility of a crypto winter, a term referring to a prolonged bearish period where asset prices persistently fall over many months. This all comes as the Fed is expected to raise interest rates, and the Biden administration is working on an executive order to regulate Bitcoin and other assets. Josh Goodbody, COO of Qredo, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the crypto crash, and how the industry might recover from it.
Recent data reveals that streaming giants are struggling to retain subscribers in the months following a major release.
According to data from Antenna, subscriber trends show that users will subscribe to a given streaming service just to watch a particular show, and then cancel those subscriptions shortly after. This comes as the streaming space continues to heat up as new entrants crowd the space. Jon Christian, Founding Partner + Digital Supply Chain Leader at OnPrem joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
The EU relaxed its Covid travel restrictions for vaccinated individuals among the union's 27 member states, doing away with testing or quarantine requirements for travelers. This comes soon after the World Health Organization said the omicron variant could help make the pandemic more manageable. The new rules take effect February 1st. Bryce Conway, Founder, 10xTravel joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
