Tag Archives: Hong Kong

Truecaller Partners with AnyMind Group to Expand Direct Sales Footprint Across MENA and Southeast Asia

2026-02-27 MaraviPost

CASSABLANCA, Morocco, 27 February 2026-/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Truecaller, the leading global communications platform, today announced a strategic direct sales reseller partnership with AnyMind Group, a Business-Process-as-a-Service company for marketing, e-commerce and digital transformation. The collaboration is aimed at accelerating the growth of Truecaller’s direct advertising business across the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) and Southeast Asia (SEA) regions.

Under this partnership, AnyMind Group will serve as the exclusive intermediary for Truecaller’s advertising inventory across Egypt, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. The scope of the partnership is focused specifically on enabling brands and agencies to leverage Truecaller’s premium ad formats to reach highly engaged, high-intent users through relevant, data-driven advertising solutions.

With a strong on-ground presence and established relationships with leading advertisers and agencies across MENA and SEA markets, AnyMind Group brings deep regional expertise that will support the scaling of Truecaller’s advertising footprint locally. The partnership is designed to empower brands with impactful placements on Truecaller’s trusted communications platform, helping drive meaningful engagement with users in these fast-growing digital economies.

Truecaller continues to see strong user adoption across MENA and Southeast Asia, presenting advertisers with significant opportunities to connect with audiences in trusted, brand-safe environments. By combining Truecaller’s global scale, proprietary data capabilities, and premium ad formats with AnyMind Group’s local market leadership and execution strength, the partnership aims to unlock the full monetization potential of Truecaller’s ad inventory in these regions.

Commenting on the partnership, Hemant Arora, Vice President & Global Head Truecaller Ads Business, said: “As Truecaller continues to expand its global advertising business, partnerships with strong regional players like AnyMind Group are critical to delivering localized expertise and measurable outcomes for advertisers. MENA and Southeast Asia represent high-growth markets with evolving digital maturity, and through this collaboration, we aim to bring brands closer to consumers via trusted and contextual communication experiences on our platform.”

Aditya Aima, Managing Director, Growth Markets; Co-MD, India and MENA from AnyMind Group added: “We are excited to partner with Truecaller to open its inventory to brands across MENA and Southeast Asia. With Truecaller’s scale and trusted user ecosystem, combined with our market depth and networks, we see strong potential to drive more relevant, high-impact advertising outcomes for advertisers looking to deepen engagement in these dynamic markets.”

This collaboration marks an important milestone in Truecaller’s broader international expansion strategy, focused on building strong local partnerships to deliver measurable value to advertisers while driving sustainable revenue growth across emerging markets.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Truecaller

About AnyMind Group
Founded in April 2016, AnyMind Group [TSE:5027] is a Business-Process-as-a-Service company for marketing, e-commerce and digital transformation. The company provides end-to- end offerings to brands and businesses, publishers and influencers for digital commerce, marketing, logistics, customer engagement, data and AI utilization, publisher monetization and creator monetization. AnyMind Group has over 2,000 staff across 24 offices in 15 markets, including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, India, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.

As of September 2025, the company serves over 1,000 enterprises for marketing, 190+enterprises for e-commerce, 1,800+ publishers and 2,100+ creators. More information is available on the company’s investor disclosure site.

About Truecaller and Truecaller Ads
Truecaller is an essential part of everyday communication for over 450 million active users, with more than a billion downloads since launch and 68 billion spam and fraud calls identified in 2025 alone. The company has been headquartered in Stockholm since 2009 and has been publicly listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since October 2021. Advertising is the primary revenue stream for Truecaller. Truecaller Ads serves 5 billion impressions every day and is trusted by over 10,000 brands. Visit https://advertisers.truecaller.com for more information.

The post Truecaller Partners with AnyMind Group to Expand Direct Sales Footprint Across MENA and Southeast Asia appeared first on African Media Agency.

Entertainment

Brooklyn Beckham’s Quotes About His Family: No Interest in Reconciling, More

2026-01-19 Maravi Post Reporter

Brooklyn Beckham’s ongoing feud with his parents, David and Victoria Beckham, has made headlines for years.

Brooklyn married his wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham, in April 2022. Rumors soon began to circulate that Nicola and Brooklyn’s mother had a falling out over a wedding gown — an allegation Brooklyn tried to stymy.

“They’re always going to try and put people down,” he told Variety in August of the same year, in an attempt to end the feud rumors. “But everyone gets along, which is good.”

However, Brooklyn later claimed that there was some family drama surrounding his wedding in a scathing statement shared via social media in January 2026.

“My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped. My mum cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress,” he wrote.

Brooklyn also alleged that, the night before the wedding, members of his family told him that Nicola was “not blood” and “not family.”

Brooklyn Beckham Says Victoria ‘Danced Inappropriately’ On Him at His Wedding

“I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life,” Brooklyn added. (Us Weekly reached out to reps for David and Victoria for comment.)

Here’s a look at some of the things Brooklyn has said about his family over the years:

Brooklyn Beckham Didn’t Always Know His Parents Were Famous

In a 2017 interview with Wonderland magazine, Brooklyn said he didn’t know his parents were famous until he was a teenager. “I didn’t actually know that they were big until I was about 13,” he explained. “I went to a football game and people were shouting my dad’s name and I was like, ‘What?! Oh my God.’ I don’t look at them like that.”

Brooklyn Beckham and His Dad Share Interests

While speaking to TODAY.com in July 2024, Brooklyn revealed he and his father share a lot of hobbies.

“Little things that makes my dad really happy … like, spending time with his family and just like cooking in his little hut in the country,” he said at the time, adding that the pair bond through cooking.

“Me and my dad always love to cook together,” he explained.

The photographer added that his dad has inspired him in more ways than one. “I couldn’t ask for better parents,” he said before adding, “My dad was really young when he had me.” Brooklyn also said he hopes to be a young father, too.

Brooklyn Beckham and His Siblings Were Close

In 2022, Brooklyn told Vogue Hong Kong that he and his siblings are all very close. He added, “Harper is the loudest, Cruz is the funniest and Romeo is the most energetic.”

How the Beckham Family Plans to Celebrate Christmas

Brooklyn Beckham Has Been Inspired by His Parents

While speaking to Us Weekly in 2023, Brooklyn said his parents are his romantic role models.

“My dad was just always [like] look, ‘Just always treat her like a princess,’” Brooklyn told Us in September 2023. “[He said,] ‘Just talk and have fun. Enjoy each other and just work and do your guys’ thing. I think one of the most important things that you can do in your life is find someone and don’t let ’em go. I married my best friend, so it’s just easy, fun.”

Brooklyn Beckham’s Wedding Drama

Brooklyn opened up about alleged family issues surrounding his wedding in his January 2026 social media statement.

“[Victoria and David] repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife and our future children,” he claimed. “They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because when the terms of the deal would be initiated. My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since. During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me ‘evil’ because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola’s Naunni at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands. Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.”

Brooklyn Beckham Breaks Silence on Family Feud With Parents and Brothers

Additionally, Brooklyn wrote, “My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song. In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead. She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. l’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment.”

Brooklyn Beckham Has No Interest in Reconciling With His Family

Brooklyn said in his statement that his feud with his family has gone beyond repair.

“I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private. Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed,” he wrote.

Brooklyn continued, “The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into. Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of the innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always comes out.”

Brooklyn claimed that, since speaking out about his family drama, he has “received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders. Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last Summer.”

Brooklyn Beckham Says He Will ‘Always Choose’ Wife Nicola Amid Drama

He also alleged that Victoria has “repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable,” while David “rejected” Brooklyn and Nicola when they visited him for his birthday.

“He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner. When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all,” Brooklyn added.

Brooklyn concluded, “I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life. I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared. I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief. My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press, or manipulation. All we want is peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.”

Entertainment

Everything ‘DWTS’ Pros and Stars Have Said About Skipping Live Tour

2025-11-25 Maravi Post Reporter

While many Dancing With the Stars pros and contestants choose to lace up their dancing shoes one final time for a batch of live shows, not every ballroom personality has been featured on the lineup.

On the heels of many DWTS seasons, the pros hit the road for a live tour with a select crop of ex-mirrorball hopefuls.

“I think performing in front of a live audience is like a drug,” Gabby Windey, who was a finalist on season 31 and hosted the subsequent tour, told the Cincinnati Enquirer in February 2023. “But, sleeping on the tour bus is a challenge. Not everyone has that problem, but I do. Other than that, it’s really fun.”

Season 33 winner Joey Graziadei, for his part, noted via Instagram in April 2025 that his favorite memories were “being able to share the stage” with all of the professional dancers night after night.

‘DWTS’ Announces 2026 Live Tour: Full List of Pro Dancers, Cities and Dates

“This was truly a special group of people and I can’t wait to see how each of you continue to shine in the future,” Graziadei wrote. “The support that we felt all season was unbelievable and it was so amazing to be able to tour around the U.S. and feel the energy and love face to face. I mean it when I say this was the experience of a lifetime.”

Not every DWTS alum, however, has been invited to perform during the live shows. Keep scrolling to read their remarks about skipping the DWTS tour:

Rylee Arnold

Pro Rylee Arnold abruptly left the spring 2025 shows after suffering an ankle injury.

“My doctor did not OK me to get back to dancing right now, and I will not be returning for the extension of the tour, which is just so sad,” Arnold said in an April 2025 social media video. “I’m going to be resting and healing at this time to make sure that my ankle properly gets healed and returns back to the way it was.”

She continued, “I’m sad I can’t do these last nine shows for you guys, but I know that I need to take this time to heal, make sure my ankle gets back to where it needs to be. All of your guys’ love and support has meant the absolute world to me and I cannot wait to see you guys again and to get back dancing.”

Arnold returned for the next season of DWTS, where she performed with Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying. She subsequently opted to sit out of the 2026 tour.

“This year, I had to make the hard decision to sit it out and focus on my health, especially with managing my Type 1 diabetes, which can be tricky on the road,” Arnold, who was diagnosed when she was 15 years old, revealed via her Instagram Stories in October 2025. “I’m going to miss it so much, but I’ll definitely be cheering everyone on and can’t wait to watch.”

Gleb Savchenko

Fellow pro Gleb Savchenko also decided not to go on tour in early 2026.

“It’s a transition. It’s nice to have a great season. I’m not going on tour. I’m gonna go see my kids for a few weeks over the holidays,” Savchenko, whose two daughters live in Hong Kong with their mother, exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2025. “I’m just focusing on myself.”

Julianne Hough

Former mirrorball-winning pro Julianne Hough, the cohost of DWTS since 2023, was initially scheduled to perform during a handful of 2024 live shows.

“I’ve been so looking forward to getting to connect with all our amazing fans on the road and perform live alongside the DWTS Tour cast for select dates,” she said in a February 2024 social media statement. “However, due to a change in my production shooting schedule, a conflict has come up. “I will no longer be able to join the tour for my scheduled dates.”

Sasha Farber

Sasha Farber, a former DWTS pro, revealed on a December 2024 episode of Joe Vulpis’ eponymous podcast that each tour was “so amazing” to see how much the fans enjoy the competition series. After doing “all the tours,” he opted to sit out of the winter 2025 tour.

“I wanted to just emotionally have a break, and take a pause from the tour,” he explained. “I think [on] this tour, they have their peeps. … The tour is so strong, the dancers are so strong [and] Mandy Moore, the choreographer, is on point. She knows exactly what the fans want and always delivers.”

Jenn Tran

Farber’s season 33 partner, former Bachelorette Jenn Tran, claimed weeks earlier that she wasn’t even asked to join the tour.

“I got a call about [the] tour, and I won’t be going on tour, which is really sad because I really wanted to go,” Tran said in a November 2024 Instagram video. “I felt like with tour, I was gonna be able to hold onto this feeling a little bit longer and hold onto this dancing moment that I’ve been having.”

According to Tran, she “started sobbing” when she learned that she was excluded from the cast list.

“You know the saying, ‘Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.’ And it really is true,” she concluded. “I really did have the best two months of my life dancing.”

Instead of Tran, the 2025 tour featured winner Graziadei and finalists Chandler Kinney, Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik.

Entertainment

Why Kerry Washington Ate Her Own ‘Jerky in a Bathroom’ at the Met Gala

2025-11-21 Maravi Post Reporter

Kerry Washington is explaining why she brings her own snacks to major celebrity events like the Met Gala.

The Scandal actress said she has several food allergies during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, November 20, after host Jimmy Kimmel asked her to name some of her intolerances.

“Oh, God, how much time do you have? It’s really sad,” Washington, 48, responded. “All seafood. Not just shellfish. All seafood. That’s terrible.”

But the list goes on.

Kerry Washington’s Best Fashion Moments Through the Years

“Sesame. Sesame seeds, sesame oils. So hummus out,” she continued. “All nuts except peanuts and almonds. Mango. MSG. … It’s ridiculous.”

Kimmel, 58, sympathized with Washington that it must be “impossible to eat” because of her various allergies, prompting the actress to reveal how she gets by at Hollywood soirées.

“At all these fancy galas, when they give you plates of food, like at the Met Ball, I’m eating jerky in a bathroom somewhere,” she shared.

As for traveling aboard, Washington has worked out a clever way to ensure her dietary restrictions are met.

‘Scandal’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

“I get cards made in the language,” she said. “I went to Hong Kong this summer and I had cards made that had pictures of all the things I’m allergic to and [words] in the language. When I travel places, I have cards made. I can tell you how to say, like, ‘mai nam pla’ — [which] means ‘no fish sauce’ in Thai.”

Despite her allergies, Washington said she has no problem cooking with fish, sesame and other ingredients for her family. The actress shares daughter Isabelle Amarachi, 11, and son Caleb Kelechi, 9, with her husband, former NFL star Nnamdi Asomugha. She is also the stepmom of Asomugha’s daughter from a previous relationship.

“But here’s the thing: I’m able to cook everything,” Washington said. “I might have to open a window or turn on a fan, but I cook seafood, I cook all the things I’m allergic to. I cook with tons of sesame oil for the family.”

Washington’s remarks about her children mark a rarity for the actress, who is private about her personal life.

How Kerry Washington’s Discovery About Her Biological Dad Changed Her Life

“I think just from the very beginning, Nnamdi and I have been really protective of our partnership and our relationship, because we wanted it to belong to us, and we found that we were able to define and create a relationship for ourselves and with each other outside of the public eye,” Washington told People in June 2024.

“And I think in many ways, we just want to give our kids that same opportunity to define a life for themselves and to enter the public space in their own way,” she continued.

“We’ve chosen to be athletes and artists, and that’s our choice. But we want to let them be kids,” Washington added.

The Emmy nominee is currently on the promotional trail for her new movie, Wake Up Dead Man, the third installment in director Rian Johnson’s Knives Out franchise starring Daniel Craig. The ensemble cast includes A-list actors such as Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott and Cailee Spaeny.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is set to release in select theaters on November 26 and premiere on Netflix globally December 12.

AMA, Technology

Huawei Releases “R.I.S.E” National Government Cloud Reference Architecture

2025-09-23 MaraviPost

SHANGHAI, China, September 23, 2025 /African Media Agency (AMA)/ – At the 2025 Global Public Sector Cloud & AI Summit, Huawei officially released the “R.I.S.E” National Government Cloud reference architecture, accelerating the nation’s intelligent transformation.

Huawei Solutions Target Challenges in Public Services

In his speech, Li Junfeng (Wind), Vice President of Huawei and CEO of the Global Public Sector BU, said that driven by cloud and AI, Huawei has built a centralized, efficient, and secure cloud foundation that supports intelligent transformation of government and public services, while supporting data aggregation, processing, and value extraction.

Shan Zhiguang, Director of the Informatization and Industry Development Dept, State Information Center, highlighted China’s ICT-driven transformation as a valuable model for global smart governance.

Representatives from DPO (Hong Kong), CCK (Tunisia), Ankabut (UAE), and AIPMC (Huadu, Guangdong) also delivered speeches at the event.

At the summit, Mr. Hong-Eng Koh, Chief Scientist of Huawei Global Public Sector BU, unveiled the “R.I.S.E” reference architecture for National Government Cloud, which involves four solutions:

Resilient & Reliable Infrastructure: The National Government Cloud provides a resilient and reliable cloud infrastructure, ensuring data security and stable operation of critical applications.
Secure & Sovereign: To address challenges of national digital self-reliant security, Huawei offers multiple deployment models (e.g. public cloud, full-stack dedicated cloud, and Huawei Cloud Stack). Through a unified architecture, synchronized technologies, and a shared ecosystem, these solutions support secure and reliable data storage, flow, and utilization.
Innovative & AI Ready: The architecture builds three effectiveness platforms for applications, data, and AI to achieve efficient supply and use of high-quality data. Huawei provides government-specific intelligent agents and digital IDs as core capabilities of the digital public platform layer, supporting upper-layer government applications.
Enriched Ecosystem: Huawei has partnered with over 100 ecosystem players across government and public sectors, helping countries accelerate digital and intelligent transformation of public services.

Huawei continues to invest in innovation, committed to delivering comprehensive solutions that address critical needs of digital and intelligent transformation in public services. Leveraging the powerful cloud-AI synergy, Huawei helps tackle key challenges. The release of the National Government Cloud reference architecture marks the beginning of a new era of “intelligent collaboration” in public service delivery.

Looking ahead, Huawei will continue to deepen cloud-AI integration, driving high-quality development in the new era.

Distributed by African Media Agency on behalf of Huawei.

Media Contact:

hwebgcomms@huawei.com

The post Huawei Releases “R.I.S.E” National Government Cloud Reference Architecture appeared first on African Media Agency.

Lifestyle

Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money

2024-11-19 Maravi Post Reporter

1,000 days of war have devastated Ukraine and transformed life in Russia, as President Vladimir Putin expands nuclear threats amid the escalating conflict. In Hong Kong, pro-democracy activists are sentenced under a sweeping national security law. And, President-elect Donald Trump promises sweeping tax cuts, but experts warn his plans could deepen the national debt.

Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Kevin Drew, Ryland Barton, Rafael Nam, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Milton Guevara.
We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent.
And our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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Lifestyle

Israel-Hamas, U.S. Border Negotiations, Jimmy Lai On Trial

2023-12-18 Maravi Post Reporter

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urges a wind-down in Israel’s major combat operations. Republicans in Congress seek tighter border controls in exchange for Ukraine and Israel aid. Newspaper founder Jimmy Lai goes on trial in Hong Kong.

Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Dana Farrington, Ally Schweitzer, and Michael Sullivan. It was produced by Claire Murashima, David West and Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Phil Edfors. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.

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Law and order, Lifestyle, Malawi

Malawian lady Estina Mukasera jailed 24 years in Hong Kong for drug trafficking

2022-04-10 Maravi Post Reporter

HONG KONG-(MaraviPost)-Malawian lady Estina Mukasera was in January sentenced to 24 years by a court in Hong Kong for drug trafficking as government ignores calls for intervention.

The 30-year-old was sentenced in January last year following her arrest for being found in possession of 2 190 grammes of cocaine in August 2018.

***Serving sentence in Hong Kong: Mukasera***

According to Nation Newspaper, Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial powers devolved from the national government.

After she was found guilty, the Malawi Government provided partial legal and moral support during her trial until the court passed judgement.

After her sentencing, government hinted on the possibility of requesting the Hong Kong authorities to repatriate her so that she serves her sentence back home.

The convicted is currently serving her sentence at Tai Lam Centre for Women, a government maximum security prison for women located in Tuen Mun District, Northwest of Hong Kong.

Using her own means, Mukasera has since appealed her conviction and sentencing and she is expected to appear before the court for hearing soon, according to a communication we have seen from her.

But Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC), who have been pursuing the matter since Mukasera’s arrest, expressed concern with government’s approach on the matter.

HRCC chairperson Robert Mkwezalamba said Mukasera was arrested alongside other Africans from Ghana, South Africa and Uganda, among others, but were all extradited to their countries following their governments’ intervention.

“But since this matter happened government has done nothing to help this woman. Obviously, government is neglecting its citizens,” said Mkwezalamba.

HRCC first wrote government on February 26 2021, a month after Mukasera’s sentencing, appealing to it to begin processes towards engaging the Hong Kong administration towards repatriating her.

However, a year later government is yet to take action compelling HRCC to remind the new Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo, through a letter dated March 31 2022, on government’s earlier commitment.

“As HRCC, we would like to resurrect our calls for Malawi Government to intervene on this matter and all known cases around the globe towards safeguarding the interests of its citizens.

“We are currently informed that Estina is due to appear before the courts for her appeal case and will require Malawi Government’s support. Had government adhered to the call we made last year, she would have been released,” reads the letter in part.

The letter, titled ‘Follow-up on our call for Malawi Government’s Intervention on Ms. Estina Mukasera’s case no. HCCC 302 of 2019’ has been copied to the Minister of Homeland Security, Inspector General of Police, Director General of the Immigration and Citizenship Services and chairperson of International Relations Committee of Malawi Parliament.

“We want government to join the appeal as other countries have done. Immigration Department confided in us that they have exchange programmes with Mainland China for prisoners who have been convicted to be repatriated to their countries.

“Before her conviction we were told that the agreement could not work until she was charged. So, having been convicted, we want to appeal to government to intervene and bring her home,” he said.

However, without clearly explaining what it has done, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson John Kabaghe said government was engaging the Hong Kong authorities to find a way to bring Mukasera back home through a framework agreement.

He said: “For now, however, her best option is to appeal the sentencing because the process of prisoner exchanges does not have good prospects in her case.”

Mukasera has since pleaded with HRCC to write her a letter confirming the human rights organisation’s desire to work with her “in ending human trafficking disguised as drug trafficking, for we believe she was duped and was never a staunch member of the trade.”

In 2019, while in prison Mukasera gave birth to a baby boy and according to Kabaghe government has facilitated repatriation of the three-year-old child so that he should not have to grow up in jail but be assisted through the welfare system.

“The child is expected to come to Malawi soon once all travel logistics have been finalized,” explained Kabaghe.

Human Rights, Law and order, Lifestyle

Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai sentenced to one year

2021-04-16 Lloyd M’bwana

HONG KONG-(MaraviPost)-Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after being found guilty of unauthorised assembly.

Mr Lai was one of several activists in court on Friday who were earlier found guilty of charges relating to large pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.

The 73-year-old founder of Apple Daily is a fierce critic of Beijing.

The verdict comes as the mainland is increasingly cracking down on Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms.

Nine activists were sentenced on Friday for participating in a demonstration on 18 August 2019. Another three received sentences in relation to a separate protest on 31 August.

They include veteran campaigner Martin Lee, 82, and lawyer Margaret Ng, 73, whose sentences were suspended.

Earlier this week, Mr Lai’s Apple Daily newspaper published a hand-written letter by him, sent from prison, which read: “It is our responsibility as journalists to seek justice. As long as we are not blinded by unjust temptations, as long as we do not let evil get its way through us, we are fulfilling our responsibility.”

Mr Lai faces eight charges in total, two of which were imposed under the country’s new National Security Law, which can carry a maximum term of life in prison.

The law, implemented in Hong Kong by China last year, criminalises secession and subversion. Earlier this month, Beijing overhauled the territory’s electoral rules to ensure more loyalty to the mainland.

Thumbs-up from the audience

Some of the most long-standing and well-known activists were in the dock today. Except Jimmy Lai, all of them were elected legislators.

At 82, Martin Lee was the oldest defendant. Often called as the “father of democracy” in Hong Kong, he is also the most senior barrister in the city.

The court was filled with their families, friends and supporters. Before the hearing started, some in the audience stood up, waved to the defendants and gave them a thumbs-up.

Jimmy Lai appeared to be calm during sentencing, even though he had been charged with two additional charges earlier today.

But one of the most striking parts of the hearing came in the speech delivered by Margaret Ng, a barrister who served as a lawmaker representing the legal profession for nearly two decades, after discharging her lawyer during mitigation.

Adapting a quote from Thomas More who was executed by King Henry VIII, she said: “I stand the law’s good servant but the people’s first. For the law must serve the people, not the people the law.”

There was a round of applause from the audience after her speech.

During sentencing, the judge said: “Actions have consequences for everyone irrespective of who they are.”

Five of the defendants have to be sent to jail as they didn’t get suspended sentences. When they left the dock, many in the audience waved and cried out, “Stay strong!”

What have they been sentenced for?

The sentencing is part of a series of trials all relating to the large-scale pro-democracy protests two years ago.

In 2019, protests culminated in the most tense wave of demonstrations in years, often ending in widespread violence between police and activists.

Pro-Beijing demonstrators celebrate the sentences — **Pro-Beijing supporters have been celebrating the sentences**

The pro-democracy campaigners were already found guilty of unauthorised assembly earlier this month.

Their defence team had argued that freedom of assembly is protected under Hong Kong’s constitution, and that authorities had approved a demonstration which only then grew into the unauthorised march.

The prosecution argued that freedom of assembly – while granted in the constitution – was not absolute in Hong Kong.

Who is Jimmy Lai?

Mr Lai is one of the most prominent supporters of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement – and faces separate charges under Beijing’s national security law.

Estimated to be worth more than $1bn (£766m), he made his initial fortune in the clothing industry and later ventured into media and founded Next Digital.

Next Digital publishes Apple Daily, a well-read tabloid which is frequently critical of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese leadership.

In a local media landscape increasingly fearful of Beijing, Mr Lai has been a persistent thorn for China – both through his publications and writing.

It has seen him become a hero for many residents in Hong Kong but on the mainland he is viewed as a traitor who threatens Chinese national security.

Interviewed by the BBC before his arrest, he said he would not give in to intimidation.

“If they can induce fear in you, that’s the cheapest way to control you and the most effective way and they know it. The only way to defeat the way of intimidation is to face up to fear and don’t let it frighten you.”

Who are the others?

Martin Lee, the veteran of Hong Kong’s struggle for more political rights, is the founding chairman of the Democratic Party.

Known as the father of Hong Kong democracy, he said in 2020 he was “very much relieved” by his arrest.

Martin Lee at court - 16 April — ***Martin Lee was the most senior defendant***

“For so many years, so many months, so many good youngsters were arrested and charged, while I was not arrested. I feel sorry about it,” he added.

Many of the others had been at the heart of the pro-democracy struggle for years dating back to the Umbrella Movement in 2014 and even further.

Leung Kwok-hung, known as “Long Hair”, was a member of the city’s parliament, the Legislative Council (LegCo) and even once tried to run as chief executive, the territory’s highest office.

Margaret Ng was a key figure in the Civic Party, another opposition group pitted against Beijing’s rising influence and also served several years in LegCo.

What’s the background to this?

Britain handed back Hong Kong to China in 1997, and the Basic Law was created under the handover agreement under the “one country, two systems” principle.

This is supposed to protect certain freedoms for Hong Kong: freedom of assembly and speech, an independent judiciary and some democratic rights – freedoms that no other part of mainland China has.

But fears that this model was being eroded led to huge pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Some protests turned violent and in 2020, China introduced a controversial national security law in the territory, criminalising secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces with the maximum sentence life in prison.

Beijing said the law would target “sedition” and bring stability. Since the law has been enacted in June, around 100 people have been arrested, including Mr Lai.

Source: BBC

Opinion

The Roots of Hong Kong’s Crisis

2019-10-01 Maravi Post Reporter

China’s Hong Kong protesters demonstrate against extradition bill

By Henry Huang

Hong Kong, the pearl of the East, yet lives in such a turmoil. The ongoing political crisis and massive protest have drawn a large amount of international concern and attention. There are multiple explanations of what has happened in Hong Kong. Some may say it is for a “wider demands for democratic reform.”^[1] On the mainland side, some may argue, “‘The demonstrations in Hong Kong are not about rights or democracy. They are a result of foreign interference.’”^[2]

However, people ignored another very important perspective of the protest in Hong Kong, economics. Hong Kong does have a strong economy, it still plays an important role in international trade and financial services. However, under prosperity, there are extreme challenges that will lead to explosions in Hong Kong society. The unbalanced economic development, enlarged inequality, and the failure of the Hong Kong government addressing economics issue fueled the anger of the people and dragged Hong Kong into the ongoing crisis. The extradition bill, in my opinion, is just the spark that ignited the society’s anger.
Unbalanced economic development was a major issue of Hong Kong in recent years. When we look back into the history of Hong Kong, the economic booming started from the 1950s and 1960s when Hong Kong enjoyed economy booming. Hong Kong economy had the opportunity to grow in those eras by developing textile industry, electric industry, and light industry. Manufacturing became Hong Kong’s main industry until the 1970s when finance, real estate, and trade pick up the main role in the Hong Kong economy. The Reform and Opening in China in 1979 further fueled the development of Hong Kong in trade and finance. Currently, financial services, tourism, trading, and professional services and other producer services are the four main industries of Hong Kong.^[3] These industries have attracted 47.3% in the labor force and contributing 57.8% of the GDP.^[4] However, the problem is that there is the only limited spot of high paying jobs in these industries. Many of these jobs either require higher education or does not have enough positions available for the people. According to Hong Kong government statistics, the 4 major industries are having fewer jobs opening. From 2013 to 2017, these 4 industries has only created 20,000 new jobs while more than 100,000 people joined the workforce.^[5] The rising of China as an international economic powerhouse has made Hong Kong even less competitive in these traditional advantageous industries.

The unbalanced economic in recent years led to extreme income inequality within Hong Kong. While the high paid job in these industries is decreasing, it is harder and harder for regular people to live day today. Hong Kong’s Gini coefficient has reached 0.539 in 2017, the highest in 45 years.^[6] This is also one of the highest in the world when it comes to the Gini coefficient. The highest monthly income is 60,000 Hong Kong dollars, about $7,700 more than the lowest.^[7] Meanwhile, Hong Kong has the second^[8] most billionaires, and 4th^[9] most millionaires living in the city. Yet, the poverty rate in Hong Kong, in 2017, is 19.9%. The medium monthly income is a mere $2,200, comparing to its GDP, it is a relatively smaller portion. We have seen all over the world of the harsh living condition in Hong Kong for some of the poorest people. Only in Hong Kong will you see people living in cage housing. The richest of the richest has made more money than ever in Hong Kong while every day people suffered from loses. This will build up anger and instability in society.
Now, people may ask, did Hong Kong have the opportunity to avoid all these economic development issues? Yes, there were many opportunities, but the Hong Kong government missed almost every single one of these opportunities. The failure of the Hong Kong government has worsened the unsatisfactory in Hong Kong. Back in the earlier days, Hong Kong executive officer wanted to promote the manufacturing industry and public housing programs to provide a more diverse economy and housing opportunities for those who cannot afford to house in regular prices. However, none of these opportunities was ever successful. On the real estate perspective, in the first policy address for the Chief Executive, Tung Chee-Hwa, has promised to build 85,000 affordable housing for the public. However, the program has failed due to the mass protests from middle-class Hong Kong residents who lost drastically in the real estate market. The cancellation of Public Housing programs between 2004 to 2014 has made the housing affordability even worse. In the diversification of the economy, the Hong Kong government also failed. Tung Chee-Hwa also tried to promote programs such as Cyberport, a program that will help Hong Kong to develop a solid technology industry. However, the program was born in the wrong time, right before the explosion of the internet bubble. Also, the leading developer of the project, Pacific Century Regional Development, made most of the project by real estate projects in this project.
Hong Kong’s problem is a political issue within itself right now. However, the economic perspective is also something that we should be keenly aware of. We all understand very clearly, that when the economy is maintained in a bad shape, when there are not many opportunities left for young people in the labor market, or in the society as a whole, something will happen. These feeling of loss in Hong Kong eventually became the anger towards the government, and the Extortion Bill was just the spark that ignited the social conflicts within Hong Kong.

Henry Huang is a Campus Fellow at the International Institute for Peace, Democracy, and Development. He lives in Washington, DC where he is a student at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs

^[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-48607723

^[2] https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3026387/hong-kong-protesters-warned-not-try-beijings-patience-chinese

^[3] https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B71504FA2015XXXXB0100.pdf

^[4] Ibid

^[5] https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp80_tc.jsp?tableID=190&ID=0&productType=8

^[6] https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20170609/bkn-20170609160157957-0609_00822_001.html

^[7] Ibid

^[8] https://www.forbes.com/sites/liyanchen/2015/03/04/billionaire-havens-where-the-worlds-richest-live-in-2015/#7785ea9d19d3

^[9] https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/cities-boasting-the-most-millionaires-around-the-globe.html