Anti-immigrant protests in South Africa

The Constitutional Court has ruled that the murderer of prominent politician Chris Hani should be released on parole. Hani's widow has slammed the decision as "diabolical."

A deadly apartment fire in Xinjiang has triggered a wave of anti-zero-COVID protests across several cities in China. How will the Communist Party react as the movement gains momentum?

Protesters are demanding easing of COVID curbs in Beijing and Shanghai. People also took to the streets in the western Xinjiang's capital Urumqi after deaths in an apartment fire were blamed on lockdowns.

In November 2021, a team of researchers headed by Professor Tulio de Oliveira discovered the Omicron variant. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists in South Africa were doing research on epidemics. Yet not everyone approves of their work.

Authorities in Shanghai were seen putting up barriers following protests against COVID-19 measures. Meanwhile, a British minister condemned the arrest of a BBC journalist who was covering the demonstrations.

Nationwide protests against China's zero-Covid policy have left investors concerned about the outlook for the country's economy. On Monday morning, both the Shanghai Composite and Hang Seng in Hong Kong were posting losses.

China is witnessing its biggest wave of public dissent in a decade. Chinese universities are now sending students home in a bid to tighten COVID restrictions.

In a DW interview, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he hoped Chinese authorities would "respect" the protesters' freedom, and expressed that he did not see a way out of Russia's war on Ukraine "at this point in time."

State interior ministers have decided on the move due to the violent suppression of anti-government protests. Meanwhile, Tehran has summoned the German ambassador for the third time.

The United Nations also called on Chinese authorities to respond to protests "in line with international human rights law," and refrain from arresting people simply for taking part.

The protests are an unprecedented challenge to Beijing's zero-COVID policy. Authorities are taking drastic measures to keep the movement from spreading any further.

Fresh protests were reported from China's Guangzhou despite massive police deployment across the country. China is currently facing its largest civil disobedience movement since the Tiananmen massacre.