China: Alibaba founder Jack Ma appears for first time since government crackdown

Authorities in at least seven districts in Guangzhou announced lifting temporary lockdowns. State media also cited a top official as saying the virus was weakening.

DW spoke to Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei about the protests in China against its extreme COVID lockdowns.

Statements by authorities suggesting a relaxation of pandemic control measures look more like a move to relieve political pressure than a turnaround in policy. Experts say fully opening is still too risky.

Cities across China have rolled back some Covid-19 restrictions, requiring less testing and allowing people to isolate at home instead of in quarantine centres. The authorities have been careful not to send any signal that the relaxing of rules were in any way a response to rare displays of public discontent.

The Ukraine war has eaten up the Bundewehr's munitions stockpile, sparking concern among politicians and the military. Meanwhile, inflation is eating away at the €100 billion in extra military spending pledged by Berlin.

The number of civilian deaths during a massacre last week in the Democratic Republic of Congo's east rose from 50 to over 270, officials said.

Shops closed in several Iranian cities after activists called for a general strike. Meanwhile, Iranian authorities said that protesters' sentences will be "carried out swiftly."

Dozens of young activists from the various citizen movements in Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, gathered on Monday to commemorate the 272 civilians who were killed in a massacre in the eastern town of Kishishe last week.

China has said it will allow COVID patients with mild symptoms to isolate at home, it has also reduced the scope of lockdowns where cases are noticed and made regional travel easier. This follows widespread protests.

A distraction campaign is underway on Twitter. If users type location tags of major Chinese cities such as Beijing, their Twitter feed will be flooded with provocative "dating spam", in a bid to distract users away from images of the protests against Covid restrictions. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

China relies heavily on Saudi oil and is expected to sign a number of agreements with Riyadh. This is Xi's third overseas visit since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping wrapped up a visit to Saudi Arabia with a joint statement regarding bilateral commitments. Xi also invited Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to visit Beijing.