US sanctions Chinese triad boss ‘Broken Tooth’ Wan Kuok Koi

FRANCE 24 spoke to Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to France. He insisted Beijing was prioritising "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan, but said the Chinese authorities had "not ruled out the use of force" – not with the intention of targeting "the people of Taiwan", but rather to dissuade "separatists in Taiwan" and certain "foreign forces". The Chinese diplomat also said he was "sure" there would be no mass surge in Covid-19 cases during the Winter Olympics, which open in Beijing on February 4.

Dozens of Chinese jets entered Taiwan's air defense zone, the island's officials said. Taiwan responded by scrambling its own fighter jets and activating missile defense systems.

Two years ago, the Chinese city of Wuhan became the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic and its 11 million inhabitants were forced to stay home for 76 days. Today, not a single positive Covid-19 case has been reported in Wuhan for months and health rules there remain among the strictest in the country. Above all, authorities are focusing on their victory over the virus. According to the official version of events, the virus did not even originate in Wuhan but was imported from abroad. Our correspondents report.

The US Justice Department has charged four Chinese nationals over a global hacking campaign, which took aim at dozens of companies, universities and government agencies in the United States and elsewhere.

Critics have warned of the damage to biodiversity and local rights, as well as the global climate. But Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is hoping for an economic boom.

We start with the British papers, which are reporting on "Black Thursday", after four of Boris Johnson's closest aides resigned and the government warned of major price hikes. Also, a US pastor in Tennessee makes headlines by burning Harry Potter and other fantasy books that he says threaten his religious rights. Finally, we take a look at some of the athletes who will be gracing us with their talents in Beijing!

He is the most famous Chinese dissident and one of the best-known contemporary artists in the world. Ai Weiwei was harassed by the Chinese authorities, who bulldozed his Shanghai studio, sent him to jail without charge and drove him out of his country. After the February 2 publication of the French translation of his memoir, "1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows", the artist sat with Eve Jackson to talk about the moment in a Chinese prison when he decided to write his life’s story for his son and what he learned growing up in a labour camp with his persecuted father, the poet Ai Qing.

With more than 700 kilometres of coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, Senegal is one of the top fish producers in West Africa. This is one of the richest oceans in the world and that has attracted industrial fishing vessels from China. Aside from their fishing methods having massive repercussions on the environment, local fishermen say their own catch has dramatically dropped.

The US, EU and their allies have been announcing measures designed to isolate and weaken the Russian economy. Since 2014, Vladimir Putin has been taking pre-emptive steps to protect the economy from future sanctions. But Brian O'Toole, a former US Treasury official and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, says that in the face of Western sanctions, "Fortress Russia is gone."

Solidarity for Ukraine was front and centre during US President Joe Biden's State of the Union address this week. Biden reiterated that American troops will not fight in Ukraine, but warned that NATO territory would be defended. He also announced that US airspace would be closed to Russian planes and warned oligarchs that their assets would be seized. To find out more about the effectiveness of such sanctions, we speak to Daniel Tannebaum, who's Global Head of Sanctions at Oliver Wyman and a former compliance officer with the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the US Treasury Department.

Stock markets in Shanghai and Hong Kong slumped on Tuesday, as investors fear the impact of the latest Covid-19 lockdowns on China's economy. Nearly 30 million people are now living under restrictions in the country, including in the technology manufacturing hub of Shenzen. Also today, Volkswagen has suspended production of vehicles at some plants in Germany over a shortage of parts that are supplied from Ukraine.

Stock markets in Shanghai and Hong Kong slumped on Tuesday, as investors fear the impact of the latest Covid-19 lockdowns on China's economy. Nearly 30 million people are now living under restrictions in the country, including in the technology manufacturing hub of Shenzen. Also today, Volkswagen has suspended production of vehicles at some plants in Germany over a shortage of parts that are supplied from Ukraine.