Mantai Chow

US drug maker Pfizer said on November 9, 2020, that its experimental Covid-19 vaccine was more than 90 percent effective. The findings were based on the first interim analysis conducted this month. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE are the first drug makers to release successful data from a large-scale clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine. The companies said they have so far found no serious safety concerns and expect to seek US authorization this month for emergency use of the vaccine.

Four Hong Kong activists entered the US consulate on Tuesday afternoon in a dramatic bid for asylum. The drama took place just hours after the city’s police national security unit arrested the former leader of a pro-independence group as he was planning a similar move at the diplomatic mission. A South China Morning Post reporter saw the four running toward the consulate and talking to security guards at the entrance before they were allowed into the compound. It is understood that they were later rejected, but there was no official confirmation. Sources said mainland Chinese officials in Hong Kong were aware of their attempt and closely monitoring what could have erupted into a major diplo

Hong Kong marked the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown amid a police ban on the annual Victoria Park vigil because of Covid-19 social distancing restrictions. Thousands defied the ban and gathered in the park anyway. Elsewhere in the city, people gathered to light candles and held a moment of silence to commemorate those who died in the crackdown on June 4, 1989. 

Felicity Feng, a Canadian visiting her parents in Wuhan over the Lunar New Year holiday, was caught up in the deadly coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown. Feng said her father was one of the project managers overseeing the construction of a new hospital for coronavirus patients.  Feng said she is worried about her father’s situation but is also glad that her family can contribute to the fight against the disease. 

Hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered on Tuesday night a month since the introduction of a mask ban in Hong Kong, marching through the tourist hotspot of Tsim Sha Tsui. Police deployed a water cannon to disperse the crowd. Many demonstrators wore the smiling masks made famous by the 2005 dystopian film V for Vendetta. The masks commemorate Guy Fawkes, a British figure whose failed bid to blow up parliament in 1605 is remembered in the UK every year on November 5. In recent years, the masks have become a familiar sight at protests around the world.

Thousands of Hong Kong protesters – some waving American flags – filled Hong Kong streets on Monday night to ask the US government and President Trump for help. They urged the US Congress to pass a bill that would sanction and penalize Beijing and Hong Kong officials deemed to have suppressed “basic freedoms” in the city.

Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Hong Kong over the weekend. Many wearing masks, they defied a new anti-mask law introduced by the city’s leader, who invoked emergency powers as demonstrations grew increasingly violent.

Downtown Hong Kong descended into chaos on Sunday as anti-government demonstrations entered their 17th straight week. Violent clashes took place two days before the People’s Republic of China marks 70 years since its founding. More protests are expected before and during the anniversary.

Hong Kong soccer fans decided to show their support for protesters at a recent World Cup qualifying match between Hong Kong and Iran. Before the match started, Hong Kong fans booed the Chinese national anthem. Fans also sang a new anthem of the Hong Kong protests, “Glory to Hong Kong,” during the match, as unrest in the city entered its 14th week.

Hong Kong has been rocked by more than 13 weeks of protests, which have increasingly led to clashes between police and protesters. On the front line of these confrontations are mostly young people, many of them students or fresh out of school. Without a clear leadership in the movement, the demonstrators are figuring out their own ways to make their voices heard.