HONG KONG (SE): Complaints have emerged from Internet followers of current affairs in China, who say that National People’s Congress, which some refer to as the annual parliament, held in Beijing from March 5 to 15, was marked by stricter-than-usual controls.

Radio Free Asia quoted Guangzhou-based writer, Xu Lin, as saying that many of the more outspoken members of the popular chat network QQ had their accounts shut down at the beginning of March, with fresh accounts also deleted as soon as they were set up.

HONG KONG (Agencies): One of China’s most popular online communities for Muslims has been shut down after posting a petition asking the president, Xi Jinping, to stop his brutal suppression of human rights advocates.

The students who wrote the petition told Agence France Presse on December 14 that they demanded the immediate release of advocates still held by the state.

HONG KONG (UCAN): The Chinese government is set to adopt a new Cybersecurity Law, which Human Rights Watch described on November 7 as a regressive measure designed to tighten censorship, as well as closer surveillance and other controls over the Internet operations.

As was expected, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee passed the controversial law during its October 31 to November 7 meeting.

HONG KONG (SE): There was a time in China when Christians used to transcribe long tracts of the bible by hand, because of the difficulty in getting their hands on a printed copy.

However, in recent years, some countries have run big projects to have the bible completely transcribed by hand as an exercise in drumming up interest among people. The final result also makes an interesting curio for display.

Hong Kong (UCAN): Catholic communities in China’s northeastern provinces have been using social media to reach out in the freezing and smoggy winter while still offering direct pastoral care to the elderly to fill the digital void.

In provinces such as Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning, the average temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius for four to six months a year.