News of the Day (January 26)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Between Heaven and Earth has the latest on Communist China's Falun Gong War (Canada Front), which saw good news (from the Ontario Human Rights Commission) and bad news (via cell phones). Meanwhile, One Free Korea combines all the recent news into a "sick day post."

Communist China stands by Iranian regime, which still stands on its bus drivers: As the Iranian mullahcracy's chief nuclear negotiator visited Communist China (United Press International via Washington Times), his hosts reaffirmed their support for the Khomeinist regime with yet another statement of opposition to "using sanctions or threats of sanctions" (BBC) to convince the mullahs' to end their nuclear ambitions. Meanwhile, Iran is quickly acquiring another characteristic of its Communist sponsor: protests from workers (in this case, bus drivers) demanding the right to unionize, better conditions, and an end to "the persistent imprisonment of their colleagues" (Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran - h/t Michael Ledeen, National Review Online). As stated earlier, this quarter stands with the Iranian people (bus drivers included) in their struggle to liberate themselves from Khomeinism.

Speaking of uprisings, Jennifer Chou, Weekly Standard, has the latest on how the cadres plan to combat the protests in Communist China's rural interior. As on would expect, it's not through dialogue.

Other satellite state news: Zimbabwe strongman Robert Mugabe is pushing for "students from all Zimbabwe's universities" (BBC) to learn Chinese "to promote tourism and trade between the two countries." The Zimbabwe National Association of Student Unions panned the move as a "political gimmick to lure the Chinese into this country to bankroll their bankrupt regime . . . at the expense of students." Meanwhile, inside the would-be colony of Stalinist North Korea, the suffering Korean people are taking a liking to non-Stalinist radio, including Open Radio for North Korea and Voice of America, despite the prospect of punishment for listening to it by the regime (Daily NK).

Google continues to reap the whirlwind: The decision by Google to submit to Communist censorship of its search engine came in for more criticism, from Reporters Without Borders (BBC), the Free Tibet Campaign (Cybercast News), and Human Rights Watch (United Press International via Washington Times).

More media crackdown criticism: Reporters Without Borders (Boxun) ripped the jail sentence of Fuzhou Daily journalist Li Changqing (seventeenth, eighteenth, seventh, sixth, fifth, sixth, and fourth items). More interestingly, Hu Jintao's decision to shut down Freezing Point (seventh and third items) was openly criticized by the publication's own editor, Li Datong, who wrote "an open letter circulated on the internet" in which he "said he did not know whether to laugh or cry" (BBC).

New Zealand celebrates seven million ex-Communists: A rally was held in Auckland, New Zealand to celebrate "7.35 million people who have renounced membership in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over the past year" (Epoch Times). The number of ex-Communists has since risen to nearly 7.5 million.

On Communist China and the United States: Dan Sanchez, Epoch Times, reports on former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui's visit to the U.S., during which he called "for a quick rise of cooperation among free democracies" in "the final confrontation between freedom and tyranny." Donna Borak, UPI (via Washington Times) has a more conventional (that is to say, much worse) examination of Communist China's rise.