
Why Hong Kong used a national security law to ban this mobile game
Hong Kong has banned the mobile game Reversed Front: Bonfire under the national security law, alleging it promotes secessionism and armed revolution.
The game, developed by ESCTaiwan, allows players to pledge allegiance to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Tibet, or Uyghurs to overthrow the Communist regime.
Hong Kong police claim the game, was intended to promote "Taiwan independence' and 'Hong Kong independence", may lead to prosecution for those who download it.
The game's website declares its similarity to actual agencies and policies of the People's Republic of China is intentional.
Critics argue the ban exemplifies the erosion of democratic freedoms in Hong Kong under Chinese Communist Party control, destroying creative freedom in gaming.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
South Korea's Lee says Middle East situation is "very urgent"
SEOUL, June 23 (Reuters) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Monday that the situation in the Middle East was "very urgent" and financial markets were becoming unstable due to increasing uncertainty. Lee also called on his senior aides to prepare additional measures that could be incorporated into an extra budget already proposed if needed. Major share indexes slipped in Asia on Monday and oil prices briefly hit five-month highs as investors anxiously waited to see if Iran would retaliate against U.S. attacks on its nuclear sites, with resulting risks to global activity and inflation. "First of all, the situation in the Middle East is very urgent. I think that all ministries, including the presidential office, should prepare an emergency response system to promptly handle," Lee told his senior secretaries. The president expressed concern that rising oil prices could lead to higher inflation that would take a toll on people's livelihoods. Earlier on Monday, a vice industry minister flagged concerns over the potential impact on the country's trade from the recent U.S. strikes on Iran. South Korea is Asia's fourth-largest economy and depends heavily on exports. Seoul has deepened its reliance on crude oil imports from the Middle East, which accounted for 72% of the country's total crude imports in 2023. Market participants are bracing for further oil price hikes amid fears that an Iranian retaliation may include the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global crude supply flows. Lee had decided not to attend a NATO summit this week due to what his office described as uncertainties caused by the Middle East situation.


BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Russia's economy is down but not out
Since its illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has become the most sanctioned nation on Earth, and yet its economy has been remarkably 2024, if Russian official figures are to believed, its economy outgrew those of all the G7 nations - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the Russian economy expanded by 4.3% last year, compared with 1.1% in the UK, and 2.8% in the growth in Russia was led by the Kremlin's record military country's oil exports, by volume, have also remained relatively stable, as supplies once destined for Europe have been diverted to China and a "shadow fleet" of tankers, whose ownership and movements could be obscured, has helped Moscow circumvent sanctions the Russian rouble has recovered to become the best-performing world currency this year, with gains of more than 40%, according to Bank of as we move towards 2026, the mood music is changing. Inside the country inflation has been persistently high, interest rates have soared to 20%, and companies can't find the workers they need. And globally, oil prices had fallen back this year before the current conflict between Israel and Iran caused a economy minister warned on Thursday that the country was "on the verge" of recession after a period of "overheating".And some Russia watchers have even suggested the economy could be headed for how likely is that really? And how does it affect the course of the war?Yevgeny Nadorshin, an economist based in Moscow, tells BBC News: "Overall, it will be a pretty uncomfortable situation until late 2026, and definitely there will be defaults and bankruptcies."But he predicts the downturn will be "mild" and calls any suggestion of a meltdown a "total lie"."Without any single doubt, the Russian economy has experienced a number of recessions deeper than this."Mr Nadorshin points out that Russia's unemployment rate is currently at a record low of 2.3%, and will probably peak at just 3.5% next year. By contrast, the UK's unemployment rate was 4.6% in April. Still, he and others see reasons for concern, and that's because Russia appears to have entered a period of inflation rate was 9.9% in the year to April, partly due to Western sanctions pushing up the price of imports, but also because of worker shortages which have driven up country lacked around 2.6 million workers at the end of 2024, according to Russia's Higher School of Economics, largely due to men going to war or fleeing abroad to avoid central bank put interest rates up to record levels this year to try and tame the rising prices - but it's making it more costly for companies to raise the capital they need to Russia's oil and gas revenues have fallen due to sanctions and weaker pricing, and were down by 35% year-on-year in May, according to official figures. It has contributed to a widening budget shortfall that has left the country with less to spend on infrastructure and public services."They have this large pot of expenditure for the military that can't be touched," says András Tóth-Czifra, a political analyst and Russia watcher. "So it means money is starting to be reallocated from vital investment projects in road, rail and utilities."The quality of provision is really suffering."Russia may have coped better than expected with Western sanctions, but they continue to drag on the economy, he adds. Russian companies are struggling to import the technology they need, and it has badly damaged the car industry. The EU has also banned imports of Russian coal and diversified away from its gas with a view to phasing out imports by 2027. "None of this is likely to seriously impede Russia's ability to wage war in the short-term," says Mr Tóth-Czifra. "But it could affect the economy's ability to grow or diversify in years to come."So far the Kremlin has brushed off the concerns. In early June, spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the "macroeconomic stability" and "underlying strength" of the Russian economy were plain to April, meanwhile, he said the economy was "developing quite successfully" thanks to government policies. It is hard to say what will happen Ukraine and Russia reach a peace deal this year, which is not unfeasible, it would relieve some of the pressure on Moscow. US President Donald Trump has stated his desire to normalise relations and even forge new economic Europe may well "stay the course" and maintain its own sanctions in the event of peace, says Dr Katja Yafimava from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies."Even if it doesn't, it's next to impossible to see a sort of big return to Europe buying Russian oil and gas as was the case before 2022, although a modest return of gas imports is possible," she adds."Still, this would paint a difficult economic picture for Moscow. While Russia has mostly re-orientated its oil exports away from Europe, it is more difficult to do so for gas."Whatever happens, it looks like the war will have long-term costs for Russia - and the Kremlin is running out of ways to offset them.


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
South Korea's Lee names first civilian defence minister in decades
SEOUL, June 23 (Reuters) - South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung named veteran lawmaker Ahn Gyu-back as the country's first civilian defence minister in 64 years on Monday, making good on a campaign promise made after December's martial law shook faith in the military. Lee, who took office on June 4 after winning a snap election called when former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over the martial law attempt, also named 10 other cabinet ministers including former U.N. ambassador Cho Hyun as foreign minister and a North Korea diplomacy advocate, Chung Dong-young, as unification minister, his office said. Yoon's defence minister, Kim Yong-hyun, played a leading role in recommending and planning the martial law, and is in jail amid an ongoing trial on insurrection charges. The nominations, which do not require parliamentary approval but will be reviewed in at-times contentious hearings, come as Lee works to form a new cabinet and staff his office. He took office the day after the election without a transition period, as Yoon was ousted in April for breaching the duties of his office with December's martial law declaration, which he reversed after parliament defied him. Lee has worked with an acting prime minister and a cabinet carried over from Yoon's administration as he tackles the job of uniting a bitterly divided country and formulating a response to U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariffs. He has pledged to pursue diplomacy pillared on pragmatism with a focus on support for the export-heavy economy's global companies in the fields of automobiles, semiconductors and steelmaking. Earlier this month he named a long-term member of parliament and a key political ally, Kim Min-seok, to be his prime minister, a post that requires parliamentary approval. Lee on Monday also nominated new ministers for agriculture, environment, labour and maritime affairs, among others.