Articles by Helen Chang

UN Emergency Special Session on Ukraine – The Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ Remarks to the General Assembly

The fighting in Ukraine must stop. It is raging across the country, from air, land and sea.   It must stop now. Russian missile and air bombardments are pounding Ukrainian cities day and night.  The capital, Kyiv, is encircled from all sides. In the face of the continuing attacks, Kyiv’s three million residents are being forced to seek safety in their homes, improvised bomb shelters, and in the city’s subways.   The Ukrainian government has distributed a meaningful number of arms to the population with the stated objective to participate in the defense of the country. According to UNHCR, half…


Review of Online Forum on “Sports vs Politics”

On 3. February 2022, one day before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, Austrian experts from sports, politics and culture gathered at the online forum co-organized by Urban Forum and SINOPRESS to discuss about the relationship between sports and politics in today’s world. The panelists include Dr. Peter Wittmann, Former State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery for Europe, Arts and Sport, Former President of the Austrian Federal Sports Organization as well as the Paralympics; Mr. Ernst Woller, Chairman of the Sports Committee of the City of Vienna for more than two decades, President of the Vienna State…


Announcement of Online Forum on “Sports vs Politics”

  We are proud to announce the upcoming forum on Thursday, 03. February 2022 on the topic of „ Sports vs Politics”, an event co-organized by URBAN FORUM and SINOPRESS. Date: 3.30-5pm, 03. February 2022   Venue: ZOOM Conference https://zoom.us/j/93704570665?pwd=S0NVYldncjdJSGlOOGxQQVJDTDFCQT09 Meeting-ID: 937 0457 0665 Passcode: 604727   Organizers: Urban Forum, SINOPRESS   Moderator: MMag. Alice Schmatzberger   Agenda: Against the polarizing backdrop of today’s geo-politics worldwide, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics is approaching, scheduled to be held on February 4th, 2022. Originated 3000 years ago in the ancient Greece, the principles of the Games are reshaped by…


Interview with Prof. Wolfgang Kubin, A Dialogue

On 18. January 2022, SINOPRESS held an interview with Prof. Wolfgang Kubin, one of today’s most influential Chinese experts. A scholar with more than 200 publications, Prof. Kubin defined himself first of all as a poet. In the interview, he talked about his time in Beijing, his memory of Vienna, Berlin, Bonn, and his longing for returning to Shantou University where he finds his happiness right now. The talk touched German philosophy, Western music and Chinese poetry, embracing the shared opinion in understanding the human nature and finding abode in transcending oneself. An inspiring journey into life and its enlightenment….


Beijing Winter Olympic Games 2022 Encountering Chinese Spring Festival

The 24th Winter Olympic Games will kick off in Beijing on February 4, 2022. The three competition areas of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou have respectively completed their independent Olympic Villages, each with its own characteristics. Health issue is essential in the concept of the construction, which strives to make the athletes feel safe, at ease and comfortable. Being the “home” of the world’s top ice and snow athletes during the Winter Olympics, the three major Beijing competition regions have made full preparations for the food, clothing, housing and transportation in the Winter Olympic Villages. The “Winter Olympics Menu”, a diversity…


UN Secretary-General’s Message for the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and the Prevention of this Crime

  On occasion of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and the Prevention of this Crime, 9. December 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent a message to the world: On this day, every year, we honour the memory of the victims of genocide and other atrocity crimes, and we rededicate ourselves to preventing these horrendous acts. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide has given us a better understanding of early warning signs and risk factors.  Yet, today, genocide remains a very real threat.  The international community…


“Human Rights in Afghanistan” Organization Held its First Online Event

  On 20. October, the newly established organization “Human Rights in Afghanistan” with the objectives of knowing and investigating the human rights situation in Afghanistan, studying the causes and seeking solutions, informing and connecting with the Afghan population to learn about their situation, held their first online event. The event was attended by more than 70 participants around the world. The two-hour long discussion with five speakers followed by some questions of the listeners concentrated on such topic as the general situation of human rights today, political decisions and how they affect civilian populations, the military presence in Afghanistan in…


The Legend and Poetry on the Moon Festival

Today (21. 09. 2021), a traditional festival is celebrated in China with the beautiful full moon in the sky and the delicious moon cakes in the hand. The festival is called the Mid-Autumn Festival (or Moon Festival), that falls on the 15th day of the eighth month according to the Chinese lunar calendar. A legend about the festival tells a story of a fairy maiden named Chang’e, who flew to the moon and lives hence there with a cute white rabbit. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, family members would get together to enjoy the moon (which is supposed…


Announcement of Online Forum on “Nobel Peace Prize and Peace-Making”

We are proud to announce the upcoming forum on Friday, 17. September, 2021 on the topic of „ Nobel Peace Prize and Peace-Making””, an event co-organized by URBAN FORUM and SINOPRESS.   Time: 3.30pm – 5.00pm CET Venue: Online Conference ZOOM Link: https://zoom.us/j/93279832199?pwd=Y1IwRVM2eFR5VXJ6WG85YUZOdUxrZz09 Meeting-ID: 932 7983 2199 Passcode: 631772   Agenda: Early this year, the Norwegian Nobel Committee stated that 329 candidates have been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Among the announced individuals and organizations are NATO, Alexei Navalny, Black Lives Matter, Martin Lee and Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, etc… The question is: What is the ultimate goal…


Privacy vs. Security in a Brave New World

  Privacy vs. Security in a Brave New World — Pegasus spyware and the problem of electronic mass surveillance for human rights and democracy By Mag. David Kainrath   Recent revelations about the Pegasus spyware are just the latest in a long row of disconcerting news of digital mass surveillance. At the heart of the problem lies the technological possibility for governments and companies to put everyone under complete electronic surveillance and thereby violate the human right to privacy. Apart from the severe loss of personal freedom that every individual suffers who is a victim of electronic spying, a political…