CHINA - Under Pressure

"How will Beijing respond to Hong Kong election results and leaked Uighur documents?" PBS NewsHour 11/25/2019

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SUMMARY:  Sunday’s Hong Kong election proved grassroots protesters there have overwhelming support.  Although the positions pro-democracy forces won have little power, Chief Executive Carrie Lam vowed to “seriously reflect” on the results.  Meanwhile, leaked Communist Party documents shed new light on Chinese persecution of Uighur Muslims.  Amna Nawaz talks to University of California San Diego’s Susan Shirk.

"Leaked docs give inside view of China’s mass detention camps" PBS NewsHour 12/1/2019

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SUMMARY:  Last month, hundreds of documents obtained by The New York Times gave an inside view of China’s growing indoctrination camps.  In the country’s northwestern region, Uighurs and other Muslim minorities have been detained for ideological transformation, isolated from the outside world.  Austin Ramzy, a reporter with the New York Times, spoke with Hari Sreenivasan about the findings.

HONG KONG - Protests and Referendum

"How Beijing is likely to respond to escalating Hong Kong protest violence" PBS NewsHour 11/18/2019

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SUMMARY:  Police in Hong Kong have tightened their siege on the campus of the Polytechnic University, where hundreds of protesters are trapped inside.  It’s the latest bout of violence in nearly six months of demonstrations -- one China is warning it won't let go too far.  Nick Schifrin reports and talks to Kurt Tong, former U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong, about the protesters’ strategy and U.S. response.

"After months of protest, Hong Kong’s interest in local elections soars" PBS NewsHour 11/22/2019

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SUMMARY:  Hong Kong will face its first electoral test since anti-government protests began in June.  The District Council elections are usually focused on local community issues and will not change Hong Kong’s political system.  But more than half of Hong Kong’s population has registered to vote in what is seen as a timely referendum on support for the movement.  Special correspondent Divya Gopalan reports.

"Hong Kong’s local polls test support for ongoing protests" PBS NewsHour 11/24/2019

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SUMMARY:  Hong Kong saw a high voter turnout in the local district council polls on Sunday in which 452 seats were at stake.  The election, which was peaceful, is being seen as a referendum on the conflict between the city’s administration and the ongoing pro-democracy movement that has gripped Hong Kong for over six months.  New York Times reporter Austin Ramzy joins Hari Sreenivasan for more.

HONG KONG - The Fight for Democracy

"Hong Kong demonstrations cool, but police, Beijing vow consequences" PBS NewsHour 8/14/2019

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SUMMARY:  Although Hong Kong's airport is back up and running, the city’s political unrest is far from settled.  Local police and the Chinese government both condemned protesters Wednesday, saying they had “crossed the line” and would be prosecuted accordingly.  Beijing also blamed the U.S. for the pro-democracy demonstrations, as President Trump tried to maintain neutral ground.  Amna Nawaz reports.

"Amid Hong Kong’s unrest, how China is ‘laying the groundwork’ for intervention" PBS NewsHour 8/14/2019

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SUMMARY:  After two days of heightened violence, demonstrations in Hong Kong partially receded Wednesday, and the city's airport resumed operations.  Now questions are surfacing about whether Hong Kong will prosecute protesters it arrested -- and whether China itself intervene.  Amna Nawaz talks to former National Security Council staffer Ken Lieberthal, and Minxin Pei of Claremont McKenna College.

"With buildup of forces on border, China displays waning tolerance for Hong Kong protests" PBS NewsHour 8/15/2019

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SUMMARY:  Chinese military exercises Thursday near the border with Hong Kong reiterated the country’s waning patience with months of pro-democracy demonstrations, some turning violent.  Beijing officials have referred to the protests as “terrorism,” and even some Hong Kong residents have grown weary of them -- but more are planned for the upcoming weekend.  Special correspondent Bruce Harrison reports.

"After recent chaos, Hong Kong protesters hold peaceful march" PBS NewsHour 8/18/2019

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SUMMARY:  More than 1.7 million people in Hong Kong took to the streets on Sunday in the largest demonstration in the ongoing protests in the city, organizers said.  The peaceful demonstration follows last week’s violent clashes with the police and chaos at the Hong Kong airport.  Quartz reporter Mary Hui joins Hari Sreenivasan for more.

HONG KONG - Authoritarian China Labels Protesters Criminals

"China calls Hong Kong protesters ‘criminals,’ threatens retaliation" PBS NewsHour 8/6/2019

Hummm....sounds like someone we know?  Mr 'Fake News' himself.

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SUMMARY:  A day after a strike disrupted public transportation and blocked major roads in Hong Kong, China’s central government strongly condemned the protesters, whom it called “criminals.”  It did not address the grievances of the pro-democracy forces or propose solutions, but rather warned them not to “mistake our restraint for weakness.”  Jonathan Miller of Independent Television News reports.

HONG KONG - People Power, the Umbrella Revolution

"What Hong Kong’s backpedal on China extradition law means for Beijing" PBS NewsHour 6/17/2019

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SUMMARY:  Huge demonstrations in Hong Kong protesting a proposed Chinese extradition law seem to have paid off, as the city’s chief executive has indefinitely suspended the controversial legislation.  What does the backtracking mean for Hong Kong and Beijing?  Nick Schifrin talks to Lee Cheuk Yan, a co-founder of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, and Doug Paal of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

HONG KONG - The Protests

aka 'Tails of a Puppet Government'

"Mass protests over Hong Kong extradition law turn violent" PBS NewsHour 6/12/2019

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SUMMARY:  Protesters in Hong Kong are promising more mass demonstrations after some erupted into violence.  Police battled crowds in a growing crisis over Hong Kong officials’ granting mainland China greater control over the city -- including the power to extradite people from Hong Kong for trial in China.  Debi Edward of Independent Television News reports on the “dogged determination” of the law’s critics.

HONG KONG - Extradition to China a Threat

"If bill allowing extradition to China passes, ‘nobody is safe’ in Hong Kong, says critic" PBS NewsHour 5/17/2019

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SUMMARY:  In Hong Kong, crowds are taking to the streets to protest a new law that allows extradition of suspected criminals to China.  The city has long valued its independence, and opponents of the policy fear it will enable China to target critics and create a chilling effect on speech.  Nick Schifrin talks to Martin Lee, an attorney and the founding chairman of the first pro-democracy party in Hong Kong.

RANKING AMERICAN SCHOOLS - International Teens' Opinion

"What international teens think about school in America" PBS NewsHour 12/13/2016

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SUMMARY:  International education tests offer one measure for how countries around the world compare academically.  But test scores aside, how do academic approaches differ in America compared to the rest of the world?  Special correspondent Kavitha Cardoza of Education Week speaks with foreign students now living in the U.S. about how they see the differences.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  International tests are one way of gauging how American kids are doing in school compared with other countries.

Traditionally, the U.S. performance has been described as mediocre, and this year was no different.  The most recent test scores show the U.S. is stagnant in reading and science.  In math, our country ranks toward the bottom of developed nations.

What these results tell us about educational priorities around the world is a bit more nuanced.

Special correspondent Kavitha Cardoza with our partner Education Week met with international students to ask them first-hand about the differences.

It's part of our weekly series 'Making the Grade.'

KAVITHA CARDOZA, Special correspondent:  Calvin Leung loves soccer.

CALVIN LEUNG, Junior, Walt Whitman High School:  I started soccer really young.  And I just can't stop playing soccer because it's really fun.

KAVITHA CARDOZA:  Two years ago, Calvin and his family moved to the U.S. because of his father's work.  His mother Margaret, says if he was still living in his home country, Hong Kong, just like his former classmates, Calvin would have had to give up soccer.

MARGARET TSANG, Parent from Hong Kong:  Calvin's friends in Hong Kong have to give up playing soccer because they have to focus and concentrate in their studying.

KAVITHA CARDOZA:  She says there are only a few universities in Hong Kong, so competition is fierce.

MARGARET TSANG:  That's why parents (in Hong Kong) would like them to have extra lessons, even after school for almost six hours.  So, I think they can balance studying and extracurricular activities here.

KAVITHA CARDOZA:  Other countries have, at times, wrestled with that lack of balance, and some have even turned to high-performing U.S. schools for lessons in building student skills, such as creativity and collaboration.

But, academically, when Calvin moved here, he found general classes much easier in the U.S.

CALVIN LEUNG:  In Hong Kong, math-wise, it's definitely super competitive and everyone, like, move in the same pace.  So it's pretty hard to catch up if you fall behind.  But, in America, you can choose your own pace.