December 9, 2021 - a podcast by TRT World

*) Three Hong Kong activists convicted over vigil

A Hong Kong court has convicted media tycoon Jimmy Lai and two other activists for taking part in an unauthorised gathering last year.

The candlelight vigil was held to commemorate the victims of Beijing's deadly 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square.

The trio are part of a larger group of activists being prosecuted on charges that include collusion with foreign forces.

*) Indian defence chief killed in chopper crash

The remains of India's military chief Bipin Rawat and 12 others have returned to the army base in Tamil Nadu.

All 13 were killed in a helicopter crash that was flying to an army services college in the southern state.

One officer survived the crash and is being treated at a military hospital.

*) Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine protects against Omicron

Pfizer-BioNTech says its vaccine booster shot will play a vital role in protecting against Omicron.

Lab testing showed a three-dose course of the vaccine neutralised the latest variant.

The discovery comes as the World Health Organization says Omicron has now been reported in 57 countries around the world.

*) Meta bans all military-linked Myanmar companies

Facebook’s parent company Meta will ban all pages and accounts belonging to Myanmar military-backed businesses, expanding restraints on the country's armed forces.

The tech giant had in February announced a ban on all entities linked to the military from advertising on its platforms.

The popular and influential site has for years been criticised for its ineffective response to malicious posts, particularly against Rohingya Muslims.

And finally…

*) CEO apologises for firing 900 workers over Zoom

The chief executive officer of Better.com has apologised after a video of him firing 900 staff via Zoom went viral.

Vishal Garg came under intense criticism when the mortgage company laid off about 9 percent of its workforce through a video call.

Garg said he had "blundered the execution" of communicating the layoffs.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World. For more, head to trtworld.com

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