China censors maskless crowd footage in World Cup broadcasts

Chinese state television has censored World Cup games to remove shots of maskless crowds after the sight of joyous fans celebrating in packed stadiums stoked anger back home, where hundreds of millions remain under strict pandemic restrictions. A well-attended opening ceremony in Qatar - with no social distancing - led to users of Chinese social media platforms complaining that it contrasted with the severe isolation they felt under President Xi Jinping's zero-Covid policy. Chinese netizens said it was "weird" to see hundreds of thousands of people gathering in a carnival-like atmosphere while they were still forced to live under a…