China releases zero-Covid protesters after four months in detention.

Two Chinese women who participated in the historic "white paper" protests in Beijing calling for an end to COVID-19 restrictions were released on Wednesday after almost four months in detention. The protests, which began in late November and were suppressed by police within days, helped hasten the end of three years of tough COVID restrictions. Many protesters were detained and interrogated by police, with some facing charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". Human rights groups have criticized China's crackdown on the largely peaceful demonstrations.