Hong Kong protesters defy ban to clash with police, hit with tear gas, water cannon - Fox News

A large fire blazed across a main street in Hong Kong on Saturday night, as protesters made a wall out of barricades and set it afire. Hundreds of protesters gathered behind the fire, many pointing laser beams that streaked the night sky above them.

Earlier, the protesters threw objects and gasoline bombs over barriers set up at government headquarters. Police on the other side responded with tear gas and blue-colored water fired from a water cannon.

The protesters retreated when police arrived on the street to clear them from the area, but reassembled and built the wall and set the fire on Hennessey Road in the city's Wan Chai district. Police had yet to confront them while the fire blazed.

A march to mark the fifth anniversary of China's decision against fully democratic elections in Hong Kong was not permitted by police, but protesters took to the streets anyway in the 13th straight weekend of demonstrations.

HONG KONG POLICE ARREST AT LEAST 3 PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS

Protestors run for cover from tear gas shells in Hong Kong, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. Many of the protesters outside Hong Kong government headquarters have retreated as large contingents of police arrive on the streets in what looks like preparation for a clearing operation. Police were using tear gas Saturday to drive back remaining protesters.  (AP)

The mostly young, black-shirted protesters took over roads and major intersections in shopping districts as they rallied and marched. Police erected additional barriers and brought out two water cannon trucks near the Chinese government office and deployed at various locations in riot gear.

While others marched back and forth elsewhere in the city, a large crowd wearing helmets and gas masks gathered outside the city government building. Some approached barriers that had been set up to keep protesters away and appeared to throw objects at the police on the other side. Others shone laser lights at the officers.

Police fired tear gas from the other side of the barriers, then brought out a water cannon truck that fired regular water and then colored water at the protesters, staining them and nearby journalists and leaving blue puddles in the street.

HONG KONG PROTEST ESCALATION: TEAR GAS, WATER CANNONS AND A POLICE OFFICER FIRING A WARNING SHOT

Protestors carry an injured to safety in Hong Kong, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. Many of the protesters outside Hong Kong government headquarters have retreated as large contingents of police arrive on the streets in what looks like preparation for a clearing operation. Police were using tear gas Saturday to drive back remaining protesters. (AP)

The standoff continued for some time, but protesters started moving back as word spread that police were headed in their direction. A few front-line protesters hurled gasoline bombs at the officers in formation, but there were no major clashes as police cleared the area.

Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting said Hong Kong citizens would keep fighting for their rights and freedoms despite the arrests of several prominent activists and lawmakers in the past two days, including activist Joshua Wong.

The protests were sparked by a now-shelved extradition bill. Protesters are demanding its full withdrawal, democratic elections and an investigation into alleged police brutality in what have been pitched battles with hard-line demonstrators.

"I do believe the government deliberately arrested several leaders of the democratic camp to try to threaten Hong Kong people not to come out to fight against the evil law," Lam said at what was advertised as a Christian march earlier in the day.

About 1,000 people marched to a Methodist church and police headquarters. They alternated between singing hymns and chanting the slogans of the pro-democracy movement. An online flyer for the demonstration called it a "prayer for sinners" and featured images of a Christian cross and embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, who had proposed the extradition bill.

BRITISH HONG KONG CONSULATE EMPLOYEE RELEASED FROM DETENTION AS PRO-DEMOCRACY PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT

Protestors travel in a train en route to Causeway Bay in Hong Kong. (AP)

Authorities rejected an application from the Civil Human Rights Front, the organizer of pro-democracy marches that have drawn upward of a million people this summer, for a march to the Chinese government office. Police said that while previous marches have started peacefully, they have increasingly degenerated into violence in the end.

The standing committee of China's legislature ruled on Aug. 31, 2014, that Hong Kong residents could elect their leader directly, but that the candidates would have to be approved by a nominating committee.

The decision failed to satisfy democracy advocates in the city and led to the 79-day long Occupy Central protests that fall, in which demonstrators camped out on major streets in the financial district and other parts of Hong Kong.

The participants in the religious march Saturday were peaceful and mostly older than the younger protesters who have led this summer's movement and, in some cases, blocked streets and battled police with bricks, sticks and gasoline bombs

Religious meetings do not require police approval, though authorities said late Friday that organizers of a procession with more than 30 people must notify police.

The government shut down streets and subway service near the Chinese government's office, about 3 miles west of the religious march.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

"A public event is expected on Hong Kong Island this afternoon which may cause severe disruptions," police said. "Text messages have been sent to alert members of the public to mind their personal safety."

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/world/hong-kong-protesters-defy-ban-police-clash

2019-08-31 12:22:31Z
52780369130503

The National Hurricane Center provides an update on Hurricane Dorian (LIVE) | USA TODAY - USA TODAY

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR_i9xk2vdY

2019-08-31 13:09:34Z
52780364378252

Hurricane Dorian heads for the US: Live updates - CNN

The Bahamas is preparing itself for the Category 4 hurricane. Ramon Espinosa / AP

As Dorian barrels towards the island chain on Saturday, a hurricane warning has been issued in areas in northwest Bahamas, according to an alert issued by the Bahamas Department of Meteorology on Friday.

The Bahamas consists of more than 700 mainly low-lying islands -- some only a few feet above sea level. Dorian is expected to be near or over the island chain on Sunday.

Hurricane Warnings are in effect for the Abacos, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Providence in the Bahamas. A Hurricane Watch remains in effect for Andros Island.

The forecast expects Dorian to cause "large and destructive waves" of up to 15 feet along the "eastern and northern shores of Eleuthera and Abaco" on Sunday, and the northern and southern shores of Grand Bahama from Sunday night through to Monday morning.

People shop for supplies in Freeport, Bahamas, on Friday before the arrival of Dorian. Tim Aylen / AP

On Friday, Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis ordered emergency evacuations for residents from the northern Keys of Abaco to mainland Abaco. Additional orders for evacuations were issued for areas of the island of Grand Bahama.

Both Grand Bahama and Abaco are hubs of the Bahamas tourist industry, which plays a vital part in the island chain's economy.

Tourists scrambled to leave the islands Friday before the international airport was shut down that evening, Reuters reported.

The director general of the Ministry of Tourism, Joy Jibrilu, told Reuters the country was "still reeling" from Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which pummeled the archipelago with strong Category 4 winds.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/hurricane-dorian-saturday/index.html

2019-08-31 12:21:00Z
52780364378252

Hong Kong protests enter 13th straight weekend: Live updates - CNN

Unwilling to continue west towards where a large police presence has gathered outside the Chinese government's offices, protesters in central Hong Kong are currently marching in a loop.

By banning a planned march, police have left the protesters without a clear direction or destination, resulting in many people setting out by themselves -- and disrupting more roads in the process.

A group of three young protesters said they started in Southern Playground in Wan Chai, then marched to Central, and now are walking back.

“Sai Ying Pun is blocked and we heard police are blocking all the roads, and some protesters are occupying Causeway Bay but we just follow others," one told CNN. "We see that some are going back to Wan Chai and Causeway Bay. Heard protesters are even in North Point and Fortress Hill but we are not sure."

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/hong-kong-protests-aug-31-live-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-08-31 10:46:00Z
52780369130503

Assam NRC: What next for 1.9 million 'stateless' Indians? - BBC News

India has published the final version of a list which effectively strips about 1.9 million people in the north-eastern state of Assam of their citizenship.

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a list of people who can prove they came to the state by 24 March 1971, a day before neighbouring Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan.

People left off the list will have 120 days to appeal against their exclusion.

It is unclear what happens next.

India says the process is needed to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants.

It has already detained thousands of people suspected of being foreigners in temporary camps which are housed in the state's prisons, but deportation is currently not an option for the country.

The process has also sparked criticism of "witch hunts" against Assam's ethnic minorities.

A draft version of the list published last year had four million people excluded.

What is the registry of citizens?

The NRC was created in 1951 to determine who was born in Assam and is therefore Indian, and who might be a migrant from neighbouring Bangladesh.

The register has been updated for the first time.

Families in the state have been required to provide documentation to show their lineage, with those who cannot prove their citizenship deemed illegal foreigners.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has long railed against illegal immigration in India but has made the NRC a priority in recent years.

Why is the registry happening in Assam?

Assam is one India's most multi-ethnic states. Questions of identity and citizenship have long vexed a vast number of people living there.

Among its residents are Bengali and Assamese-speaking Hindus, as well as a medley of tribespeople.

A third of the state's 32 million residents are Muslims, the second-highest number after Indian-administered Kashmir. Many of them are descendants of immigrants who settled there under British rule.

But illegal migration from neighbouring Bangladesh, which shares a 4,000-km-long border with India, has been a concern there for decades now. The government said in 2016 that an estimated 20 million illegal immigrants were living in India.

So have 1.9 million people effectively become stateless?

Not quite. Residents excluded from the list can appeal to the specially-formed courts called Foreigners Tribunals, as well as the high court and Supreme Court.

However, a potentially long and exhaustive appeals process will mean that India's already overburdened courts will be further clogged, and poor people left out of the list will struggle to raise money to fight their cases.

If people lose their appeals in higher courts, they could be detained indefinitely.

Some 1,000 people declared as foreigners earlier are already lodged in six detention centres located in prisons. Mr Modi's government is also building an exclusive detention centre, which can hold 3,000 detainees.

"People whose names are not on the final list are really anxious about what lies ahead. One of the reasons is that the Foreigners Tribunal does not have a good reputation, and many people are worried that they will have to go through this process," Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, author of Assam: The Accord, The Discord, told the BBC.

Why have been the courts so controversial?

The special courts were first set up in 1964, and since then they have declared more than 100,000 people foreigners. They regularly identify "doubtful voters" or "illegal infiltrators" as foreigners to be deported.

But the workings of the specially formed Foreigners Tribunals, which have been hearing the contested cases, have been mired in controversy.

There are more than 200 such courts in Assam today, and their numbers are expected to go up to 1,000 by October. (The majority of these tribunals have been set up after the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP came to power in 2014.)

The courts have been accused of bias and their workings have often been opaque and riddled with inconsistencies.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

For one, the burden of proof is on the accused or the alleged foreigner.

Second, many families are unable to produce documents due to poor record-keeping, illiteracy or because they lack the money to file a legal claim.

People have been declared as foreigners by the courts because of differences in spellings of names or ages in voters rolls, and problems in getting identity documents certified by authorities. Amnesty International has described the work by the special courts as "shoddy and lackadaisical".

Journalist Rohini Mohan analysed more than 500 judgements by these courts in one district and found 82% of the people on trial had been declared foreigners. She also found more Muslims had been declared foreigners, and 78% of the orders were delivered without the accused being ever heard - the police said they were "absconding", but Ms Mohan found many of them living in their villages and unaware they were declared foreigners.

"The Foreigners Tribunal," she says, "must be made more transparent and accountable."

A decorated Indian army veteran, Mohammed Sanaullah spent 11 days in a detention camp in June after being declared a "foreigner", prompting national outrage.

Both the citizen's register and the tribunals have also sparked fears of a witch hunt against Assam's ethnic minorities.

Have the minorities been targeted?

Many say the list has nothing to do with religion, but activists see it as targeting the state's Bengali community, a large portion of whom are Muslims.

They also point to the plight of Rohingya Muslims in neighbouring Bangladesh.

However significant numbers of Bengali-speaking Hindus have also been left off the citizenship list, underscoring the communal and ethnic tensions in the state

"One of the communities worst affected by the list are the Bengali Hindus. There are as many of them in detention camps as Muslims. This is also the reason just days before NRC is to be published the BJP has changed tack, from taking credit for it to calling it error-ridden. That is because the Bengali Hindus are a strong voter base of the BJP," says Ms Barooah Pisharoty.

The human tragedy

Fearing possible loss of citizenship and detention after exclusion from the list, scores of Bengali Hindus and Muslims have killed themselves since the process to update the citizen register started in 2015, activists say.

And in an echo of US President Donald Trump's policy to separate undocumented parents and children, families have been similarly broken up in Assam.

Detainees have complained of poor living conditions and overcrowding in the detention centres.

One detainee told a rights group after his release that he was taken to a room which had a capacity of 40 people, but was filled with around 120 people. People who have been declared foreigners as well as many inmates have been suffering from depression. Children have also been detained with their parents.

Human rights activist Harsh Mander who has visited two detention centres has spoken about a situation of "grave and extensive human distress and suffering".

What happens to people who are declared foreigners?

The BJP which rules the state, has insisted in the past that illegal Muslim immigrants will be deported. But neighbouring Bangladesh will definitely not accede to such a request.

Many believe that India will end up creating the newest cohort of stateless people, raising the spectre of a homegrown crisis that will echo that of the Rohingya people who fled Myanmar for Bangladesh.

It is not clear whether the people stripped of their Indian citizenship will be able to access welfare or own property.

One possibility is that once they are released, they will be given work permits with some basic rights, but will not be allowed to vote.

Read more on the NRC:

Media playback is unsupported on your device

---

Have you been affected by this decision? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
• Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
• Text an SMS or MMS to 61124 or +44 7624 800 100
• Please read our terms of use and privacy policy

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49520593

2019-08-31 06:12:11Z
52780366029524

Hong Kong police arrest prominent activists ahead of mass rally - Aljazeera.com

Hong Kong, China - Prominent pro-democracy activists were rounded up early on Friday ahead of a planned mass rally as authorities moved to quell weeks of sometimes violent demonstrations against Beijing's control over the semi-autonomous territory. 

Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow, both leaders of Demosisto Party, were held at police headquarters and charged with unlawfully organising a public meeting in June. They were freed after paying $1,200 in bail and their case will go before a court in November. 

Like millions of other protesters, Wong has called on the Hong Kong government to scrap a controversial extradition bill, which sparked the ongoing protests in the Chinese territory.

Andy Chan, an independence activist, was arrested at Hong Kong's international airport on Thursday as he attempted to fly to Japan.

Also arrested were legislator Cheng Chung-tai from the Civic Passion party and former University of Hong Kong student union president Althea Suen.

"We shall not surrender," Wong said after being released. "We urge international communities to send a message to President Xi [Jinping] - sending troops and emergency order is not the way out. We will continue our fight."

'Won't suppress unrest'

Saturday's planned rally - aimed squarely at Beijing's decision five years ago to the day to foreclose on free-and-fair elections - especially unnerved local officials and compelled them to act, analysts said.

"Hong Kong police are acting on Beijing's orders," said Ching Cheong, a Hong Kong-based commentator on Chinese politics, to Al Jazeera. "The arrests sure won't suppress the unrest, but the Chinese Communist Party has its own logic."

But Hong Kong authorities denied the seven arrests had anything to do with Saturday's planned demonstration.

"We arrest a person as soon as we get sufficient evidence to prove his or her offence. The allegation that we time our arrests is totally false," a police spokesman told a news conference on Friday.

Since early June, protests over the extradition bill, which opponents believe will enable the Chinese authorities to circumvent their promises to preserve the territory's separate justice system, have morphed into a broader pro-democracy movement. 

The demonstrators have also agitated for full democracy with the ability to elect the government's top leader, as promised in the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed in 1984.

A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under the "one country, two systems" framework, which guaranteed Hong Kong people rights and freedoms absent in mainland China.

The protest movement has been largely leaderless, mostly coordinated online through Telegram and Reddit-like forums with established civic groups acting only as intermediaries seeking permission to gather from the police.

Any march involving more than 30 people or a gathering of 50 or more people must be approved by authorities.

'Arbitrary' detentions?

Saturday marks the fifth anniversary of Beijing's rejection of a call for universal suffrage in the financial hub, a decision that sparked the 79-day mass sit-in Umbrella Movement in 2014, led mainly by young protesters including Chow and Wong.

Wong, 22, was freed in June after serving time for leading the 2014 protests. The morning after his release he joined an all-day siege of the police headquarters along with thousands of other protesters. Police accused him of inciting and attending the unlawful gathering.

"The arrests are premeditated moves to divide and rule. We call on the government to face public opinion instead of carrying on with the terror campaign," Issac Cheng, a deputy at Demosisto, which was formed in 2015 in the wake of the Umbrella Movement, told Al Jazeera.

190829033045444

More than 850 people have been arrested in connection with the recent protests. 

"It goes to show how the police and the government totally misjudge how the people get mobilised. And now they're casting the dragnet ever wider to include those who are well known," said Eddie Chu, a legislator who was present at the siege and who tried to defuse the situation. 

"There's fear they still hold sway and control the crowd. The arrests are utterly pointless and can even backfire."

The financial hub has been rocked by months of mass protests [Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters]

Both Chow and Wong work as assistants to legislator Au Nok-hin of the pan-democratic camp of the Legislative Council. 

"Their arrests are unreasonable and arbitrary and smack of political persecution," said Au. 

Police issued an objection to the mass rally and march for Saturday on security grounds, raising the likelihood of another weekend of clashes between security forces and protesters, who are likely to come out in defiance of the ban.

This is also the last weekend before school starts. High school and university students, in particular, have been at the forefront of the movement. Some are planning to boycott their classes.

Chu, the legislator, said the arrests were ill-advised as a way of stemming the protests, but he can see why the government made such a move.

"The government is running out of options," said Chu.

Steve Tsang, from the School of Oriental and African Studies, said he was concerned that Bejing was preparing to deploy security forces to crack down on any demonstrations over the weekend.

An editorial in the state-run China Daily newspaper said on Friday that Chinese soldiers have "no reason to sit on their hands" if "the already ugly situation worsens".

"I think it's a pretty naked threat," Tsang told Al Jazeera. "The Chinese government has a longstanding record of making clear threats before it deploys forces. The Chinese government is ultimately prepared to use security forces to sort out Hong Kong."

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/hong-kong-police-arrest-prominent-activists-mass-rally-190830072954586.html

2019-08-30 11:51:00Z
52780368121785

Hurricane Dorian is days away from striking Florida and could be a monster storm by landfall - CNN

"If you're anywhere on that east coast of Florida, you want to have food, water, medicine for up to seven days," Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday.

FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES

Dorian, now a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 mph, is due to slow in the coming days, gaining intensity over warm Caribbean waters to fuel the heavy rains, damaging wind and storm surge it's expected to deliver, CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said.

Hurricane watches have been issued for the northwestern Bahamas, where Dorian is expected to hit Sunday as a Category 3 storm, the National Hurricane Center said.

TRACK THE STORM

It is then forecast to roar toward the US mainland Monday evening into Tuesday morning at major-hurricane strength, though experts warn that forecasts are subject to change.

"There is a wide cone of uncertainty of the storm, especially since it is still days from landfall on Florida," CNN meteorologist Rob Shackelford said. The cone extends from Key West up to around Jacksonville, a distance of 500 miles, he added.

Big storm, big response

Dorian warrants a multibillion dollar price tag, FEMA associate administrator Jeffrey Byard told reporters Thursday.

"This is going to be a big storm. We're prepared for a big response," he said.

Since Dorian had minimal impact on Puerto Rico, the agency is shifting staff from the island to Florida in preparation.

Dorian already has claimed the title of strongest storm so far of this year's Atlantic hurricane season.

If it reaches Florida, this will be the fourth year in a row a hurricane of any strength has hit the state. That would be the most years in a row since the 1940s.

And if it reaches Florida as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of around 130 mph, it would be the strongest hurricane to strike Florida's east coast since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller said.

Florida residents are stocking up

DeSantis declared a state of emergency for all 67 Florida counties. The state has 819,000 gallons of water and 1.8 million meals ready for distribution, he said.

Florida residents have been stocking up on gas and food for a stormy weekend, and officials are urging those in the state to be prepared.

"Get water, get gas, get cash out of the ATMs," West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James said. "The more we hear about this storm, it sounds like a serious one."

With Dorian scheduled to arrive in time for Labor Day weekend, major airlines have offered waivers for flights to Florida, Georgia and the Caribbean. And tourist areas were emptying out Thursday, CNN affiliate WFLA reported.

"We usually get hundreds of visitors every day, and it's just been one of those days that drives everyone away. It's a gorgeous day but the hurricane is just going to kill it all," Jason Pun, owner of a Cocoa Beach restaurant, told the station.

"it is taking a little bit of a hindrance, especially when we're supposed to be preparing for one of our busiest weekends of the year," Frank Figueroa, owner of the neighboring Sandbar, said.

Military and NASA are making adjustments

To avoid damage from Dorian, the US Navy is moving more than 40 planes from Jacksonville to bases in Michigan, Ohio and Texas.

The US Air Force is evacuating 16 aircraft from MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa to McConnell Air Force Base near Wichita, Kansas, an Air Force official said.

Florida State University had been scheduled to play its season-opening game off campus, in Jacksonville near the Atlantic coast. But because Dorian will be approaching, the game has been moved farther inland to FSU's normal home field in Tallahassee.

Because Dorian could impact Florida's Kennedy Space Center, NASA has said it will have a crawler-transporter move NASA's mobile launcher Friday from launch pad 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building about 3.5 miles away. The launcher was being tested on the pad in anticipation of future Space Launch System missions.

CNN's Paul P. Murphy, Omar Jimenez, Jason Hanna, LaRell Reynolds, Meg Wagner, Tina Burnside and Daniel Shepherd contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/30/us/dorian-forecast-friday-wxc/index.html

2019-08-30 11:46:00Z
52780364378252