Ukraine top prosecutor says Biden-linked Burisma case will be reviewed - Fox News

Ukraine’s top prosecutor said Friday that his office is "conducting an audit" of cases that have been previously investigated and closed, including the probe involving the energy giant Burisma, where Hunter Biden had served on the board.

Ruslan Ryaboshapka, the country's prosecutor general, said at a news conference that his office was instructed to review cases that have been closed, fragmented or investigated to make sure they were fairly and thoroughly handled. He said no one attempted to influence him to call for the new investigations.

DOCUMENTS HEIGHTEN SCRUTINY ON BIDEN-UKRAINE DEALINGS, INDICATE HUNTER MAY HAVE MADE 'MILLIONS'

“We are now reviewing all the cases which were closed, fragmented or investigated earlier in order to make a decision on cases where illegal procedural decisions were taken,” he said.

The office plans to review 15 cases that previously were closed, including the Burisma case. This does not yet mean Ukraine is opening a new investigation involving Burisma or the Bidens.

His comment came as the Trump White House fights an impeachment inquiry that involves allegations that President Trump used military funding as part of a "quid pro quo" with Kiev to investigate Biden and his father, former Vice President Joe Biden.

Trump has denied wrongdoing. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who participated in a scrutinized phone call with Trump in July, said he never felt pressure from Trump.

Trump's key focus has been how Hunter Biden, who reportedly knew little about the energy business and the country, ended up on Burisma’s board while his father was vice president under Barack Obama. The elder Biden later pressured Ukraine to oust a prosecutor who had been looking into the company's founder, though Biden allies say this intervention was driven by corruption concerns.

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It is unclear how much money Hunter Biden made while serving on the board of the firm, but reports have estimated he made up to $50,000 per month — which would be up to $600,000 a year.

Fox News has also obtained notes from an interview Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani conducted—with Yuriy Lutsenko, the former Ukrainian prosecutor who replaced Shokin and eventually closed the Burisma probe. He said he “believes Hunter Biden receives millions of dollars in compensation from Burisma,” according to the notes.

Fox News reported Wednesday on notes from another interview Giuliani conducted with Viktor Shokin, the prosecutor Biden helped oust, in which he claimed he was told by former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey R. Pyatt to back off the Burisma probe. According to interview notes, Shokin claimed Pyatt – currently the ambassador to Greece – told him to handle that investigation “with white gloves.”

Biden has acknowledged on camera that when he was vice president he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin.

The vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion in critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

"Well, son of a b---h, he got fired," Biden joked at a panel two years after leaving office.

But Biden's campaign and congressional Democrats reject Giuliani's allegations and suggestions that his intervention  was tied to his son's work, maintaining that Biden was only involved due to corruption concerns surrounding Shokin and casting Giuliani's claims as "debunked conspiracy theories."

Ryaboshapka is considered a reformer and “the father of the anti-corruption strategy in Ukraine,” a former associate told the Washington Post. Another peer called him an “honest person” but expressed doubts that he has the ability to weed out corruption in the country.

"Being a good guy is not always enough," the source said.

Fox News' NaNa Sajaia, Griff Jenkins, Brooke Singman and Gregg Re contributed to this report. 

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2019-10-04 10:28:44Z
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Hong Kong anti-mask law: a history of mask bans around the world - Quartz

The Hong Kong government today (Oct. 4) invoked emergency powers to enact a ban on wearing face masks in public, even as critics decried the move as setting a dangerous precedent and jeopardizing the city’s protection of civil liberties.

It’s not the first place in the world to impose such a ban, and other countries have similar restrictions. France imposed a ban on face coverings in 2010, as did Belgium and the Catalonia region of Spain. Italy followed suit in 2011. Earlier this year, France imposed a ban on masks at public demonstrations, amid the months-long Yellow Vest protests. Many other countries have similar rules, including Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Egypt, Germany, and the Netherlands. Ukraine’s anti-protest law of 2014, which was hurriedly enacted and included a ban on wearing masks, was meant to crack down on protesters but instead sparked an angry outcry that quickly grew into violent clashes.

The US, meanwhile, goes back much further to the mid-19th century, when an anti-mask law was enacted in New York state in an attempt to quell a violent uprising by tenant farmers. The law was cited by New York police (paywall) when they made arrests of Occupy protesters in 2011.

A masked anti-government protester in the city’s downtown on Friday.

Supporters of Hong Kong’s mask ban point to these countries as examples. But pro-democracy lawmaker Dennis Kwok has dismissed comparisons to similar face-mask bans in countries like the US and Canada, emphasizing that those are fully-fledged democracies while neither the legislative nor the executive branch in Hong Kong is accountable to the people.

People also cite Ukrainians’ reaction to the country’s strict anti-protest laws as a cautionary tale. In local online forums, Hong Kongers have been sharing a speech made by jailed activist Edward Leung, who has become something of a spiritual leader of the city’s protesters. During his 2016 election campaign for the legislature, he cautioned against an anti-mask law. “A few years ago, Ukraine passed an anti-mask law. Do you know what happened in Ukraine? A revolution started in Ukraine. You want to do it? Do it, we will fight till the end,” he said.

Reuters/Gleb Garanich

A gas mask and flowers were left in 2014 at the protest site in Kyiv where more than 100 people were killed.

At its core, face mask bans pose a question about power: who gets to wield it, and who gets to place limits on it. The masked person can look but not be seen—an enormous and liberating power particularly in today’s age of surveillance. For the state and those in authority, the mask represents a threat because their power is in part drawn from knowing exactly who you are.

For many in Hong Kong, the face mask ban is a reminder of the asymmetrical balance of power that they are protesting so hard against. While citizens are now prohibited from wearing masks in public assemblies, police officers will continue to be able to conceal their identities: many have refused to wear or produce their warrant cards, and have put strips of reflective tape on their visors to further hide their faces.

Writing in his book Man, Play and Games, the 20th-century French intellectual Roger Caillois observed the diametrical opposition between the mask and the uniform:

In a police state, the uniform replaces the mask of a vertiginous society. The uniform is almost the exact opposite of the mask, and always symbolizes a type of authority founded on entirely opposing principles. The mask aimed to dissimulate and terrify. It signified the eruption of a fearful, capricious, intermittent, and inordinate power, which emerged to evoke pious terror in the profane masses and to punish them for their imprudence and their faults. The uniform is also a disguise, but it is official, permanent, regulated, and, above all, leaves the face exposed.

The only difference in Hong Kong’s case, of course, is that even the uniformed individual is masked.

For now, anger runs high in Hong Kong. Protests spontaneously popped up across the city before and immediately after the official announcement of the ban, and there are calls for a large, masked rally on Sunday (Oct. 6) in full defiance of the new law.

Their faith in the mask as a counterweight to state power finds echoes in a series of large-scale anti-capitalism demonstrations that took place around the world in June 1999. One unnamed, masked activist who took part in a protest in London had this to say:  “Today we shall give this resistance a face; for by putting on our masks we reveal our unity; and by raising our voices in the street together, we speak our anger at the facelessness of power.”

Reuters/Alejandro Acosta

Does heavy make-up count as a mask? Above, a student in Guadalajara, Mexico, celebrates the Day of the Dead.

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https://qz.com/1721901/hong-kong-anti-mask-law-a-history-of-mask-bans-around-the-world/

2019-10-04 09:57:00Z
52780400882835

Hong Kong introduces emergency powers to ban face masks at protests - NBC News

Hong Kong will ban face masks at public demonstrations as part of emergency powers announced Friday, as sometimes violent pro-democracy protests continue in the semiautonomous territory.

Carrie Lam, the city's Beijing-backed leader, told a press conference that the the ban on face masks, which are worn by many protesters to hide their identities, would come into effect at midnight local time.

"We've seen that almost all protesters who carried out vandalism and violence covered their face," Lam told reporters.

"We believe the prohibition on face covering regulation will be an effective deterrent to radical behavior and it will also help the police in enforcing the law,” she added.

If convicted, demonstrators could face a maximum fine of some 25,000 Hong Kong dollars ($3,187) and a year imprisonment, the Hong Kong information services department said in a statement.

If they refuse to comply with police to remove the face covering, a demonstrator could face a fine of up to 10,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,275) and imprisonment for six months, the statement said.

Reasonable excuses for a person to cover their face include pre-existing medical or health reasons, religious or professional reasons, it added.

Before the new rule was confirmed, protests against it began across the Asian financial hub, with hundreds of office workers wearing masks gathering to march.

A protester wears a gas mask and holds up his hand to represent the five demands in Hong Kong on Friday.Vincent Thian / AP

Protesters in Hong Kong’s Central district pulled down a banner celebrating the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China from a bridge and set it on fire to the sound of cheers from onlookers.

Some demonstrators, chanted “rebel Hong Kong people” and “masking is not guilty, unreasonable legislation.”

Secondary school students wearing school uniforms could be seen among the throngs of people.

Lam said she was concerned by the number of students involved in recent demonstrations. From June to August, students accounted for around 25 percent of those arrested, she said, but since the start of school in September the proportion has now risen to 38 percent.

She said she hoped the ban would discourage young people from taking to the streets.

But young Hong Kongers who spoke to NBC News said they would continue to protest and cover their faces.

Aki Chi, a 29-year-old sound actor who was headed to a demonstration in the city's Central district, said he “absolutely” would not comply with the new ban.

“I have no intention to respect it,” he told NBC News.

Jane Chiu, 23, said the ban allowed the police more power on the streets and proved the government was attempting to suppress the voices of its citizens.

“This is authoritarianism, welcome to just another Chinese city,” she said.

The H.R. worker added that she also would not stop wearing masks to protests.

“If we allow this to happen, we are just opening our doors to any other possible regulations in the future."

Many people in Hong Kong wear masks on a daily basis to protect themselves from colds and flu. Lam said she had taken this into account.

"The regulation will target those who use violence, we understand there may be other people who need to wear a mask or cover their face because of a legitimate need," she said.

However, it remained unclear how the government planned to enforce the ban or how straightforward it would be to evaluate "legitimate" use.

Lam stressed that the new regulation did not mean that Hong Kong was in a state of emergency but said it was experiencing a moment of "rather extensive and serious public danger."

"I hope the public will support and understand what we're doing," she said.

Many do not. Prominent activist Joshua Wong tweeted that Friday's announcement could lead to further powers, such as arbitrary arrest.

1/ It is no less harmful than the extradition bill as virtually the law gives CE mighty power to impose whatever she & Beijing like to — more arbitrary arrest and search, extending dention to 96 hours or more, banning internet access, de facto martial laws are highly expected.

— Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 (@joshuawongcf) October 4, 2019

"I strongly urge the international community to be aware of the de-facto martial law may be applied in Hong Kong soon, in the next few hours or in the next few days," Wong later told reporters.

Anti-government protests have gripped the former British colony for months, plunging it into its biggest political crisis in decades and posing a popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The protesters are angry about what they see as creeping interference by Beijing in their city's affairs despite a promise of autonomy in the "one country, two systems" formula under which Hong Kong returned to China in 1997.

China dismisses accusations it is meddling and has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of stirring up anti-China sentiment.

Lam said Friday that so far some 1,100 people had been injured and of them around 300 were police officers in the violence.

What began as opposition to a proposed extradition law, which could have seen people sent for trial in mainland courts but has now been shelved, has grown into a call for five demands, including universal suffrage and an inquiry into alleged police brutality.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam attends a news conference to discuss sweeping emergency laws at government office in Hong Kong on Friday.ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA / Reuters

Protesters, some wearing gas masks and helmets, marched past some of the city's most expensive real estate including British bank HSBC's head office, on Friday, calling out for "five demands, not one less".

Riot police moved in to districts across Hong Kong overnight, firing tear gas at a chanting crowd in a residential area, while rail operator MTR Corp shut several stations as violence escalated.

The protests have been inflamed by the police shooting of a teenage secondary school student on Tuesday during a clash, and more rallies are expected later in the evening and over the weekend.

Police said the officer involved in the shooting acted in self-defense because his life was under threat. The teenager, the first protester hit by live fire during months of unrest, remains in hospital in a stable condition.

Lam said Friday that escalating violence, use of lethal weapons and snatching of police pistols meant police have "no choice but to use guns to try to save their own lives."

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2019-10-04 09:37:00Z
52780400882835

Hong Kong introduces emergency powers to ban face masks at protests - NBC News

Hong Kong will ban face masks at public demonstrations as part of emergency powers announced Friday, as sometimes violent pro-democracy protests continue in the semiautonomous territory.

Carrie Lam, the city's Beijing-backed leader, told a press conference that the the ban on face masks, which are worn by many protesters to hide their identities, would come into effect at midnight local time.

"We've seen that almost all protesters who carried out vandalism and violence covered their face," Lam told reporters.

"We believe the prohibition on face covering regulation will be an effective deterrent to radical behavior and it will also help the police in enforcing the law,” she added.

If convicted, demonstrators could face a maximum fine of some 25,000 Hong Kong dollars ($3,187) and a year imprisonment, the Hong Kong information services department said in a statement.

If they refuse to comply with police to remove the face covering, a demonstrator could face a fine of up to 10,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,275) and imprisonment for six months, the statement said.

Reasonable excuses for a person to cover their face include pre-existing medical or health reasons, religious or professional reasons, it added.

Before the new rule was confirmed, protests against it began across the Asian financial hub, with hundreds of office workers wearing masks gathering to march.

A protester wears a gas mask and holds up his hand to represent the five demands in Hong Kong on Friday.Vincent Thian / AP

"After so many months the government has refused to answer our demands," said one protester, who asked to be identified as just Chan, at a demonstration in the city's Central district.

"Police brutality is becoming more serious and the set up of an anti-mask law is to threaten us from protesting," said the 27-year-old financial industry worker.

Many people in Hong Kong wear masks on a daily basis to protect themselves from colds and flu. Lam said she had taken this into account.

"The regulation will target those who use violence, we understand there may be other people who need wear a mask or cover their face because of a legitimate need," she said.

However, it remained unclear how the government planned to enforce the ban or how straightforward it would be to evaluate "legitimate" use.

Lam stressed that the new regulation did not mean that Hong Kong was in a state of emergency but hoped that the public would understand the need for the ban.

"I hope the public will support and understand what we're doing," she said.

Many do not. Prominent activist Joshua Wong tweeted that Friday's announcement could lead to further powers, such as arbitrary arrest.

1/ It is no less harmful than the extradition bill as virtually the law gives CE mighty power to impose whatever she & Beijing like to — more arbitrary arrest and search, extending dention to 96 hours or more, banning internet access, de facto martial laws are highly expected.

— Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 (@joshuawongcf) October 4, 2019

"I strongly urge the international community to be aware of the de-facto martial law may be applied in Hong Kong soon, in the next few hours or in the next few days," Wong later told reporters.

Anti-government protests have gripped the former British colony for months, plunging it into its biggest political crisis in decades and posing a popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The protesters are angry about what they see as creeping interference by Beijing in their city's affairs despite a promise of autonomy in the "one country, two systems" formula under which Hong Kong returned to China in 1997.

China dismisses accusations it is meddling and has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of stirring up anti-China sentiment.

Lam said Friday that so far some 1,100 people had been injured and of them around 300 were police officers.

What began as opposition to a proposed extradition law, which that could have seen people sent for trial in mainland courts but has now been shelved, has grown into a call for five demands, including universal suffrage and an inquiry into alleged police brutality.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam attends a news conference to discuss sweeping emergency laws at government office in Hong Kong on Friday.ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA / Reuters

Protesters, some wearing gas masks and helmets, marched past some of the city's most expensive real estate including British bank HSBC's head office, on Friday, calling out for "five demands, not one less".

The protests have been inflamed by the police shooting of a teenaged secondary school student on Tuesday during a clash, and more rallies are expected later in the evening and over the weekend.

Police said the officer involved in the shooting acted in self-defense because his life was under threat. The teenager, the first protester hit by live fire during months of unrest, remains in hospital in a stable condition.

Lam said Thursday that escalating violence, use of lethal weapons and snatching of police pistols meant police have "no choice but to use guns to try to save their own lives."

Riot police moved in to districts across Hong Kong overnight, firing tear gas at a chanting crowd in a residential area, while rail operator MTR Corp shut several stations as violence escalated.

Patrick Smith

Patrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter from NBC News Digital.

Saphora Smith

Saphora Smith is a London-based reporter for NBC News Digital. 

Ed Flanagan contributed.

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2019-10-04 08:49:00Z
52780400882835

U.S. ambassadors pushed Ukraine to investigate as condition for White House visit, texts show - NBC News

WASHINGTON — Text messages given to Congress show U.S. ambassadors working to persuade Ukraine to publicly commit to investigating President Donald Trump’s political opponents and explicitly linking the inquiry to whether Ukraine’s president would be granted an official White House visit.

The two ambassadors, both Trump picks, went as far as to draft language for what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should say, the texts indicate. The messages released Thursday by House Democrats conducting an impeachment inquiry show the ambassadors coordinating with both Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and a top Zelenskiy aide.

“Heard from White House – assuming President Z convinces trump he will investigate / ‘get to the bottom of what happened’ in 2016, we will nail down date for a visit to Washington,” former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations Kurt Volker wrote the top Zelenskiy aide on July 25, just before Trump spoke by phone to Zelenskiy. That phone call led a U.S. intelligence official to file a whistleblower complaint that set off a cascade of fast-moving events, ultimately leading to an impeachment inquiry into the president.

Oct. 4, 201907:08

Volker resigned amid the tumult. He was deposed Thursday at the Capitol, where he turned over text messages that offer the fullest picture to date of how top diplomats and Giuliani sought to advance Trump’s goal of getting the Ukrainians to investigate both meddling in the 2016 election and Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.

Volker and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland — both political appointees — repeatedly stressed the need to get the Ukrainians to agree to the exact language that Zelenskiy would use in announcing an investigation, the texts indicate. In August, Volker proposed to Sondland that they give Zelenskiy a statement to utter at a news conference citing “alleged involvement of some Ukrainian politicians” in interference in U.S. elections.

“We intend to initiate and complete a transparent and unbiased investigation of all available facts and episodes, including those involving Burisma and the 2016 U.S. elections,” Volker and Sondland agreed that the Ukrainian president should say. Zelenskiy never did make the statement.

Burisma Holdings is a Ukrainian gas company whose board Hunter Biden joined in 2014, while his father was vice president and handling the Ukraine portfolio. Trump has made unsubstantiated allegations that the arrangement was corrupt. There is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden. The president has also long promoted the baseless theory that Ukraine — not Russia — was responsible for 2016 election meddling.

The texts also show a panicky top aide to Zelenskiy reaching out to Volker after the president unexpectedly halted roughly $400 million in military assistance to Ukraine, as he increased pressure on Zelenskiy to investigate. On August 29, Zelenskiy aide Andrey Yermak texted Volker: “Need to talk with you.”

The efforts by Volker and Sondland to facilitate Trump’s and Giuliani’s goal of getting the Ukrainians to probe the president’s political rivals are at odds with the account in the whistleblower complaint, which the Trump administration released to Congress under pressure last week.

Although it was Volker who initially put Giuliani in touch with Yermak, the top Zelenskiy aide, the whistleblower complaint said multiple U.S. officials had been “deeply concerned” about Giuliani’s interference in U.S.-Ukraine relations. The whistleblower reported that the officials had said both Volker and Sondland “had spoken with Mr. Giuliani in an attempt to ‘contain the damage’ to U.S. national security.”

But the text messages show Volker and Sondland playing an active role in advancing Trump’s goal of forcing a Ukrainian investigation, which Democrats argue was an abuse of power by the president to advance his political interests ahead of his re-election bid.

In fact, the only U.S. official included in the text messages who pushes back is a career diplomat, William Taylor, who became the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine after Trump pulled Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch out of her post earlier this year. Yovanovitch’s ouster has become another topic of key interest to Democratic lawmakers in their impeachment inquiry.

“Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting are conditioned on investigations?” Taylor wrote, using an acronym for the White House, after Trump canceled a planned meeting with Zelenskiy in Poland. A week later, he told Sondland: “As I said on the phone, I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”

Sondland, several hours later, pushed back, telling Taylor that Trump “has been crystal clear, no quid pro quos of any kind.” He suggests they stop discussing the matter via text message.

Oct. 4, 201906:30

House Democrats released the texts after deposing Volker for more than eight hours behind closed doors, in which Volker provided “further evidence that there was a shadow shakedown going on,” according to Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who attended the deposition. The House committees said the texts were just a subset of more materials they hope to make public.

Sondland and Volker have not responded to requests for comment. The State Department did not comment on the text messages or Volker’s deposition.

“The whole investigation is crumbling,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Thursday for a trip to Florida. He said his phone call with Zelenskiy had been “absolutely perfect.”

The new details on how Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine unfolded came as the president called for another foreign country — China — to probe his top political opponent. This time, he did it in public. Trump’s statement that “China should start an investigation into the Bidens” came as the president is engaged in a high-stakes trade war with China and added further fuel to Democrats’ impeachment push.

“This is not normal or acceptable. It is unethical, unpatriotic and wrong,” the Democratic chairmen of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees wrote in a letter accompanying the text messages. “Engaging in these stunning abuses in broad daylight does not absolve President Trump of his wrongdoings — or his grave offenses against the Constitution.”

Josh Lederman

Josh Lederman is a national political reporter for NBC News.

Rebecca Shabad and Leigh Ann Caldwell contributed.

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2019-10-04 07:58:00Z
52780399935508

Hong Kong introduces emergency powers to ban face masks at protests - NBC News

Hong Kong will ban face masks at public demonstrations as part of emergency powers announced Friday, as sometimes violent pro-democracy protests continue in the semiautonomous territory.

Carrie Lam, the city's Beijing-backed leader, told a press conference that the the ban on face masks, which are worn by many protesters to hide their identities, would come into effect at midnight local time.

Before the new rule was confirmed, protests against it began across the Asian financial hub, with hundreds of office workers wearing masks gathering to march.

Many people in Hong Kong wear masks on a daily basis to protect themselves from colds and flu, and it was not clear how the government planned to enforce the ban.

"After so many months the government has refused to answer our demands," said one protester, who asked to be identified as just Chan, at a demonstration in the city's Central district.

A protester wears a gas mask and holds up his hand to represent the five demands in Hong Kong on Friday.Vincent Thian / AP

"Police brutality is becoming more serious and the set up of an anti-mask law is to threaten us from protesting," said the 27-year-old financial industry worker.

Prominent activist Joshua Wong tweeted that Friday's announcement could lead to further powers, such as arbitrary arrest.

1/ It is no less harmful than the extradition bill as virtually the law gives CE mighty power to impose whatever she & Beijing like to — more arbitrary arrest and search, extending dention to 96 hours or more, banning internet access, de facto martial laws are highly expected.

— Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 (@joshuawongcf) October 4, 2019

Anti-government protests have gripped the former British colony for months, plunging it into its biggest political crisis in decades and posing a popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The protesters are angry about what they see as creeping interference by Beijing in their city's affairs despite a promise of autonomy in the "one country, two systems" formula under which Hong Kong returned to China in 1997.

China dismisses accusations it is meddling and has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of stirring up anti-China sentiment.

What began as opposition to a proposed extradition law, which that could have seen people sent for trial in mainland courts but has now been shelved, has grown into a call for five demands, including universal suffrage and an inquiry into alleged police brutality.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam attends a news conference to discuss sweeping emergency laws at government office in Hong Kong on Friday.ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA / Reuters

Protesters, some wearing gas masks and helmets, marched past some of the city's most expensive real estate including British bank HSBC's head office, on Friday, calling out for "five demands, not one less".

The protests have been inflamed by the police shooting of a teenaged secondary school student on Tuesday during a clash, and more rallies are expected later in the evening and over the weekend.

Police said the officer involved in the shooting acted in self-defense because his life was under threat. The teenager, the first protester hit by live fire during months of unrest, remains in hospital in a stable condition.

Riot police moved in to districts across Hong Kong overnight, firing tear gas at a chanting crowd in a residential area, while rail operator MTR Corp shut several stations as violence escalated.

Patrick Smith

Patrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter from NBC News Digital.

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2019-10-04 07:22:00Z
52780399799160

Paris police attack: Four killed by knife-wielding man - BBC News

A knife-wielding man has killed four staff at central police headquarters in Paris, French media report.

The attacker, who has not been named but is also said to be a member of staff, was later shot dead by police.

There has been no official statement so far. The area in the île de la Cité - in the centre of Paris - has been sealed off.

The attack comes a day after police went on strike across France over increasing violence towards officers.

It happened at about 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT; 12:00 BST) in the courtyard of the building.

President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Interior Minister Christophe Castaner have all gone to the site.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo confirmed on Twitter that "several people" had been killed in the attack, which took place near major tourist sites including the Notre-Dame cathedral.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Another person was also reportedly wounded.

According to French media, the attacker was a 45-year-old man who had worked in an administrative capacity for the Paris police force for 20 years.

They said he had been working in the police force's intelligence division.

French broadcaster BFMTV reports that he stabbed two people inside two offices, one person on a stairway and the fourth person inside the building's courtyard - where the knifeman was shot dead.

"Police were running around in panic," an eyewitness who was inside the courtyard at the time of the attack told Le Parisien newspaper.

"I was surprised to hear shooting because this is not a place where you hear that kind of thing. I first thought it was a suicide because there are a lot of those at the moment," he added.

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2019-10-03 13:18:27Z
CBMiIWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy80OTkyMTE0NdIBJWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvNDk5MjExNDU