Hong Kong's leader issues fresh recession warning - BBC News

Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam said the territory is likely to record negative growth for the year as months of protests have knocked the economy.

The unrest has disrupted businesses and dealt a particularly heavy blow to the tourism and retail sectors.

The warning comes ahead of preliminary gross domestic product figures due on Thursday that are expected to show Hong Kong entered a technical recession.

That is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

In a briefing in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Ms Lam said the third quarter growth numbers are likely to show that outcome.

To combat the slowdown, she said the city has so far injected more than HK$20bn ($2.6bn; £2bn) to support the economy including the transport, tourism and retail sectors.

Ms Lam said the government will deliver more relief measures, without giving specific details.

Her comments follow a similar warning from the territory's Finance Secretary Paul Chan over the weekend. He said it would be "extremely difficult" to hit the government's pre-protest forecast of growth of between 0% and 1% for 2019.

"The blow to our economy [from the protests] is comprehensive," Mr Chan said.

The demonstrations began over a proposed extradition bill between the territory and mainland China, and have evolved into demands for greater freedoms.

Hong Kong is part of China, but its citizens have more autonomy than those on the mainland.

Clashes between police and activists have become increasingly violent, with police using tear gas and protesters storming parliament.

Those protests have led to a sharp decline in tourist arrivals, with visitor numbers expected to have slumped 50% in October.

Hong Kong was one of the world's most visited cities last year, with 30 million tourists.

Retailers have also been hard hit. Some shops have been forced to shorten trading hours, while workers report fears over their safety as well as getting to work.

Mr Chan said in August that retail sales had plunged more than 25% - the biggest monthly drop on record.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50216964

2019-10-29 05:07:52Z
CBMiKmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9idXNpbmVzcy01MDIxNjk2NNIBLmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvYnVzaW5lc3MtNTAyMTY5NjQ

Baghdadi's death: More details emerge from US raid: Live updates - CNN

An aerial view taken on October 27, 2019 shows the site that was hit by helicopter gunfire which reportedly killed nine people near the northwestern Syrian village of Barisha. Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images

The covert operation started around 5 p.m. on Saturday evening as eight helicopters carrying teams of elite US troops, including Delta Force operators, flew exactly one hour and ten minutes over "very, very dangerous territory" towards the compound, according to President Donald Trump on Sunday.

"We flew very, very low and very, very fast. It was a very dangerous part of the mission. Getting in and getting out, too. Equal. We wanted an identical -- we took an identical route," Trump told reporters on Sunday while providing a detailed account of the secret mission.

While in transit, the helicopters were met with local gunfire. US aircraft returned fire and eliminated the threat, Trump said speaking to the media.

After arriving at the compound, US troops breached a wall to avoid a booby trapped entrance and that's when "all hell broke loose," the President added.

While clearing the compound, US forces killed a "large number" of ISIS fighters during a gun battle without suffering casualties, according to Trump.

At least two ISIS fighters were captured and 11 children were taken into custody. Two of Baghdadi's wives were killed during the operation and their suicide vests remained unexploded.

Ultimately Baghdadi, who was also wearing a suicide vest, took refuge in a "dead end" tunnel with three children.

He reached the end of the tunnel, as our dogs chased him down. He ignited his vest, killing himself and the three children. His body was mutilated by the blast. The tunnel had caved in on it in addition," Trump said.

DNA tests that positively confirmed Baghdadi's identity began "about 15 minutes after he was killed" and US teams on the ground "brought body parts back," sources told CNN.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/baghdadi-monday-dle-intl/index.html

2019-10-28 13:10:34Z
52780420190780

Baghdadi's death: More details emerge from US raid: Live updates - CNN International

An aerial view taken on October 27, 2019 shows the site that was hit by helicopter gunfire which reportedly killed nine people near the northwestern Syrian village of Barisha. Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images

The covert operation started around 5 p.m. on Saturday evening as eight helicopters carrying teams of elite US troops, including Delta Force operators, flew exactly one hour and ten minutes over "very, very dangerous territory" towards the compound, according to President Donald Trump on Sunday.

"We flew very, very low and very, very fast. It was a very dangerous part of the mission. Getting in and getting out, too. Equal. We wanted an identical -- we took an identical route," Trump told reporters on Sunday while providing a detailed account of the secret mission.

While in transit, the helicopters were met with local gunfire. US aircraft returned fire and eliminated the threat, Trump said speaking to the media.

After arriving at the compound, US troops breached a wall to avoid a booby trapped entrance and that's when "all hell broke loose," the President added.

While clearing the compound, US forces killed a "large number" of ISIS fighters during a gun battle without suffering casualties, according to Trump.

At least two ISIS fighters were captured and 11 children were taken into custody. Two of Baghdadi's wives were killed during the operation and their suicide vests remained unexploded.

Ultimately Baghdadi, who was also wearing a suicide vest, took refuge in a "dead end" tunnel with three children.

He reached the end of the tunnel, as our dogs chased him down. He ignited his vest, killing himself and the three children. His body was mutilated by the blast. The tunnel had caved in on it in addition," Trump said.

DNA tests that positively confirmed Baghdadi's identity began "about 15 minutes after he was killed" and US teams on the ground "brought body parts back," sources told CNN.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/baghdadi-monday-dle-intl/index.html

2019-10-28 12:38:01Z
52780420190780

Brexit extension announced as Boris Johnson pushes for December election: live updates - CNN

Boris Johnson arrives at Downing Street on Monday. Leon Neal/Getty Images

For the past few days, leaders in Europe and Westminster have been locked in a standoff -- the EU wanting to hear the UK's next steps before granting an extension, and British politicians awaiting a verdict from Brussels before deciding on an early election.

But now one part of the equation has fallen into place -- European leaders have granted a Brexit delay until the end of January.

In theory, that should make an election more likely; the UK now has time to have a campaign period and hold a vote, with several weeks to spare before the new Brexit deadline.

But as Prime Minister Boris Johnson has learned, getting an election is easier said than done. He needs two-thirds of MPs to back the plan, which requires support from the opposition Labour Party.

And Labour have been steadfast in opposing a vote until a no-deal Brexit is "off the table." They've been less clear about what exactly "off the table" means -- so much will depend on whether the party deems this extension satisfactory for them to back a poll.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn could still argue that the threat remains of a no-deal in January 2020, as well as at the end of the transition period in Johnson's Brexit deal.

Johnson's Plan B: If Labour do continue to block an election, they'll be isolated. The SNP and the Liberal Democrats have now warmed to the idea of a contest, after previously supporting Corbyn in stonewalling the Prime Minister.

And those two opposition parties have handed Johnson an unlikely lifeline -- they've indicated that they will support a bill overruling the Fixed Term Parliaments Act. This would call for an election but would only need a simple majority of MPs to pass.

In return, they would want the January 31 extension secured, meaning Johnson would have to put his efforts to pass his Brexit deal on hold for now.

This plan could still be an appealing path for the Prime Minister, should he lose the vote on his election request later today.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/uk/live-news/brexit-delay-boris-johnson-election-monday-dle-gbr-intl/

2019-10-28 11:05:46Z
52780420866456

How al-Baghdadi's death is a big victory for Trump; Freshman lawmaker resigns amid sex scandal - Fox News

Good morning and welcome to Fox News First. Here's what you need to know as you start your Monday and the new work week ...

Al-Baghdadi takedown a big victory for Trump, blunts criticism of Syria pullback as Dems avoid congratulating president
President Trump's successful operation to take out Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sent Democrats scrambling on Sunday, as several top party leaders who had charged that the White House had no "real plan" to combat the terror group following the U.S. pullout in Syria were proven wrong. In a dramatic sign of how Democrats' messaging apparently backfired, NBC's "Saturday Night Live" ran an ill-timed sketch suggesting that Trump had created "jobs" for ISIS -- just hours before the president held a news conference announcing al-Baghdadi's demise. The sketch aired around the time the two-hour late-night raid in northwest Syria was underway.

Through the day on Sunday, the Democrats -- including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Bob Menendez and former Vice President Joe Biden -- seemingly settled on a new strategy. They praised the troops who executed the historic raid, while pointedly avoiding complimenting the president in any way. It was a stark contrast to the way they specifically praised President Obama after he announced Usama bin Laden's death in May 2011.

In this photo provided by the White House, President Donald Trump is joined by from left, national security adviser Robert O'Brien, Vice President Mike Pence, Defense Secretary mark Esper, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and Brig. Gen. Marcus Evans, Deputy Director for Special Operations on the Joint Staff, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, in the Situation Room of the White House. (Shealah Craighead/The White House via AP)

Congressional Democrats also lamented that they were not informed in advance of the operation, while the Russian military was told so that their airspace could be used.

The president suggested Sunday that Democrats in Congress, who have been conducting an impeachment inquiry against him that has been fraught with leaked information to the media, were not notified before the raid because of concerns they might compromise the operation with leaks. Click here for more on our top story.

Hannity blasts 'sick and repulsive' Washington Post headline that called al-Baghdadi a 'religious scholar'
The Washington Post on Sunday published an eyebrow-raising headline that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as an "austere religious scholar." The obituary, written by The Post’s national security reporter Joby Warrick, detailed al-Baghdadi’s rise to power in ISIS from what the paper described as his origins as a "religious scholar with wireframe glasses."

The headline was changed a few times. Washington Post Vice President of Communications Kristine Coratti Kelly told Fox News, "Regarding our al-Baghdadi obituary, the headline should never have read that way and we changed it quickly." Still, Fox News' Sean Hannity called the initial Post headline "sick and repulsive" and said the newspaper needs to be educated on the "evil SOB's" true legacy. Click here for more.

FILE - Katie Hill. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Freshman Democratic Rep. Katie Hill resigns amid ethics probe into reported affair with staffer
Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., announced her resignation Sunday after a string of reports shining a negative light on her personal life, including a reported affair with her legislative director that sparked a House Ethics Committee investigation. Hill tweeted on Sunday evening, “It is with a broken heart that today I announce my resignation from Congress. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I believe it is the best thing for my constituents, my community, and our country.” She is expected to step down by the end of this week.

The congresswoman last week had fought back against reports of an affair with the congressional staffer, as well as reports she was in a so-called “throuple” relationship with husband Kenny Heslep and a campaign staffer. The scandal escalated last as compromising photos of Hill surfaced.

Northern California wildfire rages, aided by hurricane-force winds
The massive Kincade Fire in California’s famed Wine Country burned at least 84 square miles and forced the evacuations of about 180,000 as firefighters reported a drop in containment from 10 percent to 5 percent by Sunday night. The entire towns of Healdsburg and Windsor in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, were under mandatory evacuation as the evacuation zone stretched from Healdsburg west through the Russian River Valley to Bodega Bay, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department. Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency.

Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., takes a selfie with President Donald Trump during the seventh inning of Game 5 of the baseball World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Trump booed by World Series crowd as fans yell 'lock him up'
The partisan Washington Nationals crowd was not pleased when President Trump was shown on the ballpark’s video screen during Game 5 of the World Series between the hometown Nationals and visiting Houston Astros, as fans greeted him with a crescendo of boos in the third inning of the ballgame. In addition, fans mockingly yelled “lock him up,” a chant Trump supporters began in 2016 against his opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The Astros beat the Nationals 7-1 to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Game 6 will be played on Tuesday night.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

TODAY'S MUST-READS
Adam Schiff: John Bolton is 'key witness' in impeachment inquiry.
John Conyers, longtime Michigan congressman and Congressional Black Caucus founder, dead at 90.
Military dog in al-Baghdadi raid wounded by explosive blast.
NASA shares image of the sun resembling a jack-o’-lantern.

THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS
UAW looks to Ford now that GM deal is done.
US business hiring falls to a seven-year low.
Price of gas slips at the pump.
Why it's taking months for Popeyes to bring back its chicken sandwich.
 
#TheFlashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."
 
SOME PARTING WORDS

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said "the best of America confronted the worst of mankind, and the good guys won" with the death of al-Baghdadi but warned that the war is far from over.

Not signed up yet for Fox News First? Click here to find out what you're missing.

Click here to find out what's on Fox News and Fox News Radio today!
 
Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for choosing us to start your day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing on Tuesday morning.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/us/al-baghdadis-death-trump-katie-hill

2019-10-28 08:41:42Z
52780420190780

Baghdadi is gone, but ISIS isn't dead yet -- and could be poised for a resurgence - CNN

ISIS established a horrifying standard of brutality, re-establishing slavery, practicing what amounted to genocide against the Yazidis, carrying out mass executions and beheadings -- all caught on camera -- and demolishing religious sites and antiquities.

The United States, with the help of its coalition allies, Iraq and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), destroyed the Islamic State and killed Baghdadi.

ISIS, however, is far from finished. It operates in West Africa, Libya, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, Afghanistan and the Philippines, and has followers in Europe and elsewhere. That, in addition to as many as 18,000 fighters still on the loose between Syria and Iraq, according to a report issued by the Pentagon's Inspector General in August.

There is no reason to conclude that the threat from ISIS' far-flung network of affiliates and sympathizers has disappeared with the passing of Baghdadi. He may have excelled in his evil mission, but he was at the top of a pyramid of power and others will come forward to claim his mantle of leadership and perhaps learn from his demise.

Unlike Osama bin Laden or Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, who led al Qaeda in Iraq, Baghdadi maintained a low profile.

He appeared only once in public, in July 2014, when he delivered a sermon in Mosul's Grand Mosque.

After that, ISIS' al-Furqan media wing and social media accounts released sporadic audio messages purported to be from the ISIS leader. Then, earlier this year, another video resurfaced apparently showing Baghdadi sitting in casual clothes on the floor. He declared the "battle for Baghouz is over."

Among the dozens of ISIS fighters and their wives and children CNN interviewed this spring during the battle of Baghouz, the group's last stronghold, in eastern Syria, few mentioned the name of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. The diehards, the ones who still remained loyal to the ideology of ISIS, stressed their allegiance to ad-Dawla al-Islamiya -- the Islamic State, not to its leader.

Baghdadi never had a cult of personality. He did stress that he was a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad to burnish his Islamic credentials, but he never rose to the level of al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden, who was recognizable the world over.

Bin Laden first came to fame during the 1980s, when he led the so-called Arab mujahideen in the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. In the 1990s, from Sudan and then Afghanistan, he gave interviews to the Western media, including CNN, and even after the 9/11 attacks on the United States he issued statements and put out videos.

As khalifa, or caliph, of the Islamic State, Baghdadi never granted an interview to anyone. Yet in the end the Americans found him, and killed him, "whimpering, screaming and crying," according to US President Donald Trump.

ISIS is not going to disappear. It may morph into something else, just as Osama bin Laden's Arab mujahideen morphed into al Qaeda, which gave birth to al Qaeda in Iraq, which transformed into ISIS.

Regardless of what comes of ISIS, the terrain for extremist groups in the Middle East remains fertile. Authoritarian regimes here have developed a predictable template. They crush the political center by terrifying it into silence, by jailing anyone who calls for change, by killing or torturing opponents real or imagined, by co-opting others and driving the rest into exile.

What real opposition left is dominated by the most extreme and violent elements, their ranks often replenished by those who are able to emerge from the prisons and torture chambers in places like Damascus, Cairo, Baghdad and Riyadh.

As a result, the populace is faced with a stark choice: subdued, quiet acceptance of the authoritarian state and its inherent corruption, or siding with the extremists. In the end, the former usually happens.

The West, particularly the United States, still pays lip service to democracy and human rights, but it too for decades has fallen into the same trap. As distasteful as some of its Middle Eastern allies are, the thinking goes, they're preferable to the extremists.

And unless and until the dictator's template is smashed, new Abu Bakr al-Baghdadis will emerge.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/28/middleeast/isis-next-baghdadi-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-10-28 07:56:18Z
52780420190780

Baghdadi is gone, but ISIS isn't dead yet -- and could be poised for a resurgence - CNN

ISIS established a horrifying standard of brutality, re-establishing slavery, practicing what amounted to genocide against the Yazidis, carrying out mass executions and beheadings -- all caught on camera -- and demolishing religious sites and antiquities.

The United States, with the help of its coalition allies, Iraq and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), destroyed the Islamic State and killed Baghdadi.

ISIS, however, is far from finished. It operates in West Africa, Libya, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, Afghanistan and the Philippines, and has followers in Europe and elsewhere. That, in addition to as many as 18,000 fighters still on the loose between Syria and Iraq, according to a report issued by the Pentagon's Inspector General in August.

There is no reason to conclude that the threat from ISIS' far-flung network of affiliates and sympathizers has disappeared with the passing of Baghdadi. He may have excelled in his evil mission, but he was at the top of a pyramid of power and others will come forward to claim his mantle of leadership and perhaps learn from his demise.

Unlike Osama bin Laden or Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, who led al Qaeda in Iraq, Baghdadi maintained a low profile.

He appeared only once in public, in July 2014, when he delivered a sermon in Mosul's Grand Mosque.

After that, ISIS' al-Furqan media wing and social media accounts released sporadic audio messages purported to be from the ISIS leader. Then, earlier this year, another video resurfaced apparently showing Baghdadi sitting in casual clothes on the floor. He declared the "battle for Baghouz is over."

Among the dozens of ISIS fighters and their wives and children CNN interviewed this spring during the battle of Baghouz, the group's last stronghold, in eastern Syria, few mentioned the name of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. The diehards, the ones who still remained loyal to the ideology of ISIS, stressed their allegiance to ad-Dawla al-Islamiya -- the Islamic State, not to its leader.

Baghdadi never had a cult of personality. He did stress that he was a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad to burnish his Islamic credentials, but he never rose to the level of al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden, who was recognizable the world over.

Bin Laden first came to fame during the 1980s, when he led the so-called Arab mujahideen in the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. In the 1990s, from Sudan and then Afghanistan, he gave interviews to the Western media, including CNN, and even after the 9/11 attacks on the United States he issued statements and put out videos.

As khalifa, or caliph, of the Islamic State, Baghdadi never granted an interview to anyone. Yet in the end the Americans found him, and killed him, "whimpering, screaming and crying," according to US President Donald Trump.

ISIS is not going to disappear. It may morph into something else, just as Osama bin Laden's Arab mujahideen morphed into al Qaeda, which gave birth to al Qaeda in Iraq, which transformed into ISIS.

Regardless of what comes of ISIS, the terrain for extremist groups in the Middle East remains fertile. Authoritarian regimes here have developed a predictable template. They crush the political center by terrifying it into silence, by jailing anyone who calls for change, by killing or torturing opponents real or imagined, by co-opting others and driving the rest into exile.

What real opposition left is dominated by the most extreme and violent elements, their ranks often replenished by those who are able to emerge from the prisons and torture chambers in places like Damascus, Cairo, Baghdad and Riyadh.

As a result, the populace is faced with a stark choice: subdued, quiet acceptance of the authoritarian state and its inherent corruption, or siding with the extremists. In the end, the former usually happens.

The West, particularly the United States, still pays lip service to democracy and human rights, but it too for decades has fallen into the same trap. As distasteful as some of its Middle Eastern allies are, the thinking goes, they're preferable to the extremists.

And unless and until the dictator's template is smashed, new Abu Bakr al-Baghdadis will emerge.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/28/middleeast/isis-next-baghdadi-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-10-28 06:50:12Z
52780420190780