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Selasa, 26 November 2019

Stung by Hong Kong vote, China slams Reuters report on liaison office shake-up - The Washington Post

Ng Han Guan AP Protesters in Hong Kong hold up their hands to represent their five demands in front of the Chinese and Hong Kong flags on Nov. 15. Local elections in the financial center on Sunday delivered a rebuke to Beijing.

BEIJING — China’s Communist Party admonished the Reuters news agency Tuesday over what the party called a “false report” about a move to replace the head of the government’s Hong Kong liaison office for failing to foresee the resounding defeat of the pro-Beijing establishment in local elections last weekend.

Reuters reported Tuesday that the Chinese leadership had set up a crisis command center in a luxury villa on the outskirts of Shenzhen, on the mainland side of the border with Hong Kong, to deal with the long-running political unrest in the semiautonomous financial hub.

The report said Beijing was considering replacing its most senior official stationed in Hong Kong, liaison office director Wang Zhimin, because it was dissatisfied with his handling of the crisis.

In a stunning rebuke to Beijing, Hong Kong residents gave an overwhelming majority to pro-democracy candidates running in local elections held Sunday. Voters handed control of 17 of the territory’s 18 councils to representatives who oppose China’s increasing influence, giving the pro-democracy camp greater say in the choice of Hong Kong’s next leader.

The Foreign Ministry’soffice in Hong Kong said Tuesday that it had lodged “solemn representations” with Reuters about the “false report.” It said it had urged the agency “to uphold a true, professional and responsible attitude, and immediately stop spreading false information.”

In Hong Kong elections, big defeat for elites pressures Beijing to rethink approach]

The ministry has insisted throughout the six months of protests in Hong Kong that the unrest is an internal domestic matter and that China will never waver from the “one country, two systems” formula under which Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.

Under that framework, Hong Kong is supposed to enjoy a degree of autonomy and relative political freedom until 2047, but its residents are bristling at Beijing’s increasingly muscular control over the territory. Tensions burst into the open in June, when the Beijing-backed Hong Kong government moved to implement a law that would have allowed Hong Kongers to be extradited to the mainland.

Ju Peng

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, right, with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam in Shanghai earlier this month.

Hong Kong has a much stronger and more transparent rule of law than the mainland, and many residents feared that the proposal, which has since been scrapped, could be used to target Beijing’s critics.

The Reuters report, which cited Chinese officials briefed on the discussions, said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other top officials have been receiving daily written briefings from the villa, named “Bauhinia” after the flower emblem of Hong Kong, bypassing the liaison office in Hong Kong.

Embattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam had attended meetings there, according to the report, which could not be independently verified.

[Xi must be dismayed: Chinese leader fighting fires on all fronts

China’s leaders appear increasingly vexed about how to deal with the unrest in Hong Kong, analysts say, as a months-long crackdown marked by thousands of arrests has only hardened public opinion against Beijing. Having repeatedly refused to offer concessions, Beijing finds itself with few options.

“I don’t think they’re going to change their strategy,” said Jeff Wasserstrom, a professor at the University of California at Irvine and the author of an upcoming book on Hong Kong’s political crisis. “I don’t see any reason to think they are going to make any major concessions.”

Beijing has blamed the protests on outside forces, led by the United States, eager to foment unrest and undermine the Communist Party. It apparently sees evidence of that in the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act just passed by Congress, which is intended to safeguard political freedoms in Hong Kong and pave the way for sanctions against those who undermine those rights.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned Ambassador Terry Branstad on Monday to “lodge stern representations and strong protest” against the passage of the act.

China urged the United States to “correct its mistake immediately” and “stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China’s other internal affairs,” Zheng told Branstad, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

On Tuesday, at her first news conference since the election, Hong Kong leader Lam declined to offer any concessions to protesters, who are calling for an independent probe into police brutality, genuine universal suffrage and other measures. She said Beijing did not blame her for voters’ rejection of pro-Beijing parties and endorsement of the democracy movement.

The central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong serves to propagate Beijing’s influence in the city, report back on political developments and forge patronage networks with business groups and influential local figures. Protesters in Hong Kong pelted the office with eggs and paint over the summer and defaced the Chinese emblem.

‘We are in a war’: Hong Kong accountant by day becomes street fighter by night

Xi must be dismayed: Chinese leader fighting fires on all fronts

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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2019-11-26 09:26:00Z
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Senin, 25 November 2019

Dresden manhunt underway after castle vault treasure heist - CNN

We learned some details about the heist from Dresden police and museum bosses at a news conference a short while ago. But many questions still remain.

Here is what we don't know so far:

Exactly what was stolen: The museum's chief Marion Ackermann said three sets of artifacts had been stolen from one display case. She said the 100 or so pieces included diamonds and gemstones, but didn't go into details about them.

The value of the heist: Ackermann said it was impossible to estimate the value of the stolen items. She added that because the items are well known, they would be impossible to sell.

Whodunnit: We have no idea who the perpetrators were. We know two culprits were spotted inside the vault on CCTV footage, but the police haven't gone into any details about who they might be or whether more than two suspects are involved.

The police said they didn't have any information to suggest that the suspects had “insider knowledge" ahead of the break-in.

Are two nearby fires linked: The police mentioned two suspicious fires happening around the time of the heist.

One damaged an electrical box in the vicinity of the museum, taking streetlights in the square out of action.

Then, after the break-in, a report of a car on fire came in. It is unclear whether the two are related to the theft.

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2019-11-25 13:59:00Z
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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam vows to 'listen humbly' after pro-democracy victory at polls - New York Post

Hong Kong’s battered and bruised leader on Monday said she respected election results that handed a big victory to pro-democracy candidates, vowing to “listen humbly” to the voters and to “seriously reflect” on the stunning results.

“The government will certainly listen humbly to citizens’ opinions and reflect on them seriously,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a statement issued by the government, but offered no specifics on the likely response.

The pro-democracy candidates grabbed 388 seats — a whopping net gain of 263 — of the 452 in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s 18 district councils after months of sometimes-violent unrest, according to local media.

The establishment held on to only 59 seats after the rout. Five went to independents.

A record 71 percent of Hong Kong’s 4.1 million registered voters cast ballots in the city’s only fully democratic elections, well exceeding the 47 percent turnout in the same poll four years ago, when pro-democracy candidates won just 100 seats.

“There are various analyses and interpretations in the community in relation to the results, and quite a few are of the view that the results reflect people’s dissatisfaction with the current situation and the deep-seated problems in society,” Lam added in response to the rebuke of her leadership and of Beijing.

The city leader has stubbornly dismissed calls for political reform and repeatedly suggested that a silent majority supported her administration and opposed the protest movement.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters during a visit to Tokyo on Monday that any attempts to undermine Hong Kong will fail.

“No matter what kind of things happen in Hong Kong, Hong Kong is a part of Chinese territory,” he said. “Any attempts to destroy Hong Kong or harm Hong Kong’s stability and development cannot possibly succeed.”

And Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing “resolutely supports” Lam and backs the police and judiciary in Hong Kong in “punishing relevant violent and illegal behaviors,” according to Agence France-Presse.

But opponents quickly called on Lam to accede to a five-point list of demands, including direct elections for the city’s legislature and leadership, as well as a probe into alleged police brutality against protesters.

“The government must squarely face public opinion,” said Wu Chi-wai, the chairman of the Democratic Party, Hong Kong’s largest anti-establishment party.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam casts her ballot at a polling place in Hong Kong on Nov. 24.AP

The election results could force the central government in Beijing to rethink how to handle the unrest. The district councils have little power, but the vote became a referendum on public support for the protests.

“It’s nothing short of a revolution. This is a landslide,” said Willy Lam, a political expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “It’s a sound repudiation of the Carrie Lam administration and shows the silent majority are behind the demands of the protesters.”

But it does not mean Beijing — which blames foreign powers for fomenting the unrest in the former British colony, which was returned to China in 1997 — will budge on the demonstrators’ demands, he added.

Pro-democracy councilor Paul Zimmerman said in a speech outside the Polytechnic University that “the people of Hong Kong have spoken.”

“Now is time for the government to respond. Don’t fail Hong Kong again,” he said.

Many pro-Beijing political heavyweights were defeated, including controversial lawmaker Junius Ho, who is reviled by protesters for supporting a bloody mob attack on demonstrators in July.

Ho was stabbed with a knife during campaigning this month.

The winners included many young activists and a candidate who replaced Joshua Wong, the only person barred from running in the election.

Pro-democracy rally organizer Jimmy Sham, who was beaten by hammer-wielding assailants last month, also emerged victorious, as did a pro-democracy lawmaker who had part of his ear bitten off by an assailant.

Millions took to the streets earlier this year after Lam’s government introduced a bill to allow extraditions to China’s opaque judicial system.

Gary Fan Kwok-wai, lawmaker and newly elected district councillor, right, and lawyer Wong Kwok Tung, left, walk through burned debris as they try to meet with the trapped protesters at the Polytechnic University in Hong Kong.AP

The bill was eventually withdrawn, but the resulting public rage unleashed broader demands and led to violent clashes between police and protesters.

Celebrations broke out outside polling stations overnight when results were announced. On Monday, dozens of supporters gathered in a business district for a victory rally, where a woman popped a champagne bottle and poured drinks for everyone.

“This is historic. As our city plummets from being semi-autonomous to semi-authoritarian, we react by showing what’s democracy in action,” Wong tweeted.

With Post wires

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2019-11-25 12:42:00Z
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Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement sees landslide victory in local elections - CBS This Morning

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2019-11-25 12:40:55Z
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China issues stern response to landslide victory of Hong Kong pro-democracy forces - NBCNews.com

HONG KONG — Pro-democracy forces swept Hong Kong district council elections over the weekend, boosting pressure on the city's Beijing-backed government to listen to protesters' demands for greater freedoms.

China responded sternly to the landslide in the vote widely seen as a referendum on public support for the anti-government demonstration movement. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that no matter how the situation in Hong Kong changes, the semi-autonomous region is part of China.

"Any attempt to disrupt Hong Kong and damage [its] stability and prosperity will not succeed," he told reporters in Japan, where he was attending a G-20 foreign ministers meeting.

Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang added Monday that Hong Kong's most urgent task is to restore order that has been increasingly shaky as protesters continue to clash with police.

Pro-democracy supporters chant as they celebrate the loss of a pro-Beijing candidate in Hong Kong's district council elections on Monday. Philip Fong / AFP - Getty Images

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Geng also stressed that tensions in Hong Kong are purely China's internal affairs.

“The determination of the Chinese government to safeguard the interests of national sovereign security and development is unshakable,” he was quoted as saying by Global Times, a hawkish newspaper owned by the Chinese Communist Party.

China has blamed Western governments for fomenting the unrest in the former British colony.

For months, Hong Kong protesters have been demanding that China loosens its grip.

Beijing has steered clear of interfering in the protesters directly, saying that it trusts Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam to handle the situation. However, the protests have presented Chinese leader Xi Jinping with one of the biggest popular challenges since he came to power in 2012.

Although district councils have little power and the election is normally a low-key race, over 2.9 million cast their votes in Hong Kong Sunday in a 71 percent turnout, exceeding the 2015 participation levels by nearly 25 percent.

The pro-democracy camp had won a commanding majority of the 452 district council seats at stake, taking control of at least 17 of the city’s 18 district councils in a rebuke to Lam and her handling of the protests.

People queue to cast their vote in the district council elections in Tseung Kwan O district of Hong Kong on Sunday. Ye Aung Thu / AFP - Getty Images

Lam issued a statement Monday, saying her government respects the results and promised to “humbly listen” to the public’s opinions.

“There are various interpretations related to the results, and quite a few view it as a reflection of people's dissatisfaction with the current situation and society's deep-seated problems,” she acknowledged.

The vote is the only fully democratic one in Hong Kong. Members of the legislature are chosen partly by popular vote and partly by interest groups representing different sectors of society, and the city’s leader is picked by a 1,200-member body that is dominated by supporters of the central government in Beijing.

Yuliya Talmazan

Yuliya Talmazan is a London-based journalist.

Jasmine Leung

Associated Press contributed.

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2019-11-25 11:32:00Z
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Queen Hind: Rescuers race to save 14,000 sheep on capsized cargo ship - BBC News

Rescuers are scrambling to save thousands of sheep trapped after a large cargo ship overturned in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania.

The Queen Hind capsized on Sunday after leaving the port of Midia, near the south-eastern city of Constanta.

It was carrying more than 14,000 sheep. All crew members were rescued.

An operation involving the military, police, firefighters, divers and the Romanian coastguard resumed on Monday morning after an overnight pause.

As many as six vessels in the area initially intervened to help the emergency services, Romanian media reported.

At least 32 sheep found swimming near the Palau-flagged ship were rescued on Sunday, but many are believed to have drowned - with thousands remaining trapped.

"We have already saved a small number. They were swimming in the sea," Ana-Maria Stoica, spokeswoman for the emergency services in Constanta, told the BBC.

The crew members on board - some 20 Syrian nationals - were rescued from the vessel almost immediately. One crew member was taken to hospital with hypothermia.

"He fell into the sea but was very quickly rescued," Ms Stoica said, adding that the rest of the crew were "all safe here in the harbour".

It is not yet known what caused the ship, which was bound for Saudi Arabia, to capsize. An investigation will be carried out when the operation to rescue any surviving sheep and salvage the vessel is concluded, authorities say.

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The ship, which left Midia at about 12:00 local time (10:00 GMT), was heading to the Saudi port of Jeddah with its cargo.

Built in 1980, the vessel measures 85m (278ft) and has a gross tonnage of 3,785, according to the Marine Traffic website.

It had reportedly arrived at the port of Midia on 23 November from the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Pictures showed the upended vessel on its side a few hundred metres from the port, about 20km (12 miles) north of Constanta.

The port is primarily used for the supply of crude oil for nearby industrial and petrochemical facilities. But it is also used by cargo ships carrying live animals from Romania, one of the European Union's biggest exporters of livestock.

Animal rights campaigners and Romania's main livestock breeder and exporter association, Acebop, called for an urgent investigation into the overturning of Queen Hind.

"Our association is shocked by the disaster," Acebop president Mary Pana told AFP news agency. "If we cannot protect livestock during long-distance transports, we should outright ban them."

Another shipping incident involving a large cargo ship loaded with livestock occurred in the Black Sea off Turkey's coast in 2017.

In that case, the Togo-flagged vessel collided with a Russian naval spy ship, which sank as a result.

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2019-11-25 11:15:00Z
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Julian Assange "could die in prison" if health not addressed in hospital, doctors say in letter to UK authorities today - CBS News

BRITAIN-US-ECUADOR-AUSTRALIA-DIPLOMACY-COURT-ASSANGE — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at court in London, May 1, 2019, to be sentenced for bail violation. He was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison. Getty

London — More than 60 doctors have written to British authorities asserting that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange urgently needs medical treatment at a university hospital. The doctors said in a letter published Monday that Assange suffers from psychological problems including depression as well as dental issues and a serious shoulder ailment.

Assange is in Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of London in advance of an extradition hearing set for February. He is sought by the U.S. on espionage charges relating to his WikiLeaks work.

The letter, distributed by WikiLeaks, was sent to Home Secretary Priti Patel, who heads up the British government agency in charge of law enforcement. It was also addressed to Patel's political counterpart from the opposition party, Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbot.

Selasa, 26 November 2019

Senin, 25 November 2019

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