HONG KONG: A Hong Kong teacher has been struck off for allegedly promoting the city's independence in class, in what the government on Tuesday (Oct 6) hailed as a blow against "black sheep" working in the education system.
The decision is the first time Hong Kong's Education Bureau has removed a teaching licence because of the content of lessons, and comes as a crackdown on democracy supporters in the city gathers pace.
"Our work has to continue to remove the black sheep from the field of education," chief executive Carrie Lam told reporters.
"If there are a very tiny fraction of teachers who are using their teaching responsibilities to convey wrong messages to promote misunderstanding about the nation, to smear the country, and the Hong Kong government, without basis, then that becomes a very serious matter."
The Education Bureau said the primary school teacher, who was not named, had been struck off for "deliberately disseminating pro-independence messages".
"It can clearly be seen that Hong Kong independence is the theme of the lesson," deputy secretary Chan Siu Suk-fan told a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Chan said the teacher's lesson plan and materials for Primary 5 students – who are about 10-years-old – involved discussion of a banned political party that advocated Hong Kong independence, and also touched upon topics related to Tibet, Xinjiang and Taiwan independence.
Education has become a key target for Hong Kong's administration after months of huge and sometimes violent rallies last year.
Many young people took part in the protests, which called for police accountability and greater autonomy for the city.
China's central government imposed a sweeping security law on Hong Kong in June, outlawing public calls for independence and other allegedly subversive political views, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Schools and public libraries soon withdrew books deemed illegal under the new law.
Beijing has also called for more patriotic education, while Lam's administration is looking at overhauling parts of the curriculum it believes are fuelling discontent towards China.
Critics say the moves undermine Hong Kong's reputation for academic freedom and excellence, fearing the heavily censored education system used on the authoritarian mainland could be imposed on the city.
Education minister Kevin Yeung said he would not transfer the case to the national security bureau because the infraction occurred before the new law came into effect.
HONG KONG: A Hong Kong teacher has been struck off for allegedly promoting independence in class, a move hailed by the city's leader on Tuesday (Oct 6) as a blow against "black sheep" working in the education system.
The decision is the first time Hong Kong's Education Bureau has removed a teaching licence because of the content of lessons, and comes as a crackdown on democracy supporters in the city gathers pace.
"Our work has to continue to remove the black sheep from the field of education," chief executive Carrie Lam told reporters.
"If there are a very tiny fraction of teachers who are using their teaching responsibilities to convey wrong messages to promote misunderstanding about the nation, to smear the country, and the Hong Kong government, without basis, then that becomes a very serious matter," she added.
The Education Bureau said the primary school teacher, who was not named, had been struck off for "deliberately disseminating pro-independence messages".
The bureau did not give details of the material or explain how the teacher had crossed the line.
But a report on the primary school by a pro-Beijing newspaper last year featured photos of a question paper it said promoted independence.
Two of the questions asked "What is free speech?" and "What would Hong Kong become without free speech?"
China's central government imposed a sweeping security law on Hong Kong in June, outlawing public calls for independence and other allegedly subversive political views.
Schools and public libraries soon withdrew books deemed illegal under the new law.
Beijing has also called for more patriotic education, while Lam's administration is looking at overhauling parts of the curriculum it believes are fuelling discontent towards China.
Critics say the moves undermine Hong Kong's reputation for academic freedom and excellence, fearing the heavily censored education system used on the authoritarian mainland could be imposed on the city.
TAIPEI: Taiwan's military has launched aircraft to intercept Chinese planes more than twice as much as all of last year, the island's defence ministry said, describing Taiwan as facing severe security challenges from its huge neighbour.
China, which claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up its military activities near the island, responding to what Beijing calls "collusion" between Taipei and Washington.
In the past few weeks, Chinese fighter jets have crossed the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an official buffer between the island and the mainland, and have flown into Taiwan's southwestern air defence identification zone.
In a report to parliament, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said so far this year the air force had scrambled 4,132 times, up 129 per cent compared to all of last year, according to Reuters calculations.
China "is trying to use unilateral military actions to change the security status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and at the same time is testing our response, increasing pressure on our air defences and shrinking our space for activity," it said.
The rapid development of China's military has been accompanied by "targeted" military actions against Taiwan, the ministry added.
China has been particularly angered by growing US support for Taiwan, including senior US officials visiting the island, adding to broader Sino-US tensions.
While Taiwan is unable to compete numerically with China's armed forces, President Tsai Ing-wen has been overseeing a military modernisation programme, aiming to make the island's armed forces more nimble and Taiwan more difficult to attack.
Addressing a Taiwan-US defence conference late Monday (Oct 5), Vice Defence Minister Chang Guan-chung said China has been ramping up what he called "realistic training against Taiwan".
"We are developing systems that are small, numerous, smart, stealthy, fast, mobile, low-cost, survivable, effective, easy to develop, maintain and preserve, and difficult to detect and counter," he said.
Chang called for enhanced cooperation with the United States that goes beyond weapons sales, saying that would further invigorate Taiwan's defence reform and military modernisation.
"We will also emphasise joint effort in training, operational concepts, capability assessment, intelligence sharing, and armament cooperation. These are equally important as the acquisition of hardware," he said.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump told Americans "to get out there" and not fear COVID-19 as he returned to the White House on Monday (Oct 5) after checking out of hospital where he was treated for the disease.
"Don't let it dominate you. Don't be afraid of it," Trump said in a video shortly after he returned to the White House from Walter Reed Medical Center.
"We're going back, we're going back to work. We're going to be out front ... Don't let it dominate your lives. Get out there, be careful."
The Republican president, running for re-election against Democrat Joe Biden in the Nov 3 US election, was admitted to hospital on Friday after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
The disease has killed more than 1 million people worldwide and more than 209,000 in the United States alone - the highest death toll of any country.
Trump's doctors have said that the president, who received supplemental oxygen twice in recent days, was not "out of the woods".
"He may not entirely be out of the woods yet," Dr Sean Conley, the White House physician, said. "If we can get through to Monday with him remaining the same or improving, better yet, then we will all take that final, deep sigh of relief."
But Conley said the medical team believed Trump was ready to leave the hospital, stressing he would have world-class medical care around the clock at the White House.
The severity of Trump's illness has been the subject of intense speculation, with some medical experts noting that, as an overweight, elderly man, he was in a category more likely to develop severe complications or die from the disease.
Doctors also have been treating him with a steroid, dexmethasone, that is normally used only in the most severe cases.
Biden on Monday castigated Donald Trump for saying Americans should not be afraid of COVID-19 or let it "dominate your life".
"I saw a tweet he did, they showed me, he said 'don't let COVID control your life,'" Biden told Florida news station Local 10 as he campaigned in the key battleground state.
"Tell that to the 205,000 families who lost somebody."
The former vice president added to his comments later Monday at an outdoor town hall event in Miami, where he criticised Trump for ignoring the importance of masks.
"I would hope that the president, having gone through what he went through - and I'm glad he seems to be coming along pretty well - would communicate the right lesson to the American people: masks matter," Biden said.
"These masks, they matter. It matters, it saves lives, it prevents the spread of the disease."
Biden's remarks came just minutes after Trump returned to the White House from hospital, and removed his face mask as he stood on the mansion's balcony.
"It's a great concern," Biden said. "I hope no one walks away with the message thinking that it's not a problem."
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday (Oct 5) left the hospital where he has been treated for COVID-19 and boarded a helicopter to return to a White House hit by a wave of infections and a campaign further shadowed by the pandemic four weeks before Election Day.
"Will be back on the Campaign Trail soon!!!" Trump tweeted shortly before he left the hospital. "The Fake News only shows the Fake Polls."
President Donald Trump walks out of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to return to the White House after receiving treatment for COVID-19 on Oct 5, 2020. (Photo: AP/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump boards Marine One to return to the White House on Oct 5, 2020, after receiving treatment for COVID-19 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. (Photo: AP/Evan Vucci)
Wearing what appeared to be a white surgical mask, Trump pumped his fist and gave a thumbs up as he walked down the steps of the Walter Reed Medical Center outside Washington, responding to a reporter's question about how many people were infected at the White House by saying: "Thank you very much."
President Donald Trump returns to the White House on Monday, Oct 5, 2020, in Washington, on Marine One after leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Trump announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct 2. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)
After the short helicopter ride, Trump arrived back at the White House, where he gave a thumbs-up and waved at reporters as he walked to the executive mansion.
He then walked up the staircase of the White House South Portico, removed his mask, and posed for pictures, at times giving a thumbs-up and others a salute.
US President Donald Trump walks up the South Portico steps as he arrives at the White House on Oct 5, 2020, upon his return from Walter Reed Medical Center, where he underwent treatment for COVID-19. (Photo: AFP/Nicholas Kamm)
US President Donald Trump removes his mask upon return to the White House from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct 05, 2020. Trump spent three days hospitalised for COVID-19. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP)
President Donald Trump salutes on the Blue Room Balcony upon returning to the White House on Oct 5, 2020, in Washington, after leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Trump announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct 2. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)
The Republican president, running for re-election against Democrat Joe Biden in the Nov 3 US election, was admitted to the hospital on Friday after being diagnosed with the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
He announced Monday morning he would leave the Walter Reed Medical Center that evening.
"Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!" he said on Twitter.
The disease has killed more than 1 million people worldwide and more than 209,000 in the United States alone - the highest death toll of any country.
Trump, 74, has not had a fever in more than 72 hours and his oxygen levels are normal, his medical team said in a briefing in front of the hospital. The doctors declined, however, to discuss any potential toll the disease could have on the president's lungs or disclose when Trump last tested negative for the coronavirus.
The team added that the president had received supplemental oxygen twice in recent days.
"He may not entirely be out of the woods yet," Dr Sean Conley, the White House physician, said. "If we can get through to Monday with him remaining the same or improving, better yet, then we will all take that final, deep sigh of relief."
However, Conley said the medical team believed Trump was ready to leave the hospital, stressing he would have world-class medical care around the clock at the White House.
Conley said doctors were in "unchartered territory" because Trump had received certain therapies so early in the course of the illness.
The severity of Trump's illness has been the subject of intense speculation in the past three days, with some medical experts noting that, as an overweight, elderly man, he was in a category more likely to develop severe complications or die from the disease.
US House of Representatives Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she hoped Trump's decision to return to the White House was not politically motivated and she expressed concern that he could become a "long hauler", a term that refers to those who suffer COVID-19 complications over an extended period.
Trump's medical team said he had not placed any pressure on the doctors treating him.
Even when discharged, Trump will need to continue treatment as he is still undergoing a five-day course of an intravenous antiviral drug, remdesivir, and will have to isolate himself for a certain period of time.
The coronavirus outbreak around Trump widened on Monday when White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said she had tested positive for the virus.
McEnany, who is at the forefront of the White House's often combative dealings with the media, held a briefing for reporters on Thursday in which she did not wear a face mask.
Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt, who work in the White House's press office, also have tested positive, a source confirmed to Reuters.
TRAILING IN POLLS
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday showed the Republican Trump trailing Democratic challenger Joe Biden, 77, nationally by 10 percentage points. About 65 per cent of Americans said Trump would not have been infected had he taken the virus more seriously.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump show their support outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct 5, 2020 in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo: AFP/Cyril Julien)
Trump has repeatedly flouted social-distancing guidelines meant to curb its spread. He also mocked Biden at last Tuesday's presidential debate for wearing a mask at events, even when he is far from other people.
Biden, who has tested negative for the disease several times since the debate, said on Monday he was willing to participate in next week's scheduled presidential debate if health experts deemed it safe.
A return to the White House might help Trump project a sense of normalcy in his bid to win re-election on Nov 3. Before falling ill, he had tried to pivot the campaign toward the US economic recovery and the upcoming confirmation hearings for his Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett.
But the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the Whitkae House as well as in Congress - three Republican senators have tested positive for the virus in the past week - threatens to draw further attention to Trump's pandemic response.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife tested negative again for COVID-19 on Monday, an administration official said. Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, tested negative on Monday, an administration official said.
Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who both work at the White House, also tested negative for the virus, Ivanka Trump's spokeswoman said. The president's wife, Melania, tested positive last week.
Major US stock markets closed sharply higher on Monday ahead of Trump's departure from the hospital and amid signs of progress with a new fiscal stimulus bill in Congress. Wall Street's main indexes slumped on Friday after Trump's COVID-19 announcement.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday (Oct 5) left the hospital where he has been treated for COVID-19 and boarded a helicopter to return to a White House hit by a wave of infections and a campaign further shadowed by the pandemic four weeks before Election Day.
"Will be back on the Campaign Trail soon!!!" Trump tweeted shortly before he left the hospital. "The Fake News only shows the Fake Polls."
President Donald Trump walks out of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to return to the White House after receiving treatment for COVID-19 on Oct 5, 2020. (Photo: AP/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump boards Marine One to return to the White House on Oct 5, 2020, after receiving treatment for COVID-19 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. (Photo: AP/Evan Vucci)
Wearing what appeared to be a white surgical mask, Trump pumped his fist and gave a thumbs up as he walked down the steps of the Walter Reed Medical Center outside Washington, responding to a reporter's question about how many people were infected at the White House by saying: "Thank you very much."
President Donald Trump returns to the White House on Monday, Oct 5, 2020, in Washington, on Marine One after leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Trump announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct 2. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)
After the short helicopter ride, Trump arrived back at the White House, where he gave a thumbs-up and waved at reporters as he walked to the executive mansion.
He then walked up the staircase of the White House South Portico, removed his mask, and posed for pictures, at times giving a thumbs-up and others a salute.
US President Donald Trump walks up the South Portico steps as he arrives at the White House on Oct 5, 2020, upon his return from Walter Reed Medical Center, where he underwent treatment for COVID-19. (Photo: AFP/Nicholas Kamm)
US President Donald Trump removes his mask upon return to the White House from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct 05, 2020. Trump spent three days hospitalised for COVID-19. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP)
President Donald Trump salutes on the Blue Room Balcony upon returning to the White House on Oct 5, 2020, in Washington, after leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Trump announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct 2. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)
The Republican president, running for re-election against Democrat Joe Biden in the Nov 3 US election, was admitted to the hospital on Friday after being diagnosed with the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
He announced Monday morning he would leave the Walter Reed Medical Center that evening.
"Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!" he said on Twitter.
The disease has killed more than 1 million people worldwide and more than 209,000 in the United States alone - the highest death toll of any country.
Trump, 74, has not had a fever in more than 72 hours and his oxygen levels are normal, his medical team said in a briefing in front of the hospital. The doctors declined, however, to discuss any potential toll the disease could have on the president's lungs or disclose when Trump last tested negative for the coronavirus.
The team added that the president had received supplemental oxygen twice in recent days.
"He may not entirely be out of the woods yet," Dr Sean Conley, the White House physician, said. "If we can get through to Monday with him remaining the same or improving, better yet, then we will all take that final, deep sigh of relief."
However, Conley said the medical team believed Trump was ready to leave the hospital, stressing he would have world-class medical care around the clock at the White House.
Conley said doctors were in "unchartered territory" because Trump had received certain therapies so early in the course of the illness.
The severity of Trump's illness has been the subject of intense speculation in the past three days, with some medical experts noting that, as an overweight, elderly man, he was in a category more likely to develop severe complications or die from the disease.
US House of Representatives Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she hoped Trump's decision to return to the White House was not politically motivated and she expressed concern that he could become a "long hauler", a term that refers to those who suffer COVID-19 complications over an extended period.
Trump's medical team said he had not placed any pressure on the doctors treating him.
Even when discharged, Trump will need to continue treatment as he is still undergoing a five-day course of an intravenous antiviral drug, remdesivir, and will have to isolate himself for a certain period of time.
The coronavirus outbreak around Trump widened on Monday when White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said she had tested positive for the virus.
McEnany, who is at the forefront of the White House's often combative dealings with the media, held a briefing for reporters on Thursday in which she did not wear a face mask.
Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt, who work in the White House's press office, also have tested positive, a source confirmed to Reuters.
TRAILING IN POLLS
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday showed the Republican Trump trailing Democratic challenger Joe Biden, 77, nationally by 10 percentage points. About 65 per cent of Americans said Trump would not have been infected had he taken the virus more seriously.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump show their support outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct 5, 2020 in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo: AFP/Cyril Julien)
Trump has repeatedly flouted social-distancing guidelines meant to curb its spread. He also mocked Biden at last Tuesday's presidential debate for wearing a mask at events, even when he is far from other people.
Biden, who has tested negative for the disease several times since the debate, said on Monday he was willing to participate in next week's scheduled presidential debate if health experts deemed it safe.
A return to the White House might help Trump project a sense of normalcy in his bid to win re-election on Nov 3. Before falling ill, he had tried to pivot the campaign toward the US economic recovery and the upcoming confirmation hearings for his Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett.
But the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the Whitkae House as well as in Congress - three Republican senators have tested positive for the virus in the past week - threatens to draw further attention to Trump's pandemic response.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife tested negative again for COVID-19 on Monday, an administration official said. Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, tested negative on Monday, an administration official said.
Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who both work at the White House, also tested negative for the virus, Ivanka Trump's spokeswoman said. The president's wife, Melania, tested positive last week.
Major US stock markets closed sharply higher on Monday ahead of Trump's departure from the hospital and amid signs of progress with a new fiscal stimulus bill in Congress. Wall Street's main indexes slumped on Friday after Trump's COVID-19 announcement.
