Protesters in Hong Kong finally accepted an offer of talks with the government after a week of unrest.
Chief Executive CY Leung Leung offered the talks with his deputy late on Thursday but rejected calls to resign.The protesters, angry at China’s plan to vet election candidates, have been occupying parts of the city since the weekend, though numbers have fallen.Beijing has thrown its full support behind Mr Leung, calling the protests illegal and “doomed to fail”.BBC report.
Hong Kong’s political leaders say they are ready to hold talks with pro-democracy protesters. But hundreds of students are continuing their sit-ins near government buildings, making it uncertain whether the standoff will be resolved any time soon.
Embattled Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying refused to resign on Thursday night, but expressed a willingness to send second-ranked Chief Secretary Carrie Lam and 2 other senior officials to speak with the student leaders.
The number of protesters massed in the central district sharply declined on Friday morning. But a few hundred students still remained in front of Leung’s office.
They shouted calls for Leung to resign as police officers stood guard.
The illegal gatherings of the Occupy Central movement are aimed at challenging both China’s supreme power organ and Hong Kong citizens’ democratic rights, and are doomed to fail, according to a commentary to be carried by Friday’s People’s Daily.
For several days, some people have been staging protests in Hong Kong in the name of seeking the so-called “real universal suffrage.”
They attempt to force the central authorities to change the decision made by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, on Hong Kong’s electoral system. Such actions blatantly violate the Basic Law of Hong Kong and the principle of rule of law, according to the opinion piece.
“There is no room to make concessions on issues of important principles,” says the commentary on the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China.
The decision made on Aug. 31 granted universal suffrage in the selection of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)’s chief executive on the basis of nomination by a “broadly representative” committee.
The decision possesses unchallengeable legal status and authority. It is “a certain choice and the only choice” to safeguard the decision, according to the commentary.
The NPC decision is in line with the “one country, two systems” policy and the Basic Law. It has fully heeded opinions from all walks of life in Hong Kong, it says.
The core purpose of instigators of illegal activities is to ensure that their representatives, including those in defiance of the central authorities, can become candidates of HKSAR’s chief executives, the commentary says. “Such a demand is neither illegal nor reasonable.”
As one of China’s local administrative regions, Hong Kong is directly under the jurisdiction of the central government rather than a state or an independent political entity, the commentary says.
Once the public opinions were hijacked by a minor group, it would not be conducive to the implementation of “one country, two systems” policy, Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability as well as realization of universal suffrage, the commentary warns. report Xenhua
Cameron promised new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that Britain will always be a “strong partner and good friend”. David Cameron, is on unannounced visit to Kabul, said British armed forces had paid a “very high price” for their involvement in Afghanistan.Mr Ghani also thanked the families of those who had lost their lives there.
British forces have gone “a long way” towards achieving their objectives in the country, Mr Cameron added.Earlier Mr Cameron visited RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus from where RAF Tornados are launching air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq.Mr Cameron is the first world leader to meet Afghanistan’s new government.Reports BBC
Cameron arrived in Afghan capital of Kabul on Friday to pay an unannounced visit and meet the new Afghan leaders, sources said.
“David Cameron arrived in Kabul Friday morning. He is scheduled to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai. He will also meet Dr. Abdullah Adullah, the chief executive officer of the new government later on Friday,”
Dallas health officials quarantine 4 people close to US Ebola patient
Four people close to the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the US have been quarantined in a Dallas apartment, Reuters reported. Health officials also widened their search for others who had direct or indirect contact with him. In Liberia, an American freelance television cameraman working for NBC News has contracted Ebola, the fifth US citizen known to be infected with the virus that has killed at least 3,300 people in the West Africa outbreak. The man, 33, whose name was not released, will be flown back to the US for treatment. US health officials are confident they could prevent the spread of Ebola in the US after the first case was diagnosed this week on its soil.
Dozens Hong Kong protesters, police clash outside govt HQ, talks offer unnoticed
Protesters in Hong Kong scuffled with police outside government headquarters on Friday, despite an 11th-hour agreement for talks, AFP reported. Most overnight demonstrators had gone home by Friday morning, but around 100 remained outside the government complex, while parts of the city have remained at a standstill for five days. Demonstrators had set a midnight Thursday ultimatum for Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to resign and for Beijing to stop vetting candidates who want to stand for the chief executive’s job in 2017 elections.
Islamist militants in Philippines threaten to behead 1 of 2 Germans on Oct. 17
Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants in the Philippines have threatened to kill one of two German captives on October 17, Reuters reported. Abu Sayyaf rebels captured the two Germans sailing on a yacht from the western island of Palawan island to the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah in April. The militants are demanding a $5.6 million ransom and for Germany to stop supporting US-led airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria. The Germans are reportedly being held in the jungles of Jolo, a remote southern island. Germany has ruled out taking part in the airstrikes, but agreed to arm Kurdish fighters battling IS militants in Iraq.
36 Libyan troops killed in bomb attacks, fighting in Benghazi
At least 36 Libyan soldiers were killed in three suicide bombings and clashes with Islamists in the eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday, the Libyan army said, as cited by AFP. The new toll – a dramatic increase from the previously reported seven deaths – also says that more than 70 were wounded. While several troops died from the blasts of three car bombs that drove into an army checkpoint near Benghazi airport, the majority perished in fighting in the same area. The deadly clashes come amid the offensive of Shura Revolutionary Council militants, including Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia, who launched a fresh assault on the airport on Wednesday.
Ebola patient to be treated in Germany
A patient suffering from Ebola is being flown to Germany to receive treatment in an isolation unit at Frankfurt’s University Hospital, a spokesman for the clinic said Thursday, Reuters reported. German media said the man is a Belgian doctor who was working in Sierra Leone, although this has not been confirmed. Stefan Gruettner – the health minister for Hesse state, where Frankfurt in located – is due to hold a press conference on Friday to discuss the case.
UN to release report on mass burial sites in eastern Ukraine
A UN human rights report will address the finding of mass burial sites near Donetsk, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday. The report will cover the period from August 18 to September 16, and will be presented in Geneva and Kiev on Friday. Russia reported the mass graves, which were found on September 23, to the UN Security Council last week. Two days before the graves were discovered, the area was vacated by the 25th Airborne Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, which had controlled the zone for a long time, according to Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin.
Bahrain to detain activist Nabeel Rajab for 1 week – reports
Bahrain’s Public Prosecution on Thursday ordered prominent rights activist Nabeel Rajab to be held and questioned for one week, Reuters said. The ruling came over remarks published on his Twitter account that were critical of state institutions, according to an associate of Rajab. The Public Prosecution confirmed it had charged a person with publicly insulting a government institution on social media and had detained him for questioning. However, it did not name the individual. The founder of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights was freed in May after two years in jail on charges of organizing and participating in illegal protests.
Algeria brings proceedings against 15 suspects in Gourdel beheading
Algeria has opened criminal cases against 15 suspects in the beheading of French mountain guide Herve Gourdel by the Soldiers of the Caliphate group, TASS reported. One of the suspects is the group’s leader Abdelmalek Gouri, also known as Khalid Abu Suleiman, according to judicial sources. Gourdel was kidnapped and his beheading was shown in a video posted to social media in late September, 24 hours after France refused the Soldiers of the Caliphate demand to stop US-led air raids against Islamic State militants.
Boat with migrants sinks off Libya, 10 dead, dozens missing
At least 10 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa drowned Thursday and dozens more were missing after their boat sank in the Mediterranean off Libya, AFP reported. Between 80 and 90 people were rescued after the boat went down in waters east of Tripoli, the coast guard said. There had been up to 180 people on board, according to survivors. On Wednesday, Spanish coastguards pulled the bodies of two Africans from the sea off Morocco. Six others were missing after a dinghy carrying them sank.
Swedish parliament votes for Stefan Lofven as new PM
Stefan Lofven has become the new Swedish prime minister after Parliament voted for the head of the Social Democratic Party. Lofven got 132 votes in the 349-seat Parliament, with 49 voting against, Dagens Nyheter reported. The 154 abstentions came from the center-right Alliance parties, the Moderates, the Christian Democrats, the Liberals and the Center Party. Lofven is expected to deliver a statement on government policy on Friday.
Greek stock exchange receives parcel with bomb materials
A package containing dynamite and cables was sent to Greece’s stock exchange on Thursday, Reuters reported. It was safely detonated by the bomb disposal unit. The device lacked a mechanism to set it off, so would not have exploded by itself, police said. The package, which was discovered mid-morning at the building’s entrance, did not affect the trading session.
Bulgaria officials confirm blasts kill 15 people at explosives plant
Bulgaria officials have confirmed that a series of powerful blasts on Wednesday at an explosives plant killed fifteen people and injured three others. The government has announced a day of national mourning for the victims of the accident. It happened near the village of Gorni Lom, some 120km north of the capital, Sofia.
7 Libyan soldiers killed in suicide bombings, clashes in Benghazi
Seven Libyan soldiers have been killed and 50 wounded in a double suicide bombing and clashes in the eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday, Reuters said, citing an army commander. Three soldiers were killed when two cars loaded with explosives drove into an army checkpoint near Benghazi airport, according to Wanis Bukhamada, commander of army special forces in Benghazi. Four soldiers were killed in clashes with Islamist militants in the same area.
Australia doubles Ebola donation to $16mn
Australia more than doubled its donation to the fight against Ebola in West Africa to AU$18 million ($16 million) on Thursday, AP said. At this stage, financial contributions are the best and most efficient way that“Australia can make a rapid contribution to the global response,” Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said. The minister said Australia does not have the capacity to evacuate any Australian who becomes infected with the virus. The government also resisted demands to send personnel.
Ex-Bosnian Serb leader Karadzic ‘didn’t know’ of Srebrenica massacre – lawyer
Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic “did not know” of the 1995 massacre of thousands of Muslims at Srebrenica, AFP quoted his lawyer as saying Thursday. “There is not a single piece of evidence that Dr. Karadzic planned or ordered the execution of prisoners [at Srebrenica], or that he knew about it,” legal advisor Peter Robinson told the Hague-based Yugoslav War Crimes Court. He is seeking an acquittal of Karadzic on charges of genocide. The verdict in the five-year trial is not expected before late 2015.
Denmark MPs vote to send jet fighters to Iraq
Danish lawmakers have confirmed the government’s proposal to send seven F-16 fighter jets to join an international coalition against the Islamic State group, AP reported. The lawmakers voted 94-9 with 76 absentees on Thursday to send four operational planes and three reserve jets for the mission to last for 12 months. It will be carried out by 140 pilots and support staff, while the fighters will be based in Kuwait. Some 120 Danish military trainers are set to train Iraqi and Kurdish fighters battling the Islamic State group on the ground.
Russia ‘to put Ukrainian military commanders on wanted list’
After indicting the Ukrainian defense minister and the head of the country’s General Staff, Russian investigators will put them on a wanted list, RIA Novosti reported. The news was announced by Aleksandr Drymanov, the acting head of Russia’s Investigative Committee’s department that investigates crimes related to prohibited means and methods of warfare. The committee has launched criminal proceedings against Ukrainian Defense Minister Vitaly Geletey, Chief of the General Staff Viktor Muzhenko and other generals for genocide in southeastern Ukraine, spokesman Vladimir Markin said Thursday.
15 feared dead after blast at Bulgaria explosives factory
A blast at an explosives factory in northwestern Bulgaria may have killed as many as 15 people, authorities say. The explosion also left three people injured, AP said. The incident occurred near the village of Gorni Lom, some 120km north of the capital, Sofia, late on Wednesday. Smaller explosions continued for several more hours. Civil Defense chief Nikolai Nikolov said Thursday that the site cannot be inspected by rescue teams until at least 24 hours after the last blast.
Taliban suicide attacker kills 3 on Afghan army bus
Three people were killed when a Taliban suicide attacker stroke an Afghan army bus in Kabul on Thursday, AFP said. Dawlat Waziri, deputy spokesman for the Defense Ministry, confirmed a suicide attack on a bus carrying Afghan army staff. “We have three killed and eight wounded in the attack,”he said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message.
Catalonia to appeal court’s suspension of independence vote
Catalonia’s lawmakers have voted to appeal the Spain’s Constitutional Court decision to suspend the region’s November 9 referendum on independence. Catalan government will now urge the court to look at the request as soon as possible. Meanwhile, on Wednesday local politicians decided to set up an election commission for an independence referendum, despite Madrid court’s ruling. The decision comes a day after police
clashed with groups of pro-independence demonstrators in Barcelona and Madrid, as thousands of Catalans took to streets demanding the vote to be held. The referendum, which has been approved by Catalonia’s president, was on Monday unanimously
suspended by 12 Constitutional Court.
judges in Madrid.
Ban Ki-moon condemns Syria bombings that killed 30 children
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Wednesday’s deadly bombings near two schools in Syria, which killed at least 39 people – including 30 children – and injured dozens more. Through his spokesman, Ban called on the “warring sides in this brutal and bloody conflict to stop the indiscriminate use of any weapons immediately,” and urged “international actors to redouble their efforts to bring this horrific conflict to an end and help reach a long-overdue political solution.”According to Syrian state television, a car bomb and suicide bomber were involved in the blasts, which occurred in a district of Homs populated by Alawites, the same minority group to which Syrian President Bashar Assad belongs.
Norway withdraws bid to host 2022 Winter Olympics
Norway’s government has withdrawn Oslo’s bid to hold the 2022 Winter Olympics, leaving Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan as the only remaining candidates after other potential contenders also pulled out. Norwegian campaigners could not rally enough support, partly due to fears that the cost of hosting the Games would continue to balloon. Both the ruling Conservatives and Progress Party declined to support the Games and asked the government to withdraw the application. Norway has hosted the Winter Games twice and has won more Winter Games medals than any other country.
Car bombs kill 12 in Baghdad
A car bomb exploded in a mainly Shiite Muslim area of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing 11 people and wounding 27 others, Reuters cited police and medical sources as saying. Another bomb in Mahmoudiya, a predominately Shiite town south of Baghdad, killed one civilian and wounded a further seven. While the offensive by the Islamic State to the north of Baghdad has captured much of the world’s attention, bombs still hit the capital on a regular basis. Tuesday saw some of the bloodiest violence in Baghdad since US airstrikes on the Islamic State began in August.
Greenland thrown into political chaos as 3 minsters resign
Three minsters stepped down from the Greenlandic government on Wednesday as part of a campaign to force Prime Minister Aleqa Hammond to quit after she was accused of misusing of state funds, including spending money on private flights and hotels for her family. Hammond, who has been prime minister since April 2013, left office on Tuesday to wait for the results of an inquiry into her use of state funds. Despite the defection by her minsters, Hammond escaped a vote of no confidence. Until Wednesday morning, all of Hammond’s nine ministers had stood by her, accepting her argument that the government should wait until the audit commission comes to its conclusions. Now the opposition will continue to push for a parliamentary election, which polls show it could win. Greenland is a self-governing country of 55,000 people within the kingdom of Denmark.
Sandy Hook Elementary School evacuated after threat
Sandy Hook Elementary — the site of a horrific school shooting that claimed the lives of 20 children in late 2012 — was evacuated on Wednesday this week after an apparent threat. The Associated Press reported on Wednesday afternoon that students at the Connecticut school were being moved to a nearby facility so that parents could pick them up after some sort of threat surfaced. The AP could not immediately verify what kind of threat prompted the response.
The original Sandy Hook schoolhouse in Newtown, CT was torn down last year, and its students now attend class in the neighboring town of Monroe.
US, India sign 2 deals on Earth exploration
The US and India have signed two agreements to allow NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to roll out a joint satellite mission to explore Earth’s surface, RIA Novosti said. The deals make it possible for two states to pursue such goals as the identification and implementation of scientific, programmatic and technological goals. They are also expected to establish a pathway to explore Mars in the future. Another agreement was signed defining the procedures NASA and ISRO will need in their work on the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission. It is scheduled to be launched in 2020.
Turkey to fight Islamic State, wants Syria regime gone – Erdogan
President Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday Turkey would fight against Islamic State and other “terrorist” groups in the region, Reuters reported. He added that Ankara will also continue to prioritize its aim “to remove the Syrian regime, to help protect the territorial integrity of Syria and to encourage a constitutional, parliamentary government system.”
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