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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-gwen on Tuesday warned of “counter measures” should a sweeping security law China imposed on Hong Kong “damage” the island. The new law has sent chills through self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing regards as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize, by force if necessary. Beijing has taken an especially hardline towards Taiwan ever since the 2016 election of Tsai because she regards the island as […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — The wildly popular video-sharing app TikTok will no longer work in Hong Kong, its makers said, after a new security law imposed by China gave authorities sweeping powers to police local users. The new security law has sparked fears for freedom of expression, and internet giants Google, Facebook and Twitter have put a hold on requests for user data from Hong Kong authorities since it came into force. “In […]
LILONGWE, Malawi (AFP) — Malawi’s new president Lazarus Chakwera called for national sacrifice to transform his country as he was inaugurated on Monday, completing a remarkable turnaround after losing last year’s election. That vote was annulled by Malawi’s top court over “widespread and systematic” irregularities and a re-run election was held on June 23. Chakwera, 65, comfortably beat Peter Mutharika with 58.5 per cent of the vote, marking the first time in African history that […]
by Jerome TAYLOR HONG KONG, China (AFP) — China promised Thursday to take “strong countermeasures” if the US presses ahead with tough new sanctions that target banks over infringements on Hong Kong’s autonomy, after Beijing imposed a sweeping security law on the restless financial hub. Beijing has faced a groundswell of criticism from primarily Western nations over its decision to impose a law outlawing acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces in […]
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexican police have arrested three men over a bloody gun attack on a drug rehabilitation center that left 27 people dead, the local prosecutor’s office said Sunday. Gunmen burst into the center in the city of Irapuato in the central Guanajuato state on Wednesday, forcing victims “onto the ground and shot them”, authorities said. The suspects were captured in a swoop by special forces, the prosecutor’s office said on Twitter, […]
by Laurence BENHAMOU and Stuart WILLIAMS PARIS, France (AFP) — France’s new Prime Minister Jean Castex was on Monday expected to unveil a reshuffled government tasked with helping the economy brave its worst crisis since World War II and injecting fresh momentum into the presidency of Emmanuel Macron. Castex, a senior bureaucrat and provincial mayor almost completely unknown to the French before his appointment Friday, is seeking to move quickly and decisively to convince sceptics […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — China warned Britain on Thursday it could retaliate with “corresponding measures” for London’s decision to extend a broader path to citizenship for the residents of Hong Kong. Britain’s offer came in response to a sweeping new security law that China unveiled for the former British territory this week. Hong Kong was under UK jurisdiction until its handover to China in 1997 with a guarantee that Beijing would preserve the city’s […]
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada warned its citizens in Hong Kong on Wednesday that they faced a higher risk of arbitrary detention and extradition to mainland China after Beijing imposed a new security law on the city. The warning illustrates Western governments’ heightened concern for citizens under the new law that criminalizes subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces. “You may be at increased risk of arbitrary detention on national security grounds and possible […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Retailers in Japan began charging for plastic bags Wednesday, a move aimed at curbing Japanese consumers’ love for packaging and finally bringing the country in line with other major economies. Shops including the ubiquitous convenience stores can decide how much to charge customers for the bags, with a common price being three yen (around three US cents). The new rule seemed to be having some effect, with one shopper telling public […]
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AFP) — Ex-Soviet Kyrgyzstan’s former president Almazbek Atambayev has been hospitalized with pneumonia but tested negative for the coronavirus, the Central Asian country’s security committee said Tuesday. Atambayev, 63, was last week sentenced to over 11 years in jail for his role in allowing a crime boss early release from incarceration and faces a host of other charges including murder. While noting that Atambayev’s coronavirus test had come back negative, the State National […]
by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO HONG KONG, China (AFP) — China passed a sweeping national security law for Hong Kong on Tuesday, a historic move that critics and many western governments fear will smother the finance hub’s freedoms and hollow out its autonomy. The legislation was unanimously approved by China’s rubber-stamp parliament, little more than six weeks after it was first unveiled, sending shockwaves through semi-autonomous Hong Kong and beyond. The United States, Britain, […]
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro on Monday gave the head of the European Union mission in Caracas, Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa, 72 hours to leave the country after the bloc announced sanctions against 11 Venezuelan officials. “Who are they to try to impose themselves with threats?” said Maduro. “We will sort it out in 72 hours… she will be given a plane to leave, but we will arrange our things with the European […]
