Tag: unrest

China slams HK airport protesters, US ‘deeply concerned’

by Jerome TAYLOR / Catherine LAI HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Beijing on Wednesday slammed “terrorist-like” attacks on its citizens by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong during a second day of chaos at the city’s airport, as the United States expressed concern over apparent Chinese troop movements at the border. The rallies, which had paralysed one of the world’s busiest travel hubs, ended with ugly clashes on Tuesday night that included protesters beating two men. […]

Hong Kong airport protesters retreat, but city in turmoil

by Jerome TAYLOR / Catherine LAI Agence France-Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Pro-democracy protesters retreated from Hong Kong’s airport on Wednesday following two days of hugely disruptive rallies that turned violent and plunged the global financial hub further into turmoil. The protests ended early Wednesday morning following a series of clashes in which a policeman drew his gun after being beaten by demonstrators and other officers fired pepper spray. The rallies paralysed one of […]

Hong Kong’s leader warns city faces ‘path of no return’

by Catherine LAI / India BOURKE HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Violent protests are driving Hong Kong down a “path of no return”, the city’s leader warned Tuesday as its airport struggled to recover from an unprecedented shutdown triggered by a rally and authorities in Beijing sent more ominous signals that the unrest must end. The airport, one of the busiest in the world, re-opened on Tuesday morning but hundreds of flights remained canceled and […]

Operations resume at Hong Kong airport after protests: authorities

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Operations resumed at Hong Kong airport on Tuesday morning, authorities said, with flights due to start departing and arriving a day after protests shut down the major travel hub. “We have resumed check-ins,” a spokesman for the airport told AFP, confirming flights would be resuming within the next hour at one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs. The flight status board at the departures hall showed several flights listed as “boarding […]

Hong Kong protests shut airport as China anger mounts

  by Elaine YU Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — One of the world’s busiest aviation hubs was in chaos early Tuesday after thousands of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters flooded the city’s airport to denounce police violence, forcing the cancellation of all flights. The abrupt shutdown came as the Chinese government signalled its rising anger at the protesters, denouncing some of the violent demonstrations as “terrorism”, and the United States urged “all sides” […]

Cathay Pacific shares plunge after China warning on protests

  HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Shares in Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific plunged more than four percent on Monday, after Beijing banned airline staff supporting Hong Kong protesters from flights going through the mainland. Cathay shares lost 4.37 percent to HK$9.85 by the break in Hong Kong, with the carrier’s parent company Swire Pacific Ltd. plunging 5.26 percent to HK$77.50. The nosedive comes as the airline is caught up in pro-democracy protests that […]

‘It’s humanitarian’: the medics helping Hong Kong’s protesters

by Yan ZHAO HONG KONG, China (AFP) — In the early days of Hong Kong’s protests, Jonathan put out a call on a messaging app seeking fellow medics to aid demonstrators — within a day, 4,000 people had volunteered. Nurses, doctors, medical students and ordinary people with first aid training all clamored to join what has become a small volunteer corps helping treat people on the frontlines of protests that have engulfed the city for […]

Hong Kongers harness traffic cones, kitchenware to battle tear gas

by Catherine LAI HONG KONG, China (AFP) — As a tear gas canister clatters onto a street in Hong Kong, a pro-democracy protester wearing heat-proof gloves and carrying a traffic cone sprints from the crowd to put it out. Police have ramped up their use of the crowd control measure as two months of rallies in the global financial hub have turned increasingly violent, peaking with 800 rounds fired on Monday in what protesters called […]

More than 100 flights cancelled in Hong Kong: airport

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — More than 100 flights were canceled in Hong Kong on Monday morning with airport authorities warning passengers of potential disruption, as pro-democracy protesters kick off a city-wide strike. At least 105 flights were listed as canceled on the airport’s departure page on Monday morning. When contacted, an airport spokesman did not give any reason for the cancellations but said passengers should check to see if their flight was departing. “The […]

JUST IN: Thai government confirms ‘bombing incidents’ in Bangkok

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — The Thai government on Friday confirmed a number of small “bombing incidents” in Bangkok as the city hosts a major summit, urging the public not to panic as police tighten security. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha was told of “the bombing incidents and has ordered an immediate investigation”, spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat said, adding “security measures have been tightened. The public is urged not to panic.” © Agence France-Presse

UPDATE: Bombs rattle Bangkok during ASEAN summit, wounding three

by Aidan JONES / Thanaporn PROMYAMYAI BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP ) — Several small bombs exploded across Bangkok on Friday, rattling the Thai capital as it hosted a regional summit attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and leaving three people wounded. Thailand, which has a grim history of political violence, remains deeply divided after a controversial March election returned a Thai junta to power as a civilian government. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who led […]

Iran’s Zarif rejects Trump idea of short war as ‘illusion’

TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday warned that US President Donald Trump was mistaken in thinking a war between their countries would not last long. “‘Short war’ with Iran is an illusion,” Zarif tweeted a day after Trump said he does not want a war with Iran but warned that if fighting did break out, it “wouldn’t last very long”. The foreign minister also tweeted: “Whoever begins war will not […]