'Night fell': Hong Kong's first month under China security law

Issued on: 10/08/2020 -

A political earthquake has coursed through Hong Kong since the national security law came into effect Anthony WALLACE AFP/Fil


Hong Kong (AFP)

Teenager Tony Chung said he was walking outside a shopping mall when police officers from Hong Kong's new national security unit swooped, bundled him into a nearby stairwell and tried to scan his face to unlock his phone.

Chung's alleged crime was to write comments on social media that endangered national security, one of four students -- including a 16-year-old girl -- detained for the same offence that day.

The arrests were made under a sweeping new law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in late June, radically changing the once-freewheeling business hub.


Chung describes the law in stark terms.

"I think night just fell on Hong Kong," the 19-year-old told AFP after his release on bail, the investigation ongoing.

A political earthquake has coursed through the former British colony since the national security law came into effect on 30 June.

Under the handover deal with London, Beijing agreed to let Hong Kong keep certain freedoms and autonomy until 2047, helping its transformation into a world-class financial centre.

The security law -- a response to last year's huge and often-violent pro-democracy protests -- upended that promise.

Last week the United States placed sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials, including city leader Carrie Lam.

- 'A second handover' -

Despite assurances that the law would only target an "extreme minority", certain peaceful political views became illegal overnight and the precedent-setting headlines have come at a near-daily rate.

"The overnight change was so dramatic and so severe, it felt as momentous as a second handover," Antony Dapiran, a Hong Kong lawyer who has written books about the city's politics, told AFP.

"I don't think anyone expected it would be as broad-reaching as it proved to be, nor that it would be immediately wielded in such a draconian way as to render a whole range of previously acceptable behaviour suddenly illegal."

The law itself was new territory.

It bypassed Hong Kong's legislature -- its contents kept secret until the moment it was enacted -- and toppled the firewall between the mainland and Hong Kong's vaunted independent judiciary.

China claimed jurisdiction for some serious cases and enabled its security agents to operate openly in the city for the first time, moving into a requisitioned luxury hotel.

Officially the law targets subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces.

But much like similar laws on the mainland used to crush dissent, the definitions were broad.

Inciting hatred of the government, supporting foreign sanctions and disrupting the operation of Hong Kong's government all count as national security crimes, and Beijing claimed the right to prosecute anyone in the world.

Hong Kongers did not have to wait long to see how the letter of the law might be applied.

The first arrests came on 1 July, the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover, mainly against people possessing banners or other objects carrying pro-independence slogans.

One man who allegedly drove a motorbike into police while flying an independence flag was the first to be charged -- with terrorism and secession.

The law was felt in many other ways.

Schools and libraries pulled books deemed to breach the new law. Protest murals disappeared from streets and restaurants. Teachers were ordered to keep politics out of classrooms.

Local police were handed wide surveillance tools -- without the need for court approval -- and were given powers to order internet takedowns.

On Monday Jimmy Lai -- a local media mogul and one of the city's most vocal Beijing critics -- was arrested under the new law along with six other people, accused of colluding with foreign forces.

- Political crackdown -

The roll-out combined with a renewed crackdown on pro-democracy politicians.

In July, authorities announced 12 prospective candidates, including four sitting legislators, were banned from standing in upcoming local elections.

They were struck off for having unacceptable political views, such as campaigning to block legislation by winning a majority, or criticising the national security law.

City leader Lam later postponed the election by a year, citing a sudden rise in coronavirus cases.

Three prominent academics and government critics lost their university jobs.

Media started having visa issues including The New York Times, which announced it would move some of its Asia newsroom to South Korea.

Gwyneth Ho, one of the disqualified election candidates, described the security law's suppression of freedoms as "obvious and quick".

"We are now in uncharted territory," she told AFP.

Nonetheless, Ho remained optimistic.

"The people's fighting spirit is still there, waiting for a moment to erupt," she said.

"Hong Kong people have not surrendered."

© 2020 AFP

Hong Kong police arrest media tycoon under new security law

Jimmy Lai (C), media tycoon and founder of Apple Daily, is escorted by police after he was arrested at his home in Hong Kong, China, on Monday. Photo by Vernon Yuen/EPA-EFE

VIDEOS AT END

Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Police in Hong Kong on Monday raided the offices of local newspaper Apple Daily and arrested several people including the media organization's outspoken pro-democracy founder Jimmy Lai under a new controversial national security law.

Both Samuel Chu, a Hong Kong activist and managing director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, and Mark Simon, a senior aide to Lai's Next Digital group, confirmed on Twitter that the 71-year-old media tycoon had been arrested.

"Jimmy Lai is being arrested for collusion with foreign powers," Simon said.

The Hong Kong Police Force said it has so far arrested seven people between the ages of 39 and 72 on Monday on suspicion of breaching the new national security law that went into effect early last month criminalizing acts of secession, sedition, subversion, terrorism and working with foreign powers to undermine the national security of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong.

Specifically, police said the offenses include collusion with a foreign country or external elements.

"Investigation is still underway and further arrests may be made," the force said.

#BREAKING: So far, 7 people, aged between 39 to 72, have been arrested on suspicion of breaches of the #NationalSecurityLaw. Offences include collusion with a foreign country/external elements to endanger national security, Article 29 of the #NSL. Investigation is underway.— Hong Kong Police Force (@hkpoliceforce) August 10, 2020

Police officers also raided the Apple Daily offices in Tseung Kwan O in accordance with a warrant issued by a magistrate to gather evidence, police said in a statement published on Facebook.

Apple Daily reported that nearly 200 officers arrived at its building at around 10 a.m. and that Lai's sons Timothy and Ian along with several senior management of Next Media were arrested.

Simon said police searched the homes of Lai and at least one of his sons and executed a warrant for the newsroom floor of Apple Daily.

"Other members of the group have been detained or taken in for questioning," Simon said.

So far, more than a dozen people have been arrested under the new law since it went into effect but mostly for waving pro-Hong Kong independence banners or chanting such slogans. Four student protesters were arrested late last month on accusations that the created an online organization to unite pro-democracy activists.

Lai, however, is the first household name to be arrested under the law, and his arrested is expected to attract the condemnation of rights groups and Western nations that have previously voiced anger and concern over Beijing's imposition of the draconian national security law on Hong Kong over fears it would be used to punish dissidents, critics and media organizations.

"The arrest of media tycoon Jimmy Lai bears out the worst fears that Hong Kong's national security law would be used to suppress critical pro-democracy opinion and restrict press freedom," Steven Butler, the Committee to Protect Journalists' Asia program coordinator, said in a statement. "Jimmy Lai should be released at once and any charges dropped."

Joshua Wong, a prominent pro-democracy student activist in Hong Kong, described the police action as "the end of press freedom" and "the darkest day of journalists" in Hong Kong.

"I strongly condemn the latest arrest of Jimmy Lai," he tweeted.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has described the law as the "death knell" for the former British colony's autonomy from mainland China, and he joined the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Britain on Sunday stating they are "gravely concerned" over Hong Kong's recent decision to postpone Legislative Council elections by a year and to disqualify 12 pro-democracy candidates from running in the contest.

Late last week, the United States imposed sanctions against Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and 10 other officials the Trump administration blames with aiding Beijing for implementing the national security law.

Hong Kong media mogul and activist Jimmy Lai arrested for 'collusion with foreign powers'

Issued on: 10/08/2020 - 

Media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, founder of Apple Daily (C) is detained by the national security unit in Hong Kong, China August 10, 2020. © Tyrone Siu, Reuters

Text by:NEWS WIRES|

Video by:Shirli SITBON

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been arrested over suspected collusion with foreign forces under the new national security law, his top aide said on Twitter, in what is the highest-profile arrest yet under the legislation.

Lai has been one of the most prominent democracy activists in the Chinese-ruled city and an ardent critic of Beijing, which imposed the sweeping new law on Hong Kong on June 30, drawing condemnation from Western countries.

The new security law punishes anything China considers subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

Critics say it crushes freedoms in the semiautonomous city, while supporters say it will bring stability after prolonged pro-democracy protests last year.

"Jimmy Lai is being arrested for collusion with foreign powers at this time," Mark Simon, a senior executive at Lai's media company Next Digital, which publishes local tabloid Apple Daily, said early on Monday.

Police did not immediately comment.

Apple Daily reported that Lai was taken away from his home in Ho Man Tin early on Monday. The paper says one of Lai's sons, Ian, was also arrested at his home.

Around 10 other people were expected to be arrested on Monday, local newspaper South China Morning Post reported, without naming its sources.

Lai was also arrested this year on illegal assembly charges, along with other leading activists, relating to protests last year.

In an interview with Reuters in May, Lai pledged to stay in Hong Kong and continue to fight for democracy even though he expected to be one of the targets of the new legislation.

Before Monday, 15 people had been arrested under the law, including four aged 16-21 late last month over posts on social media.

The new legislation has sent a chill through Hong Kong, affecting many aspects of life. Activists have disbanded their organisations, while some have fled the city altogether.

Slogans have been declared illegal, certain songs and activities such as forming human chains have been banned in schools, and books have been taken off shelves in public libraries.

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the territory's current and former police chiefs and eight other top officials for what Washington says is their role in curtailing political freedoms in the territory.

Beijing's top representative office in Hong Kong described the sanctions as "clowning actions."

Beijing and the Hong Kong government have said the law will not affect rights and freedoms, and that it is needed to plug security loopholes. They said it will only target a small minority of "troublemakers."

(REUTERS)


Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai arrested under security law

Issued on: 10/08/2020 -

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai is one of Beijing's fiercest critics Anthony WALLACE AFP

Hong Kong (AFP)

Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, one of the city's most vocal Beijing critics, was among seven people arrested Monday under a new national security law, deepening a crackdown on democracy supporters.

The arrests are the latest to target dissidents since Beijing imposed the sweeping law on Hong Kong at the end of June, sending a political chill through the semi-autonomous city.

"They arrested him at his house at about 7am. Our lawyers are on the way to the police station," Mark Simon, a close aide of Lai's, told AFP, adding that other members of the tycoon's media group had also been detained.

In a statement, police said seven people were arrested for colluding with foreign forces -- one of the new national security offences -- and fraud.

A police source confirmed to AFP that 72-year-old Lai was among them.

The security law was introduced in a bid to quell last year's huge and often violent pro-democracy protests, and authorities have since wielded their new powers to pursue the city's democracy camp, sparking criticism from western nations and sanctions from the United States.

Lai owns the Apple Daily newspaper and Next Magazine, two outlets unapologetically pro-democracy and critical of Beijing.

On Twitter, Simon said officers were executing search warrants at Lai's mansion and his son's house.

Few Hong Kongers generate the level of personal vitriol from Beijing that Lai does.

For many residents of the restless semi-autonomous city, he is an unlikely hero -- a pugnacious, self-made tabloid owner and the only tycoon willing to criticise Beijing.


But in China's state media he is a "traitor", the biggest "black hand" behind last year's protests and the head of a new "Gang of Four" conspiring with foreign nations to undermine the motherland.

Allegations of Lai colluding with foreigners went into overdrive in state media last year when he met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence.

- 'Prepared for prison' -

Lai spoke to AFP in mid-June, two weeks before the new security law was imposed on Hong Kong.

"I'm prepared for prison," he said. "If it comes, I will have the opportunity to read books I haven't read. The only thing I can do is to be positive."

He brushed off the collusion allegations, saying Hong Kongers had a right to meet with foreign politicians.

His life is a rags to riches story.

He arrived in Hong Kong aged 12 fleeing communist China. Lai toiled in sweatshops, taught himself English and eventually founded the hugely successful Giordano clothing empire.

Beijing's deadly 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy students in Tiananmen Square turned him political and he became one of the few tycoons in Hong Kong willing to criticise China.

Authorities started shutting down his clothing empire on the mainland, so he sold it and turned to publishing raucous tabloids instead.

In the June interview with AFP, Lai described Beijing's new security law as "a death knell for Hong Kong" and said he feared authorities would come after his journalists.

The law targets secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces.

Both China and Hong Kong have said it will not affect freedoms and only targets a minority.

But its broadly-worded provisions criminalise certain political speech overnight, such as advocating for sanctions, greater autonomy or independence for Hong Kong.

Critics, including many Western nations, believe the law has ended the key liberties and autonomy that Beijing promised Hong Kong could keep after its 1997 handover by Britain.

Its rollout has been combined with ramped up police action against democracy supporters.

About two dozen -- including Lai -- have been charged for defying a police ban to attend a Tiananmen remembrance vigil in early June. Lai and many others are also being prosecuted for taking part in last year's protests.

Last month a dozen high-profile pro-democracy figures were disqualified from standing in local elections for holding unacceptable political views.

The banned opinions included being critical of the security law and campaigning to win a majority in the city's partially-elected legislature in order to block government laws.

Shortly after the disqualifications, city leader Carrie Lam postponed the elections for a year, citing a surge in coronavirus cases.

© 2020 AFP

Jimmy Lai: the Hong Kong media tycoon that China loathes

Issued on: 10/08/2020 -

Few Hong Kongers generate the level of vitriol from Beijing that Lai does 

Anthony WALLACE AFP/File


Hong Kong (AFP)

A rags-to-riches millionaire, media tycoon Jimmy Lai is a self-styled "troublemaker" who has been a thorn in Beijing's side for decades thanks to his caustic tabloids and unapologetic support for democracy.

Lai's arrest on Monday under a new national security law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong will come as little surprise to observers, including the publisher himself, who said he knew he would be a prime target.

"I'm prepared for prison," the 71-year-old told AFP from the offices of Next Digital, Hong Kong's largest and most rambunctiously pro-democracy media group, in an interview two weeks before the security law was enacted on 30 June.

"If it comes, I will have the opportunity to read books I haven't read. The only thing I can do is to be positive."

Few Hong Kongers generate the level of vitriol from Beijing that Lai does.

For many residents of the semi-autonomous city, he is an unlikely hero -- a pugnacious, self-made tabloid owner and the only tycoon willing to criticise Beijing.

But in China's state media he is a "traitor", the biggest "black hand" behind last year's huge pro-democracy protests and the head of a new "Gang of Four" conspiring with foreign nations to undermine the motherland.

- 'It feels right' -

Like many of Hong Kong's tycoons, Lai rose from poverty.

He was born in mainland China's Guangdong province into a wealthy family but they lost it all when the communists took power in 1949.

Smuggled into Hong Kong aged 12, Lai toiled in sweatshops, taught himself English and eventually founded the hugely successful Giordano clothing empire.

But his path diverged from those of his contemporaries in 1989, when China sent tanks to crush pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

He founded his first publication shortly after and penned columns regularly criticising senior Chinese leaders.

Authorities began closing his mainland clothing stores, so Lai sold up and ploughed the money into a tabloid empire.

Asked why he didn't just keep quiet and enjoy his wealth like Hong Kong's other tycoons, Lai replied: "Maybe I'm a born rebel, maybe I'm someone who needs a lot of meaning to live my life besides money."

- Prosecutions and payback -

Lai is no stranger to arrest.

Along with dozens of prominent pro-democracy activists, he is facing separate prosecutions both for taking part in last year's protests and for defying police to attend a banned Tiananmen vigil on June 4.

Before the new security law was passed, Chinese state media often accused him of colluding with foreigners, especially after he had a meeting last year with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice-President Mike Pence.

During AFP's interview Lai described the proposed security law as "a death knell for Hong Kong".

"It will supersede or destroy our rule of law and destroy our international financial status," he said.

He also feared for his journalists.

"Whatever we write, whatever we say can be subversion, can be sedition," he predicted.

His two primary titles -- the Apple Daily newspaper and the digital-only Next magazine -- openly back democracy protests in a city where competitors either support Beijing or tread a far more cautious line.

The two publications have been largely devoid of advertisements for years as brands steer clear of incurring Beijing's wrath, Lai plugging the losses with his own cash.

But they are popular, offering a heady mix of celebrity news, sex scandals and genuine investigations such as a recent series looking at how the houses of some senior police officers violated building codes.

Lai said he was determined to stay in Hong Kong even once the security law came in.

"The only thing we can do is persist, not to lose spirit or hope," he said. "And to think that what is right will eventually prevail."

Asked why he risked both his wealth and freedom by criticising Beijing and publicly supporting Hong Kong's democracy movement, he replied: "I'm a troublemaker.

"I came here with nothing, the freedom of this place has given me everything. Maybe it's time I paid back for that freedom by fighting for it."

© 2020 AFP

THE BUST
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested, newsroom searched


1 of 12
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, right, who founded local newspaper Apple Daily, is arrested by police officers at his home in Hong Kong, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Lai was arrested Monday on suspicion of collusion with foreign powers, his aide said, in the highest-profile use yet of the new national security law Beijing imposed on the city after protests last year. (AP Photo)

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, center, who founded local newspaper Apple Daily, is arrested by police officers at his home in Hong Kong, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Lai was arrested Monday on suspicion of collusion with foreign powers, his aide said, in the highest-profile use yet of the new national security law Beijing imposed on the city after protests last year. (AP Photo)



HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities broadened their enforcement of a new national security law on Monday, arresting media tycoon Jimmy Lai, searching the headquarters of his Next Digital group and carting away boxes of what they said was evidence.

Two days after Chinese and Hong Kong officials shrugged off sanctions imposed on them by the U.S., the moves showed China’s determination to enforce the new law and curb dissent in the semi-autonomous city after months of massive pro-democracy demonstrations last year.

The police action marked the first time the law was used against news media, stoking fears that authorities are suppressing press freedom. Next Digital operates Apple Daily, a feisty pro-democracy tabloid that often condemns China’s Communist Party government. Last year, the newspaper frequently urged readers to take part in the anti-government protests.

Hong Kong police arrested Lai on Monday morning, an aide to the businessman said, in the highest-profile detention under the new law since it took effect in late June. Lai, 71, is an outspoken pro-democracy figure who regularly criticizes China’s authoritarian rule and Hong Kong’s government.

Mark Simon, a Next Digital executive and Lai’s aide, said Lai was charged with collusion with foreign powers. He said police searched the homes of Lai and his son and detained several other members of the media company.

Hong Kong police said they arrested at least nine people between the ages of 23 and 72 on suspicion of violating the new security law, with offenses including collusion with a foreign country and conspiracy to defraud. They did not release the names of those arrested or provide further details of the charges.

FILE - In this July 1, 2020, file photo, Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai pauses during an interview in Hong Kong. An aide to Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai says Lai was arrested Monday morning, Aug. 10, 2020, under the city’s national security law on suspicion of collusion with foreign powers. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

Following Lai’s arrest, about 200 police raided Next Digital’s headquarters, cordoning off the area, searching desks and at times getting into heated exchanges with staff. What police were looking for in the building wasn’t clear, although they later said they took away 25 boxes of evidence for processing.

Lai, who was arrested at his mansion in Kowloon in the morning, was also brought to the headquarters of Next Digital, where he remained for about two and a half hours before police took him away in a car.

“We are completely shocked by what’s happening now, with the arrest and followed by the ongoing raid inside the headquarters of Next Digital,” said Chris Yeung, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.

“With the passage of the national security law and the really tough powers given to the police in their operations, we have seen now what we call ‘white terror’ become a reality, which will affect media organizations and journalists’ reporting.”

Police unblocked Next Digital’s headquarters at mid-afternoon, with senior superintendent of police Steve Li saying that staff were free to resume their work.

Bruce Lui, a senior lecturer in Hong Kong Baptist University’s journalism department, said authorities are using the national security law to make an example of media outlets like Apple Daily and this may harm press freedom in Hong Kong.

“They’re used as an example to terrify others ... of what can happen if you don’t obey or if you go too far,” Lui said. “I think other media may make a judgment to censor themselves.”

The share price of Next Digital soared over 200% in the afternoon, following posts on a popular online forum encouraging investors to support the company by buying its stock.

The reason for the charge against Lai wasn’t clear.

In May, shortly after Beijing announced its intention to pass the national security law for Hong Kong, Lai condemned the legislation in a series of tweets. The state-owned newspaper Global Times called the tweets “evidence of subversion.”

Lai also wrote an op-ed in the New York Times in May stating that China was repressing Hong Kong with the legislation.

“I have always thought I might one day be sent to jail for my publications or for my calls for democracy in Hong Kong,” Lai wrote. “But for a few tweets, and because they are said to threaten the national security of mighty China? That’s a new one, even for me.”

Lai was earlier arrested in February and April for allegedly participating in unauthorized protests last year. He also faces charges of joining an unauthorized vigil on June 4 marking the anniversary of Beijing’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Last year, Lai met U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the White House to discuss a controversial bill — since withdrawn — that would have allowed criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China for trial.

But Hong Kong officials have said the security law, which took effect June 30, would not be applied retroactively. The law is widely seen as a means to curb dissent after anti-government protests rocked the semi-autonomous city for months last year.

The legislation outlaws secessionist, subversive and terrorist acts, as well as collusion with foreign forces in the city’s internal affairs. The maximum punishment for serious offenders is life imprisonment.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council condemned the arrests in a statement, saying they were a tool for the Chinese Communist Party’s “political cleansing and hegemonic expansion.” It said the law is being abused to suppress freedom of speech, press freedom and the civil rights of Hong Kong people.

Last month, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said pro-democracy activist Nathan Law and five others were wanted under the law, although all six had fled overseas. Law relocated to Britain in July to continue international advocacy work for Hong Kong.

Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under security law, bearing out 'worst fears'

Greg Torode, James Pomfret

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai became the highest-profile person arrested under a new national security law on Monday, detained over suspected collusion with foreign forces as around 200 police searched the offices of his Apple Daily newspaper.

Mainland-born Lai, who was smuggled into the British colony of Hong Kong on a fishing boat when he was a penniless 12-year-old, has been one of the most prominent democracy activists in the now Chinese-ruled city and an ardent critic of Beijing.

His arrest comes amid Beijing’s crackdown against pro-democracy opposition in the city and further stokes concerns about media and other promised freedoms when it returned to China in 1997. China imposed the sweeping new security law on Hong Kong on June 30, drawing condemnation from Western countries.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was “deeply troubled” by reports of the arrest, calling it further proof that the Chinese Communist Party had “eviscerated” Hong Kong’s freedoms and eroded the rights of its people.

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Hong Kong police raid on newspaper filmed in real time as China flexes muscles

The arrest “bears out the worst fears that Hong Kong’s national security law would be used to suppress critical pro-democracy opinion and restrict press freedom”, said Steven Butler, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Asia programme coordinator.

Ryan Law, chief editor of Apple Daily, a staunch anti-government tabloid that also does investigative work, told Reuters the paper would not be intimidated.

“Business as usual,” he said.

The security law punishes anything China considers subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. Critics say it crushes freedoms, while supporters say it will bring stability after prolonged anti-China, pro-democracy protests last year.


Beijing said it supported Lai’s arrest.

A spokesman for China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office told the official Xinhua news agency Lai was a representative of people who were “anti-China, anti-Hong Kong” and that he planned and instigated “illegal” protests, funded pro-independence forces and used his media group to spread rumours.

Lai, 71, had been a frequent visitor to Washington, where he has met officials, including Pompeo, to rally support for Hong Kong democracy, prompting Beijing to label him a “traitor”.

Hong Kong police said they had arrested nine men and one woman, aged between 23 and 72, without naming them, adding that further arrests were possible.

Suspected offences included “collusion with a foreign country/external elements to endanger national security, conspiracy to defraud” and others, the police said.

Media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, founder of Apple Daily (C) is detained by the national security unit in Hong Kong, China August 10, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuApple Daily posted on its Facebook page a livestream of police officers roaming through its newsroom and rifling through files, and asking staff for identity documents.

Some executive offices were sealed off with red cordons. The police later wheeled in stacks of empty plastic containers. Lai himself was brought back to the office, initially in handcuffs.

“We can’t worry that much, we can only go with the flow,” Lai said, before being escorted into a police vehicle.

Police said around 200 officers entered the premises with a court warrant and collected 25 boxes of evidence after finishing the search. The law allows police to search premises without one “under exceptional circumstances”.

In major cases in Hong Kong, the central government in Beijing can claim jurisdiction. The legislation allows agents to take suspects across the border for trials in Communist Party-controlled courts.

Apple Daily reported that one of Lai’s sons, Ian, had also been arrested at his home and later showed his restaurant, Cafe Seasons, being raided by police.

Shares in Lai’s media company Next Digital (0282.HK), which publishes Apple Daily, plunged 16.7% before rebounding to trade 344% higher at one point as online pro-democracy forums called on investors to buy shares to show support.

‘THIRD-WORLD’
Other senior Apple Daily staff, including Executive Director Cheung Kim-hung, were also arrested.

“We see this as straight harassment,” an Apple Daily source said, adding that Lai was arrested on suspicion of sedition, criminal fraud and colluding with foreign forces.

Next Media Trade Union called the search “an extremely rare and serious incident in Hong Kong history”, with a “catastrophic” impact. It said journalists “will continue to guard their posts until the last minute”.

Britain said the arrest was further evidence the security law was “a pretext to silence opposition”.

Hong Kong Journalists Association chairman Chris Yeung said the search was akin to “third-world” press freedom suppression.

Apple Daily executive Chan Pui-man said the newspaper will be published on Tuesday.

“Even if Apple Daily publish a pile of blank paper tomorrow, we would go and buy a copy,” prominent young activist Joshua Wong said on Twitter.


Wong’s longtime colleague, Agnes Chow, and two other activists were among those arrested, local media reported.

In a Reuters interview in May, Lai pledged to stay in Hong Kong and continue to fight for democracy.

Before Monday, 15 people, including teenagers, had been arrested under the new law.

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and other officials, drawing mockery and condemnation from Beijing.

The arrests show Hong Kong “wasn’t intimidated” by sanctions, Global Times editor Hu Xijin said in a tweet. Global Times is published by China’s official Communist Party newspaper, the People’s Daily.

Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Washington, Jessie Pang, Yanni Chow, Carol Mang, Noah Sin, Donny Kwok, Clare Jim, Meg Shen, Twinnie Siu, Anne Marie Roantree and Marius Zaharia in Hong Kong, Yimou Lee in Taipei, and Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; Writing by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Gerry Doyle, Raju Gopalakrishnan, William Maclean and Nick Macfie

AstraZeneca to be exempt from coronavirus vaccine liability claims in most countries

Ludwig Burger, Pushkala Aripaka

AUGUST 10, 2020
(Reuters) - AstraZeneca has been granted protection from future product liability claims related to its COVID-19 vaccine hopeful by most of the countries with which it has struck supply agreements, a senior executive told Reuters.
FILE PHOTO: The company logo for pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is displayed on a screen on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

With 25 companies testing their vaccine candidates on humans and getting ready to immunise hundred millions of people once the products are shown to work, the question of who pays for any claims for damages in case of side effects has been a tricky point in supply negotiations.

“This is a unique situation where we as a company simply cannot take the risk if in ... four years the vaccine is showing side effects,” Ruud Dobber, a member of Astra’s senior executive team, told Reuters.

“In the contracts we have in place, we are asking for indemnification. For most countries it is acceptable to take that risk on their shoulders because it is in their national interest,” he said, adding that Astra and regulators were making safety and tolerability a top priority.


Dobber would not name the countries.EU officials told Reuters this week product liability was among contentious points in European efforts to secure supply deals for potential COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson.

The United States, however, already has a law to exclude tort claims from products that help control a public-health crises in the form of the 2005 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness, or PREP Act.

AstraZeneca, Britain’s second-largest drugmaker, has pledged to supply a total of more than 2 billion doses at no profit in agreements with the United States, Britain and European countries, among other nations and organisations.
Astra’s deals differ from most rivals because it has secured government backing for production and development efforts, while competitors such as GlaxoSmithKline are looking to negotiate a price for a finished product, contingent on approval.

To back its claim to forgo profits from the $1.2 billion collaboration in the United States, Astra has even granted the government access to financial accounts related to the venture, according to Dobber.

“There are very clear milestones before they are going to pay. Because we made the promise to manufacture the vaccine at no profit, auditors of the U.S. administration will get free access to our accounting books,” he said.


Reporting by Ludwig Burger and Pushkala Aripaka; Editing by Edmund Blair and David Evans

Beirut police fire tear gas as protesters regroup and two ministers quit

Michael Georgy

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese police fired tear gas to try to disperse rock-throwing protesters blocking a road near parliament in Beirut on Sunday in a second day of anti-government demonstrations triggered by last week’s devastating explosion.

Fire broke out at an entrance to Parliament Square as demonstrators tried to break into a cordoned-off area, TV footage showed. Protesters also broke into the housing and transport ministry offices.

Two government ministers resigned amid the political fallout of the blast and months of economic crisis, saying the government had failed to reform.

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Tuesday’s explosion of more than 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate killed 158 people and injured more than 6,000, compounding months of political and economic collapse and prompting furious calls for the government to quit.

Riot police wearing body armour and carrying batons clashed with demonstrators as thousands converged on Parliament Square and nearby Martyrs’ Square, a Reuters correspondent said.

“We gave these leaders so many chances to help us and they always failed. We want them all out, especially Hezbollah, because it’s a militia and just intimidates people with its weapons,” Walid Jamal, an unemployed demonstrator, said, referring to the country’s most influential Iran-backed armed grouping that has ministers in the government.

The country’s top Christian Maronite cleric, Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai, said the cabinet should resign as it cannot “change the way it governs”.

“The resignation of an MP or a minister is not enough ... the whole government should resign as it is unable to help the country recover,” he said in his Sunday sermon.

Lebanon’s environment minister resigned on Sunday, saying the government had lost a number of opportunities to reform, a statement said.

Damianos Kattar’s departure follows the resignation of Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad earlier on Sunday

BEIRUT OR PORTLAND 

THE STRUGGLE IS THE SAME

END POLICE OPPRESSION 

SMASH THE STATE

Police officers are seen during a protest following Tuesday's blast, in Beirut, Lebanon August 9, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

in the wake of the explosion.

Anger boiled over into violent scenes in central Beirut on Saturday. Those protests were the biggest since October when thousands of people took to the streets to demand an end to corruption, bad governance and mismanagement.

About 10,000 people gathered at Martyrs’ Square, which was transformed into a battle zone in the evening between police and protesters who tried to break down a barrier along a road leading to parliament. Some demonstrators stormed government ministries and the Association of Lebanese Banks.

One policeman was killed and the Red Cross said more than 170 people were injured in clashes.

‘CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT’

“The police fired at me. But that won’t stop us from demonstrating until we change the government from top to bottom,” Younis Flayti, 55, a retired army officer, said on Sunday.

Nearby, mechanic Sabir Jamali sat beside a noose attached to a wooden frame in Martyrs’ Square, intended as a symbolic warning to Lebanese leaders to resign or face hanging.

“Every leader who oppresses us should be hanged,” he said, adding he will protest again.


Slideshow (6 Images)

Lawyer Maya Habli surveyed the demolished port.

“People should sleep in the streets and demonstrate against the government until it falls,” she said.

The prime minister and presidency have said 2,750 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, which is used in making fertilisers and bombs, had been stored for six years without safety measures at the port warehouse.

The government has said it will hold those responsible to account.

An emergency donor conference in France raised pledges worth nearly 253 million euros ($298 million) for immediate humanitarian relief, the French presidency said.

For many, the blast was a dreadful reminder of the 1975-1990 civil war that tore the nation apart and destroyed swathes of Beirut, much of which has since been rebuilt.

“I worked in Kuwait for 15 years in sanitation to save money and build a gift shop in Lebanon and it was destroyed by the explosion,” said Maroun Shehadi.

“Nothing will change until our leaders just leave.”

Additional reporting by Maher Chmaytelli and Richard Lough; Editing by Frances Kerry and Nick Macfie

Lebanon's prime minister and his entire cabinet have resigned following last week's deadly explosion in Beirut
Kelly McLaughlin

Firefighters spray water at a fire after an explosion was heard in Beirut, Lebanon August 4, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced in a press conference on Monday that his government would resign from power following the explosion in Beirut.

His announcement came after several of his 20 cabinet members announced their own resignations.

The August 4 explosion in Beirut killed at least 160 people and injured 6,000 others.

Lebanon Prime Minister Hassan Diab has announced his cabinet's resignation on Monday over the deadly explosion in Beirut.

"I declare today the resignation of this government," he said at a press conference at the presidential palace on Monday, after several members of his 20-person cabinet announced their own resignations.

The resignation means that Lebanon will have to form a new cabinet, just months after forming Diab's earlier this year.

Ahead of Diab's announcement, several members of parliament also resigned, according to the Associated Press.

"Only God knows how many catastrophes they are hiding," Diab said at his press conference, the Washington Post reported. "That's why I have announced my resignation today. May Allah protect Lebanon. May Allah protect Lebanon. May Allah protect Lebanon."

According to the AP, Diab blamed the explosion on corruption that preceded him in office.

"They (the political class) should have been ashamed of themselves because their corruption is what has led to this disaster that had been hidden for seven years," he said.

The mass resignation comes after an August 4 explosion in Beirut that killed at least 160 people in injured another 6,000.

The explosion was fueled by thousands of tons of explosive ammonium nitrate, which had been improperly stored in a warehouse near the port for years. Business Insider's Ryan Pickrell previously reported that the explosion registered as a magnitude 3.3 earthquake.

Several people have been detained for questioning over the blast, including the head of Lebanon's customs department and the head of the port where the chemicals had been stored. Two former cabinet officials and the heads of the country's security agencies have also been questioned, government officials told AP.

Resignations in the government's cabinet started on Sunday when the information and environment ministers stepped down, and several others followed, Reuters reported. Diab is expected to announce the entire government would resign in his Monday press conference.

The explosion also led to violent protests, with demonstrators accusing the government of neglect leading up to the blast, which caused an estimated $10 billion to 15 billion in damage.

Lebanon's president and prime minister had received a report on July 20 — two weeks before the blast — in which state security officials warned government leaders of the dangers of storing chemicals in the port. An investigation into why nothing was done has been launched.

World leaders have pledged $300 million to help Lebanon rebuild following the explosion, but much of the funds are being withheld until government officials address protesters and set out plans for political and economic reform.

Exclusive: Germany and France quit WHO reform talks amid tension with Washington - sources

Elvira Pollina, Andreas Rinke, Francesco Guarascio


(Reuters) - France and Germany have quit talks on reforming the World Health Organization in frustration at attempts by the United States to lead the negotiations, despite its decision to leave the WHO, three officials told Reuters.

FILE PHOTO: A logo is pictured on the headquarters of the World Health Orgnaization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, June 25, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

The move is a setback for President Donald Trump as Washington, which holds the rotating chair of the G7, had hoped to issue a common roadmap for a sweeping overhaul of the WHO in September, two months before the U.S. presidential election.

The United States gave the WHO a year’s notice in July that it is leaving the U.N. agency - which was created to improve health globally - after Trump accused it of being too close to China and having mishandled the coronavirus pandemic.

The WHO has dismissed his accusations. European governments have also criticised the WHO but do not go as far as the United States in their criticism, and the decision by Paris and Berlin to leave the talks follows tensions over what they say are Washington’s attempts to dominate the negotiations.

“Nobody wants to be dragged into a reform process and getting an outline for it from a country which itself just left the WHO,” a senior European official involved in the talks said.

The German and French health ministries confirmed to Reuters that the two countries were opposed to the United States leading the talks after announcing their intention to leave the organisation.

A spokesman for the Italian health ministry said that work on the reform document was still underway, adding however that Italy’s position was in line with Paris and Berlin.


Asked about the position of France and Germany, a senior Trump administration official said: “All members of the G7 explicitly supported the substance of the WHO reform ideas.”

“Notwithstanding, it is regrettable that Germany and France ultimately chose not to join the group in endorsing the roadmap,” he said.

A spokesman for the British government declined to comment on the latest developments but added that Britain supported the WHO and urged a reform of the body “to ensure it remains flexible and responsive”.

The talks on WHO reform began about four months ago. There have been nearly 20 teleconferences between health ministers from the Group of Seven industrialised nations, and dozens of meetings of diplomats and other officials.

A deal by the G7, which also includes Japan and Canada, would facilitate talks at the G20 and United Nations, where any changes would have to be agreed with China, Russia and other major governments not in the G7.

It is unclear whether a G7 summit in the United States, at which Trump hopes leaders will endorse the roadmap, will now go ahead in September as planned.

U.S. officials have not said what reforms Washington has sought. But an initial reform roadmap proposed by Washington was seen by many of its allies as too critical, with one European official involved in the negotiations describing it as “rude”.


Despite changes to the original text, Washington’s push remained unacceptable, mainly to Germany, sources familiar with the negotiations said.

FUNDING AND “POLITICIZED MANAGEMENT”

In the weeks before the collapse of the talks, negotiators had told Reuters positions were getting closer as Washington softened its approach and European negotiators started to see the reform process as a means to make the WHO more independent from political pressure..

European governments had also began to make sceptical remarks about the WHO in public, with Germany’s health minister urging the WHO to hasten a review of its handling of COVID-19..

In private, some Europeans have supported a tougher line, with some criticising WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and what they see as politicised management of the pandemic.

“Everybody has been critical of Tedros,” a negotiator from a European G7 country told Reuters.

A German government source said: “It must ... be ensured in future that the WHO can react neutrally and on the basis of facts to global health events.”

But European governments want to make the WHO stronger, better funded and more independent, whereas the U.S. withdrawal of funds is likely to weaken it - Washington is the single largest contributor, providing 15% of the budget.

Some Europeans see Trump’s criticism of the WHO as an attempt in the run-up to the U.S. election to distract attention from his handling of COVID-19, and Berlin’s ties with Washington have been strained by his decision in July to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from Germany.

Plans to reform the WHO are unlikely to be definitively shelved, especially if Trump is defeated in the November election. European governments want Washington to remain a WHO member and a financial supporter, and they have shown an interest in boosting their own funding to the body.


Reporting by Elvira Pollina in Milan, Andreas Rinke in Berlin, Jeff Mason in Washington, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; additional reporting by Marisa Taylor, Giselda Vagnoni, Guy Faulconbridge, Thomas Escritt and Tangi Salaun; Writing by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio; editing by Timothy Heritage

WHO says it trusts G7 to act together on crises amid overhaul talk

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization trusts powerful nations such as the Group of Seven to reach a consensus on how to approach health crises such as the coronavirus, Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s emergencies programme, said on Monday.

France and Germany have quit talks on reforming the WHO in frustration at attempts by the United States to lead the negotiations, despite its decision to leave the WHO, three officials told Reuters.

The move is a setback for President Donald Trump as Washington, which holds the rotating chair of the G7, had hoped to issue a joint roadmap for a sweeping overhaul of the WHO in September, two months before the U.S. presidential election.

“We are all vulnerable to risks, we need to find global solutions,” Ryan said. “...We trust the G7 will play a major part in that in the months and years to come.”


WHO warns of need to fight new COVID-19 flareups

GENEVA (Reuters) - The coronavirus sweeping the world has shown no seasonal pattern and if health authorities take the pressure off fighting it, it will bounce back, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

Dr Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s emergencies programme, said Western Europe and elsewhere needed to react fast to new flareups.

More than 19.92 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally and 729,883​ have died, according to a Reuters tally.


Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, John Miller and Michael Shields; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Kevin Liffey

Explainer: Microsoft's TikTok bid spotlights Windows maker's history with China

MONOPOLY CAPITALISM IS STATE CAPITALISM

Josh Horwitz

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) has emerged as the most likely buyer of the U.S. operations of TikTok, the popular Chinese short-video app that U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to effectively ban on national security grounds.

A deal would be in line with Microsoft’s stance toward China where the firm has a sizeable presence - unlike fellow U.S. tech heavyweights such as Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google which appear to have given up on China’s consumer-facing market with its miscellany of government strictures.

The country accounts for over $2 billion in annual revenue, Microsoft President Brad Smith said earlier this year.

WHAT DOES MICROSOFT DO IN CHINA?

Microsoft employs roughly 6,000 people in the country, with offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Suzhou.

Its flagship Windows operating system is widely used, though revenue has long been crimped by piracy. In recent years the firm has pushed its Azure cloud computing product, launched in 2013 via a partnership with local data service company 21Vianet.

China’s cyber-security law limits Microsoft to providing Azure’s software and services while 21Vianet runs associated data centres. It is a small player in a sector dominated by local providers Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N), Baidu Inc (BIDU.O), Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd.

Microsoft operates both its Bing search engine and LinkedIn social network in China, though again is a small player compared with local giants.

Its most important China operation is arguably the Microsoft Research Asia, famous as a leader in artificial intelligence (AI).

Founded in 1998 with help from renowned Taiwanese-American AI scientist Kaifu Lee - who went on to lead Google’s China office - the lab has produced alumni who went on to become executives at TikTok owner ByteDance, Baidu, Xiaomi Corp (1810.HK) and Chinese facial recognition unicorns.


DOES MICROSOFT SELF-CENSOR IN CHINA?

Bing and LinkedIn in China appear similar to their global counterparts but Microsoft censors search results and content the Chinese government considers sensitive.

Upon LinkedIn’s China launch in 2014, two years before the company was bought by Microsoft, then-Chief Executive Jeff Weiner said censoring content would be “necessary” for the firm to grow in the country.

In 2019, free speech advocates criticised LinkedIn’s position on censorship after human rights activist Zhou Fengsuo said his profile was not viewable in China. LinkedIn blamed an “error” and restored its visibility.

Software development website GitHub, which Microsoft purchased in 2019, is also accessible from China. The site, a coding repository, has been used by activists in China to preserve internet content before authorities censor the source.

FILE PHOTO: A person walks past a Microsoft logo at the Microsoft office in Beijing, China August 4, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

HAS MICROSOFT HAD SCRAPES WITH CHINA’S GOVERNMENT?
Microsoft has bemoaned rampant piracy of Windows in China for decades and has occasionally filed lawsuits and complaints even against state-backed companies to address its concerns.

Its most notable tussle with the government was in 2014 when authorities raided four Microsoft offices demanding access to contracts and other information as part of an anti-trust investigation.

The same year, the government called on all agencies to ban the purchase of Windows 8 citing security reasons.

Microsoft eventually released a “China Government” edition of Windows 10 following a joint venture formed in 2015 with state-owned China Electronics Technology Corp.

WHAT ABOUT BILL GATES?

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has spoken in mostly positive terms about China in recent years. In November, he held a public meeting with Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping.

Also late last year, Gates criticised the U.S. government’s restrictions on telecommunications equipment maker Huawei and spoke about sharing Windows source code with China’s government which aided official acceptance of the software in the country.

He has praised China’s response to COVID-19, which earned him public thanks from Xi, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $5 million to China for COVID-19 relief.

The foundation is one of few overseas charities or non-governmental organisations to maintain operations in China, where it has worked with the government and academic institutions against diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.

Reporting by Josh Horwitz; Editing by Christopher Cushing

Johnson fears loss of UK's power and magic if Scotland breaks away

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Monday that Britain would be weaker if the union that binds its four nations were broken - his latest rejection of a growing push for Scottish independence.

Disagreements between Britain’s constituent nations - Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England - over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic have damaged relations already badly strained by Brexit.

That is particularly the case in Scotland, which voted against leaving the European Union and where opinion polls show support for independence narrowly outweighs support for its 300-year union with England.




“The union of the United Kingdom is, for me, it’s the greatest political partnership the world has ever seen,” Johnson told broadcasters, when asked what the union meant to him.

“It would be such a shame to lose the power, the magic of that union.”

Scotland voted 55 percent to 45 percent against independence in a 2014 referendum, but the Scottish National Party which runs the semi-autonomous nation wants another vote. Although voters there backed staying in the EU, Britain as a whole voted to leave.

Johnson’s Conservative Party, which governs all of Britain and decides policy in areas that have not been devolved to Scotland, is a strong supporter of the union and dismisses any call for another vote.

However, Johnson and other senior ministers have visited Scotland in recent weeks, talking at length about the strength and benefits of the relationship.


Writing by William Schomberg and William James; editing by Kate Holton