Peru president dissolves Congress but legislators defy order

After the president's decision to dissolve Congress, legislators declare him temporarily suspended.

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New world news from Time: China’s National Day Parade Showcases Growing Economic and Military Might

(BEIJING) — China’s Communist Party celebrated its 70th anniversary in power with a military parade Tuesday that showcased its growing might and strategic ambitions.

An honor guard carrying the Chinese flag through Tiananmen Square, the country’s symbolic political heart, before thousands of spectators who waved flags. Artillery guns fired a salute.

President Xi Jinping, wearing a gray Mao jacket, and other Chinese leaders, including former Presidents Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, watched from atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace at the square’s north end.

“No force can shake the status of our great motherland, and no force can stop the progress of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation,” Xi said in a nationally televised speech.

Xi rode in an open-topped limousine past dozens of rows of truck-mounted missiles, armored personnel carriers and other military gear. Soldiers in helmets and combat gear shouted, “Hello, leader!” and “Serve the people!” Xi replied, “Hello, comrades.”

The event marks the anniversary of the Oct. 1, 1949, announcement of the founding of the People’s Republic of China by then-leader Mao Zedong following a civil war.

The parade follows Xi’s promise in a speech Monday to allow Hong Kong to manage its own affairs despite anti-government protests that have embarrassed the ruling party ahead of the year’s highest-profile propaganda event.

The parade through central Beijing is due to include 15,000 troops and more than 160 aircraft.

Chinese news reports say it might include a new long-range nuclear-armed missile and a supersonic drone aircraft. Military spokespeople have declined to give details.

New world news from Time: Peru’s President Has Dissolved Congress Amid an Anti-Corruption Push

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra dissolved congress Monday, exercising seldom used executive powers to shut down the opposition-controlled legislature that he accuses of stonewalling attempts to curb widespread corruption.

In a televised address, Vizcarra told the South American nation that he had decided to call new legislative elections after lawmakers proceeded with holding a controversial vote to replace almost all the members of the Constitutional Tribunal.

“We are making history that will be remembered by future generations,” he said. “And when they do, I hope they understand the magnitude of this fight that we are in today against an endemic evil that has caused much harm to our country.”

The stunning turn could spell new instability as Peru grapples with the fallout of the Odebrecht corruption scandal, plummeting faith in public institutions and an inexperienced president struggling to govern.

Nonetheless, Vizcarra’s decision is likely to be widely welcomed by Peruvians who have been clamoring for new congressional elections to replace the majority party, led by a former first daughter and presidential candidate who is now behind bars.

“Peruvians will not shed many tears,” said Steven Levitsky, a Harvard University political scientist who has extensively studied the nation.

Opposition leaders denounced the move as the work of a “dictator” and proceeded with pushing an impeachment vote against him, though it would carry only symbolic weight since their positions in congress are now considered vacated.

“This was the plan from the start,” said Milagros Salazar, a spokeswoman for Fuerza Popular, the party of Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori who was once a commanding force herself in the country’s politics but is now jailed. “They think this is a monarchy, that’s what they want to impose.”

Vizcarra, then the vice president, rose to the presidency last year after President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned following revelations that his private consulting firm had received undisclosed payments from Odebrecht, the Brazilian construction giant that has admitted to dolling out millions of dollars to politicians around Latin America in exchange for lucrative public works contracts.

Though with little political expertise on his resume, Vizcarra rose in popularity as he championed anti-corruption initiatives. But he struggled to push legislation through congress, instead repeatedly utilizing a “vote of confidence” through which he could threaten to dissolve the legislature if lawmakers didn’t approve his proposals.

The mechanism is aimed at resolving conflicts between the executive and legislative branch and allows the president to shut down congress if lawmakers reject two such votes. Congress rejected a previous vote of confidence during Kuczynski’s administration.

Most recently, Vizcarra chastised lawmakers for rushing to a vote on replacing six of the seven magistrates on the Constitutional Tribunal. The court is expected to decide several important cases in the months ahead, including a habeas corpus request to free Fujimori, who is being held as prosecutors investigate her for allegedly laundering money from Odebrecht.

Though the terms for all six magistrates had expired, Vizcarra, legal observers and human rights organizations criticized the congressional action for its speed and lack of transparency. The newspaper El Comercio reported Monday that six of the candidates up for consideration are facing potential criminal or civil charges for offenses including kidnapping, extortion and sex abuse.

Peru’s judicial system is notoriously corrupt, with judges caught on wiretaps negotiating deals on sentences for serious crimes.

Vizcarra warned he would dissolve congress if legislators went ahead with the magistrate votes before weighing his own proposal for reforming how magistrates are selected.

But lawmakers pushed forward in defiance Monday, accusing Vizcarra of blocking what should be a “simple procedure” conducted in accordance with the law.

“The political crisis we’re in is only Vizcarra’s fault,” legislator Mauricio Mulder said.

It is not the first time in Peru’s history that a president has dissolved congress. In 1992, Alberto Fujimori shut down congress, assumed legislative powers and suspended the constitution in what was regarded as an auto-coup.

In contrast, Vizcarra’s shutdown is likely to be considered a legitimate use of constitutional powers celebrated by Peruvians who have little faith in elected leaders, Levitsky said.

Nonetheless, he added, dissolving the congress is likely to do relatively little to resolve deeper, structural issues. The Fujimorista bloc will likely lose its majority in a new election, but Levitsky said what could emerge is a fractious congress full of inexperienced legislators.

“For now democracy is probably safe because everyone is weak,” he said. “That guarantees a certain pluralism, but that leaves Peru vulnerable to a demagogic politician.”

___

Associated Press writer Franklin Briceño reported this story in Lima and AP writer Christine Armario reported from Bogota, Colombia.

New world news from Time: Hong Kong Is Braced for Widespread Unrest on China’s National Day

Hong Kong braced for widespread protests Tuesday as activists announced plans to use China’s National Day to continue their push for democratic reform.

The raising of the Chinese flag took place without incident at 8:00 a.m. local time, but in subdued fashion. The public were not invited and VIPs attending the ceremony were asked for security reasons to gather at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center to watch the event on closed circuit television.

In his speech to the dignitaries, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung, said “Violence and confrontation are never solutions to problems. To resolve the current acute social conflicts, we need more than ever the solidarity of all Hong Kong people to work towards the same goal, seek common ground and accommodate differences.”

The surrounding streets were on lockdown. However, a small procession by the League of Social Democrats political party was able to approach within a few hundred meters of the venue carrying banners that read “No national celebration, only national tragedy” and “End authoritarianism.” Live news streams showed a brief scuffle breaking out between the marchers and a pro-Chinese group.

Addressing the procession, longtime dissident and former legislator Leung Kwok-hung, said: “With no democracy, Hong Kong will not have a future.” Afterward, he told TIME: “If there [is no] right to choose our leaders, to have self-governance, and if there is one-party rule, what is there for us to celebrate?”

Earlier, chairman Avery Ng said that the party’s warehouse had been broken into and vandalized by a dozen men and that party members were being followed.

Local media meanwhile reported that 6,000 police had been deployed in anticipation of citywide unrest. The city’s subway operator, which has come under sustained attacked by protesters who accuse it of colluding with police, shut 14 stations. More than two dozen shopping malls also brought down their shutters and major office buildings took precautions against vandalism and criminal damage.

Defiant pro-democracy lawmakers said they would lead a march through downtown Hong Kong in the afternoon, despite a police ban on the procession.

Police are fearing widespread violence—even acts of terrorism. At a press conference, Monday, chief superintendent Tse Chun-chung said: “We have intelligence suggesting that some hardcore violent protesters are inciting others, including those with suicidal tendencies, to commit extreme acts like murdering the police, disguising as police officers to kill others, and setting fires in petrol stations … All acts are one step closer to terrorism.”

However, his remarks were immediately derided by protesters, who said that the sources of the intelligence were bogus.

Several protests took place over the weekend in the run up to National Day, which commemorates the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic. Demonstrators lobbed petrol bombs at government offices, set fires in the streets, burned the Chinese flag and tore down banners advertising National Day celebrations, while police responded with tear gas and water cannon.

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong has endured four months of unrest, sparked by a now withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed rendition of fugitive suspects to China for the first time. The protests quickly expanded into a push for greater political freedom and, more recently, calls for self-determination.

The former British possession was retroceded to China in 1997 after 156 years of colonial rule, but its 7.2 million inhabitants remain culturally and linguistically distinct from mainland Chinese. Surveys have found that the majority of people in Hong Kong identify as “Hongkongers” and not as Chinese.

—With reporting by Hillary Leung / Hong Kong

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New world news from Time: China to Send Its Top Trade Negotiator to Washington for Talks

(BEIJING) — China’s top trade negotiator will lead an upcoming 13th round of talks aimed at resolving a trade war with the United States, a senior Chinese official said Sunday.

Vice Premier Liu He will travel to Washington for the negotiations, Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen said. He didn’t give exact dates, but said the talks would be after China’s National Day holiday, which runs through Oct. 7.

“The two sides should find a solution through equal dialogue in accordance with the principle of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit,” Wang said at a news conference with other officials, including Commerce Minister Zhong Shan.

The Trump administration first imposed tariffs on Chinese imports last year in a bid to win concessions from China, which responded with tit-for-tat tariffs. The escalating dispute between the world’s two largest economies has depressed stock prices and poses a threat to the global economy.

Both sides have made conciliatory gestures ahead of the next round of talks, but a deal remains elusive.

The U.S. postponed a further tariff hike on Chinese goods, and China lifted punitive duties on soybeans. The move helps both American farmers and Chinese pig breeders, who use soy as feed and are struggling with a devastating outbreak of African swine fever.

The Chinese government released a third round of 10,000 tons of pork from its reserves Sunday to try to stabilize rising prices ahead of the holiday, Vice Commerce Minister Qian Keming said at the news conference.

China also has increased pork imports 40 percent in the first eight months of this year, as well as those of other meats.

Qian said the average wholesale price of pork had edged down slightly during the week of Sept. 16-22 to 36.4 yuan ($5.11) per kilogram.

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New world news from Time: Haiti Braces for Fresh Round of Protests Amid Calls for President to Resign

(PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti) — Opposition leaders are calling for a nationwide push Monday to block streets and paralyze Haiti’s economy as they press for President Jovenel Moïse to give up power, and tens of thousands of their dedicated young supporters are expected to heed the call.

People stood in lines all day Sunday under a brutal sun to get water, gasoline and other basic supplies before the next round of protests that many worried would turn more violent than a demonstration Friday during which several homes and businesses were burned as police fired tear gas at protesters.

Several people have died in the past three weeks amid the political clashes.

“I have a feeling that the country is going to change,” said Yves Bon Anée, a mason standing next to eight empty plastic gallons that he would fill with gasoline at $2 a gallon for friends, family and himself. He planned to resell his portion to make some money because he hasn’t been able to find work in weeks amid Haiti’s crisis.

“My kids are suffering,” he said of his three young boys.

Opposition leaders and supporters say they are angry about public corruption, spiraling inflation and a dwindling supply of gasoline that has forced many gas stations in the capital to close as suppliers demand the cash-strapped government pay them more than $100 million owed.

Protesters also are demanding a more in-depth investigation into allegations that top officials in the previous government misused billions of dollars in public funds that were proceeds from a Venezuela subsidized oil plan meant for urgent social programs.

Moïse, who took office in 2017 following an election redo, has said he will not step down despite the unrest and instead called for calm, unity and dialogue during an address televised at 2 a.m. Wednesday. It was a rare appearance for the president since the new wave of protests began about three weeks ago.

Laurent Dubois, a Haiti expert and professor at Duke University, said he believes the country will face an increasing impasse unless the parties find a way to reach some kind of resolution.

“There’s a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety … that things are going in a direction in Haiti that we haven’t seen in a while,” he said. “It seems like we’re going into some kind of new phase in Haitian history, but what it holds will be difficult to predict.”

Opposition leaders demanding Moïse’s resignation say they envision a transitional government after the chief justice of Haiti’s Supreme Court takes over as dictated by law if a president resigns.

André Michel, an attorney and professor of human rights, said Haiti’s current political system has generated misery, underdevelopment and corruption that have led to poverty, noting that the country’s middle class has shrunk.

Michel said Haiti needs to rebuild a new society and state as he called on the international community to back the goal of opposition leaders to oust Moïse.

“The will of the people is clear,” Michel said. “If he insists on remaining as president, he will lead the country into chaos.”

At a news conference Sunday, opposition leaders urged the dozens of supporters gathered around them to start blocking streets and to help them look for Moïse, whom they contend has gone into hiding.

Among those leading the call to find Moïse was opposition Sen. Youri Latortue, who has denied corruption allegations that U.S. officials made against him more than a decade ago and once led a party allied with Moïse’s Tet Kale faction.

“We’re going to search for him everywhere,” Latortue said.

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New world news from Time: Saudi Crown Prince Says Murder of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi Was ‘a Mistake’

(NEW YORK) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a television interview that he takes “full responsibility” for the grisly murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but denied allegations that he ordered it.

“This was a heinous crime,” Prince Mohammed, 34, told “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired Sunday. “But I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government.”

Asked if he ordered the murder of Khashoggi, who had criticized him in columns for The Washington Post, Prince Mohammed replied: “Absolutely not.”

The slaying was “a mistake,” he said.

Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Turkey on Oct. 2, 2018, to collect a document that he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. Agents of the Saudi government killed Khashoggi inside the consulate and apparently dismembered his body, which has never been found. Saudi Arabia has charged 11 people in the slaying and put them on trial, which has been held in secret. As of yet, no one has been convicted.

A U.N. report asserted that Saudi Arabia bore responsibility for the killing and said Prince Mohammed’s possible role in it should be investigated. In Washington, Congress has said it believes Prince Mohammed is “responsible for the murder.” Saudi Arabia has long insisted the crown prince had no involvement in an operation that included agents who reported directly to him.

“Some think that I should know what 3 million people working for the Saudi government do daily,” the powerful heir told “60 Minutes.” ”It’s impossible that the 3 million would send their daily reports to the leader or the second-highest person in the Saudi government.”

In an interview Thursday in New York, Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, told The Associated Press that responsibility for Khashoggi’s slaying “was not limited to the perpetrators” and said she wanted Prince Mohammed to tell her: “Why was Jamal killed? Where is his body? What was the motive for this murder?”

Prince Mohammed also addressed the Sept. 14 missile and drone attack on Saudi oil facilities. While Yemen’s Iranian-allied Houthi rebels claimed the assault, Saudi Arabia has said it was “unquestionably sponsored by Iran.”

“There is no strategic goal,” Prince Mohammed said of the attack. “Only a fool would attack 5% of global supplies. The only strategic goal is to prove that they are stupid and that is what they did.”

He urged “strong and firm action to deter Iran.”

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New world news from Time: U.K.’s Boris Johnson Denies Wrongdoing in Ties With American Tech Entrepreneur

(LONDON) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson denied wrongdoing Sunday over his links to an American businesswoman who allegedly received money and favorable treatment because of their friendship during his time as mayor of London.

Asked during a BBC interview about his ties to tech entrepreneur and model Jennifer Arcuri, Johnson sought to suggest that political motivations were behind the decision Friday by the Greater London Authority to refer a conduct matter to a police watchdog agency.

The matter arose from a Sunday Times report saying Arcuri was given 126,000 pounds in public money and privileged access to trade missions to the United States, Israel and Asia that Johnson led as mayor, even though her fledgling business had not yet met eligibility requirements for such trips.

“Everything was done in accordance with the code … and everything was done with full propriety,” Johnson said Sunday. When pressed again by BBC journalist Andrew Marr, Johnson added: “There was no interest to declare.”

The scandal worsened Sunday as Johnson’s Conservative Party was opening its annual party conference in Manchester following a tumultuous week for a leader who has only been in the job since July.

In just the last few days, the U.K. Supreme Court declared Johnson’s attempt to suspend Parliament illegal and he cut short a trip to the United States, racing home to face the House of Commons, where lawmakers greeted him with cries of “Resign!” He then lost a vote on a normally routine matter — a request to adjourn for a week so that Conservatives could attend their conference.

Complicating things further, questions were raised about the 55-year-old Johnson’s links to Arcuri, now 34, who set up a cyber firm in East London after moving to the capital seven years ago.

Yet even as the British leader visited North Manchester General Hospital on Sunday to talk about his government’s plans to build 40 hospitals, his efforts failed to change the subject.

“Let’s be absolutely clear, I am very, very proud of everything that we did and certainly everything that I did as mayor of London,” he said, adding that the current London mayor, Sadiq Khan of the Labour Party, “could possibly spend more time investing in police officers than he is investing in press officers and peddling this kind of stuff.”

The independent office, which oversees police complaints in England, was asked to consider if there were grounds to investigate Johnson for misconduct in public office. The authority said Friday it had a “statutory duty” to record the matter because Johnson served as police commissioner during his 2008-2016 tenure as London’s mayor.

The probe is the latest sign of animosity that has consumed British politics since the country narrowly voted in 2016 to leave the European Union. Three years later, Britain and its politicians remain bitterly divided over how, or even whether, to leave the 28-nation bloc.

Johnson took power two months ago with a “do-or-die” promise that Britain will leave the EU on the scheduled date of Oct. 31 — even if there’s no divorce deal outlining Britain’s commercial relations with the other 27 EU nations. His foes in Parliament are determined to avoid a no-deal exit, which economists say would plunge Britain into recession.

In unusually heated debate Wednesday, Johnson referred to an opposition law ordering a Brexit delay as the “Surrender Act” and said postponing the country’s departure would “betray” the people. He also brushed off concerns that his forceful language might endanger legislators as “humbug.”

Opponents accused him of fomenting hatred in the country with his populist, people-versus-politicians rhetoric.

As tempers smoldered, Johnson rejected the notion that he himself had played a role in whipping up tensions.

“I think I’ve been a model of restraint,” Johnson said Sunday. “But I think everybody should calm down.”

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from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2nwsBCn

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New world news from Time: Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Says He Is Running for Local Office

Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong announced Saturday that he will run in the city’s upcoming district council elections, a statement timed with the fifth anniversary of the Umbrella Revolution protests he led in 2014.

“I hope to make clear that involvement in small scale community work can make a difference in our city’s politics,” Wong said, standing on a pavement outside government headquarters in the early autumn sun. “I’m convinced democracy will grow from the ground up, from the community. The battle ahead is a battle for our home and for our homeland.”

He was addressing a small gathering of media and supporters, including several pro-democracy lawmakers. Supporters chanted “For our homeland!” and “Democracy now!”

“Hong Kong is a small city of seven million, and it is facing a battle,” lawmaker Fernando Cheung told the gathering. “Joshua Wong is at the front of the battle lines. It is not an easy thing to do at all. He should be renamed as the David of David and Goliath. His strength is insurmountable.”

The 22-year-old will run for a seat on a district council in the city’s south, where he has lived for over a decade. Although such councils are the lowest level of municipal organization, they can potentially be a fast track to the city’s legislature, because the 431 members of district councils across Hong Kong are entitled to elect one of their number to become a lawmaker.

Speaking earlier to TIME, Wong said: “The fight for democracy relies on community support. Realizing how to enhance people’s livelihoods and urban planning is significant.”

Read more: Five Years On, Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Speaks to TIME About the Umbrella Revolution

Wong’s announcement comes as the semi-autonomous enclave enters its 17th consecutive weekend of protests. The demonstrations were initially a response to a controversial, now withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed the rendition of fugitives to mainland China. But demands have since evolved and the protestors, mostly of them young, are calling for democratic reform and greater autonomy from Beijing, which has sovereignty over the former British colony under the “one country, two systems” framework.

Last month, official figures showed a surge in the number of registered voters in the city, with the most significant increase seen in the 18 to 35 age group. The spike has been linked to the ongoing protests, which have inspired greater political awareness in many young people.

There is a widespread expectation that the establishment will suffer at the hands of such voters in the coming race. District councils are presently dominated by pro-Beijing parties, but Willy Lam, an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, says “The protests are bound to have a beneficial effect on pro-democracy candidates.” He adds, however, that pro-Beijing parties are unlikely to lose their majority.

Wong’s announcement marks his first participation in a political race. Members of Demosisto, his political party, have had their attempts to enter local politics thwarted. Nathan Law was elected to the city’s Legislative Council in 2014 but disqualified over the manner in which he took his oath, while Agnes Chow was barred last year from running in a by-election due to the party’s support for self-determination for Hong Kong.

Wong acknowledged the possibility that he, too, might be prohibited from running — even for a district-level council. “If they disqualify me, I know it will generate more international momentum to keep focusing on Hong Kong,” he told TIME a day ahead of his campaign announcement.

Lam warns that in the present political climate, disqualifications of pro-democracy candidates would “likely provoke sizable protest.”

Read more: Will Unrest in Hong Kong Spoil China’s Big Party?

Hong Kong is meanwhile bracing for a weekend of demonstrations in the lead up to China’s National Day on Oct. 1, which marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic.

Later on Saturday, protestors will commemorate the Umbrella Revolution, and on Sunday will take part in an “anti-totalitarianism march” on government headquarters. Supporters in dozens of cities around the world are expected to hold protest rallies on the same day.

Wong says he will submit his application next week for election officials to decide whether or not his candidacy can proceed. The vote will be held in November.

“I have no plan to shift the focus from the protests to the election,” Wong told TIME. “But I want to generate more momentum to keep the pressure on Beijing, [whether from] inside the [district] council, on the streets or in the international community.”

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from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2lNag3H

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from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2mwY0EC

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Fox News Breaking News Alert

Fox News Breaking News Alert

Kurt Volker resigns as Ukraine envoy after mention in whistleblower complaint, AP reports

09/27/19 5:56 PM

Week in pictures: 21 - 27 September 2019

A selection of the best news photographs from around the world, taken over the past week.

from BBC News - World https://bbc.in/2mtCY9V

N.R.A.’s LaPierre Asks Trump to ‘Stop the Games‘ Over Gun Legislation in Discussion About Its Support

By MAGGIE HABERMAN and ANNIE KARNI from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2lKEKTQ

New world news from Time: Five Years On, Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Speaks to TIME About the Umbrella Revolution

This time five years ago, a bespectacled 17-year-old stood atop a podium outside the Hong Kong government headquarters. Holding two microphones in his hand, student activist Joshua Wong addressed thousands of pro-democracy protestors who had taken over all eight lanes of Harcourt Road—a major thoroughfare running through the political district.

His speech, punctured by sporadic bursts of cheers and applause, helped to kick off what became known as the Umbrella Revolution. Named for the everyday item that protestors used to protect themselves against police pepper spray, the protest saw the city’s key districts paralyzed for almost three months. Demonstrators demanded that Hong Kong be able to freely elect its own leader. But while the 79-day street occupation captured world headlines, and got Wong on the cover of TIME, the protesters won no concessions.

Fast forward five years and unrest is again roiling the former British colony, this time sparked by a controversial extradition bill that would have allowed for the transfer of fugitives to mainland China. The bill has since been withdrawn, but the campaign against it has snowballed into a broader democratic rebellion and challenge to Chinese sovereignty.

Wong is just as visible today—in fact, even more so. He is the subject of a Netflix documentary and he has been on overseas tours, drumming up support for Hong Kong’s democracy movement. When the current protests broke out, he was serving jail time for his involvement in the 2014 movement. On the day of his release in June he proceeded immediately to join a rally. Together with members of his political party, Demosisto, he remains at the forefront of Hong Kong’s push for political freedom.

TIME spoke to Wong, now 22, to mark the five-year anniversary of the Umbrella Revolution.

You were the face of the protests five years ago. How would you describe your role today?

I am one of the facilitators, helping to make the voice of Hongkongers heard in the international community. I also organize student class boycotts and provide assistance for high school students.

Did you ever imagine then that Hong Kong would be where it is now?

I didn’t imagine that. I think it’s remarkable that five years ago, the day we ended the movement, we claimed we would be back—and now we are back, with even stronger determination.

The movement today is described as “leaderless”. What is the value of that?

Rather than top-down command towards activists, we have more bottom-up collaboration. The Umbrella Movement can be described as an encyclopedia. Politicians and student leaders wrote it, and let the masses read it and react passively. The movement today is like Wikipedia. It’s faceless and leaderless, but everyone is engaged. Even if you don’t know who who wrote it, who organized different campaigns, everyone recognizes their roles and has self-initiative. It’s optimistic.

How do you think the political climate in Hong Kong has changed?

Five years ago, it was “one country, two systems.” After that, it was “one country, one-and-a-half systems.” We’ve seen lawmakers unseated, book publishers kidnapped, foreign correspondents expelled and activists jailed.

Some say that the protests today are the “Umbrella Revolution 2.0.” Do you see this as a continuation?

I wouldn’t compare it directly because the dynamics are very different. Five years ago, there were still world leaders sympathetic to the China model. But I think how countries recognize the problem of Beijing is far more now. Who could imagine that after the G7, world leaders would issue a joint statement? That Trump, who always prioritizes business interests, would bring up the Sino-British Joint Declaration during the U.N. General Assembly? We never would have seen this in the past.

You just returned from the U.S., and it was recently announced that the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act is advancing through Congress. What does this mean for Hong Kong?

We’ve spent more than four years advocating it and finally it is going forward. When I was in the U.S., I spoke with lawmakers including Nancy Pelosi, Jim McGovern and Marco Rubio. Passing this bill at the committee level is the first step. We are optimistic the bill can pass in Congress within this year, which will start a new chapter of U.S.-Hong Kong relations and a new chapter of bipartisan consensus on a tougher approach to Hong Kong’s democratization.

Read more: Then and Now: 79 Days of Protest in Hong Kong

And how were your trips to Taiwan and Germany?

We recognize Taiwan as the beacon of Asian democracy. There, I met with more than 12 legislators to seek bipartisan support. In Germany, I met with the foreign minister and about 10 legislators. Beijing broke the promise [made with the U.K. in the Sino-British Joint Declaration], so we need to go to the international community to seek allies and put pressure on Beijing.

Do you think your meetings with foreign politicians to rally international support will give Beijing more leverage to say there is a “black hand” guiding the protests?

Pro-Beijing officials also meet with [U.S.] consulate generals. On the Hong Kong government website, you can see a group photo with [Hong Kong’s top official] Carrie Lam and Nancy Pelosi. I see no reason to say that only pro-Beijing individuals can meet with foreign leaders.

Would you say the protests today have achieved more than the 79 days of the Umbrella Revolution did?

Yes, we’ve achieved more today. The Umbrella Movement was a legacy, not a victory, because there weren’t any concrete policies or systematic reforms after it. And in this summer of discontent, or however we describe this movement, we have forced President Xi to withdraw the extradition bill. This is the first time for him to be [made] aware that he needs to compromise with the Hong Kong people.

What do you foresee five years down the road?

I can’t predict what will happen five years from now. Half a year ago, if you told anyone a few months later that two million people would take to the streets, no one would believe it. Of course, I can’t say that in five years later Hong Kong will have free elections suddenly, and that [a member of] the pro-democracy camp can be the leader of Hong Kong. But at least freedom from fear is what we hope for. How do we let that dream come true? It depends on our actions, and how we let our actions speak louder than words.

As Republicans Face Impeachment Dilemma, Romney Is a Lonely Voice of Concern

By JONATHAN MARTIN from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2lBpRTS

New world news from Time: Protesters March in New Zealand in Second Wave of Global Climate Change Protests

(WELLINGTON, New Zealand) — Tens of thousands of people marched to New Zealand’s Parliament on Friday, launching a second wave of worldwide protests demanding swift action on climate change.

The protests were inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who spoke to world leaders this week at a United Nations summit in New York.

A march to the Parliament in New Zealand’s capital Wellington was one of the largest protests ever held there and organizers needed to change their security plans to accommodate the swelling crowd.

Several million people took part in the so-called global climate strike last Friday, which was timed to coincide with the U.N. meeting. New Zealand and a number of other countries focused their protest efforts on the second wave, bookending a week in which climate change was at the forefront of the global conversation.

Thunberg tweeted that she planned to attend a protest on Friday in Montreal.

In Wellington, 18-year-old university student Katherine Rivers said it was great to see young people taking action and personal responsibility by marching.

“We need to stop pandering to some of the people who are making money off climate change. The big oil companies, the dairy industry etc.,” she said. “And make a change for the future of these kids that are here.”

Rivers, who is studying marine biology and environmental studies, said she hopes to make her career about improving the environment, adding that “hopefully I get to have a career.”

While thousands of high school students elected to take time off school to protest, there were also parents, office workers and many other adults who joined the marches. One of them was 83-year-old grandmother-of-three Violet McIntosh.

“It’s not my future we’re thinking about,” McIntosh said.

She said it was time politicians stopped talking and started taking action. She said they should listen to the young people like Thunberg, who she described as “amazing.”

“She stood out there by herself to start it all. Millions of people are following her now,” McIntosh said. “She should be very proud of herself.”

New world news from Time: North Korea Urges Trump to Make a ‘Bold Decision’ and Produce a Breakthrough in Nuclear Diplomacy

(SEOUL, South Korea) — North Korea said Friday it wants President Donald Trump to make a “wise option and bold decision” to produce a breakthrough in stalled nuclear diplomacy, in an escalation of pressure on the U.S. ahead of an expected resumption of talks.

The statement by Foreign Ministry adviser Kim Kye Gwan came days after Trump said another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “could happen soon” without elaborating.

Kim Kye Gwan says he doubts another summit could make any breakthrough because of what he describes as prevailing opinions in Washington that North Korea must first disarm before getting major concessions and that U.S.-led sanctions brought the North to a negotiating table.

He accused the U.S. of not acting to implement a joint statement issued after the first summit between Kim and Trump in Singapore last year. He said North Korea, for its part, made “sincere efforts” to build mutual trust and carry out the Singapore statement, citing the repatriation of three American detainees and U.S. war remains.

“But I came to know that President Trump is different from his predecessors in political sense and decision while watching his approach to the DPRK, so I would like to place my hope on President Trump’s wise option and bold decision,” Kim Kye Gwan said, using the abbreviation of his country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“I and the DPRK Foreign Ministry will follow the future moves of the U.S.”

Kim, in his mid-70s, is a veteran diplomat who led the North Korean delegation at much of the now-dormant six-nation nuclear disarmament talks held in Beijing in 2003-2008.

North Korea entered talks with the United States last year saying it’s willing to negotiate away its advancing nuclear arsenal in exchange of U.S. security guarantee and sanctions relief. The North wants a slow, step-by-step disarmament process, in which each of its denuclearization step is matched by a corresponding U.S. reward. The United States says sanctions on North Korea will remain in place until the country takes significant steps toward denuclearization.

During the Singapore summit, Kim Jong Un promised to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula without providing any timetable or roadmap for disarmament steps. In Singapore, Kim and Trump also agreed to establish new bilateral relations and build a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

They met again in Vietnam in February for a second summit. But that meeting abruptly fell apart after Trump rejected Kim’s request for extensive relief of sanctions in return for dismantling his main nuclear complex, a limited denuclearization step. The two leaders held a brief, impromptu meeting at the Korean border in late June, and agreed to restart talks.

Last week, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said working-level nuclear talks with the United States could resume in a few weeks. But it said discussions of North Korea’s denuclearization will only be possible when “threats and hurdles endangering our system security and obstructing our development are clearly removed beyond all doubt.”

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