Hong Kong Police Warn of More Arrests After Sweep of Activists

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong police arrested prominent opposition figures including Joshua Wong -- and warned other protesters could share their fate at illegal demonstrations this weekend -- raising tensions as authorities seek to quell pro-democracy demonstrations that have raged for almost three months.The 22-year-old Wong, who was scheduled to speak about the protests in the U.S. next month, was among well-known pro-democracy activists arrested by police on Thursday and Friday. Those arrested included Wong’s fellow leader of 2014 Occupy protests, Agnes Chow; independence advocate Andy Chan; and District Councilor Rick Hui.Police said more than 20 people were arrested since Thursday, and warned at a briefing Friday that others could be charged if they take part in protests without official approval. A colonial statute passed during a wave of deadly riots in the 1960s allows authorities to the power to imprison those who participate in unlawful assemblies for as long as five years and more than 900 have been arrested on a variety of charges since June.The arrests were part of a broader push back against the largely leaderless protest movement, which flared up in June over now-suspended legislation allowing extraditions to China before widening into a broader push for more democracy. The Civil Human Rights Front -- the organizer of the biggest recent demonstrations -- said Friday it was forced to cancel a rally planned for Saturday after police withheld approval.The crisis in the former British colony threatens to distract from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s celebrations of 70 years of Communist Party rule on Oct. 1, which will highlight the country’s rebound from imperialism, war and inner turmoil. Hong Kong’s embattled chief executive, Carrie Lam, earlier this week called for a dialogue with the opposition, while refusing to rule out invoking a sweeping colonial-era law that allows for easier arrests, deportations, censorship and property seizures.“We still keep on our fight and we shall not surrender,” Wong told reporters as he and Chow emerged from court after being released on bail on charges related by unlawful assembly. “I urge the international community to send a message to President Xi, sending troops or using emergency ordinance is not the way out.”The summer’s political unrest has been the worst since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997, with demonstrations that have resulted in often-violent clashes between protesters and police. Political observers said the moves ran the risk of drawing more people into the streets for unauthorized rallies, which can more easily get out of hand.“Such actions are tantamount to inciting trouble at a time when the government is talking about dialogue and trying to lower the temperature,” said Kevin Yam, a political commentator and member of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Progressive Lawyers Group. “You can’t on the one hand say, ‘Let’s lower the temperature, let’s talk, let’s make nice,’ and on the other hand do something like this.”Ronny Tong, a member of Lam’s advisory Executive Council, acknowledged that “the timing could have been better,” said said he had faith in Hong Kong’s rule of law and the police.“The most important thing is that Hong Kong is a place where the rule of law still is alive and kicking,” Tong said. “We have a very able and independent judiciary. And the police know that. They know that unless they have a reasonable chance of a conviction, they would not try to arrest somebody at random only to give out a political message.”Separately, Reuters reported Chinese authorities had earlier this month rejected a Hong Kong government proposal to formally withdraw extradition legislation that sparked the protests. The bill’s withdrawal and an independent inquiry into the unrest were seen as the most feasible compromises, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed senior Hong Kong government official.Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. warned employees not to take part in a general strike planned for next week, after the airline’s chief executive, Rupert Hogg, stepped down to take responsibility for the uproar over airline staff’s participation in earlier actions. Two other organizers of recent protests, including CHRF leader Jimmy Sham and Max Chung, were attacked Thursday in the latest of several reported incidents of mob violence against activists.891 Arrests, 2,071 Tear-Gas Canisters: Hong Kong’s Protests By the NumbersTaiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen -- who has helped resuscitate her re-election prospects by criticizing Beijing’s handling of the protests -- was among the first officials to express concern about the arrests. She called on authorities to comply with their promises of democracy, freedom and human rights to the city’s people, according to a statement from her office.While the three arrested activists are among Hong Kong’s most prominent opposition voices --- Wong was the subject of a Netflix documentary titled “Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower” -- none was seen as a central figure in the recent protests. The decentralized movement relies on social media apps and chat rooms to propose and revise protest plans on the fly.Still, Wong has come under scrutiny for his meetings with U.S. officials, with China’s foreign ministry singling out one particular meeting with a U.S. diplomat. Wong was also planning to travel to the U.S. in September to speak out against what he described as authorities’ plans to establish “martial law” ahead of the National Day holiday.Countdown to 2047: What Will Happen to Hong Kong?: QuickTakeThe latest charges against Wong resulted from his role in a June 21 rally, in which he encouraged demonstrators to surround the police headquarters complex in Wan Chai, days after his release from jail on separate protest-related charges. Chan, the pro-independence founder of the banned Hong Kong National Party, said in a post on his personal Facebook page that he was stopped at the city’s airport departures area on Thursday night.“They’re trying to plant a seed of fear in people’s minds, so that people will stop from attending protests, either the one tomorrow or ones in the future,” said Alvin Yeung, a pro-democracy lawmaker. “But my judgment is they won’t succeed, because Hong Kong people are very brave.”(Updates with Executive Council member comments in eighth paragraph.)\--With assistance from Sheryl Tian Tong Lee and Shawna Kwan.To contact the reporters on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.net;Natalie Lung in Hong Kong at flung6@bloomberg.net;Annie Lee in Hong Kong at olee42@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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Wreck of paddle steamer throws light on British support for Confederacy slave states during US Civil War

Britain has long been proud of its historically progressive attitude to slavery, frequently pointing to the fact that this country abolished the trade across its territories as early as 1833. But beneath the waters of Liverpool Bay lies something that should dent our complacency about this country’s role in the ending of human bondage. The wreck of the paddle steamer Leila, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1865, sheds new light on the actions of some British businessmen in supporting the southern slave states of the Confederacy during the US Civil War. Now the wreck - described by historians as “one of the most historically-significant in the north west” - is to be granted protected status on the advice of Historic England. The 19th century paddle steamer was on its maiden voyage from Liverpool to Bermuda loaded with guns and supplies for Confederate forces when it foundered on 14th January 1865 during stormy weather in Liverpool Bay, with the loss of 47 lives. The wreck on the Leila on the seabed in Liverpool Bay Credit: Historic England Leila was secretly built in Liverpool on behalf of the Confederate Government late in the American Civil War of 1861 to 1865 as a purpose-built vessel to run the blockade imposed on the southern states by the Union forces of Abraham Lincoln. She was technically advanced for her day and was designed to evade the northern Union ships enforcing the blockade. Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: “The Lelia is one of a small group of British ships involved in British complicity in running guns and munitions to the Confederates. “Though the UK remained officially neutral throughout the American Civil War, the Leila comprises evidence of the British financing of blockade runners that sent munitions and luxuries to Confederate ports in return for cotton and tobacco. As such it is very significant as historical evidence.” Although the British Government’s position on the blockade was officially neutral, opinion in Britain over the issue of the Civil War was split. Many Lancashire cotton workers supported the blockade and the Union’s fight against the slave states, even though it resulted in a downturn in the weaving industry and severe hardship for their families. Such was their support for the abolitionist cause that a statue of Lincoln was erected in their honour in 1919, with a plaque reproducing his letter of 19th January 1863 to the Manchester cotton workers thanking them for their support. Statue of Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln Square, Manchester, inscribed with his letter of thanks to the city's cotton weavers Credit: Phil Portus / Alamy Stock Photo But there were those in Britain willing to take advantage of the war and help supply the slave states with goods and materials. At the start of the Civil War, the Confederacy lacked the manufacturing capacity to compete with the more industrialised northern states and so relied on importing war supplies, including guns and ammunition, to sustain its war effort. It acquired fast steamships, mainly paddle steamers, from British and other shipbuilders, intended to breach the naval blockade of its main ports imposed by the Union in 1861 in an attempt to strangle the southern war effort.  They hoped a combination of speed and stealth would help them to break the blockade, enabling them to carry cotton and tobacco to Europe and war supplies back to the Confederacy. The Lelia was built in Millers shipyard in Toxteth, Liverpool, where shipbuilders had been experimenting with the early use of steel, which, being lighter than iron, allowed for larger cargo space and greater speed - perfect for blockade runners. The paddle steamer was only identified in 1997 after a bell marked ‘Lelia 1864’ was recovered from close to the wreck beneath Liverpool Bay by a local diver. An infra-red photograph of the wreck of the Leila Credit: Historic England The partially-buried remains of the Leila include one of the paddle wheels, the engine and boiler rooms, less well-preserved cargo areas and a steam winch.  The deck and all structures that were on it have not survived, but as much as 1.9m of its hull remains buried in the seabed, raising the prospect that its cargo of British-manufactured munitions and machinery may have been partially preserved . The Leila is one of three blockade busters to have been discovered in British waters. The other is the paddle steamer Iona II, which sank in 1864 in foggy conditions close to the Isle of Lundy in the Bristol Channel on her first trans-Atlantic voyage. 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155 migrants force entry into Spain's Ceuta enclave

A group of 155 migrants forced their way into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Friday, Spanish authorities said. "They are all from sub-Saharan Africa, the majority from Guinea," a spokesman for the central government's office in Ceuta told AFP.

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Hurricane Dorian gains strength as Florida braces for potential ‘monster’ storm

Landfall anticipated early Tuesday on state’s east coast with maximum sustained winds of 140mphRich DiGiulio removes an awning from the Mulligans Beach House Bar & Grill in preparation for Hurricane Dorian, Friday, 30 August 2019, in Vero Beach, Florida. Photograph: Lynne Sladky/APResidents of Florida braced for what could be a historically damaging storm on Friday as Hurricane Dorian lingered in the western Atlantic, building strength in advance of its anticipated landfall early on Tuesday on the state’s east coast.The storm strengthened into a category 3 hurricane on Friday afternoon, amid fears it could prove to be the most powerful hurricane to hit Florida’s east coast in nearly 30 years. Forecasters warned that Dorian could wallop the state with “extremely dangerous” 140mph (225 kph) winds.“It could be an absolute monster,” Donald Trump said in a video address, pledging federal support for local disaster relief efforts.Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, declared a state of emergency for every county in the state and warned of a potential “multi-day” event, but stopped short of declaring any emergency evacuations.Emergency preparations were under way up and down the Atlantic coast, from Jacksonville in the north to Miami and the Florida Keys, as well as in Orlando and inland areas.Ominously, on Friday morning the storm had developed a distinct eye and slowed its westward progress, meaning it could spend more time over land – and do more damage.Meteorologists said Dorian could make landfall in Florida on Tuesday as a category 4 hurricane.“If it makes landfall as a category 3 or 4 hurricane, that’s a big deal,” the University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy told the Associated Press. “A lot of people are going to be affected. A lot of insurance claims.”Hurricane Dorian gains strength as it tracks towards the Florida coast, on 30 August. Photograph: NOAA GOES-East/Handout/Getty ImagesDeSantis acknowledged fuel shortages across the state as residents formed long lines at petrol stations, supermarkets and hardware stores. Officials advised residents to stockpile canned food, water and other supplies and to refill essential prescriptions.Coastal residents were amassing sandbags against potential flooding and tacking plywood over windows and doors. Officials directed residents in the hurricane’s path to check their preparedness plan against advice on the state’s storm emergency website and to be on guard against price gouging and fraud.DeSantis announced that highway patrol cars would escort fuel trucks to expedite distribution.“We’re doing all we can on the fuel,” he said.Earlier predictions of an arrival of the storm early on the Labor Day holiday, Monday, were revised in anticipation of an early Tuesday arrival. Storm surge could be made worse by extreme tides associated with the new moon, which fell on Friday.A hurricane watch was in effect for the north-western Bahamas, with a risk of life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding were anticipated in all affected areas.While it was unclear where on the Florida coastline Dorian would make landfall, Trump compared the storm to the 1992 Hurricane Andrew, which likewise tore into Florida along the Atlantic coast, killing 65 and tallying $27bn in damage.“It does seem almost certain that it’s hitting dead center, and that’s not good,” Trump said. “Somebody said bigger, or at least as big as Andrew.”Trump is traveling to Camp David in Maryland, where he will monitor the storm after he canceled his planned trip to Poland this weekend.Forecasters have put Trump’s luxury resort of Mar-a-Lago in the crosshairs of the storm. Late Friday, the National Hurricane Center’s projected track showed Dorian hitting near Fort Pierce, some 70 miles north of the so-called “winter White House”, then running along the coastline as it moved north. However forecasters cautioned that the storm’s track was still highly uncertain and even a small deviation could put Dorian offshore or well inland.The major models of the storm showed it most likely deflecting up the Atlantic coast after making landfall but the risk remained, DeSantis said, that the storm could cross Florida and move into the Gulf of Mexico, to potentially grow in strength once again over relatively warm and shallow waters.“Obviously a storm that cuts across the state, crosses the Gulf and then slams the Panhandle is a bad, bad thing for us,” DeSantis said.“Not every path of the storm has the same probability but you’ve got to be prepared for that. It’s too soon to tell.”Dorian’s approach has played havoc with people’s Labor Day weekend plans. Major airlines began allowing travelers to change their reservations without a fee. The big cruise lines began rerouting their ships. Disney World and the other resorts in Orlando found themselves in the storm’s projected path.Jessica Armesto and her one-year-old daughter, Mila, had planned to have breakfast with Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy at Disney World. Instead, Armesto decided to take shelter at her mother’s hurricane-resistant house in Miami with its kitchen full of nonperishable foods.“It felt like it was better to be safe than sorry, so we canceled our plans,” she said.

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Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey apologizes for appearing in racist sketch while in college in 1960s

In a 1960s radio interview, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey's then-fiancee said Ivey wore blackface in a college sketch. Ivey apologized in a statement Thursday.

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Veterans say the Trump administration's confusing new rule may be 'targeting' immigrants who serve in war zones

The new policy applies to Green Card holders who serve in uniform. "Why are we targeting people who want to serve?" a leading veterans advocate said.

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Portuguese national interrupts TV interview, gives moving speech about Brexit's impact

Another spanner has been thrown into the works in the countdown to Brexit. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the Queen to suspend parliament which will scupper MPs chances to block a no-deal Brexit. On Wednesday, the Queen approved Johnson's request, prompting a national outcry and protests across the country.During a Central London protest against prorogation (the official term for the suspension of parliament), a Portuguese woman, who has lived and worked in the UK for 20 years, interrupted an interview and delivered an impassioned and extremely moving speech about Brexit's impact on her life."I'm Portuguese and I worked here for 20 years and I have no voice and the Settlement Scheme is not working," the woman -- whose name is unknown -- told Sky News. The woman is referring to the EU Settlement Scheme, which allows EU citizens to apply to continue living in the UK once it's no longer part of the European Union. She had been attending the protest, stating her reason for attending as "because I need a voice." "I gave this country my youth, I'm very grateful for what you taught me but you must make me part of all this process," she said. "I can't just be kicked out, I've built things for you, I've looked after your children, I looked after the elderly in this country, now you kick me out with what?"> A Portuguese national interrupted an interview to speak passionately to Sky News during protests against prorogation, saying she had "given her youth" to the UK > > For more on this story, head here: https://t.co/Bw9GJrZl0b pic.twitter.com/sFCZ1cnvrO> > -- Sky News (@SkyNews) August 28, 2019Per BBC News, a no-deal Brexit would result in the UK immediately exiting the EU with no agreement on Oct. 31. "Overnight, the UK would leave the single market and customs union -- arrangements designed to help trade between EU members by eliminating checks and tariffs (taxes on imports)," the BBC explains.The woman said she is "very, very hurt" by what's happening to the country. As she was about to walk away from the interview, the Sky News journalist urged her not to go away, and asked what was happening with her Settlement Status application. She explained that she'd been told her National Insurance number (the UK version of Social Security) didn't "correspond to the right thing" and she's been told she has to restart the whole process. "Oct. 31 is fast approaching, what am I going to do? What am I going to do? How am I going to stay? What are my rights?" she said.  WATCH: Watch Zuckerberg's face freeze after a far-right politician credited Facebook for Trump's win and Brexit

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West Virginia state senator charged with prostitution

West Virginia state Sen. Mike Maroney has been charged with soliciting a prostitute. The Republican lawmaker turned himself in and was arraigned Wednesday morning, a Marshall County court clerk said. Maroney exchanged text messages to discuss prices and set up meetings with a woman who has acknowledged being a prostitute, according to a criminal complaint.

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Omar tweets she received death threat targeting her at the Minnesota State Fair

"I hate that we live in a world where you have to be protected from fellow humans," said Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota.

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Brigitte Macron speaks out against sexism amid G7 Amazon fire funding row with Brazilian president

France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, hit back on Thursday at mockery of her age and appearance on Jair Bolsonaro’s Facebook page amid a war of words between the Brazilian president and her husband that has left £18m in emergency funding for the Amazon in limbo. Her comments came as Mr Bolsonaro, accused by critics of allowing tens of thousands of fires to rage unchecked in the Amazon rainforest, announced a two-month ban on fires deliberately started by farmers. Critics have accused the Brazilian president of allowing farmers to start fires in order to clear forest for crops or grazing. Mrs Macron, 65, did not mention Mr Bolsonaro by name, but implied that the 64-year-old president was out of tune with contemporary attitudes to women.  Mrs Macron thanked the thousands of Brazilians who had offered apologies on social media for their president’s approval of a post deriding her for being nearly 25 years older than her husband, Emmanuel Macron, the French president. The post implied that Michelle Bolsonaro, the 37-year-old wife of Mr Bolsonaro, 64, was better looking than the French first lady. Mrs Macron said: “Times are changing. There are those who are on the train of change, women are there with you, like you, you’ve almost all understood, gentlemen. Not everyone, some are still on the platform and I’m sure they will soon get on the train.” A fireman works to extinguish a fire at a forest near Porto Velho, Brazil, 28 August 2019 Credit: REX Her comments won sustained applause as she inaugurated a newly refurbished museum devoted to the Battle of Agincourt at a ceremony with the British ambassador, Edward Llewellyn, at the site of the 1415 English victory over the French in northern France. “It’s not just for me, it’s for all women,” Mrs Macron said. “Things are changing and everyone must realise it.” The diplomatic clash between the French and Brazilian presidents came as Mr Macron tried to lead international efforts to help Brazil put out the fires, which he sees as a global problem because the world’s largest rainforest produces 20 per cent of its oxygen. Mr Bolsonaro, whose critics have labelled him “Captain Chainsaw” because of what they say is his disregard for the environment, rejected £18 million in aid from the G7 announced at a summit hosted by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, in the coastal resort of Biarritz at the weekend. But he has accepted a separate £10m offer of assistance from the United Kingdom. State governors and agribusiness leaders from the Amazon region have implored Mr Bolsonaro to accept financial aid from the G7, fearing that continued tensions could harm Brazil’s exports. Mr Bolsonaro has now outlawed all uses of fire in the region except for farming in indigenous communities, but he stressed that the ban was only temporary. “The people there set these fires, it's a tradition,” he said. Data from Brazil's Institute of Space Research has shown the increase in fires this year is linked to a rise in deforestation, with illegal land grabbers clearing areas of virgin forest in order to sell to agribusiness firms. Under domestic and international pressure, the government is expected to launch a series of environment-related measures next week including curbs on deforestation and gold panning. Local media have warned of a new Amazon gold rush stemming from relaxed oversight and poverty. On Wednesday, Donald Trump lent his support to Mr Bolsonaro. “I have gotten to know [Mr Bolsonaro] very well during our dealings with Brazil”, Mr Trump tweeted. “He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil.” Mr Bolsonaro thanked him, saying that the “fake news campaign built against [Brazilian] sovereignty will not work.”

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View Photos of the 2020 Volvo XC60 Polestar

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Wave of child sex abuse lawsuits threatens Boy Scouts

The Boy Scouts of America is facing a threat from a growing wave of lawsuits over decades-old allegations of sexual abuse. The Scouts have been sued in multiple states in recent months by purported abuse victims, including plaintiffs taking advantage of new state laws or court decisions that are now allowing suits previously barred because of the age of the allegations. A lawyer representing 150 people who say they were abused as Boy Scouts is planning a suit in New Jersey when the state's new civil statute of limitations law takes effect Dec. 1.

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We need Unions for All. It's a bold agenda for helping everyone get ahead in our economy.

We need serious plans to empower all workers to form unions, no matter what job they do. 'Unions for All' is our litmus test for 2020 candidates.

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Fox News Host Jeanine Pirro: Dems Plotting to ‘Replace American Citizens With Illegals’

MIKE THEILERNearly a month after an accused shooter reportedly said he deliberately targeted “Mexicans” while killing more than 20 people in El Paso, Fox News personalities are still echoing the same talking points from the gunman’s racist manifesto, in which he complained about a “Hispanic invasion” of America.Appearing on Fox Nation’s The Todd Starnes Show on Thursday, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro was asked by Starnes—who recently likened migrants to a “rampaging horde” of Nazis—if Democrats and liberals hate President Donald Trump and his supporters.Pirro, who is currently promoting a book that Trump has already endorsed, took the opportunity to push a version of the “Great Replacement theory”—the same racist lie that was cited by the El Paso gunman and other recent domestic terrorist attackers.“They hate Donald Trump—he’s the one they want to get rid of,” she said, in a segment first spotted by Media Matters. “Their plot to remake America is to bring in the illegals, change the way the voting occurs in this country, give them licenses. They get to vote—maybe once, maybe twice, maybe three times.”After decrying same-day voter registration and grousing about voter rolls not being purged, Pirro—who was suspended by Fox earlier this year for questioning Ilhan Omar’s loyalty to America—went right back to the far-right well.“Think about it,” Pirro exclaimed. “It is a plot to remake America—to replace American citizens with illegals who will vote for the Democrats.”Pirro’s comments come just days after the National Association of Hispanic Journalists cut ties with Fox News over the network’s use of “invasion” rhetoric to describe immigration, with the NAHJ saying Starnes’ remark about immigrants was the final straw.In the wake of the El Paso slayings, Fox News has been the focus of widespread criticism for the extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric of many of its opinion hosts. Tucker Carlson, for instance, has seen a further erosion of his advertiser base after he called white supremacy a “hoax” just days after the shooting.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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Hurricane Dorian gains might as it takes aim at Florida

Hurricane Dorian churned in the Atlantic, picking up speed early on Thursday, fueled by warm waters as it took aim at the U.S. coast and threatened to become a dangerous category 3 storm. Dorian had sideswiped the Caribbean without doing major damage but Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Wednesday and asked east coast Floridians load up with at least 7 days worth of supplies, such as food and water. "All indications are that by this Labor Day weekend, a powerful hurricane will be near or over the Florida peninsula," the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in an advisory.

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Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey apologizes for participating in blackface skit in college

"I offer my heartfelt apologies for the pain and embarrassment this causes," Ivey said.

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Republicans have themselves to thank for socialism

Socialism has been an incredibly divisive issue in American politics for decades. But its recent uptick in popularity has Republicans wondering what’s wrong with the left. Little do they know they have their own actions and policies to thank for democratic socialism’s rise in America. In this opinion piece, Business Insider’s Manny Ocbazghi analyzes the role Republicans played in Obamacare’s rollout, the Green New Deal, and more.

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