The Daily Telegraph - 01.08.2019

(C. Jardin) #1

12 **^ Thursday 1 August 2019 The Daily Telegraph


Centrists savage


Warren and Sanders


for ‘wishlist’ policies


By Ben Riley-Smith US EDITOR
in Detroit, Michigan

ELIZABETH WARREN and Bernie
Sanders were accused of pursuing
“wishlist economics” in the second de-
bate between Democratic presidential
candidates, as the gloves came off be-
tween the party’s progressive and
moderate wings.
The two Left-wing senators faced a
barrage of attacks from more centrist
candidates who targeted their plans to
eliminate private heath insurance and
spend trillions tackling climate change.
Their policy platform would amount
to a historic step Left for the US and
lead to inevitable defeat in 2020, their
rivals warned, with one telling them:
“You might as well FedEx the election
to Donald Trump.”
But Mr Sanders and Ms Warren, who
are polling in second and third place
respectively in the race to take on Mr
Trump, gave as good as they got.
In one memorable line, Ms Warren
said: “I don’t understand why anybody
goes through all the trouble of running
... just to talk about what we really can’t
do and shouldn’t fight for.”
Ten other candidates, including Joe
Biden, the front-runner, were last night
due to take part in a second debate.

Hong Kong protesters face court for ‘rioting’


By Sophia Yan in Hong Kong


HONG KONG police hauled dozens of
protesters into court yesterday to face
draconian charges of rioting in a move
likely to stir further unrest.
Charges were read against 23 people,
accusing them of setting up road
blocks, breaking fences, damaging
street signs, and attacking police with
“lethal weapons” such as bricks.
It was the first time authorities have
formally accused protesters of rioting



  • a charge that carries a possible 10-
    year prison sentence – since mass dem-
    onstrations broke out in early June,
    plunging Hong Kong into its worst po-


litical turmoil since Britain returned
the former colony to Chinese rule.
The charges came amid reports
yesterday that Chinese armed forces
were mobilising on the border. The
White House is monitoring the military
build up, sources told Bloomberg.
Protesters yesterday defied the
lashing wind and rain of an incoming
typhoon to gather outside court where
demonstrators appeared before the
judge to be formally charged.
The indicted included a teacher, a
nurse, a pilot, a barber, a chef, an elec-
trician, a construction worker and un-
employed people, according to charge
sheets. A 16-year-old girl was also
among the group. The eldest was 41.
Protesters chanted: “Release the
righteous. There are no rioters, only
tyranny. Reclaim Hong Kong, the
revolution of our times.”
Clashes occur nearly every day as
protesters angry with the government

A pilot, a barber and a


16-year-old are among


those to face charges in


wake of demonstrations


GETTY IMAGES

World news


continue to clash with the police. On
Tuesday, spontaneous violent protests
broke out outside the police headquar-
ters as the rioting charges were
announced for the first time.
Clashes took an extraordinary turn
when crowds were targeted with fire-

tive, the convening of an independent
commission to investigate police
brutality, and the release of those
arrested – at least 170 people so far.
Continuing unrest is fuelling con-
cerns that China’s central government
in Beijing might deploy the military,
which would be reminiscent of the
1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square.
In comments to Bloomberg yester-
day, an anonymous US official said the
White House is monitoring a congrega-
tion of Chinese forces along the border
to Hong Kong, though the nature of the
build-up isn’t clear.
Hua Chunying, China’s ministry
spokesman, said yesterday she wasn’t
aware of a situation on the border.
The Chinese central government re-
iterated earlier this week that it sup-
ported Hong Kong’s leader and police
in cracking down to maintain order,
and that Beijing would only send
troops at the request of city officials.

Protesters mob a
police vehicle
outside a court, top.
Above, the previous
night fireworks
were hurled at
demonstrators

works shot from a moving car. At least
six people were injured in the drive-by,
which was shared widely on social
media. The attacks are likely to sow
further confusion amid the escalating
crisis in Hong Kong, after protesters
were targeted last week by a mob
linked to triad gangs.
Hong Kong police yesterday arrested
three men on criminal damage and
common assault charges, and said they
will “spare no effort in investigating all
illegal and violent acts”.
The charges are likely to further
enrage demonstrators, who first
demanded the formal withdrawal of an
extradition bill that would send
suspects to face trial in mainland
China, where Communist Party control
of the courts contributes to a 99.9 per
cent conviction rate.
Protesters have since expanded their
demands to include the resignation of
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief execu-

Trump imposes sanctions


on Iranian foreign minister


By Nick Allen in Washington

DONALD TRUMP last night escalated
tensions with Iran by placing sanctions
on Mohammad Javad Zarif, its foreign
minister.
The United States called Mr Zarif a
“propaganda minister, not a foreign
minister” and said he was “implement-
ing the reckless agenda of Iran’s su-
preme leader”.
The sanctions effectively shut out
Iran’s top diplomat, freezing any assets
he may have in the US and seeking to
curtail his international travel.
US officials indicated he would still
be able to travel to and from the United
Nations in New York, and said they had
not asked allies to stop talking to him.
The blacklisting of Iran’s chief nego-
tiator could hinder any US attempt to
use diplomacy to resolve its disagree-
ments with Tehran over its nuclear
programme and aggressive activities in
the Middle East. However, the US did
not close the door on nuclear talks, ar-
guing that Mr Zarif was not a signifi-
cant decision-maker.
It was unclear whether Mr Zarif had
any assets in US jurisdiction that would
be affected by the sanctions.
Mr Zarif responded to the news on
Twitter, writing: “The US reason for

designating me is that I am Iran’s ‘pri-
mary spokesperson around the world’.
Is the truth really that painful?
“It has no effect on me or my family,
as I have no property or interests out-
side of Iran. Thank you for considering
me such a huge threat to your agenda.”
Tensions have soared after Iran shot
down a US drone, along with attacks on
tankers in the Gulf.
Last month, Steve Mnuchin, the US
treasury secretary, indicated Mr Zarif
would be blacklisted. However, it was
believed at that time that Mike Pompeo,
the secretary of state, was among those
against the move.
Following the decision, a senior US
official said: “President Trump decided
enough is enough. He is sending a clear
message to the regime [that] its recent
behaviour is completely unacceptable.
“For far too long Zarif has had this
veneer, not great, of being the reason-
able interlocutor for the Iranian re-
gime. He is no such thing. He
implements the reckless policy of the
supreme leader, and he is the regime’s
primary spokesman around the world.”
A number of factors had been taken
into consideration, the spokesman
said, including Mr Zarif ’s defence of
the execution of gay people. “There are
limits to our patience,” he added.

China’s culture
ministry has
said that from
today it will no
longer issue
individual
permits for
people from
China to travel
to Taiwan, a
neighbouring
democracy
Beijing
considers its
own territory
and has
threatened to
annex by force.

No go China
blocks travel
to Taiwan

Israel’s approval of Palestinian


homes may be concession to US


By Raf Sanchez in Jerusalem

ISRAEL has made an unusual move to
approve hundreds of Palestinian
homes in the occupied West Bank amid
reports that the US is preparing to roll
out its long-awaited peace plan.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime
minister, granted permits for 700 Pales-
tinian houses, but tried to appease his
Right-wing base by also approving
6,000 housing units for Jewish settlers.
Israel rarely grants building permits
to Palestinians and the move was seen
as a potential concession to the White
House, which is trying to convince
Palestinians and Arab states to back its
peace initiative.
Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-
law and senior aide on Israeli-Palestin-
ian issues, was in Jerusalem last night
to discuss the plan with Mr Netanyahu.
The plan remains secret but Israeli
newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported

Mr Trump intends to unveil it at a sum-
mit with Arab leaders at Camp David in
the coming weeks.
A White House official denied that
planning for a summit was under way
and said Mr Kushner’s team would

report back after their trip to Israeli
and Arab states before deciding their
next move. “No summit has currently
been planned,” the official said.
The US unveiled the less controver-
sial economic side of the plan at a con-
ference in Bahrain in June but has not
given a timeline for releasing the
political side of the plan. Mr Trump
enjoys the pageantry of high-profile

international meetings and Camp
David, the presidential retreat in
Maryland, has often been the site of
peace talks between Israel and its
neighbours.
Expectations for Mr Trump’s peace
effort are low. The Palestinians have
pre-emptively rejected the plan, argu-
ing that Mr Trump is heavily biased to-
wards Israel and is not an honest broker.
David Friedman, the US ambassador
to Israel, signalled that the White
House opposed the idea of an inde-
pendent Palestinian state, which has
long been a demand of both Palestini-
ans and America’s Arab allies.
Mr Friedman instead endorsed Mr
Netanyahu’s position that the Palestin-
ians can be granted autonomy but not a
state of their own. “We believe in Pales-
tinian autonomy,” he told CNN. “We
believe that autonomy should be ex-
tended up until the point where it in-
terferes with Israeli security.”

‘We believe that autonomy


should be extended up until
the point where it interferes
with Israeli security’

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