US imposes sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif
Iran’s top diplomat brushes off latest move in Washington’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign, says action has ‘no effect’.
The United States has imposed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the latest move by Washington in its “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
The Treasury Department said on Wednesday that it was imposing sanctions on Zarif for acting on behalf of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
Hong Kong protests: China military breaks silence to warn unrest should not be tolerated
Chinese military garrison chief in Hong Kong says army is determined to protect China’s sovereignty, stoking fears of intervention
The head of the Chinese army in Hong Kong has spoken on the protests for the first time, saying the unrest has “seriously threatened the life and safety” of the people and should not be tolerated.
The commander of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) garrison in Hong Kong warned it was “determined to protect national sovereignty, security, stability and the prosperity of Hong Kong”.
The remarks were made by Chen Daoxiang on Wednesday at a reception celebrating the 92nd anniversary of the PLA. They came the day after 43 protesters were charged with rioting and released on bail. Some of those charged were as young as 16 and included a Cathay Pacific pilot.
Germany expresses ‘deep shame’ for Nazi destruction of Poland
At an event marking the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, Germany recognized its moral responsibility for Nazi wartime atrocities in Poland. But Foreign Minister Heiko Maas ruled out financial reparations.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Wednesday said Berlin feels moral responsibility for Nazi Germany’s devastation of Poland. He made the comments during a visit to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.
“For what was done to Poland by Germans and in the name of Germany, you can only feel deep shame,” Maas said during joint press conference with Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz.
However, Maas noted that the question of reparations for wartime actions was “closed for Germany.”
DR Congo Ebola epidemic spreads as second Goma patient dies, third case is confirmed
An Ebola epidemic in eastern DR Congo sharply widened Wednesday, the eve of the first anniversary of the outbreak, with one death and another diagnosis reported and the quarantining of 15 people in a previously unaffected province.
A total of 1,803 lives have been lost in the second worst outbreak of Ebola on record, according to figures released Wednesday.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s pointman on the crisis, Jean-Jacques Muyembe, said a second person had died of Ebola in Goma, a densely-populated city on the border with Rwanda that has transport links to many parts of East Africa.
When Trump Tweets, the Editor of ‘China’s Fox News’ Hits Back
Inside a bustling, 700-person newsroom in downtown Beijing, Hu Xijin leads a 24-hour propaganda machine that some media scholars call China’s Fox News.
Mr. Hu was one of the first to defend China’s vast detention of Muslims against international criticism. His newspaper has described Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as crazy. Thirty years ago, he marched with students on Tiananmen Square demanding democracy in China, but now he is a leading critic of protesters in Hong Kong who have been resisting Chinese rule.
2 lawmakers with serious disabilities attend 1st Diet session
Two lawmakers with serious paralysis took their seats in the Diet’s upper house on Thursday to cheers from supporters, marking the first time people with severe disabilities have served in the body.
Yasuhiko Funago and Eiko Kimura won seats last month in the upper house election and their use of special reclining wheelchairs has required modifications to the Diet.
The pair both rely on caretakers for support, and their election has highlighted the fact that Japan only pays for such care if the disabled person is not working.
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