COVID-19: Singapore confirms 8 new cases, 7 of them imported
Huawei promotion: Woman who hit police officer jailed
Taiwan groups to rally in support of Hong Kong fugitives held in Shenzhen, as part of global campaign calling for 12 to be freed
US tightens rules on more Chinese media outlets
The Latest: Filipinos allowed to take tourist trips abroad
PoliticsAFP NewsFact Check: The final presidential debate
President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden sparred over the coronavirus response, US policy on China, and race in America in their second and final debate of the 2020 election.
PoliticsReutersTrump, Biden clash over climate, oil industry in final debate
The candidates were asked at their matchup in Nashville, Tennessee, what they would do to combat climate change - the first time in a presidential debate they were not questioned on whether they believed in it or not. "I do love the environment," said Trump, citing a federal program to plant trees and a drop in carbon emissions. Biden said his plan for a transition to a more climate-friendly economy would create high-paying jobs and boost U.S. businesses.
NewsReutersIndia's coronavirus cases tally hits 7.8 million
India's coronavirus infections reached a total of 7.76 million, with 54,366 new cases being reported in the last 24 hours, data from the federal health ministry showed on Friday. The world's second-most populous country also has the world's second-highest caseload, behind the United States, which has 8.3 million infections so far. Deaths in India have been relatively low, with 117,306 mortalities from the coronavirus, out of which 690 were reported in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.
BusinessReutersHK brokers ready war chest for mom-and-pop bidding frenzy in Ant's mega IPO
Hong Kong's brokerages are readying billions of margin-lending dollars to tap an expected surge in retail demand for China's fintec giant Ant Group's likely $35 billion dual-listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai in the next few weeks, industry officials said. Margin lending, or the amount brokers can lend to individual investors to purchase shares, has been a big business in Hong Kong in recent years with a large number of equity floats luring retail buyers. Hong Kong had 851,157 margin lending accounts with total loan volume of HK$161.8 billion ($21 billion) in the first half of 2020, according to the city's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), up sharply from 601,842 at the same time last year.
NewsSouth China Morning PostHong Kong’s four new Covid-19 cases have all been traced, source says, as social-distancing rules relaxation allows larger tours, wedding ceremonies
Hong Kong’s four new coronavirus infections anticipated for Friday are all traceable, according to a medical source, as larger tour groups and wedding ceremonies resume in the city.The latest infections will push the city’s Covid-19 case tally to 5,284, with 105 related deaths.Thursday brought a number of imported cases to Hong Kong, including nine on the same Nepal Airlines flight, prompting health authorities to ban the carrier from entering the city for the second time in a month.Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. Rules for Hong Kong tour groups, weddings relaxed as city records five Covid-19 casesIn a relaxation of social-distancing measures announced earlier this week and taking effect on Friday, local tour groups are now allowed to number up to 30 people, and as many as 50 for wedding ceremonies.Travel agency WWPKG’s chief executive Yuen Chun-ning said his company had received more than 100 inquiries a day, and about 50 to 60 registrations, since the rules change was revealed, adding there would be a local tour of more than 10 people on Saturday.“The response has been great, but it’s nothing compared to what we had for foreign tours before,” he told a morning radio programme. “Now we will start a trip with just 10 guests, sometimes operating at a loss.”He said one-off, free testing for tour guides provided by the government would begin next week.“Ideally of course we should test tour guides every time before they go on a trip, but I understand there are concerns about timing and costs,” Yuen said, adding coach drivers should also be included in the scheme.Yuen said the industry was ready to welcome guests back on a large scale, as it had strengthened infection controls through measures such as providing sanitisers on coaches and limiting guests to sightseeing in groups of four when they arrived at tourism spots.More from South China Morning Post: * Coronavirus: first Nepal Airlines flight to Hong Kong since ban brings nine of city’s 11 new Covid-19 cases, while local resident adds to untraceable tally * Coronavirus: Hong Kong relaxes social-distancing rules on local tour groups and weddings, as city records five new Covid-19 casesThis article Hong Kong’s four new Covid-19 cases have all been traced, source says, as social-distancing rules relaxation allows larger tours, wedding ceremonies first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
NewsSouth China Morning PostChina ‘ready to fight’, Xi Jinping says in Korean war address aimed at US
Chinese president Xi Jinping warned the US that China did not fear war in a fiercely nationalistic and pointed speech marking the 70th anniversary of China’s entry into the Korean war against American forces, amid ever-escalating tensions between the major powers.Speaking from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday, Xi touted the war to “resist US aggression and aid Korea” from 1950 to 1953 – the only military conflict between China and the United States – as a demonstration of China’s military might against American imperialists.“Seventy years ago, the imperialist invaders fired upon the doorstep of a new China,” he said. “The Chinese people understood that you must use the language that invaders can understand – to fight war with war and to stop an invasion with force, earning peace and respect through victory. The Chinese people will not create trouble but nor are we afraid of them, and no matter the difficulties or challenges we face, our legs will not shake and our backs will not bend.”Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.Xi stressed that “any country and any army, no matter how powerful they used to be” – a clear jab at the US – would see their actions “battered” if they stood against the international community. He added that China needed to accelerate its military modernisation to build a world-class military, and to ensure that the ruling Chinese Communist Party maintained “absolute leadership” over the military.“In today’s world, any unilateralism, protectionism, and ideology of extreme self-interest are totally unworkable, and any blackmailing, blockades and extreme pressure are totally unworkable,” he said. “Any actions that focus only on oneself and any efforts to engage in hegemony and bullying will simply not work – not only will it not work, but it will be a dead end.”The Chinese leader’s remarks, made less than two weeks ahead of the US election, coincided with a fiery debate between US president Donald Trump and former vice-president Joe Biden, in which the two sounded off over who would better tackle the challenges of a rising China.Xi’s speech, the latest in a series of heavily promoted events on the Korean war in the midst of flaring US-China tensions, also came ahead of next week’s Fifth Plenum, the party’s key meeting that will chart out the country’s political, economic and social development over the next five years.Earlier in the week, Xi – during a visit to the Korean war exhibition in Beijing – urged the Chinese people to “keep faith in their ultimate victory” and to “prevail over all enemies”, in what was also seen as a clear signal to the US.Xie Maosong, a political scientist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Xi’s speech carried a clear message of China’s readiness to fight back, ahead of Sunday’s anniversary of the first engagement between Chinese and US forces during the Korean war. For China the Korean war is a reminder of strength against the USRemembered as the Battle of Onjong, the People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) 40th Corps on 25 October 1950 conducted a series of ambushes against Republic of Korea (ROK) troops, destroying the right flank of the US Eighth Army while stopping their northward advance towards the China-Korea border.“His previous speech was more subtle,” Xie said. “Xi’s speech today – ahead of the anniversary of Chinese PVA troops firing their first shot and having the first win – is clearly aimed to send a ‘we will fight and we will win again’ message to the Chinese people, as China is facing growing pressure from the US now.”The strategic rivalry between China and the US has intensified over trade, technology, the coronavirus pandemic, battling ideologies as well as Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang and Tibet. Analysts have warned that the risk of war has grown, even as a full-blown military conflict remains against the interests of both sides.More from South China Morning Post: * North Korea’s Kim Jong-un honours Chinese war dead as both sides highlight strong ties * Beijing diplomats brush away K-pop Korean war controversy, saying relations are harmonious * Xi Jinping invokes China’s ‘Korean war spirit’ as 70th anniversary approachesThis article China ‘ready to fight’, Xi Jinping says in Korean war address aimed at US first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
BusinessAFP NewsHuawei revenue growth wilts under 'intense pressure'
Huawei’s revenue growth slowed significantly in the first nine months of 2020, the Chinese telecom giant said Friday, citing "intense pressure" on operations during the coronavirus and as the US moves to cut off its access to vital components.
NewsAFP NewsXi invokes Chinese military might with US in mind
President Xi Jinping issued a sharp warning Friday to potential "invaders" of Beijing's military resolve, speaking on the 70th anniversary of his nation's entry into the Korean War, the only time Chinese forces have fought US rivals.
NewsReutersProtesters sit-in at Brazil miner Vale dam burst site, demand aid extension
Roughly 150 demonstrators staged a sit-in at Brazilian miner Vale's administrative building in the town of Brumadinho on Thursday to protest their treatment nearly two years after a deadly mining waste dam collapsed there, killing about 270 people. The protestors are demanding an extension of emergency aid payments for about 100,000 people affected by the disaster, while also alleging that the miner has failed to provide them with clean drinking water after mining waste polluted local water sources. The activists, who ended their protest later on Thursday afternoon, say the aid payments are essential to support low-income and river-dwelling peoples whose livelihood was destroyed by the dam collapse.
NewsReutersColorado wildfire jumps U.S. Continental Divide, threatens mountain towns
An explosive Colorado wildfire that has already forced the evacuation of several mountain communities and the closure of Rocky Mountain National Park blackened another 45,000 acres (18,200 hectares) on Thursday as it jumped the U.S. Continental Divide. The East Troublesome Fire, which broke out on Oct. 14, has now burned 170,000 acres (68,800 hectares) and was only about 5% contained as of Thursday afternoon, incident commander Noel Livingston said at a news briefing. The flames have spread into Rocky Mountain National Park, prompted the National Park Service to close the entire 415 square-mile (668-square-km) expanse and the blaze has become the second-largest on record in Colorado.
HealthReutersSlovakia orders partial lockdown, plans nationwide testing
Slovakia will shut most of its schools and require the population to stay home apart from work, essential shopping and nature trips, in a partial lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Igor Matovic said on Thursday. After getting through the first wave of the global pandemic with one of the lowest infection rates in Europe, Slovakia is facing a surge of new cases, forcing it to bring back restrictions.
PoliticsReutersEx-Trump aide Manafort beats Manhattan prosecutor's bid to revive NY fraud charges
A New York appeals court on Thursday upheld the dismissal of state fraud charges against Paul Manafort, saying that reviving the case against U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman would violate double jeopardy rules. In a 4-0 vote, the intermediate-level Appellate Division rejected Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's claim that his case against Manafort warranted an exception to a state law against trying him twice for the same conduct.
NewsReutersBrazil's Bolsonaro chats with coronavirus-infected health minister wearing no mask
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday visited Health Minister General Eduardo Pazuello, who has COVID-19, and made his point that the disease is easy to recover quickly from with the help of the controversial drug chloroquine. The two men chatted and joked without wearing masks in Pazuello's hotel room, seen in a video posted on social media by the president, who recovered from a bout of COVID-19 in July. "This is another concrete case of someone who took chloroquine and it worked," Bolsonaro said.
PoliticsReutersMore than 47 million ballots cast in U.S. election, eclipsing 2016 early turnout
U.S. voters have cast more than 47 million votes for the Nov. 3 presidential election, eclipsing total early voting from the 2016 election with 12 days to go, according to data compiled by the U.S. Elections Project. The surge comes after many states have expanded mail-in voting and in-person early voting as a safe way to vote during the coronavirus pandemic and amid voter eagerness to weigh in on the political future of Republican President Donald Trump, who is facing a stiff challenge from Democrat Joe Biden. Biden leads Trump in national opinion polls, although surveys in crucial battleground states indicate a tighter race.
PoliticsReutersExclusive: Trump, U.S. intelligence chief push to declassify document on Russia's 2016 election role - sources
U.S. President Donald Trump and his intelligence chief have pushed for quick declassification of a document disputing the 2017 intelligence community finding that Russia acted to help Trump get elected in 2016, three U.S. government officials familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. An Oct. 15 letter written by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to the inspector general for the intelligence community, reviewed by Reuters, confirmed he was seeking the declassification of the document at the request of Devin Nunes, the senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee.
PoliticsReutersU.S. Postal Service has delivered more than 100 million ballots
The U.S. Postal Service on Thursday said it has delivered more than 100 million blank or completed ballots since early September for the Nov. 3 presidential election. Officials during a media briefing said the Postal Service was well positioned to deliver ballots in a timely fashion and outlined a number of steps. In total, 523 million pieces of election mail have entered the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) network, up 162% over the 2016 election and there are still 12 days before the election.
NewsReutersAnalysis: Window narrows for Canada's Trudeau to win 'smash and grab' majority in snap vote
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has a window for a snap election that could give him a majority government and free him of his dependence on opposition parties to govern - if only they would cooperate and withdraw their support. On Wednesday Trudeau's Liberals, doing well in polls due to their handling of the coronavirus pandemic, sought to capitalize on that boost before an emerging second wave worsens and expensive financial aid programs begin to wind down. The government called a surprise confidence vote which, if lost, would have triggered a snap election.
NewsReutersGuinea President Conde wins re-election in landslide - preliminary results
Guinea's President Alpha Conde has won a landslide re-election victory, giving him a third term in office after official results from 37 of 38 voting districts showed him with double the votes of his nearest rival on Thursday evening. Conde, 82, has received 2.4 million votes so far, versus 1.26 million for opposition candidate, Cellou Dalein Diallo, following a bitterly fought election that has sparked deadly street violence. At least 13 people are reported to have been killed in skirmishes since Sunday's polls, in which Diallo has claimed victory based on his campaign's tallies.
NewsReutersVictoria police not investigating Vatican money transfers to Australia
Police in the Australian state of Victoria said they were not conducting any further investigation into a transfer of monies from the Vatican to Australia that they were alerted to by the financial crimes watchdog. Victoria Police said in a statement that the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) had made them aware of "transfer of monies from the Vatican over a period of time to Australia", but had not advised them of any suspicious activity related to the transactions.
NewsReutersVenezuela's Maduro, citing Pope, asks congress to consider same-sex marriage
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday asked the country's National Assembly to discuss same-sex marriage during its next term beginning in January, citing Pope Francis' comments this week supporting civil unions for same-sex couples. The Pope's comments were the clearest language yet he has used on the rights of gay people. Gay marriage is not currently legal in heavily Roman Catholic Venezuela, despite laws or court decisions in other South American countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Colombia legalizing same-sex marriage.
PoliticsReutersWhite House releases raw footage of Trump's '60 Minutes' interview
The footage shows Stahl, a veteran journalist who has interviewed Trump twice before, asking direct questions and refuting some of Trump's answers on topics including healthcare and the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Look at the bias, hatred and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS," Trump said in post on his Twitter profile on Thursday morning, with a link to his Facebook page, where he posted the nearly 38 minute interview.
NewsReutersEgypt upgrades visitor experience at Giza pyramids site
Egypt has unveiled new visitor facilities on the plateau outside Cairo where the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great Sphinx are situated, the country's most visited heritage site and the sole remaining wonder of the ancient world. Developers late on Tuesday night opened a new restaurant, "9 Pyramids Lounge", which covers an area of 1,341 square meters and overlooks the Giza pyramids. "One of the problems always faced is that people say there are no special services for tourists, that there is no cafeteria, no restaurant, nothing that can be offered to visitors," said Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
NewsReutersEurope daily coronavirus cases double in 10 days, reports 200,000 daily cases for the first time
Europe reported 100,000 daily cases for the first time on Oct. 12. Europe has so far reported about 7.8 million total coronavirus cases and about 247,000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally. European countries like Italy, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia reported their highest single-day coronavirus cases on Thursday.
NewsReutersCanada launches pilot program testing travelers to cut down on quarantine time
The Canadian government and the province of Alberta are launching a pilot program to test eligible returning travelers for COVID-19, allowing them to leave quarantine once they receive a negative result, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said on Thursday. The move could potentially bring relief to the country's struggling airline and tourism industries, which have lobbied the federal government to ease travel restrictions and a strict 14-day quarantine rule. Canadian citizens, permanent residents, foreign nationals allowed entry into Canada and essential workers with no symptoms can volunteer to get tested at the Calgary International Airport and one land border crossing starting Nov. 2.
NewsReutersXi says China will not let security, sovereignty interests be undermined
President Xi Jinping said on Friday that China will never allow its sovereignty, security and development interests to be undermined, and that the Chinese people are not to be trifled with. "Let the world know that 'the people of China are now organised, and are not to be trifled with," Xi said, quoting Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People's Republic of China. Xi was speaking on the 70th anniversary of the deployment of Chinese troops to the Korean peninsula to help North Korea fight U.S.-led United Nations and South Korean forces during the 1950-53 war.
