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Hong Kong arrests 10 for ‘foreign collusion’ over pro-democracy fund

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Hong Kong arrests 10 for 'foreign collusion' over pro-democracy fund

Hong Kong police arrested 10 people on Thursday under the city’s national security law, accusing them of providing financial support to overseas dissident groups pushing for sanctions against the Chinese finance hub.

Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before. Critics say the law has curtailed political freedoms and quashed dissent.

Authorities said on Thursday four men and six women, aged between 26 and 43, were arrested for “conspiracy to collusion with a foreign country or external elements” – an offence under the security law that can carry a sentence of up to life in prison.

“Police investigation revealed that the arrested persons were suspected of conspiracy to collude with the ‘612 Humanitarian Relief Fund’,” the police statement said, referring to a now-defunct fund that helped pay legal and medical costs for people arrested during the 2019 protests.

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The 10 people were suspected of receiving donations “from various overseas organisations to support people who have fled overseas or organisations which called for sanctions against Hong Kong”, it said.

Police also cited “inciting riot” as grounds for Thursday’s arrests and did not rule out more.

The fund disbanded in October 2021 after national security police demanded it hand over details that included information about its donors and beneficiaries.

Authorities have accused the group in recent years of fomenting dissent among jailed protesters and scrutinised its ties with Hong Kong activists who have fled overseas.

Five of the fund’s trustees, including the elderly cardinal Joseph Zen, were arrested in May 2022 for foreign collusion.

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The five trustees and the fund’s secretary were convicted and fined in November for the less serious crime of failing to properly register the fund.

They have since filed an appeal against their convictions but no hearing date has been set.

By last month, 260 people have been arrested under the national security law, with 79 of them convicted or awaiting sentencing in Hong Kong.
 

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India formulate security plan for World Cup 2023

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India formulate security plan for World Cup 2023

 India have chalked out a comprehensive plan for multi-layer security and management of traffic for the upcoming ICC Men’s World Cup 2023. 

A security official told Indian media that arrangements had been made for smooth influx of fans into the stadiums and maintain uninterrupted traffic flow on roads.

He said multi-layer security plan had been designed for the mega event, adding that a communication system would also be established for seamless coordination between security agencies and local cricket association. 

The security teams would ensure the safe movement of teams from hotel to stadium and back by creating secure pathways. 

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As several stadiums, including Pune, are situated at a considerable distance from the city, seamless arrangements have been made to handle the logistical challenge in an effective way.

Commissioner of Pimpri Chinchwad police Vinoy Kumar Choubey said told Indian media, “We will be putting in place a multi-layer security cover in and around the stadium. A detailed plan for the same is in the making.

“Each layer will have a specific purpose and a pre-decided number of personnel and officers will be tasked to secure each layer. A communication channel has been established between the MCA office bearers and our team.”

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South Korea opposition leader ends 24-day hunger strike

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South Korea opposition leader ends 24-day hunger strike

 South Korea’s opposition leader ended a 24-day hunger strike on Saturday, a party spokesperson said, two days after parliament voted to let prosecutors serve an arrest warrant against him for alleged bribery.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will maintain a schedule including court attendance while hospitalised for the time being, the spokesman told reporters.

Prosecutors this month sought the warrant in an investigation into bribery allegations concerning a development project. Prosecutors accuse Lee of asking a company to illegally transfer $8 million to North Korea when he was the governor of Gyeonggi Province.

He is also accused of breaching his duty over losses of 20 billion won ($15 million) by a municipal development corporation when he was mayor of Seongnam city.

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Lee, who lost South Korea’s presidential election to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol last year, has denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations “fiction” and a “political conspiracy”.

He began his protest on Aug. 31, citing the government’s economic mismanagement, threats to media freedom and the failure to oppose Japan’s release of wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, among other reasons.

Thursday’s surprise vote by parliament, controlled by Lee’s party, has caused an uproar among his supporters.

Police on Saturday detained a man in his 40s who had posted the names of more than a dozen lawmakers outside Lee’s party faction, writing “gotta search for the sniper rifle at home”, said an official with the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police. Police will seek an arrest warrant against him for intimidation, the official said.

South Korea is to hold parliamentary elections in April.

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Landslide causes large chunk of Swedish motorway to collapse

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Landslide causes large chunk of Swedish motorway to collapse

 A large chunk of a motorway in southwest Sweden collapsed overnight, causing three people to be taken to hospital with light injuries, police said on Saturday.

The landslide damaged the motorway between Sweden’s second-biggest city Gothenburg and Norway’s capital Oslo, near the small town of Stenungsund, around 50 km north of Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast.

“The landslide has affected an area of around 100 x 150 meters, around ten vehicles, a wooded area, and a business area with a gas station and a fast food restaurant,” the Gothenburg Rescue Services said.

“A number of people have been helped out of vehicles in the slide area with the help of fire personnel and a helicopter,” they said. Several cars and one truck had fallen into holes and cracks caused by the landslide, Swedish news agency TT reported.

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A rescue services spokesperson told public broadcaster SVT all people in the vehicles had been helped out. The rescue services said specially trained staff and search dogs would now search the area, and that further slides could not be ruled out.

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