Basic Dictatorship

The kind Justin admires so darn much:

Exasperated with the government’s unflinching attitude to escalating civil unrest, Jason Tse quit his job in Australia and jumped on a plane to join what he believes is a do-or-die fight for Hong Kong’s future.

The Chinese territory is grappling with its biggest crisis since its handover to Beijing 22 years ago as many residents fret over what they see as China’s tightening grip over the city and a relentless march toward mainland control.

The battle for Hong Kong’s soul has pitted protesters against the former British colony’s political masters in Beijing, with broad swathes of the Asian financial center determined to defend the territory’s freedoms at any cost.

Faced with a stick and no carrot – chief executive Carrie Lam reiterated on Tuesday protesters’ demands were unacceptable – the pro-democracy movement has intensified despite Beijing deploying paramilitary troops near the border in recent weeks.

“This is a now or never moment and it is the reason why I came back,” Tse, 32, said, adding that since joining the protests last month he had been a peaceful participant in rallies and an activist on the Telegram social media app.

“If we don’t succeed now, our freedom of speech, our human rights, all will be gone. We need to persist.”

Some wags believe that the protesters in Hong Kong are "right wing".

Does that include twelve year olds?:

Hong Kong police said on Monday they arrested 36 people, the youngest aged 12, after violence during anti-government demonstrations escalated as protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at security forces who responded with water cannon and tear gas.

Damn right-wing brats! 




That's the smell of desperation:

China is willing to resolve its trade dispute with the United States through “calm” negotiations and resolutely opposes the escalation of the conflict, Vice Premier Liu He, who has been leading the talks with Washington, said on Monday.

Regime change or nothing, Donald. 




How is that Singapore thing working out?:

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles Saturday, two days after South Korea decided to pull out of a military intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan.

Interpol rescinds an arrest want for a dissident Chinese judge: 

Interpol has taken the rare step of quashing its arrest warrant for a dissident Chinese judge living in Toronto, saying the “red notice” was likely issued for political reasons and could undercut the organization’s neutral stance.

China had requested the notice in 2014 after charging Xie Weidong, 62, with accepting a bribe to favour one party in a civil dispute he adjudicated.

But the “Commission for the control of Interpol files” ruled there is evidence to back up Xie’s contention that the whole prosecution was instituted for political reasons related to his outspoken criticism of the country’s legal system.

Interpol’s governing constitution bars the law-enforcement network from making any intervention of “political … character” and says it should abide by the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Why didn't they just ask Justin's dad?:

Canada enlisted citizens who travelled to Communist countries during the Cold War to gather needed intelligence — a shadowy element of a little-known government program detailed in a newly declassified history.

Officials became sufficiently nervous about the tasking of Canadians — and the prospect of being caught snooping overseas — that they had John Diefenbaker, prime minister at the time, give his blessing, reveals a study by intelligence expert Wesley Wark.

Communists are filthy b@$#@rds. But don't take my word for it:

Offering a unique insight into one of the most controversial political deals in history, Russia has displayed the original text of a pact between Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union, including the deal’s condemned “secret protocol.”

Signed in Moscow on Aug. 23, 1939, the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact was ostensibly a non-aggression agreement between the two powers, but also contained a cunning backroom deal to divvy up Eastern Europe as the Second World War loomed.

In the initial secret protocol and a follow-on arrangement, it was agreed that Poland was to be shared, and Estonia, eastern Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and parts of Romania were all to be ceded to Soviet influence. Vyacheslav Molotov signed for the Soviets, Joachim von Ribbentrop for the Nazis.

Soon after it was done, the Second World War began in earnest; within days, Hitler sent troops into Poland. The following year Stalin, who had followed Hitler into Poland, annexed the Baltic states to Moscow’s west.