News
Hundreds held as Hong Kong police disperse protestors
Hong Kong police have fired pepper pellets to disperse protesters as hundreds of people gathered in the centre of the financial hub to oppose a controversial bill on China’s national anthem and a planned move by Beijing to impose a national security law on the semi-autonomous territory.
Amid rising tensions, riot police on Wednesday were deployed around Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, where the measure that would criminalise disrespect of the Chinese national anthem was due to be debated.
Angry over perceived threats to the city’s freedoms, people of all ages took to the streets of the Central district, some dressed in black, some wearing office clothes and some hiding their faces beneath open umbrellas in scenes reminiscent of the unrest that shook Hong Kong for several months last year.
Police quickly arrived and used pepper ball guns to disperse protesters. Officers were seen rounding up dozens of people, making them sit on a pavement before searching them.
Police said they had arrested about 240 people in three districts, most for illegal assembly.
“Hong Kong’s government has warned that it is prepared to continue cracking down hard if protesters continue to defy orders to stay off the streets,” Al Jazeera’s Adrian Brown, reporting from the centre of the city, said.
“And the police warned that people taking part in [an illegal] assembly risk a jail term of up to five years,” Brown added.
The latest protests in Hong Kong follow the Chinese government’s proposal for national security legislation aimed at tackling secession, subversion and “terrorist” activities in the city. The planned laws could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in Hong Kong.
The proposal, unveiled in Beijing last week, triggered the first major street unrest in Hong Kong in months on Sunday, with police firing tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters.
The United States, Australia, Britain, Canada and others have expressed concern about the legislation, widely seen as a possible turning point for China’s freest city and one of the world’s main financial hubs.
But Chinese authorities and the Beijing-backed government in Hong Kong say there is no threat to the city’s high degree of autonomy and the new security law would be tightly focused.
“It’s for the long-term stability of Hong Kong and China, it won’t affect the freedom of assembly and speech, and it won’t affect the city’s status as a financial centre,” Hong Kong Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung told reporters.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
Search and rescue operations are ongoing following a structural collapse at the Experimental D/A School in Accra Newtown.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) confirmed that emergency teams were deployed to the scene to assist victims who may be trapped under the debris.
In an update, the service indicated that personnel from the Ghana Police Service, the National Ambulance Service and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) are workin7g together to manage the situation and rescue affected persons.
It noted that the area has been cordoned off by the police to prevent members of the public from entering the scene and interfering with the operation.
According to the GNFS, the coordinated effort is aimed at ensuring that all trapped victims are safely rescued as quickly as possible.
The service advised residents and the general public to stay away from the area to allow emergency teams to carry out their work without obstruction.
The service added that further updates will be provided as the situation develops.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The New Times Corporation (NTC), publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator, on Wednesday held a staff get-together to commemorate the Ghana Month celebration.
The event was also to strengthen teamwork and bonding. It was attended by management members and staff from various departments.
The staff were engaged in activities such as apple eating, musical chairs competition, pick and act, and other interesting games.
Speaking at the gathering, the Chairperson of the Corporation’s Interim Management Committee (IMC), Dr (Mrs) Charity Binka, emphasised the importance of unity and collaboration in achieving organisational goals. She urged the staff to put aside their differences, work together, and also create a positive working environment.
In a welcome address, the Editor of The Spectator, Mrs Georgina Naa-Maku Quaitoo, urged the staff to have fun as “we climax the Ghana Month celebration with this get-together.”
The Acting Editor of The Ghanaian Times, Mr David Adadevoh, commended the staff for coming out in their numbers to join in the celebration and called for unity to transform the fortunes of the Corporation.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
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