A US official said yesterday that people in Hong Kong should have a bigger say in who governs them, following Beijing's announcement that it will spell out the rules for how the territory's leaders and lawmakers are chosen.
Pro-democracy activists marched to the Hong Kong government headquarters in the morning, carrying a banner that accused Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) of "sacrificing Hong Kong's autonomy" by not standing up to Beijing.
China announced on Friday that its most powerful legislative committee will "interpret" the territory's constitutional laws relating to the selection of its leader and legislature.
Newspapers yesterday reported that Beijing's ruling will focus on whether any move toward political reform can be initiated locally, or whether it must come from Beijing.
The US Consulate General reiterated its view that Hong Kong people should have more power politically. Beijing condemns such US statements as improper meddling in its internal affairs.
"The United States supports greater democratization in Hong Kong through electoral reform and universal suffrage," said consular spokeswoman Susan Stevenson. "We believe that an open society and the greatest possible degree of autonomy and governance by the rule of law is essential to maintaining stability and prosperity in Hong Kong."
Shen said that the government should consult fully with residents and "move toward a government that more fully represents the interests of the people."
Auschwitz survivor Eva Schloss, the stepsister of teenage diarist Anne Frank and a tireless educator about the horrors of the Holocaust, has died. She was 96. The Anne Frank Trust UK, of which Schloss was honorary president, said she died on Saturday in London, where she lived. Britain’s King Charles III said he was “privileged and proud” to have known Schloss, who cofounded the charitable trust to help young people challenge prejudice. “The horrors that she endured as a young woman are impossible to comprehend and yet she devoted the rest of her life to overcoming hatred and prejudice, promoting kindness, courage, understanding
Tens of thousands of Filipino Catholics yesterday twirled white cloths and chanted “Viva, viva,” as a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ was paraded through the streets of Manila in the nation’s biggest annual religious event. The day-long procession began before dawn, with barefoot volunteers pulling the heavy carriage through narrow streets where the devout waited in hopes of touching the icon, believed to hold miraculous powers. Thousands of police were deployed to manage crowds that officials believe could number in the millions by the time the statue reaches its home in central Manila’s Quiapo church around midnight. More than 800 people had sought
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