Hong Kong bans pro-independence party
HONG KONG, Sept 24: Hong Kong (HK) banned a political party which promotes independence on Monday, a first since the city was handed back to China by Britain 21 years ago as Beijing ups pressure on any challenges to its sovereignty. Semi-autonomous Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland including freedom of expression but the space for political dissent is shrinking in the face of an increasingly assertive China under President Xi Jinping. Police sought a ban in July on the Hong Kong National Party (HKNP), a well-known but small group with a core membership of around a dozen, which promotes the city's independence from China. The bid was slammed by rights groups and Britain's foreign office, which said Hong Kong's rights must be respected. — AFP
EU to agree on new sanctions for chemical attacks
BRUSSELS, Sept 24: European Union (EU) envoys are set to agree a new mechanism to punish chemical weapons' attacks by targeting people blamed for using banned munitions regardless of their nationality, diplomats said. The legal regime, based on a French proposal to combat what Paris and London say is the repeated use of chemical weapons by Russia and Syria, would allow the EU to impose sanctions more quickly on specific individuals anywhere in the world, freezing their assets in the bloc and banning them from entry. — Reuters
Russian cops detain opposition leader Navalny again
MOSCOW, Sept 24: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been detained just after being released from jail. Navalny's 30 days in jail for staging an unsanctioned protest ran out early Monday. A police officer approached him and took him away just as he came out of a detention centre in Moscow to be greeted by supporters and the media. — AP
Thai junta chief eyes role in politics after polls
BANGKOK, Sept 24: Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is "interested in politics," he said on Monday, a sign that he sees a public role for himself after a general election promised next year. May next year is the most recent deadline Prayuth's junta has set for a vote its critics hope will return Thailand to civilian rule after more than four years of military rule, although it has repeatedly pushed back the timeline. Critics say the military aims to maintain its grip on power beyond the election and they point to a military-backed constitution that limits the authority of civilian politicians. — Reuters
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