China Detains Second Key Diplomat for Questioning, Reuters Says
Sun Haiyan, former ambassador to Singapore and now Vice Minister of the Communist Party's International Department, was detained earlier this month around the same time as her boss, Liu Jianchao, was taken in for questioning, two of the people familiar told Reuters.
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Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former pro-democracy Hong Kong lawmaker granted asylum in Australia
Former pro-democracy Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui who is wanted by the Chinese city has been granted asylum in Australia, he said in a social media post, calling on Canberra to do more for those who remain jailed. The former British colony -- handed back to China in 1997 -- has seen dissent quashed since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law following huge and at times violent democracy protests that erupted in 2019. Hui, a high-profile participant at the time who has since resettled in Adelaide, said the Australian government had granted him a protection visa this week, with asylum also extending to his wife, children and parents. "I express my sincere gratitude to the Government of Australia -- both present and former -- for recognising our need for asylum and granting us this protection," he said in a Facebook post on Saturday. A vocal critic of Hong Kong and Beijing authorities, Hui is among several overseas activists targeted in 2023 by police bounties of HK$1 million each. The bounties, which have previously drawn strong criticism from Western countries, are seen as largely symbolic given that they affect people living abroad in nations unlikely to extradite political activists to Hong Kong or China. In this Facebook post, Hui urged the Australian government not to forget other Hong Kong activists who remained jailed, including tycoon Jimmy Lai, who has been behind bars since 2020. "Australia must do more to rescue them and to speak up for their humanity," Hui said. "Its stance matters internationally, and its protection of Hongkongers sets a precedent for other democracies." He added that he and his family will "give back to Australia in every way we can -- through our work, our civic engagement, and our commitment to the values of democracy and freedom". While Hong Kong's government did not comment directly on Hui's case, a spokesperson said Saturday those who absconded should not think they could evade "criminal liability". "Any country that harbours Hong Kong criminals in any form shows contempt for the rule of law, grossly disrespects Hong Kong's legal systems and barbarically interferes in the affairs of Hong Kong," the spokesperson said. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has previously objected Hong Kong's arrest warrants and bounties. "Freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy," she said last month on social media. "We have consistently expressed our strong objections to China and Hong Kong on the broad and extraterritorial application of Hong Kong's national security legislation, and we will continue to do so." burs-lec/dhc
CBS News
14 minutes ago
- CBS News
Officials meet in Santa Clara to discuss impacts of federal budget
The Trump administration is changing the way government operates at a breakneck speed, and many in local governments are struggling to even understand where it all may be going. On Saturday, state, local and federal lawmakers met at the Santa Clara County government center for a community meeting to talk about the coming impacts of the "big, beautiful bill." Santa Clara County has the largest and most diverse population in the Bay Area. So when you talk about the biggest human impact at the county level, you're talking about healthcare. "They run the second biggest hospital system in the state. A very large percentage of their revenue is from the Medicaid program, which has been drastically reduced in the so-called 'big, beautiful bill,'" said Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. "We need to talk about how we can prevent worst-case scenerios." Lofren was one of many elected officials who spoke at a community meeting at the Santa Clara County board chambers, organized by Supervisor Betty Duong. "There are severe, severe detrimental cuts and I don't think even the word 'cuts' is an accurate portrayal of the level of gutting and decimation of our nation's public healthcare system," said Doung. "You will face crowded emergency rooms, longer wait times for healthcare services, because of the ripple effects of HR 1." At this point, the full impact of the budget law is hard to quantify. Opponents say even if Medicaid coverage, known in California as MediCal, isn't directly cut, access to healthcare will get harder as the system itself is shrunk by defunding. "It's scary. It's a dumpster fire every other day for us in the disability community," said Michele Mashburn. The disability rights advocate said she has no doubt that the cuts will lead to deaths. "There are people that wait to get on disability benefits that no longer work, that become unhoused, and then they die," Mashburn said. "There are many people waiting for benefits that die. There are family members that will lose the supports that they need to take care of their kids. People will be institutionalized, and those institutions are being defunded also. So, the care and services available they're inhumane. They're not just. And with these cuts, that's what's going to happen more." The law also includes cuts to housing and food assistance. But, at the same time, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be getting an increase in funding, making it the largest law enforcement agency in the country. State Assemblymember Ash Kalra sees a dark motive behind that. "Tens of billions going into ICE is basically for Trump to create his own Gestapo," he said. "So that he can enforce and do whatever he wants. He's starting by taking over D.C. right now. He made efforts in L.A. and other places. We have to be very honest about what's happening right now. Immigrants are being used as the scapegoat. We must focus on protecting our immigrant community, but we must recognize it's not going to stop at the immigrant communities." Under the new budget law, it's projected that Santa Clara County alone will face funding cuts of a billion dollars. Congressman Sam Liccardo said California can do what it can, but ultimately, there is no way for the state to replace what is being taken away. "The truth is there's no entity that can supplant trillions of dollars, and that's what we're talking about, literally one trillion dollars in Medicaid funding," said Liccardo. "And so, these kinds of massive impacts can't be filled by local cities or counties--they're just too large--nor states, which many are struggling just as California is." The Democrats are pinning their hopes on the 2026 midterm election to return control of Congress back to them. But Liccardo said he thinks it's possible there could be breaks in the Republican ranks even before then. "We're going to see these impacts nationally. And as the impacts start to roll out, I expect you're going to see more of those colleagues of mine with wobbly knees," he said. "And that will be our opportunity. And maybe this conversation will be much more fruitful about, 'hey, how can we actually reverse some of this damage?'" The Republicans realize that, so they've timed the major cuts to the healthcare system to kick in a month after the election. That's why local leaders aren't waiting to get the word out to the voters about what's coming for them.
CBS News
14 minutes ago
- CBS News
2 dead in shooting on Oakland's Skyline Boulevard
Two people are dead after they were shot in Oakland late Saturday morning, police said. Officers with the Oakland Police Department responded to the 14000 block of Skyline Boulevard around 11:15 a.m. to investigate a shooting. Police said two people who were shot died at the scene. Their identification has not been released at this time. Homicide investigators responded to the scene to conduct an investigation. No other details surrounding the shooting were available.
