Latest news with #USconsulate
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Minns government rejects pro-Palestine march across Sydney Harbour Bridge over timing and ‘chaos' fears
Organisers of a pro-Palestine rally have offered to delay their march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge by a week after the New South Wales government said it would not support a protest of that scale and nature this Sunday. On Monday, the Sydney-based Palestine Action Group announced it planned to change the course of its near-weekly rallies through the CBD and instead walk across the iconic bridge to the US consulate. The premier, Chris Minns, responded that the government could not support a protest of that size across the bridge this weekend. 'We cannot allow Sydney to descend into chaos,' Minns said in a statement. 'The NSW government cannot support a protest of this scale and nature taking place on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, especially with one week's notice. 'The bridge is one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in our city used every day by thousands of people. Unplanned disruption risks not only significant inconvenience, but real public safety concerns.' Sign up: AU Breaking News email Minns said police were 'in discussions with organisers' about other routes they can take and 'are working to ensure community safety is upheld'. The Palestine Action Group announced the rally in a social media post, talking about the starvation of people in Gaza. 'This is a genocide. Even if, under global pressure, Israel temporarily allows some food into Gaza, it will not mean the end of Israel's goal of ethnically cleansing the [Gaza] strip.' The group said 'this extraordinary situation' has led it to call for a March for Humanity over the bridge on 3 August 'to save Gaza'. Josh Lees, a spokesperson for the group, said if the premier needed more notice in order to support the rally, then the group could organise the march a week later. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'In 2023, the Harbour Bridge was closed for several hours to shoot a scene for a Ryan Gosling film. It is regularly closed at short notice for maintenance or emergencies. It was closed for the historic 2000 march for reconciliation and the 2023 World Pride march. It can be temporarily closed to help stop a genocide,' Lees said. The group has submitted what is known as a 'form one' to police. The form is a notification to hold a public assembly that, if accepted by police, would protect those attending from being potentially charged under anti-protest laws. In 2022, the then NSW Liberal government legislated – with support from Labor – a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $22,000 fine for protesters who obstruct facilities such as ports and transport hubs. The penalty also applies to protests on main roads. Last year, the Palestine Action Group faced a supreme court challenge by NSW police after the force knocked back its form one application to hold two pro-Palestine events in October. The group managed to come to an agreement with police that it would change the route of a rally on 6 October and an event on 7 October would be a standing vigil.
South China Morning Post
18-07-2025
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
US consulate in China halts visa interviews over ‘unsafe' heat, alleges air con delay
The US consulate in the central Chinese city of Wuhan has suspended all visa interviews, citing 'unsafe' indoor temperatures it blamed on building management. In a public notice posted on its official social media account on Friday, the consulate said temperatures in its interview waiting area exceeded 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) in the morning, as it accused the building management of 'routinely delaying the activation of air conditioning'. It also criticised 'extra security procedures' that required visa applicants to wait in the sun for extended periods. The suspension comes during peak US student visa season in China, with about 200,000 processed annually by the Wuhan mission alone. 'We are working with the building management to improve conditions,' the consulate said. 'We will resume visa services as soon as we can ensure the health and safety of our applicants and staff.' It apologised for the inconvenience and said cancelled appointments could be rescheduled through the visa application system.
South China Morning Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
US career diplomat Julie Eadeh tipped to be next consul general in Hong Kong
Julie Eadeh, a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service and now the US consul general in Istanbul, is expected to take over the position from Gregory May, according to a source familiar with the matter. A second source said Eadeh's 'name' had been 'presented to the relevant Chinese authorities'. 'Now she is waiting for the green light from Beijing,' the source said. Eadeh was the political section chief at the US consulate in Hong Kong and Macau during the 2019 turmoil.
South China Morning Post
06-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
US consulate expands social media checks on Hongkongers seeking student visas
The US consulate in Hong Kong has stepped up screening of students' social media accounts when processing their visa applications by checking their activities on other platforms apart from Facebook and Instagram, according to an education consultancy. Advertisement Litz USA Student Service, a Hong Kong-based education consultancy specialising in US education since 1989, said on its Facebook page on Friday the consulate had recently expanded social media scrutiny when processing students' visa applications. 'In the past, Hong Kong students were asked about their Facebook and Instagram [accounts], but now the consulate will also ask about other social media [accounts] that the students have,' the post read. The development came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was said to have directed American embassies and consulates to halt new appointments in a diplomatic cable in late May as the administration prepared to expand its social media vetting of applicants. A university in New York recently told some education consultants in Hong Kong the US government's recent changes on the visa policy for international students had caused uncertainty and ambiguity about when interviews would resume. Advertisement 'Recently institutions in the US were alerted that the Trump administration is temporarily halting student visa interview bookings globally,' the university said. 'This news came as a shock to all of us and was not something that was previously anticipated.'
