Hu Jintao: The mysterious exit of China's former leader from party congress - BBC

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By Stephen McDonell

BBC News, Beijing

Footage of China's former leader, Hu Jintao, being asked to leave the stage at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during the Communist Party Congress is drawing global attention as people try to work out what has just happened.

There are a lot of questions and no answers so far from the Chinese government.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that Mr Hu was escorted from the chamber after feeling unwell.

But Mr Hu, 79, appeared reluctant to move. If that is the case, why?

What did he say to the man who replaced him, Xi Jinping, which prompted a nod from China's current leader? And what did he say to his protégé, Li Keqiang, as he tapped him on the shoulder before being ushered off stage?

The two most likely reasons for his departure are that it was either part of China's power politics on full display, with a leader representing a former time being symbolically removed, or that Hu Jintao has serious health problems.

It came at the end of the Communist Party's week-long congress, which cemented Mr Xi's position as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

On the first day of the congress, Mr Hu was only able to walk in with the assistance of an official. On that day, he looked pretty frail.

However, if he was led away at the end because of ill-health, why did this happen so suddenly? Why in front of the cameras? Was it an emergency?

• Chinese ex-leader Hu Jintao led out of congress
• How one man on a bridge marred Xi's big moment

A longer edit of the footage taken on Saturday shows Xi Jinping turning to the former party chairman and also, to Mr Hu's left, senior figures Li Zhanshu and Wang Huning appearing concerned. Mr Li even moved to help him at one point, but was pulled back by Mr Wang, as if to say, "Don't get involved in this."

EPA

After Hu Jintao stood up, he also reached out to take Mr Xi's notes by mistake. At this stage, he appeared confused. China's leader moved Mr Hu's hand away and took the notes back.

The Communist Party's mass meetings are normally highly scripted events, leading to speculation that the timing of Hu Jintao's departure might not have been an accident.

He attended the earlier closed-door session on the last day of the Congress, then cameras were allowed in for the final portion of the day. It was just after the cameras had set up that officials approached Mr Hu and indicated that he should go.

That said, the party doesn't normally air its dirty laundry in public. If this was a deliberate show, it would mark a departure from usual behaviour.

What is pushing this along is that Hu Jintao represents a very different model for China from that of Xi Jinping.

He ran a much more collective leadership and had to balance various factions represented on the Politburo Standing Committee.

The Hu years - he held the presidency between 2003 and 2013 - were seen as a time of opening up to the outside world and increased tolerance of new ideas.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics was a peak for international exposure. Foreign companies were setting up here, tourists were flooding in, the internet was more free, local media outlets started doing decent journalism and China's global reputation was constantly improving.

While some have referred to the Hu period as "wasted", economic growth was consistently in double digits and Beijing cared about its reputation elsewhere.

Xi Jinping has taken the country in a very different direction, with him at the "core" and unable to be challenged.

The current government has encouraged an explosion in nationalist sentiment, showing little concern for what anyone else thinks about its handling of anything. Instead, the message for other leaders has been that China's time has arrived and you will mess with this nation at your own peril.

The message for Chinese people can be seen in additions to the Party constitution, referring to achievements made through "struggle". This has echoes of Mao Zedong's time in office.

As General Secretary, from the outset, Mr Xi took out all opponents via an anti-corruption crackdown.

Now he has used this year's Congress to clear out any last remnants of those who think there should be different paths economically, socially and politically.

If he realised what was going on, one of the last things Mr Hu saw at this Congress was the make-up of the new 205-person Central Committee. It does not include Li Keqiang or Wang Yang, both seen as economic liberals, both linked to the ideas of the former administration.

This points to a new Politburo Standing Committee, stacked with Xi loyalists, guaranteeing the continuity of a trajectory which is very different to the reform and opening up in the era of Hu Jintao.

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2022-10-22 17:12:40Z
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Giorgia Meloni: Migrants' fears over Italy's new far-right prime minister - BBC

AFP

In our series of letters from African journalists, Ismail Einashe meets migrants on the Italian island of Sicily concerned about the political direction of the incoming government.

Giorgia Meloni has made history to become Italy's first female prime minister - and will lead what will be the country's most right-wing government since World War Two.

Her far-right Brothers of Italy party is a part of a coalition that has made reducing immigration a key part of their agenda.

For African migrants like Mustapha Jarjou in Palermo, the capital of Sicily, it heralds frightening times ahead: "I am very worried it's going to create a lot of negative impact on the lives of migrants like me."

The 24 year old, who is a spokesperson for the Gambian Community Association in Palermo, says the policy might fan divisions and hatred towards migrants.

He cites the murder in daylight of the disabled Nigerian street vendor, Alika Ogorchukwu, on the mainland in August as an example.

Italy is one of the main entry points into Europe and since the start of the year 70,000 migrants have arrived on boats on the country's shores.

Ms Meloni wants to tighten the system for asylum seekers to choke off this irregular migration, which she says threatens the security and quality of life of its citizens.

She also wants to increase repatriations, target charity ships that rescue migrants who get into trouble during the Mediterranean crossing and has called for a naval blockade of North Africa.

Kate Stanworth

Mr Jarjou's journey to Italy - like that of many others - was incredibly dangerous.

He arrived here aged 17 in December 2016 having left his home in West Africa in search of a better life.

It is a miracle he made it - after leaving The Gambia and getting to Libya, his nightmare began as he was held there in prison on three occasions, each time managing to escape.

He survived a terrifying sea crossing on a dinghy before landing in Sicily, only to end up working as a farm labourer for very low pay in terrible conditions growing watermelons and tomatoes on the island's hinterlands.

But his fortunes changed when he was issued with official documents, which he had applied for as an asylum seeker. This allowed him to move to Palermo to pursue his education.

Kate Stanworth

He is currently in the second year of his nursing degree and hopes to work in a hospital in the city when he graduates.

If Ms Meloni makes good on her promises, it will be more difficult for migrants to make their status official.

"Documents are an important gateway into integration," Mr Jarjou says - adding that without them many migrants will simply become "invisible" and be forced to eke out a bleak existence on the margins of Italian society.

He is especially worried about the threats to make it tougher for migrants to make sea crossings by criminalising charity rescue ships. This would simply lead to more deaths in the Mediterranean, he says.

'World's largest cemetery'

But the migrants have a powerful ally in Pope Francis, who in a speech at St Peter's Square in the Vatican last weekend gave a passionate defence of them.

Although the pontiff did not mention Italy by name, his intervention could be seen as a rebuke of the incoming coalition's policies.

He said the exclusion of migrants was "scandalous, disgusting and sinful", dubbing the Mediterranean "the world's largest cemetery" in reference to the thousands of migrants who have perished in its waters over the last few years.

"It is criminal not to open doors to those who are needy," he said.

Despite Mr Jarjou's fears, the city of Palermo has a long-standing reputation for being welcoming to migrants.

Kate Stanworth

Situated as it is on the edge of Europe, the city became a cultural melting pot in ancient times, and one of its patron saints is Saint Benedict the Moor, the first black saint in history.

Fausto Melluso, the head of Arci Palermo, an umbrella association for 16 community groups in the city that represents 7,000 members, points out that most people in Sicily and southern Italy did not vote for Ms Meloni or vote at all. Many backed the populist Five Star Movement, led by former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

Until recently an independent left-wing politician in the Palermo municipality, Mr Melluso admits he too is worried about the anti-migrant positions Ms Meloni may pursue.

He says her victory should be a "wake-up call" to challenge such attitudes and instead focus on integrating migrants into Italian society.

Kate Stanworth

A 23-year-old Guinean migrant I met in the city is anxious to leave before life becomes even more difficult.

Having lived in Palermo since the age of 17, he has struggled to sort out his documents and believes Italy's asylum system already makes it hard for migrants to integrate, often leaving them in limbo.

He speaks fluent Italian, volunteers for community groups, studies and also works as a waiter yet continually faces an uphill battle.

Every two years he has to renew his documents, which takes up a lot of time and is a tough process for migrants.

He is about to give up his job and move to France, where he has relatives and wants to go to university - though he does not know what he will do once his Italian documents expire next year.

"After six years here, nothing has changed for me. I feel like I arrived yesterday."

More Letters from Africa:

• How racism haunts black people in Italy
• 'I was shot by rebels' - the dangers of reporting
• Why one country is envious of Kenya's election
• Queen's funeral: 'The British march, Ghanaians dance'
• Ditching French for English in Algeria

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

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2022-10-22 12:40:30Z
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China's former president Hu Jintao unexpectedly escorted out of party congress - Sky News

China's former president Hu Jintao has been unexpectedly escorted out of the closing ceremony of the ruling Communist Party.

The 79-year-old, who was seated on the left of President Xi Jinping, was led off the stage of the main auditorium of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing by two stewards.

Mr Hu, Mr Xi's immediate predecessor, appeared confused and slightly disorientated as the assistants escorted him out. He appeared to resist leaving, turning back to his seat at one point.

On his way out he exchanged words with Mr Xi and patted Premier Li Keqiang on the shoulder.

Mr Hu had appeared slightly unsteady last Sunday when he was assisted onto the same stage for the opening ceremony of the congress.

Premier Li, the nation's number two official and a chief proponent of economic reforms, is among four of the seven members of the nation's all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee who will not be reappointed in a leadership shuffle on Sunday.

The four were not on the list of the Communist Party's new 205-member Central Committee that was approved at the closing session on Saturday. Only Central Committee members can serve on the Standing Committee.

More on China

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Mr Hu's congress exit 'highly unusual and very intriguing'

It's hard to exaggerate just how highly choreographed, tightly controlled and meticulously planned these big political events in China are.

Therefore, what happened to Hu Jintao is highly unusual and very intriguing.

The timing is curious. It happened after the voting had concluded for the new ruling Central Committee (which happened without cameras rolling), and just after select journalists had been let into the hall.

If it was an example of political power play it would be utterly extraordinary. Despite the fact Mr Xi is known to have thought of Mr Hu as weak, and despite the fact they come from different wings of the party, former leaders are generally revered.

Is it possible the aging Hu was simply unwell and led out for health reasons?

The congress also approved an amendment of the party constitution that could further bolster Mr Xi's stature as China's leader.

The text of the announcement has yet to be released but before its approval an announcer read out the reasoning behind it and repeatedly mentioned Mr Xi and his achievements in strengthening the military and the economy and reinforcing the party's authority.

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In brief closing remarks, Mr Xi said the revision "sets out clear requirements for upholding and strengthening the party's overall leadership".

At the previous congress in 2017 the party boosted Mr Xi's status by enshrining his ideas, known as Xi Jinping Thought, in its charter.

It is almost certain Mr Xi will be appointed to a precedent-breaking third term, meaning he could in theory become leader for life.

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2022-10-22 08:37:02Z
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EU gas prices fall after leaders agree plan to tackle energy crisis - Financial Times

EU leaders hailed a fall in gas prices hours after they endorsed plans for a price cap on the fuel, breaking months of deadlock over how to tackle Europe’s energy crisis.

The main European benchmark index dropped 6 per cent in early trading to €116 per megawatt hour, though it held above a four-month low hit earlier this week. Leaders at a Brussels summit agreed to pursue work on the cap in an effort to reduce high energy costs that have fuelled inflation and threaten a recession.

“Markets have reacted, bringing prices down,” said Estonia’s prime minister Kaja Kallas. “If the prices are high it drives up inflation and is detrimental to the whole economy.”

The proposed cap would “immediately limit episodes of excessive gas prices” but will not be introduced until it has met conditions imposed by sceptical countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, which fear producers could export gas to countries willing to pay higher prices. German chancellor Olaf Scholz last night dropped his opposition to the cap, but the price level or size of the market move that would trigger its intervention is still to be agreed.

The EU has rushed to find alternative supplies to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine nearly eight months ago. Gas flows from Russia now account for about 9 per cent of EU supply, down from 40 per cent last year.

Alexander de Croo, Belgium’s prime minister, claimed the proposals discussed at the summit, which include agreements to jointly purchase gas on an EU-wide basis and tackle market volatility and speculation, were already having an impact.

“Everyone is convinced we need to intervene in the gas market,” he said. “We have seen over the past days these prices have gone down. These prices need to continue to go down.”

Governments have spent tens of billions of euros compensating households and businesses for rising energy bills but leaders agreed joint EU initiatives were needed to ease the crisis.

De Croo said energy ministers and the European Commission would finalise proposals in “two to three weeks”. Energy ministers meet on Tuesday to begin working out the details of the price cap.

Gas prices in Europe have fallen sharply since the end of August after they spiked to a record €340/MWh as countries scrambled to secure alternative supplies to Russia after it cut off flows.

Gas storage sites across the continent are now above 90 per cent of capacity, while mild autumn weather has reduced heating demand. But prices remain well above the €20-€40/MWh range they largely traded at over the past decade.

Micheál Martin, Ireland’s Taoiseach, hailed the “progress” made in Brussels. “Very strong signals have been sent to the market, and that continues to be the case in respect to last evening’s decision,” he said. “A stable gas market is good for everybody.”

However, leaders agreed that any cap must ensure security of supply and should not result in cheap energy being exported to countries connected to the EU grid such as the UK.

The gas industry remains highly sceptical of the plan, arguing that the underlying problem remains a lack of supply, and fears that government interference in the market risks damaging investment in alternatives to Russian gas.

European business leaders said, however, that countries must act before more companies go bust.

“Time is running out,” Fredrik Persson, president of BusinessEurope, the employers’ group, told the FT in an interview. “My major concern is that we not only lose European competitiveness but we lose businesses and jobs as the production moves abroad.”

The proposed emergency price cap mechanism would limit surges in prices on the Dutch Title Transfer Facility, the EU’s main gas benchmark, and would also reduce electricity costs which are linked to gas prices.

Other proposals included a commitment to joint purchases covering 15 per cent of EU gas consumption in a bid to fill storage for next winter.

With storage facilities close to capacity, the EU is confident the bloc can get through this winter without resorting to rationing supplies.

But Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s prime minister, pointed out that much of the gas in storage is Russian and will not be available next year. “We filled all the tanks with Russian gas. Next winter is coming too.”

Additional reporting by Henry Foy and Alice Hancock in Brussels

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2022-10-21 11:56:39Z
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Ukraine war: Zelensky accuses Russia of plot to blow up dam - BBC

Maxar

By Paul Kirby

BBC News

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of preparing to blow up a dam at a hydroelectric plant in southern Ukraine, which would lead to a "large-scale disaster".

In his overnight address he said the Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper river had been mined by Russian forces, according to Ukrainian information.

The dam is under Russian occupation, but Ukrainian forces are closing in.

Russia has already accused Ukraine of firing missiles at the Kakhovka dam.

The dam also provides Russia with one of the few remaining routes across the Dnieper river in the partially occupied Kherson region.

Russian-installed authorities in Kherson have rejected Ukraine's allegations of a plot to destroy the structure. They blamed Ukrainian forces for an attack on another key crossing, the Antonivskiy Bridge. Four people were killed, including the head of a TV channel, officials said.

Russia began evacuating its proxy authorities in Kherson this week but also said 50-60,000 civilians would leave too, a measure condemned as forced deportations by Kyiv authorities.

Russia's new military commander in Ukraine, Gen Sergei Surovikin, alleged that Ukrainian forces could be planning "banned methods of warfare" in Kherson city and the hydroelectric dam and argued that justified the "evacuation" of the civilian population.

Reuters

The Institute for the Study of War, an independent US-based think tank, has suggested Russia is "likely continuing to prepare for a false flag attack" on the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant, by creating "information conditions" for Russian forces to blow up the dam after they pull out of western Kherson and then accuse Ukraine of flooding the river and surrounding settlements.

President Zelensky told EU leaders by video on Thursday that Russia had already destroyed more than a third of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with the aim of creating as many problems with electricity and heating as possible over the winter months. For the first time since the start of the Russian invasion, Ukrainians have been asked to use less electricity, with nationwide limits on usage between 07:00 and 23:00.

• Ukraine power cut warning: 'Charge everything'
• We secretly filmed our lives in occupied Kherson

If the Kakhovka dam were destroyed, Mr Zelensky warned it could devastate the water supply to much of the south and leave Europe's biggest nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia without cooling water.

"The dam of this hydroelectric power plant holds a volume of about 18m cubic meters of water," he said. "If Russian terrorists blow up this dam, more than 80 settlements, including Kherson, will be in the zone of rapid flooding. Hundreds of thousands of people could be affected."

The Ukrainian leader also said if the dam were destroyed then the North Crimean Canal would "simply disappear".

The canal, built in 1975, provides Russian-annexed Crimea with a reported 85% of its water supply. An early act in Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February was blowing up a dam that Ukraine had built in the canal after the peninsula was seized in 2014, accusing Russia of not paying for the water.

Several Russian commentators have pointed out that areas under occupation would be worst hit if the Kakhovka dam were destroyed, although dozens of communities under Ukrainian control would be badly affected too.

EU/Copernicus Sentinel-2

Pro-Kremlin newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda said a dam explosion would prompt a 5m-high wave that would wash away all villages beside the Dnieper river at a rate of 25km/h. Within two hours it said the water would hit Kherson city and flood vast areas over three days.

However, presidential office adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said that mining the dam was all part of a "Surovikin plan" that involved flooding territory to stop Ukraine's counter-offensive.

President Zelensky said that if the Russians were seriously considering blowing up the Kakhovka dam, it meant they realised they would not merely lose control of Kherson but the entire south including Crimea.

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2022-10-21 12:10:50Z
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EU fails to agree on cap on gas prices after 11 hour summit - Al Jazeera English

At least 15 EU countries want a cap on surging prices amid public anger over the cost of living, but Germany is resistant.

European Union leaders have failed to reach an agreement on a plan to help protect their citizens from surging energy prices, despite hours of wrangling at a summit in Brussels.

The group’s leaders emerged from their second summit in as many weeks at about 2am in Brussels (00:00 GMT) with a “roadmap” to agreeing on a set of measures to lower energy bills, which have soared as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While the announcement of the summit text made a public show of unity among the 27 member states, the absence of any decision on capping gas prices indicated negotiations would remain difficult.

“We do now have a very good and solid roadmap to keep on working on the topic of energy prices,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in the early hours of Friday morning.

No timeframe was given on when a decision on price caps would be made, with EU energy ministers due to meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday for further discussions.

The published text calls on the European Commission and EU countries to find ways to shield consumers from the high prices “while preserving Europe’s global competitiveness… and the integrity of the Single Market”.

“There is a strong and unanimously shared determination to act together, as Europeans, to achieve three goals: lowering prices, ensuring security of supply and continuing to work to reduce demand,” said meeting host Charles Michel, the EU Council president.

(Al Jazeera)

The EU has been squabbling for months over which joint initiatives to adopt in negotiations made more challenging by the varying energy mixes in each country.

At least 15 EU states want a cap on gas prices amid growing public anger over the cost of living in countries including France and Belgium.

But Germany, the EU’s biggest economy, has resisted the call, arguing a cap risked freezing Europe out of the gas market and reducing incentives for energy saving.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the meeting outcome was a “good signal of solidarity” but there was frustration among other leaders.

Before the war, the EU got 40 percent of its gas from Russia, but in July it agreed to cut Russian gas usage by 15 percent. The move prompted Moscow to cut supplies, further contributing to the rise in prices. European gas prices reached a record high of more than 343 euros ($335) per megawatt-hour in late August.

“We are asked to show solidarity in sharing energy, but there is no solidarity on our calls for containing prices,” Italy’s outgoing Prime Minister Mario Draghi told his peers, an EU official familiar with the closed-door discussions told the Reuters news agency.

Prime Minister Alexander de Croo of Belgium, which exports gas to neighbouring Germany, shared similar sentiments.

“Solidarity should not just be on supply — it should also be on prices,” he told the gathering, according to the official.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who had gone into the summit saying Germany was isolating itself, expressed satisfaction with the result.

“The next two or three weeks will allow the commission to come up with these mechanisms” to be implemented.

He said it sent a “very clear signal to the markets of our determination and our unity”.

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2022-10-21 04:14:28Z
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Italy Meloni: Far-right leader poised to govern despite Putin row - BBC

Reuters

By Paul Kirby

BBC News

Italy's far-right leader Giorgia Meloni and her coalition allies have met President Sergio Mattarella and say they are ready to form a government "as quickly as possible".

He is set to ask Ms Meloni in the coming hours to become prime minister.

Veteran ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attended the brief talks, despite shaking the coalition's unity with leaked pro-Putin remarks.

Ms Meloni has sought to assure Italy's Western allies nothing will change.

The Brothers of Italy leader could be sworn in as early as this weekend as the country's first female prime minister - and first far-right leader since World War Two. She said her coalition of right-wing and far-right parties was unanimous that she should lead Italy.

Ahead of Friday's 11-minute meeting, she said they were "ready to give Italy a government that confronts with awareness and competence the urgency and challenges of our time".

Less than a month after Italians voted for a new Senate and Chamber of Deputies, she is set to replace Mario Draghi, who was due to return from an EU summit on Friday.

ETTORE FERRARI/EPA-EFE

Alongside Ms Meloni at the presidential palace were Matteo Salvini of the far-right League (Above R) and Mr Berlusconi (L) - the 86-year-old head of centre-right Forza Italia - who for days has been at the centre of a row surrounding two leaked recordings underlining his pro-Putin views.

In the first audio leak, he was heard boasting that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent him 20 bottles of vodka for his birthday and called him "number one among his five best friends".

BERLUSCONI: Vodka and lovely letters from Putin

Then, in a leaked speech to party colleagues, he backed Russia's pretext for its war, baselessly blaming Ukraine's president and the West for pushing the Kremlin into an invasion.

He insists his remarks were taken out of context and that he backs the Italian and EU position on Ukraine. However, his pro-Putin comments are nothing new: last month he told Italian TV that Russia's leader had merely sought to replace Volodymyr Zelensky with a "government of decent people".

The leaks piled pressure on Giorgia Meloni, 45. Her other far-right ally, League leader Matteo Salvini, has also long been seen as a Putin admirer, but Ms Meloni needs both men in her coalition to form a majority.

Another key Berlusconi figure, Antonio Tajani, who hopes to become foreign minister in the new government, told centre-right counterparts in Brussels that his party and its leader were pro-Nato and against the "unacceptable Russian invasion of Ukraine".

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter that while Mr Berlusconi was enjoying his Russian vodka, Giorgia Meloni was demonstrating what true principles were.

Ms Meloni has already tussled over the main government jobs with Forza Italia and the League in the weeks since her nationalist, anti-immigration Brothers of Italy party won the September elections with 26% of the vote. The two smaller parties both won little more than 8%.

Mr Berlusconi's party refused to support her pick for speaker of Italy's Senate, Ignazio La Russa, and the centre-right leader wrote a note describing Ms Meloni as over-bearing and arrogant.

Although Ms Meloni has sought to come across as moderate, the new Senate speaker is a co-founder of her party who collects memorabilia of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Brothers of Italy's own roots date back to the country's post-war neo-fascist movement.

Mr La Russa was first to meet the president on Thursday, followed by the new speaker of the lower house, Lorenzo Fontana. The Chamber of Deputies speaker hails from the far-right League and in 2018 praised Russia's leader as "a shining light even for us in the West".

President Mattarella later met party leaders who will form Italy's opposition.

Centre-left leader Enrico Letta said the views of both Mr Berlusconi and the new speaker Mr Fontana rang very serious alarm bells. Centrist leader Carlo Calenda also had deep concerns about the ex-prime minister's pro-Putin comments.

Assuming Ms Meloni and her new government are sworn in over the weekend, a vote of confidence next week is seen as a formality, given the size of the right-wing majority in both the Chamber and the Senate.

Her initial task will be to help Italians fund their energy costs. But she has also worried the LGBT community with attacks on the "LGBT lobby" and same-sex parenting, and she has called for a naval blockade of Libya to stop migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

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2022-10-21 10:07:17Z
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