China reopens borders to tourists after three years of Covid closure - BBC

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By Antoinette Radford & Martin Yip

BBC News London & Hong Kong

China has reopened its borders to international visitors for the first time since it imposed travel restrictions in March 2020.

Incoming travellers will no longer need to quarantine - marking a significant change in the country's Covid policy as it battles a surge in cases.

They will still require proof of a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of travelling.

The move has been welcomed by many eager to reunite with family.

In Hong Kong, 400,000 people are expected to travel into mainland China in the coming weeks with long queues for flights into cities including Beijing and Xiamen.

On Sunday, double decker coaches packed with travellers arrived at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge to catch buses to the Guangdong province - among them were college students returning home.

One man told the BBC he hadn't seen his extended family in five years and couldn't hold back his excitement having just bought a ticket back to China.

A woman told news agency Reuters she had not seen her parents in years - despite one of them suffering from colon cancer - and said she was "so, so happy".

JEROME FAVRE/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

The country's reopening comes at the start of "chun yun", the first period of Lunar New Year travel. Before the pandemic it was the largest annual worldwide migration of people returning home to spend time with family.

Two billion trips are expected to be made this Lunar New Year, double the number that travelled last year.

Li Hua, who travelled from the UK to China - where her family lives - for the festival said it had been "too long" since she had returned, "I'm so happy to be back, and breathe Chinese air. So happy, so happy".

• Young people in China self-infect as they fear for the elderly
• China under-representing Covid deaths, WHO warns
• How many Covid cases are there in China?

But there is concern from some that opening the borders will result in more transmission of Covid-19.

Some local bus drivers at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge told the BBC they are worried they might get the virus from incoming travellers, and want their companies to provide them with more protection.

Over the past three years China had one of the world's strictest Covid health policies that saw numerous lockdowns, frequent testing requirements and had a significant impact on the nation's economy.

The government recently walked back that policy after mass protests across the country, triggered by a fire in a high-rise block in the Xinjiang region that killed 10 people. Many Chinese believed the long-running Covid restrictions contributed to the deaths, but authorities denied this.

Since China abandoned the key elements of its Covid zero policy there have been reports of hospitals and crematoriums being overwhelmed, but the country has stopped publishing its case numbers and reported only two deaths on Saturday.

On the same day, the Chinese government banned over 1,000 social media accounts critical of its handling of the virus.

The anticipated surge in cases and travel out of China has prompted many countries - including the UK - to impose requirements for a negative COVID-19 test on people arriving from China, drawing the ire of the Chinese government.

Listen to more on what we know about China's Covid numbers: More or Less- Behind the Stats - Can China's data on covid deaths be trusted- on BBC Sounds

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2023-01-08 10:42:54Z
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Iran hangs two more protesters - BBC

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By Antoinette Radford

BBC News

Two men have been hanged in Iran for allegedly killing a member of the military during nationwide protests.

Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini were found guilty of "corruption on earth" over their alleged involvement in the death of a paramilitary officer.

Human rights groups have denounced what they described as a "sham" trial.

The family of 22-year-old Mr Karami say they were not permitted to meet him before he was killed.

Prosecutors claimed paramilitary officer Ruhollah Ajamian was stripped naked and killed by a group of mourners paying their respects to a recently-killed protester.

Protests against Iran's clerical establishment erupted in September following the death in custody of a woman who was detained by morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab, or headscarf, "improperly".

At least 516 protesters have been killed so far, including 70 children, and 19,262 others arrested, according to the foreign-based Human Rights Activists' News Agency (HRANA). It has also reported the deaths of 68 security personnel.

Many of those who have been detained after protests have reportedly been subjected to enforced disappearance, incommunicado detention, torture and other ill-treatment.

Iranian officials describe the protests as "riots" and have accused foreign powers of fuelling the unrest.

The men were first sentenced to death in December 2022 but they appealed against their sentencesa after they claimed they were tortured into making false confessions.

Lawyers representing Mr Hosseini said he was beaten and blindfolded while in prison.

"He was tasered and beaten on the soles of his feet with a metal rod," Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani said.

Iran's Supreme Court upheld the sentence on 3 January.

1500tasvir

Mohammad Mahdi Karami's family pleaded with authorities to spare his life

Prior to his death, Mr Karami's lawyer said he was on a hunger strike as he had been refused the right to choose his own lawyer for the legal proceedings. Instead he relied on state-appointed attorneys.

His parents pleaded with the judiciary to spare his life. "I beg you please, I ask you... to remove the death penalty from my son's case," his father said.

The journalist who interviewed Mr Karami's parents was later arrested by police and remains in custody, according to the Centre for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

CHRI Executive Director Hadi Ghaemi said the men were "lynched" and had no prospect of a fair trial.

"The Islamic Republic is using executions and lethal force against street protesters to instil terror in the hearts of the population to crush the Iranian people's hopes and calls for change."

He said countries worldwide should impose harsher repercussions on Iran, including the withdrawal of their ambassadors.

Amnesty International described the trial as a "fast-tracked unfair group trial" and said Iranian authorities were seeking the death penalty for at least 26 others.

Three other men have been sentenced to death in the same case, while another 11 received prison sentences.

The latest hangings bring the number of people executed in Iran since December to four.

In December, 23-year-old Majidreza Rahnavard was hanged publicly from a crane for allegedly killing two members of the security forces with a knife and wounding four others and another 23-year-old, Mohsen Shekari, was killed for allegedly blocking a street and wounding a member of Iran's Basij force with a knife.

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2023-01-07 13:41:01Z
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Kevin McCarthy finally wins US Speaker vote after tensions boil over in Congress - Sky News

Republican Kevin McCarthy has been elected as the new US Speaker after winning the 15th vote as tensions boiled over in Congress.

Mr McCarthy's party had taken control of the House – the US lower chamber – following the midterm elections in the autumn, with a slim 222-212 majority.

Usually, election of the Speaker follows seamlessly, as a formality, with the leader of the largest party a shoo-in for the job.

However, recent splits in the Republican Partymeant that did not happen until the 15th round of voting.

In the 14th ballot, Mr McCarthy received 216 votes - one shy of the number needed for a victory - as a small faction of right-wing hardliners held out.

He finally won, on the 15th ballot, on a margin of 216-211.

Image: Rep. Kevin McCarthy smiles after winning US Speaker vote

He was elected with the votes of fewer than half the House members only because five in his own party withheld their votes – not backing Mr McCarthy as leader, but also not voting for another contender.

More on Republican Party

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"My father always told me, it's not how you start, it's how you finish," he told cheering fellow Republicans.

US President Joe Biden congratulated him on his success and said he is "prepared to work with Republicans" when he can.

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However, the Republican party are now likely to turn the fight on the President and the Democrats, with Mr McCarthy promising subpoenas and investigations.

"Now the hard work begins," Mr McCarthy said.

'Stay civil'

After four days of ballots, stretching into a 14th round, a tense exchange ensued, with Mr McCarthy seen walking to the back of the chamber to confront Rep. Matt Gaetz, who did not vote for him.

Mr Gaetz was one of the six remaining Republican holdouts, and voted "present" in the 14th and 15th round.

This essentially meant he registered that he was in the House for the vote, but did not back anyone as the next Speaker.

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3:57

'An utterly extraordinary few hours'

A hostile back and forth took place after Mr McCarthy approached him, while a number of Republican lawmakers began to crowd them.

Rep. Mike Rogers, who did back Mr McCarthy in the vote, appeared to lunge in the direction of where Mr Gaetz was sitting, but was held back by other members.

"Stay civil," someone was heard shouting.

Read more: Confrontation, anger and Donald Trump - an extraordinary night in US politics

Rep. Richard Hudson - another Mr McCarthy supporter - was also seen grabbing Mr Rogers around the mouth, but it was unclear what the argument was about.

Meanwhile, in another incident, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was seen waving a mobile phone around while on a phone call to a person saved as 'DT', implied to be Donald Trump.

Sharing the image on her Twitter account, the GOP member from Georgia wrote: "It was the perfect phone call."

Despite many of the rebel Republicans being supporters of Mr Trump, the former president had repeatedly backed Mr McCarthy for Speaker.

McCarthy's extensive concessions

A handful of far-right Republicans, from the conservative Freedom caucus, had felt Mr McCarthy was not conservative enough for the job, despite him agreeing to many of the detractors' demands.

One of the most difficult requests that Mr McCarthy has agreed to is the reinstatement of a longstanding House rule that would allow any single member to call a vote to oust him from office.

Image: Members of the House of Representatives get physical with each other as Rep. Andy Harris pushes back Rep. Mike Rogers

That will sharply cut the power he will hold when trying to pass legislation on critical issues including funding the government, addressing the nation's looming debt ceiling and other crises that may arise.

The Speaker is one of the most powerful positions in US politics, and this week's failed votes marked the highest number of ballots for the speakership since 1859, two years before the start of the American Civil War.

Sessions to decide on the person for the job had rumbled on for hours in the chamber this week – one even topping eight hours.

What does the US Speaker do?

The Speaker of the House is one of the most powerful positions in US politics.

They oversee the daily business and set the running order in the House of Representatives.

Using their position, an effective Speaker can make or break a US President's agenda, or, if from the same party as the President, effectively hinder opposition to their policies.

The Speaker is taken from the party with the largest majority in the House and so depending on their allegiances can be a help or a hindrance to the US President.

Previously the role was held by Democrat Nancy Pelosi. But after losing the House to the Republicans in the recent midterm elections, the position will now switch hands.

Since winning control of the House, Republicans have vowed to make voting investigations into US President Joe Biden and his family's business dealings as a top priority.

In December, a White House statement accused House Republicans of planning to go after Biden "with politically motivated attacks chock full of long-debunked conspiracy theories".

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2023-01-07 09:48:44Z
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Kevin McCarthy says he has votes to become US House Speaker - BBC

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By Max Matza

BBC News

Kevin McCarthy says he now has enough support to become Speaker of the US House of Representatives, amid the longest such congressional stalemate in more than 150 years.

The front-runner has lost 13 rounds of ballots over four days despite his Republicans holding a majority of seats in the lower chamber of Congress.

Fifteen of 20 or so holdouts changed their vote on Friday to back him, but six diehard dissidents remain.

The House reconvenes on Friday night.

The Speaker sets the House agenda and oversees legislative business. The post is second in line to the presidency after the US vice-president.

After the 13th vote, as the lower chamber of Congress adjourned until 22:00 EST (03:00 GMT), Mr McCarthy told reporters: "I'll have the votes."

In a remarkable turnaround on the 12th round of voting, Mr McCarthy was able to persuade 14 Republican holdouts to cast their vote for him. A 15th rebel followed suit for the 13th ballot.

• What has Kevin McCarthy given up, and at what price?
• These are the six rebels blocking Kevin McCarthy

But the California congressman was still three votes short of the 217 he needed to take the prized gavel.

The dissidents included members of the House Freedom Caucus, who argue that Mr McCarthy is not conservative enough to lead them as they work to stymie Democratic President Joe Biden's agenda.

Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania said on Twitter he was switching to support Mr McCarthy after voting 11 times against him.

"We're at a turning point," he said.

Two Republicans who missed votes earlier on Friday were flying back to Washington DC to cast their ballots for Mr McCarthy.

Mr McCarthy has offered various concessions to the rebels, including a seat on the influential rules committee, which sets the terms for debate on legislation in the chamber.

He also agreed to lower the threshold for triggering a vote on whether to unseat the Speaker, to only one House member, leading to the possibility that the Republican coalition could easily fracture again even after Mr McCarthy's potential victory.

Reuters

Democrats likened the stand-off to the riot exactly two years ago on Capitol Hill by Trump supporters who disrupted Mr Biden's certification as president.

"The same extremist forces continue to have a stranglehold on House Republicans," said Massachusetts congresswoman Katherine Clark, the second-highest ranking Democrat in the chamber.

The minority Democrats have continued to vote in unison for their leader, New York's Hakeem Jeffries, the first black person ever to lead a party in Congress.

But it is highly unlikely he could win over any Republican defectors to garner the simple majority of votes in the 435-seat chamber needed to become Speaker.

Friday was the first day that Mr McCarthy's vote count actually surpassed that of Mr Jeffries.

Not since 1860 in the build-up to the American Civil War has the lower chamber of Congress voted this many times to pick a speaker. Back then it took 44 rounds of ballots.

In November's midterm elections, Republicans won the House by a weaker-than-expected margin of 222 to 212. Democrats retained control of the Senate.

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2023-01-07 00:44:20Z
1718904167

Kevin McCarthy insists he has the votes to clinch Speakership - Financial Times

Republican Kevin McCarthy insisted he has the votes to be elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, after convincing a large number of party rebels to support his bid to lead the lower chamber of Congress.

By Friday afternoon, McCarthy had lost a historic 13 ballots, spread over four days, in his effort to be selected as Speaker.

But as the House voted to adjourn until late Friday night, McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill: “I’ll have the votes.” When asked why he was confident, the congressman from California replied: “Because I count.”

McCarthy struck the bullish tone after making several rounds of concessions to his critics, including rule changes that would make it easier to call for a vote of no confidence in a future Speaker, and promises of plum committee assignments for members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Those efforts swayed more than half of the 20 Republicans who had opposed his speakership in previous rounds, including Dan Bishop of North Carolina and Byron Donalds of Florida. But by the 13th round of voting on Friday, McCarthy was still short of the simple majority required to seize the Speaker’s gavel.

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One previous holdout who flipped to support McCarthy in the 12th vote, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, tweeted after the ballot: “We’re at a turning point. I’ve negotiated in good faith, with one purpose: to restore the People’s House back to its rightful owners. The framework for an agreement is in place, so in a good-faith effort, I voted to restore the People’s House by voting for McCarthy.”

But resistance from six members of his own party remained steadfast and defiant — enough to scupper his chances of winning the gavel in the House in the first round of voting on Friday.

Bob Good, a Virginia Republican who has been among the dissidents, told the FT on Friday morning that he would not support McCarthy “at any time”.

“The whole reality is he does not have 218, he’s not going to have 218, and the sooner that he surrenders to that reality, the sooner we can move forward as a conference and begin to debate, vet and assess . . . [alternative] candidates,” he said.

Republican lawmakers pray on the House floor before another round of votes © Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Shutterstock

Good said he would like to see Jim Jordan, the Ohio Republican, as Speaker, but suggested that other members should propose Steve Scalise, the Louisiana Republican and a member of the House Republican leadership, as a possible candidate. “There are members who are in support of him, I think they should put his name forward, nominate him, and vote for him.”

Even though McCarthy had made big concessions in recent days, there remained a significant lack of “trust” in his willingness to follow through with them, Good said.

“He doesn’t believe in any of the things he’s agreeing to do so he would be doing them only under compulsion because he’s desperate,” Good said.

The last time it took more than one round of voting to select a Speaker was 1923, when it took nine ballots. The House is constitutionally required to select a Speaker, and cannot move on to any legislative business until someone is handed the gavel.

The Republican infighting has exposed long-simmering tensions in a party that is grappling with how to move forward after a relatively disappointing performance in November’s midterm elections.

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McCarthy finds himself in a difficult position in part because the “red wave” he and others predicted did not materialise, and Republicans now control the House by a razor-thin margin.

The gridlock in the House has also raised questions about how Congress will function for the next two years, and whether McCarthy or any other Speaker will be able to wrangle the party’s warring factions to pass any legislation.

One looming threat is the possibility of a debt ceiling crisis later this year. Economists have forecast that the US economy risks default in the third quarter if lawmakers do not agree to raise the limit on government borrowing.

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2023-01-06 20:56:21Z
1718904167

Veteran says Harry 'shot himself in the foot' by revealing army death toll - Metro.co.uk

The duke has ‘undermined’ his security, the army top brass say (Picture: Getty Images)

A retired British Army colonel says the Duke of Sussex ‘shot himself in the foot’ over revealing that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan.

Harry wrote that flying six missions during his second tour of duty on the front line in 2012 to 2013 resulted in ‘the taking of human lives’, of which he was neither proud nor ashamed.

The disclosure has reportedly raised ‘security concerns’ amongst the Army’s top brass.

Retired military officer Colonel Richard Kemp told the Sun: ’It undermines his personal security. He has shot himself in the foot.

‘Fighting in Afghanistan, Harry gained a very strong reputation both in the Army and in the country.

‘These comments will damage that reputation and he won’t be looked on in quite the same light, by people who thought highly of him before, including me.’

Mr Kemp’s comments come after Taliban leader in Afghanistan Anas Haqqani spoke out following the leaked Spare extracts.

Harry says he killed 25 people in Afghanistan (Picture: Anwar Hussein Collection/ROTA/WireImage)

The Telegraph, which obtained a Spanish language copy of the memoir from a bookshop in Spain, reports that Harry said he did not think of those he killed as people, but instead as ‘chess pieces’ that had been taken off the board.

‘So, my number is 25. It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me,’ he wrote.

Colonel Tim Collins, known for a pre-battle speech he made in Iraq, said the duke has now turned against his ‘other family, the military’.

He criticised the disclosure’s inclusion in Spare, calling it ‘a tragic money-making scam’.

Spare, due out Tuesday, explores a variety of personal aspects of Harry’s life (Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

He told Forces News on Friday: ‘Amongst his assertions is a claim that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan.

‘That’s not how you behave in the Army; it’s not how we think.

‘Harry has now turned against the other family, the military, that once embraced him, having trashed his birth family.’

Meanwhile, Lord Darroch told Sky News that he ‘slightly’ shared the security concerns military experts have raised after Harry’s comments.

The duke has been warned of ‘safety concerns’ following his comments (Pictur: POOL/Tim Graham Picture Library/ Getty Images)

‘You have to respect all of those who fought in Afghanistan,’ he said.

‘I went there a number of times when I was national security adviser. It’s a really tough environment, it was a really dangerous war, we lost more than 500 British servicemen.

‘I respect and appreciate all those who fought there.

‘Personally if I’d been advising the prince, I would have advised against the kind of detail that he goes into there.

‘But it’s out there now, and I believe it was a just war, and therefore what he has written about how he justified to himself what he was doing, I can understand and appreciate that.’

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said they do not comment on operational details for ‘security reasons’.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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2023-01-06 20:29:00Z
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Putin's Unilateral Ceasefire Due to Have Started in Ukraine - The Moscow Times

A brief ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin but dismissed by Ukraine as an empty gesture was due to have taken effect on Friday in what would be the first full pause since Moscow's invasion in February 2022.

Putin's order to stop fighting for 36 hours during the Orthodox Christmas came after Moscow suffered its worst reported loss of life of the war and as Ukraine's allies pledged to send armored vehicles and a second Patriot air defense battery to aid Kyiv.

A senior Ukraine official said shortly after the supposed start of Russia's pause in fighting that Moscow's forces had struck the southern city of Kherson in an attack that left several people dead or wounded.

"There were at least four explosions ... They talk about a ceasefire. This is who we are at war with," said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the presidential administration.

He did not say whether the strikes themselves had occurred before or after the ceasefire's start time.

Both countries celebrate Orthodox Christmas and the Russian leader's order came following ceasefire calls from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's spiritual leader Patriarch Kirill, a staunch Putin supporter.

Ceasefire 'not serious'

The halt was to begin on Friday (09:00 GMT) and last until the end of Saturday (21:00 GMT), the Kremlin said.

Ukraine has dismissed it as a strategy by Russia to gain time to regroup its forces and bolster its defenses following a series of battlefield reversals.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the unilateral ceasefire "cannot and should not be taken seriously" while a close advisor said Russia "must leave the occupied territories" for there to be any real let up in hostilities.

U.S. President Joe Biden was equally dismissive.

"He was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches" on Dec. 25 and on New Year's Day, he said. "I think he's trying to find some oxygen."

And British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly wrote on Twitter: "A 36 hour pause of Russian attacks will do nothing to advance the prospects for peace."

Since the invasion began on Feb. 24 last year, Russia has occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, but Kyiv has reclaimed swathes of its territory and this week claimed a New Year's strike that killed scores of Moscow's troops.

The Kremlin said Thursday that during a telephone conversation with Erdogan, Putin had told the Turkish leader Moscow was ready for dialogue if Kyiv recognizes "new territorial realities."

He was referring to Russia's claim to have annexed four regions of Ukraine, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions — despite not fully controlling them.

Kirill, 76, made his ceasefire appeal "so that Orthodox people can attend services on Christmas Eve and on the day of the Nativity of Christ," he said on the church's official website Thursday.

The Kremlin's decision to send troops into Ukraine resulted in many clerics who had continued to remain loyal to Kirill turning away from Moscow. 

In May, the Moscow-backed branch of Ukraine's Orthodox Church severed ties with Russia, citing his lack of condemnation of the fighting.

More arms for Ukraine

News of Putin's ceasefire order came as Germany and the United States pledged to provide additional military aid for Kyiv, with Biden saying the promised equipment comes at a "critical point" in the war.

Washington and Berlin said in a joint statement that they will respectively provide Kyiv with Bradley and Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

And "Germany will join the United States in supplying an additional Patriot air defense battery to Ukraine," the statement said, doubling the number of the advanced systems that have been promised to Kyiv.

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz has faced renewed calls to deliver Leopard light tanks, long sought by Kyiv, after French President Emmanuel Macron announced the delivery of French-made AMX-10 RC light tanks to Ukraine.

Putin's ceasefire order came a day after Moscow lifted its reported toll in its worst single reported loss from a Ukrainian strike to 89 dead.

Ukraine's military strategic communications unit has said nearly 400 Russian soldiers died in the town of Makiivka in eastern Ukraine, held by pro-Russian forces. Russian commentators have said the death toll may be far higher than the Kremlin's figures.

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2023-01-06 10:40:50Z
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