Agitators call for resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam
Over the weekend, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that the controversial “extradition bill” will be suspended. The announcement came after the island territory saw some of the most-charged protests in history against the bill.
Even though their primary demand has been met, the protestors continue to agitate against the government. They argue that suspension of the bill is not enough and it has to be scrapped entirely. They are also demanding that Lam resign from her position as the chief executive.
A Beijing-ruled ‘selection committee’ appoints the chief executive of Hong Kong and even if Lam resigns, there is no clarity who would replace her.
On the other hand, Joshua Wong, who was the face of the 2014 ‘Umbrella movement’ and recently released from prison, has announced that he will be joining the protests.
“Hello world and hello freedom. I have just been released from prison. GO HONG KONG!! Withdraw the extradition bill. Carrie Lam step down. Drop all political prosecutions!” tweeted Wong.
‘End trade war’, US Chamber of Commerce tells Donald Trump
Washington DC’s most powerful business lobby, the US Chamber of Commerce, has urged US President Donald Trump to end its trade war with China, according to a report in The Financial Times. The body has warned that the on-going trade war is likely to cost $1 trillion to the US economy over the next decade.
The US Chamber of Commerce wrote a strongly-worded letter to the Office of the US Trade Representative, asking for a reversal of tariffs imposed on $200 billion Chinese imports and to suspend imposition of further tariffs on $300 billion Chinese goods.
Argentine President promises investigation after transnational power outage
Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri has ordered an investigation into the causes of massive power outage in Uruguay and Argentina.
This was the first instance of such a power outage in this part of the world.
The probable cause of this outage seems to be a grid failure, which provides electricity to both countries. As Chile and Paraguay are also connected to the same grid, some regions in these countries were also affected.
In other news:
Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir charged with corruption, in first appearance since April, reports Reuters
Fed likely to resist pressure to cut US rates this week, reports Reuters