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US to Impose New Visa Curbs on Hong Kong Officials over Rights crackdown

FILE PHOTO: Mainland Chinese tourists take photo of the skyline of buildings at Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, China, May 2, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Mainland Chinese tourists take photo of the skyline of buildings at Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, China, May 2, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
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US to Impose New Visa Curbs on Hong Kong Officials over Rights crackdown

FILE PHOTO: Mainland Chinese tourists take photo of the skyline of buildings at Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, China, May 2, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Mainland Chinese tourists take photo of the skyline of buildings at Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, China, May 2, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

The United States said on Friday it will impose new visa restrictions on a number of Hong Kong officials over the crackdown on rights and freedoms in the Chinese-ruled territory.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that in the past year China continued to take actions against Hong Kong's promised high degree of autonomy, democratic institutions, and rights and freedoms, including with the recent enactment of a new national security law known as Article 23.

"In response, the Department of State is announcing that it is taking steps to impose new visa restrictions on multiple Hong Kong officials responsible for the intensifying crackdown on rights and freedoms," Blinken said in a statement.

The statement did not identify the officials who would be targeted.

In November, Hong Kong condemned a US bill calling for sanctions against 49 Hong Kong officials, judges and prosecutors involved in national security cases, saying US legislators were grandstanding and trying to intimidate the city.

Officials named in that Hong Kong Sanctions Act included Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, Police chief Raymond Siu and judges Andrew Cheung, Andrew Chan, Johnny Chan, Alex Lee, Esther Toh and Amanda Woodcock, Reuters reported.

The United States has imposed visa restrictions and other sanctions in the past on Hong Kong officials blamed for undermining freedoms and announced an end to the special economic treatment the territory long enjoyed under US law.

It has also warned that foreign financial institutions that conduct business with them would be subject to sanctions.

The US Hong Kong Policy Act requires the State Department to report each year to Congress on conditions in Hong Kong.

"This year, I have again certified that Hong Kong does not warrant treatment under US laws in the same manner as the laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1, 1997," Blinken said, referring to when Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain.

"This year’s report catalogs the intensifying repression and ongoing crackdown by PRC and Hong Kong authorities on civil society, media, and dissenting voices, including through the issuance of bounties and arrest warrants for more than a dozen pro-democracy activists living outside Hong Kong," Blinken said, referring to the People's Republic of China.

The Commissioner's Office of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong said the report and statements issued by Blinken "confused right and wrong" and "stigmatized" Hong Kong's national security law and the city's electoral system.

The threat to sanction Hong Kong officials "grossly interferes" in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs, a spokesperson said in a statement issued on Saturday.

"Instead of acting as the world's policeman and issuing an annual 'Hong Kong Policy Act report', the United States should take time to examine itself."

China's embassy in Washington said it strongly deplored and firmly opposed US threats to "impose unwarranted unilateral sanctions" on Hong Kong.

"The US side disregards facts, makes irresponsible remarks about Hong Kong affairs, and levels groundless accusations" at the Chinese and Hong Kong governments, the embassy posted on its website.

"The US should immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and other internal affairs of China," it said.

US-funded Radio Free Asia said on Friday it had closed its Hong Kong bureau, citing concerns over staff safety after the enactment of the new national security law.

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World

Taiwan Says China Deploys Warships in ‘Military Operations’

A Chinese PLA navy ship monitors an area during a maritime cooperative activity between the Philippines, Australia and Canadian navy near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Sep 3, 2025. (AFP)
A Chinese PLA navy ship monitors an area during a maritime cooperative activity between the Philippines, Australia and Canadian navy near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Sep 3, 2025. (AFP)
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Taiwan Says China Deploys Warships in ‘Military Operations’

A Chinese PLA navy ship monitors an area during a maritime cooperative activity between the Philippines, Australia and Canadian navy near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Sep 3, 2025. (AFP)
A Chinese PLA navy ship monitors an area during a maritime cooperative activity between the Philippines, Australia and Canadian navy near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Sep 3, 2025. (AFP)

Taiwan said Friday that China had deployed warships for “military operations” stretching hundreds of kilometers from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea, posing a “threat” to the region.

Beijing, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, neither confirmed nor denied the maneuvers.

Taiwan’s defense ministry and other security agencies were monitoring China’s activities and had a “complete grasp of the situation,” presidential office spokeswoman Karen Kuo told reporters.

She did not say how many Chinese ships were involved in the deployment, but a security source told AFP the number was “significant.” The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The operations were not limited to the Taiwan Strait, but extended from the southern Yellow Sea, to the East China Sea near the disputed Diaoyu Islands and on into the South China Sea and even the Western Pacific, Kuo said.

“This indeed poses a threat and impact on the Indo-Pacific and the entire region,” she said.

Taiwan urged China to “exercise restraint,” Kuo said, adding: “We are also confident that we can handle this matter well.”

Neither China’s armed forces nor state media have announced any increased military activity in the region where Taiwan said Chinese ships had been detected.

Beijing’s defense ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said Friday that the navy’s training on the high seas complies with international law and “is not directed at any specific country or target.”

He was responding to a question about a Chinese naval flotilla that reportedly may be heading toward Australia.

A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry said Beijing “has consistently followed a defensive policy” and urged “relevant parties” not to “overreact or... engage in groundless hype.”

China has refused to rule out using force to take Taiwan, and also contentiously claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea.

Taiwan’s intelligence chief Tsai Ming-yen said Wednesday that October to December was the “peak season” for China’s “annual evaluation exercises.”

There was a possibility that China’s ruling Communist Party could turn seemingly routine military activities into drills targeting Taiwan, Tsai warned.

Last December, Taiwan said about 90 Chinese warships and coast guard vessels took part in vast exercises including simulating attacks on foreign ships and practicing blockading sea routes in Beijing’s biggest maritime drills in years.

Beijing did not confirm the drills at that time.

The United States has historically been Taiwan’s main security backer.

But President Donald Trump’s administration signaled a potential shift in that policy on Friday, saying in a strategy document that its Asian allies Japan and South Korea should take on more of the burden of defending the region.

World

France Investigates Reports of Drones Over Nuclear Sub Base

A picture taken on December 5, 2016 shows a nuclear submarine at the naval base in Ile Longue, western of France. (AFP)
A picture taken on December 5, 2016 shows a nuclear submarine at the naval base in Ile Longue, western of France. (AFP)
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France Investigates Reports of Drones Over Nuclear Sub Base

A picture taken on December 5, 2016 shows a nuclear submarine at the naval base in Ile Longue, western of France. (AFP)
A picture taken on December 5, 2016 shows a nuclear submarine at the naval base in Ile Longue, western of France. (AFP)

French prosecutors are investigating after drones were suspected to have flown over a nuclear submarine base on the Atlantic coast late on Thursday, a prosecutor in charge of military affairs in the city of Rennes said on Friday.

Jean-Marie Blin said overflights had been reported from around 7 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Thursday until 1 a.m. (midnight GMT) on Friday morning, with the bulk of the sightings occurring during the first couple of hours.

He denied press reports that gendarmes had fired at the suspected drones, but said they had taken "precautionary measures".

Drone flights, mostly of unknown origin, have been disrupting Europe's airspace in the past few months. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called the incursions "hybrid warfare". Russia regularly denies accusations that it is responsible.

The Ile Longue base in northwest France houses nuclear-powered submarines, according to the navy's website. Each is equipped with 16 ballistic missiles carrying several nuclear warheads.

Blin said the investigation was for now focused on verifying whether there really had been drones in the sky. "Some of the reports may be completely fanciful, others are much more serious."

He said the reports had come from different people on site, including gendarmes and military officers.

World

Putin, Modi Agree to Expand and Widen India-Russia Trade, Strengthen Friendship

05 December 2025, India, New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Indian President Droupadhi Murmu, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Konstantin Zavrazhin/Kremlin/dpa)
05 December 2025, India, New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Indian President Droupadhi Murmu, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Konstantin Zavrazhin/Kremlin/dpa)
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Putin, Modi Agree to Expand and Widen India-Russia Trade, Strengthen Friendship

05 December 2025, India, New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Indian President Droupadhi Murmu, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Konstantin Zavrazhin/Kremlin/dpa)
05 December 2025, India, New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Indian President Droupadhi Murmu, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Konstantin Zavrazhin/Kremlin/dpa)

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered India uninterrupted fuel supplies on Friday, eliciting a cautious response even as he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to expand trade and defense ties between countries with decades-old ties.

India, the world's top buyer of Russian arms and seaborne oil, has rolled out the red carpet for Putin during his two-day state visit, his first to New Delhi since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But New Delhi is also in talks with the US on a trade deal to cut punitive tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on its goods over India's purchases of Russian oil.

India's energy imports are expected to fall to a three-year-low this month following US tariffs and sanctions. Russia has said it wants to import more Indian goods in an effort to grow trade to $100 billion by 2030.

INDIA CAUTIOUS ON OIL IMPORTS

Putin said Moscow was ready to continue ensuring "uninterrupted fuel supplies" to India, following up on comments on Thursday questioning US pressure on India to curb oil purchases from Russia.

India appeared cautious about the offer.

Asked about the future of energy trade between the two countries, India's foreign secretary said Indian energy companies take decisions based on "evolving market dynamics" and "commercial issues that they confront while sourcing their supplies", indicating the pressures of sanctions and prices.

Energy cooperation between the two countries continues within this framework, Vikram Misri told a media briefing. Underlining this caution, Indian state refiners Indian Oil Corp and Bharat Petroleum Corp have placed January orders for the loading of Russian oil from non-sanctioned suppliers due to widening discounts, Reuters reported on Friday.

TIES HAVE 'STOOD TEST OF TIME', SAYS MODI

Describing India's enduring partnership with Russia as "a guiding star", Modi said: "Based on mutual respect and deep trust, these relations have always stood the test of time."

"We have agreed on an economic cooperation program for the period up to 2030. This will make our trade and investment more diversified, balanced, and sustainable," he told reporters, with Putin by his side.

Modi, who warmly embraced Putin on the airport tarmac when he arrived on Thursday, also reiterated India's support for a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.

A joint statement issued following the summit said: "The leaders emphasized that in the current complex, tense, and uncertain geopolitical situation, Russian-Indian ties remain resilient to external pressure."

21-GUN SALUTE

Putin received a ceremonial welcome on Friday on the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the colonial-era presidential palace, with a 21-gun salute as his convoy drove in.

A large business and government delegation has accompanied Putin.

Among the deals signed, the two countries agreed to help Indians move to Russia for work, to set up a joint venture fertilizer plant in Russia, and boost cooperation in agriculture, healthcare and shipping.

They also agreed to reshape their defense ties to take account of New Delhi's push for self-reliance through joint research and development, as well as the production of advanced defense platforms. This would include joint production in India of spare parts, components, assemblies, and other products for servicing Russian weapons and military equipment.

PUTIN QUESTIONS WASHINGTON

In an interview with broadcaster India Today aired on Thursday, Putin challenged US pressure on India not to buy Russian fuel.

"If the US has the right to buy our (nuclear) fuel, why shouldn't India have the same privilege?" he said, adding that he was ready to discuss the matter with Trump.

India has said Trump's tariffs are unjustified and unreasonable, noting continued US trade with Moscow.

The US and European Union still import billions of dollars worth of Russian energy and commodities, ranging from liquefied natural gas to enriched uranium, despite economic sanctions.