Free Republic

The Chinese Foreign Ministry is vowing to retaliate in a dramatic escalation of tensions after it said the United States had demanded Beijing close its consulate in Houston. Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the US made the demand on Tuesday and described the US move as “unprecedented escalation”. Wang said the Chinese embassy and consulates in the US had received both explosives and death threats recently. “China demands the US revoke the wrong decision. If the US went ahead, China would take necessary counter measures,” Wang said. Wang’s disclosure came after Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of The Global Times, said on...

Hunter Biden was paid $1 million by Chinese firm CEFC to act as attorney for their employee, Dr Patrick Ho, but now Ho is threatening to sue the first son within seven days unless he gets the money back — because he claims Hunter did no legal work for him. Ho sent a legal letter to Hunter last week requesting that their attorney-client agreement be terminated immediately and threatening legal action unless he receives a detailed list of services provided by Hunter and reimbursement for the unused funds, as laid out in the 2017 contract. Ho’s letter, sent by Hong...

The luxury ocean liner Queen Victoria became the center of an unknown outbreak after 129 passengers and 25 crew members were struck by an unidentified gastrointestinal illness, causing symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting during its grand 107-night world voyage. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported earlier this month that the widespread sickness has been ongoing throughout the ship’s journey, which sailed from Southampton, U.K., on January 11 and is set to conclude its voyage there on April 24. The itinerary includes visits to several exotic destinations, including Cape Town, South Africa, and Hong Kong, China. It...

Hong Kong leaders backed by Red China’s communist party (CCP) are planning to accelerate their crackdown on basic freedoms throughout the city, government officials announced on Tuesday. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee revealed that the city would be expanding upon a national security law passed by Beijing in 2020 that effectively stripped Hong Kong of its status as a semi-autonomous region. The law criminalized many basic protest activities, such as classifying “groups speaking of potential independence” as guilty of “subversion.” Activities deemed to involve “secession,” “terrorism,” and “collusion with foreign forces” were also outlawed, all of which “carry a...

In Northern Ireland late tonight the British Nationalist Democratic Unionist Party agreeing to allow a devolved government with the Leftist Sinn Fein Party playing a leading role... Hamas is giving the thumbs down to any hostage deal with Israel... US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he sees evidence of the battlefield in Ukraine of a lack of US assistance,,, The Royal Navy's UK Maritime Trade Operations reports the approach of suspicious vessels by a merchant ship off the west coast of Yemen... In South Africa the ruling African National Congress party suspending Jacob Zuma the former president of the...

Bank of America (BAC) has made headlines by announcing layoffs of approximately 20 bankers in Asia, marking the first major downsizing move in 2024. The decision comes as China and Hong Kong markets continue to underperform, leading to a growing bearish sentiment among smart money players. This move sets the tone for potential shifts in the financial landscape as major institutions respond to market challenges. The economic landscape is painted with shades of concern as the Richmond Fed Survey reveals three consecutive declines. The performance post-lockdowns has experienced a downward trajectory since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC). This trend...

....During a phone call with Xi on June 18, Trump raised Biden's political prospects as well as those of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who by then had started rising in the polls, according to two people familiar with the discussion. In that call, Trump also told Xi he would remain quiet on Hong Kong protests as trade talks progressed.The White House record of that call was later stored in the highly secured electronic system

@RudyGiuliani : A meeting is coming out in 1-2 days in State Dept. in which Hunter snuck in the back door ... That meeting took place with Tony Blinken."

Evidence continues to point to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) as the origin of SARS-CoV-2. Meanwhile, based on the now publicized emails sent to and from Dr. Fauci, it has become evident that there was a strong push to downplay this theory and convince the world the virus evolved naturally. The story grew thicker on Thursday. According to a report from Vanity Fair, last March, leading scientists aggressively tried to silence former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield after stating his belief on CNN that the virus originated from a lab in Wuhan. Following his public...

American company Pizza Hut has teamed up with a century-old Hong Kong restaurant to put a modern spin on a traditional dish, or more simply, snake on a pizza. The new offering combines shredded snake meat, black mushrooms and Chinese dried ham – all indispensable ingredients of an authentic snake stew and part of the Hong Kong franchise’s marketing plot to generate buzz online. Some diners in Hong Kong and around southern China have long enjoyed snake stew, especially during the colder months.

Russia is in a better place now than it could be. The recipe? Using human greed as a weapon.

Western pundits like to make fun of the supposedly “no limits” partnership between China and Russia. But if they really want to know what no limits means in a state-to-state relationship and how tremendous self-harm can result, they need to look no further than that between the United States and Israel. What Israel wants, Israel gets; and does not even have to ask first when it comes to emergency financial aid and weapons. As Israel bombs its way across the Gaza Strip and Jewish settlers commit murder to seize Palestinian land in the West Bank, the weapons they are using...

A Washington state senator was arrested at Hong Kong Airport and faces up to 14 years in jail after discovering mid-flight he had brought his gun with him on the plane. Longview Republican Jeff Wilson was flying with his wife Trisha to the Chinese city at the start of a five-week vacation in South-East Asia when he realized his mistake. Reaching into his hand luggage for a 'piece of gum' he discovered the firearm in there as well which had also escaped the attention of security staff when he set off from Portland in Oregon. 'It was an honest mistake,...

American whistle-blower Edward Snowden said Beijing’s use of technology to control its citizens and electronically track US targets prompted him to investigate and then expose Washington’s mass surveillance programme. In his book "Permanent Record," published on Wednesday, the former US spy agency contractor who now lives in exile in Russia, detailed how he fled to Hong Kong and then Moscow after creating one of the most serious security breaches in American history. Snowden, who was a technician subcontracted to the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency for seven years, said he began to have suspicions about secret post-September...

A Hong Kong man was sentenced to jail on Friday (Oct 6) after importing "seditious" children's books that portrayed the city's democracy supporters as sheep defending their village from wolves. Following massive protests in the Chinese city in 2019, authorities have revived a colonial-era sedition offence to jail dozens of residents, which critics have decried as political suppression. Finance company worker Kurt Leung, 38, was sentenced to four months in prison after he pleaded guilty to "importing seditious publications" - the first known conviction of its kind in recent years.

Ron DeSantis is attending a Texas fundraiser hosted by Lamar Smith, a former Texas Congressman who is now a registered foreign agent and a donor to Democrat politician Jamie Raskin, who led impeachment efforts against Donald Trump over January 6th.Smith is advertised by Team DeSantis as one of the hosts of the Friday fundraiser in San Antonio. The Florida Governor is currently polling at 10 percent to Trump’s 61 percent in Texas, and Smith seems unlikely to help burnish the Floridian’s America First credentials, being a registered foreign agent.Despite his background as a GOP legislator, Smith is also a donor...

Evening Television News dealing with effects of Typhoon Saola

Officials are sowing fear with vaguely worded warnings against “soft resistance” [A]nti-government discontent in Hong Kong in 2019 prompted China to impose a draconian national-security law on the territory to prevent further protests. Officials say this has helped: Hong Kong has achieved a “major transition from chaos to order”, they insist. But even after thousands of arrests and numerous trials, both under the new law and dredged-up statutes from the colonial era, the authorities are twitchy. Increasingly, they warn of “soft resistance” that could trigger fresh unrest. A new phase may be unfolding in Hong Kong’s war on dissent.

A daredevil climber fell to his death from a high-rise building in Hong Kong after last being seen knocking on a window on the 68th floor. Remi Lucidi, 30, a Frenchman also known as Remi Enigma, was seen by a building worker knocking from the outside of the window, suggesting that he may have been trapped and asking for help, the South China Morning Post reported. Tregunter Tower, from which Mr Lucidi fell on Thursday, is located in the city’s Mid-Levels area. He had fallen 721ft to his death by the time police arrived and officers found his camera, containing...

A daredevil climber fell to his death from a high-rise building in Hong Kong after last being seen knocking on a window on the 68th floor. Remi Lucidi, 30, also known as “Remi Enigma”, was seen by a building worker knocking from the outside of the window, suggesting he may have been trapped and asking for help, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Tregunter Tower, which Mr Lucidi fell from on Thursday, is located in the city’s upscale Mid-Levels area. The Frenchman had fallen 721ft to his death by the time the police arrived and officers found his camera,...