South africa

Beijing has declared that only "patriots" should rule Hong Kong - and unveiled plans to change the city's electoral system to ensure just that. Candidates for election to the Legislative Council - Hong Kong 's parliament - will be vetted, according to the proposed changes. And elections scheduled for 2020, already postponed for a year, will be pushed back to 2022. "The rioting and turbulence that occurred in the Hong Kong society reveals that the existing electoral system in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has clear loopholes and deficiencies," said Wang Chen, vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, according to state media. The NPC, China 's annual parliament, is meeting in Beijing this week. The changes to Hong Kong's electoral system are only a proposal but will almost certainly be approved given the rubber stamp nature of the NPC. "Loopholes" is one of Beijing's favourite terms for describing aspects of … [Read more...] about Beijing declares only ‘patriots’ should rule Hong Kong as elections delayed again

JEREMY Paxman has defended his bizarre habit of shooting squirrels with an air rifle while sitting on his toilet. The broadcasting legend, 70, who lives in Henley-on-Thames, Oxon, branded the rodents a "menace" that scare off songbirds and "kill all sorts of things." He shrugged off the suggestion that he was being "cruel," and instead responded that "they're annoying me." Speaking to comedian Richard Herring, the 70-year-old said: "You turn around - not while I'm having a c**p of course - just sitting on the loo if it's by the window. “You sit on the loo with the lid down. With an air rifle you can pop, pop off a squirrel or two.” The former Newsnight host and University Challenge presenter - renowned for his ferocious interviewing technique - said he saw nothing wrong with targeting squirrels. Paxman said: “Why is it cruel? They’re annoying me. “They’re always getting on the bird feeder. “I love song birds and I can’t stand the fact that squirrels are always … [Read more...] about Jeremy Paxman defends shooting ‘menace’ squirrels with an air rifle while sitting on TOILET

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday that people needed to "stop whining" about COVID-19 in his latest outburst against the protective measures to contain the crisis. The far-right leader's comments come as Brazil goes through its deadliest week of the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 1,300 deaths per day. "Stop whining. How long are you going to keep crying about it?" Bolsonaro said as he called for easing restrictions. "We regret the deaths ... But where's Brazil going to end up if we just close everything?" The South American country of 212 million people has had an outbreak of cases, partly due to a variant of the virus detected in the Amazon rainforest. Bolsonaro previously compared COVID-19 to a "little flu" and promoted hydroxychloroquine as medication, despite studies showing its inefficiency against the virus. At least 260,000 people died in Brazil because of COVID-19. Watch video 03:04 Share Virus runs rampant … [Read more...] about Coronavirus digest: Brazil’s Bolsonaro tells people ‘stop whining’