Hong Kong flights resume as China accuses US politicians
Hong Kong’s airport authority has obtained an interim injunction against protesters allowing flights to resume after two days of a shutdown, The Guardian reports. Only about 30 protesters remained at the airport on Wednesday morning. Reuters says riot police used pepper spray to disperse thousands of protestors at the airport and arrested 5 people, bringing to 600 the number of protestors detained since June. CNBC reports that China has accused US politicians, including house speaker Nancy Pelosi and senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, of inciting Hong Kong residents to confrontation and that by “neglecting and distorting the truth, they whitewashed violent crimes as a struggle for human rights and freedom.” And according to CNN, Chinese officials have rejected US requests for scheduled port visits to Hong Kong of two US Navy ships.
Give Hong Kong citizens UK nationality, official says
The chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee has suggested that the UK should give full British nationality to Hong Kong citizens, The Guardian reports. Tom Tugendhat argues that the UK, which controlled Hong Kong until 1997, had obligations to the territory’s people and that such a move would “reassure many Hong Kong citizens that…they are valued.”
Barr reassigns warden at Epstein jail
US attorney William Barr has ordered the warden of the Metropolitan Correctional Center where Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell on Saturday to be reassigned, Reuters reports. The BBC says Lamine N'Diaye has been moved to a regional office and will be replaced by James Petrucci, the warden of the federal prison in Otisville, New York. Two other staff at the prison have been placed on leave as authorities investigate the death.
Trump defends retweet
US President Donald Trump has commented on his retweet of comedian Terrence K. Williams’ suggestion that the “Clinton crime family” was somehow involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s death. “That was a retweet. That was from him, it wasn’t from me,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday afternoon, in what Vox called a “bizarre attempt” to defend himself. NBC says that Trump added: “Basically what we're saying is, we want an investigation. I want a full investigation” into Epstein’s death.
Delay on China tariffs for Christmas
Tariffs on a range of Chinese goods including cellphones, laptops and video games will be delayed until 15 December, the US trade representative office has said. CNBC cited Donald Trump as saying the delay was introduced so that “they won’t have an impact on US customers” and won’t “be relevant to the Christmas shopping season.” But CNBC also says that some investors interpreted the move as a sign that the trade war was actually hurting US consumers and that it could even embolden Chinese President Xi Jinping to wait out any deal.
Japan warns citizens visiting South Korea
The Japanese government has issued a travel advisory to Japanese citizens visiting South Korea as relations between the two countries worsens, Japan Today reports. On Thursday South Korea marks its liberation from Japanese rule between 1910 and 1945. Vice foreign ministers from the two countries will meet this week to discuss the issue of forced World War Two labourers, Reuters says.
MacBooks banned from flights
The US Federal Aviation Administration has banned certain models of Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Pro from flights as their batteries are susceptible to overheating, Reuters reports.
Teen tweets from smart fridge
A 15-year-old Ariana Grande fan known as “Dorothy” has tweeted using a smart fridge after her mother confiscated all her electronics, The Guardian reports.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts