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China To Stop Recognizing Special British Passports for Hong Kongers

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  • China says it will no longer recognize British National (Overseas) Passports (BNO) for Hong Kongers as a valid form of identification both domestically and for travel.
  • The decision comes just before the U.K. is set to give greater opportunities to BNO holders starting Sunday; allowing holders and their dependents to live, work, and study in the U.K. with a path to citizenship.
  • Still, China’s move will likely have little impact on BNO holders, as Hong Kongers don’t use the document for identification domestically or when traveling abroad
  • BNO passports were previously rare, but applications have grown in the last two years, especially after China imposed its controversial National Security Law.

China’s Stance on BNO Passports

Chinese officials announced Friday that the country would no longer recognize British National (Overseas) passports for domestic travel or identification.

These passports are available to Hong Kongers born in the territory prior to 1997 when it was still a British colony.

The decision was made on the eve of a new visa set to start on Sunday that allows BNO holders and their dependents to live, work, and reside in the United Kingdom. After five years, those individuals can apply for permanent residence. Twelve months after that, they can obtain U.K. citizenship.

The U.K. offered the visa as part of what it views as its obligation to Hong Kong. The UK has been extremely critical of China’s imposed 2019 National Security law, which effectively stripped Hong Kongers of many of their civil rights and privileges.

Following that, the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson renewed efforts to support Hong Kongers, including expanding the rights held by BNO holders, as well as allowing their dependents to benefit from it.

China has been furious with the decision, and beyond saying they will no longer recognize the passport, they also claim that the U.K.’s decision amounts to meddling in Chinese affairs. In the end, Chinese officials claim that the U.K.’s decision last October to expand the BNO effectively broached the 1997 transition agreement.

That agreement said that China controlled and ruled Hong Kong, while the U.K. would continue to support Hong Kongers and ensure their rights were intact.

For the U.K., that agreement was already heavily breached when mainland China began imposing its national security law on Hong Kong against the wishes of most Hong Kongers.

What Does This Mean for Hong Kongers?

China’s decision to stop recognizing BNO passports will lkely have little effect on Hong Konger since they don’t use the document when traveling within China or as a form of identification domestically. When traveling abroad, they use a Hong Kong passport to leave. The BNO is essentially only used when traveling to the U.K.

In a conference Friday, Chinese spokespeople did threaten that the government could take “additional actions,” but what that means is unclear. The British have made efforts to protect Hong Kongers who may be planning on leaving. For instance, the government has created mobile apps so that Hong Kongers can download biometric data and gain access to the visa process, rather having to be seen entering the U.S. visa office in Hong Kong.

Prior to the National Security Law and unrest in Hong Kong, BNO passports were rarely used. That changed dramatically in the last few years, with more people applying for the passports in 2019 and 2020 than in all the years prior.

Source: CNN

Currently, there are roughly 350,000 BNO holders, but around 3,000,000 people are believed to qualify. This means the U.K. could see a dramatic increase in immigration from Hong Kong, which officials hope will bring high-skilled workers and capital into the country.

See What Others Are Saying: (NPR) (WSJ) (SCMP)

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95-Year-Old Woman Dies After Police Tases Her in Nursing Home

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The officer involved was suspended with pay and charged with assault.


A 95-year-old Australian woman whom police tasered in a nursing home last week has reportedly died from her injuries.

Clare Nowland, who had dementia and required a walking frame to stand up and move, was living at the Yallambee Lodge in Cooma in southeastern Australia.

At about 4:15 a.m. on May 17, police and paramedics responded to a report of a woman standing outside her room with a steak knife.

They encountered Nowland, then reportedly tried to negotiate with her for several minutes, but she didn’t drop the knife.

The five-foot-two, 95-pound woman walked toward the two officers “at a slow pace,” police said at a news conference, so one of them tasered her.

She fell to the floor and reportedly suffered a fractured skull and a severe brain bleed, causing her to be hospitalized in critical condition.

Nowland passed away in a hospital surrounded by her family, the New South Wales police confirmed in a statement today.

After a week-long investigation, the police force also said that the senior constable involved would appear in court next week to face charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault.

NSW police procedure states that tasers should not be used against elderly or disabled people absent exceptional circumstances.

Following the incident, community members, activists, and disability rights advocates expressed bewilderment and anger at what they called an unnecessary use of force, and some are now questioning why law enforcement took so long to prosecute the officer involved.

See what others are saying: (Reuters) (The New York Times) (CNN)

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International

U.K. Police Face Backlash After Arresting Anti-Monarchy Protesters

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that some of the arrests “raise questions” and “investigations are ongoing.”


The Public Order Act

A controversial protest crackdown law in the U.K. is facing criticism after dozens of anti-monarchy protesters were arrested during the coronation ceremony in London over the weekend.

The law, dubbed the “Public Order Act” was passed roughly a week ahead of the coronation for King Charles III. It gives police more power to restrict protesters and limits the tactics protesters can use in public spaces. It was condemned by human rights groups upon its passing, and is facing a new round of heat after 52 people were arrested over coronation protests on Saturday.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said protesters were arrested for public order offenses, breach of the peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. The group said it gave advance warning that its “tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low and that we would deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining the celebration.”

It is currently unclear how many of those arrested were detained specifically for violating the Public Order Act, however, some of those arrested believe the new law was used against them.

“Make no mistake. There is no longer a right to peaceful protest in the UK,” Graham Smith, the CEO of anti-monarchy group Republic tweeted after getting arrested. “I have been told many times the monarch is there to defend our freedoms. Now our freedoms are under attack in his name.”

An Attempt to “Diminish” Protests

During a BBC Radio interview, Smith also said he believes the dozens of arrests were premeditated. 

“There was nothing that we did do that could possibly justify even being detained and arrested and held,” Smith claimed. 

“The whole thing was a deliberate attempt to disrupt and diminish our protest.”

Yasmine Ahmed, the U.K. Director of Human Rights Watch, also tweeted that the arrests were “disgraceful.”

“These are scenes you’d expect to see in Russia not the UK,” she wrote. 

When asked about the controversy, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters officers should  do “what they think is best” in an apparent show of support for the Metropolitan Police. 

For his part, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is looking into the matter.

“Some of the arrests made by police as part of the Coronation event raise questions and whilst investigations are ongoing, I’ve sought urgent clarity from Met leaders on the action taken,” Khan tweeted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (CNN) (The Washington Post)

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International

Foreign Nationals Make Mad Dash out of Sudan as Conflict Rages

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The conflict’s death toll has surpassed 420, with nearly 4,000 people wounded.


As the 10-day-long power struggle between rival generals tore Sudan apart, foreign governments with citizens in the country scrambled to evacuate them over the weekend.

On Sunday, U.S. special forces landed in the capital Khartoum and carried out nearly 100 American diplomats along with their families and some foreign nationals on helicopters.

An estimated 16,000 Americans, however, remain in the country and U.S. officials said in a statement that a broader evacuation mission would be too dangerous.

Christopher Maier, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity warfare, said in a statement that the Pentagon may assist U.S. citizens find safe routes out of Sudan.

“[The Defense Department] is at present considering actions that may include use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to be able to observe routes and detect threats,” he said.

Germany and France also reportedly pulled around 700 people out of the country.

More countries followed with similar efforts, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Indonesia.

Yesterday, a convoy carrying some 700 United Nations, NGO, and embassy staff drove to Port Sudan, a popular extraction point now that the airport in Khartoum has closed due to fighting.

Reports of gunmen prowling the capital streets and robbing people trying to escape, as well as looters breaking into abandoned homes and shops, have persuaded most residents to stay indoors.

Heavy gunfire, airstrikes, and artillery shelling have terrorized the city despite several proposed ceasefires.

Over the weekend, the reported death toll topped 420, with nearly 4,000 people injured, though both numbers are likely to be undercounted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (The New York Times) (The Washington Post)

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