Putin plays with f ire in his new doctrine
Of late Vladimir Putin has shifted Russia’s nuclear doctrine to a more directly and openly retaliatory posture in response to any attack by Ukraine or any NATO country using longer-range US missiles.
The pro-democracy protesters on Friday decided a major rally on January 1, 2020, after three straight days of Christmas demonstrations and confrontations with police that led to more than 310 arrests.
According to the police, a total of 310 protesters have been arrested between Tuesday or Thursday and 165 of them on Christmas Eve, including 105 near the force’s headquarters in Wan Chai, on suspicion of taking part in an illegal assembly.
Earlier on Thursday, riot police were out in force with officers spraying blue dye and subduing several protesters.
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Meanwhile, the January 1 rally has been organised by the Civil Human Rights Front, which has organised the biggest protests over the past seven months since the unrest began.
On Christmas, the city’s anti-government demonstrators chanted pro-democracy slogans as police fired tear gas to disperse crowds gathering on nearby streets.
The massive violent protests in Hong Kong started nearly six months ago in June against proposals to allow extradition to mainland China, a move many feared would undermine the city’s judicial independence and endanger dissidents.
The controversial China extradition bill was withdrawn in early September but the movement has morphed into a wider campaign for greater democracy and against alleged police brutality.
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