The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

HK protesters prepare for long haul
Demonstrations become a major headache for Beijing ahead of Chinese National Day

Hong Kong, September 30
Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters filled the streets of Hong Kong late on Tuesday, stockpiling supplies and erecting makeshift barricades ahead of what some fear may be a push by the police to clear the roads before Chinese National Day.

On the eve of Wednesday's anniversary of the Communist Party's foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, crowds poured into central districts of the Asian financial hub, near where National Day festivities are scheduled to take place.

There was a carnival atmosphere among demonstrators, in contrast to weekend clashes when the riot police fired pepper spray and tear gas to quell the unrest. Nevertheless, rumours have spread among protesters that the police could be preparing to move in again, as the pro-Beijing government, which has called the demonstrations illegal, vowed to go ahead with celebrations.

"Many powerful people from the mainland will come to Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government won't want them to see this, so the police must do something," Sui-ying Cheng, 18, a freshman at Hong Kong University's School of Professional and Continuing Education, said of the National Day holiday. "We are not scared. We will stay here tonight. Tonight is the most important," she said.

Online student groups urged supporters to move towards the convention centre, near the harbour waterfront, ahead of a planned flag-raising ceremony there on Wednesday morning.

Student leaders had given Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying an ultimatum to come out and address the protesters before midnight on Tuesday, threatening to escalate action in the next few days to occupy more government facilities, buildings and public roads if he failed to do so.

The protesters, mostly students, are demanding full democracy and have called on Leung to step down after Beijing ruled a month ago that it would vet candidates wishing to run for Hong Kong's leadership in 2017.

While Leung has said Beijing would not back down in the face of protests, he also said Hong Kong police would be able to maintain security without help from People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops from the mainland.

In a blog post published shortly before the students' deadline, Leung urged city residents to abandon the protest movement, widely known as "Occupy Central", immediately.

"The impact on the value of Hong Kong's international image is becoming greater and greater," he wrote. "I hope you will all think about this."

China rules Hong Kong under a "one country, two systems" formula that accords the former British colony a degree of autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, with universal suffrage set as an eventual goal. Organisers said as many as 80,000 people thronged the streets after demonstrations flared on Friday night. — Reuters

Stockpiling supplies

n Protesters set up supply stations with water bottles, fruit, crackers, disposable raincoats, towels, goggles, face masks and tents, indicating they were in for a long haul

n Some lugged metal road barricades into positions on the edge of crowds, presumably to slow a police advance

n In at least one location, several minivans and a truck were parked in rows in an apparent effort to block a road

n Protest organisers urged citizens to donate more yellow ribbons — another symbol of the protests — and goggles to protect against tear gas and pepper spray

Financial fallout

n Hong Kong shares were down 1.5 per cent on Tuesday, its second straight fall. Chinese shares were less troubled, perhaps because news of the protests in Hong Kong was hard to come by on the mainland.

n The Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the de facto central bank, said 37 branches or offices of 21 different banks had been temporarily closed because of the protests.

n Some businesses have been directly affected, including luxury retailers in the Causeway Bay shopping mecca where protesters hunkered down.

The world reacts

n Washington has urged the Hong Kong authorities "to exercise restraint and for protesters to express their views peacefully", according to a White House spokesman on Monday.

n The protests have also been watched closely in Taiwan, which has full democracy but is considered by Beijing as a renegade province that must one day be reunited with the mainland.

n British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed deep concern about the clashes between protesters and police.

n The United States, Australia and Singapore have issued travel alerts.

Afghanistan, US sign troop pact

Kabul, September 30
Afghanistan and the United States today signed a deal to allow some US troops to stay in the country next year, signaling that new President Ashraf Ghani intends to mend frayed ties with Washington.

security agreement: Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar (R) and US Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham after signing a deal in Kabul on Tuesday. AFP

Hamid Karzai, who stepped down as president yesterday, refused to sign the deal in a disagreement that symbolised the breakdown of Afghan-US relations after the optimism of 2001 when the Taliban were ousted from power.

Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar and US Ambassador James Cunningham inked the document at a ceremony in the presidential palace in Kabul as Ghani stood behind the pair looking on.

"The signing sends the message that President Ghani fulfills his commitments. He promised it would be signed the day after inauguration," Daoud Sultanzoy, a senior aide of Ghani's, told AFP before the ceremony.

"It shows the president's commitment to the Afghan security forces and confidence in our future relationship with the US. We are replacing uncertainty with certainty." US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the deal would "enable Afghanistan, the United States and the international community to maintain the partnership we've established to ensure Afghanistan maintains and extends the gains of the past decade." US-led NATO combat troops are due to withdraw by the end of this year, lending added urgency to reaching an agreement on a residual force.

A parallel deal between Afghanistan and NATO was also due to be signed today. Troops from Germany, Italy and other NATO members will join a force of 9,800 US soldiers, bringing numbers up to about 12,500.

The new mission - named Resolute Support - will focus on training and supporting the Afghan army and police as they take on the Taliban insurgents.

Negotiations over the pact saw Karzai at his most unpredictable as he added new demands, shifted positions and infuriated the United States, Afghanistan's biggest donor.

He eventually refused to sign the agreement despite a "loya jirga" grand assembly which he convened voting for him to do so. There was also widespread public support for US troops to stay. On the campaign trail, both Ghani and his poll rival Abdullah Abdullah vowed to reverse Karzai's decision. — AFP

IS releases third video of British hostage

London, September 30
A new propaganda video featuring John Cantlie, a British photojournalist captured almost two years ago by Islamic State group in Syria, reading scripted messages has been released by the dreaded terrorist outfit.

Cantlie, seen wearing an orange Guantanamo-style jumpsuit in the five-and-a-half minute video, delivers a speech directly to the camera using a sing-song tone, attacking US President Barack Obama's strategy in Iraq and Syria.

The 43-year-old criticises US tactics of using air strikes and proxy Kurdish and Iraqi ground forces against the Islamic State group, also known as ISIL or ISIS.

It was unclear where the video — introduced with the title Lend Me Your Ears and Messages FromThe British Detainee John Cantlie — was made. — PTI

Brazil Prez poll: Rousseff extends lead over Silva

Brasilia, September 30
President Dilma Rousseff's expected victory margin over closest rival Marina Silva has surged to nine percentage points in a second-round runoff in Brazil's presidential election, an opinion poll showed on Monday, causing stocks and the real currency to tumble.

Rousseff would win the runoff with 47.7 per cent of the votes against 38.7 per cent for Silva, polling firm MDA said, widening her lead from the one-point advantage she had in the previous survey by the firm last week.

Another survey released later on Monday by the Vox Populi polling firm showed Rousseff with a seven-point lead over Silva in a runoff, unchanged from a week earlier.

Polls by MDA and Vox Populi are not as closely followed as surveys by the bigger research firms Datafolha and Ibope, which use larger samples of voters and conduct polls more frequently.

The first round of Brazil's presidential election is on Sunday. No candidate is expected to win more than 50 per cent of the valid votes, which would trigger a runoff round between the top two vote-getters on October 26.

The election is being closely watched by many investors who would like to see Silva, a popular environmentalist who has embraced pro-market policies, unseat leftist Rousseff and end 12 years of Workers' Party rule. — Reuters