Shooting at Michigan splash pad leaves 'nine, maybe 10 victims:' authorities
Several people have been wounded in a shooting at a splash pad in Rochester Hills, authorities said Saturday.
China's senior official overseeing Hong Kong's affairs said Saturday that protests are not the only way for people to express their views, weeks after the city's strict protest rules sparked controversy while signaling Beijing's vision for the financial hub.
Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, said the anti-government movement sparked by an extradition bill in 2019 is a scar that will not fade away and he warned against a repeat of such chaos.
Xia's remarks at a ceremony on China's National Security Education Day indicated Beijing's views on the city, which is promoting its return to normalcy following strict pandemic-related restrictions and political turmoil over the past three years.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 and was promised it could keep its Western-style civil liberties intact for 50 years after the handover. But after the enactment of a Beijing-imposed national security law following the 2019 protests, many activists were jailed or silenced amid a crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement. Major protests were also rare under the strict COVID-19 rules.
In late March, Hong Kong saw its first authorized protest against a government policy since the lifting of major pandemic restrictions under unprecedentedly strict rules, with demonstrators made to wear numbered badges around their necks. That sparked a debate over the erosion of freedom of assembly.
"Demonstrations are not the only way to express one's interests and demands," Xia said Saturday, noting that there is no contradiction between safeguarding national security and expressing one's views.
Past experiences have shown that causes centred on environmental protection and livelihood issues can be easily hijacked, he said.
"People's good will can be easily exploited and manipulated by others with ulterior motives," he said. "Demands on livelihood issues can even be distorted into political issues and that eventually trigger social confrontation."
He said a confrontational society has no future, calling on Hong Kong to build a climate for rational communication.
"I hope Hong Kong can host exhibitions, develop innovation and technology, strive for economic development, have horse races, dances, stock activities, and earn some money every day," he said.
Xia also described the 2019 protests as Hong Kong's version of a "colour revolution" and said the city cannot allow its district councils to be controlled by anti-China and "destabilizing" forces.
The city's district councillors largely handle municipal matters such as organizing construction projects and ensuring that public facilities are in order. But the pro-democracy camp's landslide victory in the 2019 election took on symbolic importance at the height of the social movement more than three years ago.
Local media earlier quoted sources reporting that authorities planned to conduct an overhaul of electoral rules for the district council poll, which is expected to take place later this year.
In 2021, the city amended its electoral laws for its legislature, drastically reducing the public's ability to vote and increasing the number of pro-Beijing lawmakers making decisions for the city.
Beijing's crackdown on Hong Kong has also had an impact on Taiwan's politics. While it is still unclear how the Hong Kong situation will affect the self-ruled island democracy's presidential and legislative elections next year, the 2019 protests in Hong Kong were seen as a major reason behind Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's victory in 2020.
Several people have been wounded in a shooting at a splash pad in Rochester Hills, authorities said Saturday.
Canadians would get more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits each year through an automatic tax filing system, according to a report published by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).
The owner of a northern Ont. camp is continuing to clean up after an intense storm that prompted a tornado warning Thursday ripped through the area breaking his dock and downing trees.
The City of Calgary declared a local state of emergency Saturday morning in response to the latest developments in a major water main break that is impacting the city.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has concerns with how conclusions were gathered in a spy watchdog report.
London put on a display of birthday pageantry Saturday for King Charles III, a military parade that marked the Princess of Wales ' first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis early this year.
36-year-old Daniel Callihan was arrested Thursday after a 35-year-old mother was found dead and her two abducted daughters were later discovered in Mississippi – one dead and the other alive – in what investigators say may be a human trafficking case.
Vancouver police are warning the public that the man who stabbed a stranger in a downtown coffee shop in January 2022 has been released and will be living in the city again.
Late Friday afternoon, the City of Calgary held a media availability to deliver an update on the status of the 16 Avenue water main break that delivered shocking news.
Fancy Pokket owner Mike Timani has decided to create a 220-foot long flat bread to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
If certain goals that are in the Paris Climate Accord aren't met, the existence of polar bears in the Hudson Bay may come to an end.
In an attempt to invite one of the most popular recording artists in the world to the land of living skies – the City of Swift Current has offered to rename itself in honour of Taylor Swift.
More than a dozen dogs arrived by Cargojet early Thursday morning to the People for Animal Wellbeing Shelter to find a permanent place to call home in New Brunswick.
Peggy's Cove, N.S., is one of the most famous locations in the Maritimes. Recent visitors were treated to more than just the iconic landmark.
Hundreds of fans lined up to meet the Trailer Park Boys in Dartmouth, N.S., Tuesday, as Ricky, Bubbles and Julian promoted their new brand of potato chips.
Car break-ins plague Canadians across the country, but instead of worrying about theft, a northern Ontario woman is cleaning up a big mess that she says will not be covered by insurance after a black bear broke into her Honda Civic and took a nap.
Members of a Hutterite colony in southern Alberta have potentially built the world's tallest structure made of Popsicle sticks.
A dog who spent the first three-and-a-half years of his life suffering and almost a year at a shelter has found his forever home, according to the BC SPCA.