Hong Kong Government Bans Pro-Independence Political Party

BEIJING (Sputnik) - The Hong Kong government has officially banned the Hong Kong National Party, advocating the idea of Hong Kong turning from a Chinese special administrative region into an independent sovereign state, Hong Kong Secretary for Security John Lee said in a statement.

"In exercise of the power conferred on the Secretary for Security by section 8(2) of the Societies Ordinance, I hereby order that the operation or continued operation of the Hong Kong National Party in Hong Kong be prohibited," the statement read.

The order took effect just after the statement was released.

In July, the Hong Kong police called for the party to be banned over security concerns, claiming that members of the party were drafting plans on making Hong Kong independent, and were also trying to implement these plans.

While the party was given 21 days to provide written arguments on why it should not be banned, with the deadline having been extended three times, it still failed to do so in due time.

The Hong Kong National Party's convenor Chan Ho-tin was banned from running for the Hong Kong Legislative Council in 2016 due to his pro-independence stances, with the local government claiming that Hong Kong's independence would not comply with the Chinese constitutional principle of "One country, two systems."

Southern China's region Hong Kong, which used to be a British colony since 1842, was returned to China in 1997 on the condition that the Chinese government would adhere to the "one country, two systems" concept, which means the region would remain capitalist and would not comply with the Chinese socialist system until 2047.

https://sputniknews.com/asia/201809241068276860-hong-kong-party-independence-ban/

In Stunning Theft, $104 Million In Banknotes Disappears From Liberian Central Bank

Liberia is still struggling with the aftermath of the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the stubbornly low prices of coffee and other commodities that its exporters rely on to bring in badly needed foreign capital. But to the country's lengthy list of problems, we can now add one more.

At the end of the day, the people of Liberia will bear the brunt of this theft as already unmanageable inflation in the price of staples like rice grows immeasurably worse.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-22/stunning-theft-104-million-banknotes-disappears-liberian-central-bank

IRGC Deputy Head Vows ‘Devastating’ Response to US, Israel After Parade Attack

Hossein Salami, a deputy head of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has commented on the attack on a military parade in southern Iran on Saturday, which claimed the lives of 25 people, including 12 members of the IRGC, and left 53 injured.

In a televised speech on Monday before the funeral of the victims in Ahvaz, Salami blasted the United States and Israel over the deadly attack.

"You have seen our revenge before… You will see that our response will be crushing and devastating and you will regret what you have done," Hossein Salami said.

Iran's intelligence minister said a "large" network of suspects have been arrested in relation to the attack on the military parade, according to Mizan News Agency.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards reportedly promised "deadly and unforgettable" retaliation against attackers at a military parade in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz on September 23.

On Saturday, armed terrorists opened fire at a military parade, leaving at least 28 people dead and injuring another 60, according to media reports.

Following the incident, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the US-backed states of the region of being responsible for the terrorist attack.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201809241068276357-iran-us-israel-devastating-response/