South Korean and Russian warplanes face-off in rare mid-air confrontation - CNN

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff accused a Russian A-50 command and control military aircraft of twice violating South Korean airspace off the country's eastern coast on Tuesday morning.

The incursion came during what South Koreans officials believe was a joint Russian-Chinese military exercise. Two Chinese H-6 bombers had passed into Seoul's air identification zone just hours before, joined by another two Russian military planes, according to defense officials.

It is the first time a foreign country has violated South Korean airspace, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

The confrontation took place over disputed islands in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The two, small islands, known to the Koreans as Dokdo and to the Japanese as Takeshima, are claimed by both countries.

Japan also confirmed it scrambled fighter jets in response to the Russian incursion, Tuesday.

"We confirmed Russia's A50 has invaded Japan's airspace while two of Russian TU-95 bombers and two Chinese H-6 bombers flew around Japan. We took measures against the invasion" said a spokesman for the country's ministry of defense.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that two Tu-95 strategic bombers had carried out a planned flight in the airspace over neutral waters of the Sea of Japan (East Sea), and accused South Korean fighter pilots of acting inappropriately.

"(They) conduced unprofessional maneuvers by crossing the course of Russian strategic missile carriers, threatening their security," the ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

"South Korean pilots did not contact the crews of Tu-95ms, the F-16 fired a round of flares and carried out a maneuver, moving away from Russian aircraft."

When asked about the incident, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they weren't aware of the details and referred the question to the Defense Department.

South Korea, Russia point fingers

According to the South Korean military, the Russian A-50 flew above islands claimed by both South Korea and Japan, first at 9.09 a.m. local time and then again at 9.33 a.m., each time for just a matter of minutes.

In response, South Korea deployed F-15F and KF-16 fighter jets, the statement said, and fired 360 warning shots ahead of the Russian aircraft, 80 during the first violation and 280 during the second. The shots were fired using 20mm weapon, according to the Ministry of Defense.

The South Korean military said they also sent out 30 warnings to the Russian plane but received no response. The A-50 is an unarmed AWACS plane, standing for Airborne Warning and Control System, designed for tracking and observation.

South Korea said it was one of two incidents involving Russia Tuesday. According to the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff, two Chinese H-6 bombers entered the Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) at 6.44 a.m. local time and then 7.49 a.m., after which they met up with the two Russian TU-95 bombers. The four planes then entered the KADIZ together at about 8.40 a.m. and remained there for 24 minutes.

Airspace is defined as the area 12 nautical miles from a country's borders, which falls entirely under its control. An ADIZ is an area in which the controlling country demands identification, location and control of aircraft's direction, but doesn't necessarily have any rights of engagement under international law.

South Korea's KADIZ was first established in 1950 and most recently adjusted by Seoul in 2013.

But in their statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense made no mention of the A-50. Instead it accused the South Korean jets of behaving inappropriately towards the two Russian TU-95 bombers who were flying "over neutral waters."

"This is not the first time the South Korean pilots have unsuccessfully tried to prevent Russian aircraft from flying over the neutral waters," the Russian statement said, adding it didn't recognize South Korea's KADIZ.

It also denied that there was any "warning fire," adding if the Russian pilots had felt "any threat to their security, the response would not be long in coming."

War of words

Chung Eui-yong, director of South Korea's National Security Office, said that he had sent a "strong" message of complaint to the Russian authorities over the incident.

"We are taking this situation very seriously, and if this kind of action is repeated, we will take even stronger measures," Chung said, without detailing what those measures could be.

Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the United States' Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, said that shooting a warning shot in the air was "very very serious" and "very, very rare."

Schuster said that the fact shots were fired meant Seoul had viewed the violation as a serious and deliberate act, adding he couldn't explain why the Russian plane would come back again after the first warning.

"Penetrating to a point of requiring warning shots to turn away is normally the result of a deliberate decision to penetrate that airspace," he said.

Though East Asia is riven by numerous, long-standing territorial disputes, Russia and South Korea rarely come into conflict.

Top Russian and South Korean leaders at the G20 in Osaka, Japan, in June, where they praised their warming bilateral relations. Russian President Vladimir Putin said South Korea was "one of our key partners" in Asia.

It is the second tense incident involving the Russian military in East Asia in less than two months. On June 8 two vessels from the US and Russia almost collided in the Pacific, coming within 50 feet of each other.

The exact location of the standoff wasn't clear but it was believed to take place in the waters off the coast of China.

Relations between Beijing and Moscow have reached an "unprecedented" peak in the past year, according to Russia's Putin, including growing cooperation between their two militaries.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/23/asia/south-korea-russia-military-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-07-23 09:04:00Z
52780337956008

South Korean and Russian warplanes face-off in rare mid-air confrontation - CNN

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff accused a Russian A-50 command and control military aircraft of twice violating South Korean airspace off the country's eastern coast on Tuesday morning.

The incursion came during what South Koreans officials believe was a joint Russian-Chinese military exercise. Two Chinese H-6 bombers had passed into Seoul's air identification zone just hours before, joined by another two Russian military planes, according to defense officials.

It is the first time a foreign country has violated South Korean airspace, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that two Tu-95 strategic bombers had carried out a planned flight in the airspace over neutral waters of the Sea of Japan (East Sea), and accused South Korean fighter pilots of acting inappropriately.

"(They) conduced unprofessional maneuvers by crossing the course of Russian strategic missile carriers, threatening their security," the ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

"South Korean pilots did not contact the crews of Tu-95ms, the F-16 fired a round of flares and carried out a maneuver, moving away from Russian aircraft."

When asked about the incident, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they weren't aware of the details and referred the question to the Defense Department.

South Korea, Russia point fingers

The confrontation took place over disputed islands in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The two, small islands are known to the Koreans as Dokdo and to the Japanese as Takeshima. They're situated about halfway between both countries.

According to the South Korean military, the Russian A-50 flew above islands claimed by both South Korea and Japan, first at 9.09 a.m. local time and then again at 9.33 a.m., each time for just a matter of minutes.

In response, South Korea deployed F-15F and KF-16 fighter jets, the statement said, and fired 360 warning shots ahead of the Russian aircraft, 80 during the first violation and 280 during the second. The shots were fired using 20mm weapon, according to the Ministry of Defense.

The South Korean military said they also sent out 30 warnings to the Russian plane but received no response. The A-50 is an unarmed AWACS plane, standing for Airborne Warning and Control System, designed for tracking and observation.

South Korea said it was one of two incidents involving Russia Tuesday. According to the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff, two Chinese H-6 bombers entered the Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) at 6.44 a.m. local time and then 7.49 a.m., after which they met up with the two Russian TU-95 bombers. The four planes then entered the KADIZ together at about 8.40 a.m. and remained there for 24 minutes.

Airspace is defined as the area 12 nautical miles from a country's borders, which falls entirely under its control. An ADIZ is an area in which the controlling country demands identification, location and control of aircraft's direction, but doesn't necessarily have any rights of engagement under international law.

South Korea's KADIZ was first established in 1950 and most recently adjusted by Seoul in 2013.

But in their statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense made no mention of the A-50. Instead it accused the South Korean jets of behaving inappropriately towards the two Russian TU-95 bombers who were flying "over neutral waters."

"This is not the first time the South Korean pilots have unsuccessfully tried to prevent Russian aircraft from flying over the neutral waters," the Russian statement said, adding it didn't recognize South Korea's KADIZ.

It also denied that there was any "warning fire," adding if the Russian pilots had felt "any threat to their security, the response would not be long in coming."

War of words

Chung Eui-yong, director of South Korea's National Security Office, said that he had sent a "strong" message of complaint to the Russian authorities over the incident.

"We are taking this situation very seriously, and if this kind of action is repeated, we will take even stronger measures," Chung said, without detailing what those measures could be.

Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the United States' Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, said that shooting a warning shot in the air was "very very serious" and "very, very rare."

Schuster said that the fact shots were fired meant Seoul had viewed the violation as a serious and deliberate act, adding he couldn't explain why the Russian plane would come back again after the first warning.

"Penetrating to a point of requiring warning shots to turn away is normally the result of a deliberate decision to penetrate that airspace," he said.

Though East Asia is riven by numerous, long-standing territorial disputes, Russia and South Korea rarely come into conflict.

Top Russian and South Korean leaders at the G20 in Osaka, Japan, in June, where they praised their warming bilateral relations. Russian President Vladimir Putin said South Korea was "one of our key partners" in Asia.

It is the second tense incident involving the Russian military in East Asia in less than two months. On June 8 two vessels from the US and Russia almost collided in the Pacific, coming within 50 feet of each other.

The exact location of the standoff wasn't clear but it was believed to take place in the waters off the coast of China.

Relations between Beijing and Moscow have reached an "unprecedented" peak in the past year, according to Russia's Putin, including growing cooperation between their two militaries.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/23/asia/south-korea-russia-military-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-07-23 08:36:00Z
52780337956008

South Korean Jets Fires Warning Shots Toward Russian Military Plane - The New York Times

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said its air force jets fired hundreds of warning shots on Tuesday to ward off a Russian military plane that intruded upon its territorial airspace, the first such encounter between the countries in decades.

The Russian and Chinese aerial incursions into sensitive airspace between South Korea and Japan — two key American allies — was a daring challenge to Washington and Seoul.

Three Russian military planes, as well as two Chinese warplanes, on Tuesday entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone off its east coast, where foreign military aircraft must identify themselves in advance to South Korea, the South’s military said.

But one of the Russian planes, a Beriev A-50 early warning and control aircraft, flew closer to South Korea, intruding twice into its territorial airspace near Dokdo, a cluster of South Korean-held islets that are also claimed by Japan, the South Korean military said.

Both times, the Russian plane violated South Korea’s airspace for a few minutes, prompting South Korean F-15 and F-16 fighter jets operating nearby to fire 20 flares and 360 machine gun rounds as warning shots from a half mile away, the officials said. The South Korean jets took the action after the Russian plane did not answer repeated radio warnings.

The South Korean military provided no further details. But its officials said that it was highly unusual for Russian and Chinese planes to stage a joint flight mission over the sea between South Korea and Japan.

In recent years, long-range bombers and reconnaissance planes from the Russian and Chinese militaries have frequently entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone, prompting its air force to dispatch fighter jets to confront them.

But the episodes on Tuesday marked the first time in recent memory that a Russian warplane entered South Korea’s territorial airspace without approval, South Korean officials said.

Chung Eui-yong, the national security adviser for President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, sent a warning to his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Mr. Moon’s office said on Tuesday. It warned that South Korea would take “a far stronger action” if Russia tried similar maneuvers.

Seoul also planned to summon Russian and Chinese diplomats in South Korea to lodge a protest, officials said. And the Japanese government lodged a formal complaint against both the Russian maneuvers and South Korean machine gun barrage over “our territory,” the Kyodo News agency reported.

There was no immediate reaction from Moscow or Beijing.

Military planes that enter another country’s air defense identification zone must notify that country in advance, but in recent years countries in the region have often accused each other of violating that protocol. If a military plane enters the zone without proper notice, the host country may order it to leave, or dispatch military jets to confront the intruding aircraft.

In 2013, South Korea expanded its air defense identification zone for the first time in 62 years to include airspace over the East China Sea that is also claimed by China and Japan. With South Korea’s expansion, the air defense zones of all three countries now overlap over a submerged reef called Ieodo in South Korea and Suyan Rock in China.

South Korea expanded its air patrol zone two weeks after China stoked regional tensions by unilaterally expanding its own air patrol zone to include airspace over the reef. The expanded Chinese air control zone also covers a set of East China Sea islands, called Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese, which are at the heart of a territorial feud between Japan and China.

The overlapping zones have raised the risk of military tensions in the region.

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2019-07-23 08:03:45Z
52780337956008

South Korea fires 360 warning shots at Russian military aircraft - CNN

In a statement, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that a Russian A-50 command and control military aircraft twice violated South Korean airspace off the country's eastern coast on Tuesday morning.

The incursion came during what South Koreans officials believe was a joint Russian-Chinese military exercise. Two Chinese H-6 bombers had passed into Seoul's air identification zone just hours before, joined by another two Russian military planes.

CNN has reached out to be China and Russia for comment on the incident.

The South Korean military said the Russian A-50 flew above islands claimed by both South Korea and Japan, first at 9.09 a.m. local time and then again at 9.33 a.m., each time for just a matter of minutes.

The two, small disputed islands are known to the Koreans as Dokdo and to the Japanese as Takeshima. They're situated about halfway between both countries.

In response, South Korea deployed F-15F and KF-16 fighter jets, the statement said, and fired 360 warning shots ahead of the Russian aircraft, 80 during the first violation and 280 during the second. The shots were fired using 20mm weapon, according to the Ministry of Defense.

The South Korean military said they also sent out 30 warnings to the Russian plane but received no response. The A-50 is an unarmed AWACS plane, standing for Airborne Warning and Control System, designed for tracking and observation.

It is the first time a foreign country has violated South Korean airspace, according to the ministry.

Chung Eui-yong, director of South Korea's National Security Office, said that he had sent a "strong" message of complaint to the Russian authorities over the incident.

"We are taking this situation very seriously, and if this kind of action is repeated, we will take even stronger measures," Chung said, without detailing what those measures could be.

Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the United States' Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, said that shooting a warning shot in the air was "very very serious" and "very, very rare."

Schuster said that the fact shots were fired meant Seoul had viewed the violation as a serious and deliberate act, adding he couldn't explain why the Russian plane would come back again after the first warning.

"Penetrating to a point of requiring warning shots to turn away is normally the result of a deliberate decision to penetrate that airspace," he said.

It was one of two incidents involving South Korea, Tuesday. According to the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff, two Chinese H-6 bombers entered South Korea's Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) earlier on Tuesday.

Airspace is defined as the area 12 nautical miles from a country's borders, which falls entirely under its control. An ADIZ is an area in which the controlling country demands identification, location and control of aircraft's direction, but doesn't necessarily have any rights of engagement under international law.

South Korea's KADIZ was first established in 1950 and most recently adjusted by Seoul in 2013.

The two Chinese bombers entered the KADIZ at 6.44 a.m. local time and then 7.49 a.m., after which they met up with the two Russian TU-95 bombers. The four planes then entered the KADIZ together at about 8.40 a.m. and remained there for 24 minutes, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It isn't immediately clear whether the Russian A-50 intentionally violated South Korean airspace.

The incident is unusual. Though East Asia is riven by numerous, long-standing territorial disputes, Russia and South Korea rarely come into conflict.

Top Russian and South Korean leaders at the G20 in Osaka, Japan, in June, where they praised their warming bilateral relations. Russian President Vladimir Putin said South Korea was "one of our key partners" in Asia.

It is the second tense incident involving the Russian military in East Asia in less than two months. On June 8 two vessels from the US and Russia almost collided in the Pacific, coming within 50 feet of each other.

The exact location of the standoff wasn't clear but it was believed to take place in the waters off the coast of China.

Relations between Beijing and Moscow have reached an "unprecedented" peak in the epast year, according to Russia's Putin, including growing cooperation between their two militaries.

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2019-07-23 06:52:00Z
CAIiEAhxXpv4AjnGPmQz4h_RTAoqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowocv1CjCSptoCMPrTpgU

Hong Kong protests grow violent as masked assailants attack demonstrators, passengers at subway station - Fox News

Dozens of people were injured at a subway station in Hong Kong on Sunday when a mob of masked assailants attacked protesters and passengers in a dramatic escalation of violence amid ongoing protests in the Chinese territory.

The sudden assault came after police fired tear gas at those who failed to disband after a massive march by demonstrators still fighting a proposed extradition bill and calling for electoral reforms in Hong Kong.

Dozens of men stormed the Yuen Long MTR station around midnight, forcing open closed entrances before hurling objects and assaulting protesters, in addition to passengers, at the subway station.

HONG KONG MARCHERS PELT BEIJING LIAISON OFFICE WITH EGGS IN LATEST PROTEST

Hong Kong media released video showing masked assailants attacking commuters -- and protesters clad in their trademark black clothing and yellow hard hats -- in a subway station.

The attackers, meanwhile, were dressed in white and had black masks pulled over their heads. On Saturday, demonstrators had worn white at a counter-rally in support of police.

Footage from Apple Daily showed some of the attackers using umbrellas to beat people in the station and inside a subway car.

The South China Morning Post reported some people tried to fight back by hurling their helmets, and the Hospital Authority told the news outlet at least 45 people had been sent to nearby hospitals after the attacks.

Subway passengers, including one lawmaker, castigated police officers for allegedly failing to intervene.

This Sunday, July 21, 2019, image taken from a video, shows confrontation between masked assailants and protesters at Yuen Long MTR train station in Hong Kong. (Lam Cheuk-ting via AP)

Democratic lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting told Reuters the men appeared to target black-shirted passengers who had been at an anti-government march. Lam, who was wounded in the face and hospitalized, told the news agency police officers on the scene ignored his pleas to step in and help stop the attacks.

Protesters trying to return home in Hong Kong were attacked inside a train station by assailants who appeared to target the pro-democracy demonstrators. (Lam Cheuk-ting via AP)

“They deliberately turned a blind eye to these attacks by triads on regular citizens,” he told Reuters, saying the floors of the station were streaked with blood. “I won’t speculate on why they didn’t help immediately."

CLASHES ERUPT AS THOUSANDS MARCH IN HONG KONG AGAINST CHINESE TRADERS

The Hong Kong government said in a statement shortly after midnight that commuters were attacked at a subway station in the city's Yuen Long neighborhood, leading to "confrontations and injuries." The statement also said some "radical protesters initiated a series of violent acts...despite repeated warnings" by police. They said the acts included hurling petrol bombs, setting fires and throwing bricks.

This Sunday, July 21, 2019, image made from a video, shows fighting inside a train car in Hong Kong. Protesters trying to return home were attacked inside a train station by assailants who appeared to target the pro-democracy demonstrators. (Lam Cheuk-ting via AP)

"This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law," the statement said, referring to the acts of the subway attackers -- as well as the protesters.

Embattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam condemned the "shocking" violence, adding police will fully investigate the incident.

“Violence is not a solution to any problem. Violence will only breed more violence,” Lam said. “We absolutely do not tolerate such violence.”

Protesters react to tear gas during a confrontation with riot police in Hong Kong Sunday, July 21, 2019. (Eric Tsang/HK01 via AP)

Lam has declared the contentious extradition bill dead, but protesters are dissatisfied with her refusal to formally withdraw the legislation. Some are also calling for her to resign amid growing concerns about the steady erosion of civil rights in the city.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

The march on Sunday had been peaceful when it reached its police-designated endpoint in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district in the late afternoon, but thousands continued onward, at various points occupying key government and business districts. Organizers said 430,000 people participated in Sunday's march, while police said there were 138,000 during the procession's "peak period."

Hong Kong police launched tear gas at protesters Sunday after a massive pro-democracy march continued late into the evening. (Andy Lo/HK01 via AP)

The group then headed for the Liaison Office, which represents China's Communist Party-led central government within the city, where some protesters threw eggs at the building and spray-painted its surrounding surveillance cameras. China's national emblem, which adorns the front of the Liaison Office, was splattered with black ink. The Liaison Office said in comments published on Chinese state media that the acts "openly challenged the authority of the central government and touched the bottom line of the 'one country, two systems' principle."

A protestor kicks a tear gas canister during confrontation in Hong Kong Sunday, July 21, 2019. (Ming Ko/HK01 via AP)

Hong Kong, a former British colony, was handed back to China in 1997 and was promised certain democratic freedoms under the framework of "one country, two systems." Fueled by anger at Lam and an enduring distrust of the Communist Party-ruled central government in Beijing, the current demonstrations have ballooned into calls for electoral reform and an investigation into alleged police brutality at the protests.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-07-22 13:41:36Z
52780335250017

Hong Kong protests grow violent as masked assailants attack demonstrators, passengers at subway station - Fox News

Dozens of people were injured at a subway station in Hong Kong on Sunday when a mob of masked assailants attacked protesters and passengers in a dramatic escalation of violence amid ongoing protests in the Chinese territory.

The sudden assault came after police fired tear gas at those who failed to disband after a massive march by demonstrators still fighting a proposed extradition bill and calling for electoral reforms in Hong Kong.

Dozens of men stormed the Yuen Long MTR station around midnight, forcing open closed entrances before hurling objects and assaulting protesters, in addition to passengers, at the subway station.

HONG KONG MARCHERS PELT BEIJING LIAISON OFFICE WITH EGGS IN LATEST PROTEST

Hong Kong media released video showing masked assailants attacking commuters -- and protesters clad in their trademark black clothing and yellow hard hats -- in a subway station.

The attackers, meanwhile, were dressed in white and had black masks pulled over their heads. On Saturday, demonstrators had worn white at a counter-rally in support of police.

Footage from Apple Daily showed some of the attackers using umbrellas to beat people in the station and inside a subway car.

The South China Morning Post reported some people tried to fight back by hurling their helmets, and the Hospital Authority told the news outlet at least 45 people had been sent to nearby hospitals after the attacks.

Subway passengers, including one lawmaker, castigated police officers for allegedly failing to intervene.

This Sunday, July 21, 2019, image taken from a video, shows confrontation between masked assailants and protesters at Yuen Long MTR train station in Hong Kong. (Lam Cheuk-ting via AP)

Democratic lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting told Reuters the men appeared to target black-shirted passengers who had been at an anti-government march. Lam, who was wounded in the face and hospitalized, told the news agency police officers on the scene ignored his pleas to step in and help stop the attacks.

Protesters trying to return home in Hong Kong were attacked inside a train station by assailants who appeared to target the pro-democracy demonstrators. (Lam Cheuk-ting via AP)

“They deliberately turned a blind eye to these attacks by triads on regular citizens,” he told Reuters, saying the floors of the station were streaked with blood. “I won’t speculate on why they didn’t help immediately."

CLASHES ERUPT AS THOUSANDS MARCH IN HONG KONG AGAINST CHINESE TRADERS

The Hong Kong government said in a statement shortly after midnight that commuters were attacked at a subway station in the city's Yuen Long neighborhood, leading to "confrontations and injuries." The statement also said some "radical protesters initiated a series of violent acts...despite repeated warnings" by police. They said the acts included hurling petrol bombs, setting fires and throwing bricks.

This Sunday, July 21, 2019, image made from a video, shows fighting inside a train car in Hong Kong. Protesters trying to return home were attacked inside a train station by assailants who appeared to target the pro-democracy demonstrators. (Lam Cheuk-ting via AP)

"This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law," the statement said, referring to the acts of the subway attackers -- as well as the protesters.

Embattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam condemned the "shocking" violence, adding police will fully investigate the incident.

“Violence is not a solution to any problem. Violence will only breed more violence,” Lam said. “We absolutely do not tolerate such violence.”

Protesters react to tear gas during a confrontation with riot police in Hong Kong Sunday, July 21, 2019. (Eric Tsang/HK01 via AP)

Lam has declared the contentious extradition bill dead, but protesters are dissatisfied with her refusal to formally withdraw the legislation. Some are also calling for her to resign amid growing concerns about the steady erosion of civil rights in the city.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

The march on Sunday had been peaceful when it reached its police-designated endpoint in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district in the late afternoon, but thousands continued onward, at various points occupying key government and business districts. Organizers said 430,000 people participated in Sunday's march, while police said there were 138,000 during the procession's "peak period."

Hong Kong police launched tear gas at protesters Sunday after a massive pro-democracy march continued late into the evening. (Andy Lo/HK01 via AP)

The group then headed for the Liaison Office, which represents China's Communist Party-led central government within the city, where some protesters threw eggs at the building and spray-painted its surrounding surveillance cameras. China's national emblem, which adorns the front of the Liaison Office, was splattered with black ink. The Liaison Office said in comments published on Chinese state media that the acts "openly challenged the authority of the central government and touched the bottom line of the 'one country, two systems' principle."

A protestor kicks a tear gas canister during confrontation in Hong Kong Sunday, July 21, 2019. (Ming Ko/HK01 via AP)

Hong Kong, a former British colony, was handed back to China in 1997 and was promised certain democratic freedoms under the framework of "one country, two systems." Fueled by anger at Lam and an enduring distrust of the Communist Party-ruled central government in Beijing, the current demonstrations have ballooned into calls for electoral reform and an investigation into alleged police brutality at the protests.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-07-22 13:40:53Z
52780335250017

India launches 'historic' flight bound for the moon - USA TODAY

John Bacon USA TODAY

Published 9:10 AM EDT Jul 22, 2019

Days after the U.S. celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first human steps on the moon, India on Monday launched an unmanned flight bound for the far side of the moon.

If Chandrayaan2's lander Vikram successfully touches down as scheduled on Sept. 7, India will join the U.S., Russia and China as nations to successfully land on the moon. India hopes to complete a manned mission to the moon within three years.

Indian Space Research Organization's mission control center in the southern city of Sriharikota burst into applause after the launch.

"It is the beginning of a historical journey of India toward the moon," said K Sivan, head of the agency. "It is my duty to salute all the people who have done the work."

The launch helped wash away the disappointment felt across the nation just one week ago, when the launch was scrubbed less than an hour before ignition because of a "technical snag," according to the space agency.

Indian media later reported that a helium leak was to blame.

On Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reflected the nation's ride on Twitter in a series of tweets.

"Indian at heart, Indian in spirit!" he tweeted. "Efforts such as #Chandrayaan2 will further encourage our bright youngsters towards science, top quality research and innovation."

U.S. flights took just a few days to arrive at the moon. In order to save fuel, India is using a circuitous route relying on the slingshot effect of the Earth's gravity. For more than three weeks, Chandrayaan – which translates to mooncraft in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language – will first orbit the Earth before making its way to a lunar orbit.

The lander Vikram will separate from the orbiter and perform a series of complex maneuvers aimed at slowing its approach. Imaging of the landing area will be used to find a "hazard-free zone" for a soft landing in a high plain between two craters, the space agency said.

The lander's 14-day mission focus on the search for water and minerals and will attempt to measure moonquakes. 

India's first lunar mission, more than a decade ago with Chandrayaan1, did not land on the moon but conducted a search for water using radar.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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2019-07-22 13:10:00Z
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