Jeremy Corbyn reveals 'evidence' the UK's NHS is part of US trade talks - CNN International

The Labour leader held up the documents during a speech in Westminster, which he said covered six rounds of talks in both Washington and London from July 2017 up until "just a few months ago."

"We are talking here about secret talks for a deal with Donald Trump after Brexit," Corbyn said.

He said said this deal "could lead to runaway privatization of our health service."

Johnson has previously denied that the NHS would be part of any US-UK trade negotiations and that his government would continue to fund it.

On November 19, speaking in a televised head-to-head debate with Corbyn he said: "There are no circumstance whatever in which this government or any Conservative government will put the NHS on the table in any trade negotiation. Our NHS will never be for sale."

And on Wednesday, Johnson repeated on Twitter: "Our NHS will not be on the table for any trade negotiations. We're protecting and strengthening our NHS with more investment and an Australian style, points-based immigration system."

However, Corbyn says the uncensored documents -- totaling 451 pages -- are evidence of the Prime Minister's "secret agenda" and "leave Boris Johnson's denials in absolute tatters."

"Now we know the truth when Johnson says 'Get Brexit Done,' it's a fraud on the British people."

NHS workers -- including some in uniform and even one wearing a stethoscope -- handed out the unredacted documents to journalists in the room.

Corbyn said the documents prove that "this election is now a fight for the survival of our National Health Service."

"Labour will never, ever treat our NHS as a bargaining chip in trade talks with anybody," the opposition Labour leader told the crowd at the press conference. "We will never let Donald Trump get his hands on our NHS. Because our NHS is not for sale."

Corbyn added that the documents also show that negotiations were ongoing to open the NHS up to American pharmaceutical companies -- potentially leading to a rise in UK drug prices.

"Lives will be put at risk as a result of this," he added.

The Labour leader urged Johnson to "come clean on what the Conservatives' sell-out plan for our NHS is."

CNN's Martin Goillandeau and Sarah Dean contributed reporting.

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2019-11-27 11:21:45Z
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Huge leaks are exposing Xinjiang's re-education camps. But don't expect Beijing to back down - CNN

Beijing has long insisted that its vast camps are voluntary "vocational training centers," where people learn job skills and are then free to leave.

Yet the leaks paint a grim picture of heavily fortified re-education centers, designed to turn Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities into good Chinese citizens who also speak Mandarin.

And the students can't leave until they have become just that.

There has been nothing yet to indicate the documents are fake -- both the New York Times and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists have published the original versions or verbatim copies on their websites. Even China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not directly disputed their authenticity.

"For all its efforts at secrecy, the Chinese government can no longer hide the extent, and the reach, of its campaign of repression in Xinjiang," regional expert Adrian Zenz wrote in an opinion piece in the New York Times this week.

The leaks are hugely embarrassing for Beijing, and there is almost certainly a hunt for the culprit happening now.

But don't expect the Chinese government to demolish the camps and apologize.

The crackdown followed a series of terrorist attacks in the far western region, which has a long history of unrest and protests. Beijing often states that there hasn't been a major incident in the region since 2015, something it attributes to the government's highly controversial policies.

And as far as Beijing is concerned, the world is on its side. By its numbers, more countries have publicly voiced support for China's controversial anti-radicalization policies than opposed them.

23 versus 54

The leaked documents are far from the first revelation of human rights violations inside the Xinjiang camps.

Ever since the Chinese government first began setting up the centers in 2017, former and current detainees -- as well as their relatives -- have gone public with horror stories from the inside. CNN has published stories of a Uyghur journalist who condemned the campaign as "cultural genocide," and a former teacher in the camps who described brainwashing and abuse behind barbed wire.

The US State Department has estimated that up to two million Uyghurs and other minorities could be imprisoned. In October, Washington announced visa restrictions on Chinese officials associated with the camps.

But the reports and condemnation haven't provoked any public back-down from the Chinese government. If anything, it has stuck to its guns even harder.

"Let me reiterate our position that Xinjiang affairs are China's internal affairs," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Monday after the latest leak.

"Certain media are trying to smear China's counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts in Xinjiang by despicably hyping up Xinjiang-related issues, but their attempts will not succeed. Stability, ethnic solidarity and harmony in Xinjiang is the best response to such disinformation."

In July, one of Xinjiang's top government officials claimed the camps were mostly empty, which subsequent investigations suggest is untrue. There is even evidence the local government is extending its crackdown to erase traditional Uyghur graveyards in Xinjiang.

From China's perspective, there is not a consensus against them in the international community.

At the UN General Assembly in late October, 23 mostly Western countries came forward to make a strong, official statement criticizing Beijing's Xinjiang detention centers. In response, Belarus issued a statement claiming 54 countries were in support of the Xinjiang system. Not all signatories were revealed, but a similar statement in July included several Muslim countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran.

With some of the world's most prominent Muslim nations signaling their support, why would China back down in the face of a few leaks?

Olympic-sized worries

One event has the potential to tip the balance. In February 2022, Beijing is due to host the Winter Olympics for the first time -- and China is sparing no expense

The 2008 Summer Olympics in the Chinese capital were a spectacular re-emergence on the world stage for a country that was heavily impoverished just a few decades ago.

Now the government wants to repeat that moment. But if the revelations over Xinjiang continue to mount, and Western condemnation grows, there could be significant pressure on countries to boycott the 2022 Games.

Some commentators are already suggesting that the international community could use the games to send a strong message.

Writing for the Diplomat in his capacity as a private citizen, US Navy Lieutenant Commander Evan Karlik said a coordinated international boycott would be an "embarrassing flop for Beijing."

He said such a boycott would be similar to the one in 1980,when 56 countries dropped out of the 1980 Moscow Olympics in protest over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

"President Donald Trump and the United States Olympic Committee should jointly announce that the American delegation will boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics unless Xinjiang's internment camps are shuttered and subsequently demolished," he said.

Still, the Chinese government remains adamant that its policies in Xinjiang have made the region safer and more prosperous.

And it is a rare day when Beijing backs down -- even in the face of global condemnation.

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2019-11-27 09:26:00Z
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Like Trump, China's Xi needs 'phase one' deal for a political win at home, expert says - CNBC

President Donald Trump (L) shakes hand with China's President Xi Jinping at the end of a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017.

Fred Dufour | AFP | Getty Images

Chinese President Xi Jinping has had a "horrible couple weeks" politically — and he's not likely to sign a "phase one" trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump without any roll back in existing tariffs, one expert said.

"China has politics the same as U.S. has politics. Trump has to play to his base, Xi has to worry about his internal politics, he has to worry about his standing within the party," Steve Okun, senior advisor at consultancy McLarty Associates, told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Wednesday.

Any trade deal between the two countries "needs to be a win-win," Okun said, and delaying new tariffs may not work.

In light of political challenges facing Xi such as Hong Kong, Okun said he can't see the Chinese leader signing an agreement "in which he gets nothing other than the postponement of new tariffs."

In addition to the stalemate in the U.S.-China trade negotiations, the protests in Hong Kong could be another major challenge to Xi's authoritative rule, according to political commentators and media reports.

The former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has seen widespread demonstrations since early June, some of which have led to violent clashes between protesters and the police.

President Xi is not in a great position right now, he's had a horrible couple weeks; President Trump has had a horrible couple weeks. Both sides really should be looking for a win-win...

Steve Okun

McLarty Associates

Those protests also led to the U.S. Congress passing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act last week, which many saw as a way to pressure China to refrain from violently cracking down on protesters. The bill comes at a time when both sides are negotiating a "phase one" deal, and Trump has called the Hong Kong situation a "complicating factor" in trade talks.

However, trade experts, including Okun, said Hong Kong wouldn't be a direct hurdle to the U.S. and China reaching a deal. The bigger issue is whether Trump would roll back existing tariffs — as China has repeatedly called for — at a time when Xi appears to need a political boost back home, said Okun.

That's especially so after China has seemingly addressed some of the U.S. concerns by agreeing to increase agricultural purchases, open up China's financial sector and strengthen intellectual property rights, explained Okun.

"President Xi is not in a great position right now, he's had a horrible couple weeks; President Trump has had a horrible couple weeks. Both sides really should be looking for a win-win, they haven't to date," he said.

WATCH: What is Hong Kong's relationship with China?

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2019-11-27 07:49:00Z
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At least 14 killed, 325 injured, as 6.4-magnitude earthquake strikes Albania - CNN

The quake, which had a preliminary rating of 6.4 magnitude, hit the European nation at an approximate depth of 20 kilometers (12 miles) early Tuesday local time, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The epicenter was in the port city of Durres, about 36 kilometers (22 miles) from the capital Tirana. Social media videos from the area show several buildings have collapsed.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's office revised the death toll upwards several times on Tuesday. At least four victims died in Durres, a spokesperson for Rama told CNN. Another two died in Thumane, one person died after jumping from a building in panic in Kurbin, and one victim died while driving on a badly damaged road in Lezhe, the spokesperson added.

The health ministry had earlier confirmed that at least 325 people were injured in the quake, and the Prime Minister's office has said that several people are still missing.

Nearby Bosnia and Herzegovina was also struck by an earthquake on Tuesday morning, the country's interior ministry told CNN. That quake had a 5.4 magnitude rating.

Rama said nearby countries, including Italy and Greece, have been assisting Albania with the recovery operation, while other European leaders have also offered their assistance.

Schools have been closed in three cities -- Durres, Lezhe and Tirana -- until further notice.

Correction: This story has been updated to amend the distance between the quake's epicenter and Tirana.

CNN's Stephanie Halasz, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Karley Wilson contributed to this article.

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2019-11-26 13:41:00Z
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Albania hit by 6.4-magnitude earthquake, killing at least 7, injuring 300 - The Washington Post

Albania was struck Nov. 26 by its strongest earthquake in decades. It killed at least seven people and injured 300.

ROME — Albania was struck early Tuesday by its strongest earthquake in decades, killing at least seven and injuring 300 according to the Associated Press, raising fears that more people might be buried under the rubble.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.4-magnitude earthquake caused tremors throughout the Balkans into southern Italy. Its epicenter was along Albania’s western coast, just north of the port city of Durrës. The earthquake came just before 4 a.m. local time and originated from a fairly shallow depth, just 12 miles underground. Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones, because their waves lose less energy before reaching the surface.

The Associated Press said that three apartment buildings had fallen during the night and it was unknown how many people might be trapped.

Citing Albania’s Defense Ministry, the AP said that one person who lived 30 miles north of the capital, Tirana, died after jumping from his home in an attempt to escape. According to Reuters, two other women were found in the rubble of an apartment building in the town of Thumanë.

Albania’s president, Ilir Meta, said on Twitter that the situation was “dramatic” in that town, and that everything must be done to save people “stuck under the ruins.”

A government spokesman said that more than 300 people have received medical help at hospitals in Tirana and Durrës.

Videos on social media showed collapsed and damaged buildings, cars demolished by rubble, cracks in sidewalk, and people fleeing into the streets after the shaking. Rescue teams waded through rubble, carrying stretchers, as volunteers mounted their own efforts.

Hektor Pustina

AP

People stand near a damaged building after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Durres, western Albania, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019.

Three aftershocks, with magnitudes between 5.1 and 5.4, followed in the aftermath of the initial quake. Another earthquake, with a recorded magnitude of 5.4, was reported to the north in Bosnia.

“Our country was hit by a wave of earthquakes like never before in the darkness of the early hours of today!” Meta said in a statement. “It is important to work with dedication and professionalism to save every human life under the rubble of buildings and to help the injured. It is important to identify residents who cannot return to their homes and who need housing.”

Italy and Greece were among the countries offering to assist in the rescue work.

Albania is one of Europe’s poorest countries and has been in long discussions to join the European Union.

It is the second time in two months that Albania has been hit by a significant earthquake. In September, a 5.6-magnitude tremor hit roughly the same area and caused dozens of injuries. It was said to be Albania’s most powerful earthquake in 30 years.

Read more

In Albania, age-old traditions and Mediterranean beaches on the cheap

A terrifying preview of ‘The Big One’ — a giant quake that may hit Southern California

Scientists claim progress in earthquake prediction

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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2019-11-26 09:54:00Z
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Stung by Hong Kong vote, China slams Reuters report on liaison office shake-up - The Washington Post

Ng Han Guan AP Protesters in Hong Kong hold up their hands to represent their five demands in front of the Chinese and Hong Kong flags on Nov. 15. Local elections in the financial center on Sunday delivered a rebuke to Beijing.

BEIJING — China’s Communist Party admonished the Reuters news agency Tuesday over what the party called a “false report” about a move to replace the head of the government’s Hong Kong liaison office for failing to foresee the resounding defeat of the pro-Beijing establishment in local elections last weekend.

Reuters reported Tuesday that the Chinese leadership had set up a crisis command center in a luxury villa on the outskirts of Shenzhen, on the mainland side of the border with Hong Kong, to deal with the long-running political unrest in the semiautonomous financial hub.

The report said Beijing was considering replacing its most senior official stationed in Hong Kong, liaison office director Wang Zhimin, because it was dissatisfied with his handling of the crisis.

In a stunning rebuke to Beijing, Hong Kong residents gave an overwhelming majority to pro-democracy candidates running in local elections held Sunday. Voters handed control of 17 of the territory’s 18 councils to representatives who oppose China’s increasing influence, giving the pro-democracy camp greater say in the choice of Hong Kong’s next leader.

The Foreign Ministry’soffice in Hong Kong said Tuesday that it had lodged “solemn representations” with Reuters about the “false report.” It said it had urged the agency “to uphold a true, professional and responsible attitude, and immediately stop spreading false information.”

In Hong Kong elections, big defeat for elites pressures Beijing to rethink approach]

The ministry has insisted throughout the six months of protests in Hong Kong that the unrest is an internal domestic matter and that China will never waver from the “one country, two systems” formula under which Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.

Under that framework, Hong Kong is supposed to enjoy a degree of autonomy and relative political freedom until 2047, but its residents are bristling at Beijing’s increasingly muscular control over the territory. Tensions burst into the open in June, when the Beijing-backed Hong Kong government moved to implement a law that would have allowed Hong Kongers to be extradited to the mainland.

Ju Peng

AP

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, right, with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam in Shanghai earlier this month.

Hong Kong has a much stronger and more transparent rule of law than the mainland, and many residents feared that the proposal, which has since been scrapped, could be used to target Beijing’s critics.

The Reuters report, which cited Chinese officials briefed on the discussions, said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other top officials have been receiving daily written briefings from the villa, named “Bauhinia” after the flower emblem of Hong Kong, bypassing the liaison office in Hong Kong.

Embattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam had attended meetings there, according to the report, which could not be independently verified.

[Xi must be dismayed: Chinese leader fighting fires on all fronts

China’s leaders appear increasingly vexed about how to deal with the unrest in Hong Kong, analysts say, as a months-long crackdown marked by thousands of arrests has only hardened public opinion against Beijing. Having repeatedly refused to offer concessions, Beijing finds itself with few options.

“I don’t think they’re going to change their strategy,” said Jeff Wasserstrom, a professor at the University of California at Irvine and the author of an upcoming book on Hong Kong’s political crisis. “I don’t see any reason to think they are going to make any major concessions.”

Beijing has blamed the protests on outside forces, led by the United States, eager to foment unrest and undermine the Communist Party. It apparently sees evidence of that in the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act just passed by Congress, which is intended to safeguard political freedoms in Hong Kong and pave the way for sanctions against those who undermine those rights.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned Ambassador Terry Branstad on Monday to “lodge stern representations and strong protest” against the passage of the act.

China urged the United States to “correct its mistake immediately” and “stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China’s other internal affairs,” Zheng told Branstad, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

On Tuesday, at her first news conference since the election, Hong Kong leader Lam declined to offer any concessions to protesters, who are calling for an independent probe into police brutality, genuine universal suffrage and other measures. She said Beijing did not blame her for voters’ rejection of pro-Beijing parties and endorsement of the democracy movement.

The central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong serves to propagate Beijing’s influence in the city, report back on political developments and forge patronage networks with business groups and influential local figures. Protesters in Hong Kong pelted the office with eggs and paint over the summer and defaced the Chinese emblem.

Read more

In Hong Kong elections, big defeat for elites pressures Beijing to rethink approach

‘We are in a war’: Hong Kong accountant by day becomes street fighter by night

Xi must be dismayed: Chinese leader fighting fires on all fronts

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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2019-11-26 09:26:00Z
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Lewis the Koala dies weeks after rescue from Australia bushfire - CNN

Port Macquarie Koala Hospital made the decision to euthanize Lewis Tuesday after inspecting his wounds. It became clear that the marsupial's burns were not going to improve, the hospital said in a Facebook post.

"(Our) number one goal is animal welfare, so it was on those grounds that this decision was made," the hospital said.

Lewis had already been receiving "substantial pain relief," and the hospital warned Saturday that it was considering putting him to sleep if it was determined that "his injuries and his pain are not treatable and tolerable."

Lewis was estimated to be about 14 years old, according to CNN affiliate 9 News.

Dramatic rescue

Lewis' story went viral after video showed motorist Toni Doherty running from her car to help the koala near Port Macquarie as the catastrophic fires that have ravaged New South Wales burned all around them.

Doherty named the koala after one of her seven grandchildren.

The pair were reunited Thursday at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, where Lewis was wrapped in blankets and hooked up to an oxygen mask.

The blazes have been particularly devastating to the region's koala population. More than 350 of the marsupials are feared to have been killed by the fires, according to animal experts.

Experts worry that frequent devastating bushfires and deforestation could spell danger for Australia's koala population. Koalas are now considered endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.

CNN's Holly Yan contributed to this report

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2019-11-26 09:14:00Z
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