Lebanese demonstrate near French embassy against financial support for current ruling political class

19:45, December 11, 2019

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  NGOs get financial support from US govt, smear China

  The United States Capitol .(Photo: VCG)Some NGOs in the US are actually backed by the US government and intelligence agencies that provoke subversive activitiesThese NGOs fabricate stories onXinjiang,Tibet, Taiwan and Hong Kong under the guise of protecting "human rights"Ignoring Chinas accomplishments in human rights, these NGOs release reports smearing ChinaSome US-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have played a disgraceful role in pushing for regime change, bringing global turmoil and cooperating with the US government and other anti-China forces to contain China, Chinese experts said.China announced sanctions on a batch of US NGOs on Monday in response to the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act."Some observers said more sanctions may be introduced after the passage of the "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act" on Tuesday.Under the guise of protecting "human rights" and "democracy," some US NGOs supported by US politicians and US intelligence agencies ignore Chinas development and fabricate stories about Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tibet Autonomous Region and Taiwan, according to experts. They noted that NGOs often release reports smearing China.The US-based NGOs on Chinas sanction list announced on Monday include National Endowment for Democracy (NED), International Republican Institute (IRI), Freedom House, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and Human Rights Watch.Sugar daddyThese NGOs flaunt neutrality despite always having been manipulated by the US government to promote US hegemony, experts said.The Global Times found that these NGOs are explicitly supported by the US government and work to safeguard the interests of the US elite.For example, the NED was founded in 1983 and claimed to be a private nonprofit fund dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. It ...

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  Lebanese protesters clash with police for a second night

  Lebanese demonstrators clash with security forces in Beirut on Sunday on the eve of parliamentary consultations to appoint a new prime minister. (Photo: AFP)Lebanese protesters clashed with police Sunday for the second consecutive night near parliament on the eve of much-delayed consultations to form a new cabinet needed to fix a deepening economic crisis.The renewed clashes in Beirut came as Interior Minister Raya El-Hassan ordered security forces to open a "rapid and transparent" enquiry after dozens were wounded on Saturday night.Undaunted by the violence, thousands of demonstrators flooded central Beirut Sunday ahead of the parliamentary consultations due to begin on Monday to appoint a new premier after weeks of largely peaceful street protests forced the previous cabinet to quit.The unprecedented rallies have swept Lebanon since October 17, demanding the overhaul of a political system deemed inept and corrupt and the formation of an independent government of technocrats.Clashes again erupted near parliament, with demonstrators throwing water bottles and firecrackers at the security forces who responded with tear gas and water canon, an AFP photographer said.There was no immediate reports of casualties.But the clashes threatened a repeat of scenes on Saturday evening that had seen dozens of people hurt when security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators who tried to breach metal barricades near the legislature.The Lebanese civil defence said they took 36 injured to hospital and treated 54 people at the scene on Saturday night. The Lebanese Red Cross said it ferried 15 people to hospitals, while 37 others were given first aid on site.The Red Cross said the injured included protesters and security forces, with some affected by tear gas and others struck by stones.Lebanese security forces said about 20 from their ranks were hospitalised.An AFP photographer saw men in plainclothes hitting protesters on Saturday, while anti-riot...

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  Demonstrators demand Czech PM's resignation

  Photo: Demonstrators demand the resignation of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, in Prague, Czech Republic, December 10, 2019. /ReutersPRAGUE, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- A new round of protests were staged in Prague Tuesday demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Andrej Babis.Organizers say that nearly 60,000 people showed up while police estimate around 35,000.A moment of silence was given to the victims of Tuesdays mass shooting in Ostrava, which claimed six lives.Protestors remained peaceful as organizers urged a peaceful demonstration without skirmishes with police or counter-protesters.The protest was originally intended to begin at the beginning of next year, but was shifted to an earlier date because of a European Commission audit published by local media that incriminated the prime minister for the violation of European Union regulations and the local conflict of interest laws, according to the organizer, the Million Moments for Democracy.The prime minister is also facing prosecution by Czech authorities for another scandal involving alleged tax fraud and evasion, dubbed the "Storks nest" case.The prime minister has repeatedly said that there is no conflict of interest and that he has been unfairly targeted by political opponents. Babis also said that the Commission has no right to interpret Czech laws.