Mind-control claim
A high-ranking Chinese monk has denied accusations he sexually harassed nuns and coerced them into sex by “controlling their minds”, according to the BBC. It reported that Abbot Xuecheng’s alleged actions were detailed in a report sent to government officials by two monks from Longquan temple where he is based. The temple, in Beijing, has accused the monks of “distorting facts”. Xuecheng, who has more than a million followers on Chinese social network Weibo, is the latest public figure to be accused of sexual misconduct as part of a growing #MeToo movement in China. He is the the youngest-ever head of the Buddhist Association of China and is a political advisor to the Government.
Zand in Harare imbabwe was braced for more violence overnight after soldiers and police fired live rounds, water cannons and tear gas at furious protesters who threw rocks and burned vehicles in the country’s capital over the outcome of Monday’s election.
Yesterday’s clashes in Harare dashed the optimism of an election that the country hoped would set it on a new course after decades of Robert Mugabe’s rule. At least three people were reported killed.
Violence swept through central Harare after an official announcement that the ruling Zanu-PF party had won most of the seats in Parliament, an outcome that enraged opposition supporters who believe they have been cheated of victory.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s decision to delay announcing the results of the presidential race — there was a chance they could be announced overnight — seemed certain to bring more opposition anger if President Emmerson Mnangagwa is declared the winner. Alternatively, many Zimbabweans wonder whether the ruling establishment, including the military, would accept a win for the main opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa.
Monday’s upbeat spectacle of millions of Zimbabweans voting peacefully was eclipsed yesterday by scenes of tanks and other military vehicles speeding through debrisstrewn Officials in southeast China have smashed thousands of coffins, some of which were exhumed, as it intensified a campaign banning people from burying their dead.
The “zero burial” policy in Jianxi province, where people regularly splash life savings on expensive coffins for themselves, was introduced streets and soldiers beating protesters who had blocked main roads and set bonfires. Some journalists also were attacked.
The riots surged up to the fence of the Rainbow Towers Hotel & and Conference Centre, where the electoral commission has been announcing results and many international election observers are staying. Inside the main gate, a water cannon mounted on a police vehicle blasted protesters who hurled rocks that
The more the presidential vote is delayed, the more it calls into question the population’s confidence in the election process.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
bounced off its armoured plating.
“They are trying to protest so they can get fair results,” said Elisha Pfigu, a 31-year-old street vendor who warily watched soldiers at an intersection.
Pfigu said he was optimistic on election day for the country’s first vote without Mugabe, who ruled for nearly four decades, on the ballot.
“Now it’s different. It’s totally different,” he said. “People were happy on Monday. Now they are not happy. We are not going to rest.”
Authorities invoked Zimbabwe’s Public Order and Security Act, which six months ago to cut down on land being used by burials.
Over the past week, heavy-handed enforcement of the policy by the local Government — resulting in dramatic footage of coffins piled up for smashing — has caused outrage across China, with state media describing the scenes as “barbaric”.
aallows police to ban public meetings or gatherings. The police can also ask the military for help in cases of public disturbances.
Mnangagwa, a former Deputy President who succeeded Mugabe after a military takeover in November, blamed the Opposition for the violence and said it was “meant to
Videos and images showed officials taking coffins from villagers’ homes, piling them up, then having them destroyed.
They were also filmed forcibly removing protesters lying inside their own coffins to protect the boxes they had bought in preparation for their funerals. disrupt the electoral process”, the state broadcaster reported.
The Opposition, in turn, said security forces acted in a “disproportionate and unjustified” way, and it questioned why the military had been deployed.
“Are we in war? Are civilians the enemy of the state?” said Nkululeko
People’s Daily, the newspaper of the Communist Party of China, said of the scenes seen in the recent videos: “Is there any reason to carry out such a rough and even barbaric move? Even if the funeral reforms are effectively carried out, the hearts of the people are hurt.”