40 Iraqi protesters shot dead within 24 hours
BAGHDAD — Security forces shot dead 40 anti-government protesters during 24 hours of bloodshed amid spiraling violence in the capital and Iraq’s south, security and medical officials said Thursday, one day after an Iranian consulate was torched.
Iran condemned the burning of its consulate in the holy city of Najaf as violence continued into the night across southern Iraq, where security forces had killed 36 protesters and wounded 245 since Wednesday evening, the officials said. Another four protesters were shot dead in the capital. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Police and military were deployed across key oil-rich provinces to re-open roads closed off by demonstrations.
The escalating violence and heavy response against demonstrators by a largely Iran-backed government threatened to intensify tensions, especially if efforts to implement electoral and anti-corruption reforms fail to placate protesters.
China rages at U.S. bills
China reacted furiously Thursday to President Donald Trump’s signing of two bills aimed at supporting human rights in Hong Kong, summoning the U.S. ambassador to protest and warning the move would undermine cooperation with Washington.
Hong Kong, a former British colony that was granted semi-autonomy when China took control in 1997, has been rocked by six months of sometimes violent pro-democracy demonstrations.
Thousands of activists crowded a public square in downtown Hong Kong on Thursday night for a rally to thank the U.S., vowing to “march on” in their fight.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng called the bills “serious interference in China’s internal affairs and a serious violation of international law” in a statement.
Corbyn: NHS ‘for sale’
Britain’s health system became a battleground in the country’s election campaign on Wednesday, as opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn accused Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson of secretly seeking a post-Brexit trade deal with the U.S. that would drive up the cost of drugs and imperil the state-funded service.
With the future of the National Health Service a hot issue in campaigning ahead of the Dec. 12 general election, Mr. Corbyn waved 451 pages of documents at a news conference, declaring that they covered six rounds of negotiations between U.S. and U.K. negotiators over two years from July 2017. The documents, which have previously been published in redacted form, cover preliminary soundings ahead of formal trade talks set to begin once Britain leaves the EU.
Mr. Corbyn said the leaked dossier proved Mr. Johnson was planning to put the National Health Service “up for sale” in trade talks. Mr. Johnson rejected that claim.
N. Korea fires projectiles
North Korea on Thursday fired two short-range projectiles, likely from a “superlarge” multiple rocket launcher, South Korea’s military said, adding to tensions three days after the North said its troops conducted artillery drills near its disputed sea boundary with South Korea.
Recent activities could indicate the North wants to show what would happen if Washington fails to meet a year-end deadline set by its leader, Kim Jong Un, for the U.S. to offer a new proposal in their stalemated nuclear talks.