San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
U.S., China discuss tensions
Top American and Chinese diplomats spoke Saturday in the first major exchange between the countries since President Biden took office and touched on several critical issues that have strained ties.
China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the bilateral relationship, notably the situation in Xinjiang, home to the Uighur minority whose treatment is heavily criticized in the West, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Their separate statements underscored the different positions of the countries, which have clashed on issues from trade to Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong to increased U.S. support for selfruled democratic Taiwan. U.S.China relations have fallen to new lows in the past few years, accelerated in part by former President Donald Trump starting a trade war with Beijing and blaming it for the coronavirus pandemic.
Blinken said the United States will continue to stand up for human rights and democratic values, including in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, according to the State Department statement.
Yang said that at present, “the SinoU.S. relationship is at a crucial juncture.”
He urged Washington “to correct the mistakes made over a period of time and work with China to uphold the spirit of nonconflict, nonconfrontation, mutual respect, and winwin cooperation.”
The Chinese side maintained that Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet were strictly internal affairs and they won’t tolerate any foreign interference, Xinhua reported.
FRANCE Heavy rains bring flooding
After rivers across France broke their banks amid heavy rains, the prime minister promised support for farmers and residents whose land was devastated.
In Paris, several embankments were submerged Saturday under the Seine River for a fifth straight day, and the national weather service forecast that waters would remain high.
In southern France, waters are starting to recede after the worst flooding in 40 years swelled the Garonne River between Bordeaux and Toulouse.
Prime Minister Jean Castex visited the floodbattered town of Marmande and promised “the solidarity of the state for all those who suffered.”
CHILE Protests erupt over shooting
The fatal shooting of a street juggler set off protests over alleged police violence in southern Chile, with several buildings set ablaze and an officer held in custody for investigation on Saturday.
About 10 buildings were set ablaze in the tourist town of Panguipulli following the shooting on Friday, and authorities reported other protests in Santiago.
Police said Francisco Martinez Romero, 27, resisted police at a routine identity check.
A local judge ordered the officer, who was not identified, held for investigation for two days.
MISSOURI Inmates riot at St. Louis jail
Inmates at a jail in St. Louis smashed windows and threw debris to the ground below in a disturbance that began early Saturday. A spokesman for the mayor said all the inmates were back in custody hours later.
About 115 detainees on the fourth floor of the jail set fires, flooded floors and clogged toilets, said Jacob Long, spokesman for Mayor Lyda Krewson.
Inmates gathered at the shattered windows of the jail. They broke adjacent windows and threw chairs and other debris to the sidewalk.
It was at least the third disturbance at the jail in recent weeks. Another occurred the last week of December and a second just days later. In those cases inmates had expressed concern about unsafe conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
UTAH Avalanche kills 4 skiers
Four backcountry skiers were killed Saturday in an avalanche in Utah.
The slide struck at about 11:40 a.m. in Millcreek Canyon, roughly 13 miles east of Salt Lake City, burying two groups of skiers — one group of five and one group of three, said Sgt. Melody Cutler of the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake.
Four of the skiers dug themselves out of the snow and then recovered the bodies of the four who died, Cutler said.
The survivors were rescued after they called 911 and gave their location. They suffered hypothermia and other minor injuries.