Hong Kong Issues Bounty for 6 Democracy Activists, Including 2 Canadians
Hong Kong police have issued bounties for six more pro-democracy activists, including two Canadians, who fled the city amid Beijing’s tightening control.
The Hong Kong authorities issued arrest warrants Dec. 24 for six activists under the region’s national security law, offering a reward of HK$1 million (approximately CAD $185,000) for any information that could lead to their capture.
Among those on the wanted list are two Canadians: Victor Ho, former chief editor of Canada’s Sing Tao Daily, and Joseph Tay, founder of the advocacy platform, HongKonger Station, and current Conservative Party candidate for the Ontario riding of Markham-Unionville.
Ho was charged by the Hong Kong authorities on Aug. 3, 2022 under the national security law for “contravening the offence of subversion,” which the Chinese regime often levies against pro-democracy activists. Ho had co-founded the Hong Kong Parliament Electoral Organizing Committee, a Toronto-based group aimed at establishing an “exile” Hong Kong parliament.
Hong Kong police also issued arrest warrants and bounties in July of 2023 for eight other pro-democracy activists who fled Hong Kong under the national security law. Among them was Dennis Kwok, a former Hong Kong politician born in Canada. The Hong Kong authorities also ordered the cancellation of passports for seven “absconders,” including Kwok…
China has banned US exports of key minerals for computer chips – leaving Washington with limited options
China recently banned the export of the minerals gallium and germanium to the US amid growing tensions between the two countries on trade.
The minerals are of critical economic value because they are used in computer chips, in military technology such as night vision goggles, and in the renewable energy industry, where they are important for manufacturing electric vehicles and solar cells. All of these areas are very sensitive sectors for the US and EU.
China has overwhelming market power over supply, because it is the source of 98% of primary gallium and 91% of primary germanium. Primary refers to “raw” sources such as mineral ore. In several sectors where the minerals are used, there are no substitutes for them.
Gallium and germanium are present in very low concentration as byproducts of major minerals – they’re known as trace minerals. Germanium’s primary source is the residue from zinc refineries and coal fly ash (a powdered residue produced when coal is burnt in power plants)….
Justin Trudeau FLIPS OUT After Chrystia Freeland REVEALS Secret Last Call Details
Justin Trudeau’s tenure as Canada’s prime minister, already beleaguered by declining poll numbers and internal dissent within the Liberal Party, was thrust into full-blown crisis mode following a shocking turn of events involving his longtime ally and finance minister, Chrystia Freeland. What began as a seemingly routine meeting at Harrington Lake on December 8 unraveled into one of the most dramatic moments in modern Canadian political history. By the end of the following week, Freeland had resigned in a scathing and public rebuke of Trudeau’s leadership, leaving the prime minister scrambling to maintain control of his government and his party.
The calm before the storm seemed innocuous enough. On December 8, Trudeau hosted Freeland at Harrington Lake, his official retreat just north of Ottawa. Over dinner, the pair discussed the upcoming fiscal update that Freeland was set to deliver. According to insiders, the two appeared to reach a mutual understanding on the major points of the plan, and the meeting concluded smoothly. Trudeau, it seemed, was breathing a sigh of relief. For months, his leadership had been under scrutiny, but Freeland had been one of his most loyal and trusted allies, a critical figure in his cabinet who had helped steer the country through economic turbulence and trade disputes. Yet, beneath the surface, tensions were brewing….
