Hong Kong teenager ends hunger strike
HONG KONG – A prominent teenage leader of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests ended his hunger strike Saturday after 4½ days at his doctor’s urging.
The decision by Joshua Wong, 18, the movement’s most prominent leader, is the latest sign the protests are flagging after more than two months, as the activists find themselves exhausted and public support for their street protests drains away, while Hong Kong’s government seems content to wait for the movement to fizzle out.
The protesters want Hong Kong’s government to drop restrictions on inaugural 2017 elections for the semiautonomous southern Chinese city’s top leader. They want the government to restart talks over the electoral reforms, but government officials largely have been unresponsive.
Canada rules out Syria airstrikes
MANAMA, Bahrain – Canada has no plans to follow its United States neighbor in expanding airstrikes against the Islamic State group into Syria, the country’s top diplomat said Saturday during a visit to the Middle East.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Foreign Minister John Baird said Canada has a responsibility to contribute to the U.S.-led bombing campaign in part because the Islamic State group has attracted Canadian fighters to its ranks. But he insisted that support would be confined to Iraq for now.
Bombings kill 10 in and around Iraq
BAGHDAD – A string of bombings targeting Shiites killed 10 people Saturday around Baghdad, Iraqi officials said.
Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures for the attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Islamic militants frequently attack Shiites, whom they consider as heretics.
Associated Press
