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                                                                                         WORLD NEWS Monday 13 January 2020





























                                                                        Malta's next premier vows


                                                                        'continuity' amid car bomb fallout



                                                                        By STEPHEN CALLEJA
                                                                        Associated Press
                                                                        VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — A
                                                                        first-term lawmaker whose
                                                                        father  was  Malta's  presi-
                                                                        dent  was  chosen  to  be
                                                                        the  country's  prime  minis-
                                                                        ter, replacing Joseph Mus-
                                                                        cat after weeks of protests
            In this Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018 file photo, Kenneth Roth, Human   demanding  accountabil-
            Rights  Watch's  executive  director,  speaks  during  a  news   ity  in  the  investigation  of
            conference in Seoul, South Korea.
                                                     Associated Press   the  car  bomb  slaying  of
                                                                        an anti-corruption journal-
            Hong Kong denies                                            ist  who  targeted  his  gov-
                                                                        ernment.
            entry to Human                                              In  his  victory  speech  Sun-  Robert Abela, who will be sworn in as Prime Minister of Malta
                                                                        day  night,  Robert  Abela
            Rights Watch director                                       didn't  assess  Muscat's  be-  Monday,  addresses  a  large  crowds  of  supporters  inside  a
                                                                                                   volleyball court in Kordin, Malta, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020.
                                                                        leaguered  final  stretch  in
                                                                                                                                          Associated Press
                                                                        office.  Abela  also  didn't
            HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities barred the           cite the 2017 assassination  cat's  resignation  in  frus-  sure of satisfaction.
            head of Human Rights Watch from entering the Chinese        of Daphne Caruana Galiz-   tration  over  the  handling  Stepping  down  midway
            territory Sunday, the advocacy group said.                  ia, a shocking killing which  of  the  investigation,  the  though  his  second  term
            Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch's executive director,      deeply wounded much of  change        in   leadership  as  premier,  Muscat  ear-
            had planned to launch the organization's annual world       Malta's psyche.            might not bring much poli-  lier tweeted his congratu-
            report in Hong Kong this week. The report's focus is China's   Criticism  had  poured  in  cy change.              lations,  saying,  "Proud  to
            efforts  to  "deliberately  undermine  the  international  hu-  from  abroad  about  inad-  Abela,  a  42-year-old  spe-  be  handing  over  to  him
            man rights system," Roth said in video posted to his Twitter.  equacies in the European  cialist  in  labor  and  indus-  #Malta PM office on Mon-
            The move to bar Roth follows China's pledge last month to   Union  country's  judicial  trial  law,  did  pledge  be-  day,"  when  Abela  will  be
            sanction organizations that it said "performed badly" in re-  and  police  systems,  and  fore the party vote to help  sworn  in.    Abela  has  said
            lation to anti-government protests that have roiled Hong    domestic critics expressed  repair  Malta's  reputation.  he  would  work  to  restore
            Kong for more than seven months. Human Rights Watch,        outrage  that  members  of  But he is also widely con-  Malta's reputation for rule
            the  National  Endowment  for  Democracy  and  Freedom      Muscat's  inner  circle  had  sidered a Muscat protege.  of law. Concerned EU law-
            House were among the groups cited for sanctions.            been linked to the still on-  The  Labour  Party,  which  makers,  after  a  fact-find-
            Roth, a U.S. citizen, said on Twitter that immigration au-  going investigation to find  commands  a  comfort-     ing  mission  to  the  island,
            thorities at the airport told him he could not enter Hong   out  who  ordered  the  as-  able parliamentary major-  had  criticized  the  mem-
            Kong. When he asked why, they told him repeatedly that      sassination.               ity, appeared to choose a  ber  nation's  judiciary  and
            it was for "immigration reasons," without elaborating.      Still,  Abela  alluded  to  the  leader  who  would  follow  police.
            Roth said he has visited Hong Kong numerous times and       national trauma triggered  much in Muscat's path.      Late last year, a close aide
            this is the first time he has been denied entry.            by the slaying in the island  A  re-occurring  word  in  to Muscat was questioned
            Mass  demonstrations  —  underpinned  by  a  distrust  of   nation,  saying  that  now  Abela's  victory  speech,  in connection with Carua-
            China's ruling Communist Party — began in Hong Kong         "the ship has been stead-  delivered after embracing  na Galizia's killing, denied
            in June, with protesters rallying against an extradition bill   ied."  The count on Sunday  and  shaking  hands  with  wrongdoing  and  was  re-
            that  was  later  withdrawn.  The  movement  has  since  ex-  showed  Abela  received  some  of  the  hundreds  of  leased while still under in-
            panded to include demands for electoral reform and an       nearly  58%  of  votes  cast  supporters  packed  into  a  vestigation. A Maltese ho-
            independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.          Saturday  by  members  of  sports  arena,  was  "conti-  telier, who denies involve-
            A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China    the governing Labour Par-  nuity."                     ment,  has  been  accused
            in  1997.  Under  the  framework  of  "one  country,  two  sys-  ty  eligible  to  choose  the  Still,  for  opposition  politi-  of complicity in the killing.
            tems,"  the  territory  was  promised  greater  democratic   new leader.               cians,  seeing  Muscat  re-  Three other men, accused
            rights than are afforded to the mainland. But protesters    But  although  many  Mal-  sign  because  of  public  of  triggering  the  bomb,
            say their liberties have been steadily eroding under Chi-   tese had pushed for Mus-   outrage gave some mea-      are under arrest. q
            nese President Xi Jinping.q
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