HONG KONG: The Hong Kong government says it has barred a young pro-democracy activist from an upcoming election because her party’s political platform violates electoral laws, in the latest move by the semiautonomous Chinese city to squelch dissent.
An official statement Saturday says a female candidate’s nomination was ruled invalid.
She was not identified but 21-year-old Agnes Chow, a member of democracy activist Joshua Wong’s Demosisto party, confirmed it was her.
Chow is the latest to fall victim to the Beijing-backed government’s tightening restrictions on opposition candidates.
She was planning to stand in a March by-election but the government said the returning officer decided she couldn’t be a candidate because of Demosisto’s platform, which advocates “self-determination” or independence for Hong Kong.
Chow told reporters the disqualification was “political screening.”
Hong Kong bans young pro-democracy hopeful from election
Hong Kong bans young pro-democracy hopeful from election
Fire at Cape Town airport disrupts international flights
- Images shared online showed travelers evacuating South Africa’s second-busiest airport
- The fire occurred just days after the announcement of a major phased infrastructure upgrade project at the airport
CAPE TOWN: A fire broke out at Cape Town International Airport Tuesday, prompting passenger evacuations and disrupting international flights to and from South Africa’s popular tourist city before being brought under control.
Images shared online showed travelers evacuating South Africa’s second-busiest airport with suitcases as smoke filled the terminal and sirens rang to alert passengers of an emergency evacuation.
“Cape Town International Airport confirms that a fire occurred on the landslide of the airport,” Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) said in a statement, adding that the blaze had been “extinguished” with no injuries.
“As a precautionary measure, international departures have been temporarily suspended, and incoming international flights are being diverted,” the statement said, as the fire had affected “network and IT services.”
International flights that had already landed were still being processed, it said.
The fire occurred just days after the announcement of a major phased infrastructure upgrade project at the airport.
According to ACSA statistics, Cape Town airport recorded 11.1 million two-way passengers in 2025, including 3.33 million international travelers.
