News Headlines - 23 December 2019
Saudi Arabia on Monday sentenced five people to death and three to jail over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but a U.N. investigator accused it of making a “mockery” of justice by allowing the masterminds of last year’s killing to go free.
▽Thousands protest in southern Iraq, demand independent PM | Al Jazeera
Thousands of protesters have blocked roads and public buildings in southern Iraq, demanding the appointment of an independent prime minister as the latest deadline for choosing a new leader looms.
Anti-government rallies have rocked Baghdad and the Shia-majority south since October 1, with demonstrators calling for a complete overhaul of a regime they deem corrupt and inefficient.
▽Cuba Names Tourism Minister to Be First PM Since 1976 | Voice of America
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Saturday named Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz as the country's first prime minister since 1976 - a nomination quickly confirmed by the country's parliament.
Marrero, 56, has been tourism minister for 16 years, presiding over a rise in visitors and a hotel construction boom that has made tourism one of the most important sectors of the Cuban economy... The position of prime minister was held by Fidel Castro from 1959 to 1976, when a new constitution changed his title to president and eliminated the post of prime minister.
▽Hong Kong protesters call for HSBC boycott over fund closure | Financial Times
Hong Kong protesters have called for a boycott of HSBC for allegedly helping the city’s police to shut down one of the main sources of funding for the anti-government movement.
Officers on Thursday arrested four people for money laundering and froze HK$70m (US$9m) held by the Spark Alliance fund, a crowdsourcing operation that raised money to provide aid to anti-government protesters.
Police alleged the fund had taken in about HK$80m from sympathisers of the protests, mainly through an HSBC account that the bank closed last month.
▽Japanese veteran Keisuke Honda leaves Dutch club after less than two months | The Japan Times
Keisuke Honda has quit Vitesse Arnhem less than two months after signing for the Dutch club... Honda, 33, signed a contract on Nov. 6 that was to last until the end of the season.
As it is, he departs after playing just four matches in the Eredivisie - two defeats, a draw and one win - with his exit coming just weeks after that of coach Leonid Slutsky.
