News Headlines - 11 December 2020

▽U.S. sanctions people in China, Jamaica, El Salvador over alleged human rights violations | Reuters

The U.S. State Department on Thursday announced sanctions against 17 officials of China and other foreign governments, as well their immediate family members, for serious human rights violations.
The designations include individuals from El Salvador and Jamaica, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement, adding that the Chinese individual was sanctioned for involvement in ‘gross violations of human rights’ of Falun Gong practitioners.

▽Hong Kong police arrest eight over university protest as crackdown intensifies | Reuters

Eight people in Hong Kong have been arrested, including three on suspicion of violating a national security law, over a protest at a university last month, police said on Monday, as the government intensifies a crackdown on pro-democracy activists... Police said eight males aged between 16 and 34 were arrested for illegal assembly at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and three of them - who were not students at the university - were also arrested on supicion of inciting secession.

▽Japan's FY 2020 tax revenue to be $77 bil. short of forecast - The Mainichi

Tax revenue in Japan for fiscal 2020 is expected to fall short of an initial estimate by more than 8 trillion yen ($77 billion) due to large reductions in corporate earnings during the coronavirus pandemic, government sources said Wednesday.
Tax revenue in the current fiscal year through March is likely to total about 55 trillion yen, the sources said, down from the forecast 63.51 trillion yen and also less than the 58.44 trillion yen collected in fiscal 2019.

▽Azerbaijan celebrates Nagorno-Karabakh victory, Erdogan attends | Al Jazeera

A military parade was held on Thursday in the Azerbaijani capital in celebration of the peace deal with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh that saw Azerbaijan reclaim much of the breakaway region along with surrounding areas... More than 3,000 soldiers took part in the parade on Thursday, and dozens of military vehicles drove through Baku. A flyover of helicopters and fighter planes completed the event.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the parade. Turkey strongly backed Azerbaijan during the conflict.

▽Banksy sneezing woman artwork appears on Bristol house - BBC News

A piece of street art by elusive graffiti artist Banksy has appeared on a house in Bristol.
The creation entitled "Aachoo!!" on the side of a semi-detached house in Totterdown, depicts a woman in a headscarf sneezing and her dentures flying into the air... It is understood the art, on a house on the corner of Vale Street and Park Street, was covered up before being revealed early on Thursday morning.