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[ad_1] HONG KONG: Hong Kong's leader Tuesday refused to say why the city had denied a visa to a leading Financial Times journalist , despite escalating demands for an explanation of the unprecedented challenge to freedom of the press. Victor Mallet, the FT's Asia news editor and a British national, angered authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong by hosting a speech at the city's press club by Andy Chan, the leader of a tiny pro-independence political party, in August. Chan's party was later banned as Beijing cracks down on any pro-independence sentiment in the semi-autonomous city. An application to renew Mallet's work visa was refused and on Sunday he was given seven days to leave Hong Kong. Facing questions for the first time since the visa denial emerged last week, Chief Executive Carrie Lam , who is appointed by a pro-Beijing committee, said the decision had been handed down by immigration authorities. She said linking it to the Chan talk was "pure speculatio...

[ad_1] Image copyright AFP/ Getty Images Image caption The UK government has demanded an "urgent explanation" of Victor Mallet's visa rejection Hong Kong has refused to renew a work visa for the Asia news editor of the Financial Times, sparking concerns from the UK government. Victor Mallet is also vice-president of the city's Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC), which upset local and Chinese authorities by hosting a separatist speaker in August. Hong Kong did not explain its visa decision. China is highly sensitive about the territory's sovereignty. The former British colony was handed back in 1997 on condition it would retain "a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs" for 50 years. China's ire puts Hong Kong activist in spotlight China operates a ...

[ad_1] HONG KONG: Several thousand marched in Hong Kong on Monday against suppression by Beijing as fears grow that freedoms in the semi-autonomous city are seriously under threat. The pro-democracy protest comes a week after Hong Kong banned a pro-independence party on the grounds it was a threat to national security, the first time a political party has been prohibited since the city was handed back to China by Britain in 1997. The emergence of an independence movement calling for Hong Kong to split from China has incensed Beijing as it emphasises the importance of territorial integrity and has led to a crackdown on political expression. Leading pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong said he feared his party, Demosisto, could be next because it promotes self-determination for Hong Kong. One high-profile Demosisto candidate was already barred from a recent by-election. "We need to protect and defend the freedom of association in Hong Kong," Wong, 21, told AFP at the rally. The...