heritage site. teach 360. now. this is g w news live from berlin and escape from hong kong the u.k. opens a door for hong kong ers who want to leave britain pledges to admit millions of people from his former colony after china imposes a sweeping security law but is leaving hong kong a realistic option also coming up in ethiopia an emotional farewell to the slain oromo singer. whose death sparked violent protests with supporters saying his

shooting was politically motivated plus it's been a cathedral of mosques and of museums now his temples famous. could become a mosque again a controversial and political move that could have implications for the world's 2 largest religions. i bring it off it's good to have you with us it has been 23 years since the u.k. left hong kong and now britain is offering hong kong as a ticket out as well the u.k. says it will well permanent residency to up to $3000000.00 people from hong kong prime minister boris johnson made the offer after beijing imposed a controversial national security law on hong kong which is a former british colony it outlaws public displays of pro independence sentiment

with potential life sentences for offenders the wall has drawn international condemnation. oh that tensions in hong kong on the rise one day after beijing implemented its controversial security law the civil liberties hong kong s. had been promised and to 2047 are gone london says beijing is guilty of what is described as a clear and serious violation of a treaty that paved the way for home content over from britain to china in 1907 and close to 3000000 hong kong residents have been promised a pathway to british citizenship basis for our international relations we make clear mr speaker that if china continue down this path we would reach introduce a new route for those with british national overseas status to enter the u.k. granting them limited need to remain with the ability to live and work in the u.k. and thereafter to apply for citizenship and that is precisely what we will do to us

truly a is contemplating a similar move. we are considering very actively in their proposals. to be brought forward several weeks ago. the following touches a bank. be considered by cabinet to provide similar opportunities and we think that's important and very consistent with who we are as a people. beijing is demanding both britain and australia stop interfering in what it calls its own internal affairs it also accused london of while eating pasta agreements the chinese embassy generally ways hand before hong kong was returned to china the united kingdom clearly promised it would not grant united kingdom residency rights to british nationals overseas travel document holders in total disregard of china's solemn position the u.k. has obstinately changed his position at this now offering a route for residency and citizenship for these people to.

beijing maintains that the passing of the new. secure which in law was necessary to prevent the repetition of violent protests that paralyzed homecoming for months but few on the streets of hong kong buy into that narrative some already say they are ready to accept britain's offer to meet there if possible like a wing to it could really provide me an opportunity to settle in the u.k. that i don't necessarily have to stay in hong kong or dialog gives us one more way out which i still love him very much but apply for the british mission overseas passport for this and decide whether to stay or leave after to do tell us a complaint. but not everyone is apply for citizenship some people we have to stay in home come and learn to live with a new reality. if war on that now i'm joined by so if you richard cinci is the china director at human rights watch she joins me from new york it's good to have

you on the program let me start 1st with this new law what can hong kong or is expect with this new security law now in effect well they can expect ambiguity which is exactly what aging hasn't my the way the law is worded really we have almost any kind of speech or behavior subject to being prosecuted under the new law and so where in the past one congress have been free to attend protests or run for office or engage in other kinds of civic activities without any fear for as long as they are now have to think twice about that and many other papers and what does that mean then for britain's offer of a pathway to citizenship for hong kong residents i mean could hong kong is be arrested and charged with colluding with a foreign power if they were to accept this offer. in theory yes it's a great point but nevertheless i think it's important for governments to step up

and offer you offer people hong kong from people from hong kong safe haven if that's what they want but i think there are still lots of details to be worked out even in the u.k. this offer. and even if hong kong or able to get to the u.k. what about the possibility of ever going back to hong kong. i think that really remains an open question it was only been in effect for 48 hours and certainly they've been a very distressing 48 hours but i think it remains to be seen over the coming months what sorts of behavior the authorities really are going to go after how hong kong courts are going to handle those cases if in fact they're given the opportunity to you know the fact remains that international human rights law still pertains in hong kong and so i think we're going to see people continue to try to use the space that's available to them whether some people even for a while now and try to go back i think it's just a little bit too early to tell mr jim what do you see happening china is now

flexing its muscle in hong kong what would happen if it were to try to do something similar regarding taiwan. well i think that would take us down a different path given the degree of international support for taiwan as you know a distinct country an entity and that but there's no doubt that beijing is becoming much more aggressive diplomatically the fact that the way that national security law for hong kong is written it suggests that it actually appliance all over the world such that the conversation you and i are having right now could be considered sedition or foreign collusion and we could be prosecuted for it if the local authorities where we're sitting agreed to that but whether it's at the u.n. security council of york and human rights council in geneva whether it's in other international bodies the chinese government is absolutely taking a much more aggressive anti writes this and it's really up to other governments to push back forcefully against that so he richardson with human rights watch joining

us tonight from new york mr richardson we appreciate your time and your insights thank you. thank you so here are some of the other stories now that are making headlines around the world in myanmar at least 123 people have been killed in a landslide at a jade mine it happened after heavy rain and is the worst in a series of accidents at such sites take a look at these pictures here critics blame a lack of government action on safety the u.s. economy regained 4800000 jobs in june as businesses began to reopen across the country that pushed the unemployment rate down more than 2 points to just over 11 percent the rebound however may be short lived with a new round of closings and layoffs triggered by a resurgence in the by. the ex-girlfriend of the late jeffrey upstream just lay maxwell has been arrested in the u.s. on charges that she helped louer under aged girls to epstein who then sexually

abused them epstein was awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors when he was found dead in a prison cell from an apparent suicide. at least 8 people have now died in several days of protests in ethiopia following monday's shooting death of a popular oromo singer who was regarded as a voice of a generation and he often spoke out against political and economic repression of his ethnic group today he was laid to rest. an emotional farewell to their hero fans and relatives of the popular singer. best known in this country by his 1st name joined the ceremony in his hometown. the event including traditional roma horseman was broadcast live on t.v. . on thursday the streets in the capital at his ababa were empty

and tensions high following 2 days of deadly clashes. many here are angry and in disbelief over the death of the singer. i wish i didn't know him i'm heartbroken i channel was not an ordinary individual he was pure ethiopian pure i'm angry it's eating me up inside him the. protests read reported in both at his have about and the surrounding region the home of a childless community the people they say the killing was politically motivated the romo if the o.p.'s biggest ethnic group have for decades accused the authorities of repression and exclusion from power. over me being. a former political prisoner was a prominent voice in the anti-government protests that led to

a change in leadership in 2018 the new prime minister ahmed also from the ethnic group has called for calm. if there was a touch in the law what i want enemies want is for us not to finish the work that we've started that the people for this recent fight are killed that blood is spilled and that the journey that we've started gets derailed is a minnow was wounded and. happy came to power with a mandate to ease tensions in the country however critics say instead his reforms have opened the way for ethnic and other grievances leading to an increase in into communal violence. a turkish court says that it will announce within 2 weeks whether one of his damn bowls most iconic buildings should become a mosque again the centuries old highest severe is a unesco world heritage site that has been a church a mosque and is now

a museum turkish nationalist groups are demanding that it be open for islamic prayers and critics say the building has become a political instrument for turkish president. empires have fallen religions have been replaced the city itself has changed names but the dome of the high yes the fia has withstood his old built in the 6th century as a byzantine church it was for centuries the world's largest christian cathedral almost a millennium later it was converted into an islamic mosque during the awesome an empire. but in the 1930 s. it was turned into a museum under the founder of the modern turkish republic as a took a symbol of the new secular state inclusive of all religions. since then it has been a meeting point of many faiths but held by none

a place where the pope's and presidents have come to pay their respects and marvel at the architecture of. the religion is a tool for president rich a type of on he has overseen prayers in the museum and raised its status at local election rallies. i also feel he says over the divinity as you know they converted the highest sophia from a mosque to a museum a while ago. now we hope to be able to call that a mosque again after the election. i have. islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fia angering neighboring greece which says the building is part of its all for ducks christian history unesco has worn turkey its conversion to a mosque could violate the world cultural heritage convention. a flashpoint of religious and national struggle whatever its future the highest the

fear will remain an icon of istanbul. or earlier we spoke to our correspondent in istanbul yulia han and we asked her about the international reaction to everyone's plan to change the status of why a selfie. well remains to be seen what the actual verdict all for the court decision out of the court will be because they say it will be published within the next 15 days but this would be a hugely controversial move we know that he also talks church is very unhappy with these plans there was criticism from greece from russia we heard the ecumenical patriarch bartholomew who is the head of some 300000000 orthodox christians and who is based here in istanbul he warned it would disappoint christians willed widened quote fracture east and west u.s. secretary of state my campaign has also urged turkey to respect the ideas of fia's

museum status so domestically turning it back into a mosque might be a triumph for add on for a certain time but internationally it certainly comes with a lot of risks that was there reporting from istanbul you're watching live from berlin i'll be back at the top of the hour with more world news followed by the day . combating the corona pandemic. where does research stand. what are scientists learning. background information and. our corona. 19 special next on deed.