HARARE (AsiaNews): Constantino Chiwenga, the general who orchestrated the coup in Zimbabwe that finally saw the president of 37 years, Robert Mugabe, resign on November 22, was in Beijing for meetings with the Chinese military and the defence minister, Chang Wanquan, just a few days before he made his decisive move on November 15.
 
Although it was billed as a normal military exchange, an article published in the Global Times on November 16 may suggest otherwise.
 

HONG KONG (SE): The question, “Do you think the Chinese government will release him now?” that was asked on the evening of 10 December 2010 in Oslo, Norway, when an empty chair sat in its lonely position on the stage at the presentation of the Nobel Prize for Peace to Liu Xiaobo has now been definitively answered.
 

MANILA (UCAN): The Promotion of Church People’s Response, a national alliance of Church-based organisations in The Philippines, is protesting against a court decision declaring a military agreement that allows an increased presence of United States of America (US) military personnel in the country constitutionally valid.

“We are saddened by the court decision,” Nardy Sabino, a spokesperson for the group, said.

HONG KONG (SE): The prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and former head of the Vatican China study mission in Hong Kong, Fernando Cardinal Filoni, has broken a silence on China that he has kept almost completely intact since Hong Kong-born Archbishop Savio Tai-fai became secretary to the congregation nearly two years ago.