The National:

CHINA has accused the US of “double standards” after White House secretary of state Mike Pompeo said the Hong Kong government bears the prime responsibility for restoring calm to the former British colony.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said yesterday that while the US has “appeared to be fair” concerning pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, it harbours “ulterior intention to intervene ... and double standards on violent crimes”.

Pompeo stated on Monday that the government must address public concerns because law enforcement alone cannot stop the unrest.

It came as about 100 anti-government protesters remained holed up at Hong Kong Polytechnic amid a police siege of the campus.

Police had surrounded the university and were arresting anyone who left. Groups of protesters made several attempts to escape, including sliding down hoses to waiting motorcycles, but it was not clear if they evaded arrest.

ELSEWHERE, a man arrested in a money-laundering case in Malta claims to have information identifying the mastermind behind the car-bomb assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The National:

Prime minister Joseph Muscat said that he signed a letter offering an official pardon to the suspect if evidence emerges leading to the arrest of those behind the October 2017 assassination.

The suspect, who has not been identified, was arrested last week in a crackdown on money laundering and is being held under police protection.

Three people were arrested in December 2017 on suspicion of carrying out the killing of Caruana Galizia, but the orchestrator has yet to be identified.

MEANWHILE, thousands of protesters rallying in Lebanon against the political elite have blocked roads in central Beirut, preventing politicians from reaching parliament and forcing the legislative session to be postponed.

The National:

The session had been scheduled even though the country is still without a cabinet following the prime minister’s resignation amid unprecedented demonstrations that have gripped Lebanon since mid-October.

The protesters are questioning the constitutionality of a parliament session in the absence of a government.

AND finally, two New York correctional officers responsible for guarding Jeffrey Epstein the night he killed himself are set to be arrested and charged, according to reports in the US.

The prison workers, who were not immediately named, are expected to be charged with offences linked to allegedly failing to perform checks on Epstein.