Prison guards assigned to monitor Jeffrey Epstein on the night he apparently killed

himself fell asleep and failed to check on him for three hours before falsifying
records to cover up their neglect, according to officials.

The two guards have been placed on leave and the warden of New York City�s
Metropolitan Correctional Centre (MCC) has been reassigned as federal authorities
investigate the financier�s death, the Justice Department has announced.

It comes amid mounting evidence of failures at the chronically understaffed prison

which allowed the 66-year-old to take his own life as he awaited trial on charges
of sexually abusing teenage girls.

Epstein, who had attempted to take his own life in July, was taken off a suicide
watch last month for reasons that have not been explained and should have been
checked on by a guard every 30 minutes.

Investigators have learned those checks were not done for three hours before he was
found hanged at 6.30am on Saturday, according to a person familiar with the case.

In one case, protesters detained a man they claimed to be an undercover police

officer from mainland China, pulled his identity documents from his wallet and
encouraged journalists to photograph them.

None of them showed that he was a police officer, though protesters claimed to have
found his name on an online list of police officers in southern Guangdong province.
The Associated Press could not independently verify the man''s identity.

Sally Tong, an 18-year-old protester, said they needed to hold him as evidence that
mainland Chinese authorities are in Hong Kong to monitor the demonstrations. Tong
said the man was dressed in black and wore a mask to look like one of them.

"We want to keep him here and investigate," Tong said.

Hours later, the protesters apprehended another man from mainland China. But they
could not agree on who they believed he was: Some sOne of the guards was not a
regular prison officer and had been drafted in because of staffing shortages,
according to Serene Gregg, president of the local branch of the American Federation
of Government Employees.

A second inmate who had been assigned to share a cell with Epstein had been
transferred elsewhere the day before his death and was not replaced.

Attorney general William Barr said on Monday he was "frankly angry to learn of the
MCC's failure to adequately secure this prisoner".

"We will get to the bottom of what happened and there will be accountability,� he
added.

The FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general are both probing Epstein's
death and US president Donald Trump has said he wants a "full investigation" into
what happened.
Guards at the jail in Manhattan are suspected of falsifying log entries to
incorrectly show they had been visiting Epstein�s cell during the gap.

Surveillance video reviewed after his death showed they did not make some of the
checks noted in the records, a source told Associated Press.

Both guards assigned to watch Epstein and other prisoners were asleep during some
or all of the three hours he went without checks, reported The New York Times,
which cited unnamed law enforcement and prison officials.ere threatening to push
their home into an "abyss."

Meanwhile, paramilitary police were assembling across the border in the city of
Shenzhen for exercises that some saw as h protesters claimed to have found his name
on an online list of police officers in southern Guangdong province. The Associated
Press could not independently verify the man's identity.

Sally Tong, an 18-year-old protester, said they needed to hold him as evidence that
mainland Chinese authorities are in Hong Kong to monitor the demonstrations. Tong
said the man was dressed in black and wore a mask to look like one of them.

"We want to keep him here and investigate," Tong said.

Hours later, the protesters apprehended another man from mainland China. But they
could not agree on who they believed he was: Some said he was a gangster, others
said he was a fake reporter, and still others said he was masquerading as a
protester. As with the first man, some protesters tied his wrists together and
poured water over his head, inciting laughter from some in the crowd. Airport
security appeared unable to control the crowd.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a nationalistic Chinese tabloid,

said the man was one of his reporters.

"Fu Guohao, reporter of GT website is being seized by demonstrators at HK airport,"

Hu wrote on his widely-followed Twitter account. "I affirm this man being tied in
this video is the reporter himself. He has no other task except for reporting."

Ties linking new Federal Liberal MP Gladys Liu to a secretive international

influence arm of the Chinese Government have been uncovered by the ABC.

Key points:
Liberal MP Gladys Liu has been tied to an organisation linked to China's United
Front
United Front forms part of Beijing's over-arching strategy for influencing foreign
governments and expatriate Chinese
Ms Liu said she only joined the organisation to help promote trade and resigned in
2016
Ms Liu, who made history after becoming the first Chinese-Australian woman to gain
a seat in the Lower House, was appointed honorary chairman of a Hong Kong-based
organisation that experts say is affiliated with China's efforts to exert influence
on foreign governments and expatriate Chinese.

Liberal Party elder Bruce Atkinson, a Victorian MP and former Upper House
President, has similarly been connected to the same organisation � World Trade
United Foundation (WTUF) � for some years.

Mr Atkinson said he played no active role in the organisation and denied he had in
any way been a vehicle of Chinese influence in Australian politics.

Ms Liu simply said she joined the WTUF in order to "support the promotion of trade
between Australia and Hong Kong" and that she resigned from the group "around
2016".
While Beijing tends to define terrorism broadly, extending it especially to
movements opposing government policies in minority regions such as Tibet and
Xinjiang, its use of the term in relation to Hong Kong raised the prospect of
greater violence and the possible suspension of legal rights for those detained.

The black-clad demonstrators have shown no sign of letting up on their campaign to

force Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam's administration to respond to their demands,
including that she step down and scrap proposed legislation under which some
suspects could be sent to mainland China, where critics say they could face torture
and unfair or politically charged trials.

Lam has rejected calls for dialogue, saying Tuesday the protesters were threatening
to push their home into an "abyss."

"After the violence has been stopped, and the chaotic situation that we are seeing
could subside, I as the chief executive will be responsible to rebuild Hong Kong's
economy ... to help Hong Kong to move on," Lam said, without elaborating on what
conciliatory steps she will take.

Mhe WTUF describes itself as "global non-profit organisation".

"As a non-government organisation with consultative status to the United Nations,

WTUF has a 18-year history of public diplomacy," a spokesman said.

Graphic with two men giving thumbs up signal surrounded by English text and
Chinese characters.
PHOTO: Bruce Atkinson with the WTUF's founder Baima Aose in a newspaper ad
promoting Australia-China relations. (Supplied)
"This makes WTUF an international platform with great social influence."

WTUF promotes itself as dedicated to fostering international free trade, but

observers in Hong Kong say there is little evidence of any trade-related activities
by the organisation. Instead, they say, its links to the Chinese Government and
Communist Party are clear.

China experts say WTUF is part of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front work
activities, which seek to further the Party's interests through a variety of
organisations.

A large number of WTUF's office-holders and honorary chairmen hold positions in

government bodies and party organs that play a lead role in directing United
Front's activities.

Chinese observers have told the ABC this is a sure sign the foundation is approved
by Beijing and the party, and a signature of many organisations involved in China's
United Front activities.

There has been growing concern in Australia about some organisations seen to be
linked to United Front.

What is United Front?

United Front is Beijing's over-arching strategy to enhance its reputation and power
by wielding influence on Chinese citizens as well as expatriates in countries such
as Australia. At its highest level, it is backed by President Xi Jinping himself.

"The goal of China's United Front in the last decade is to serve China's rise,
mobilise the outside world as much as possible, to serve China's interests and
policies, especially the Belts and Roads Initiatives," said Dr Wu Qiang, a
political analyst who has spent years monitoring China's United Front activities.

In 2015 President Xi decreed that the United Front program was to be substantially
ramped-up.

"The activities of United Front, funds, and effectiveness have increased

significantly," Dr Wu said.
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United Front activities are funded out of a $293 billion annual budget earmarked
for "stability maintenance". That amount is divided up between United Front and
other projects.

United Front operates through companies and organisations that are seemingly
independent of the Government and Party to exert influence on the activities and
public pronouncements of Chinese individuals at home and abroad.

This influence neutralises China critics and rewards its supporters.

Most of these organisations don't outwardly declare themselves to be United Front.

WTUF identified as United Front organisation

Composite image of four photos, showing same man smiling next to various men in
suits and one woman in a dress.
PHOTO: WTUF founder Baima Aose has met with high-profile figures such as Donald
Trump, Bill Clinton, Mike Pence and Eric Trump. (Facebook: Baima Aose)
The World Trade United Foundation was founded by a Baima Aose, a self-proclaimed
"living Buddha" who has been photographed with US President Donald Trump and Vice
President Mike Pence.

The organisation has donated to a number of causes in Australia.

Baima Aose's activities have Beijing's stamp of approval.

He and other WTUF representatives attended Chinese state banquets in 2015 and 2016
held by the State Council at the Great Hall of the People, to celebrate the
anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Invitations to these events, which were also attended by Chinese President Xi

Jinping, are extended to those approved by Beijing's politburo and inner circle.

Hong Kong academics Sonny Shiu-hing Lo, Steven Chung-fun Hung, and Jeff Hai-chi Loo
have been investigating senior members of the WTUF and have concluded that it is
engaged in United Front work.

In their forthcoming book, China's New United Front Work in Hong Kong, they lay out
how senior WTUF officeholders Brave Chan Yung and Lo Man-tuen are deeply enmeshed
in pro-Beijing politics in Hong Kong � a feature of many United Front outfits.

A large number of other WTUF office holders are from Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference or United Front Work

Ye Qi-ming, a 57-year-old Taiwanese man who was in Hong Kong for business, said he
was impressed by the protesters' level of organization.

The protesters gave him water throughout the day and made sure he felt safe, said
Ye.

"I think it's great," he said. "In all my years, I've never witnessed such a
democratic action."

���ters attacked a police officer and snatched a baton from him.

The airport disruptions escalated a summer of demonstrations aimed at what many

Hong Kong residents see as an increasing erosion of the freedoms they were promised
in 1997 when Communist Party-ruled mainland China took over what had been a British
colony.

The early protests were in neighborhoods near government offices. However, the
airport protest has had a direct impact on business travel and tourism. Analysts
said it could make foreign investors think twice about Hong Kong, which has long
prided itself as being Asia's leading business city with convenient regional air
links.

The central government in Beijing has ominously characterized the current protest
movement as something approaching "terrorism" that poses an "existential threat" to
citizens.

While Beijing tends to define terrorism broadly, extending it especially to

movements opposing government policies in minority regions such as Tibet and
Xinjiang, its use of the term in relation to Hong Kong raised the prospect of
greater violence and the possible suspension of legal rights for those detained.

The black-clad demonstrators have shown no sign of letting up on their campaign to

force Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam's administration to respond to their demands,
including that she step down and scrap proposed legislation under which some
suspects could be sent to mainland China, where critics say they could face torture
and unfair or politically charged trials.

Lam has rejected calls for dialogue, saying Tuesday the protesters were threatening
to push their home into an "abyss."

"After the violence has been stopped, and the chaotic situation that we are seeing
could subside, I as the chief executive will be responsible to rebuild Hong Kong's
economy ... to help Hong Kong to move on," Lam said, without elaborating on what
conciliatory steps she will take.

Meanwhile, paramilitary police were assembling across the border in the city of
Shenzhen for exercises that some saw as a threat to increase force against the
mostly young protesters who have turned out by the thousands in the past 10 weeks.

President Donald Trump tweeted that U.S. intelligence believes that the Chinese
government is moving troops to its border with Hong Kong. He also tweeted that
"Everyone should be calm and safe!" He provided no additional details.

While China has yet to threaten using the army � as it did against pro-democracy
protesters in Beijing in 1989 � the Shenzhen exercises were a sign of its ability
to crush the demonstrations, even at the cost to Hong Kong's reputation as a safe
haven for business and international exchange. Images on the internet showed
armored personnel carriers belonging to the People's Armed Police driving in a
convoy Monday toward the site of the exercises.

The U.N.'s top human rights official condemned violence around the protests and
urged both sides to settle their dispute through "open and inclusive dialogue."

Rupert Colville, spokesman for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle
Bachelet, said her office had reviewed evidence that police are using "less-lethal
weapons in ways that are prohibited by international norms and standards." That
includes firing tear gas canisters into crowded, enclosed areas and directly at
individuals, "creating a considerable risk of death or serious injury," Colville
said in a statement.

Passengers waiting for their flights to be rescheduled Tuesday sat behind empty
check-in counters and on baggage drop belts while they watched the demonstration.

Ye Qi-ming, a 57-year-old Taiwanese man who was in Hong Kong for business, said he
was impressed by the protesters' level of organization.

The protesters gave him water throughout the day and made sure he felt safe, said
Ye.

"I think it's great," he said. "In all my years, I've never witnessed such a
democratic action."
Searches related to Frenzied mob violence against two male protesters suspected of
being spies from mainland China marked the second day of pro-democracy
demonstrations that have caused mass cancellations and disruptions in Hong Kong�s
busy airport. Calm eventually returned, with most of the protesters leaving the
airport hours after officers armed with pepper spray and swinging batons tried to
enter the terminal, fighting with demonstrators who barricaded entrances with
luggage carts. Check-in counters have reopened at Hong Kong�s airport after being
shut during protests the previous day. About three dozen protesters remained camped
out in the arrivals area this
HONG KONG (AP) � Frenzied mob violence Tuesday against two men protesters suspected
of being spies from mainland China marked the second day of pro-democracy
demonstrations that have caused mass cancellations and disruptions in Hong Kong's
busy airport.

Calm eventually returned, with most of the protesters leaving the airport hours
after officers armed with pepper spray and swinging batons tried to enter the
terminal, fighting with demonstrators who barricaded entrances with luggage carts.
Riot police clashed briefly with the demonstrators, who said they planned to return
to the airport early Wednesday.

More than 100 flights were cancelled on Tuesday, the fifth consecutive day that
protesters occupied the airport. Airlines were still working through a backlog of
more than 200 flights from Monday when the airport announced in the afternoon that
check-in processes would once again be suspended.

"DSydney academic Feng Chongyi agreed that the list of the WTUF's officeholders
showed clear links to United Front activities.

"If you look at the structure and the members of the leadership, including
honourable president and the executive office holders, you can see their clear
connection with the Chinese United Front operation," he said.

One of the broader United Front's policies is to influence expatriate Chinese to

join political parties and seek elected office � a policy known as huaren canzheng
or "ethnic Chinese political participation".

"In the past decade or so, we have indeed discovered the latest developments in the
United Front is encouraging Chinese (people) to actively participate in local
elections and become politicians," Wu Qiang, former politics lecturer at Tsinghua
University in Beijing, said.

"It is hoped that in this way, it will affect the other countries' policies and
governance," he said.
WTUF's spokesman did not respond directly to the ABC's questions about whether WTUF
is engaged in United Front work.

However a spokesman said "we do not agree with your theory or conjecture."