Six In The Morning Thursday 9 June 2022

 Britons captured by Russian forces sentenced to death

Summary

1. Two Britons, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner are sentenced to death alongside Moroccan national Saaudun Brahim
2. They appeared in a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, held by pro-Russian rebels and not internationally recognised
3. Both British men were serving members of Ukraine’s armed forces
4. Downing Street says it's deeply concerned and prisoners of war shouldn't be exploited for political purposes
5. On the frontline, there's no let up in the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk with street fighting and heavy artillery fire
6. President Volodymyr Zelensky says the fate of his country's eastern Donbas region may be decided in the battle
7. Meanwhile, the UN's chief, António Guterres, warns the war's impact on the world's "food secu

UK government 'deeply concerned' by 'sham' death sentences

The UK government is "deeply concerned" by the death sentences handed to Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, Downing Street says.

"We have said continually that prisoners of war shouldn't be exploited for political purposes," a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson says.

"Under the Geneva Convention prisoners of war are entitled to combatant immunity and they should not be prosecuted for participation in hostilities.

"So we will continue to work with the Ukrainian authorities to try to secure the release of any British nationals who were serving in the Ukrainian armed forces and who are being held as prisoners of war."

Russian soldiers smashed up a Ukrainian school. Then they purportedly left messages for pupils urging peace

By Sanyo Fylyppov and Ivana Kottasová, CNN

Updated 0945 GMT (1745 HKT) June 9, 2022

When Ukrainian forces regained control of Katyuzhanka, a village north of Kyiv that had been under Russian occupation for more than a month in March, they found the local school wrecked. Any equipment that hadn't been stolen was smashed, there was a makeshift cemetery in the school yard and deep trenches had been dug across the football pitch.

Inside one of the destroyed classrooms, written in chalk on a big, green blackboard hanging on the wall just below a portrait of Isaac Newton, was a letter addressed to the pupils and signed "the Russians."

It read: "Children, we're sorry for such a mess, we tried to save the school, but there was shelling. Live in peace, take care of yourselves and don't repeat the mistakes your elders made. Ukraine and Russia are one people!!! Peace be with you, brothers and sisters!"

Removal of cameras at Iran nuclear sites may be ‘fatal blow’, warns UN watchdog

Move comes as International Atomic Energy Agency censures Tehran over lack of cooperation

AFP in Vienna

The UN atomic energy watchdog has said that Iran was removing 27 surveillance cameras at its nuclear facilities, warning this could be a “fatal blow” to negotiations to revive the landmark deal.

Talks began in April last year to bring the United States back to the 2015 accord, lifting sanctions, and Iran back into compliance, limiting its nuclear activities.

But negotiations have stalled since March, and International Atomic Energy Agency members on Wednesday passed a resolution censuring Iran over its lack of cooperation with the watchdog, raising tensions further.

Turkey's Erdogan warns Greece to demilitarize Aegean islands

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Greece to demilitarize islands in the Aegean

Via AP news wire

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday warned Greece to demilitarize islands in the Aegean, saying he was “not joking” with such comments.

Turkey says Greece has been building a military presence on Aegean in violation of treaties that guarantee the unarmed statues of the islands. It argues that the islands were ceded to Greece on condition that they be kept demilitarized.

Greece argues that Turkey has deliberately misinterpreted the treaties regarding armed forces on its eastern islands and says it has legal grounds to defend itself following hostile actions by Ankara including a long-standing threat of war if it extends its territorial waters.

Why more European firms are choosing Vietnam over China

A combination of geopolitical tensions and higher costs are pushing large firms to look for alternative production sites. Vietnam's strong economic performance in recent years has drawn the attention of European firms.

Vietnam was one of the few Asian countries that did not experience an economic contraction during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021. This year,Vietnam's GDP is expected to grow by around 5.5%, according to the World Bank.

Vietnam's economic performance during and after the pandemic has captured the attention of some major European firms.

S.Africa president lashes 'dirty tricks' in burglary scandal

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday said he was the victim of "dirty tricks" in a damaging burglary scandal, as a rowdy opposition heckled him in parliament.

Last week Ramaphosa was accused of bribing burglars to keep quiet about a February 2020 heist at his farmhouse, where they stole cash worth some $4 million.

"In recent days we have seen those who stand to lose the most from the fight against corruption resorting to dirty tricks and intimidation in a bid to get us to back down," he said in a budget speech.