Six In The Morning Wednesday 29 June 2022

 

Ukraine war: US to ramp up military presence across Europe

The US will increase its military presence across Europe in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden has announced.

A permanent army headquarters will be created in Poland, while new US warships will go to Spain, fighter jets to the UK and ground troops to Romania.

Mr Biden said the US was "stepping up" and proving that Nato was "needed now more than it has ever been".

The announcement came as alliance leaders met at a summit in Madrid.

 

Israel braces for fifth election in less than four years

Poll set for October after collapse of short-lived coalition that ousted Benjamin Netanyahu from office

Bethan McKernan in Jerusalem

Israel is set for its fifth election in less than four years after the approval of a bill to dissolve parliament, following the collapse of a short-lived coalition government that banded together to oust the longtime prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office.

Members of the Knesset voted unanimously on Tuesday in favour of the bill, with a deadline of midnight on Wednesday for it to be finalised as law.

The foreign minister, Yair Lapid, will take over as caretaker leader from the prime minister, Naftali Bennett, as per an existing power-sharing agreement, and elections are expected to be held at the end of October, after several major Jewish holidays.

British Homes for Ukraine host slams Priti Patel after visa denied for 11-year-old girl fleeing the war

The 11-year-old girl was forced to return to Ukraine after her visa was rejected by the Home Office

Holly Bancroft

A British host who volunteered for the Homes for Ukraine scheme has hit out at Priti Patel for denying a visa to an 11-year-old girl fleeing the war.

The young Ukrainian girl, called Alisa Miroshyna, was meant to be travelling from Poland to the UK with her aunt and niece but she has had her visa denied because the government views her as an “unaccompanied minor”.

In a turn of events branded “appalling” by her British host Nick Anderson, young Alisa has been forced to travel back to Dnipro, Ukraine with her mother Kateryna, who is serving in the Ukrainian armed forces.

Turkey to seek extradition of 33 'terrorists' from Finland, Sweden

The request comes after the three countries signed a deal that clears the way for Sweden and Finland to become members of NATO.

Turkey said Wednesday it would seek to extradite 33 suspected "terrorists" from Sweden and Finland after reaching a deal with the two Nordic countries over their NATO membership bids.

Ankara had opposed the bids, accusing Helsinki and Stockholm of supporting Kurdish militants and other individuals it views as terror suspects. But it agreed to withdraw its opposition in return for written security guarantees.

In a three-way memorandum signed Tuesday, Sweden and Finland pledged not to support the militant Kurdish Workers' Party, or PKK, and its Syrian arm, the YPG, or the network of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkey blames Gulen for a failed coup in 2016.

Alarm mounts over escalating Ethiopia-Sudan border tensions

 Regional leaders voiced alarm Wednesday over escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan in a disputed border area and appealed for dialogue to stem the crisis.

The calls by the African Union and another regional grouping followed claims by Khartoum that the Ethiopian army had executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian during a clash in the volatile Al-Fashaqa area last week -- allegations denied by Addis Ababa.

Sudan announced Monday it would recall its ambassador to Addis Ababa over the incident in Al-Fashaqa, a fertile strip of land that has long been a source of friction between the two states.

Brutal killing caught on camera stokes religious tensions in India

By Swati Gupta, Rhea Mogul, Esha Mitra and Alex Stambaugh, CNN

Updated 1319 GMT (2119 HKT) June 29, 2022

Religious tensions are flaring in India following the killing of a Hindu man allegedly by two Muslim assailants as authorities attempt to stop video of the brutal attack from circulating online.

Officials in the western city of Udaipur, Rajasthan state, announced a curfew and blocked internet access after videos of the incident went viral on social media, triggering mass outrage across the country.

In one video, two men can be seen beginning to attack the victim. In another, two Muslim men appear to confess to the crime and claim to have "decapitated" the Hindu man. However, police in the state told CNN Wednesday the victim had deep cuts all over his body, including slashes on his neck, but that he had not been beheaded.