Thousands of British citizens remain trapped in Sudan
Development Minister Andrew Mitchell has just been speaking in the Commons about the UK's response to the fighting in Sudan.
Here's what we learned:
- About 16 million people in Sudan are in need of humanitarian assistance but this number is likely to rise significantly, Mitchell said
- He said the operation to evacuate British embassy staff and dependents was done as part of the government's duty of care to them
- The UK's evacuation team will continue to operate from a neighbouring country, alongside the Foreign Office in London
- Mitchell urged UK citizens in Sudan to register their presence with the government. He also asked that they stay indoors and warned if they leave their homes it will be at their own risk
- Mitchell said there must be a "genuine and lasting" ceasefire in Sudan
- Shadow Minister Lyn Brown said a clear plan is needed from the government over how Britons can expect to be communicated with and when. Brown also asked how many UK nationals that are not embassy staff or their dependents have been evacuated
- In response, Mitchell said officials are looking at every possibility to get British nationals out of Sudan. He also insisted the government has learned lessons from Afghanistan, but there were key differences between the situations
Russian forces ‘forcibly evacuating’ civilians in Kherson, says Ukraine
Apparent move in occupied areas comes as Ukrainian military sets up positions on eastern side of Dnipro River
Ukrainian authorities say Russian forces are “forcibly evacuating” civilians in the area of the Kherson region that they still occupy, a day after it was claimed Ukrainian forces had established a bridgehead on the east bank of the Dnipro River.
“I have information that the evacuation starts today [Sunday] with an excuse of protecting civilians from the consequences of heavy fighting in the area,” Oleksandr Samoylenko, the Ukrainian head of Kherson’s regional council, said. Russian troops were “trying to steal as much as they can” as they withdrew, he added.
Finland’s military spending soars 36% as global defence budgets hit Cold War levels
As it joins Nato, Finland records its highest year-on-year increase in military spending since 1962
Global military expenditure rose to a record high last year as Russia's war in Ukraine prompted European nations to invest the kinds of figures in their defence capabilities not seen since the end of the Cold War, according to a new report.
Researchers from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) estimate that last year’s total global military spending rose by 3.7 per cent in real terms to $2.24 trillion.
Finland, which formally joined Nato earlier this month and shares a border with Russia, recorded the most dramatic spending boost of 36 per cent following a purchase of F-35 fighter jets.
Hong Kong student arrested over social media posts in Japan
The arrest of a Hong Kong student returning from a Japanese university has evoked fears of the transnational reach of the National Security Law (NSL). Academics are calling on the international community to step in.
Concerns about safety are rising among Hong Kong's diaspora community after authorities in the city arrested a university student under the controversial National Security Law (NSL) when she returned from Japan last month.
The 23-year-old student was arrested over posts she shared on social media, which Hong Kong police described as "inciting Hong Kong independence." The student has reportedly been charged with "inciting secession."
This is the first known arrest of a Hong Konger under the NSL over activities that took place outside of Hong Kong.
‘Vicious circle’: Femicides in Peru reveal ‘crisis’ of violence
A string of high-profile murders has drawn attention to rates of gender-based violence in the South American country.
Last month, 18-year-old Katherine Gómez finally decided to end her brief relationship with her boyfriend, Sergio Tarache. It was a Saturday evening, and despite having planned a night out with friends, she acquiesced to meet him one last time in a crowded plaza in central Lima.
The couple began to argue and Tarache abruptly left, according to witnesses. Moments later, surveillance footage revealed him buying gasoline at a nearby station. He returned, doused Gómez and set her aflame with a lighter, fleeing the scene as she burned alive.
Nearly six days passed before a superior court judge in Lima issued an arrest warrant. Tarache, 21, had already fled the country. Meanwhile, Gómez, suffering severe burns to her chest and face, died of respiratory failure in an induced coma.
Chinese ambassador sparks European outrage over suggestion former Soviet states don’t exist
European countries are demanding answers from Beijing after its top diplomat in Paris questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet republics, in comments that could undermine China’s efforts to be seen as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine.
The remarks by China’s ambassador to France Lu Shaye, who said during a television interview that former Soviet countries don’t have “effective status in international law,” have caused diplomatic consternation, especially in the Baltic states.
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia would be summoning Chinese representatives to ask for clarification, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis confirmed on Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment