Hundreds of Albanians have returned home from UK: minister

Migrants are seen on the UK Border Force rubber dinghy, after they were picked up at sea while attempting to cross the English Channel. (File/AFP)
Migrants are seen on the UK Border Force rubber dinghy, after they were picked up at sea while attempting to cross the English Channel. (File/AFP)
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Updated 04 June 2023
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Hundreds of Albanians have returned home from UK: minister

Hundreds of Albanians have returned home from UK: minister
  • Deal has facilitated increase in returns to Balkan nation, Robert Jenrick tells Sky News
  • British PM has made tackling illegal migration a core aim of his administration

LONDON: UK Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has revealed that hundreds of Albanian migrants have been repatriated as part of a “gold-standard” deal with the government in Tirana. 

Jenrick, who initially suggested “thousands” had been removed, told Sky News that it was “early days” and that “spurious last-minute claims” were delaying deportations.

He said while “thousands of Albanian illegal migrants returned home and the numbers crossing from that country (are) significantly reducing,” only hundreds of people had left on flights as part of the deal with Albania.

He also admitted that a number of Albanian asylum-seekers remained in temporary accommodation or had “absconded.”

The UK government announced in April that “over 1,000” Albanians had been deported since December, including “failed asylum-seekers, foreign national offenders and voluntary returns.”

Around 16,000 Albanians claimed asylum in the UK in 2022, with Jenrick coming under fire for suggesting that they should be “excluded” from doing so as their country is safe.

The deal to “enhance cooperation” between the two countries was agreed between UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama during the latter’s visit to London in December last year.

The agreement focused on “security issues and home affairs (with the main focus on the fight against organized crime and illegal immigration),” as well as “economic growth and investment” and “innovation, youth and education,” with a plan to set up a “joint migration task force” to “manage illegal migration of Albanian citizens to the UK.”

Sunak has made tackling illegal immigration a core issue of his premiership. 

Jenrick said a second “landmark” deal with France had led to a “big increase in the number of interceptions” of boats carrying migrants across the English Channel, resulting in around 33,000 people being turned back.

Rama previously told Sky News that his meeting with Sunak had demonstrated “important signs of regret and embarrassment” from the UK government over rhetoric used by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who referred to Albanian migration across the Channel as an “invasion,” and to migrants themselves as “criminals.”


Brazil’s firefighters battle wildfires raging during rare late-winter heat wave

Brazil’s firefighters battle wildfires raging during rare late-winter heat wave
Updated 7 sec ago
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Brazil’s firefighters battle wildfires raging during rare late-winter heat wave

Brazil’s firefighters battle wildfires raging during rare late-winter heat wave

RIO DE JANEIRO: Firefighters on Thursday were battling flames in Brazil’s northeastern Bahia state, fanned by strong winds and abnormally high temperatures for the season, authorities said.

While it is still technically winter in Brazil, with spring due to start in a couple days, a heat wave prompting record temperatures has swept across much of the country since the beginning of the week.

Faced with a growing number of hot spots caused by high temperatures, Bahia’s association of forestry-based companies this week launched a campaign to prevent — and combat — wildfires.

State authorities said they have mobilized over 150 military firefighters to put out fires in different areas across the state, as well as in Chapada Diamantina, a national park known for its panoramic views.

The Instagram account of Bahia’s secretary for public security showed images of firefighters making their way through parched forests, equipped in high-visibility orange gear and helmets, attempting to bring the licking flames under control.

The fires broke out Monday, according to local media reports. There are no details regarding the size of the affected area, but Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology has categorized the heat wave as a “great danger.”


First US Abrams tanks to reach Ukraine ‘next week:’ Biden

First US Abrams tanks to reach Ukraine ‘next week:’ Biden
Updated 35 min 35 sec ago
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First US Abrams tanks to reach Ukraine ‘next week:’ Biden

First US Abrams tanks to reach Ukraine ‘next week:’ Biden
  • Biden also said he had “approved the next tranche of security assistance for Ukraine,” which the Pentagon later valued at $325 million

WASHINGTON: The first US M1 Abrams tanks will arrive in Ukraine “next week,” US President Joe Biden said Thursday, boosting Kyiv’s forces as they battle Russian troops in a slow-moving counteroffensive.

“Next week, the first US Abrams tanks will be delivered in Ukraine,” Biden said at the White House, alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, who is on his second visit to the United States since Russia invaded his country in February 2022.

Biden also said he had “approved the next tranche of security assistance for Ukraine,” which the Pentagon later valued at $325 million.

It includes air defense missiles, ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers, anti-tank weapons, and artillery rounds.

But the package does not feature the long-range ATACMS missiles that Kyiv has repeatedly requested.

It does include 155mm rounds that contain cluster munitions, which Washington first agreed to provide to Ukraine in July despite concerns over the long-term risk posed to civilians by bomblets that fail to explode.

The United States said it has received assurances from Kyiv that it would minimize the risk the weapons pose to civilians, including by not using the munitions in populated areas.

Washington had promised the 31 Abrams tanks to Kyiv at the start of the year, part of more than $43 billion in security assistance pledged by the United States over the past 18 months.

The tanks will be paired with 120mm armor-piercing depleted uranium rounds.

Such munitions are controversial due to their association with health problems, such as cancer and birth defects, in areas where they were used in past conflicts, although they have not been definitively proven to have caused them.

The decision to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine represented a U-turn as American defense officials had repeatedly said they were ill-suited for Kyiv’s forces due to their complexity.


‘Sclerotic’ UN needs reform, Security Council system flawed, European Commission chief tells UNGA

‘Sclerotic’ UN needs reform, Security Council system flawed, European Commission chief tells UNGA
Updated 28 min 3 sec ago
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‘Sclerotic’ UN needs reform, Security Council system flawed, European Commission chief tells UNGA

‘Sclerotic’ UN needs reform, Security Council system flawed, European Commission chief tells UNGA
  • Charles Michel said lack of global representation on the council reflects outdated power structures that ‘hobbled’ its ability to act in best interests of the world
  • During the General Debate at the UN General Assembly, he also reiterated his previous call for a global treaty on pandemic prevention and preparedness

LONDON: The UN system has become “sclerotic” and is in need of reform, the president of the European Commission said on Thursday.

During a speech on Thursday during the General Debate at the 78th UN General Assembly in New York, Charles Michel also backed growing calls for the veto powers granted to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — the US, Russia, France, the UK and China — to be limited under emergency conditions, and to broaden the body’s global representation.

“We must assume our responsibility and that means being engaged in order to put multilateralism back on solid ground,” he said. “To that end, we need to restore trust, solve the most urgent problems and repair the United Nations system.

“For the last 19 months, a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia, without any shame, has been undertaking a war to conquer its neighboring country.

“It can even abuse its veto rights to prevent sanctions against itself, and even use the Security Council to disseminate propaganda, disinformation and lies — let’s be honest.”

Michel reaffirmed the “unwavering” support of the EU for Ukraine in the war with Russia and the country’s “right to legitimate defense.”

He criticized the lack of proper global representation within the Security Council, which he said continues to reflect outdated power structures and this “hobbled” its ability to act in the best interests of the world as a whole, especially given some countries were “still colonial powers.”

He added: “The planet is falling. The world is being torn asunder by poverty and injustice, entire swaths of the world — Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Asia — are under- or non-represented (on the council). We support the comprehensive, massive reform of the Security Council to amplify the voice of these regions.”

Michel also reiterated his previous call for a global treaty on pandemic prevention and preparedness. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he and the head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, have led the push for negotiations on a treaty of this kind within the UN framework, urging the international community to reach a consensus on the topic by May next year.


Beijing committed to territorial reunification: VP

Beijing committed to territorial reunification: VP
Updated 22 September 2023
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Beijing committed to territorial reunification: VP

Beijing committed to territorial reunification: VP
  • ‘Taiwan has been China since ancient times,’ Han Zheng tells UN General Assembly
  • Vice president expresses support for ‘lawful national rights’ of the Palestinian people

NEW YORK: Beijing aims to reunify all Chinese territory, including Taiwan, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng told the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

“China stays committed to safeguarding sovereignty. There’s only one China, and the government is the sole legal government representing China,” he said.

“Taiwan has been China since ancient times, and no force should ever underestimate the strong will of the Chinese people to safeguard their sovereignty.”

Han said the international community must uphold equity and justice, safeguard peace and security, strive for mutual benefits and development for all, and pursue multilateralism in a balanced manner. “Major countries should lead by example and deliver on their commitment to multilateralism,” he added.

Han stressed the need for nonproliferation of all types of arms, saying China is the only permanent member of the UN Security Council that has pledged no first use of nuclear weapons, and it will soon ratify the UN Firearms Protocol.

He added that global development is a priority for China, which will host the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation next month.         

China is also committed to prioritizing ecology, which includes ceasing the construction of coal-fired power projects abroad, and supporting developing countries in order to produce green and low-carbon energy, Han said.

He called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the “restoration of lawful national rights” of Palestinians.


Turkiye says it played no direct role in Karabakh operation

Turkiye says it played no direct role in Karabakh operation
Updated 21 September 2023
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Turkiye says it played no direct role in Karabakh operation

Turkiye says it played no direct role in Karabakh operation
  • Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive to take back control of its breakaway Karabakh region on Tuesday

ANKARA: Turkiye is using “all means,” including military training and modernization, to support its close ally Azerbaijan but it did not play a direct role in Baku’s military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a Turkish Defense Ministry official said on Thursday.

Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive to take back control of its breakaway Karabakh region on Tuesday. It later announced a ceasefire that would disarm the ethnic Armenian separatists who had held much of the region — regarded internationally as part of Azerbaijan — since the 1990s.

NATO ally Turkiye publicly threw its support behind Azerbaijan’s “steps to preserve its territorial integrity” but it had been unclear whether Ankara played any active role in the 24-hour military operation.

“It was Azerbaijan army’s own operation, there was no direct involvement of Turkiye,” a Turkish Defense Ministry official said on Thursday.

“Turkiye’s cooperation with Azerbaijan in military training and army modernization has been underway for a long time. The Azerbaijani army’s success in the latest operation clearly shows the level they achieved,” the official said.

He also said a joint Turkish-Russian monitoring center was still operating and was reporting on any ceasefire violations.

Turkiye, which has close linguistic, cultural and economic ties with Azerbaijan, supports efforts by Baku and Yerevan to build peaceful relations, the official added.

In a phone call late on Wednesday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed Ankara’s support to his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev.

“President Erdogan reiterated Turkiye’s heartfelt support for Azerbaijan,” the presidency said in a statement.

President Aliyev trumpeted victory in a televised address to the nation, saying his country’s military had restored its sovereignty in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azerbaijan government met for talks on Thursday to discuss the future of the breakaway region that Azerbaijan claims to fully control following this week’s military offensive. Azerbaijan’s state news agency said the talks had ended but provided no details on whether an agreement was reached. 

Nagorno-Karabakh authorities and the news agency earlier said the talks between regional leaders and Azerbaijan’s government would focus on Nagorno-Karabakh’s “reintegration” into Azerbaijan.

Nagorno-Karabakh human rights ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan said at least 200 people, including 10 civilians, were killed and more than 400 others were wounded in the fighting. 

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Aliyev and “condemned Azerbaijan’s decision to use force ... at the risk of worsening the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and compromising ongoing efforts to achieve a fair and lasting peace,” the French presidential office said.

Macron “stressed the need to respect” the ceasefire and “to provide guarantees on the rights and security of the people of Karabakh, in line with international law.”

Azerbaijan presidential aide Hikmet Hajjiyev said the government was “ready to listen to the Armenian population of Karabakh regarding their humanitarian needs.”