Category: Foreign

Our Reporter

Fusilier Sam Brownridge, from the First Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, died on Sunday.

He was off duty at the time.

The Ministry of Defence said it brought “great sadness” to announce his death.

Fus Brownridge was among about 1,000 British troops deployed in Estonia as part of Nato’s increased military presence near the border with Russia.

The First Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is based in Tidworth in Wiltshire.

In a statement, the MoD said: “It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must announce the death of a soldier from The First Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

“Fusilier Sam Brownridge died of a non-battle injury while deployed on Operation Cabrit in Estonia on Sunday.

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“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this tragic time.

“A full investigation is under way and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

Theresa Bubbear, the British ambassador to Estonia, shared a tweet expressing her “deepest condolences” to Fus Brownridge’s family, friends and colleagues.

The UK is playing a leading role in the alliance’s Baltic mission. Operation Cabrit is the name of the UK deployment.

Last December, Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the Tapa military base near Estonia’s capital Tallinn, to serve Christmas lunch to the British soldiers based there.

He told the troops: “What you’re doing is incredibly important because the reason everybody in our country can have Christmas in peace and security is because of what you’re doing here.”
(www.newsnow.co.uk)

Agency Reporter

About 1.4 million residents of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu were ordered to flee their homes amid relentless rain on Tuesday, while the death toll from downpours on the island has risen to 56, local media reported.

An elderly couple died in the city of Yamaga shortly after they were rescued from a submerged vehicle in a rice paddy, Kyodo News reported.

An 87-year-old woman was confirmed dead after being found in her inundated home in the city of Omuta late Monday, according to Kyodo.

Two temporary evacuation centres in Omuta, where more than 200 people had stayed, were flooded, the report said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a heavy rain emergency warning for Saga, Nagasaki and Fukuoka prefectures on Kyushu on Monday, calling on residents to be on “maximum alert.”

The agency lifted the emergency shortly before noon on Tuesday, but it warned of flooding, mudslides and swollen rivers in wide areas of Japan.

A seasonal rainy front was expected to continue dumping torrential rains on Kyushu and other parts of the country through Wednesday, including flood-stricken areas in Kumamoto prefecture, according to the agency.

READ ALSO: Buhari celebrates Nigerian who displayed honesty in Japan

A total of 582 schools were temporarily closed on Tuesday in 10 prefectures, including Hiroshima and Shizuoka.

Landslides and flooding caused by heavy rains struck rural areas of Kumamoto over the weekend, leaving 53 people dead and nine others unaccounted for, broadcaster NHK reported.

Bad weather conditions hampered search and rescue operations.

A government report showed a total of 71 landslides, including 42 in Kumamoto and 15 in Kagoshima, occurred since Saturday.

A water outage caused by the disaster affected more than 2,100 households in Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the government said.

Also about 4,600 households lost electricity in the prefectures of Oita, Kagoshima and Kumamoto as of Tuesday evening, according to Kyushu Electric Power.

Rainfall of up to 250 millimetres was forecast for southern Kyushu, the island of Shikoku and the Tokai region by Wednesday evening, the weather agency said.

(dpa/NAN)

Agency Reporter

Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva was found guilty of justifying terrorism and handed a fine of 500,000 rubles (7,000 dollars) in an internationally criticised trial on Monday.

Report says the fine if far more than an average annual salary in Russia.

The prosecution had initially sought six years of penal camp and four years’ disbarment.

Prokopyeva was convicted for commenting on the broken nature of Russian society after an attempted bomb attack two years ago on the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB by a 17-year-old.

Mikhail Shlobizky had staged the attack to protest against staged trials and use of torture by the FSB, however he died in the explosion.

Russia’s journalist association criticised the trial as further inhibiting freedom of the press, with union chief Vladimir Solovyov demanding the sentence be revoked.

READ ALSO: Terrorism trial of Turkish novelist, others begins

The European Union had earlier called for the charges against Prokopyeva to be dropped.

“The freedom of the press must be respected,” the EU wrote in a statement in April.

Several people were arrested over the weekend during protests against the trial in Moscow.

Prokopyeva, 40, denies the charges and has said that she will appeal the sentence, referencing freedom of expression and of the press.

“Repression develops slowly, I am not afraid to criticise the government.

“I am not afraid to criticise the security system and tell the organs of power when they are in the wrong.

“Because I know it is terrible if I don’t say anything,’’ she said in her closing remarks.

(dpa/NAN)

Agency Reporter

Less than a week before Poland’s second round of presidential elections, incumbent Andrzej Duda presented a draft amendment to the constitution that would ban gay couples from adopting children.

On Monday, the president signed his legislative proposal, which will now be sent to parliament.

“The provision should allow for better care of children’s safety and well-being,’’ Duda said.

In order to take effect, the proposal would have to secure a two-third majority in the lower house and an absolute majority in the Senate.

These conditions may be difficult to meet in the current political landscape.

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Duda is seeking a second five-year presidential term on a campaign of social spending and conservatism in lifestyle issues.

He has portrayed himself as a defender of family values and spoke out against the right of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to marry or form civil unions with each other.

Duda’s liberal challenger in the run-off, Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, also said he was opposed to adoption by gay couples, though in the past he has voiced his support for gay marriage.

On Sunday, Duda and Trzaskowski will compete in the run-off election.

Opinion polls show the two politicians going head to head, with a slight advantage for the incumbent in averages of recent polls.

(dpa/NAN)

Agency Reporter

The eldest daughter of the jailed Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak, Bethlehem Isaak, who had been imprisoned in Eritrea without trial for 18 years, on Monday said her father was still alive.

“My dad is still alive. Maybe you think how I know. This is where silent diplomacy comes in. I can’t and I’m not allowed to say more,”Isaak said.

She was speaking on Summer, a popular annual radio programme, where people in the news are invited to fill the airwaves with their own contributions and music.

“It is the combination of work that exists around the Foreign Ministry’s units, the one that handles cooperation with other countries, in this case not least links with Eritrea, voluntary organisations and contact with the family.

“It is called silent diplomacy because you cannot or allowed to talk about what is going on to the outside world,” She said.

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Dawit Isaak, 55, was arrested in September 2001, amid a clampdown by authorities on independent newspapers and labelled a traitor. Little has been heard from him since.

Earlier, the chairman of a committee seeking Isaak’s release, Leif Obrink, also stated that Isaak was alive.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, the information is a 10,“he said.

Isaak sought asylum in Sweden in 1987 and became a citizen in 1992. About eight years later he returned to Eritrea to work for the independent weekly Setit.

Eritrea often ranks at the bottom of the annual World Press Freedom Index compiled by the campaigning organisation reporters without Borders.

(dpa/NAN)

Agency Reporter

Saudi Arabia on Monday said all the intending pilgrims in 2020 Hajj must wear face masks at all times, while workers would ensure no overcrowding or gatherings take place during the pilgrimage.

The kingdom has drastically curtailed the pilgrimage amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying that only the few thousands who reside in the country could perform the Hajj, scheduled for July ending.

Saudi Arabia’s Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (SaudiCDC) released a list of instructions for pilgrims and workers to follow.

According to the list, space of one-and-a-half metres between each pilgrim must be observed during prayers or other rituals, at restaurants or inside tents.

People will not be allowed to touch the Kaaba, the cube-shaped, black-clad shrine at Makkah’s Grand Mosque.

Pilgrims usually walk around the Kabaa several times during the Hajj.

READ ALSO: Saudi Arabia may cancel 2020 Hajj

Pilgrims are banned from sharing personal items such as clothes, phones and towels.

Buses transporting pilgrims from one holy site to another must be occupied at 50-per-cent capacity, as each pilgrim will be assigned the same seat throughout the Hajj.

Also, at restaurants, only pre-packaged meals would be available as well as single-use bottles filled with water from the holy Zamzam well.

Saudi Arabia banned pilgrims from outside the kingdom in a bid to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

The kingdom has the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Arab world, with more than 200,000 infections.

(dpa/NAN)

Our Reporter

A 20-year-old scuba diver has died after being attacked by a shark off the coast of Queensland.

The man was attacked at around 2pm near Indian Head on the eastern side of Fraser Island.

A doctor and nurse at the scene provided first aid until paramedics arrived and were winched down by helicopter.

They provided emergency treatment but the man, who had been bitten around the legs, could not be saved and died at the scene, said the Queensland Ambulance Service.

The attack happened not far from where 23-year-old Queensland wildlife ranger Zachary Robba was fatally mauled by a great white shark in April.

READ ALSO: Sharks attack, kill woman while swimming

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the attack was a tragic event for the community.

“Our deepest condolences go to this young man’s family and friends,” he said. “The loss of a young life with his future before him is a tragedy beyond words. We share their sadness and grief.”

At least four people have died in shark attacks in Australia this year.

A 57-year-old diver was killed off Western Australia in January and a 60-year-old surfer died near Kingscliff in New South Wales in June.

(www.newsnow.co.uk)

Our Reporter

Italian police say they have broken up a child pornography ring involving sharing of illicit material, including photos of newborns, via an instant messaging platform.

Police on Saturday said the crackdown involved dozens of search warrants and led to the arrests of three people for allegedly possessing what was described in a statement as “huge quantities of pornographic material depicting minors.” They said some 50 people are under investigation.

The police statement said postal police investigators discovered photos of nude minors and other “horrifying content, depicting actual sexual violence where the victims were often newborns.”

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Police said in some cases the pornography was produced at home. Material was exchanged on an instant messaging platform that investigators didn’t publicly identify except to say it was “well-known.”

Police expressed appreciation for cooperation from a Canadian organization, the National Child Exploitation Coordination Center.

In Italy, Turin-based prosecutors coordinated the investigation with the Italian postal police corps.

(www.newsnow.co.uk)