LONDON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday received a standing ovation from senior ministers as he became the first foreign leader to address the British cabinet in person since 1997.
Zelensky gave members of the new Labour government a rundown of the latest situation in Ukraine after a red-carpet welcome at Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s 10 Downing Street residence and office.
He and Starmer had a one-on-one meeting beforehand, in which he thanked Britain for its sustained backing for Kyiv since Russian forces invaded in February 2022.
“Thank for the invitation, for the privilege, for me to be here,” he told Starmer, who led Labour to victory in elections two weeks ago and has reaffirmed UK support for Ukraine “for as along as it takes.”
Zelensky on Thursday urged European leaders to remain united against Russian aggression, as he seeks more military help, including much-needed air firepower to push back Russian troops.
At Cabinet, dressed in his trademark army fatigues, and flanked on either side by Britain’s Union flag and the blue-and-yellow flag of Ukraine, he renewed his call for help in boosting his country’s “long-range capability.”
“If the restrictions on using Western weapons against Russian military are lifted, we can strike further than just near the border,” he told ministers.
That would allow Ukraine to “not only protect ourselves from any Russian offensives but also secure our frontline positions and cities from Russian bombs,” he added.
International support
NATO member states, including the UK, have been hesitant about Ukraine using Western-supplied weapons such as missiles on targets inside Russia, for fear of escalating the conflict.
Britain has signalled that Ukrainian forces could use UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles for defensive strikes.
“We’re providing weapons to Ukraine for their defense of their sovereign country. And that does not preclude them hitting targets in Russia,” Defense Secretary John Healey told BBC radio.
“But that must be done by the Ukrainians, it must be done within the parameters and the bounds of international humanitarian law,” added Healey, who visited Ukraine within days of his appointment.
The last foreign leader to address the British Cabinet in person was US president Bill Clinton in 1997 after Labour’s Tony Blair swept to power, also in a landslide win over the Conservatives.
Zelensky’s “historic address,” as Starmer called it, came as 44 countries and the European Union agreed to target Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers seeking to evade sanctions on Russian oil.
The 600 or so vessels — most of them old and unsafe — transport 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, providing funding for the Russian war effort, but also allegedly carrying weapons.
Zelensky makes ‘historic’ address to UK Cabinet
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Zelensky makes ‘historic’ address to UK Cabinet
- Zelensky gave members of the new Labour government a rundown of the latest situation in Ukraine
- The Ukrainian president and Starmer had a one-on-one meeting beforehand, in which he thanked Britain for its sustained backing for Kyiv
India searches for coast guard crew after helicopter crash
AHMEDABAD: India on Tuesday deployed four ships and two aircraft to trace three missing coast guard members after their helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea during a rescue operation.
The coast guard helicopter was trying to rescue an injured crew member on an Indian-flagged tanker, about 45 kilometers (27 miles) off the coast of India’s western state of Gujarat late on Monday.
“The helicopter had to make an emergency hard landing and ditched into the sea,” the Indian Coast Guard said in a statement.
“One crew member recovered, the search for the remaining three crew members is in progress.”
The wreckage of the helicopter had been found, it added.
The helicopter crew had recently been deployed inland to rescue dozens of people stranded in late August after deadly flash floods from heavy monsoon rains swept across a swath of Gujarat, killing at least 28 people.
UK export license suspension won’t have ‘material’ impact on Israel, minister says
- The UK suspended 30 of 350 British arms export licences with Israel due to a risk the equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law
LONDON: Britain’s defense minister John Healey said the country’s suspension of 30 of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel will not threaten Israel’s ability to defend itself.
“It will not have a material impact on Israel’s security,” he told Times Radio on Tuesday, the day after the suspension was announced.
Britain's chief rabbi criticised the government's decision to suspend some arms export licences to Israel.
"It beggars belief that the British government, a close strategic ally of Israel, has announced a partial suspension of arms licences," Ephraim Mirvis said on X.
He said the move would bolster unfounded claims that Israel was in breach of international humanitarian law.
"Sadly, this announcement will serve to encourage our shared enemies," Mirvis said. "It will not help to secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages, nor contribute to the peaceful future we wish and pray for, for all people in the region and beyond."
Britain's foreign minister David Lammy said on Monday that the government had suspended 30 of 350 British arms export licences with Israel due to a risk the equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.
New Zealand spy report calls out China for interference
- New Zealand’s spy agency said the country’s geographical position and role in the Pacific region made it “vulnerable” to other countries striving for greater influence
WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s spy service branded China a “complex intelligence concern” Tuesday and warned the Pacific nation was vulnerable to foreign interference.
In an annual threat report, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service said several countries were undertaking “malicious activity” on its shores, but called out China’s attempts as “complex and deceptive.”
In particular, Beijing was accused of using front organizations to connect with local groups to replace authentic and diverse community views with those approved by the ruling party.
In one example, a Chinese-language community news outlet parroted Beijing’s talking points, it said.
“These front organizations will often appear to be community-based... but their true affiliation, direction and funding sources are hidden,” the report said.
The unusually blunt language comes as New Zealand’s recently elected center-right government tilts the country’s foreign policy more closely toward traditional Western allies.
This comes after years of growing economic ties with China — New Zealand’s biggest trade partner.
In March, Wellington publicly said a Chinese state-sponsored group was behind a 2021 malicious cyberattack that infiltrated sensitive government computer systems.
China dismissed allegations of hacking and accused New Zealand critics of being puppets of Washington.
New Zealand’s spy agency said the country’s geographical position and role in the Pacific region made it “vulnerable” to other countries striving for greater influence.
That included Russia, which “likely monitors the public statements and social media accounts” of people.
In another case, an unnamed country contacted a local New Zealand council and offered to pay for a community event if they agreed to restrict a particular religious group.
Andrew Hampton, Director-General of Security, said the report aimed to be upfront about threats facing the country.
“The point is not to alarm anyone but to alert New Zealanders to the threats so that we can work together to manage them,” he said.
Earlier this year, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the country could no longer depend on the “splendid isolation” provided by its geography.
China remains New Zealand’s biggest trading partner — exporting diary, meat and wood products that exceeded NZ$21.39 billion ($13.2 billion), according to the most recent official data.
Luxon has warned that although China was “a country of undoubted influence,” different values mean “there are issues on which we cannot and will not agree.”
After brutal rape case, Sandip Ghosh, ex-head of India’s RG Kar college, arrested for suspected graft
- Ghosh, who resigned as principal of the college days after incident became public, was arrested on Monday on charges of financial irregularities
- Rape and murder case triggered widespread protests by doctors demanding greater safety for women at the workplace and justice for 31-year-old doctor
KOLKATA: India’s federal police said it had arrested the former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata for alleged graft, after an investigation in the case of the brutal rape and murder of a young female doctor on the premises.
Sandip Ghosh, who resigned as principal of the British colonial-era college days after the incident became public, was arrested on Monday on charges of financial irregularities, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.
The CBI said it also arrested two vendors of hospital supplies and a close aide of Ghosh in connection with the case.
Reuters was not able to immediately reach Ghosh or his lawyer.
The rape and murder case triggered widespread protests by doctors demanding greater safety for women at the workplace and justice for the 31-year-old doctor, whose body was found over three weeks ago.
Although tougher laws were introduced after the 2012 gruesome gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi, activists say the incident in Kolkata has highlighted how women in India continue to suffer from sexual violence.
A police volunteer, designated to help police personnel and their families with hospital admissions when needed, was arrested last month and charged with the crime.
Ethiopian Airlines says flights to Eritrea capital suspended
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian Airlines said Monday that it was suspending its flights to and from Eritrea’s capital Asmara from September 3, citing “difficult operating conditions.”
Air links between Ethiopia and Eritrea had resumed in July 2018 after a 20-year interruption because of longstanding conflicts between the two Horn of Africa countries.
However, in July Ethiopian Airlines said in a post on X that Eritrea had suspended its flights to the country from September 30, without providing a reason.
Late Monday Africa’s largest airline said on X that it “regrets to inform its valued customers traveling to/from Asmara that it has suspended its flights to Asmara effective September 3.”
It said the suspension was “due to very difficult operating conditions it has encountered in Eritrea that are beyond its control,” without giving further details.
Indirect flights to Asmara from Ethiopia beyond September 3 were still available on Ethiopian Airlines official website.
The Eritrean government, which is diplomatically isolated and does not allow any independent media, has not publicly commented on the July decision.
