UK to open new sponsorship routes for eligible refugees
London, June 27: Britain’s government said it will open safe, legal routes for eligible refugees, while also changing human rights laws to make it easier to deport people who are in the country illegally. The new routes will allow community groups, universities and employers to sponsor refugees to come to the UK. Authorities said the plan was inspired by a similar “community sponsorship” programme in Canada that has settled some 400,000 people in the country since 1979. “I will open new legal routes for genuine refugees, while closing loopholes that have been too often abused,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Friday. At the same time, Mahmood said, a new immigration law will seek to prevent “abuse” of human rights laws and crack down on “vexatious claims.” It will tighten the definition of family so that it is restricted to immediate family members only. (AP)
Bodies of 8 more Indians killed in Qatar explosion repatriated
Doha, June 27: The bodies of eight Indian nationals who were killed in the industrial accident at Ras Laffan in Qatar have been repatriated, taking the total number of mortal remains flown back home to 12, the Indian embassy in Doha said. The bodies of four victims were repatriated a day earlier on Thursday. Thirteen people, including 12 Indians, were killed in the explosion at the Barzan local gas supply facility at Ras Laffan Industrial City, which is operated by QatarEnergy LNG. One of them was a Pakistani national. (PTI)
Ukraine strikes industrial facility in Volgograd
Kyiv, June 27: Ukraine struck a major industrial facility in the Russian city of Volgograd, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday, while a Russian drone attack killed a man in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region overnight. Ukraine has stepped up its long-range aerial attacks on Russian military industries and energy facilities, aiming to cut Moscow’s revenue for the war and make Russians feel the consequences of the invasion, now in its fifth year. Writing on X, Zelenskyy said that FP-5 Flamingo missiles hit the Titan-Barrikady facility in Volgograd in southwestern Russia, describing it as a “major industrial complex” where Russia “produces artillery systems and specialised military equipment, including components for missile launch systems.” (AP)
Indian firm, CEO among 8 entities sanctioned by US
Washington, June 27: The US imposed sanctions on eight persons and entities, including an Indian national associated with an explosives manufacturing firm, for allegedly fuelling the civil war in Sudan. The US Treasury Department said the targeted networks enabled both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to expand and intensify civil war in the African nation. Among the sanctioned individuals is Alok Choudhari of Raipur, the Chief Executive Officer of SBL Energy Limited, which allegedly supplied over 200 shipments of explosives and explosive-related materials to a company that maintained the SAF’s arsenal. (PTI)
