Sabtu, 30 April 2022

'Launch Satan nukes on Britain' rants Russian politician as state TV shows missiles hitting UK in 202 seconds - Hull Live

A ranting Russian politician has gone on state TV to threaten Britain with nuclear war and even showing Moscow’s missiles hitting the UK in just 202 seconds.

As the 60 Minutes programme showed the impact of Sarmat, or so called “Satan II”, nuclear missiles on Germany, France and the UK, chairman of the Nationalist Rodina party, Aleksey Zhuravlyov, declared: "one Sarmat missile and the British Isles will be no more." The leading ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin added: "That's how you talk to them."

It is the latest in worsening rhetoric about Russian retaliation on the west for helping support Ukraine militarily in its defence against Putin’s bloody invasion. The war has killed tens of thousands and left millions without homes.

As Zhuravlyov ranted, one of the hoists says despairingly: “The UK also has nuclear weapons, no-one will survive this war. No-one on the planet.” But Zhuravlyov persists: “This missile can’t be shot down. Their abilities are limited."

Nationalist Rodina party, Aleksey Zhuravlyov, threatening the UK with nukes over its support for Ukraine
Nationalist Rodina party, Aleksey Zhuravlyov, threatening the UK with nukes over its support for Ukraine

He adds: “They need to be shown this picture. That’s the way. Let them think about it. Count to 200 seconds. That's how you talk to them.” Challenged by one of the hosts, Zhuravlyov insisted he was 'serious'.

Viewers were shown a map simulating Sarmat missiles being lunched from Russian territory on the Baltic coast and impacting Berlin in 106 seconds, Paris in 200 seconds and London in 202 seconds. Zhuravlyov adds: "Get a stopwatch, count 200 seconds. That's how you talk to them."

The TV debate appeared to be a reaction to growing tension in Moscow over the UK and other western nations ramping up military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Western weapons, including UK anti-tank missiles, have left a devastating trail of destruction through Russian ranks in Ukraine.

Putin has already ordered test-firing of its Sarmat hypersonic missiles which he claims are able to penetrate any western defences.

The 60 Minutes show on Thursday came as Britain's Defence Minister Ben Wallace warned that crews of Britain’s nuclear weapon-armed submarines were “deep underwater, hiding, waiting, in case Britain needs to be protected”.

And Armed Forces Minister James Heappey also said strikes by Ukraine on Russian soil would be 'completely legitimate' if they disrupted supply lines. Ukraine has attacked oil storage areas near its borders which are in Russia.

The 208-ton 15,880mph RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental missile
The 208-ton 15,880mph RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental missile
The 60 Minutes host with a graphic showing Russian nuclear missiles striking the UK
The 60 Minutes host with a graphic showing Russian nuclear missiles striking the UK

Heappey said: “It is completely legitimate for Ukraine to be targeting in Russia's depth in order to disrupt the logistics that if they weren't disrupted would directly contribute to death and carnage on Ukrainian soil. There are lots of countries around the world that operate kit that they have imported from other countries; when those bits of kit are used we tend not to blame the country that manufactured it, you blame the country that fired it.”

Zhuravlyov is chairman of the right wing Rodina political party which supports Vladimir Putin in the Russian parliament, the State Duma.

In a tweet sharing the video, Julia Davies, creator of Russian Media Monitor, said: “Russian TV keeps threatening nuclear strikes against Western nations, desperately trying to deter them from continuing to help Ukraine. On a side note, this is the first state TV host who doesn't seem to be eager to die for the Motherland, arguing with a trigger-happy lawmaker.”

Read next

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiW2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lmh1bGxkYWlseW1haWwuY28udWsvbmV3cy91ay13b3JsZC1uZXdzL2xhdW5jaC1zYXRhbi1udWtlcy1icml0YWluLXJhbnRzLTcwMjE2NjbSAQA?oc=5

2022-04-30 11:33:09Z
1403178994

Ukraine war: Russian offensive in south and east 'slower than planned' as Zelenskyy's troops fights to hold off 'depleted units' - Sky News

Vladimir Putin has been forced to merge and redeploy depleted units in Ukraine, UK defence chiefs say, as Ukrainian troops fight to hold off Russia's attempts to advance in the south and east.

A senior US defence official said Moscow's offensive was going much slower than planned, with the Kremlin seeking to capture Ukraine's industrial Donbas region.

The US has accused the Russian president of acting with "depravity" in his attack on Ukraine.

Angelina Jolie makes surprise visit to Lviv - Ukraine latest

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was attempting to "empty" the Donbas of people and peace talks were in danger of collapsing.

Key developments:
• The Foreign Office is investigating reports that a British national has been detained by Russia after a video emerged showing a man in camouflage clothes being questioned
• The family of a former US Marine say he was killed while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, in what would be the war's first known death of an American in combat
• Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, a special envoy to the UN, is reportedly seen in the Ukrainian city of Lviv
• Emmanuel Macron tells Mr Zelenskyy that France will strengthen its military and humanitarian support for Ukraine
• Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says Russian and Ukrainian negotiators talk "almost every day" but "progress has not been easy"
• Russian forces have stolen "several hundred thousand tonnes" of grain in the areas of Ukraine they occupy, a Ukrainian minister says

The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Russia was facing "considerable challenges" and it had been forced to merge and redeploy "depleted and disparate units from the failed advances in northeast Ukraine".

"Many of these units are likely suffering from weakened morale," the MoD said.

"A lack of unit-level skills and inconsistent air support have left Russia unable to fully leverage its combat mass, despite localised improvements."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Can Russia be pushed from Ukraine?

Russian troops turned their focus towards Ukraine's east and south as they moved into the second phase of their invasion after failing to capture the capital city of Kyiv.

Russia trying to 'empty' Donbas of people, says Zelenskyy

Mr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of carrying out "constant brutal bombardments" on buildings and residential areas of the eastern region of his country.

He compared the barrage of attacks as similar to the situation in Mariupol - a key port city that has been largely destroyed after being hit by almost daily strikes since the Russian invasion began in February.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has been firing missiles over Ukraine's nuclear plants
Image: Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of carrying out 'constant brutal bombardments'

Mr Zelenskyy said: "If the Russian invaders are able to realise their plans even partially, then they have enough artillery and aircraft to turn the entire Donbas into stones. As they did with Mariupol."

He added that the southeastern city has been turned into a "Russian concentration camp among the ruins".

Inside Mariupol, a battle has been taking place at the Azovstal steel plant, which has become the last stronghold in the area.

Ukrainian troops have successfully fought off Russian forces so far, but the mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boichenko, said the situation is dire and citizens are "begging to get saved".

"It's not a matter of days, it's a matter of hours," he said.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Donbas: Ukrainian troops dig in

US accuses Russia of 'depravity in innocent people'

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "brutality of the coldest sort" and said it was "hard to look at" what Mr Putin was doing to the country.

He said: "I don't think we fully appreciated the degree to which he would visit that kind of violence and cruelty and as I said depravity, on innocent people, on non-combatants, on civilians, with such utter disregard for the lives he was taking."

Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts,  Google Podcasts,  Spotify, Spreaker

Mr Kirby appeared to get emotional as he spoke of the scenes emerging from Ukraine, saying: "It's difficult to look at some of the images and imagine that any well-thinking, serious mature leader would do that. I can't talk to his psychology, but I think we can all speak to his depravity."

He also said it was "not entirely clear how truthful the information was" that the Russian leader was getting but there were "indications that he wasn't necessarily getting an accurate picture".

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMijQFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS91a3JhaW5lLXdhci1ydXNzaWEtdHJ5aW5nLXRvLWVtcHR5LWRvbmJhcy1vZi1wZW9wbGUtemVsZW5za3l5LWNsYWltcy1hcy1oZS13YXJucy1wZWFjZS10YWxrcy1tYXktY29sbGFwc2UtMTI2MDIyMjbSAZEBaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL3VrcmFpbmUtd2FyLXJ1c3NpYS10cnlpbmctdG8tZW1wdHktZG9uYmFzLW9mLXBlb3BsZS16ZWxlbnNreXktY2xhaW1zLWFzLWhlLXdhcm5zLXBlYWNlLXRhbGtzLW1heS1jb2xsYXBzZS0xMjYwMjIyNg?oc=5

2022-04-30 14:37:30Z
1394489796

Ukraine war: Europe's entire future rests on Ukrainian victory, warns Moldovan minister - Sky News

Moldova's foreign minister has told Sky News that the future of his country and Europe depends on how the war in Ukraine ends.

In a frank interview from his office in the capital Chisinau, Nicu Popescu revealed that:

  • Moldova is on a "heightened state of alert"
  • the future of Moldova and Europe rests on a Ukrainian victory
  • '"forces" in the breakaway region of Transnistria "staged a provocation"
  • Moldova is "not at the stage of talking about weapons supplies" but is cooperating closely with Western partners

Russia 'forced to merge and redeploy depleted units' after failed advances - follow latest updates

On the importance of a Ukrainian victory over Russia, Mr Popescu said: "The future of the entire continent rests on the capacity of Ukraine to maintain its political system, its country, its resilience.

"And in this sense, the fate and the future of every country in this part of the world, of the entire Europe, depends on how this war ends; on where it ends and when it ends."

Mr Popescu said that last week's unexplained attacks in the breakaway region of Transnistria increased the risks to Moldova.

"Moldova has been in a very difficult region at a very difficult time. We are Ukraine's most fragile neighbour, of course, we've been affected in multiple ways," he said.

More on Moldova

"And now, of course, we see that the situation is getting worse… in the last few days, with some explosions taking place in the Transnistrian region of Moldova, we are also increasingly affected by this regional destabilisation."

On Monday, three men fired rocket-propelled grenades at a state security office in the breakaway region in the east of Moldova which is aligned with Russia and borders Ukraine.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Moldova's future 'rests on victory in Ukraine'

The foreign minister said the attacks were a "staged provocation" but he would not be drawn on precisely who he believes was responsible.

"We don't know. Legally the Transnistrian region part of Moldova, [but] de facto our authorities don't have control. So we don't control, we don't have access to CCTV cameras, to forensics. We have some working hypothesis, but we are not in a situation to attribute clear responsibility for these attacks."

The foreign minister, who is also deputy prime minister, said: "Our understanding is that whereas the absolute majority of residents of Transnistria want to live in a peaceful environment and they don't want to end up in the war zone, there are nonetheless forces inside Transnistria which hope to benefit from rising tensions, and they have staged this provocation, which was the attack in Tiraspol."

Last week, a Russian general published a four point plan for the next stage of its 'special military operation' in Ukraine that specifically mentioned Transnistria.

There have been four attacks over three days in the region
Image: A map shows the location of four attacks in the region within three days

The plan raised the prospect of uniting Russian forces as they attempt to push west from eastern Ukraine with a regiment of Russian troops already based in Transnistria.

Around 1,000 Russian troops have been based, ostensibly as peacekeepers, in the unrecognised republic since it broke away from Moldova in 1992.

Read more:
Attacks in contested region of Transnistria raise fears of Ukraine war spreading

On preparations for a possible Russian incursion into Transnistria or even into the rest of Moldova, Mr Popescu said: "Statements such as the one made by this Russian general are really worrying.

"It's of course, completely unhelpful, if it creates new tensions. Formerly, the Russian Federation dissociated themselves from this statement.

"So formally, Russia says that position has not been an agreed message, at the same time we all know that the situation is quite volatile.

"It's risky. We constantly see voices inside Russia calling on bigger and more ambitious war aims.

"At the same time, it's also clear that the war in Ukraine has not been going according to plan. So here, intentions can be intentions, but the realities on the ground always tend to differ."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Could Russia invade Moldova?

Moldova is a neutral nation and the foreign minister said that would not change.

He was more nuanced on how neutrality is compatible with self-defence but wouldn't be drawn on whether Moldova would ask for western military support.

"Neutrality does not exclude and prevent us from cooperating on security, on foreign policy, on defence matters," he said.

"We're not at the stage of talking about weapons supplies, but of course for a long time we've had very good cooperative links between our ministry of defence and our partners, between our police and our partners and those conversations still continue and there are projects where our military cooperates with NATO's member states."

Pushed on the issue, he said: "Listen, we're not in a position of now prejudging how things will evolve. I'll tell you very frankly that it's also dangerous to prejudge and speculate.

"But we are nonetheless preparing and we have been preparing for all possible contingencies.

"And what exactly we do within this preparation, we prefer not to discuss in details when it comes to things or to the future, which we, of course, cannot predict."

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMieGh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L3VrcmFpbmUtd2FyLWV1cm9wZXMtZW50aXJlLWZ1dHVyZS1yZXN0cy1vbi11a3JhaW5pYW4tdmljdG9yeS13YXJucy1tb2xkb3Zhbi1taW5pc3Rlci0xMjYwMjMwNdIBAA?oc=5

2022-04-30 09:51:41Z
1400671789

British Virgin Islands: UK minister dispatched for governance talks - BBC

View of boats, sea and hills in Road Town, British Virgin Islands
Getty Images

The UK government has sent a minister to the British Virgin Islands after an inquiry called for a return of UK rule.

It comes after a turbulent few days for the overseas territory, which saw its leader Andrew Fahie arrested in the US for alleged drug trafficking and money laundering.

After his arrest, a report was released recommending direct rule be imposed from London due to corruption concerns.

But the acting leader of the BVI has said he opposes the UK taking control.

The BVI is a British overseas territory home to more than 35,000 people and made up of more than 40 islands, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico.

It operates as a parliamentary democracy, with the premier acting as the head of the elected government alongside the governor, who is appointed by the UK government and represents the Queen.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Amanda Milling, the minister for overseas territories, was travelling to the territory for talks with BVI governor James Rankin and other senior figures on Saturday.

She said the UK government would outline the next steps for the island's governance following the discussions.

Mr Rankin, who it is recommended should take over the rule of the territory, has said his main concern would be the best interests of the BVI's population.

However, acting premier Natalio Wheatley has said the territory opposes efforts by London to impose direct rule.

"What this would mean in real terms is that there would be no more elected representatives who represent the people of the districts and the territory in the House of Assembly where laws are made for our society," he said.

"There also would be no government ministers to advance the public's priorities or a cabinet to approve policy. All of this authority would be vested in the governor."

He told BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight the BVI could address governance problems without resorting to UK direct rule - and said he did not believe the BVI's people wanted to see the constitution suspended.

"Every country in the world has challenges with governance, including the UK," he said.

Mr Wheatley said he had had productive talks with Ms Milling and was expecting those to continue when she arrived in the territory on Saturday, although he said some conversations might be "uncomfortable".

Andrew Fahie
Government of the Virgin Islands

The crisis facing the islands was brought to a head on Thursday when it emerged Mr Fahie had been arrested by the US Drug Enforcement Agency in Miami.

He was detained alongside the head of the BVI's ports Oleanvine Maynard, whose son was also arrested in connection with the case.

They have been charged with cocaine trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies after appearing by video link at a Florida court on Friday, US prosecutors confirmed. They will remain in custody until a bond hearing on Wednesday.

Mr Fahie is accused of agreeing a $700,000 (£560,000) payment to allow traffickers to use BVI ports with an undercover informant, charges filed in the US said.

Questions about governance in the territory pre-dated the arrests, with long-standing concerns over state corruption and misuse of taxpayers' money, but the news expedited the release of an inquiry about how best to address them.

The report, commissioned in 2021 and led by British judge Sir Gary Hickinbottom, described the state of governance in the BVI as "appallingly bad", but is not directly connected to the arrest of the premier.

It recommended the UK government suspend the overseas territory's constitution and implement home rule for at least two years, meaning the islands would effectively be returned to direct rule from London.

'Uncomfortable conversations'

After instructing Ms Milling to travel to the BVI, Ms Truss described the arrests as "extremely concerning" and argued they demonstrated the need for "urgent action".

She said the inquiry showed "clearly that substantial legislative and constitutional change is required to restore the standards of governance".

Ms Truss added that overseas territories formed a "core part of the UK family" and the government was "committed to the security and wellbeing of the people of the British Virgin Islands".

In a televised statement on Friday, governor Mr Rankin pledged that his overriding concern would be the best interests of the people of the BVI - "ensuring transparent, honest and open governance".

Leaks of documents known as the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers previously revealed the islands to be a popular tax haven.

British overseas territories are regions which have retained a constitutional and historical link to the UK - these include Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.

Most are largely self-autonomous with their own governments but the UK retains responsibility for their defence and foreign relations.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTYxMjgwNTg30gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstNjEyODA1ODcuYW1w?oc=5

2022-04-30 07:18:35Z
1405967201

Ukraine war: Russia trying to 'empty' Donbas of people, Zelenskyy claims as he warns peace talks may collapse - Sky News

Russia is attempting to "empty" the Donbas of people and peace talks are in danger of collapsing, Ukraine's president has claimed.

Speaking in his nightly address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of carrying out "constant brutal bombardments" on buildings and residential areas of the eastern region of his country.

He compared the barrage of attacks as similar to the situation in Mariupol - a key port city that has been largely destroyed after being hit by almost daily strikes since the Russian invasion began in February.

Live updates from the war in Ukraine

"If the Russian invaders are able to realise their plans even partially, then they have enough artillery and aircraft to turn the entire Donbas into stones. As they did with Mariupol," Mr Zelenskyy said.

Key developments:

  • Russia uses submarine missile attack for first time on Ukraine
  • Injured Briton captured by Russian forces and paraded on television
  • UK says it's sending experts to help Ukraine with gathering evidence and prosecuting war crimes
  • Two British aid workers reportedly captured by Russian forces in Ukraine
  • US official says country does not believe there is a threat of Russia using nuclear weapons

He added that the southeastern city has been turned into a "Russian concentration camp among the ruins".

Inside Mariupol, a battle has been taking place at the Azovstal steel plant, which has become the last stronghold in the area.

Ukrainian troops have successfully fought off Russian forces so far, but the Mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boichenko, said the situation is dire and citizens are "begging to get saved".

"It's not a matter of days, it's a matter of hours," he said.

Russian troops turned their focus towards Ukraine's east and south as they moved into the second phase of their invasion after failing to capture the capital city of Kyiv.

Local residents, including nursery teacher Natalya Kalugina, 64, gather in a courtyard near a block of flats, which was damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 29, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Image: 'Russian concentration camp among the ruins'

Read more: Injured Briton captured by Russian forces and paraded on television

Peace talks could collapse with Russia, Ukraine warns

Ukraine has warned that while attacks continue, peace talks with Russia could collapse.

The two countries have not met for in-person talks since 29 March and the atmosphere has soured over Ukrainian allegations that Russian troops carried out atrocities as they withdrew from areas near Kyiv.

In comments to journalists in Poland, Mr Zelenskyy said: "The risks that talks will end are high because of what they (the Russians) have left behind them, the impression that they have a playbook on murdering people."

But, Russia's foreign minister has said the country is "in favour of continuing the negotiations, although they are difficult".

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Can Russia be pushed from Ukraine?

Read more: The town staring down the barrel of Putin's war machine as the fight for Donbas intensifies

"At present, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are actually discussing on a daily basis via video-conferencing a
draft of a possible treaty," Sergei Lavrov said in comments to China's official Xinhua news agency published on the Russian foreign ministry's website.

"The talks' agenda also includes, among others, the issues of denazificiation, the recognition of new geopolitical
realities, the lifting of sanctions, the status of the Russian language," he added.

He also accused Western nations, including the UK, of sabotaging talks, saying Kyiv has changed its position following orders from the US and Britain.

Mr Lavrov continued to explain that more than one million people have been evacuated from Ukraine into Russia since the war began.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Donbas: Ukrainian troops dig in

The 1.02 million includes 120,000 foreigners and people evacuated from Russian-backed breakaway regions of Ukraine.

However, Ukraine has claimed that Moscow has forcefully deported thousands of people to Russia and efforts to evacuate civilians from besieged areas have repeatedly failed.

US accuses Russia of 'depravity in innocent people'

Meanwhile, the US has said Russia's President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine is "brutality of the coldest sort".

Speaking to reporters, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby condemned the Kremlin leader's actions in Ukraine and said it was "hard to look at" what Mr Putin was doing to the country.

Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts,  Google Podcasts,  Spotify, Spreaker

He said: "I don't think we fully appreciated the degree to which he would visit that kind of violence and cruelty and as I said depravity, on innocent people, on non-combatants, on civilians, with such utter disregard for the lives he was taking."

Mr Kirby appeared to get emotional as he spoke of the scenes emerging from Ukraine, saying: "It's difficult to look at some of the images and imagine that any well-thinking, serious mature leader would do that. I can't talk to his psychology, but I think we can all speak to his depravity."

He also said it was "not entirely clear how truthful the information was" that the Russian leader was getting but there were "indications that he wasn't necessarily getting an accurate picture".

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMijQFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS91a3JhaW5lLXdhci1ydXNzaWEtdHJ5aW5nLXRvLWVtcHR5LWRvbmJhcy1vZi1wZW9wbGUtemVsZW5za3l5LWNsYWltcy1hcy1oZS13YXJucy1wZWFjZS10YWxrcy1tYXktY29sbGFwc2UtMTI2MDIyMjbSAZEBaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL3VrcmFpbmUtd2FyLXJ1c3NpYS10cnlpbmctdG8tZW1wdHktZG9uYmFzLW9mLXBlb3BsZS16ZWxlbnNreXktY2xhaW1zLWFzLWhlLXdhcm5zLXBlYWNlLXRhbGtzLW1heS1jb2xsYXBzZS0xMjYwMjIyNg?oc=5

2022-04-30 03:57:27Z
1407661642

Jumat, 29 April 2022

British Virgin Islands should have constitution suspended, says corruption report - raising prospect of rule from London - Sky News

The British Virgin Islands should have its constitution suspended, elected government dissolved and effectively be returned to direct rule from London, an inquiry has found.

The BVI's governor John Rankin ordered the report to investigate "the corruption, abuse of office, and other serious dishonesty" in the British overseas territory's governance.

Launched in 2021, it was led by British judge Gary Hickinbottom.

"He has concluded with a particularly heavy heart that unless the most drastic and urgent steps are taken, the current situation with elected officials deliberately ignoring the tenets of good governance will go on indefinitely," said Mr Rankin, who is the Queen's representative on the BVI.

"He notes that the people of the BVI deserve better, and that the UK government owes them an obligation to protect them from such abuses and assist them to achieve their aspirations for self government as a modern democratic state."

The report recommended any new administrative arrangement should last two years, but also that ministerial
government should resume "as soon as practicable".

If London accepts the inquiry's central recommendation, one of more than 40 in the 946-page report, Mr Rankin - a career British diplomat - would take over the day-to-day running of the BVI.

More from World

And in a statement he said: "I pledge that the best interests of the people of BVI will continue to be my overriding concern, ensuring transparent, honest and open governance in accordance with the rule of law to strengthen the foundations of the British Virgin Islands.

"I believe that the COI Report is a vital and hugely valuable contribution towards the achievement of better governance in the BVI in the interest of the people of the territory."

Premier Andrew Fahie. Pic: Government of the Virgin Islands
Image: Premier Andrew Fahie. Pic: Government of the Virgin Islands

The report is not linked to Thursday's arrest of the island's elected leader Premier Andrew Fahie on charges of money laundering and conspiring to import cocaine.

Fahie was detained in Miami, Florida, as part of an operation led by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

According to the Miami Herald, he was arrested by DEA agents who were posing as cocaine traffickers from the Mexican Sinaloa cartel.

Read more:
How US law enforcement stung British Virgin Islands premier in drugs and money laundering probe

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement: "The arrest yesterday of the premier of the British Virgin Islands on charges related to drugs trafficking and money laundering is extremely concerning and underlines the need for urgent action.

"In January 2021, we set out significant concerns about the deteriorating state of governance in the British Virgin Islands, as well as the potential vulnerability of the islands to serious organised crime.

"The UK government supported the then governor's decision to launch an independent inquiry into governance of the Territory.

"The inquiry report published today by the governor shows clearly that substantial legislative and constitutional change is required to restore the standards of governance that the people of the British Virgin Islands are entitled to.

"I have instructed the minister for overseas territories to travel to the territory immediately to speak to the governor and key stakeholders. We will then announce a clear path forward."

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMimQFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9icml0aXNoLXZpcmdpbi1pc2xhbmRzLXNob3VsZC1oYXZlLWNvbnN0aXR1dGlvbi1zdXNwZW5kZWQtc2F5cy1jb3JydXB0aW9uLXJlcG9ydC1yYWlzaW5nLXByb3NwZWN0LW9mLXJ1bGUtZnJvbS1sb25kb24tMTI2MDE4NTnSAZ0BaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL2JyaXRpc2gtdmlyZ2luLWlzbGFuZHMtc2hvdWxkLWhhdmUtY29uc3RpdHV0aW9uLXN1c3BlbmRlZC1zYXlzLWNvcnJ1cHRpb24tcmVwb3J0LXJhaXNpbmctcHJvc3BlY3Qtb2YtcnVsZS1mcm9tLWxvbmRvbi0xMjYwMTg1OQ?oc=5

2022-04-29 16:31:59Z
1359901564

Britain sends troops and tanks to Europe in show of solidarity - The Times

Thousands of British troops as well as tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery will be sent to countries in Europe in one of the largest deployments since the Cold War.

The British Army would conduct exercises in nations such as Finland and North Macedonia to demonstrate how it had modernised into a “lethal, agile and global force”, the Ministry of Defence said.

About 8,000 British troops are expected to join soldiers from Nato allies and the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a UK-led security coalition, for the summer exercises amid rising tensions with Russia.

Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said that the security of Europe “has never been more important”. He promised a “show of solidarity and strength in one of the largest shared deployments since

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXRpbWVzLmNvLnVrL2FydGljbGUvYnJpdGFpbi1zZW5kcy10cm9vcHMtYW5kLXRhbmtzLXRvLWV1cm9wZS1pbi1zaG93LW9mLXNvbGlkYXJpdHktY2dxMDJkN2d00gEA?oc=5

2022-04-29 08:00:00Z
1406113919