While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 3
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Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the decision to suspend the licences did not amount to a blanket ban or an arms embargo.
PHOTO: REUTERS
UK suspends 30 of its 350 arms export licences to Israel
Britain will immediately suspend 30 of its 350 arms export licences with Israel because there was a risk such equipment might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, foreign minister David Lammy said on Sept 2.
Lammy said the decision to suspend the licences did not amount to a blanket ban or an arms embargo, but only involved those that could be used in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
“We recognise, of course, Israel’s need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods that Israel’s employed, and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure particularly,” Lammy told parliament.
Poland buries newly uncovered Nazi victim remains
EPA-EFE
Poland on Sept 2 buried the remains of hundreds of people executed en masse by Nazi Germany during World War II, whose remains were discovered in an area known as Death Valley.
The remains were uncovered by the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), which is charged with investigating Nazi and communist-era crimes and had been probing the area since 2021.
A few hundred people, including the IPN chief and a presidential aide, attended the funeral mass at a basilica in the northern town of Chojnice, which is home to Death Valley.
US seizes Venezuelan president’s plane in Dominican Republic
REUTERS
The United States has seized a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flown it from the Dominican Republic to Florida after determining that its purchase violated US sanctions, the US Justice Department said on Sept 2.
The seizure of the aircraft came amid continuing pressure on Maduro at home and abroad over a contested July 28 election that he claimed to have won, while the opposition said its vote tallies showed its candidate to have soundly defeated him.
Maduro, his associates and the OPEC member-state’s vital oil sector are under heavy US sanctions, and his handling of the election has raised the prospects that further measures could be imposed.
Cathay Pacific Airways inspects A350 fleet after identifying engine part failure
REUTERS
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways said on Sept 2 it had started a fleet-wide inspection of its Airbus A350 aircraft after identifying an engine component failure, sending shares in British engine maker Rolls-Royce down sharply.
The carrier said it had cancelled 24 return flights operating until the end of Sept 3, and that a number of aircraft would be out of service for several days while the process, which it described as precautionary, was completed.
An Airbus spokesperson referred questions to the airline and to engine maker Rolls-Royce, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Retirement won’t be a ‘difficult decision’ says Ronaldo
EPA-EFE
Cristiano Ronaldo has ruled out any immediate thought of retirement from international football as he believes he still has plenty to give Portugal, he told a press conference on Sept 2.
“When the time comes, I’ll move on. It won’t be a difficult decision to make,” the 39-year-old said ahead of Sept 5’s Nations League clash with Croatia in Lisbon.
“If I feel like I’m no longer contributing anything, I’ll be the first to leave,” he added, citing the example of his former team-mate Pepe, “who left through the front door” after announcing his retirement from the game last August at the age of 41.
