World Briefs: UK to spend $1.2b on border infrastructure

LONDON • Britain will spend £705 million (S$1.2 billion) on border infrastructure to help keep trade flowing after its transition deal with the European Union expires at the end of the year, Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove said yesterday.

Part of the fund - £470 million - will go to build port and inland infrastructure, including in the south-east of England to serve major freight crossings to France.

"There will be specific pieces of infrastructure that we put in place in order to smooth the flow of traffic," Mr Gove told the BBC.

Britain, which is still in talks with the EU about a post-Brexit trade deal, said it would shortly set out in detail how the British-EU border would operate.

REUTERS

BEIJING • The United States last Saturday warned citizens of "heightened risk of arbitrary detention" in China as tensions between Beijing and Washington soared over issues including Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.

US citizens in China "may be subjected to prolonged interrogations and extended detention for reasons related to 'state security' ", the State Department warned in a security alert.

The State Department said Chinese authorities may also impose exit bans as part of "arbitrary enforcement of local laws".

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

BAMAKO • Mali's opposition yesterday rejected concessions by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita aimed at resolving an escalating political crisis that has sparked deadly protests, saying it would be satisfied only if he resigns.

Mr Keita said he was dissolving the Constitutional Court and would implement recommendations made by regional bloc The Economic Community of West African States, which included re-running some contested legislative polls.

A spokesman for M5-RFP, a coalition of political, religious and civil society leaders that launched protests over a month ago calling for Mr Keita to resign, said his proposal had been rejected.

REUTERS