Execution in Belarus of Siarhei Vostrykau

Another execution has taken place in Belarus: that of Siarhei Vostrykau. The European Union again reaffirms its strong opposition to capital punishment in all circumstances.

The continued application of the death penalty goes counter to Belarus’ stated willingness to engage with the international community, including the European Union, on the matter and to consider the introduction of a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

The European Union urges Belarus, the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment, to commute the remaining death sentences and to introduce without delay a moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its abolition.
 



China eyes better elderly care services

Minister of Civil Affairs Huang Shuxian has called for more efforts to provide higher quality public services for senior citizens amid mounting pressure posed by the growing elderly population.

Addressing a national meeting on Friday, Huang called on local authorities to work with local legislatures to revise or perfect their accompanying policies with regard to the law on protection of the rights and interests of the elderly, which was revised in 2013.

Noting that only 12 provincial regions had revised their policies by the end of 2016, the minister said that all work on new policies should be completed during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period.

By the end of 2015, China had 222 million people aged 60 or above, making up 16.1 percent of the total population. The figure is expected to reach 255 million by 2020, 17.8 percent of the population.



Local & Mayoral Election Results

In today’s Local and Mayoral elections we have made good progress – gaining on vote share and topping the polls in lots of seats that we can gain in June. However, I know it doesn’t feel that way for those brilliant campaigners who haven’t got the result they deserve.

As we’re looking at the results coming in, there are two clear stories emerging:

First is a message of hope.

Our projected national vote share is up 7% – the largest vote increase of any party. In many parts of the UK, the Lib Dems won more councillors and took a big step to winning on 8th June.

With many results still to come in, we’ve topped the polls in Cheltenham, St Albans, Cambridge, North East Fife, Cardiff Central, Bath, Edinburgh West, Eastleigh, Oxford West & Abingdon, Watford and Eastbourne.

We’ve made gains in many more areas that are key to winning on 8th June.

While Labour and UKIP have been swept aside, we are still standing strong.

The second story is about the Conservatives.

They have had a good day. They turned this local election into a national one changing the dynamic of the election. They won over most of the people that voted UKIP in the past.

Some Lib Dems lost their seats to this unholy alliance – even though our vote went up. My thoughts are with our candidates and campaigners in those areas.

When the dust settles at the end of the day, the scene will be set for the General Election.

On one side will be the Conservatives, their plans for a damaging, dangerous Brexit and heartless cuts to our schools and NHS, which will only be made worse by a large majority and our communities taken for granted.

The other side is the Liberal Democrats. We offer a path of hope for a Britain. We need a different approach to Europe, we must invest in our NHS and ensure every child can go to a good school.

We have a message of hope to fight their message of fear.

Together we can change Britain’s future.



China’s sandy weather to weaken

The national observatory said Saturday the sandy and dusty weather in China will weaken in force, but some areas will still be hit by sandstorms.

Affected by cold air and cyclones, sandy and dusty weather will continue in Xinjiang Uygur, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions, as well as Qinghai, Gansu, Liaoning, Hebei and other provinces, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in a statement.

Some eastern parts of Inner Mongolia will be hit by sandstorms, the center said.

Sandstorms swept across a vast part of China on Thursday and Friday, prompting NMC to issue blue alerts, the lowest level in a four-tier weather warning system.

Most recently, NMC renewed the alert on Friday evening, urging affected regions to close doors and windows at home and wear masks outdoors.



HR/VP Federica Mogherini’s phone conversation with Libyan Prime Minister Serraj and Foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates

he High Representative and Vice-President Federica Mogherini spoke today with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al Serraj and the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, to discuss the recent political developments concerning Libya.  The HRVP expressed her appreciation and support for the meetings between Prime Minister Serraj and General Khalifa Haftar that took place in the United Arab Emirates. The European Union, Mogherini stressed, will continue to encourage and accompany the political process in Libya with all means at its disposal so that all Libyans can unite for a secure, peaceful and prosperous country. This can be achieved only through the positive engagement and contribution of all parties.