Has War in Ukraine expanded into Crimea? Ethiopia War Crimes, France Pension Reform Protests, London Police Under Fire

Has War in Ukraine expanded into Crimea?

It seems today there's been a lot going on in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Let's start with the latest updates regarding Russia's military hardware. Ukraine announced this morning that an explosion in the north of Russian annexed Crimea caused the destruction of Russian kalibr missiles. The missiles were being transported by rail. In addition to this, unconfirmed reports claim that buildings caught on fire and the energy grid was damaged. The Russian installed head of the city of Jiankui said the area had been attacked by drones. The Ukrainian government has only confirmed that an explosion had happened, but did not take responsibility for it. Nonetheless, if Ukraine is found to have been behind the attack, this would be a rare instance where the war in Ukraine has expanded into Crimea, which has been annexed by Russia since 2014. At the same time this was unfolding in Crimea. Both Ukraine and Russia have been hosting their own world leaders in their own separate attempts at international diplomacy. In the Ukrainian capital of Kiev this morning, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit. According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, he will today meet President Vladimir Zelensky in order to show respect to the courage and patience of the Ukrainian people who are standing up to defend their homeland under President Zelensky's leadership and show solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine as head of Japan and chairman of the G7.

In a separate meeting in Russia, President Xi of China will meet President Putin as part of his three day trip to Russia. Last night, both presidents had a luxurious dinner together at which Xi invited Putin for a reciprocal meeting in China later this year. It's clear that both parties are trying to strengthen and embolden their diplomatic ties and rebuild their friendship, something that was once described as having no limits. And finally, while the Ukrainian and Russian governments were preparing to host their respective dignitaries last night, the European Union agreed a deal to give 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine within 12 months, according to a document seen by EurActiv. The deal specifies that €1 billion will be spent on shells from stockpiles and €1 billion more will be spent on joint procurement. The document specifies a set of reimbursement rates for the member states delivering ammunition to Kyiv at 50 to 60%. We'll have to see whether this European deal works as intended.

Ethiopia War Crimes

The brutal two year conflict in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region displaced millions, killed hundreds of thousands and left vast swathes of people malnourished. But now a human rights report by the US State Department has concluded that all parties in the conflict, which ended with a peace deal last November, were complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Members of the Ethiopian and Eritrean national armies, the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Amhara forces committed war crimes. Formally recognizing the atrocities committed by all parties is an essential step to achieving a sustainable peace. Those most responsible, including those in positions of command, must be held accountable, Blinken said. A previous UN inquiry pointed to evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the parties, including the starvation of civilians by Ethiopian forces and sexual slavery by Eritrean forces. Secretary Blinken said on Monday that acknowledgment, accountability and reconciliation are key to breaking the cycle of ethnic and political violence in Ethiopia.

France Pension Reform Protests

On Monday night, the French government survived a crucial vote of no confidence, days after forcing through its controversial pension reforms without a parliamentary vote, despite not actually having a majority in the National Assembly. The Pro Macron alliance survived thanks to the right wing Republicans who did not vote to bring down the government. The key censure motion received 278 votes in favour, just nine short of the 287 needed to pass, meaning that a sizable number but not enough Republicans did actually break rank to vote in favour. The result is a relief for President Macron. As if successful, it would have killed his flagship reform and forced the resignation of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and probably snap parliamentary elections. Nevertheless, protests and strikes are set to continue, and it remains to be seen how Macron resets his government for the years ahead.

London Police Under Fire

London's Metropolitan Police Force is institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic. That's the headline finding from a scathing new review into the UK's largest police force. Baroness Casey was commissioned to conduct a review in the wake of the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving met police officer. Unveiling her report, she said the Met can now no longer presume that it has the permission of the people of London to police them. Met Police Chief Sir Mark Rowley, who took the job last year after his predecessor was dismissed, said he felt anger, frustration and embarrassment, adding that the review makes him even more determined to bring about change. He did not, however, agree with the use of the term institutional. The review detailed harrowing stories of sexual misconduct, racist incidents and more that were often covered up or downplayed, stating that discrimination had become baked into the system. Baroness Casey wrote that if sufficient progress is not made, more radical structural options such as dividing up the mess, should be considered.

Has War in Ukraine expanded into Crimea? Ethiopia War Crimes, France Pension Reform Protests, London Police Under Fire