LONDON, 10 June, 2021 (TON): BRITISH Airways and Ryanair Holdings Plc face an investigation for breaking UK consumer rules.

The airlines failed to offer refunds to customers for flights they couldn't take.

It has opened enforcement cases against both airlines on Wednesday, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority said.

Andrea Coscelli, chief executive officer at the CMA, said in a statement, "While we understand that airlines have had a tough time during the pandemic, people should not be left unfairly out of pocket for following the law,"

"Customers booked these flights in good faith and were legally unable to take them due to circumstances entirely outside of their control."

The watchdog last year opened a probe into the airline sector, following concerns that during the Covid-19 pandemic, customers were denied refunds while unable to fly and instead were offered vouchers or the option to rebook flights.

The refund issue caused a backlash last year when flights were grounded and customers were forced to cancel trips.

It proved contentious from the start of the pandemic when the airlines steered passengers toward rebooking or accepting credits for future flights.

Washington, 10 June, 2021 (TON): On Wednesday, the U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Britain.

This is the President’s first foreign trip as US President, during which he is scheduled to visit several European countries.

The White House said, "This trip will highlight America's commitment to rallying the world's democracies, coming together to shape the rules of the road for the 21st century, defend our values, and tackle the world's biggest challenges."

The media cited that in East England, the president arrived at an air base of the Royal Air Force.

The president and First Lady Jill Biden are scheduled to meet US soldiers in the English county of Suffolk to kick off their first foreign trip since taking office in January.

On Thursday, Biden is due to meet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson near Cornwall, where the G7 summit takes place from Friday to Sunday, on the fringes of which Biden is expected to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, among other G7 leaders.

At the end of their visit to Britain, the US president and the first lady are to be received by Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle near London on Sunday.

On Monday, Biden plans to attend the NATO summit in Brussels.

On Wednesday of next week, Biden is expected to hold an eagerly awaited summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.

NAIROBI, 9 June, 2021 (TON): On Wednesday, Kenya's health ministry launched Kenya Mental Health Action Plan (2021-2025) aiming to promote mental health among citizens.

Mercy Mwangangi, Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Health said, "Through the plan, mental health and psychosocial support will be integrated into the emergency and humanitarian response especially in the response to Covid-19 pandemic as well as the long-term recovery strategy."

According to the Ministry of Health, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused enormous significant health, socio-economic and psychological impacts on the population, hence mental health and psychosocial support strategies and measures.

The plan seeks to decentralize mental health services and programs to primary health care at the community level, promote stigma reduction and preventive programs, enroll mentally disturbed people in the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and establishment if a commission for mental health and happiness.

THE HAGUE, 9 June, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, Ratko Mladic the Bosnian military chief lost his final legal battle

When the UN judges rejected his appeals and affirmed his life sentence.

Mladic is accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Balkan nation’s 1992-95 war.

Mladic was first indicted in July 1995. After the war in Bosnia ended, he went into hiding and was finally arrested in 2011 and handed over to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia by the then-ruling pro-Western government of Serbia.

Serge Brammertz, the prosecutor who finally brought both Karadzic and Mladic to justice, said Mladic “ranks among the most notorious war criminals in modern history” who abused his position of power to commit crimes including genocide.

“Mladic should be condemned by all responsible officials in the former Yugoslavia and around the world,” Brammertz said. “His name should be consigned to the list of history’s most depraved and barbarous figures,” he added.

The court also rejected an appeal by prosecutors of Mladic’s acquittal on one other count of genocide linked to ethnic eviction early in the war.

ALGIERS, 9 June, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, the political campaigns for Algeria’s impending legislative elections ended.

Algerians are gearing up for the June 12 elections to elect members of parliament.

Abderrazak Makri, president of Algeria's Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) said, "Be it our way, our criterion of conduct to cut off the road to the children (supporters) of France here in Algeria who want to forget the values of November, I invite you all to stand up to renew our oath to the declaration of the first November."

"Our message to the Algerian people is clear, we have one message which is to unite for a new Algeria that will only be renewed through the unity of its people, and we are its people", said Bougtaya Zacharia, candidate with the National Liberation Front (NLF) party.

There are more than 13,000 candidates, with many of them contesting as independent candidates. Some 24 million voters will elect 407 new law makers this Saturday.

BEIJING, 9 June, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held virtual talks with Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov.

The Chinese Premier vowed to work and take China-Uzbek relations to a new stage.

Li said since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Uzbekistan have been supporting and helping each other to push forward practical cooperation, which has played a positive role in the two countries' economic recovery.

China stands ready to work with Uzbekistan to conduct closer high-level exchanges, strengthen mutual political trust and deepen practical cooperation across the board, he said.

Li said China will join hands with Uzbekistan to fight COVID-19, provide Uzbekistan with aid within China's capacity, support companies from the two countries to carry out joint vaccine production based on the principle of mutual benefit and win-win results.

Besides, the Chinese premier expressed the hope that the two sides can deepen cooperation in all fields in line with market principles and business rules to better benefit the people of both countries.

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COLOMBO, 9 June, 2021 (TON): According to the Sri Lanka’s investment promotion agency Board of Investments (BOI), more than 1883 investors from various fields have focused on investing in Sri Lanka at the Sri Lanka Invest Forum Investment Conference.

It is expected that in Asia’s largest online investment conference Sri Lanka Invest Forum – 2021 conducted entirely virtually from 7-9 June 202, Sri Lanka would attract investment interest from around the world from high-net-worth individuals, private equity firms, and institutional investors.

Themed “Sri Lanka - Asia’s Next Growth Haven”, the Sri Lanka Investment Forum (SLIF) 2021 is jointly organized by the Board of Investments (BOI), The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Colombo Stock Exchange.

“We hope to achieve short-term and long-term economic gains in the investment sector in Sri Lanka through such a conference,” Sanjaya Mohottala BOI Chairman said.

Up till now, more than 80 countries have participated in the conference halfway through and more than 1,883 investors from various sectors have turned their attention to investing in Sri Lanka.

CANBERRA, 9 June, 2021 (TON): On Wednesday, the Australian PM Scott Morrison said that the World Trade Organization should penalize "bad behavior when it occurs."

The PM’s statement came ahead of a Group of Seven leaders' meeting in Britain where he hopes to garner support in a trade dispute with China.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia would be "working with others to buttress the role of the World Trade Organization and to modernize its rulebook where necessary."

"In my discussions with many leaders, I've taken great encouragement from the support shown for Australia's preparedness to withstand economic coercion in recent times," Morrison said in a speech delivered in the Australian west coast city of Perth before leaving for the G7 meeting in Cornwall.

In December, the Australian government announced it would ask the WTO to intervene in its dispute with China over barley and expects other nations to become involved in the case.

China accused Australia of breaching WTO rules by subsidizing barley production and selling the grain in China at below production cost, meanwhile, it ended Australian imports of barley in May 2020 by putting tariffs of more than 80% on the crop.

Morrison said, "A well-functioning WTO that sets clear rules arbitrates disputes objectively and efficiently penalizes bad behavior when it occurs. This can be one of the most powerful tools the international community has to counter economic coercion."

Besides, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month the United States will not leave Australia alone to face coercion from China and that such behavior toward U.S. allies will hamper improvement in relations between Washington and Beijing.

BAMAKO, 9 June, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, the ECOWAS envoy of Mali, former Nigerian President Good luck Jonathan held a meeting with the new transitional President Colonel Assimi Goita in Bamako.

The meeting aimed to save the country's fragile transition.

Jean- Claude Brou Kassi, the ECOWAS delegation leader said, "As I said, and it was reiterated by the mediators, that the commitment of ECOWAS has accompanied the transition process so that elections are held according to the schedule that has already been established by the Malian authorities. Therefore our role will be to support this process."

The trip was Jonathan's second in two weeks.

However, Goita has vowed to stick to the old transition schedule, which prescribes elections next February.

NEW YORK, 9 June, 2021 (TON): A political declaration was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, involving the member states to commit themselves in eradicating AIDS by 2030.

As per the declaration, the states will reduce the annual new HIV infections under 370,000 and annual AIDS- related death under 250,000 by 2025.

The states vowed to have people an access to the appropriate prioritized, person-centered and effective prevention options by 2030, trying that by 2025 at least 34 million people with HIV will have access to medications, treatment and diagnostics.

Moreover, they will increase and fully fund the HIV and AIDS response by mobilizing finance from all sources, increasing annual HIV investments in low-and middle-income countries to 29 billion U.S. dollars by 2025, ensuring global accessibility.