UK Supreme Court blocked Britain’s deal to shift asylum-seekers to Rwanda
The plan, announced by The UK government in April 2022, was to fly asylum seekers who arrive in the UK illegally, to Rwanda. However, on Wednesday the Supreme Court unanimously ruled on the side of a previous appeals court that had found the policy unlawful. Indeed, the judges in their ruling wrote that “There are substantial grounds for believing that asylum seekers would face a real risk of ill-treatment by reason of refoulement to their country of origin if they were removed to Rwanda,”. The right of the Conservative Party, because of this, is even proposing to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) (Picheta, 15th November 2023).
Leaders of the world’s two biggest powers spoke in private at San Francisco.
Xi Jinping was in San Francisco for the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (apec) hosted by Joe Biden and the two of them spoke privately for four hours. They may not have agreed on much, but their public declarations had the purpose of ensuring both had the best intentions. Biden said they had to “ensure that competition does not veer into conflict” and Xi Jinping added that “major-country competition is not the prevailing trend of current times” and earth “is big enough for the two countries to succeed” (Joe Biden and Xi Jinping rediscover the joy of talking. Good, Nov 16th 2023).
Israeli military raid in Gaza’s main hospital
Israel said it found Hamas' "operational centre" at Al-Shifa hospital and wanted to conduct there a "targeted operation against Hamas". According to international humanitarian law parties to conflict cannot prevent hospitals from doing their job or attacking them. Anyway, the Israel Defence Forces warned Hamas its "continued military use of Al-Shifa jeopardises its protected status" and asked for the evacuation of the hospital before the raid. However, Hamas repeatedly denied operating there and the WHO had warned that evacuating patients would be a "death sentence". Khader, a journalist inside, told the BBC's Rushdi Abualouf that there was no shooting when Israeli forces entered on Wednesday night. Then they went room to room, questioning staff, and patients (Hancock, November 15th 2023). The power cuts though, are the cause of death of more than 20 people since Israeli forces entered (More than 20 patients die at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital amid Israeli raid, November 17th 2023).
Moreover, Mohammed Zaqout, the director-general of hospitals in Gaza, said that on Saturday at 8 a.m. (local time) Israeli army called him and told him to evacuate within an hour. The order caused great panic and patients who still cannot move couldn’t obviously leave. But when the deadline passed, compulsory evacuation began and allegedly some of the patients were forced by gunpoint. Anyway, the Israeli army denied giving any order and explained that their action was the response to the request of the director-general of hospitals. Apparently, the purpose of the operation was to evacuate those who wished to do so, towards the humanitarian crossing (Panic as Gaza’s al-Shifa evacuates, Israel army denies ordering it to do so, November 18th 2023).
Bibliography
Hancock, S. (November 15th 2023). Al-Shifa: What we know about Israel's raid on Gaza's main hospital. BBC news.
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping rediscover the joy of talking. Good. (Nov 16th 2023). The Economist.
More than 20 patients die at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital amid Israeli raid. (November 17th 2023). Alyazeera.
Panic as Gaza’s al-Shifa evacuates, Israel army denies ordering it to do so. (November 18th 2023). Aljazeera.
Picheta, R. (15th November 2023). UK plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda blocked by Supreme Court. CNN world.
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