Briefly

SUDAN

Date set for 'final' peace deal signing

The "final signing" of a peace agreement between Sudan's government and rebel groups is set for Oct 2 in the South Sudanese capital Juba, the talks' chief mediator announced on Sunday. "The second of October is the date for the final signing of the peace agreement between the government and the 'parties to the peace process'," Tut Gatluak, head of the mediation team and South Sudan's presidential adviser on security affairs wrote on Twitter. Sudanese authorities and leaders from the Sudan Revolutionary Front, a coalition of rebel groups, initialed a historic peace agreement on Aug 31 in Juba aimed at ending nearly two decades of conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, particularly in western Darfur. Since October 2019, South Sudan has been mediating between the Sudanese government and the armed groups from the Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions.

SRI LANKA

Supertanker fire put out after 3 days

A fire on a large oil tanker drifting off Sri Lanka's coast was extinguished on Sunday after burning for three days, as a team of experts moved to salvage the vessel, the country's navy said. Four tugboats, three Sri Lankan navy ships and six Indian ships had battled the fire on the MT New Diamond since Thursday. Five Sri Lankan Coast Guard ships and gunboats also took part in the effort."As of now, the fire has been completely extinguished," the navy chief, Vice-Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, said in comments that were broadcast on local TV channels. But he cautioned that there is a risk of another fire erupting due to the heat of the ship's iron plates. Earlier on Sunday, the navy said a team of experts was already on one of the tugboats. Another 10 British and Dutch professionals, including rescue operation specialists, disaster evaluators and legal consultants, were also expected to join the mission to salvage the ship.

UNITED KINGDOM

Hearing resumes on Assange extradition

A London hearing resumed on Monday to decide if WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be extradited to the United States to face trial over the publication of secrets relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The 49-year-old Australian, who is being held on remand at a high-security jail, faces 18 counts from US prosecutors that could see him jailed for up to 175 years. The hearing at the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, is due to last three to four weeks. It had been due to go ahead in April but was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Any ruling is "almost certain" to be appealed by the losing side, according to John Rees, of the Don't Extradite Assange Campaign, raising the prospect of more time behind bars for the former hacker.

Agencies - Xinhua