Briefly

CHINA

Envoys of 90 nations to take part in BRI Forum

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday that representatives from more than 90 countries and many international organizations have confirmed their participation in the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing next month. Besides official representatives from BRI countries, individuals from various sectors such as business, think tanks and civil society who actively support and engage in Belt and Road cooperation will also attend, Mao said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

DPRK

China's vice-premier to attend key events

Starting from Friday, China's Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong will lead a Party and government delegation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to attend the commemorative events for its 75th founding anniversary, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning announced on Thursday. Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will pay an official visit to the country. With the joint efforts of both sides, it is believed that the trip will further deepen and develop bilateral relations, Mao said.

RUSSIA

US arms to Ukraine dubbed 'criminal act'

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Thursday that the US supply of depleted uranium weapons to Ukraine was "a criminal act", state media reported. The Pentagon on Wednesday announced a new security assistance package worth up to $175 million for Ukraine. "This is not just an escalatory step, but it is a reflection of Washington's outrageous disregard for the environmental consequences of using this kind of ammunition in a combat zone. This is, in fact, a criminal act", TASS quoted Ryabkov as saying. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $1 billion of aid during a surprise visit on Wednesday. The Kremlin dismissed the visit, saying US aid would not "influence the course of the special military operation".

UNITED KINGDOM

Hunt on for ex-soldier after prison escape

British police said they had issued an urgent appeal to find a former soldier suspected of terrorism offenses who, they said, went on the run after escaping from a London prison on Wednesday. Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, who was being held in prison while he awaited trial, is believed to have escaped from HMP Wandsworth shortly before 8 am, London police said in a statement. The BBC and other media reported he had been working in the kitchens of the jail and had got out by strapping himself to the bottom of a food delivery van. An alert was issued by police to Britain's ports and airports, including London Heathrow.

GABON

Ousted leader can have medical checks abroad

Ousted Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba can go abroad for medical checkups, according to the country's transitional government. "Given his state of health, the former President of the Republic Ali Bongo Ondimba is free to move. He can, if he wishes, go abroad to carry out his medical checks," Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi, spokesperson for the transitional government, said Wednesday in a statement "signed "by Brice Oligui Nguema, who was sworn in on Monday as transitional president. Last week, a group of military officers appointed Nguema, commander-in-chief of the Gabonese Republican Guard, to head the transition government after launching a coup earlier in the day.

China Daily - Agencies - Xinhua