Government plans to bring more Gazan children to UK for treatment
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Government plans to bring more Gazan children to UK for treatment
17 minutes ago Share Save Suzanne Leigh BBC News Damian Grammaticas Political correspondent Share Save
Reuters
Plans to evacuate more seriously ill or injured children from Gaza and bring them to the UK for medical treatment are being carried out "at pace", the government says. The BBC understands the aim is to bring the plan into operation within weeks. It is unclear how many children might be involved, but the Sunday Times reports the government is to allow up to 300 young people to enter the UK to receive free medical care. Some Gazan children have already been brought privately to the UK for medical treatment through an initiative by Project Pure Hope, but the government has so far not evacuated any through its own scheme during the conflict.
A government spokesperson said on Sunday the plan was to "evacuate children from Gaza who require urgent medical care," adding "we are working at pace to do so as quickly as possible." More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured since the war in Gaza begun in October 2023, according to the UN charity Unicef. A Foreign Affairs Committee report published at the end of July said the government had "declined to support a medical evacuation of critically injured children to the UK, involving coordinating travel permits, medical visas and safe transport to the UK, where the children can receive specialised care unavailable to them in Gaza". Following that, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was "urgently accelerating efforts" to evacuate children who needed critical medical assistance to the UK for treatment. According to the Sunday Times, the government scheme will require a parent or guardian to accompany each child, and the Home Office will carry out biometric and security checks before they travel.
Majd was brought to the UK by a private organisation for treatment after his lower jaw was badly injured
Project Pure Hope, a British organisation which includes volunteer medical professionals, has so far brought three children to the UK for treatment. The most recent, 15-year-old Majd al-Shagnobi, arrived in the UK last week. He required complex facial reconstructive surgery after an Israeli tank shell destroyed his jaw when he was trying to access aid in February 2024. He was the first Palestinian child to be flown to the UK for treatment for war injuries. His evacuation was organised in conjunction with the US NGO, Kinder Relief, which has helped other children from Gaza get medical treatment abroad. His treatment, privately funded by Project Pure Hope, will begin at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London in the coming days, carried out by a medical team who will all work for free. The organisation has been urging the government to establish a scheme similar to one created to treat Ukrainian refugees and welcomed the government's plan, saying it would be able to share its expertise from successful private evacuations. It said: "Our blueprint can help ensure the UK acts quickly and effectively, so that every child who needs urgent care has the best chance of survival and recovery."
Ghena and Rama were brought to the UK for vital treatment for life-long medical conditions
In April, the group secured visas for two girls -13-year-old Rama and five-year-old Ghena - to have privately funded operations in the UK for life-long medical conditions. They were brought to London after being evacuated to Egypt from Gaza. Ghena has had laser surgery to relieve the pressure in her left eye, which she was at risk of losing. And Rama has had exploratory surgery for a serious bowel condition. Their mothers say both girls are doing well.
Medics have been warning of shortages in vital food and medical supplies for weeks, after Israel began a months-long blockade of all aid and goods into Gaza. This has since been partially lifted, but humanitarian agencies have said more aid must be allowed to enter to Gaza to prevent famine and malnutrition worsening. The Hamas-run health ministry said 175 people, including 93 children, have died from malnutrition. Israel denies it is deliberately blocking aid flowing into Gaza and accuses the UN and other aid agencies of failing to deliver it. Since the start of the war, the UK has provided funds so that injured Gazans can be treated by hospitals in the region, and has also been working with Jordan to airdrop aid into the territory. Sir Keir said last week that the UK would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel took "substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza" - a move Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism".
Ukraine drone attack sparks fire at Sochi oil depot, Russia says
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Ukraine drone attack sparks fire at Sochi oil depot, Russia says
Just now Share Save Tabby Wilson and Adam Durbin BBC News Share Save
DSNS Ukraine Homes were hit in a Russian missile strike on Ukriane's southern city of Mykolaiv
A massive oil depot fire raging near Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi has been blamed by Moscow on an overnight Ukrainian drone attack. Krasnodar region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said drone debris hit a fuel tank and 127 firefighters were tackling the blaze on Sunday morning. The airport near Sochi - the venue of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games - briefly suspended flights. Meanwhile, Russia again bombed a key bridge in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson, killing one man, local officials said. In nearby Mykolaiv, seven people were injured and several homes destroyed. Ukraine earlier reported seven deaths in Saturday's Russian attacks in the Kherson and eastern Donetsk regions.
Russian authorities said the drone attack on the Sochi refinery was one of several launched by Ukraine over the weekend. They said installations were targeted in the central Russian cities of Ryazan, Penza, as well as Voronezh - not far from the border with Ukraine. The Voronezh regional governor said four people were injured in one drone strike. Ukraine has not commented on the strikes. It has been targeting Russia's energy infrastructure in retaliation to Russia's sustained bombardment of Ukraine's energy grid throughout the war. Russia's defence ministry said its air defences intercepted 93 Ukrainian drones overnight, 60 of which were over the Black Sea region. Ukraine's air force said Russia fired 83 drones or 76 drones and seven missiles overnight, 61 of which were shot down. It added that 16 drones and six missiles struck targets in eight locations.
Kherson regional military administration Kherson's key Ostrivsky bridge has been badly damaged in Russian strikes this week
In the city of Kherson, regional head Oleksandr Prokudin called for a partial evacuation after the key Ostrivsky bridge was again hit on Sunday morning. The bridge linking the Korabel island district with the rest of the city had already been badly damaged in Russian strikes earlier this week. Some 1,800 people still live in the district. The new Russian strikes come after a particularly deadly week for civilians in Ukraine, including an attack on Kyiv on Thursday that killed at least 31 people. More than 300 drones and eight cruise missiles were launched in the assault, Ukrainian officials said, making the attack one of the deadliest on the capital since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Following the strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for stronger international sanctions on Russia this week, while US President Donald Trump condemned Russia's actions in Ukraine and suggested new sanctions against Moscow were coming. In July, Trump said Putin had 50 days to end the war, or Russia would face severe tariffs targeting its oil and other exports. On Monday, Trump set a new "10 or 12" day deadline. He later set a new deadline, which would expire on 8 August.
Car finance mis-selling payout scheme could cost billions
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Car finance mis-selling payout scheme could cost billions
A compensation scheme for drivers over the mis-selling of car loans could cost as much as £18bn, the financial regulator has said.
The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that hidden commissions from lenders to dealers on car loans were not unlawful, meaning millions of motorists will not be able to claim.
However, the judgement left open the possibility of compensation claims for particularly large commissions which the Supreme Court said were unfair.
Following the ruling, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said it will consult on running a payout scheme - estimated to cost between £9bn and £18bn.
Women's Open Golf: Mimi Rhodes hits hole-in-one
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England's Mimi Rhodes hits a miraculous hole-in-one on the fifth hole after her ball deflects off her playing partner Steph Kyriacou's ball to roll in for an ace at the Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.
FOLLOW LIVE: Women's Open - final round
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