From Russian strikes to US prisoner release: the non-coronavirus news you might have missed

Russian air strikes have hit Syria's last major rebel bastion for first time since March ceasefire

A Sudanese protester clad in mask and latex gloves runs during a demonstration marking the first anniversary of a raid on an anti-government sit-in, in the Riyadh district in the east of the capital Khartoum. AFP

Sudanese protesters, some clad in masks as a precaution due to the coronavirus pandemic, chant slogans as they gather to mark the first anniversary of a raid on an anti-government sit-in, in the Riyadh district in the east of the capital Khartoum. AFP

Sudanese Kisha Abdulsalam waters plants near a mural depicting his late son Abdulsalam in Khartoum on the eve of a raid where at least 128 people were killed and hundreds wounded outside Khartoum's army headquarters. AFP

Sudanese Amna Abdulsalam, the mother of late youth protester Abdulsalam, stands in front of a memorial for her son on the eve of a raid where at least 128 people were killed and hundreds wounded outside Khartoum's army headquarters. AFP

Sudanese protesters, some clad in masks as a precaution due to the coronavirus pandemic, gather to mark the first anniversary of a raid on an anti-government sit-in, in the Riyadh district in the east of the capital Khartoum. AFP

A mask-clad Sudanese protester flashes the victory gesture as he gathers with others to mark the first anniversary of a raid on an anti-government sit-in, in the Riyadh district in the east of the capital Khartoum. AFP

Sudanese protesters, some clad in masks as a precaution due to the coronavirus pandemic, gather to mark the first anniversary of a raid on an anti-government sit-in, in the Riyadh district in the east of the capital Khartoum. AFP

Sudanese protesters, some clad in masks as a precaution due to the coronavirus pandemic, gather to mark the first anniversary of a raid on an anti-government sit-in, in the Riyadh district in the east of the capital Khartoum. AFP

A mask-clad Sudanese woman holds a national flag along with a poster depicting the face of a slain protester, as demonstrators mark the first anniversary of a raid on an anti-government sit-in, in the Riyadh district in the east of the capital Khartoum. AFP

A mask-clad policeman walks past Sudanese protesters marking the first anniversary of a raid on an anti-government sit-in, in the Riyadh district in the east of the capital Khartoum. AFP

Sudan's PM promises justice on anniversary of sit-in killings

The Sudanese Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, on Wednesday pledged justice for the scores of pro-democracy protesters killed a year ago when security forces broke up a sit-in outside the Defence Ministry.

The demonstration was the culmination of weeks of protests that led the army to overthrow veteran leader Omar Al Bashir and ushered in a power-sharing agreement last year.

The military, including a powerful paramilitary force that witnesses and activists said played a leading role in the raid, is now in a fragile, three-year pact with civilians.

Mr Hamdok, an economist and former senior UN official, leads a transitional government and named a commission in October to investigate the raid.

"I assure you all that achieving comprehensive justice and retribution for the souls of our hero martyrs, and for the wounded and missing, is an inevitable and irreversible step," he said in a televised speech.

Daily update: 

Iranian professor jailed in US returns home

An Iranian professor who was acquitted in the US of stealing trade secrets arrived in Iran on Wednesday, Iranian media reported.

Materials science professor Sirous Asgari, 59, was indicted by US federal prosecutors in April 2016. A federal judge in Ohio acquitted Mr Asgari in November 2019.

Tehran and Washington have denied reports that his release was part of a prisoner swap.

US authorities said in May that Mr Asgari, who tested positive for the coronavirus in April, would be deported when he received medical clearance.

Photos published by Iranian state media showed him being reunited with his family in Tehran on Wednesday.

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First Russian strikes in three months hit north-west Syria

Russian air strikes have hit Syria's last major rebel bastion for the first time since a March ceasefire came into force, a war monitor said on Wednesday.

The Russian strikes on Tuesday evening and at dawn on Wednesday hit an area of the north-west where the boundaries of Hama, Idlib and Latakia provinces meet, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Hayat Tahrir Al Sham alliance, led by Syria's former Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Al Nusra, and its hardline allies enjoy a significant presence in the area, the group said from Britain.

Home to about three million people, the Idlib region of the north-west is controlled by Hayat Tahrir and affiliated rebel groups.

A Russian-backed government offensive between December and March displaced nearly a million people in the region.

Beyond the Headlines 

China warns Britain interfering in Hong Kong will 'backfire'

China warned Britain on Wednesday that interfering in Hong Kong would backfire, after the former colonial power vowed to give sanctuary to locals who may flee the city if a controversial security law is passed.

The US and Britain have angered Beijing with their criticism of planned national security legislation that critics fear would destroy the semi-autonomous city's limited freedoms.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab further angered Beijing by suggesting that it had time to "reconsider" the plan, which could soon be enacted after being endorsed by China's parliament last week.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said London would not "walk away" from Hong Kong residents worried by Beijing's control over the international business centre.

Mr Johnson wrote in a column for The Times and the South China Morning Post that he would offer visas to millions of Hong Kong residents and a possible route to UK citizenship if China persisted with the law.

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