An FCO spokesperson said:

The UK is seriously concerned by the escalation in violence from both the protestors and the authorities around Hong Kong university campuses. It is vital that those who are injured are able to receive appropriate medical treatment, and that safe passage is made available for all those who wish to leave the area.

We need to see an end to the violence, and for all sides to engage in meaningful political dialogue ahead of the District Council elections on Sunday.

Published 18 November 2019

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The Regulator of Social Housing reports that New Roots Limited has been placed on its Gradings under review list today (18 November 2019).

New Roots does not have a current published grade. The regulator is currently investigating a matter which may impact on its compliance with both the governance and financial viability element of the Governance and Financial Viability Standard.

The outcome of the investigation will be confirmed in a regulatory judgement, once completed.

The regulator’s Gradings under review list is available on the website.

Further information

For press office contact details, see our Media enquiries page. For general queries, please email enquiries@rsh.gov.uk or call 0300 124 5225.

Note to editors

1. The GUR lists providers being investigated for an issue that may result in non-compliant grades for the regulator’s Governance and/or Financial Viability Standard.

2. The regulatory standards can be found on the RSH website.

3. RSH promotes a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver homes that meet a range of needs. It does this by undertaking robust economic regulation focusing on governance, financial viability and value for money that maintains lender confidence and protects the taxpayer. It also sets consumer standards and may take action if these standards are breached and there is a significant risk of serious detriment to tenants or potential tenants.

Published 18 November 2019

A joint operation between police and Border Force has been highly commended at the World Class Policing Awards.

Operation Limelight focuses on raising awareness of forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) at the border and safeguarding potential victims.

This summer, Operation Limelight focused on flights between the UK and destinations where there is a high prevalence of forced marriage. The operation involved engaging with airport staff and the general public on how to spot potential signs of abuse and how to report their concerns. Intelligence was also used to identify potential victims entering or leaving the country.

As part of the operation, the UK worked closely with counterparts in the United States to run corresponding operations at US airports.

The judging panel said that Operation Limelight was ‘a major safeguarding operation that has warned (and possibly deterred) many thousands of suspects and victims and has now been replicated across multiple US cities’.

Tim Kingsberry, Regional Director at Border Force said:

We are naturally delighted with this award which recognises the progress that we have made through joint working between Border Force and the Metropolitan Police.

FGM and forced marriage are abhorrent crimes which we are committed to tackling both here in the UK and also through our ongoing work with overseas partners.

The joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit provided support related to a possible forced marriage in 1,764 cases in 2018. The cases dealt with came from 74 different countries.

As at June 2019, 2149 Forced Marriage Protection Orders and 418 FGM Protection Orders have been made since their introduction (2008 and 2015 respectively) and in February the first person was convicted of FGM in the UK.

Following operations in the UK, the USA adopted Limelight as an intervention tactic, delivered in 14 US cities in 2019. This led to the development of the Proclamation of Interagency Support for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) Investigations Between UK and US Law Enforcement, signed at the US Embassy on 30 August 2018, a far-reaching agreement for US and UK law enforcement to share intelligence to enhance our knowledge of, and response to FGM.

Inspector Allen Davis, Metropolitan Police lead for Operation Limelight, said:

Harmful practices such as FGM and forced marriage are global issues that have considerable local impact.

Operation Limelight seeks to raise awareness of harmful practices, identify vulnerability and safeguard those at risk and I am extremely pleased that it has been recognised by the World Class Policing Awards.

Despite being one of many exhibitors at the Education exhibition that took place on 14 – 15 November 2019, the Embassy’s booth dedicated to the education opportunities in the UK was always busy with students and pupils.

Following a traditional opening ceremony and senior government officials’ visit to the exhibitors’ booths, the staff of the Embassy took every opportunity to brief the Vice Premier Mr Agamyradov and Minister of Education Mr Geldiniyazov about the opportunities that await for talented Turkmen students at the highly reputable British universities throughout the UK.

In addition to the UK government’s fully funded Chevening scholarship programme that several Turkmen students receive every year, UK universities may also become one of the key study destinations for the recipients of the scholarship awards from the government of Turkmenistan. As noted by the Vice Premier Mr Agamyradov, the number of Turkmen students going to study in the highly ranked British universities under the Turkmen government scholarship scheme may increase in the coming years.

During the two-day education fair in the Turkmen capital, hundreds of enthusiastic students from a number of education institutions in Ashgabat learned detailed information about the British education system and Chevening scholarship programme.

Published 18 November 2019