United Kingdom

24 Jan 2022; MEMO: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered a formal inquiry into Conservative lawmaker and former minister Nusrat Ghani's allegations that she was dismissed as minister because of her Islamic faith.

"The prime minister has asked the Cabinet Office to conduct an inquiry into the allegations made by Nusrat Ghani MP," a statement from Downing Street said this morning.

LONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said there was a "deal to be done" on the Northern Ireland protocol that protects peace and works for all sides, ahead of a meeting with European Union Vice President Maros Sefcovic in Brussels on Monday.

Sefcovic told European lawmakers on Thursday that the bloc wanted to resolve the impasse with Britain over Northern Ireland's trading arrangements by the end of February before campaigning begins for elections in the province. 

LONDON (AP) — The British government on Saturday accused Russia of seeking to replace Ukraine’s government with a pro-Moscow administration, and said former Ukrainian lawmaker Yevheniy Murayev is being considered as a potential candidate.

Murayev is head of the small pro-Russian party Nashi, which currently has no seats in Ukraine’s parliament.

Britain’s Foreign Office named several other Ukrainian politicians it said had links with Russian intelligence services.

It’s unclear what means Britain believes Russia might use to install a friendly government in Kyiv.

22 Jan 2022; MEMO: Hundreds of protesters demonstrated in front of the Israeli embassy in London yesterday calling for an end to the demolition of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem. The protest in solidarity with residents of Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood was organised by the Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB), Friends of al Aqsa (FOA), Muslim Association in Britain (MAB), CND, Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and Stop the War coalition.

LONDON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - A British Conservative lawmaker said he would meet police to discuss his accusations that Boris Johnson's government had attempted to "blackmail" parliamentarians who were suspected of trying to force the prime minister from office.

William Wragg, chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee and a member of Johnson's ruling party, said on Thursday some Conservatives had faced intimidation and blackmail from government representatives because of their desire to topple Johnson. 

LONDON (AP) — Revelations that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff partied while Britain was in a coronavirus lockdown have provoked public outrage and led some members of his Conservative Party to consider ousting their leader.

If they manage to push Johnson out — or if he resigns — the party would hold a leadership contest to choose his replacement.

Here’s a look at who could rise if Johnson falls:

RISHI SUNAK, TREASURY CHIEF

LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth's grandson Prince William will visit the United Arab Emirates next month, his office Kensington Palace announced on Friday, as Britain seeks to step up its relationship with the Gulf state.

William, the Duke of Cambridge, will visit Dubai on Feb. 10, with his trip coming as the UAE marks its 50th year and coinciding with UK National Day being held at Expo 2020 Dubai, his office said.

LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Two tankers have had their environmental and safety classification withdrawn by a U.S. company that provides such certification, after accusations by a U.S. advocacy group that they had shipped cargoes of Iranian oil, documents seen by Reuters show.

Countries targeted by tougher U.S. sanctions, including Iran and Venezuela, have responded to the mounting pressure with elaborate strategies to circumvent restrictions on their oil exports. 

LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Two men suspected by Germany of assisting an Islamist gunman, who killed four people in Vienna in 2020, used the major cryptocurrency exchange Binance, German federal police said in a confidential letter seeking information from the company.

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said in the March 2021 letter, which was seen by Reuters, there were indications that the suspects bought or sold an unspecified amount of cryptocurrency on Binance.

20 Jan 2022; MEMO: Britain's leading Charity aimed at tackling food poverty and waste, FareShare has struck an agreement with the Moroccan government to redistribute surplus food from Moroccan businesses trading in the country.