United Kingdom

LONDON (AP) — A public inquiry begins Monday to examine the wrongful convictions of hundreds of British postal workers who were accused of theft, fraud or false accounting because of a faulty computer system.

Between 2000 and 2014, more than 700 postal workers were wrongfully accused, with some convicted and sent to prison. The mistakes represented one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - British defence minister Ben Wallace said on Sunday he was returning from a holiday in Europe after one day to deal with what he called the "worsening" crisis in Ukraine as he warned that Russia could invade any time.

Wallace had planned to spend a long weekend abroad with his family after visiting Moscow last week for diplomatic talks. ITV News said the minister announced the change of plans after one of its journalists spotted him at a European resort and the broadcaster sought comment from the Ministry of Defence.

12 Feb 2022; MEMO: A young doctor and father of two has condemned how he was racially profiled and humiliated when he turned up to attend a lecture by Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely at the University of Cambridge last Wednesday.

Dr Zeshan Qureshi, a Cambridge Union member of good standing, said he had acquired a ticket to attend the event through official processes.

LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not be distracted from focusing on tensions between Ukraine and Russia by receipt of a police questionnaire about lockdown parties at his Downing Street office, a government minister said on Saturday.

The Metropolitan Police are contacting more than 50 people believed to have attended the parties to explain their involvement. On Friday, Johnson's spokesperson confirmed he had received a questionnaire and would respond as required.

LONDON, February 10./TASS/: UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss invited Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to visit the UK in the coming months, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said in a press release on Thursday.

"The Foreign Secretary noted that our differences were with the aggressive policy of the Russian government towards Ukraine, not with the Russian people. She highlighted the cultural and educational links between Russia and the UK and invited Foreign Minister Lavrov to visit the UK in the coming months," it said.

LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Former British Prime Minister John Major accused hisfellow Conservative Boris Johnson on Thursday of breaking COVID-19 lockdown laws and said he should resign if he is found to have deliberately misled parliament with his "brazen excuses".

Johnson is facing his gravest crisis since becoming prime minister in 2019 over a steady drip of reports of boozy events in his Downing Street office and residence while Britain was under strict coronavirus restrictions.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson couldn’t escape his domestic woes during a trip to Belgium and Poland on Thursday aimed at increasing pressure on Russia over its military buildup near Ukraine.

Johnson was trying to show NATO’s resolve in response to Russia massing troops near its neighbor’s borders. But he faced questions about a police investigation into lockdown-breaching government parties that has shaken his grip on power.

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Britain wants to see enough progress in talks with the European Union over the Northern Irish protocol in the next 10 days to demonstrate to unionists in the province that things are moving in the right direction after they pulled out of government.

Northern Ireland's first minister Paul Givan last week resigned in protest at the post-Brexit trade rules, potentially complicating talks between the EU and Britain to rework a politically divisive protocol that was agreed by London as part of its exit from the EU. 

08 Feb 2022; MEMO: The UK Labour Party has dropped an investigation into 82-year-Jewish woman, Diana Neslen, for alleged anti-Semitism after she threatened to sue the party for unlawfully discriminating against her based on her belief in anti-Zionism.

LONDON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed disappointment on Tuesday with what he cast as China's coercive trading practices against Lithuania.

China has downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania and pressured multinationals to sever links with the Baltic state after it allowed Taiwan to open a de-facto embassy in Vilnius.