Europe

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said it is “clearly the will” of his Conservative Party that there should be a new leader as he announced his resignation.

Johnson said Thursday he will remain as British prime minister while a leadership contest is held to choose his successor.

Critics say he should not be allowed to remain as caretaker prime minister and he should be removed from office as soon as possible.

The announcement came after the latest ethics scandal around his leadership led some 50 senior lawmakers to quit the government.

07 July 2022; MEMO: The Russian government has ordered the Jewish Agency to halt its operations in Federation, the Jerusalem Post revealed on Tuesday, in what many believe is a response to Tel Aviv's position on Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian Justice Ministry issued a letter including this order earlier this week, and officials in the Jewish Agency confirmed they had received it.

06 July 2022; MEMO: The number of people affected by hunger globally grew to as many as 828 million in 2021, swelling by about 46 million from 2020 and 150 million from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a United Nations report said Wednesday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The UN report shows the world is moving further away from its goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030.

MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/: There have been no decisions on Kazakhstan joining sanctions against Russia, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 3,150 over the past day to 18,448,451, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Wednesday.

As many as 1,278 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day, 6.9% fewer than in the previous day. The number of hospitalized patients declined in 37 regions, while in 33 other regions the figure increased. A day earlier, 1,372 people were rushed to hospitals.

STOCKHOLM, July 6. /TASS/: Norway agreed to passage of goods for Russian settlements in Spitsbergen through its territory, NRK TV Channel reports on Wednesday, citing a comment of the Foreign Ministry.

"The Foreign Ministry of Norway informed that containers are carried using a Norwegian truck from the Storskog border checkpoint to the Norwegian city of Tromso and then by sea to Spitsbergen. Cargo is already on board the ship sailing to the archipelago," the TV channel said.

MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/: Exactly how Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the G20 summit in November will depend on the situation in the world and the sanitary and epidemiological situation in Southeast Asia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

GENEVA, July  6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN rights chief on Tuesday condemned Russia’s “senseless war” in Ukraine as she demanded an end to the “unbearable” civilian suffering unleashed by the invasion.

Michelle Bachelet called for an immediate end to hostilities and redress for the war’s victims, in her final appearance before the UN Human Rights Council.

“As we enter the fifth month of hostilities, the unbearable toll of the conflict in Ukraine continues to mount,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said.

PARIS, July 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Oil prices rose as much as nearly 3 per cent on Wednesday before paring some gains as investors piled back into the market after a heavy rout in the previous session, with supply concerns returning to the fore even as worries about a global recession linger.

Brent crude futures rose as much as $3.08, or 2.9 per cent, to $105.85 a barrel in early trade after plunging 9.5 per cent on Tuesday, the biggest daily drop since March. It was last up 92 cents, or 0.9 per cent, at $103.69 a barrel at 0243 GMT.

PARIS, July 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police in at least five different European countries have detained dozens of people accused of smuggling people across the English Channel to the UK.

It is thought the criminal network brought up to 10,000 migrants in small boats in a period of 12-18 months.

In Germany, 18 suspects were arrested as hundreds of officers swooped in on locations across the country.

A main focus of the operation was the city of Osnabrück, which police say was one of the hubs of the operation.