Europe

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday ordered an investigation into a Conservative lawmaker’s claim that she was fired from a government job in part because of her Muslim faith — the latest allegation of wrongdoing that is shaking the Conservative government and Johnson’s grip on power.

BERLIN (AP) — A lone gunman opened fire during a lecture at Heidelberg University in southwestern Germany on Monday and wounded four people, some of them seriously, before killing himself, police said.

The man opened fire with a long-barreled firearm in a lecture hall and then fled outside, police said. They stressed that they believe he was acting alone and there was no longer any danger.

There was no immediate word on a possible motive. Officers at the scene could be seen examining two firearms and a bag.

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Germany’s 16 state governors decided Monday to keep existing coronavirus restrictions in place and examine how best to use increasingly strained PCR test capacities as the highly contagious omicron variant fuels a steep rise in infections.

Germany has hit a series of daily infection records over the past two weeks as omicron has spread. On Monday, the national disease control center said 840.3 new cases per 100,000 residents have been recorded over the past week. The health minister has said he expects the numbers to peak in mid-February.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A severe weather front has hit Greece, with below-freezing temperatures and snowfall in many parts of the country, including the capital Athens and many Aegean islands.

Authorities have warned the public to limit their movements outdoors to the essential on Monday and Tuesday, while schools in many areas were shut. Government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said more than 46,000 school classes across the country were being held online.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday his government will remove coronavirus testing requirements for vaccinated people arriving in England, news hailed by the travel industry as a big step back to normality.

Johnson said that “to show that this country is open for business, open for travelers, you will see changes so that people arriving no longer have to take tests if they have been vaccinated, if they have been double vaccinated.”

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is due to give details of the rule change later.

ROME (AP) — The first round of voting for Italy’s next president opens Monday without a clear slate of candidates following three-time ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s reluctant withdrawal, a situation that is likely to persist until Thursday.

Italy’s lawmakers and a smaller group of special regional representatives are set to vote for a successor to Sergio Mattarella as Italy’s head of state, a largely ceremonial post that still requires political acumen and constitutional knowledge to steer Italy through its frequent political crises.

(AP) --- People who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 are no longer allowed in France’s restaurants, bars, tourist sites and sports venues unless they recently recovered from the virus.

The new law came into effect Monday requiring a “vaccine pass” that is central to the government’s anti-virus strategy.

France is registering Europe’s highest-ever daily coronavirus infection numbers, and hospitals are continuing to fill up with virus patients, though the number of people in intensive care units has dropped in recent days.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Tensions soared Monday between Russia and the West over concerns that Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine, with NATO outlining potential troop and ship deployments, Britain saying it would withdraw some diplomats from Kyiv, and Ireland denouncing upcoming Russian war games off its coast as unwelcome.

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.

MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/: Armenia’s foreign policy, including its relations with Russia, are unlikely to change following President Armen Sarkissian’s resignation, a Russian lawmaker told TASS on Sunday.

"Armenia’s foreign policy will not change after the president’s resignation," Viktor Volodatsky, first deputy chairman of the committee for the CIS affairs, Eurasian integration and ties with compatriots of the Russian State Duma (lower parliament house), said, adding that Armenia’s relations with Russia will remain unchanged.