United Kingdom

Aug 18 (Reuters) - British police are investigating Myanmar's former ambassador to the United Kingdom for trespassing on a diplomatic residence in London that he has refused to leave since being ousted for opposing Myanmar's 2021 military coup, his lawyer told Reuters.

Kyaw Zwar Minn was locked out of his embassy a few months after the February 2021 coup, and later replaced by the junta's representatives, after calling for the release of Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

LONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Top cryptocurrency bitcoin hit a fresh two-month low on Friday, breaking out of its recent tight range as a wave of risk averse sentiment swept through world markets.

On Thursday, bitcoin fell 7.2% in its biggest one-day drop since November 2022 when top exchange FTX collapsed.

It then slipped to a two-month low of $26,172 during Asian trading hours on Friday, its lowest since June 16 . By 0835 GMT, it had partly recovered to $26,441, down 0.8% on the day.

18 August 2023; MEMO: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has expressed his will to meet Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman “at the earliest opportunity”, confirming earlier reports of such an invitation being planned.

16 August 2023; MEMO: The owners of Manchester United are reportedly set to announce a 7.2-7.3 billion pound ($9.15 billion) sale of the club to Qatari Royal, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, after a nine-month protracted sale process, the BBC reports.

LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Merchant ships remained backed up in lanes around the Black Sea on Monday as ports struggled to clear backlogs amid growing unease among insurers and shipping companies a day after a Russian warship fired warning shots at a cargo vessel.

Russia said its Vasily Bykov patrol ship on Sunday fired on the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan vessel after the ship's captain failed to respond to a request to halt for an inspection. After an inspection, the vessel continued its journey towards the Ukrainian port of Izmail along the Danube river, Russia said.

LONDON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Britain on Sunday warned citizens going to Sweden of possible terrorist attacks following Koran burnings by anti-Islam activists that have outraged Muslims.

In updated travel advice, Britain's foreign ministry said Swedish authorities had successfully disrupted some planned attacks and made arrests.

"You should be vigilant at this time," it said, adding that "terrorists are very likely to try and carry out attacks in Sweden" with places visited by foreigners potential targets.

LONDON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Britain on Sunday warned citizens going to Sweden of possible terrorist attacks following Koran burnings by anti-Islam activists that have outraged Muslims.

In updated travel advice, Britain's foreign ministry said Swedish authorities had successfully disrupted some planned attacks and made arrests.

"You should be vigilant at this time," it said, adding that "terrorists are very likely to try and carry out attacks in Sweden" with places visited by foreigners potential targets.

11 August 2023; MEMO: Britain has removed migrants from a residential barge less than a week after they moved in, after Legionella bacteria was found in the water supply, the government said on Friday, Reuters reports.

Britain had begun moving some migrants on to the large "Bibby Stockholm" barge on its southern coast at the beginning of the week as part of its high-profile strategy to deter asylum seekers from arriving in the country.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s plan to house asylum seekers on a barge moored off the south coast of England ran into another hurdle on Friday as authorities were forced to evacuate the first residents after legionella bacteria was found in the water system.

The move came just days after the first men were moved onto the Bibby Stockholm, a floating hostel that can accommodate up to 500 people, as part of a government effort to cut the cost of sheltering the growing number of people applying for asylum in Britain.

11 August 2023; AA: Thousands of junior doctors across England staged a walkout on Friday as part of their four-day strike due to an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions.

Members of the British Medical Association (BMA) in England are staging a fifth round of strikes, walking out for a full 96 hours from 7:00 a.m. (0600GMT) on Friday until Tuesday morning.

The BMA members are also expected to hold a demonstration in central London later on Friday.