England

LONDON (AP) — A long-awaited report published Tuesday on Russian influence in British politics criticized the British government for its slow response to Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum, with its authors saying it was “astonishing” that no one sought to protect that democratic process.

The report’s authors accused the British government of “actively avoiding” looking into evidence of the Russian threat in the EU referendum. “Serious questions needed to be asked,” the authors said.

LONDON (AP) — Scientists at Oxford University say their experimental coronavirus vaccine has been shown in an early trial to prompt a protective immune response in hundreds of people who got the shot.

British researchers first began testing the vaccine in April in about 1,000 people, half of whom got the experimental vaccine. Such early trials are designed to evaluate safety and see what kind of immune response was provoked, but can’t tell if the vaccine truly protects.

LONDON (AP) — Britain suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and blocked arms sales to the former British territory after China imposed a tough new national security law.

Amid growing tensions with Beijing, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the House of Commons that he had concerns about the new law in Hong Kong and alleged human rights abuses in China, particularly the treatment of the Uighur minority. He described the measures announced Monday as “reasonable and proportionate.″

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Monday as coronavirus cases increased in many countries across the globe, but investors remained cautiously optimistic about ongoing talks over a European Union-wide recovery fund to revive economies affected by the pandemic.

Brent crude LCOc1 was down 24 cents, or 0.6%, at $42.90 per barrel by 0943 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) CLc1 slipped 23 cents, or 0.6%, to $40.36.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is to announce changes to its extradition arrangements with China and Hong Kong on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, citing concerns over new national security laws imposed on the former British colony by Beijing.

“We obviously have concerns about what’s happening in Hong Kong,” Johnson said.

“You’ll be hearing a bit later on from the Foreign Secretary about how we’re going to change our extradition arrangements to reflect our concerns about what’s happening with the security law in Hong Kong.”

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday he could not promise there would be successful vaccine against COVID-19 developed by the end of this year, saying “we’re not there yet” even as Britain lines up supplies.

“To say that I’m 100% confident that we’ll get a vaccine, this year or indeed next year, is alas, just an exaggeration. We’re not there yet,” Johnson said after Britain announced supply deals for two more vaccines under development.

LONDON, July 19 (Xinhua) -- "Choosing Huawei is choosing opportunities and growth, and rejecting Huawei is rejecting opportunities and growth," a senior Chinese diplomat has said here, referring to the British government's stance shift on the Chinese technology company.

The statement came as Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to Britain, was giving a recent online interview to The Times newspaper.

LONDON, July 19. /TASS/: Russia will find the way to punish those who impose personal sanctions against Russian citizens as part of the Magnitsky case, Russia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrei Kelin said in an interview with the BBC on Sunday.

"Believe me as for Magnitsky we will find the way to punish those who are making this type of sanctions. Because sanctions are illegal. There is only one body who can impose sanctions and this is the United Nations," Kelin told the Andrew Marr Show, recalling that the UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Sunday it was clear the Uighur minority in China had suffered abuses of their human rights.

“It is clear that there are gross, egregious human rights abuses going on, which is why in Geneva at the UN we raised this with 27 partners ... to call out the government of China for its human rights abuses of the Uighurs, also of Hong Kong,” Raab told the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show.

LONDON (Reuters) - China will respond resolutely to any attempt by Britain to sanction Chinese officials following the imposition of a security law in Hong Kong, its ambassador in London said on Sunday.

Earlier this month Britain introduced a new sanctions regime to target individuals it says are involved in human rights abuses or organised crime.

Some lawmakers in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party have said the sanctions should be used to target Chinese officials.