United Kingdom

24 May 2021; MEMO: A third of the members of the British cabinet, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have been funded by Israel or pro-Israel lobby groups, Declassified UK has revealed. The investigative journalism website uncovered the various ways through which the occupation state has courted members of the government over the years, a trend that was denounced as "disgusting" last month by a senior Conservative former minister.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was meeting Hungarian President Viktor Orban on Friday, and faced criticism for inviting the hardline European leader to 10 Downing St.

Johnson’s office said it was a routine meeting with the leader of a major European Union nation. The prime minister’s spokesman, Max Blain, said “cooperation with Hungary is vital to the U.K’s prosperity and security.”

LONDON, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Another 3,180 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, according to official figures released Wednesday, meaning that the number of daily COVID cases reported in the country passed 3,000 for the first time since mid-April.

The latest figures brought the total number of coronavirus cases in Britain to 4,470,297, according to the official data.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s health minister on Thursday defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic after a former top government aide alleged the government’s botched response had led to tens of thousands of needless deaths.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock hit back after Dominic Cummings singled him out for criticism in an excoriating attack on the government.

26 May 2021; MEMO: Parents and pupils are pushing back against efforts to suppress solidarity with the Palestinians following Israel's latest military offensive against Gaza, in which more than 250 people were killed, including 66 children, 39 women and 17 elderly people.

(Reuters) --- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected criticism from his former adviser Dominic Cummings on Wednesday, saying he did not accept Cummings' accusation that government inaction led to unnecessary deaths.

Asked by opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer whether he accepted the central allegations of Cummings' testimony to a parliamentary committee, Johnson said "No."

LONDON (AP) — European Union officials unveiled plans Wednesday to beef up the bloc’s code of practice on online disinformation, with the aim of preventing digital ad companies from profiting off of “fake news.”

EU officials said they were strengthening the three-year-old voluntary code to make it more effective at fighting the false information flooding tech platforms.

LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s former chief aide said Wednesday that the government “failed” the British people and “fell disastrously short” in handling the coronavirus pandemic.

Dominic Cummings made a blistering attack on the government he once served, telling lawmakers investigating Britain’s pandemic response that some ministers and officials went on vacation as the virus swept toward the U.K. in February 2020.

LONDON, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The final step of easing the coronavirus lockdown in England on June 21 is not "not inevitable", a British government adviser said Tuesday.

Adam Kucharski, a member of Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M), told the BBC that "we need to keep all options on the table".

The SPI-M gives expert advice to the Department of Health and Social Care and the wider British government on scientific matters relating to Britain's response to an influenza pandemic or other emerging human infectious disease threats.

The British far-right extremist Tommy Robinson joined a pro-Israel rally in London on Sunday, alongside an estimated 1,500 Zionists voicing their support for the occupation state. The counter-demonstration followed Saturday's pro-Palestine march in the capital where more than 200,000 people marched through the West End to a rally in Hyde Park. Demonstrations were held across Britain and around the world against the Israeli occupation and brutal military assault on Gaza.