United Kingdom

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - The Russian government will be able to compel businesses to supply the military with goods and make their employees work overtime under two laws to support Moscow's war in Ukraine that were approved in an initial vote in parliament on Tuesday.

The measures will effectively place Russia on a war economy footing, nearly 19 weeks into the invasion which it describes as a "special military operation".

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - British Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned on Tuesday, plunging Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government into crisis.

Javid said he had lost confidence in Johnson's ability to govern in the national interest after a series of scandals, saying he could "no longer continue in good conscience".

He said that many lawmakers and the public had lost confidence in Johnson's ability to govern in the national interest.

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was fighting for his political survival on Tuesday after finance minister Rishi Sunak and another senior minister abruptly resigned over the latest scandal to blight his administration.

Sunak and health minister Sajid Javid sent resignation letters to the prime minister within minutes of each other in which both took aim at his ability to run an administration that adhered to standards.

05 July 2022; MEMO: Acclaimed artists are due to lead a protest against China's policies against the minority Uyghur community on the 13th anniversary of the Urumqi Massacre tomorrow.

Some 1,000 Muslim Uyghur were killed in the massacre and 5,000 more were arrested by Chines authorities.

To commemorate the event, Stand4Uyghurs Campaign is coming together with numerous rights groups to host the 'Paints an Image of China's Genocide Against Uyghur Muslims' outside the Chinese Embassy in central London tomorrow.

LONDON, July 4. /TASS/: The UK will prohibit export of oil refining goods, luxury goods, including British artwork and designer handbags, as well as advanced technology components such as those used in quantum computing, to Belarus, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Monday.

Moreover, the British authorities announced the intention to ban imports of Belarusian iron and steel, as well as restrict the country's access "to the UK’s world class financial services sector" through banning Belarusian companies from issuing debt and securities in London.

LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - Germany and Ireland on Sunday told Britain there was no legal or political justification for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to override parts of the Brexit deal governing trade with Northern Ireland.

The British parliament is considering a new law which would unilaterally change customs arrangements between Britain and Northern Ireland that were initially agreed as part of its exit deal from the European Union.

LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - A Russian scientist who was arrested in Siberia last week on suspicion of state treason and flown to Moscow despite suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer has died, his lawyer told Reuters on Sunday.

The scientist, Dmitry Kolker, had been taken to Moscow's Lefortovo prison, lawyer Alexander Fedulov said.

"He died yesterday. Tomorrow we will lodge a complaint over his detention," he said.

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday it had summoned the British ambassador to voice a strong protest against "offensive" British statements, including about alleged Russian threats to use nuclear weapons.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it issued the rebuke to Ambassador Deborah Bronnert over "the frankly boorish statements of the British leadership regarding Russia, its leader and official representatives of the authorities, as well as the Russian people".

LONDON/ISTANBUL, July 1 (Reuters) - Ukraine has requested that Turkey detain and arrest the Russian-flagged cargo ship Zhibek Zholy carrying a cargo of Ukrainian grain taken from the Russian-occupied port of Berdyansk, according to a Ukrainian official and document seen by Reuters.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry official, citing information received from the country's maritime administration, said the 7,146 dwt Zhibek Zholy had loaded the first cargo of some 4,500 tonnes of grain from Berdyansk, which the official said belonged to Ukraine.

LONDON (AP) — The number of new coronavirus cases across Britain has surged by more than 30% in the last week, new data showed Friday, with cases largely driven by the super infectious omicron variants.

Data released by Britain’s Office for National Statistics showed that more than 3 million people in the U.K. had COVID-19 last week, although there has not been an equivalent spike in hospitalizations. The number of COVID-19 deaths also fell slightly in the last week.