United Kingdom

16 Sep 2021; MEMO: A new report has found that conditions in hotels housing asylum seekers are sub-standard and sometimes unsafe.

For the report, over 50 asylum seekers in Glasgow provided information to academics at Edinburgh Napier University and their co-producers Migrants Organising for Rights and Empowerment.

LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban-controlled central bank said it had seized nearly $12.4 million in cash and gold from former top government officials on Wednesday, including former vice president Amrullah Saleh.

In a statement, the central bank said the money and gold had been kept in officials' houses, although it did not yet know for what purpose.

Saleh's whereabouts are unknown. He has vowed to resist the Taliban, who stormed to power a month ago, and last week a family member said the Taliban had executed his brother Rohullah Azizi.

LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - A unit in Afghanistan's central bank leading a 15-year effort to counter illicit funding flows has halted operations, four staff members said, threatening to hasten the country's slide out of the global financial system.

Since 2006, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center of Afghanistan (FinTRACA) has gathered intelligence on thousands of suspicious transactions and helped convict smugglers and terrorist financiers, according to its website.

LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson demoted his foreign secretary on Wednesday in a major reshuffle, removing his more under-fire colleagues to refocus the government on raising living standards after COVID-19.

After months of criticism of several of his top team for missteps and gaffes, Johnson finally started a process some say he wanted to do many weeks earlier, to make the changes he feels he needs to press on with his "levelling up" agenda.

15 Sep 2021; MEMO: The United Kingdom banned China's ambassador from Parliament in response to Beijing placing sanctions on MPs who spoke up about its treatment of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang province, the BBC reports.

Ambassador Zheng Zeguang was prevented from joining the British Parliament by Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the House of Commons, and John McFall, the speaker of the House of Lords.

LONDON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Britain will begin a broad-based COVID-19 vaccine booster programme for older and more vulnerable people soon as Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government relies on vaccines rather than further lockdowns to navigate a "bumpy" winter.

British officials said COVID-19 vaccines had saved more than 112,000 lives and averted 24 million infections as they proposed a third shot for frontline health workers and those aged over 50 or clinically vulnerable, starting with people most at risk.

Sept 12 (Reuters) - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will attempt to patch up Britain’s frayed relationship with U.S. President Joe Biden's administration at a White House meeting between the two leaders this month, The Times newspaper reported on Monday, citing sources on both sides.

Johnson is expected to hold talks with Biden during a four-day trip to the U.S. for the UN general assembly, which starts in New York on Sept. 21, the report said.

LONDON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out on Tuesday his plans to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in the winter months, announcing a decision to scrap the introduction of vaccine passports and steps to end some emergency powers.

London, Sep 10 (PTI) A widespread booster shots campaign as planned by the UK government is not required for everyone as immunity against COVID-19 among fully vaccinated people is lasting well, the creator of the Oxford University vaccine said on Friday.

LONDON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The world's poorest countries asked for more help on Friday to meet vaccination and quarantine requirements and costs to ensure they can take part in next month's global climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

The talks aim to spur bigger commitments to start reducing manmade greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and keep the rise in the global average temperature since pre-industrial times to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), to stave off the worst effects of climate change.