United Kingdom

LONDON (AP) — Agnes Callamard, who led a United Nations’ investigation into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has been appointed the new leader of Amnesty International.

The international human rights group said Callamard’s four-year term as secretary general begins Monday.

29 Mar 2021; MEMO: The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, has criticised the recent crackdown on protests by British police in Bristol and called for a serious investigation by human rights groups.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is confident second doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be administered on time without mixing jabs, culture minister Oliver Dowden said on Sunday amid concerns over a slowdown in supplies.

The government warned earlier this month that its vaccination programme would slow down in April due in part to a delay of a shipment from India’s Serum Institute.

The European Union has also threatened to block vaccine shipments to countries such as the UK with higher vaccination rates.

(Reuters) - British ministers have rejected a request from mining magnate Sanjeev Gupta for a 170 million pound emergency loan to prevent his group, GFG Alliance, from collapsing, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

GFG, a holding company for Gupta’s assets, was the biggest recipient of financing from Greensill, a British financing company, which filed for insolvency earlier in March.

The British government wrote back to Gupta formally rejecting the request last week due to multiple concerns, the FT reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

LONDON (AP) — On March 4, 2020, when there were just 84 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.K., professor Sharon Peacock recognized that the country needed to expand its capacity to analyze the genetic makeup of the virus.

The Cambridge University microbiologist understood that genomic sequencing would be crucial in tracking the disease, controlling outbreaks and developing vaccines. So she began working with colleagues around the country to put together a plan. Within a month, the government had provided 20 million pounds ($28 million) to fund their work.

LONDON, March 27 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday that the violent protest over a crime bill in Bristol, a city in southwestern England, was "disgraceful".

"Last night saw disgraceful attacks against police officers in Bristol. Our officers should not have to face having bricks, bottles and fireworks being thrown at them by a mob intent on violence and causing damage to property," Johnson said on Twitter.

"The police and the city have my full support," he added.

LONDON, March 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain told Hong Kong on Friday that it had “no right” to order other countries not to accept a United Kingdom travel document for a popular youth working scheme after the city confirmed it had made the request to several other nations.

The row is the latest diplomatic spat centring on the British National (Overseas), or BNO, passport as China imposes a sweeping crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong.

The BNO passport is a legacy of Hong Kong’s handover to China by colonial Britain in 1997.

LONDON (Reuters) -Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond on Friday launched a new pro-independence political party to run in May elections for Scotland’s devolved parliament, seeking to help build a political majority for breaking away from the rest of Britain.

“I’m announcing the public launch of a new political force: the Alba Party,” Salmond said in a statement broadcast on Twitter.

“Alba will contest the upcoming Scottish elections as a list-only party under my leadership, seeking to build a super majority for independence in the Scottish Parliament.”

LONDON (Reuters) -Bank of England policymaker Michael Saunders said on Friday there might be more spare capacity - meaning potentially less inflation pressure - in Britain’s economy after its COVID crash than the central bank said last month.

Saunders said Britain’s economy might recover from last year’s 10% slump more quickly than the BoE’s central forecasts, made in early February, which foresee a 5% bounce-back in 2021 as the country races ahead with coronavirus vaccinations.

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday Britain was on the side of openness and did not want to see restrictions on the exchange of COVID-19 vaccines with the European Union.

The EU tightened its oversight of coronavirus vaccine exports on Wednesday, giving it greater scope to block shipments to countries with higher inoculation rates such as Britain, or which are not sharing doses they produce.