United Kingdom

LONDON (AP) — Millions of people in the U.K. were urged to cancel travel plans and stay indoors Friday as the second major storm this week prompted warnings of high winds and flying debris across northern Europe.

Britain’s weather service said Storm Eunice, known as Storm Zeynep in Germany, was likely to cause significant disruption and dangerous conditions, with gusts that may exceed 90 miles per hour in highly exposed coastal areas. The Met Office later said a 122 mph gust was recorded on the Isle of Wight, provisionally the strongest ever recorded in England.

16 Feb 2022; MEMO: A coalition of civilian society, human rights and religious organisation in the UK have stepped up the coordination of opposition activities against a controversial law which is currently being debated in parliament.

The Nationality and Borders Bill which has already passed its third and final reading in the House of commons will give the Home Secretary the right to strip Britons with foreign ancestry of their nationality without notice.

LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Britain's Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday quipped to members of the royal household that she could not move much as she carried out her first in-person engagement since her son Prince Charles tested positive for COVID-19.

Charles, 73, the heir to the throne, last week pulled out of an event after contracting coronavirus for a second time. A palace source said the 95-year-old monarch was not displaying any symptoms but the situation was being monitored.

LONDON, February 15. /TASS/: Russia will not invade Ukraine, unless the Kiev regime resorts to provocations that would hurt Russian citizens, Russian Permanent Representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said in an interview for The Guardian.

"We will not invade Ukraine unless we are provoked to do that," he said. "If the Ukrainians launch an attack against Russia, you shouldn’t be surprised if we counterattack. Or, if they start blatantly killing Russian citizens anywhere - Donbass or wherever."

LONDON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Russian mercenaries with ties to Moscow's spies have increased their presence in Ukraine in recent weeks, stoking fears among some NATO members that Russia could try to engineer a pretext for an invasion, three senior Western security sources said.

They said their concerns had strengthened in recent weeks that a Russian incursion into Ukraine could be preceded by an information war, and cyber attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure such as electricity and gas networks.

LONDON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Britain sees signs of a diplomatic opening with Russia over Ukraine, but the latest intelligence is still not encouraging, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday.

Russia said some of its military units were returning to their bases after exercises near Ukraine, following days of U.S. and British warnings that Moscow might invade its neighbour at any time.

LONDON (AP) — If forced to choose, Novak Djokovic said he would skip the French Open and Wimbledon, foregoing the chance to overtake Rafael Nadal’s record haul of 21 Grand Slams titles, rather than get vaccinated against COVID-19.

And the No. 1-ranked tennis player is also still smarting about being deported last month from Australia in a drama about his vaccination status that polarized opinion worldwide.

LONDON (AP) — A public inquiry begins Monday to examine the wrongful convictions of hundreds of British postal workers who were accused of theft, fraud or false accounting because of a faulty computer system.

Between 2000 and 2014, more than 700 postal workers were wrongfully accused, with some convicted and sent to prison. The mistakes represented one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - British defence minister Ben Wallace said on Sunday he was returning from a holiday in Europe after one day to deal with what he called the "worsening" crisis in Ukraine as he warned that Russia could invade any time.

Wallace had planned to spend a long weekend abroad with his family after visiting Moscow last week for diplomatic talks. ITV News said the minister announced the change of plans after one of its journalists spotted him at a European resort and the broadcaster sought comment from the Ministry of Defence.

12 Feb 2022; MEMO: A young doctor and father of two has condemned how he was racially profiled and humiliated when he turned up to attend a lecture by Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely at the University of Cambridge last Wednesday.

Dr Zeshan Qureshi, a Cambridge Union member of good standing, said he had acquired a ticket to attend the event through official processes.