In full: Boris Johnson's apology over lockdown drinks party  

Read Boris Johnsons's statement to MPs over the "bring your own booze" event in No 10 in May 2020.

In the name of God go, David Davis tells Boris Johnson   -7%

The former cabinet minister joins calls for Boris Johnson to stand down, as a Tory MP defects to Labour.

Biden calls Texas synagogue hostage situation 'act of terror'; FBI identifies British assailant  

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks with Governor Greg Abbott expressing his gratitude for the rapid resolution of the situation that unfolded in Texas

UKs Johnson scraps Plan B Covid measures amid Omicron spread  

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that Covid-19 measures, known as ‘Plan B’ will be allowed to expire next week.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Why the Scottish Tory leader wants to oust Boris Johnson  

The nightmare scenario for Douglas Ross is that Boris Johnson's premiership survives the party scandal.

Iraqs new parliament holds fiery first session, but government still far off   1%

Iraq’s new parliament held a heated inaugural session on Sunday, three months after legislative elections won by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the likely kingmaker of the next government.Sadr, 47, who once led an anti-US militia and who has a large and dedicated following, is expected to have the key say in who will serve as the next prime minister, a post now held by Mustafa al-Kadhimi.Sunday saw the swearing in of the 329 members of the unicameral parliament, who will now have to elect a…

With Boris Johnson in peril over partygate, who could step in as UK prime minister?   18%

With Boris Johnson in his most precarious position yet as UK prime minister, speculation is swirling over who might replace him as leader of the Conservative party and take Britain’s top political job.Rishi SunakThe UK’s first Hindu chancellor of the exchequer is the current bookies’ favourite to replace Johnson, having been appointed finance minister in 2020 after only five years in politics.Rishi Sunak, 41, was credited with taking bold steps and delivering a sweeping publicly funded furlough…

Boris Johnson says no, he will not resign, despite repeated calls from his own party and the opposition   -16%

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, fighting to save his premiership amid a storm over a series of lockdown parties in Downing Street, told parliament on Wednesday he would not resign.Johnson is struggling to quell an internal revolt by his own lawmakers who are angry over the parties in Downing Street, the prime minister’s office and residence, during Covid-19 lockdowns, as well as facing opposition calls for him to step down.Johnson, who in 2019 won his party’s biggest majority in more than…

In the name of God, go: Tory fury spills over as Boris Johnson clings on   1%

Former minister demands PM’s resignation in Commons, one Conservative MP defects and others clamour for concessions

Boris Johnson has faced a defection and a demand to quit from one of his most senior MPs during a dramatic day in Westminster, with even allies of the prime minister warning the current situation cannot go on.

David Davis caused shockwaves when he told Johnson in the Commons: “In the name of God, go.” Less than an hour earlier, Christian Wakeford, the MP for Bury South, quit the Conservatives and joined Labour in fury at the Downing Street parties scandal.

Hungary's Opposition Leader Marki-Zay Tests Positive For COVID-19 Amid Election Race   13%

The Hungarian opposition's joint candidate for prime minister says he has tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of general elections in April.

Montenegrin Cabinet Faces Vote Of No Confidence  

Montenegrin opposition parties have joined forces with a faction in the ruling coalition to file a no-confidence motion in Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic's cabinet.

Partygate: Boris Johnson clings on despite demand to in the name of God, go  

Boris Johnson was battling on after a senior Tory demanded “in the name of God, go” and a Conservative MP defected to Labour over allegations of rule-breaking parties in Downing Street.

Labour leader refuses to apologize over lockdown drinks hypocrisy  

The leader of the UK’s Labour Party has refused to apologize over images of him drinking with colleagues amid Covid-19 restrictions after he called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign over a similar scandal.
Read Full Article at RT.com

UK planning to scrap self-isolation law as reported Covid-19 cases fall   33%

The United Kingdom is drawing up plans under which people will not be legally bound to self-isolate after catching Covid-19, a report said.Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to permanently revoke emergency coronavirus laws as Britain’s Covid-19 cases continue to fall, The Telegraph reported Sunday, adding official guidance would remain but would not result in fines or legal punishment if ignored.The plans will be worked up over the coming weeks, with an announcement expected as early as the…

UK PMs former aide accuses Johnson of lying to Parliament about Partygate  

UK PM Boris Johnson not only knew a garden party held by his staff was a violation of his own government’s Covid-19 rules – he lied to Parliament about it, according to his former aide, Dominic Cummings.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Who could be Britain's next prime minister if Johnson is ousted?  

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting a rebellion among his own lawmakers over revelations of lockdown-breaching parties at his official residence, putting his future as leader into

Boris Johnson apologises for lockdown party amid calls for resignation and growing revolt among Tories   9%

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sought to head off a growing revolt within his own party, offering an apology for attending what he called a “work” event in the Downing Street garden during lockdown, when outside parties were illegal.“There were things we simply did not get right,” he told the House of Commons on Wednesday. “I must take responsibility.”The rare apology came after Johnson and his officials had spent days stonewalling after ITV reported that the premier’s senior adviser had…

Who controls you? Which party do you vote for?  

The Cambodian Prime Minister has already “zoom-bombed” an opposition meeting, now from next month the country will filter all online content China-style.

How accurate are lateral flow tests?   40%

Boris Johnson is reportedly considering axing free lateral flow tests

Downing Street parties: Will two Tory tribes go to war with the PM?   50%

It isn't just the latest Conservative intake who are worried about Boris Johnson's leadership.

Boris Johnson apologises to Queen Elizabeth for party on eve of Prince Philips funeral   -15%

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office apologised to Queen Elizabeth on Friday after it emerged that staff had partied late into the night in Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, at a time when mixing indoors was banned.Johnson is facing the gravest crisis of his premiership after almost daily revelations about a series of social gatherings during Covid-19 lockdowns, some held when ordinary people could not bid farewell in person to dying relatives.After building a…

Singapore PM says Asean should keep excluding Myanmar junta from meetings  

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Asean should continue to exclude Myanmar’s junta leaders from meetings until headway is made on an agreement which includes a cessation of violence in the country.The Association of Southeast Asian Nations should keep to its decision made at the bloc’s summit last year of inviting only a non-political representative from Myanmar to meetings until “significant progress” is made in implementing a five-point consensus between the grouping and Naypyidaw…

Conservative MP defects, says BoJo incapable of leading  

Bury South MP Christian Wakeford has defected to Labour, claiming Boris Johnson is “incapable” of leading the UK amid the ‘Partygate’ row
Read Full Article at RT.com

German Green party leaders face inquiry into Covid bonuses   5%

Role of ministers in approving €1,500 payment for leaders and party HQ staff comes under scrutiny

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Berlin prosecutors have launched an investigation into the leadership of Germany’s Green party, including the new vice-chancellor and foreign minister, over Covid bonus payments last winter.

Prosecutors and the party confirmed on Wednesday the investigation into a preliminary suspicion of breach of trust after a report by the weekly publication Der Spiegel.

What the papers say January 20  

Today’s papers report the Prime Minister is continuing to doggedly “cling to power” despite facing a coup, a loss in the polls and an explicit direction from one ex-minister to “in the name of God, go”.

Berlin investigates Green Party leaders over COVID payments   -10%

The Berlin prosecutor's office is investigating COVID bonuses to Green Party leadership. The breach-of-trust probe targets current Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Economy Minister Robert Habeck, among others.

Conservative MPs moving against Boris Johnson are 'like a jilted lover', says MP  

Boris Johnson faces a loss of faith among newer MPs - but the PM's supporters insist he can survive.

In the name of God, go: Tory heavyweight stuns Boris Johnson   23%

The British PM was told by a senior party figure and former Brexit minister to resign for the good of the country, plus one of his MPs defected to Labour.

Boris Johnson interrogated by AC-12 in Line of Duty parody  

Clips of Johnson were spliced with footage from the hit crime drama

Rushing to ink Netanyahu plea deal, can anyone stop Israel's attorney general?  

Israel's AG has backtracked on all his decisions in the cases against the former prime minister, determined to sign a deal with the man who terrorized him. But even after both sides show their cards, talks could still blow up

Coronavirus: Boris Johnson calls an end to most restrictions in England; Germany tops 100,000 cases daily   15%

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said most restrictions deployed to fight the latest wave of the Covid pandemic in England would be lifted from next week.People will no longer have to wear masks in closed spaces, work from home and prove vaccination to enter public spaces such as nightclubs, Johnson told parliament.“Because of the extraordinary booster campaign … we can return to Plan A in England and allow Plan B regulations to expire,” Johnson said.Last month, England switched to …

Novak Djokovic deported from Australia: how the controversy unfolded video   17%

Novak Djokovic has been deported from Australia ahead of the Australian Open after the full federal court dismissed the world No 1’s bid to restore his visa. The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, said Djokovic was deported because he tried to breach entry rules at the border, even though the immigration minister did not dispute the tennis star’s belief he had a valid medical exemption. The Serbian tennis player boarded an Emirates flight from Melbourne to Dubai, hours after the court upheld the minister’s decision to cancel Djokovic’s visa

• Novak Djokovic deported for breach of Australia’s border rules, PM says, at odds with government’s legal case
• Serbia’s leaders hit out at ‘scandalous’ treatment of Novak Djokovic
  

• Djokovic case exposes ‘dysfunctional and dangerous’ Australian visa rules, experts say

Court Documents Show How Brits Begged for Leniency Over COVID Lockdown Fines  

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims that nobody told him that a party in his garden was against the rules.

Former Ambassador on Haitian President in March: Put Him Aside and Embrace Prime Minister Option  

Four months later, Jovenel Moïse was assassinated and replaced with a U.S.-backed prime minister, fueling suspicion of American involvement.

The post Former Ambassador on Haitian President in March: “Put Him Aside” and Embrace “Prime Minister Option” appeared first on The Intercept.

Russia is looking for a pretext to invade Ukraine, Trudeau says  

As it debates whether to send weapons to Ukraine, the federal government is taking into account Russia's quest for "excuses" to invade, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today.

The Guardian view on Boris Johnson and partygate: all played out | Editorial   -15%

The prime minister’s strategy of apology and denial has failed. His authority is shot

In the days when he combined the job of Tory MP with editing the Spectator magazine, Boris Johnson was forced to go to Liverpool to apologise following the publication of a gratuitously offensive editorial about the city. Later, revealing his true feelings, he derided the episode as “Operation Scouse-grovel”. But the faux-contrition did the trick. In his biography of Mr Johnson, the journalist Andrew Gimson writes: “The Liverpool debacle did no lasting damage. It amused a great number of people and made him even more famous.”

Faced with a nation’s outrage during a public health crisis, Mr Johnson appears to have believed he could get away with a similarly disingenuous approach. Unable to deny that he attended a lockdown-breaking drinks party in the garden of Downing Street, the prime minister has issued grovelling apologies while deploying sophistry to evade the consequences of his actions. His latest self-exculpatory move – made during an abject interview with Sky television – was to suggest that no one in No 10 warned him that the May 2020 party broke Covid rules. The language chosen was deliberately specific, failing to rule out warnings of a more general kind; but in essence Mr Johnson asked the country to swallow the idea that he was the only person in Downing Street who did not understand what was taking place on 20 May. It is a proposition so shamelessly implausible that one senses that even Mr Johnson does not expect it to be believed.

Work from home and and mandatory mask rules to be dropped as England moves back to plan A video   22%

Boris Johnson has announced updates to Covid regulations as plan B measures are due to expire. The work-from-home mandate will be dropped, as will mandatory face mask-wearing, including in classrooms. Rules over self-isolation after a positive Covid test remain in place 

Egypt: Cabinet Convenes Weekly Meeting to Probe Political, Economic, Social Files   7%

[Egypt Online] Meeting under Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli on Wednesday 19/1/2022, the Cabinet is set to discuss a number of political, economic and social files.

Vaccines offer significant protection to kids, teens against omicron, Israeli study finds  

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is also weighing up a proposal to exempt schoolchildren who come into contact with COVID carriers from quarantine

Boris Johnson says Englands virus rules will ease next week.   10%

The prime minister is under intense political pressure over claims that he lied to Parliament about parties held in Downing Street during a lockdown.