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world news Diamars 18 Januari 2022

UK’s Johnson, and his foes, await key ‘partygate’ report

(AP) — As he fights for his worded apology in Parlia-
career, British Prime Min- ment, but stopped short of
ister Boris Johnson has admitting rule-breaking and
one constant refrain: Wait urged everyone to wait for
for Sue Gray. Gray’s verdict.

Gray is a senior but previous- Alex Thomas, a program
ly obscure civil servant who director at the Institute for
may hold Johnson’s political Government, said those ex-
future in her hands. She has pecting the report to “either
the job of investigating alle- clear the prime minister or
gations that the prime min- damn him” would likely be
ister and his staff attended disappointed.
lockdown-flouting parties on
government property. “This is a huge political and ple in Britain were banned though Education Secretary prime minister. In this case
wider public issue,” he said. from socializing or visiting Nadhim Zahawi said John- it’s the prime minister who
Gray is due to report by the “The Gray report is an im- sick relatives in hospitals. son had “submitted himself” is being investigated, mak-
end of the month on claims portant part of finding out Another came on the eve of to Gray’s investigation. ing Johnson the arbiter of his
government staff held late- what happened. But in the Prince Philip’s socially dis- own punishment.
night soirees, “bring your end this is a judgment for tanced funeral, at which wid- Gray can establish “whether
own booze” parties and Conservative Cabinet minis- owed Queen Elizabeth II was individual disciplinary ac- The inquiry is an unusu-
“wine time Fridays” while ters and MPs about whether forced to sit alone in church. tion is warranted” against ally high-profile assignment
Britain was under coronavi- they want Boris Johnson to officials, and London’s Met- for a woman used to exert-
rus restrictions in 2020 and lead their party and therefore Gray’s assignment is to un- ropolitan Police force says it ing power behind the scenes.
2021. The allegations have lead the country.” cover the facts about the could open an investigation Gray has served both Labour
spawned public anger, in- gatherings and whether they if she finds evidence of law- and Conservative govern-
credulity and mockery, and Gray is investigating close to broke any rules. She has ac- breaking. ments over several decades,
prompted some in the gov- a dozen alleged gatherings cess to “all relevant records” according to a brief biography
erning Conservative Party to held between May 2020 and and power to interview offi- Crucially, though, Gray has on the government website,
call for Johnson’s resignation. April 2021, most in the prime cials, including Johnson. The limited room to censure with a gap in the 1980s when
minister’s Downing Street prime minister’s office hasn’t Johnson himself. Usually, she ran a pub in Northern
The prime minister last week office-cum-residence. One confirmed whether Johnson civil service inquiries make Ireland.
made a contrite, carefully party took place when peo- has been quizzed by Gray, recommendations to the

Russia denies looking for pretext to invade Ukraine

(AP) — Russia’s top dip- formation.” “We are prepared to have a the Kremlin’s support amid
lomat angrily rejected Amid the troops buildup, serious dialogue with Russia, Western sanctions over a bru-
U.S. allegations that Mos- He reaffirmed that Russia ex- Russia in recent weeks has because diplomacy is the only tal crackdown on domestic
cow was preparing a pre- pects a written response this held a series of war games in way to defuse this highly dan- protests, said Russia and Be-
text to invade Ukraine, as week from the U.S. and its regions that border Ukraine. gerous situation,” she said. larus will hold massive mili-
Russian troops that are allies to Moscow’s request On Monday, the military an- tary drills next month.
amassed near the Ukraine for binding guarantees that nounced the launch of anoth- Baerbock said Germany has
border launched more NATO will not embrace er exercise involving armored offered to send cybersecurity Lukashenko said the maneu-
drills Monday. Ukraine or any other ex- units stationed in the western specialists to Ukraine to help vers will be conducted on
Soviet nations, or station its part of Russia that includes investigate last week’s cy- Belarus’ western border and
The White House said Friday forces and weapons there. 300 combat vehicles. berattacks, which Ukrainian also in the country’s south,
that U.S. intelligence officials authorities have blamed on where it borders Ukraine.
had concluded that Russia Washington and its allies A delegation of U.S. senators Russia. At the same time, she Belarus Security Council
had already deployed opera- firmly rejected Moscow’s is visiting Ukraine to em- noted that Germany hasn’t Secretary Alexander Volfov-
tives to rebel-controlled east- demands during last week’s phasize U.S. support for the changed its refusal to provide ich said Monday that Russian
ern Ukraine to carry out acts Russia-U.S. negotiations country. it with weapons. troops already had started ar-
of sabotage there and blame in Geneva and a related riving in the country for the
them on Ukraine in a “false- NATO-Russia meeting in “Our bipartisan congressio- “We made clear that we will exercise, according to the
flag operation” to create a Brussels, which were held as nal delegation sends a clear do everything to avoid esca- BELTA news agency.
pretext for possible invasion. an estimated 100,000 Russian message to the global com- lating the crisis,” she said.
troops with tanks and other munity: the United States Russia has denied having
Speaking to reporters Mon- heavy weapons are massed stands in unwavering support German Chancellor Olaf plans to attack its neigh-
day, Russian Foreign Minis- near Ukraine in what the of our Ukrainian partners to Scholz said on a visit to Spain bor and in turn accused the
ter Sergey Lavrov dismissed West fears might be a prelude defend their sovereignty and that “we expect clear steps Ukrainian leadership of
the U.S. claim as “total disin- to an invasion. in the face of persistent Rus- from Russia to deescalate hatching plans to use force to
sian aggression,” Sen. Jeanne the situation,” adding that reclaim control of Russian-
Shaheen, a New Hampshire “military aggression against backed rebel-held territories
Democrat, said in a state- Ukraine would entail serious in eastern Ukraine. Ukraini-
ment. political and economic con- an authorities have denied it.
sequences.”
Speaking Monday on a visit Russia annexed the Crime-
to Kyiv, German Foreign Ukrainian officials have an Peninsula from Ukraine
Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that Russia could in 2014 after the ouster of
warned that “any further es- launch an attack from various Ukraine’s Moscow-friend-
calation would carry a high directions, including from ly leader and also threw its
price for the Russian regime the territory of its ally Be- weight behind a separatist in-
— economic, political and larus. surgency in eastern Ukraine.
strategic” — and emphasized More than 14,000 people
the need to continue negotia- Belarusian President Al- have been killed in nearly
tions. exander Lukashenko, who eight years of fighting there.
has increasingly relied on