March 2022 - Page 20 of 25

Labour has called for a guarantee that Boris Johnson did not intervene with the security services, to ensure Evgeny Lebedev was given a peerage in 2020.

The Sunday Times claimed security services removed its warning that the Russian-born businessman posed a risk after the prime minister got involved.

Mr Johnson has denied the report.

But at Prime Minister’s Questions, Angela Rayner called for further assurances from the deputy prime minister about the PM’s actions.

Addressing Dominic Raab – who was standing in for Mr Johnson while he visits Saudi Arabia – she said: “There is no ifs or buts when it comes to the safety of the British people.

“So I ask the deputy prime minister, can he guarantee that the prime minister never asked anyone to urge the security services to revise, reconsider or withdraw their assessment of Lord Lebedev of Hampton and Siberia?”

Mr Raab called the “suggestion” she was making “sheer nonsense”, and defended the Conservatives’ record on security issues.

Lord Lebedev has denied posing a “security risk” to the UK, writing an article in the Evening Standard newspaper – which he owns – saying: “I am not some agent of Russia” and that he was “proud to be a British citizen and consider Britain my home”.

The son of billionaire Russian banker and former KGB officer Alexander Lebedev, he moved to the UK as a child, and has condemned President’s Putin’s actions in his newspaper, writing: “I plead with you to stop Russians killing their Ukrainian brothers and sisters.”

Ms Rayner, who was standing in for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, pointed to newspaper reports that claimed British intelligence warned against granting a peerage to Lord Lebedev on 17 March 2020.

She then claimed that despite the concerns, the prime minister visited Mr Lebedev at his home in London 48 hours later and then made the appointment in July.

“The central duty of any government is to keep the British people safe,” she said.

“There are now widespread reports that the prime minister did not accept warnings from our own intelligence services, granting a Russian oligarch – the son and business partner of a KGB spy – a seat here in this Parliament.

“It shouldn’t matter if such a warning was about a close personal friend of the prime minister, it shouldn’t matter if he gave the prime minister thousands of pounds of gifts, and it shouldn’t matter how much champagne and caviar he serves.”

Putin critics

Mr Raab said it was down to the House of Lords’ Appointment Commission to vet any prospective peers after they are nominated by the PM.

But he said peerages were given out “in recognition of what [someone’s] contribution is to society”, adding: “I should say that includes those of Russian origin who contribute brilliantly to our nation, many of whom in this country are critics of the Putin regime.”

The deputy PM also attacked Labour’s record on security, pointing to the former party leader Jeremy Corbyn and his stance on the armed forces and Nato.

“A Labour government would put at risk our security,” he said. “We are doing everything to protect it.”

Evgeny Lebedev is very well connected. He owns the Evening Standard and Independent newspapers, is friends with the prime minister and made George Osborne editor of the Evening Standard after he left government.

Lord Lebedev was in the room when Boris Johnson and Michael Gove decided to back Brexit. Mr Johnson attended his party the day after winning a majority in the general election – and there are various reports of him attending other parties hosted by the Lebedev family.

Mr Lebedev has urged an end to the war in Ukraine. Those who know him say he is more likely to chat about his favourite authors, Leo Tolstoy or Fyodor Dostoevsky, than Russian politics. He has British citizenship, owns companies here and has a keen interest in the arts.

His father Alexander, however, is a former KGB spy. He made vast amounts of money after the fall of the Soviet Union. For some time, that has raised concerns among politicians in Westminster.

The decision to grant Lord Lebedev a peerage was hugely controversial. The prime minister has faced questions about whether he intervened to ensure it happened after concerns were reportedly raised by security services. There have been calls for the Intelligence and Security committee – which has access to classified material – to investigate. Labour has also urged the House of Lords Appointments Committee to publish details of the vetting process.

But Lord Lebedev himself used his Evening Standard newspaper to hit back last week. He said he was a proud British citizen, adding: “I am not a security risk to this country, which I love. My father a long time ago was a foreign intelligence agent of the KGB, but I am not some agent of Russia.”

Boris Johnson to raise human rights in energy talks: Saudi Arabia

He discussed energy security and other issues in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

He said a global coalition was needed “to deal with the new reality we face”.

But critics have expressed concerns about the human rights records of the countries.

Last weekend, Saudi Arabia carried out a mass execution of 81 men in one day, and its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been implicated in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

On Wednesday, Saudi news agency SPA announced three further executions, in what the Reprieve group described as a “provocative act” designed to “flaunt the Crown Prince’s power”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said “going cap in hand from dictator to dictator is not an energy strategy”.

Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Mr Khashoggi, told the BBC Mr Johnson should not be “doing deals” with Crown Prince Salman unless he insisted “on the truth and justice for Jamal’s murder”.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner told MPs Mr Johnson was on “a begging mission to the Saudi prince” after failing to invest in home-grown energy.

But Mr Johnson said if western countries wanted to “avoid being blackmailed” by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, they needed to move away from using his country’s fossil fuels and explore other partnerships.

Asked about working with a government with a questionable human rights records, the prime minister said: “I’ve raised all those issues many, many times – since I was foreign secretary and beyond and I’ll raise them all again today.”

He pointed towards Saudi Arabia announcing a £1bn investment in green aviation fuel in the UK as “the kind of thing we want to encourage”.

That does not mean, he added, that “we can’t stick to our principles and raise those issues that we all care about”.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also defended the trip on Breakfast, insisting the UK was “absolutely right” to “look at alternative sources of oil and gas”.

Mr Johnson landed at Abu Dhabi airport in the UAE, where he was met by British Ambassador to the UAE Patrick Moody.

He was guided through a guard of honour before meeting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.

Mr Johnson then travelled to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where he met Crown Prince Salman and Saudi ministers.

‘Flawed argument’

Recent executions, including those of 81 men, in Saudi Arabia has drawn criticism from MPs and human rights groups.

Tory MP Crispin Blunt said the executions left Mr Johnson with “exquisite difficulties” in asking Saudi Arabia for help with oil supplies.

One of the world’s largest oil producers and influential on the international stage, Saudi Arabia is ruled by a monarchy which restricts political rights and civil liberties.

The rise of Crown Prince Salman as de-facto ruler in 2017 has seen moves towards liberalising some laws and diversifying the economy.

But the Saudi government’s image has been damaged in recent years, particularly by the assassination of the prominent US-based journalist in 2018, Mr Khashoggi.

He was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia said he had been killed in a “rogue operation” by a team of agents sent to persuade him to return to the kingdom.

But a UN investigator concluded that Mr Khashoggi was “the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution” for which the Saudi state was responsible. Crown Prince Salman denied any role.

Mr Khashoggi’s fiancee Ms Cengiz, who accompanied him to the entrance of the consulate, said Mr Johnson’s rationale for meeting Crown Prince Salman was a “flawed argument”.

He “should not run from the arms of one unpredictable tyrant” to another, she said.

“Johnson must demand to know the truth and to get justice for the brutal killing of Jamal and for all human rights abuses,” Ms Cengiz said. “He cannot act as though nothing has happened. This would be so shameful.”

Opposition parties and some Conservatives too are uneasy about the government’s association with Saudi Arabia – and have been for years.

That’s more acute after dozens of executions there a few days ago.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said going cap in hand from dictator to dictator is no substitute for an energy strategy.

But for the government, handling the fallout of the conflict in Ukraine means what are described as “hard-headed” decisions, even if it’s “distasteful”.

With huge diplomatic and economic forces at play, there are no straightforward options.

Disentangling Russia’s economy from the West’s may seem a diplomatic no-brainer, but the cost and complications of doing so simply can’t be ignored.

The energy talks come during a global spike in energy prices driven by tight supplies, President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and western attempts to reduce dependence on Russian oil and gas.

Saudi Arabia is the largest producer in the oil cartel Opec and has the spare capacity to help lower prices by increasing supplies.

Mr Johnson was hoping to convince Crown Prince Salman to boost his kingdom’s oil production and garner his support for action against Russia.

Ms Truss said while the UK did not agree with “every single policy of Saudi Arabia or the UAE”, they “do not pose a threat to global security in the way that Vladimir Putin does”.

“We need to bring those countries into the circle of influence of the UK and pull countries away from dependence on Russia,” she said.

Muted reaction

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states have so far refrained from overtly condemning Russia, although they did vote in favour of a UN resolution denouncing the invasion of Ukraine.

Their muted reaction has caused some consternation among western nations including the UK, Dr Tobias Borck, a researcher of Middle East security at the RUSI think tank says.

“In the past 10 years this idea has taken hold in the Gulf that the West doesn’t stand for anything anymore, that the West is no longer willing to wield its power in the world,” Dr Borck told the media.

He said Mr Johnson’s trip was a vital opportunity to rebuild relations with the Gulf states and convey to them why the invasion of Ukraine “is a watershed moment for European security”.

Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities continued as the worst war Europe has seen in decades entered its 21st day.

The attacks came as Ukraine and Russia held peace talks, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky conceded that Nato membership was not on the table, in an apparent concession to Moscow.

Mr Zelensky said the talks were becoming “more realistic”, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was “some hope for compromise”.

The Ukrainian president addressed the US Congress by video link, having made similar appearances in parliaments across Europe, including the UK’s.

In a historic speech, he invoked the 2001 terror attacks on the US and urged President Joe Biden to give more military aid to Ukraine.

Pfizer-BioNTech seek US approval of second COVID booster for 65+

WASHINGTON: Pfizer and BioNTech announced Tuesday they had formally asked the United States drug regulator for emergency approval of a second booster shot of their COVID vaccine for people aged 65 and older.

The companies said in a press statement that their request is based on two Israeli studies that show “an additional mRNA booster increases immunogenicity and lowers rates of confirmed infections and severe illness.”

Most countries’ case levels have significantly declined from record levels during the Omicron wave, though multiple countries have seen levels plateau or start to tick up as they lift restrictions, and protection from prior doses begins to fade.

The first Israeli study cited by Pfizer and BioNTech showed that “rates of confirmed infections were 2 times lower and rates of severe illness were four times lower among individuals who received an additional booster dose,” compared to those who only had one.

The analysis was limited to people 60 years and older who received their second booster four months after their first.

The second study — an analysis of Israeli healthcare workers 18 years and older — showed that antibody levels in those who received a second booster were significantly higher than those who did not.

“The study also revealed no new safety concerns in individuals who received an additional booster dose of the vaccine,” said the companies.

Since the initial regimen of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is two doses, a second booster would be most individuals’ fourth jab.

Recent studies have offered evidence that while a third mRNA vaccine dose raises antibody levels above those of the initial regimen, a fourth dose only returns individuals’ levels to that same highly-elevated level.

Several European countries, as well as Israel, have already approved second boosters for older and immunocompromised populations, who are most at-risk for severe disease.

A three-year-old boy in America killed his mother accidentally shooting her with a gun.

WASHINGTON: A three-year-old American child accidentally shot and killed his mother while playing with a gun in the suburbs of Chicago, police said.

The tragedy, all too common in the United States, took place on Saturday evening in the parking lot of a supermarket in Dolton, a suburb of the Midwestern city.

The young boy was sitting in the child seat in the back of a car, with his parents in the front. Without anyone knowing how he managed to get his hands on his father’s pistol.

The child “began playing with it inside the car. At some point the child pulled the trigger,” local police chief Robert Collins told AFP.

His mother, Daejah Bennett, 22, was shot in the back of the neck. She was rushed to a Chicago hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The father was taken into custody while police investigated whether he possessed the gun legally and whether he should be facing charges, Collins said.

The death is just one in a staggering series of comparable accidents.

“Every year, hundreds of children in the United States gain access to unsecured, loaded guns in closets and nightstand drawers, in backpacks and purses, or just left out,” and shoot off rounds accidentally, according to a recent report by Everytown For Gun Safety.

The organisation, which campaigns for better supervision of firearms and in particular for requirements that they are stored securely, estimates that “unintentional shootings” by minors cause an average of 350 deaths each year.

More generally, firearms are used in approximately 40,000 deaths a year in the United States, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive website

Family ends journey after travelling for 22 years, visits 102 countries

Couple gives birth to four children during 3,62,000 kilometres long journey.
Zapp family covers five continents in their 90-year-old car. People are fond of travelling and some travel as a hobby, but this family has gone viral for travelling for straight 22 years — covering five continents in their 90-year-old car.
The Argentinian family — known as the Zapp family — started their journey in the year 2000 and travelled to 102 countries, during which the couple gave birth to four children, who are quite grown up now.

Herman, Candelaria and their children have driven 3,62,000 kilometres during their journey of 22 years. The family has now stopped in a town on Uruguay’s border and are scheduled to travel back to where they started the trip.

“I have very mixed feelings. We are ending a dream, or fulfilling a dream,” said Herman. “What will come now? Thousands of changes, thousands of options,” the 53-year-old said, already thinking to sail around the world.

Candelaria — who was just 29-years-old when she started the journey — said the “best discovery was the people they met along the way.” However, the couple had to reroute sometimes due to wars and conflicts.

The family had the tires changed eight times and the engine twice during their journey. They also enlarged the car for their children who were born along the journey. One of the kids is now 19-years-old, who came into this world in the US. The other kid, who is now 16-years-old, was born during their visit back to Argentina.

People are fond of travelling and some travel as a hobby, but this family has gone viral for travelling for straight 22 years — covering five continents in their 90-year-old car.

The Argentinian family — known as the Zapp family — started their journey in the year 2000 and travelled to 102 countries, during which the couple gave birth to four children, who are quite grown up now.

Herman, Candelaria and their children have driven 3,62,000 kilometres during their journey of 22 years. The family has now stopped in a town on Uruguay’s border and are scheduled to travel back to where they started the trip.

“I have very mixed feelings. We are ending a dream, or fulfilling a dream,” said Herman. “What will come now? Thousands of changes, thousands of options,” the 53-year-old said, already thinking to sail around the world.

Candelaria — who was just 29-years-old when she started the journey — said the “best discovery was the people they met along the way.” However, the couple had to reroute sometimes due to wars and conflicts.

The family had the tires changed eight times and the engine twice during their journey. They also enlarged the car for their children who were born along the journey. One of the kids is now 19-years-old, who came into this world in the US. The other kid, who is now 16-years-old, was born during their visit back to Argentina.

World must not forget Afghanistan because of Ukraine war: UN

KABUL: The Russian invasion of Ukraine must not make the world forget Afghanistan, the UN refugee chief said on Tuesday, warning that ignoring its humanitarian needs could be “very risky”.

UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi, who is on a four-day visit to Afghanistan, said the international community must continue to engage with Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities as the country desperately needed humanitarian assistance.

“The whole attention of the world at the moment is focussed on Ukraine,” Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told AFP at a UN compound in the Afghan capital.

“But my message coming here is, don’t forget the other situations, where attention and resources are needed and Afghanistan is one of them.

“The risks of distraction are very high, very high … Humanitarian assistance has to flow no matter how many other crises compete with Afghanistan around the world.”

The Taliban seized power on August 15 amid a hasty withdrawal of US-led foreign forces, and since then the country’s humanitarian crisis has deepened.

The United Nations and other global aid agencies have said that more than half of Afghanistan’s 38 million people are facing hunger this winter.

In January, the UN made its biggest-ever single-country aid appeal, calling for $5 billion to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.

But Grandi said that the war in Ukraine has already started to make it difficult to raise funds for Afghanistan.

UNHCR itself had made an appeal of $340 million for Afghanistan for 2022 but so far has managed to raise about $100 million, he said.

“So, we need to push because the needs are the same now as they were in September” just after the Taliban takeover, he added.

“Generous response has to continue” for Afghanistan, a country that has up to six million of its citizens living as refugees abroad.

Grandi, who acknowledged that the security situation across the country had improved since the Taliban came to power, said that aid-related discussions with the groups have been increasingly “frank and open”.

If the Taliban continue to make progress on issues like women’s rights then steady international aid will also continue to come to Afghanistan, he said.

Global donors led by Washington have insisted that any foreign aid will depend on the Taliban’s policy when it comes to women’s rights to education and work.

Since coming to power the Taliban have imposed several restrictions on women, but have said that secondary schools for girls would reopen soon.

“We will see in a few days when schools reopen, then the international community will take note,” Grandi said.

“When 25 years ago this country fell off the radar screen, it ended very badly … we cannot go down the same road. I hope that common sense will prevail,” he said, referring to a brutal civil war that erupted in the 1990s after the withdrawal of then Soviet forces.

Ukraine has praised the courage of three European leaders who made a long, hazardous journey by rail from Poland to Kyiv in a show of support as the city came under further Russian attack.

The prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday evening as a curfew began in Kyiv.

Afterwards, the Czech leader told Ukrainians that they are “not alone”.

The group are the first Western leaders to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded.

“We admire your brave fight,” Petr Fiala wrote in a tweet. “We know that you’re also fighting for our lives. You’re not alone, our countries stand by your side.”

Poland’s Mateusz Morawiecki said that Europe would never be the same if it lost Ukraine. Instead, he wrote, it would be a “defeated, humiliated and pathetic version of its former self”.

“Your visit is a powerful expression of support for Ukraine,” the country’s president is quoted as telling the group.

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote on Twitter that “devastating” sanctions against Russia had been discussed, including the “recognition of Russia as a sponsor of terrorism”.

Explosions heard during meeting

As the talks took place, loud explosions could be heard across Kyiv from fighting on the western edge of the capital.

The European Union said the politicians were not carrying any particular mandate, but that leaders in Brussels were aware of the trip, as it was mentioned during an informal EU summit in Versailles, France, last week.

Poland’s deputy foreign minister Marcin Przydacz admitted the trip was risky, but said it was “worth taking for the sake of values”. He said they had told the Russians the visit was taking place.

The leaders decided to travel by train because flying by Polish military jet could have been viewed by Russia as dangerously provocative, BBC Europe editor Katya Adler reports. It was not immediately clear when their train would make the return trip to Warsaw.

Ukraine’s president has repeatedly called on Nato to impose a no-fly zone over his country’s airspace, but Nato has refused.

Mr Zelensky said Ukrainians now understood they could not join Nato. “We have heard for years that the doors were open, but we also heard that we could not join. It’s a truth and it must be recognised. I am glad that our people are beginning to understand this and rely on themselves and our partners who help us.”

At least five people were killed in Russia’s bombardment of Kyiv on Tuesday, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko ordered a curfew to run from 20:00 (18:00 GMT) on Tuesday to 07:00 on Thursday. The city was facing a difficult and dangerous moment, he said: “This is why I ask all Kyivites to get prepared to stay at home for two days, or if the sirens go off, in the shelters.”

The three prime ministers were joined by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party. Polish officials pointed out that his late twin brother and former president Lech Kaczynski had taken part in another risky trip to Georgia in 2008, during Russia’s summer invasion.

During the meeting in Kyiv, Mr Kaczynski said an international peacekeeping mission with military capability should be sent to Ukraine.

All three leaders have been vocal supporters of Ukraine in recent weeks. Slovenia’s prime minister said last week that the EU should send a strong message that Ukraine will eventually be granted membership.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said the visit was a strong and important gesture to show solidarity with Ukraine. “Ukraine’s security is European security; therefore we need to do everything possible to help them survive this sickening barbaric Russian attack.

What happened on day 20 of Russia’s invasion :War in Ukraine

The trip was a Polish idea, after the EU warned of potential security risks.

The leaders decided to go by train because flying by Polish military jet could have been viewed by Russia as dangerously provocative, BBC Europe editor Katya Adler reported. It was not immediately clear when their train would make the return trip to Warsaw.

Poland’s Mateusz Morawiecki said history was being made in Ukraine’s capital.

“It is here, that freedom fights against the world of tyranny. It is here that the future of us all hangs in the balance,” he tweeted. Mr Morawiecki added that Ukraine could count on the help of its friends.

The prime ministers sat down for a briefing with their Ukrainian counterpart Denis Shmyhal, and President Volodymyr Zelensky, who thanked them for the “powerful” gesture of support.

They were accompanied to Ukraine by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party.

Sepsis and hunger as civilians hide

Russian artillery and warplanes are continuing to pound cities and towns across Ukraine.

In Mariupol, a key port city in the south-east, hundreds of people crammed into the basement of a large public building are running out of food, with many also in need of urgent medical help, the news Hugo Bachega was told.

“Some have developed sepsis from shrapnel in the body,” said Anastasiya Ponomareva, a 39-year-old teacher who fled the city at the start of the war but is in contact with friends there. “Things are very serious.”

Her friends are with other families who spend most of their day in the basement. From time to time they go upstairs for sunlight, but rarely outside. They have all left homes that are no longer safe or no longer standing.

At an intensive care hospital on the western outskirts of the city, staff described being treated like hostages by Russian forces.

One employee was quoted as saying that Russian troops had “forced 400 people from neighbouring houses to come to our hospital,” adding: “We can’t leave.”

The regional governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said the facility had been all but destroyed by shelling in recent days, but that staff had continued to treat patients in the basement.

Separately, about 2,000 cars were able to leave Mariupol along a humanitarian evacuation route, according to city authorities. Before the war around 400,000 people lived in the city, which has endured intense bombardment by Russian forces. The city council says well over 2,000 civilians have died.

Cameraman and journalist killed in Kyiv

A cameraman and a journalist working for Fox News were killed when their vehicle was struck by incoming fire on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, staff at the US network said.

Fox News chief executive Suzanne Scott described the deaths of Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, and Oleksandra Kuvshinova, 24, as “heart-breaking”.

Their colleague, 39-year-old Benjamin Hall, was also wounded in the incident and taken to hospital.

The attack followed the death on Sunday of 50-year-old US journalist Brent Renaud, who was shot and killed in the Ukrainian town of Irpin.

Missing anti-war TV journalist reappears

The Russian journalist who protested against the war in Ukraine on a live TV news programme and shared a video describing the invasion as a crime was fined 30,000 roubles (£214; $280) and released.

Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at state-controlled Channel One, was detained on Monday after she ran onto the set holding a sign saying “no war”. But concerns were later raised over her safety after reports that she could not be contacted.

On Tuesday, however, she appeared at a court hearing.

Ms Ovsyannikova told reporters afterwards that she had gone two days with no sleep, had been questioned for over 14 hours, and was not given access to legal help.

Russians agree to bring US astronaut back to Earth

Fears that US astronaut Mark Vande Hei – who has been in space for 355 days – might lose his lift back to Earth on board a Russian capsule were thankfully put to bed when it was confirmed he would indeed be making the trip home.

The American, and two other Russian cosmonauts, will be brought back, landing in Kazakhstan.

Joel Montalbano, Nasa’s ISS programme manager, said: “I can tell you for sure Mark is coming home… We are in communication with our Russian colleagues. There’s no fuzz on that.”

Biden barred from entering Russia

Meanwhile, as Western nations impose further sanctions on Russia, Moscow retaliated on Tuesday by slapping sanctions on US President Joe Biden and 12 other US officials.

The list includes Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, press secretary Jen Psaki and other members of the administration.

But there were also a couple of surprises on the list: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mr Biden’s son, Hunter.

The measures block their entry into Russia and freeze any assets held in the country.

Boris Johnson will meet leaders in Saudi Arabia later as he tries to build an “international coalition” against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The PM will discuss securing energy supplies from the region, saying the world needed to “wean itself off” Russian oil and gas.

But Mr Johnson faced criticism for going on the trip due to the Saudi government’s human rights record.

On Saturday, they carried out a mass execution of 81 men in one day.

A number of MPs called on the PM to cancel his visit.

But Mr Johnson said if the West was going to “avoid being blackmailed” by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, it needed to move away from using his country’s hydrocarbons and explore other partnerships.

Shadow climate and net zero secretary, Ed Miliband, said it was “a sign of our vulnerability and energy insecurity as a country” that the PM “felt it necessary to go to Saudi Arabia” in spite of human rights issues.

He added: “Once again it demonstrates that the best solution to the energy crisis we face is a green energy sprint at home so once and for all we end our dependence on fossil fuels.”

Mr Johnson landed in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday morning.

He was met by British Ambassador to the UAE Patrick Moody at Abu Dhabi airport where he was guided through a guard of honour.

His first meeting will be with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi, before he travels to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

No 10 said discussions would focus on “efforts to improve energy security and reduce volatility in energy and food prices”, including the potential to agree increased oil supplies from the country to the UK.

Speaking ahead of the visit, the PM said: “The brutal and unprovoked assault President Putin has unleashed on Ukraine will have far-reaching consequences for the world, well beyond Europe’s borders.

“The UK is building an international coalition to deal with the new reality we face. The world must wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons and starve Putin’s addiction to oil and gas.

“Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are key international partners in that effort. We will work with them to ensure regional security, support the humanitarian relief effort and stabilise global energy markets for the longer term.”

Downing Street said Mr Johnson would also discuss “shared strategic priorities with the leaders of the UAE and Saudi Arabia”, including the situation in Iran and Yemen, trade and human rights.

Opposition parties and some Conservatives too are uneasy about the government’s association with Saudi Arabia – and have been for years.

That’s more acute after dozens of executions there a few days ago.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said going cap in hand from dictator to dictator is no substitute for an energy strategy.

But for the government, handling the fallout of the conflict in Ukraine means what are described as “hard-headed” decisions, even if it’s “distasteful”.

With huge diplomatic and economic forces at play, there are no straightforward options.

Disentangling Russia’s economy from the West’s may seem a diplomatic no-brainer, but the cost and complications of doing so simply can’t be ignored.

Scotland’s rules on face coverings in shops and on public transport will remain in place until April due to a rise in cases of Covid-19.

All other restrictions on businesses and services are to move from legal requirement to guidance from 21 March.

But First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it would be “prudent” to keep mask rules in place due to a spike in cases.

These will be reviewed again in two weeks, and are likely to be converted to guidance by April 4.

Ms Sturgeon said a sharp rise in infections was putting “significant pressure on hospital capacity”, but that vaccines were still giving people good protection.

She also told MSPs that mass testing will be wound down in April, with routine testing and contact tracing to end by May.

The average number of new cases reported each day in Scotland is more than 12,000, up from an average of 6,900 per day three weeks ago.

There has also been a rise in the number of people in hospital with Covid-19, from 1,060 three weeks ago to 1,996 today.

Ms Sturgeon said the BA.2 variant of Omicron was now the dominant strain of the virus in Scotland, accounting for more than 80% of cases – adding that while it spreads much more quickly, there is no evidence it causes more severe illness than previous variants.

Under the government’s strategic framework for managing the virus, remaining legal restrictions – including mask-wearing and the need for businesses to record customer contact details and follow other guidance – were to be lifted on 21 March.

The rules for businesses will be dropped as planned, but Ms Sturgeon said she needed to “ask everyone to be patient for a little while longer on face coverings”.

She said: “I know this will be disappointing for businesses and service providers such as day care services.

“However, ensuring continued widespread use of face coverings will provide some additional protection – particularly for the most vulnerable – at a time when the risk of infection is very high, and it may help us get over this spike more quickly.”

The first minister stressed that the lifting of other measures marked “steady progress back to normal life and a more sustainable way of managing this virus”.

But the Scottish Conservatives said mask rules staying in place was “a blow for households and businesses”.

Leader Douglas Ross urged Ms Sturgeon to trust people to manage their own risks, adding: “We can’t get complacent with Covid, but we need to move forward – we can’t stay stuck with Covid rules forever.”

Month: March 2022