LONDON: Britain’s aid minister Priti Patel’s future was in doubt on Wednesday after the Sun newspaper reported she had held two further undisclosed meeting with Israeli politicians.
Development Secretary Patel apologized to British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday for failing to report she had met senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a private holiday.
She had failed to follow the usual procedures that ministers inform Britain’s Foreign Office before conducting official business overseas and said she regretted suggesting Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had been aware of her trip.
On Wednesday, the Sun said Patel had also met Israel’s Foreign Ministry’ Director General Yuval Rotem in New York and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan in London but had not informed May about either meeting despite giving her assurances there had been no other undisclosed talks.
May’s Downing Street office could not be reached for a comment and there was no comment from Britain’s Department for International Development.
If Patel is removed, she would be the second of May’s cabinet to be forced out in a week after Defense Secretary Michael Fallon resigned amid a broader parliamentary sexual harassment scandal.
UK aid minister facing sack over undisclosed meetings with Israelis: Sun newspaper
UK aid minister facing sack over undisclosed meetings with Israelis: Sun newspaper
Italy scouts gas supplies from US, Africa and Azerbaijan after Qatar force majeure, minister says
- QatarEnergy declared force majeure this week
- Rome is not alarmed about securing replacement volumes
ROME: Italy is looking at alternative sources of natural gas, including US liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline supplies from Africa and Azerbaijan, to make up for loss of deliveries from Qatar due to the conflict in the Middle East, Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin told a newspaper on Friday.
QatarEnergy declared force majeure this week and informed Italian utility Edison on Thursday that it would not be able to fulfil its contractual obligations concerning five liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo deliveries scheduled to arrive in early April.
Rome is not alarmed about securing replacement volumes, since Qatar supplies only about 9 percent of Italy’s annual gas consumption, Pichetto Fratin told Il Messaggero pointing to several options, such as US LNG, “if it is available.”
Pipeline gas from Libya is another option, although “technical conditions must be created,” he said.
Additional flows could come from Mozambique or Algeria, and from Azerbaijan through the TAP pipeline, Pichetto Fratin added.
