UK

Julian Assange to marry partner in prison

Julian Assange has been granted permission to marry his partner Stella Moris in Belmarsh prison, the BBC has been told. The Wikileaks founder and Ms Moris have two sons together,…

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Number of migrants crossing Channel to UK hits new daily record

Around 1,000 people crossed the Channel by boat to reach the UK on Thursday, a new record for migrant Channel crossings in a single day. Five lifeboats and four Border…

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UK wants to find a N.Ireland trade solution, Times says

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Britain wants to de-escalate tensions with the European Union and renew efforts to find a solution over a Northern Ireland trade dispute that has threatened broader…

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What to watch on Friday at COP26

GLASGOW, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The pressure is on. Negotiators for some 200 countries at the U.N. climate summit in Scotland enter the final hours of talks on Friday, with…

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UPDATED: COP26 draft deal treads fine line to spur climate action

A new draft agreement for the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow on Friday presses countries to be more ambitious in their plans to tackle global warming, while walking a fine…

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Sluggish UK economy falls behind the G7 pack again

LONDON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Britain's economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic lagged behind that of other rich nations in the July-September period, according to official data on Thursday which…

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Time is running out’ – what they are saying at U.N. climate talks

GLASGOW, Nov 11 (Reuters) - COP26, a U.N. conference critical to averting the most disastrous effects of climate change, is running for the first two weeks of November. Here are…

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Cautious welcome for unexpected US-China climate agreement at COP26

Activists and politicians have cautiously welcomed an unexpected US-China declaration that vowed to boost climate co-operation. The EU and UN described the move as encouraging and an important step, but…

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Countries agree to create green shipping lanes in pursuit of zero carbon

GLASGOW, Nov 10 (Reuters) - A coalition of 19 countries including Britain and the United States on Wednesday agreed to create zero emissions shipping trade routes between ports to speed…

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British cabinet minister says MPs should not use parliamentary office for second jobs

MPs should not use their parliamentary office for work relating to their second jobs, a cabinet minister has told Sky News, as a senior Conservative faces allegations he misused his…

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Britain’s M&S confident on Christmas availability -CEO

Clothing and food customers of British retailer Marks & Spencer will be able to buy what they want this Christmas despite supply chain disruption, its boss said on Wednesday. "As…

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UK parliament engulfed in growing sleaze row over second jobs

LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Britain's parliament was embroiled in a growing sleaze scandal on Wednesday as allegations of lawmakers being paid for external work which may have breached parliamentary…

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Anger, tangle and trouble: Is another Brexit showdown looming?

What happens if Britain triggers emergency unilateral provisions in the Brexit divorce deal known as Article 16? WHAT IS ARTICLE 16? Article 16 is a clause in the Protocol on…

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UPDATED: Countries, cities, carmakers commit to end fossil-fuel vehicles by 2040

GLASGOW, Nov 10 (Reuters) - A group of countries, companies and cities committed on Wednesday to phasing out fossil-fuel vehicles by 2040, as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions…

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What to watch on Wednesday at COP26

GLASGOW, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Time is getting tight. With the U.N. climate agency publishing the first draft of a final COP26 deal on Wednesday, negotiators are poised to begin…

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Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala marries at home in Britain

Malala Yousafzai, the campaigner for girls' education and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who survived being shot aged 15 by a Taliban gunman in her native Pakistan in 2012, has got…

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UPDATED – UN climate agency publishes draft of final Glasgow deal

British hosts of the COP26 U.N. climate conference in Glasgow have proposed that countries raise their ambitions to slash greenhouse gas emissions by next year in a draft political decision…

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Euronext to ditch London Stock Exchange by 2024

Pan-European exchange Euronext said on Monday it will clear all trades on its newly acquired Italian platform by 2024, helping the European Union cut its reliance on the London Stock Exchange for…

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Crunch time for British breakfast as Weetabix workers strike

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Britain, already reeling from a shortage of crisps, is now facing disruption to supplies of Weetabix, one of its most popular breakfast cereals, following the…

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Britain reports bird flu outbreak at poultry unit

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - An outbreak of highly pathogenic H5 bird flu has been reported at a small poultry unit in central England, the country's farm ministry confirmed on…

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Former U.S. President Obama says ‘act now’ to help island nations

GLASGOW, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Barack Obama called on the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow on Monday to address the risks that island nations face from rising…

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Focus turns to climate finance after flurry of COP26 pledges

GLASGOW, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Governments will push for agreement on Monday on how to help vulnerable countries deal with global warming and compensate them for damage already done, a…

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UK seems set to invoke emergency measures on N.Ireland trade – Irish minister

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland said on Sunday the British government appears ready to invoke emergency unilateral provisions in its Brexit deal governing Northern Ireland's trading arrangements, a move that would…

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UK govt denies corruption accusations over ennobled Conservative Party donors

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government rejected fresh accusations of corruption on Sunday after a newspaper investigation found major donors to his Conservative Party were offered seats…

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UK reports 155 new COVID deaths, 30,693 cases

LONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Britain reported 155 deaths on Saturday of people who had tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 28 days, and a further 30,693 new infections.…

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Thousands rally in rainy Glasgow for COP26 climate action

GLASGOW, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters set off from a Glasgow park Saturday to march through the city hosting the U.N. climate conference and demand bolder global action.…

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Britain allows early booking of booster shots to speed up rollout

LONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Britain's health ministry on Saturday said it would open up bookings for booster shots a month before people were eligible to receive the shots to…

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Labour shortages slow UK hiring, push up pay – REC

LONDON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - British employers increased their hiring of workers via recruitment agencies at the slowest pace in six months in October due to a lack of suitable…

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England’s COVID prevalence steadies at highest level of the year, ONS says

LONDON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The prevalence of COVID-19 infections in England remained at around 1 in 50 people in the week ending Oct 30, a school half-term break, Britain's…

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UK to press on with post-Brexit talks to find N.Ireland solutions

Britain will press on with negotiations to try to resolve what it calls problems with part of the Brexit divorce agreement that governs trade with Northern Ireland, a spokesman for…

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Young activists to take spotlight for a day at UN climate talks

GLASGOW, Scotland, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Activists will take over the UN climate summit in Scotland on Friday, capping off a week of dizzying government speeches and pledges with a…

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What to watch on Day 5 and over weekend at COP26

GLASGOW, Nov 5 (Reuters) - After a week of non-stop pledges and announcements, national delegates on Friday will cede the stage at the U.N. climate conference to youth activists and…

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Sainsbury’s warns of consumer electronics shortages this Christmas

LONDON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - British consumers should expect a shortage of consumer electronics products in Sainsbury's stores this Christmas due to the global delays of semi-conductor chips, the boss…

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UK meat firms exporting animals due to lack of butchers -trade body

British meat producers have begun exporting beef carcasses to the European Union for butchering before re-importing them due to labour shortages in the wake of Brexit, The British Meat Processors…

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Small UK factories say staff shortages are raising pay pressure

LONDON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - More than half of small British manufacturers feel under pressure to pay staff more because of labour shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit,…

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England sees record COVID prevalence in October -Imperial study

LONDON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - COVID-19 prevalence in England rose to its highest level on record in October, Imperial College London said on Thursday, led by a high numbers of…

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UPDATED: Britain approves Merck’s oral COVID-19 pill in world first

Britain on Thursday became the first country in the world to approve a potentially game-changing COVID-19 antiviral pill jointly developed by U.S.-based Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, in a boost to…

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UPDATED: End of coal? COP26 summit deal takes aim at dirtiest fossil fuel

GLASGOW, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Indonesia, Poland, Vietnam and other nations on Thursday pledged to phase out their use of coal-fired power and stop building plants, a deal the COP26…

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Cervical cancer rates cut by almost 90% in women who had HPV vaccine, new study shows

Cervical cancer rates are almost 90% lower in women vaccinated against HPV, a new study has found. Women offered the vaccine between the ages of 12 and 13 were found…

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What to watch on Day 4 at COP26

GLASGOW, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Money was the theme of Wednesday’s sessions at the U.N. climate conference, but on Thursday delegates turn to energy – both dirty and clean. Britain…

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Impounded British scallop dredger sailing home from French port

ROUEN, France, (Reuters) - A British scallop dredger impounded by French authorities sailed out of the French port of Le Havre on Wednesday evening and was heading home, ending a…

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What to watch for on Day 3 at COP26

GLASGOW, Nov 3 (Reuters) - After two days of speeches and announcements, world leaders departed the U.N. climate summit, leaving the nitty gritty of negotiations to country delegates. Here’s what…

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Christmas may be difficult as COVID not over, England’s deputy medical officer says

LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Christmas may be difficult as the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, England's deputy chief medical officer warned on Wednesday, urging people to behave with caution…

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Factbox: New promises at Glasgow climate talks

Here are some of the pledges delivered so far this week at the U.N. climate conference, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland: DEFORESTATION More than 100 global leaders pledged to halt and…

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British Govt considering longer school hours to compensate for lost Covid time

The British Government is looking into lengthening the school day in its efforts to help students recover from the Covid crisis. Educators across the country had indicated that a significant…

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No rush of job-seekers after end of UK furlough, survey shows

The end of Britain's furlough programme has not led to a surge in new job-seekers, according to data that suggests unemployment is unlikely to rise sharply and could bolster the case…

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Britain to fund $3 bln worth of green investments in developing economies

Britain announced on Monday it will fund green investments of more than 3 billion pounds ($4.11 billion) over five years and new guarantees to support clean infrastructure projects in developing…

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Britain tells France: Back down in 48 hours or we get tough

Britain gave France 48 hours on Monday to back down in a fishing row that threatens to escalate into a wider trade dispute between two of Europe's biggest economies or face tortuous legal…

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UK records 40,077 new COVID-19 cases, 40 deaths on Monday

The United Kingdom recorded 40,077 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and 40 deaths of people who had tested positive for the disease within 28 days, government data showed. That compares with 38,009…

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‘Vax’ declared Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year

Vax has been chosen as the word of the year by lexicographers at the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Words related to vaccines have spiked in frequency in 2021 due to…

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UPDATED: Boris Johnson warns of ‘doomsday’ as climate summit opens

GLASGOW, Nov 1 (Reuters) The British prime minister kicked off the COP26 conference in Scotland with a reference to James Bond, describing how the films often end with the fictional…

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Barclays CEO Staley resigns after Epstein probe

LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Barclays chief executive Jes Staley is leaving the bank after a dispute with British financial regulators over how he described his ties with convicted sex…

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Bus hijacked and set alight by armed and masked men in Northern Ireland

A bus has been hijacked and set alight by armed and masked men in an incident thought to be linked to loyalist opposition to Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol. Police said…

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UPDATED: Britain warns France: back down in 48 hours or face trade trouble

Britain gave France 48 hours on Monday to back down in a fishing row that threatens to spiral into a wider trade dispute between two of Europe's biggest economies or…

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China’s Xi to address Glasgow COP26 in written statement on Monday

SHANGHAI, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping will address the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow on Monday in the form of a written statement, according to an official…

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Updated – Two trains crash in England

Two trains collided at Fisherton Tunnel in the southwestern English city of Salisbury on Sunday, injuring a number of people, police said, declaring the crash a major incident. "A number…

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UK businesses report stronger-than-average growth – CBI

LONDON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - British businesses gained a small amount of momentum and grew at an above-average pace in the three months to the end of October, despite widespread…

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