United Kingdom

UK study to test Pfizer’s COVID pill in hospitalised patients

Pfizer's oral COVID-19 therapy will be evaluated as a potential treatment for patients hospitalised with the illness in a major British trial, scientists said on Monday, as cases rise in…

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UK relaxes visa rules for Ukrainian refugees as Johnson warns millions could flee

Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Tuesday about the growing humanitarian crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying refugee numbers could reach millions, with possibly more than 200,000 coming…

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UK PM Johnson receives report into alleged Downing Street lockdown parties

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has received an update on the internal inquiry into alleged parties at his Downing Street residence that breached coronavirus lockdown restrictions, the Cabinet Office said in a…

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Boris Johnson hosted birthday party at No 10 during lockdown – ITV

Embattled British PM Boris Johnson came under further pressure after ITV News reported that Boris Johnson had a birthday party during the first lockdown in 2020, at a time government-enacted…

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Queen Elizabeth cancels plans to spend Christmas at Sandringham

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth will celebrate Christmas at Windsor instead of her usual choice of Sandringham, a palace source said, as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread rapidly. "The decision…

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France ready to talk about migrants if Britain serious, minister says

France is prepared to talk to Britain about migration if it is ready for serious discussions, interior minister Gerald Darmanin said on Monday, as he urged the UK to "limit"…

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Covid patients in ICU almost all unvaccinated – Oxford scientist

Covid-19 is no longer a disease of the vaccinated, the head of the Oxford jab programme has said. According to Prof Sir Andrew Pollard, even though coronavirus case numbers remain…

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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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EU Digital COVID Certificate: Commission adopts decisions for Armenia and the UK

the European Commission adopted two new decisions certifying that COVID-19 certificates issued by Armenia and the United Kingdom are equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate. As a result, the two…

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UK says new taxes will be needed to replace fuel duty in net zero push

Britain will probably have to introduce new taxes to compensate for the loss of revenues from its shift away from fossil fuels which will hit the government's income that is…

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Air Malta to resume services to London Gatwick from December 2021

Following increased signs of recovery across many European markets, Air Malta today announced that it has brought forward itsresumption of flights between Malta and London Gatwick to December. The Airline…

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EU says will step up legal action if UK does not respect agreement

The European Union will have no choice but to step up its legal proceedings against Britain if London does not fall in line with its obligations on Northern Ireland under the Brexit agreement, European Commissioner…

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Malta: UK tourists denied boarding Malta flight amid vaccine certificate chaos

A large group of tourists were denied boarding their Air Malta flight from London to Malta on Wednesday after a last minute decision not to accept digital UK vaccine passes.…

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Maltese Editors’ Perspectives

Times of Malta says that Malta appears to be slowly clawing its way out of the hole it had dug for itself when it comes to money-laundering legislation The Malta…

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Malta: Tourism Minister optimistic about Malta being on UK safe travel list

There are "indications" that Malta will feature on a UK list of countries marked as safe for travel but the government will wait for official confirmation before commenting, Tourism Minister…

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MEPs hold final debate on future EU-UK relations before signing off agreement

In a debate on Tuesday, Parliament’s political groups argued in favour of the agreement that sets the rules of the future EU-UK relationship. Most MEPs as well as Commission President…

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UK’s Johnson to visit India at end of April as part of policy “tilt”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit India at the end of April in what will be his first major international trip after Britain's exit from the European Union as part of…

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Commission sends letter of formal notice to the United Kingdom for breach of its obligations under the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland

The European Commission has sent today a letter of formal notice to the United Kingdom for breaching the substantive provisions of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well…

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The queen’s gambit — new evidence shows how Her Majesty wields influence on legislation

We all know the queen can’t refuse assent to a bill just because she doesn’t like it. But can she secretly get a law changed, in her personal interest, before…

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UK has more EU citizens than some member states, Gove says

The United Kingdom has granted settled status to 4.3 million European Union citizens, more than the population of some of the bloc's member states, indicating that Brexit has not led…

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UK and EU27 citizens in the UK to remain part of EP Communication programmes

The European Parliament reaffirms its will to continue to engage with young generations of UK citizens and EU27 citizens resident in the UK. Following its decision in February 2019 to…

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UK “very concerned” over running of British Virgin Islands – Raab

Britain is very concerned about governance in the British Virgin Islands, a British Overseas Territory, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Monday, adding that there were concerns about its susceptibility to organised crime. The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is…

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Malta: Malta suspends flights to and from UK

The Maltese government announced that as of tomorrow, Tuesday 22 December, flights to and from the United Kingdom will be suspended.This decision was taken in view of the new Covid-19…

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Let’s get going’: UK tells businesses to prepare for Brexit crunch

Britain is urging businesses and individuals to prepare for the Dec. 31 end of the Brexit transition period with an information campaign titled: "The UK's new start: let's get going."…

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UK willing to compromise on fisheries and trade if EU backs off hardline stance

The United Kingdom is expected to indicate its willingness to compromise on fisheries and trade rules if the European Union agrees to back off from its "maximalist" demands related to regulatory alignment and…

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Joint European police action against Albanian drugs traffickers

Police in five European countries carried out a huge strike against a gang of Albanian drugs traffickers, making 67 arrests. A total of about 650 police officers in Belgium, the…

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Tesco to report jump in profit

Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer and currently celebrating its 100th year, is expected to report a 27 percent jump in full-year profit, putting it firmly on track to meet the medium-term…

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Assange to be expelled from Ecudaorian embassy

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is to be expelled from Ecuador’s London embassy within hours or days, according to a “high level” source quoted by WikiLeaks. In a tweet, WikiLeaks claims…

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BBC to move some of its TV channels to either Amsterdam or Brussels

If the United Kingdom leaves the European Union with no deal in place, the BBC will move some of its television channels to either Amsterdam or Brussels. BBC director Tony…

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A quick look at the tumultuous relationship between the UK and EU

On the day the UK was supposed to leave the EU, Euronews give a quick but detailed look at how the relationship between the European Union and the United…

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New push for Brexit proposals by weekend

Britain has been given until the end of Friday to come forward with fresh proposals to break the Brexit deadlock. EU officials, the BBC reported, have said they are ready…

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British Finance minister Hammond warns UK will likely have to delay Brexit

British Finance Minister Philip Hammond (photo above) warned that the UK will likely have to delay Brexit if lawmakers reject May's deal in a vote next week. Britain is due…

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Evacuations at the University of Essex due to suspicious package

Police evacuated several buildings at the University of Essex after a suspicious package was reported. It comes after Edinburgh’s Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) headquarters and several buildings at the…

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EU warns ‘no solution’ in sight for Brexit deal

British Brexit negotiations to win changes to Theresa May’s Brexit deal are going badly, and the EU Commission warned that “no solution” is in sight. Talks Tuesday evening in Brussels broke…

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Suspicious Russian network with link to Prince Charles exposed

In an exclusive report The Guardian revealed that a charity run by Prince Charles received donations from an offshore company that funneled vast amounts of money from Russia in a…

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Stockpiling and job slashing as the UK braces for Brexit

A survey issued Friday by the IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), showed that British factories slashed jobs in February and braced for Brexit by stockpiling goods at…

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Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Today's morning briefing is served. Latest: In Afghanistan, Taliban took more than 100 people, including women and children hostage in ambush in North. (AP) The issue…

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Corporate Dispatch – Saturday’s Morning Briefing

Good morning, The Maltese Newspapers report that the Malta Financial Services Authority said that Ali Sadr Hasheminejad’s arrest in the US “immediately compromised” Pilatus Bank’s entire operation and made it…

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Northern Ireland might get joint UK, EU status

According to Reuters the United Kingdom is considering attempting to break the deadlock in Brexit negotiations with a proposal to give Northern Ireland joint UK and European Union status so it…

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Reactions to Trump’s announcement on withdrawal from Iran’s nuclear deal

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he is deeply concerned by the US decision to withdraw from Iran nuclear deal, and calls on all other parties to fully abide by…

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First official photos of Prince Louis released, via twitter

It had to be original. It had to use modern technology. It had to reflect love and affection. It had to reflect intimacy. At the same time it had…

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And they called him Louis

Kensington Palace announced that Prince William and his wife Kate have named their newborn son Louis Arthur Charles. He will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge.…

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Political adverts to be clearly labelled as such on Facebook

Reuters reports that Micke Schroepfer, the Facebook's chief technical officer announced that the company will introduce new measures with the aim of improving transparency around adverts in Britain by June…

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Alfie Evans still breathing despite termination of life support.

SKY News reports that the father of Alfie Evans, Tom said doctors were "gobsmacked" his 23-month-old son was still breathing eleven hours after his life support ended. Mr Evans said…

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Alfie Evans granted Italian citizenship

Italy on Monday gave Italian citizenship to terminally ill British toddler Alfie Evans so that he can hopefully be "immediately" moved to Italy from Liverpool, where doctors are set to…

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Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to third child

The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to her third child. The boy, was born at 11:01am at St Mary’s hospital, Paddington. The baby weighed in at 8lbs 7ozs. The…

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CNN: David Cameron says he doesn’t regret calling Brexit referendum

CNN: Former British Prime Minister David Cameron says he doesn't regret calling a referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union -- but wishes the result had gone the other…

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Ofcom investigating RT

The United Kingdom launched an investigation on a series of programmes aired by Russian TV, RT. Ofcom is in fact examining instances where Kremlin-backed news channel potentially breached UK broadcast…

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Air Strikes on Syria. What we know so far UPDATED

US President Trump ordered a military attack against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday, joining allies Britain and France in launching missile strikes in retaliation for what Western nations said…

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Air Strikes on Syria – NATO to meet later on today

CNN reports that following the trilateral airstrikes launched in Syria, a meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) will be held Saturday afternoon, a NATO official tells CNN. France, the United…

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Air Strikes on Syria – Briefing by Theresa May

UK Prime Minister Theresa May addressed the press at her office in 10 Downing Street following the allies air strikes that took place in Syria. In her briefing, Ms May…

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Air Strikes on Syria : Russia’s reaction

Statement by the Ambassador of Russia to the USA Anatoly Antonov on the strikes on Syria and posted on Facebook: The worst apprehensions have come true. Our warnings have been left…

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Hillary Clinton: Don’t let Brexit undermine Ireland’s peace

Hillary Clinton - Twenty years ago, the Good Friday/Belfast agreement helped bring an end to decades of conflict and violence in Northern Ireland. It was a watershed moment – the result of…

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Russia 2018 : To be or not to be. That is the question !

Diplomatique.Expert member Charles Camenzuli writes about boycotts in the 88 year history of the World Cup. 2014 was an Olympic year for Russia with Sochi hosting the Winter Olympics. Post…

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UK – New party gets £50m backing to ‘break mould’ of UK politics

The Observer | Guardian revealed that a new political party with access to up to £50m in funding has been secretly under development for more than a year by a…

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Russia loses vote at OPCW on Salisbury

Russia has lost a vote at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on it attempt top seek a new joint investigation into Salisbury poisoning, Reuters is reporting. An unnamed…

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