England

LONDON (AP) — For years, global health officials have used billions of drops of an oral vaccine in a remarkably effective campaign aimed at wiping out polio in its last remaining strongholds — typically, poor, politically unstable corners of the world.

Now, in a surprising twist in the decades-long effort to eradicate the virus, authorities in Jerusalem, New York and London have discovered evidence that polio is spreading there.

The original source of the virus? The oral vaccine itself.

LONDON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Russia has no moral right to sit at the Group of 20 nations while it presses on with its invasion of Ukraine, a spokesperson for Britain's foreign ministry said on Friday.

"Russia has no moral right to sit at the G20 while its aggression in Ukraine persists," the spokesperson said.

"We welcome Indonesia's efforts to ensure that the impacts of Russia's war are considered in G20 meetings, as well as indications that Ukraine may be represented by President (Volodymyr) Zelenskiy at the G20 Leaders Summit."

LONDON, Aug 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Argentina and Australia are the best places on earth in case of a nuclear war between the United States and Russia, according to a scientific report carried by London’s Daily Mail.

“Want to survive a nuclear war? Go to Argentina!,” read a headline earlier this week. It is the “best place to get through ten years of fallout, scientists say.”

LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The inflation rate in the United Kingdom (UK) soared to a new 40-year high in July, official data showed Wednesday. Both households and businesses were under mounting pressure and the country's central bank is expected to raise interest rates further.

POOR FAMILIES BEARING BRUNT

The UK's Consumer Prices Index rose by 10.1 percent in the 12 months to July, up from 9.4 percent in June, as rising food prices made the largest upward contribution to the change between June and July, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

LONDON (AP) — Thousands of train workers in Britain began a fresh round of strikes Thursday, paralyzing rail service across the country in an ongoing dispute over pay and work conditions exacerbated by a deepening cost-of-living crisis.

LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Consumer Prices Index (CPI) surged by 10.1 percent in the 12 months to July, the highest level in 40 years, official statistics showed on Wednesday.

The latest inflation rate was a further increase from 9.4 percent in June and beat economists' forecast of 9.8 percent.

On a monthly basis, CPI also rose by 0.6 percent in July, compared with no change in July 2021, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

LONDON (AP) — Elon Musk caused a stir by tweeting that he was buying the English soccer team Manchester United — whose current owners are opposed by many fans — then saying several hours later that it was a joke.

It comes as the billionaire Tesla CEO faces a legal battle in the U.S. after backing out of a deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion. He is a prolific user of the platform, often musing about social issues or joking with his 103 million followers and occasionally getting into trouble with U.S. regulators.

LONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Russia on Tuesday blamed saboteurs for orchestrating a series of explosions at an ammunition depot in Russian-annexed Crimea, a rare admission that armed groups loyal to Ukraine are damaging military logistics and supply lines on territory it controls.

The incident follows a series of explosions last week at a Russian-operated air base in Crimea which Ukrainian officials hinted were part of some kind of special operation but which Moscow said at the time was an accident.

LONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Britain, the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine in late 2020, has now also given the first green light to a variant-adapted shot that targets both the original and Omicron version of the virus.

The UK medicines regulator (MHRA) gave the so-called bivalent vaccine made by U.S. drug company Moderna (MRNA.O) conditional approval as a booster for adults on Monday.

Britain's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is now expected to issue a recommendation soon on how the vaccine should be deployed in the country.

LONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia was ready to sell advanced weapons to allies globally and cooperate in developing military technology, nearly six months into the Ukraine war in which his army has performed worse than expected.

With its forces beaten back from Ukraine's two biggest cities and making slow headway at heavy cost in eastern provinces, the war has so far proved an unconvincing showcase for Russia's arms industry.