England

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil dipped towards $51 a barrel on Friday though still headed for a seventh weekly gain in a row as investors focused on the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and looked past rising case numbers and tighter lockdowns in Europe.

Pfizer has applied for approval in Japan for its vaccine, which is being used in the United Kingdom and the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is also working towards approving Moderna’s shot.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday trade talks with the European Union were “looking difficult” and there was a gap that needed to be bridged, but the door for further negotiations remained open.

“Obviously the UK’s position is always that we want to keeping talking if there’s any chance of a deal,” Johnson told reporters.

“But we’ve also got to recognise that the UK’s got to be able to control its own laws, it’s what people voted for, and we’ve also got to be able to control our waters and fishing rights.”

LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The EU’s chief negotiator said on Thursday there had been good progress in trade talks with Britain that aim to prevent a turbulent finale to the Brexit crisis in two weeks’ time, but a British official said the sides were still far apart.

As talks go down to the wire, optimism has risen that a deal is imminent to keep the goods trade that makes up half of annual EU-UK trade, worth nearly a trillion dollars in all, free of tariffs and quotas beyond Dec. 31.

LONDON, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Britain and the United States signed a customs agreement on Wednesday to ensure continued smooth trade after the Brexit transition period expires at the end of the year.

The bilateral Customs Assistance Agreement was signed by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury Jesse Norman and U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood Johnson in London, according to a statement on the British Treasury website.

"This is an important agreement that ensures continuity post EU exit," Norman said.

LONDON, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Britain and Mexico signed an agreement, aimed to secure the existing bilateral trade, following the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec 31, the British Department for International Trade (DIT) said yesterday.

The UK-Mexico Trade Continuity Agreement will provide certainty for British and Mexican businesses, “trading the goods and services that make up our bilateral trade relationship, which accounts for over five billion dollars per year,” said the DIT.

LONDON (Reuters) -Nearly 140,000 people in the United Kingdom have received their first COVID-19 shots in the first week of roll-out of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the minister in charge of the programme said on Wednesday.

The vaccine was approved for emergency use two weeks ago, with rollout commencing on Dec 8, making Britain the first country to deploy the shot outside of clinical trials.

LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday on a weakening dollar and progress on the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, though gains were capped by a surprise gain in U.S. crude inventories and tighter coronavirus lockdowns in Europe.

Brent crude futures rose 25 cents, or 0.5%, to $51.01 a barrel by 1017 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 21 cents, or 0.4%, at $47.83.

LONDON (Reuters) - London is likely to be placed into the toughest tier of COVID-19 restrictions following a sharp rise in coronavirus infection rates, the BBC reported on Monday, as one of the world’s richest cities struggles to contain the disease.

Earlier this month, the government implemented a three-tiered system of restrictions in England to try to keep a second wave of the virus under control following a month-long lockdown. More than 40% of citizens were placed in the highest risk category.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will not back down in trade talks with the European Union and will thrive even if breaking away from the bloc without a trade deal is a “choppy” ride, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said on Friday.

The United Kingdom quit the EU in January but remains an informal member until Dec. 31 when it will finally leave the bloc’s orbit after 48 years - with or without a trade agreement.

LONDON (Reuters) - With prospects for a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU looking precarious, Britain’s retail industry repeated a warning on Friday that shoppers face higher food prices from next year if new tariffs are imposed in the absence of an agreement.

Britain’s Brexit transition period ends on Dec. 31. In the absence of a deal, Britain would trade with the European Union on World Trade Organisation terms, meaning new tariffs.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday there was a “strong possibility” Britain would not secure a deal.