England

LONDON, Nov 07 (APP): Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed the former Secretary of State for International Development, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, as the UK’s International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, Presidency.

LONDON (Reuters) - Significant differences remain in talks over a trade deal between Britain and the European Union, Boris Johnson’s office said after a call between the British prime minister and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“The prime minister set out that, while some progress had been made in recent discussions, significant differences remain in a number of areas, including the so-called level playing field and fish,” a spokesman for Johnson’s office said.

LONDON, Nov 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Saudi Arabia will host a Formula One grand prix for the first time next year with a night race on the streets of the country’s second city Jeddah, the sport and organisers announced on Thursday.

The November race – along Jeddah’s corniche facing the Red Sea – will be the third in the Middle East with Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, subject to confirmation of a 2021 calendar that has yet to be published.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell towards $40 a barrel on Friday as new lockdowns in Europe to halt surging COVID-19 infections sparked concern about the outlook for demand, while markets remained on edge over drawn-out vote counting in the U.S. election.

Italy recorded its highest daily number of infections on Thursday and cases surged by at least 120,276 in the United States, the second consecutive daily record as the outbreak spreads across the country.

LONDON (Reuters) - Northern Ireland will not be ready on January 1 to implement the systems needed to keep trade moving with the rest of the United Kingdom as required by the Brexit divorce deal, the National Audit Office said on Friday.

The National Audit Office (NAO), which reviews government spending, said that all UK borders would face widespread disruption when Britain finally leaves the European Union’s orbit, whether or not it strikes a trade deal with the bloc.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Thursday as Democrat Joe Biden edged closer to the White House in a nail-biting U.S. presidential election, though doubts remain over further huge stimulus to bolster the ecomony in the face of the coronavirus crisis.

Brent crude fell 17 cents, or 0.4%, to $41.06 a barrel by 1135 GMT and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 28 cents, or 0.7%, at $38.87. Both contracts had jumped about 4% on Wednesday.

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England increased its already huge bond-buying stimulus by a larger-than-expected 150 billion pounds ($195 billion) as it braced for more economic damage from new coronavirus lockdowns and damage from Brexit, too.

On the day England began a four-week lockdown to curb a second wave of COVID-19, which is killing as many Britons each day as in May, the BoE said it was still looking into the pros and cons of taking interest rates negative, but gave no update on the process.

LONDON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Britain and the European Union (EU) admitted on Wednesday that wide divergences remain on some difficult issues as they concluded two weeks of intensive negotiations on post-Brexit relationship.

"Progress made, but I agree with @MichelBarnier that wide divergences remain on some core issues. We continue to work to find solutions that fully respect UK sovereignty," Britain's chief negotiator David Frost wrote on Twitter.

LONDON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- British lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of the government's a month-long lockdown for England by 516 votes to 38, a majority of 478.

The vote outcome paved the way for the new measures, announced by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday in a bid to quell the surging coronavirus infections.

The approval came as scientists warned the British National Health Service (NHS) would be overwhelmed with thousands more deaths unless action is taken.

LONDON (Reuters) - Facebook Inc FB.O and Twitter Inc TWTR.N flagged some of President Donald Trump's posts on the U.S. election as votes were still being counted, in a real-time test of their rules on handling misinformation and premature claims of victory.

The two companies have been under fierce scrutiny over how they police rapidly spreading false information and election-related abuses of their platforms. In the weeks before Tuesday’s vote, both vowed action on posts by candidates trying to declare early victory.