United Kingdom

LONDON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - London's police warned on Friday that protests by environmental activists planned for the next two weeks will cause disruption across the capital and will distract officers from dealing with crime.

Extinction Rebellion, which caused days of traffic chaos in London two years ago, said it will target the capital's financial district in disruptive protests which are due to start on Monday.

The group accuses financial firms of helping to fuel climate change and it brought much of central London to a standstill during 11 days of action in 2019.

LONDON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The ruling Scottish National Party agreed a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Green Party on Friday that cements a pro-independence majority in the devolved parliament ahead of a looming political battle over the future of the United Kingdom.

The deal between the SNP and the Greens, who will be part of a government for the first time in British history, will increase the pressure on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to allow a second independence referendum.

LONDON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The United States is joining with Britain in taking action against those responsible for poisoning Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, the two countries said in a joint statement released by the U.S. State Department on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, Britain sanctioned seven men it said were Russian intelligence operatives suspected of involvement in the poisoning Navalny, describing the move as a warning to Russia over its use of chemical weapons.

The statement did not outline any specific actions.

LONDON, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Group of Seven (G7) on Thursday sought to secure close cooperation in personnel evacuation and the resettlement of refugees as chaos continues at the Kabul airport amid the hasty withdrawal of the U.S.-led military troops in Afghanistan and the Taliban's swift takeover of the Asian country.

LONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - The world should give the Taliban the space to form a new government in Afghanistan and may discover that the insurgents cast as militants by the West for decades have become more reasonable, the head of the British army said on Wednesday.

The leaders of the Taliban will show themselves to the world, an official of the Islamist movement said on Wednesday, unlike during the last 20 years, when its leaders have lived largely in secret. 

LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Britain reported another 170 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest number of fatalities recorded in one day since March 12, according to official figures released Tuesday.

The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 131,149. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Another 26,852 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 6,322,241.

17 Aug 2021; MEMO: Forensic Architecture is pulling an exhibition it was holding at the University of Manchester-run Whitworth Art Gallery after a statement declaring support for the Palestinian people was removed by the venue.

LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Tuesday that Britain is looking at "bespoke" resettlement scheme for Afghan refugees following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Raab told the BBC that details of the new resettlement scheme would be set out by the British home secretary and prime minister "in due course".

Britain had already admitted more than 3,300 Afghan interpreters, staff and their families for resettlement, according to the British Home Office.

LONDON, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace said on Monday that British forces going back to Afghanistan is "not on the cards", after the Taliban entered the Afghan capital city of Kabul.

Asked by Sky News if Britain and NATO forces would return to Afghanistan, Wallace said: "That's not on the cards that we're going to go back."

LONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - The British parliament will be recalled from its summer recess next week to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, a source at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street office said on Sunday, as Taliban insurgents entered Kabul.

The entry into the capital caps a lightning advance by the Islamist militants, who were ousted 20 years ago by the United States after the Sept. 11 attacks. 

Britain's interior ministry said earlier that it was working to protect its citizens and help other eligible former UK staff to leave Afghanistan.