United Kingdom

LONDON, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged that every adult in Britain will be given a jab of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of July, local media reported Sunday.

"We will now aim to offer a jab to every adult by the end of July, helping us protect the most vulnerable sooner, and take further steps to ease some of the restrictions in place," Johnson told Sky News.

The British government has previously set a target to offer vaccines to all adults by September.

(Reuters) - Britain could restrict imports of European mineral water and several food products under retaliatory measures being considered by ministers over Brussels’ refusal to end its blockade on British shellfish, the Telegraph reported.

Senior government sources pointed to potential restrictions on the importing of mineral water and seed potatoes, the report said.

(Reuters) - British finance minister Rishi Sunak is set to increase a tax on business to pay for an extension to COVID-19 support schemes in the budget next month, The Sunday Times reported bit.ly/3ujaBcU.

Sunak, in his speech on March 3, will announce he is increasing corporation tax from 19 pence in the pound and will outline a pathway where it rises to 23 pence in the pound by the time of the next general election, the report said. The move will raise an expected 12 billion pounds ($16.8 billion) a year, the report added.

LONDON (AP) — Leaders of the Group of Seven economic powers promised Friday to immunize the world’s neediest people against the coronavirus by giving money, and precious vaccine doses, to a U.N.-backed vaccine distribution effort.

But the leaders, under pressure over their vaccination campaigns at home, were unwilling to say exactly how much vaccine they were willing to share with the developing world, or when.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the G-7 leaders held a virtual meeting that fair distribution of vaccines was “an elementary question of fairness.”

LONDON (Reuters) - Facebook’s move to block all media content in Australia is a staggeringly irresponsible attempt to bully a democracy and will stiffen the resolve of legislators across the world to get tough with the tech giants, a senior British lawmaker said.

“This action - this bully boy action - that they’ve undertaken in Australia will I think ignite a desire to go further amongst legislators around the world,” Julian Knight, chair of the British Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told Reuters.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Wednesday, underpinned by a major supply disruption in the southern United States this week where a winter storm hit Texas.

Benchmark Brent crude gained $1.37, or 2.2%, to $64.72 a barrel at 1237 GMT.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.18, or 2%, to $61.23 a barrel.

Both contracts were at their highest level since January 2020.

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson is plotting a staged exit from lockdown that would see the United Kingdom’s battered economy returning to work over the next five months after leaping ahead of most of the world on vaccinating its people.

The novel coronavirus, which emerged in China in late 2019, has killed 2.4 million people worldwide, upended normal life for billions and tipped the United Kingdom into its worst slump in 300 years.

LONDON, Feb 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain’s High Court dismissed Sierra Leone’s challenge of a 2020 International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) decision over claims by SL Mining after a dispute over its iron ore mining operations in the country.

The miner, a subsidiary of US commodity trader Gerald Group, filed for arbitration with the ICC in August 2019 and suspended its Marampa mine the following month.

Later that year, Sierra Leone cancelled the company’s mining licence, saying it had breached its contractual obligations. SL Mining denied the accusation.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices hovered near 13-month highs on Tuesday, supported by a cold snap that shut wells in the biggest U.S. producing state Texas, although gains were capped by a wage deal in Norway that averted supply disruptions in Europe.

The global rollout of coronavirus vaccinations, fuelling expectations of a recovery in the global economy and oil demand, has also kept prices buoyant.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices soared on Monday to their highest in about 13 months as vaccine rollouts promised to revive demand and producers kept supply reined in.

Brent crude was up 77 cents, or 1.2%, at $63.20 a barrel at 0955 GMT, after climbing to a session high of $63.76, the highest since Jan. 22, 2020.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained $1.04, or 1.8 %, to $60.51 a barrel. It touched $60.95 - its highest since Jan. 8 last year, earlier in the session.

Oil prices gained around 5% last week.