United Kingdom

LONDON (AP) — As the race for a vaccine against the new coronavirus intensifies, rich countries are rushing to place advance orders for the inevitably limited supply to guarantee their citizens get immunized first — leaving significant questions about whether developing countries will get any vaccine before the pandemic ends.

17 June 2020; MEMO: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday that Israel’s plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank constitutes a “breach of international law”, adding that his government strongly objects it and will continue to work towards the achievement of the internationally-supported two-state solution.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said its exports could increase by a billion pounds as a result of the trade deals it is seeking from Australia and New Zealand, setting out its negotiating objectives on Wednesday ahead of the start of formal talks.

Australia and New Zealand are among Britain’s top priorities for trade talks, alongside the United States, the European Union and Japan, as it looks to define an independent trade policy after leaving the EU in January.

16 June 2020; AFP: An estimated 1.7 billion people -- more than 20 percent of the world's population -- risk becoming severely infected with COVID-19 due to underlying health problems such as obesity and heart disease, analysis showed Tuesday.

The novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 420,000 people globally during the first wave of the pandemic, adversely effects patients suffering from co-morbidities.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will urge the European Union on Monday to commit to renewed energy to reach an agreement on the future relationship by the end of the summer, his spokesman said on Monday.

Johnson holds discussions with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and the heads of the European Council and European Parliament later on Monday at a meeting that is not expected to produce a dramatic moment in the ongoing talks.

LONDON (Reuters) - Three Greece-based shipping firms said they have halted trade with Venezuela after the United States imposed sanctions on vessels under their management, as Washington ramps up commercial heat on Caracas.

The U.S. government is seeking to choke Venezuelan oil exports to starve the government of socialist President Nicolas Maduro of its main source of revenue. Existing sanctions have cut Venezuelan exports sharply, but Maduro has held on.

Washington may tighten sanctions by adding dozens more tankers to an existing blacklist, sources told Reuters.

LONDON, June 15 (NNN-Xinhua) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will join a video conference with European Union (EU) leaders on Monday to push for progress in determining post-Brexit relations with the bloc, while officials in Brussels expect little breakthrough, media reported.

Johnson, his chief Brexit negotiator David Frost, and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove are due to hold “high-level talks” with President of the European Council Charles Michael, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and President of the European Parliament David Sassoli.

LONDON, June 15 (Xinhua) -- A cross-government commission is set to be launched to check how discrimination in the education system, in health and in the criminal justice system has affected black and minority ethnic groups in Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said here on Sunday.

"We're going to have a big, big effort, which we will be announcing very shortly: a new cross-government commission to look at what is going on for black and minority ethnic groups and to champion their success," Johnson noted.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned “racist thuggery” after far-right protesters clashed in London on Saturday with anti-racist demonstrators and police trying to keep the two sides apart.

Fights broke out between groups outside Waterloo station, with fireworks thrown before police cordoned off areas. On a nearby bridge, stones were lobbed at police. Sporadic skirmishes continued in parts of the city centre.

LONDON, June 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) – More than 100 people were arrested, during Saturday’s far-right protests in London, which turned violent later and left six police officers injured, Scotland Yard said.

As of 21:00 BST (2000 GMT), at least 100 were arrested for offenses including violent disorder, assaulting police officers, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of class A drugs, being drunk and disorderly and breach of the peace, Scotland Yard said.