United Kingdom

LONDON, May 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN environmental agency said it has received a request from host nation Britain to postpone this year’s global climate conference until November 2021 because of the coronavirus.

This year’s COP 26 summit had been due to take place in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November before the pandemic forced a rethink and the possibility of rescheduling for March 2021.

But it now appears it could take place much later.

LONDON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and its allies in the expanded OPEC+ group of oil-exporting nations have only just started to implement output cuts, so it might seem premature to start talking about the need for an exit strategy.

But an important part of being a successful market manager is about knowing when to increase production and capacity to forestall excessive investment by rivals and potential rivals.

LONDON, May 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) – A woman in Britain, who became the first judge in the western world to wear a hijab, hopes to be an inspiration to young Muslims.

Raffia Arshad, 40, who grew up in Yorkshire, north England, has wanted to work in law since she was 11 years old.

Ms Arshad, a barrister, was last week appointed a deputy district judge on the Midlands circuit.

She said her promotion was great news for diversity in the world’s most respected legal system.

LONDON (Reuters) - Douglas Ross, a junior minister in the Scotland Office, resigned on Tuesday, saying the prime minister’s senior adviser’s explanation of why he travelled during the coronavirus lockdown was based on decisions “others felt were not available to them”.

Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s closest adviser, refused to resign on Monday, saying he had done nothing wrong by driving 250 miles to northern England when Britain was under a strict lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

LONDON (Reuters) - The British government has awarded more than 32 billion pounds ($39 billion) in loans and guarantees to businesses to see them through the coronavirus pandemic, finance minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday.

LONDON (AP) — British leader Boris Johnson’s powerful chief aide insisted Monday that he wouldn’t resign for driving the length of England while the country was under strict lockdown — a trip he made without informing the prime minister first.

The government is facing a tide of anger from politicians and the public over the revelation that Dominic Cummings traveled more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) from London to his parents’ home in Durham, northeast England at the end of March.

LONDON (Reuters) - Dominic Cummings, a close adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is facing calls for his resignation over a trip that many believe broke coronavirus lockdown rules, will make a public statement on Monday, Sky News and ITV reported.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices, which have been driven higher for the past four weeks, were steady on Monday, with holidays in Singapore, London and New York dampening trade, as rising concerns over demand recovery offset supply cuts.

Brent was flat at $35.13 a barrel by 1315 GMT, while U.S. oil gained 10 cents, or 0.3% to $33.35 a barrel. Both are down around 45% so far this year.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s government intends to stick with a plan to reopen primary schools to some pupils from June 1, Transport Minister Grant Shapps said on Sunday.

“That’s certainly the intention,” he told Sky News.

The government faces opposition to the plan from some teachers and labour unions.

LONDON (Reuters) - Lawmakers from Britain’s ruling Conservatives Party on Sunday called for the resignation of Dominic Cummings, the senior adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson who travelled 400 km (250 miles) to northern England during the coronavirus lockdown.

Cummings, who masterminded the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union, travelled from London to Durham in late March while his wife showed COVID-19 symptoms, when measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus were in place.