United Kingdom

LONDON (Reuters) - British Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said on Sunday that there was a post-Brexit trade deal to be done with the European Union providing the bloc compromised its stance, days after both sides said talks were making little progress.

The United Kingdom left the EU on Jan. 31 but the main terms of its membership remain in place for a transition period until the end of this year to allow it time to negotiate a free trade agreement.

LONDON, May 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Another 468 COVID-19 patients died in Britain, as of Friday afternoon, bringing the total coronavirus-related death toll in the country to 34,466, the Department of Health and Social Care said Saturday.

The figures include deaths in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community.

As of Saturday morning, 240,161 people have tested positive for the virus in the country, said the department.

LONDON, May 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Cars will be banished from miles of streets in central London to encourage more walking and cycling and help public transport cope with social distancing restrictions, the city’s mayor said. 

Sadiq Khan said the plan, which covers major cross-town routes, would transform parts of central London into one of the largest car-free zones in any capital city.

“COVID-19 poses the biggest challenge to London’s public transport network in TfL’s (Transport for London) history,” he said.

15 May 2020; MEMO: UK Minister for Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly said Israel’s plans to annex the West Bank are “contrary to international law”.

When asked by Scottish National Party MP Tommy Sheppard if the UK government would consider the move “illegal under international law”, Cleverly said that attempting to annex the West Bank would make a two-state solution difficult to achieve, in a break with UK support of US foreign policy.

15 May 2020; MEMO: Amnesty International yesterday condemned the United States’ support for Israel’s plans to annex large swathes of the occupied West Bank.

LONDON, May 13 (APP): Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid, President Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations ( MAPIM) expressing his deep concern on the current blackout of the internet in India Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and gross violations of human rights by the Indian authorities called upon the United Nations (UN) to play its vital role for the implementation of right of self determination to the people of the occupied valley.

LONDON (Reuters) - The United Kingdom is on a similar level to France, Italy and Spain on COVID-19 deaths per million but Belgium is worse, a junior British health minister said on Thursday.

“If you look at the death rate per 100,000 or per million, actually we are on a similar level to France, Italy, Spain, Belgium is above us, the United States is below,” Edward Argar, a junior health minister, told Sky News.

“Different statistics can be portrayed in different ways,” he said.

LONDON (Reuters) - British researchers will study the genes of thousands of ill COVID-19 patients to try to crack one of the most puzzling riddles of the novel coronavirus: why does it kill some people but give others not even a mild headache?

Researchers from across the United Kingdom will sequence the genetic code of people who fell critically ill with COVID-19 and compare their genomes with those who were mildly ill or not ill at all.

LONDON (Reuters) - A total of 33,186 people who tested positive for the new coronavirus have died in the United Kingdom, a rise of 494 in a 24-hour period, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

The figures are as of 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) on May 12. Including deaths due to suspected cases, Britain’s toll is over 40,000.

London, May 13 (PTI) The coronavirus lockdown began easing up in England on Wednesday, with workers unable to work from home able to head to work but advised to avoid public transport and opt for cycling, walking or driving as far as possible.

Under the step by step plan laid out by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Parliament this week, people are now able to spend more time outside, meet one person outside of their own household in the outdoors and move home, as the government began easing some lockdown measures.