England

LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Russia's leading war hawks on Wednesday swiftly rallied behind the decision to abandon the Ukrainian city of Kherson, putting a brave face on one of Moscow's most humiliating retreats in nearly nine months of war.

The pullout proposed by General Sergei Surovikin, appointed last month to take overall charge of Russia's war effort, means Moscow is giving up a strategic city just north of annexed Crimea, the only Ukrainian provincial capital it had captured since its Feb. 24 invasion.

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday he had accepted minister Gavin Williamson's resignation "with great sadness" and was grateful for his personal support and loyalty.

Williamson said earlier he was quitting to "comply fully" with an investigation into whether he had bullied colleagues while in previous roles.

"I support your decision to step back and understand why you have taken it ... I would like to thank you for your personal support and loyalty," Sunak said in a letter to Williamson which was published by the government.

LONDON (AP) — A protester was arrested Wednesday after hurling eggs and vitriol at King Charles III and Camilla, the queen consort, as they walked in the northern England city of York.

The incident happened as the king and his wife were entering York through Micklegate Bar, a medieval gateway where monarchs are traditionally welcomed to the city.

Video footage showed several eggs in motion and smashed on the ground. None appeared to hit the royal couple, who continued to greet crowds.

LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry took the rare step on Monday of denying allegations that a naval infantry unit had suffered disastrous losses of men and equipment in a futile offensive in eastern Ukraine.

The ministry was responding to what Russian military bloggers said was an open letter from members of the 155th marine brigade of Russia's Pacific Fleet, complaining they had been thrown into an "incomprehensible" assault on Ukrainian forces southwest of Donetsk.

LONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is standing by a government minister who has been accused of bullying a colleague, cabinet office minister Oliver Dowden said on Sunday, saying the phone messages in question were sent "in the heat of the moment".

The allegations, reported by the Sunday Times newspaper, have surfaced only days following criticism of Sunak for reappointing Suella Braverman as interior minister after she was fired by his predecessor for breaching email security rules.

LONDON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang has encouraged the business communities of China and Britain to contribute their insight and strength to stronger practical cooperation between the two countries.

"Your contribution will go a long way to create more highlights of bilateral cooperation," said Zheng when addressing the Fifth China-UK Economic and Trade Forum on Wednesday in London.

LONDON (AP) — A group of winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature urged world leaders on Wednesday to raise human rights issues as they visit Egypt for the COP27 climate change conference.

In a letter sent to various heads of state, the group of 15 Nobel Laureates asked the visiting diplomats and politicians to “devote part of your agenda to the many thousands of political prisoners held in Egypt’s prisons.” In particular, they asked for the case of prominent imprisoned activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah to be raised, as he escalates his hunger strike on the conference’s first day.

LONDON (AP) — Former U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who led Britain’s response to COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic, was suspended by the Conservative Party on Tuesday after signing up to a reality TV show.

Hancock, who is no longer in government but remains a member of Parliament, is to compete on “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here.” The show sends a group of famous people, often C-list celebrities, to the Australian rainforest, subjects them to trials involving spiders and snakes, and allows the public to vote them out one by one.

LONDON, Oct 31 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, congratulated president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on his victory in Brazil’s election against incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro, saying he looked forward to coordinating on issues including protecting the planet’s natural resources.

LONDON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Britain on Monday warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of severe consequences if Moscow uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine, saying such a step would change the nature of the conflict.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also urged Russia not to impede grain exports, and said that "increasingly desperate statements" from the Kremlin were designed to distract from its faltering war effort.

Putin has said that Russia hasn't talked about using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, saying instead that Kyiv could create and detonate a "dirty bomb".