United Kingdom

LONDON, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- The leader of Britain's main opposition party, Labour's Keir Starmer, has for the first time moved ahead of Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a major opinion poll Sunday.

The Opinium poll for the Observer newspaper has given Starmer a four-point lead over Johnson.

In a double blow for the Johnson, the Labour party has also gained a three-point lead over the Conservatives who currently have an 80-seat majority in the House of Commons.

LONDON, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Police has shut down an anti-coronavirus restrictions protest in central London on Saturday because crowds have not complied with social distancing rules.

At least three protesters and one police officer were reportedly injured and treated by medical staff after they clashed at the anti-lockdown protest in Trafalgar Square.

Thousands had gathered in the "we do not consent" rally to protest against government rules, with very few wearing masks.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday and were set for a weekly decline due to mounting worries about the impact on fuel demand of a widespread resurgence in coronavirus infections, as well as some concern about the likely return of exports from Libya.

Brent crude LCOc1 was down 32 cents at $41.62 a barrel by 1325 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 fell 41 cents to $39.90.

LONDON, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- A British police officer was shot dead by a young man in south London early morning Friday, the city's Metropolitan Police has said.

The incident occurred at Croydon Custody Centre at around 2:15 a.m. local time (0115 GMT) Friday, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement, adding that a 23-year-old man has been detained.

The police officer was treated at the scene and subsequently died of his injuries at hospital. The suspect was also taken to hospital with a gunshot wound and remains in a critical condition, the Metropolitan Police said.

LONDON (AP) — The European Commission said Friday it is appealing a court decision that Apple doesn’t have to repay 13 billion euros ($15 billion) in back taxes to Ireland.

The appeal comes after the U.S. tech giant scored a big recent legal victory in its long battle with the European Union’s executive Commission, which has been trying to rein in multinationals’ ability to strike special tax deals with individual EU countries.

ABOARD ‘ARCTIC SUNRISE’ (Reuters) - Like many of her generation, Mya-Rose Craig feels strongly that adults have failed to take the urgent action needed to tackle global warming and so she has headed to the Arctic Ocean to protest.

Armed with a placard reading ‘Youth Strike for Climate”, the 18-year-old British activist is staging the most northerly protest in a series of youth strikes worldwide.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices dropped on Thursday, despite a fall in U.S. inventories last week, amid a stronger dollar and a renewed wave of COVID-19 cases in Europe that led to renewed travel restrictions in several countries.

Brent crude LCOc1 futures fell 21 cents, or 0.5%, to $41.56 a barrel by 0922 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures dropped 26 cents, or 0.7%, to $39.67 a barrel.

Both benchmarks climbed slightly on Wednesday after government data showed U.S. oil inventories dropped last week.

LONDON, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Another 6,178 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Britain as pressure is building up on the government on the replacement of the government's furlough scheme.

The daily rise of coronavirus cases, the highest since May 1, brought the total number of cases to 409,729. The coronavirus-related death toll rose by 37 to 41,862, the official data showed Wednesday.

On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new restriction measures to tackle a sharp rise in the country's coronavirus cases.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil edged up to around $42 a barrel on Wednesday after a report said U.S. fuel inventories fell, although rising crude supply and growing numbers of coronavirus cases that raise concern of stalling demand capped gains.

The American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, said stocks of gasoline and distillate fuel dropped, while crude inventories rose. [API/S] Official inventory numbers from the Energy Information Administration are due at 1430 GMT.

LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union is determined to get a Brexit trade deal with Britain but will be firm and realistic with London after Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided to break the divorce agreement, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Wednesday.

The United Kingdom left the EU in January but remains a member in all but name until the end of the year, by which time it hopes to have clinched a free trade deal with the bloc.