United Kingdom

LEIGH-ON-SEA, England, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A British lawmaker was stabbed to death in a church on Friday by an assailant who lunged at him during a meeting with voters from his constituency, a killing police are investigating as a possible terrorist attack.

David Amess, 69, from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party, was knifed repeatedly in the attack at about midday in the Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, east of London.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s failure to impose a lockdown in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic cost thousands of unnecessary deaths and ranks among the country’s worst public health blunders, lawmakers concluded Tuesday in the nation’s first comprehensive report on the pandemic.

12 Oct 2021; MEMO: Civil society organisations and activists in the UK and overseas are threatening to organise a mass boycott of the University of Bristol unless it reverses the decision to fire Professor David Miller over his criticism of Israel and its state ideology, Zionism.

The threat was issued yesterday in a letter to the Vice-Chancellor and President of Bristol University which contained the signatures of prominent academics and activists.

12 Oct 2021; MEMO: Several Palestine activist groups and academics working in the field of anti-Semitism studies have issued separate statements raising their concerns on instrumentalising anti-Semitism ahead of tomorrow's International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Anti-Semitism held in Malmo, Sweden.

11 Oct 2021; MEMO: The first Festival of Palestine in Scotland kicked off yesterday in the capital, Edinburgh, with a remarkable exhibition of the Palestinian History Tapestry as its main feature.

Organised by Edinburgh Action for Palestine and the Palestinian community in Scotland, the week-long event celebrates the 4,000 year history of Palestine in tapestry, traditional music, 'dabkeh' folk dance, photography, films, talks, as well as children's activities.

11 Oct 2021; MEMO: More than 1,000 people have crossed the English Channel in two days, according to the Home Office.

The Channel is the busiest shipping lane in the world and separates England from France.

On Saturday, the UK rescued 491 people and on Friday 624 people, whilst on those same two days the French authorities stopped 414 people reaching the UK.

Since the start of 2021 17,000 people have crossed the English Channel hoping to seek refuge in England, more than double the amount that crossed last year.

LONDON/BRUSSELS, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Britain and Ireland traded barbs on Twitter on Sunday after British Brexit negotiator David Frost restated his view that the EU must agree "significant change" to the Northern Ireland protocol that governs trade and border rules in the province.

The protocol was part of the Brexit settlement Prime Minister Boris Johnson negotiated with the EU, but London has repeatedly said it must be rewritten less than a year after taking force due to the barriers businesses face when importing British goods into Northern Ireland.

LONDON (AP) — Ireland’s foreign minister has warned that British demands risk a “further breakdown in relations” with the European Union ahead of talks this week aimed at resolving the impasse over the Brexit agreement.

Simon Coveney posted the remarks on Twitter after the U.K.’s Brexit minister reiterated his insistence that the European Court of Justice must not be allowed to oversee implementation of the deal. Coveney described this as a new “red line” that will impede progress in the negotiations.

LONDON, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of countries on the UK Covid travel red list will be cut from 54 to seven, the government says.

South Africa, Brazil and Mexico come off the red list, which requires travellers to quarantine in an approved hotel at their cost for 10 full days.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the changes begin on Monday and “mark the next step” in opening travel.

This latest move will be seen as a boost to the airline industry and families separated during the pandemic.

07 Oct 2021; MEMO: Premier League Club Newcastle United have been taken over by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium, the league announced in a statement on Thursday.

"Following the completion of the Premier League's Owners' and Directors' Test, the club has been sold to the consortium with immediate effect," the Premier League said.