United Kingdom

LONDON (Reuters) - Northern Ireland is in a difficult situation as it deals with the consequences of Brexit, and Britain and the European Union need to reduce tensions and find solutions as equal partners, EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness said on Sunday.

Political tensions have risen in Northern Ireland, with the pro-British unionist community unhappy about new barriers to trade with the rest of the United Kingdom that have arisen since Brexit fully took effect on Jan. 1.

LONDON (AP) — Britain said Saturday that half the country’s adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine as the government races to reach everyone over age 18 by the end of July.

The National Health Service has put shots in the arms of 26.9 million people, or 51% of the adult population, according to the latest government statistics. The NHS passed the halfway point by delivering 589,689 first doses on Friday, the highest daily total since the mass vaccination program began in early December.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said it stands with Bulgaria against “malign activity” by Russia in the country, adding that Moscow had been seeking to undermine the sovereignty of a NATO ally.

“We fully support Bulgaria’s efforts in disrupting an alleged spy ring and taking steps to tackle Russia’s hostile actions in its territory,” Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Twitter on Saturday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell for a fifth day running on Thursday on a stronger dollar, a further increase in U.S. crude and fuel inventories and the weight of the ever-present COVID-19 pandemic.

Brent crude fell $1.47, or 2.16%, to $66.53 a barrel by 1341 GMT. U.S. oil was down $1.50, or 2.32%, at $63.10 after shedding 0.3% in the previous session. Both contracts are down more than 4% over the past five days.

LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union must respect the law around COVID-19 vaccine supply contracts and there will be consequences for the bloc if it breaks it, health minister Matt Hancock said on Thursday.

“There is of course a need for all countries to respect contract law... and I’m sure that the European Union will live up to the commitments and statements that it has made,” Hancock told lawmakers, after the EU threatened to bloc vaccine exports to Britain.

LONDON (AP) — British health authorities say COVID-19 vaccinations for people under age 50 may be delayed for up to a month amid a shortfall in supply, partly due to reduced deliveries from the Serum Institute of India.

LONDON (AP) — The world awaited the results Thursday of an initial European investigation into whether there is any evidence that the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is linked to blood clots reported in small numbers of recipients of the shot.

Concerns over the clotting led more than a dozen European countries to suspend use of the vaccine over the past week, even though the company and international health agencies said there was no indication the vaccine caused the clotting and recommended continuing inoculations.

LONDON (Reuters) - Uber drivers in Britain should receive the minimum wage for the whole time they are logged on to the app, two former drivers said on Wednesday after winning a court battle which could reshape the gig economy.

Following a UK Supreme Court defeat last month, the Silicon Valley-based company reclassified its more than 70,000 drivers in Britain as workers, meaning they are guaranteed entitlements such as holiday pay.

Uber said drivers will be at least 15% better off after the changes, if they opt into the pension plan.

16 Mar 2021; MEMO: The UK will increase its nuclear deterrent capacity by 40% in response to the "evolving security environment," according to a review published on Tuesday.

The 114-page document, titled "Global Britain in a competitive age," revealed the plans of rising the cap on its stockpile of nuclear warheads from 180 to 260.

LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union will meet an end-of-March deadline for agreeing a cooperation pact with Britain in financial services despite the clash between the UK and the bloc over Northern Ireland, the EU’s financial services chief said on Tuesday.

Mairead McGuinness said she was “sticking to our commitment” to set up the cooperation framework, described by Brussels as an informal mechanism for discussing upcoming regulatory issues, similar to what the bloc already has with the United States.