United Kingdom

LONDON (Reuters) - The world faces around 4,000 variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, prompting a race to improve vaccines, Britain said on Thursday, as researchers began to explore mixing doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots in a world first.

Thousands of variants have been documented as the virus mutates, including the so-called British, South African and Brazilian variants which appear to spread more swiftly than others.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has asked for an extension until 2023 of a grace period on checks that would be conducted on trade moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom to soften the Brexit impact on the province, the BBC reported.

Political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Cabinet Office Secretary Michael Gove had written to the European Commission’s vice president, Maros Sefcovic, to ask for urgent political solutions.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil hit an 11-month high on Wednesday, boosted by a draw in U.S. crude and gasoline stocks, which fuelled demand recovery hopes as OPEC+ has forecast that the market will be in deficit in 2021.

Brent crude futures were up 48 cents, or 0.8%, to $57.94 a barrel at 0839 GMT, their highest since late February 2020.

The contract’s “backwardation” structure, where oil for nearby delivery is more expensive than further forward, was near a one-year high at more than $2, indicating expectations of tighter supply.

Mumbai, Feb 2 (PTI) International pop star Rihanna on Tuesday became the first global name to voice her support to the ongoing farmers agitation while criticising the internet shutdown at the protest site.

The 32-year-old singer, who has over 100 million followers on Twitter, took to the microblogging site and shared a CNN news article headlined, "India cuts internet around New Delhi as protesting farmers clash with police."

"Why aren't we talking about this? #FarmersProtest," Rihanna wrote.

LONDON (AP) — Senior politicians from Britain, Northern Ireland and the European Union are meeting Wednesday in a bid to defuse post-Brexit trade tensions that have shaken Northern Ireland’s delicate political balance.

British Cabinet minister Michael Gove, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic and the leaders of Northern Ireland’s Catholic-Protestant power-sharing government will hold a video conference to discuss problems that have erupted barely a month after the U.K. made an economic split from the 27-nation EU.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s health chief says a new study showing that a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca provides a high level of protection for 12 weeks supports the government’s strategy of delaying the second shot so more doses can be delivered to more people.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 2% on Tuesday after major crude producers showed they were reining in output roughly in line with their commitments, extending gains in a market thrown out of kilter by weak demand during the coronavirus pandemic.

Brent crude was up $1.30, or 2.3%, at $57.65 a barrel by 1150 GMT, its third straight day of gains. U.S. oil gained $1.25, also 2.3%, to $54.80. Both contracts rose more than 2% in the previous session.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain made a formal request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday, seeking membership of the 11-country deal to open new avenues for post-Brexit trade.

Announcing the move, trade minister Liz Truss said it would position Britain “at the heart of some of the world’s fastest-growing economies”.

The request comes on the first anniversary of Britain’s formal departure from the European Union before a transition period that ended at the end of 2020.

LONDON (Reuters) - The leader of the Scottish Conservative Party accused Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, on Monday of putting her “party before pandemic”, saying the timing of her plans to hold a second independence vote was reckless.

Sturgeon said this month she was hoping a strong performance by her Scottish National Party (SNP) in an election to the Scottish parliament in May would give her a mandate to hold a second referendum on independence from the United Kingdom.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will not approve a second referendum.

LONDON, Jan 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) – British police launched an investigation into a fire, which broke out on Friday afternoon, at a barracks in Kent in south-eastern England, where the British government is holding hundreds of asylum seekers, local media reported yesterday.

Asylum seekers have been temporarily moved from the barracks, which was also recently the site of a major outbreak of coronavirus, the London-based Evening Standard newspaper reported.

British Home Secretary, Priti Patel, issued a statement to slam the “appalling” damage.