United Kingdom

LONDON (AP) — England is facing a third national lockdown that will last at least six weeks, as authorities struggle to stem a surge in COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals around the U.K.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a tough new stay-at-home order for England that won’t be reviewed until at least mid-February to combat a fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus. It takes effect at midnight Tuesday. Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon imposed a lockdown that began Tuesday.

LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will learn on Monday whether a British judge has approved his extradition to the United States to face charges including espionage over the release of secret U.S. military documents.

U.S. authorities accuse Australian-born Assange, 49, of 18 counts of conspiring to hack government computers and of breaching a secrecy law by releasing vast troves of confidential military records and diplomatic cables over a decade ago.

LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices touched multi-month highs on Monday on expectations OPEC and allied producers may cap output at current levels in February and on hopes that coronavirus vaccines may help curb the spread of the virus and drive a strong economic rebound in the new year.

Prices rose in line with broader financial markets with Brent crude futures reaching $53.33 a barrel, the highest since March 2020. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude touched $49.83 a barrel, the highest since February 2020.

LONDON (AP) — Britain on Monday was taking another giant step in the fight against COVID-19, ramping up its immunization program by giving shots from the vaccine created by Oxford University and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will have 530,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine ready to administer on Monday and hopes to provide “tens of millions” of vaccinations over the next three months, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday.

“We do hope that ... we’ll be able to do tens of millions in the course of the next three months,” he told the BBC.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s Boris Johnson said on Sunday he intended to carry on as prime minister after Brexit.

Asked in a BBC interview if he intended to continue in the role, Johnson said: “Yes.”

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said referendums should only happen once in a generation, when asked about the possibility of a fresh vote on Scottish independence.

“The only point I would make is that referendums, (in) my ... direct experience in this country, are not particularly jolly events,” Johnson told the BBC.

“They don’t have a, notably unifying force on the national mood, they should be only once in a generation.”

LONDON (AP) — With daily coronavirus infections surging as a result of a new virus variant, the British government faced mounting pressure Saturday from teachers’ unions to keep schools in England closed for at least another two weeks.

The government, which oversees schools in England, has already decided to keep all schools in London closed next week to try to stem new infections. Unions want the policy extended across the whole of England, expressing fears about the health of both teachers and children.

LONDON (AP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out Monday whether he can be extradited from the U.K. to the U.S. to face espionage charges over the publication of secret American military documents.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser is due to deliver her decision at London’s Old Bailey courthouse at 10 a.m. Monday. If she grants the request, then Britain’s home secretary, Priti Patel, would make the final decision.

Whichever side loses is expected to appeal, which could lead to years more legal wrangling.

LONDON, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Roads around Britain's port of Dover remained quiet Friday and largely avoided the previously anticipated confusion and congestion, even though Britain has kicked off a new era outside the European Union (EU).

Without signs of delays on surrounding roads, the first drivers that entered Dover from France found themselves at the center of attention as Brexit transition period ended at 2300 GMT on New Year's Eve.