United Kingdom

LONDON, Dec 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Britain and Mexico signed an agreement, aimed to secure the existing bilateral trade, following the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec 31, the British Department for International Trade (DIT) said yesterday.

The UK-Mexico Trade Continuity Agreement will provide certainty for British and Mexican businesses, “trading the goods and services that make up our bilateral trade relationship, which accounts for over five billion dollars per year,” said the DIT.

LONDON (Reuters) -Nearly 140,000 people in the United Kingdom have received their first COVID-19 shots in the first week of roll-out of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the minister in charge of the programme said on Wednesday.

The vaccine was approved for emergency use two weeks ago, with rollout commencing on Dec 8, making Britain the first country to deploy the shot outside of clinical trials.

LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday on a weakening dollar and progress on the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, though gains were capped by a surprise gain in U.S. crude inventories and tighter coronavirus lockdowns in Europe.

Brent crude futures rose 25 cents, or 0.5%, to $51.01 a barrel by 1017 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 21 cents, or 0.4%, at $47.83.

London, Dec 16, IRNA - Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi expressed concern over US decision to conduct nuclear explosion tests, saying it will jeopardize non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and international peace and security.

16 Dec 2020; MEMO: The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed regret after two assistants of the military attaché at the Sudanese embassy in London applied for political asylum in the UK following the termination of their missions.

15 Dec 2020; MEMO:  Over 100 Muslim scholars and organisations in Britain have signed an open letter calling upon the ambassadors of the UAE and Bahrain to demand they withdraw from sharing a platform with a Nakba denier, Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli Ambassador.

LONDON (Reuters) - London is likely to be placed into the toughest tier of COVID-19 restrictions following a sharp rise in coronavirus infection rates, the BBC reported on Monday, as one of the world’s richest cities struggles to contain the disease.

Earlier this month, the government implemented a three-tiered system of restrictions in England to try to keep a second wave of the virus under control following a month-long lockdown. More than 40% of citizens were placed in the highest risk category.

12 Dec 2020; MEMO:  Turkey's unmanned aerial vehicle, the Bayraktar TB2, has been responsible for the destruction of hundreds of armored vehicles and even air defense systems in Syria, Libya, and elsewhere, the UK's defense secretary said on Friday, reports Anadolu Agency.

"The roots of these drones are born out of Turkish innovation," Ben Wallace said in a webinar organized by the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies (RUSI), a British security think tank.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will not back down in trade talks with the European Union and will thrive even if breaking away from the bloc without a trade deal is a “choppy” ride, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said on Friday.

The United Kingdom quit the EU in January but remains an informal member until Dec. 31 when it will finally leave the bloc’s orbit after 48 years - with or without a trade agreement.

LONDON (Reuters) - With prospects for a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU looking precarious, Britain’s retail industry repeated a warning on Friday that shoppers face higher food prices from next year if new tariffs are imposed in the absence of an agreement.

Britain’s Brexit transition period ends on Dec. 31. In the absence of a deal, Britain would trade with the European Union on World Trade Organisation terms, meaning new tariffs.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday there was a “strong possibility” Britain would not secure a deal.