United Kingdom

LONDON, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Leading retail bodies in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland issued a warning on Thursday that the price of fresh food and drink could increase dramatically in the event of a No-Deal Brexit.

With just over 30 days until UK is set to leave the European Union, the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) and Retail Ireland, voiced their concerns to the government in a letter, stating that a No-Deal outcome could lead to delays at major borders and shortages of food products.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and British Prime Minister Theresa May made fresh efforts on Wednesday to unlock the Brexit stalemate. Without a breakthrough, as expected, they pledged to talk again before the end of the month.

The two leaders talked about "which guarantees could be given with regard to the backstop that underlines once again its temporary nature and give the appropriate legal assurance to both sides", said a joint statement published on European Commission website.

BRUSSELS, Feb 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Theresa May makes another trip to Brussels on Wednesday, hoping European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker may prove more yielding than of late to salvage her Brexit deal.

With Britain set to jolt out of the world’s biggest trading bloc in 37 days unless May can either persuade the British parliament or the European Union to budge, officials were cautious on the chances of a breakthrough.

19 Feb 2019; DW: Japanese car giant Honda has announced it will close of its only car plant in Britain in 2021. Several carmakers have announced plans to trim UK operations, with concerns that a no-deal Brexit could disrupt supply lines.

Honda will shutter its operations in southwestern England in 2021, the Japanese carmaker announced Tuesday. The move adds to a growing number of car manufacturers scaling down operations in the UK.

LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of passengers throughout Europe have been stranded by the abrupt collapse of the British regional airline Flybmi.

British Midland Regional Limited, which operates as Flybmi, said it’s filing for administration — a British version of bankruptcy — because of higher fuel costs and uncertainty caused by Britain’s upcoming departure from the European Union.

LONDON, February 17. /TASS/. The health of former Russian GRU Colonel Sergei Skripal, who London says was poisoned in an attempted murder last March, has deteriorated, the Sunday Times said.

Citing "a well-informed intelligence source," the daily reported that his condition "has taken a downturn, even though it is not deemed critical" and that Skripal had been receiving medical care at his home.

LONDON, February 18. /TASS/. Russia’s embassy in London labels as a provocation the appearance of a Russian flag on the Salisbury Cathedral, the embassy’s spokesperson said.

"We have no official information on that. Should it be true that a Russian flag was flown on the cathedral, we believe it looks like a well-thought-out provocation," the diplomat said.

LONDON, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday urged her conservative fellow MPs to unite and back the Brexit deal she agreed with the European Union (EU) amid the current deadlock.

In a letter to the 317 Conservative MPs, May asked them to put aside "personal preferences", saying that "history will judge us all" over the handling of Brexit.

17 Feb 2019; DW: British regional airline Flybmi announced Saturday it has ceased operations and filed for administration, citing among other things uncertainty caused by Brexit.

Parent company British Midland Regional Limited said it had canceled all flights with immediate effect and its 17 airplanes would no longer connect 25 European cities.

LONDON, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday asked Europe Union (EU) leaders to compromise on Brexit in order to secure "friendly relations" between Britain and its neighboring Republic of Ireland and to protect peace in Northern Ireland.

The foreign secretary made the remarks before traveling to France and Poland for talks with ministers, raising the threat of a no-deal Brexit or "Brexit paralysis" if the EU and Britain were unable to strike a deal.