UK

LONDON (Reuters) – The British government will switch to Apple and Google technology for its test-and-trace app, ditching its current system in a U-turn for the troubled programme, the BBC reported on Thursday. The test-and-trace programme is seen as a key measure to reopen the country, but has also been dogged by criticism after the

FILE PHOTO: Second World War British Forces Sweetheart Vera Lynn attends the Battle of Britain commemoration outside the Churchill War Rooms in London August 20, 2010. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor LONDON (Reuters) – Singer Vera Lynn, who became a symbol of hope in Britain during World War Two and more recently during the coronavirus pandemic with her

LONDON (Reuters) – The governing body of an Oxford University college said it would recommend removing a statue of 19th century colonialist Cecil Rhodes from its facade, the Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday. Oriel College had been under pressure for several years from the #RhodesMustFall movement, a campaign by students who argued the statue of

Workers remove the protective boards around the Winston Churchill statue in Westminster, in London, Britain, June 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay LONDON (Reuters) – Workmen began removing protective hoarding around a statue of Britain’s wartime leader Winston Churchill on Wednesday ahead of a visit from French President Emmanuel Macron, after the monument was covered up during

FILE PHOTO: European Union and British flags flutter in front of a chancellery ahead of a visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May in Berlin, Germany, April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke BERLIN (Reuters) – Negotiations on the future relationship between Britain and the European Union will enter a hot phase from September, a German government

FILE PHOTO: Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson will provide a summer food fund for struggling families in England, bowing to pressure from England forward Marcus Rashford and his campaign to prevent children from going hungry during the coronavirus pandemic. British ministers originally said school food vouchers

FILE PHOTO: A computer image created by Nexu Science Communication together with Trinity College in Dublin, shows a model structurally representative of a betacoronavirus which is the type of virus linked to COVID-19, better known as the coronavirus linked to the Wuhan outbreak, shared with Reuters on February 18, 2020. NEXU Science Communication/via REUTERS LONDON

FILE PHOTO: Ambulances are parked at the Hollymoor Ambulance Hub of the West Midlands Ambulance Service, operated by the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, in Birmingham, Britain June 5, 2020. Simon Dawson/Pool via REUTERS LONDON (Reuters) – The United Kingdom’s suspected COVID-19 death toll has hit 53,077, according to a Reuters tally of

FILE PHOTO: A faculty building of Imperial College London, Britain, May 27, 2016. REUTERS/Toby Melville//File Photo LONDON (Reuters) – Scientists at Imperial College London will start the first clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine this week with more than 45 million pounds in backing from the UK government and philanthropic donors. The trials are

A visitor looks at penguins swimming, at the London Zoo on the first day of its reopening since lockdown restrictions ease, during the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease in London, Britain, June 15, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville LONDON (Reuters) – London Zoo reopened to only a fraction of the normal number of visitors on Monday

LONDON (Reuters) – The crowded daily commute in London has long been a source of misery for millions. But getting to work will be even more of a challenge following Britain’s coronavirus lockdown. FILE PHOTO: A woman wearing a face protective mask is seen at a bus stop with a public health campaign advertisement asking

FILE PHOTO: A demonstrator reacts infront of graffiti on a statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square during a Black Lives Matter protest in London, following the death of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis, London, Britain, June 7, 2020. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain

LONDON (Reuters) – It was party time this weekend for the gorillas at London Zoo – complete with treats like nuts, leeks and broccoli to eat and bunting in their treehouses – as they got ready to see visitors for the first time in nearly three months. The zoo, located in Regent’s Park, closed in

FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Chancellor Rishi Sunak chairs the daily COVID-19 briefing at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain May 29, 2020. Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street/Handout via REUTERS LONDON (Reuters) – Britain will urgently review its two-metre social distancing rule as it tries to help the economy recover from a 25% coronavirus crisis collapse, finance minister

FILE PHOTO: Head teacher Polly Goodson and Deputy Head Claire Cowgill measure out social distancing lines at the entrance to St Anne’s CE primary school as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Sale, Britain, May 27, 2020. REUTERS/Phil Noble LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is working with Education Minister

LONDON (Reuters) – Anti-racism protesters rallied again around Britain on Saturday, with scuffles breaking out in London as counter-demonstrators also came out to protect monuments targeted for their links to colonial history. Demonstrators hold placards as they attend a Black Lives Matter protest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, in Newcastle,

FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers his speech to the Global Vaccine Summit (GAVI) via Zoom from the White Room of 10 Downing Street in London, Britain June 4, 2020. Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street via REUTERS (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a cabinet backlash over plans to suspend Sunday

LONDON (Reuters) – Statues of historical figures including Winston Churchill have been boarded up ahead of more expected protests on Saturday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was “shameful” that the monument to Britain’s wartime leader was at risk of attack. Boarding is seen surrounding The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, following

FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall walk to take part in a two-minute silence to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day at the Balmoral War Memorial, Scotland, Britain May 8, 2020. Amy Muir/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) – Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will welcome French

LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday it was “absurd and shameful” that a statue of Winston Churchill was at risk of attack by activists, his strongest statement yet on growing protests against the legacies of past leaders. Boarding is seen surrounding The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, following

FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Justice Secretary Robert Buckland leaves after attending a meeting to address the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, at Cabinet Office in London, Britain March 12, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson (Reuters) – British courts are preparing to fast-track prosecutions for the latest Black Lives Matter protests, as Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has told

Social distancing markings are seen on the pavement in Liverpool, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Liverpool, Britain, June 11, 2020. REUTERS/Phil Noble LONDON (Reuters) – The United Kingdom’s death toll from confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose by 151 to 41,279 as of 1600 GMT on June 10, according to government data released

FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a daily briefing to update on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain June 10, 2020. Pippa Fowles/10 Downing Street/Handout via REUTERS (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to scrap the two metres distancing rule latest by September

FILE PHOTO: A Confederation of British Industry logo at its annual conference in London, Britain November 9, 2015. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo (Reuters) – The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said on Wednesday it has appointed Tony Danker, a former Treasury adviser and current chief executive of productivity-focused group Be the Business, as its new director-general.

LONDON (Reuters) – The coronavirus crisis is exposing Britain’s existing inequalities – between low and high earners, young and old workers and for ethnic minorities – which could be aggravated without reforms, a leading think tank said on Thursday. People on low wages are most at risk of losing income and their jobs because of

FILE PHOTO: Author J.K. Rowling poses for a portrait while publicizing her adult fiction book “The Casual Vacancy” at Lincoln Center in New York October 16, 2012. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) – Author J.K. Rowling defended her right to speak about trans issues without fear of abuse in an intensely personal essay in which

Mortuary workers Stuart Emans and Graham Cowper prepare a deceased person for a funeral in the mortuary at Poppy’s Funerals in Lambeth Cemetery in London, Britain, May 4, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s death toll from COVID-19 could have been halved if lockdown was introduced a week earlier, a former member of the

FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson outside 10 Downing Street, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, June 10, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday the decision on the timing of the coronavirus lockdown was made on the basis of scientific evidence and

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson waves outside 10 Downing Street, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, June 10, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville LONDON (Reuters) – English adults who live alone, as well as single parents, will be allowed to meet another household indoors from this weekend, and will not need to keep

LONDON (Reuters) – Rehearsals had been going on for months and opening night was just a week away when the coronavirus outbreak forced the theatre to close. Wife and husband actors, Rosalie Craig (L) and Hadley Fraser, unable to perform in lead roles in the West End musical ‘City of Angels’, following the outbreak of