Britain

The Associated Press reports: Negotiators from the European Union and Britain worked through the night and into Christmas Eve to put the finishing touches on a trade deal that should avert a chaotic economic break between the two sides next week. Trade will change regardless come Jan. 1, when the U.K. leaves the bloc’s single market and customs union. But …

The BBC reports: Germany’s Lufthansa is airlifting fresh fruit and vegetables to the UK on Wednesday as firms seek to beat the lorry chaos at sea ports. The airline said it is carrying 80 tonnes of food from Frankfurt to Doncaster Sheffield Airport for grocers including Tesco and Sainsbury’s. Almost 3,000 lorries remain stuck in Kent despite moves to re-start …

The New York Daily News reports: Gov. Cuomo is calling on New York hospitals and labs to specifically test for a new highly contagious COVID mutation found in the United Kingdom. The governor, who a day earlier worked out a deal with airlines requiring travelers from England report a negative coronavirus test before flying to the Empire State, said he …

Reuters reports: Britain formally left the European Union on Jan. 31 after its 2016 referendum, busince then it has been in a transition period under which rules on free travel and trade remain unchanged. That period ends on Dec. 31. Fourteen European countries, including Portugal and Spain, will grant Britons arriving before Dec. 31 the right to five years of …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The U.K. was braced for potential food shortages and disruption to manufacturing Monday if France continued a ban on freight as well as people traveling from Britain in an effort to stop the spread of a new strain of the coronavirus. The move to bar entry from the U.K., announced by Paris late Sunday, cuts …

The New York Post reports: Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday called it “reprehensible” and “grossly negligent” to allow UK travelers to fly into JFK Airport without being tested despite a contagious new mutation of the coronavirus shutting down London. “Right now, this variant in the UK is getting on a plane and flying to JFK,” Cuomo said in a call …

CBC News reports: Canada joined several European nations by halting flights from the U.K. on Sunday in an effort to prevent a new, potentially more contagious strain of the coronavirus from spreading to this country. CBC News obtained a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by Transport Canada stating that all commercial, private and charter flights transporting passengers from the U.K. …

Politico Europe reports: EU countries are moving to halt travel from the United Kingdom over concerns about a new, infectious strain of the coronavirus. The Netherlands announced a flight ban Sunday from the U.K. while Belgium will impose a 24-hour stop on all travel from Britain to Belgium. Italy’s Foreign Affairs Minister Luigi Di Maio also said Sunday that in …

The Guardian reports: Police will be asked to block families from driving out of tier 4 areas and extra officers will be deployed at railway stations to clampdown on non-essential journeys, it has been announced, following crowded scenes at transport hubs in the capital. The new tier 4 measures imposed from Sunday in London and the south-east indefinitely prohibit non-essential …

Bloomberg News reports: Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a full lockdown on London and large parts of southeast England and told the public across the country to avoid travel, in a desperate attempt to stop a new strain of coronavirus that is spreading rapidly in the U.K. After emergency talks with his most senior officials, Johnson canceled plans to ease …

The Associated Press reports: Following a sharp spike in new infections — another 25,161 were recorded Wednesday, the highest since Nov. 14 — families are being urged to consider the rules as the outer limits of what they can do. “Have yourselves a merry little Christmas and, I’m afraid, this year I do mean little,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson …

The Sunday Times reports: Supermarkets are this weekend stockpiling food and other goods after being told by ministers that a no-deal Brexit is on the cards. Food producers have warned there will be shortages of vegetables for three months and emergency planners predict that no-deal would spark panic-buying on a scale that could dwarf the coronavirus crisis. In a sign …

The Express reports: Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance admitted that it may still be a long time before the world gets back to normal despite the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. While speaking on Sky News he said that in the UK there could be a significant step back to normality as early as spring. However, he noted that even …

CNBC reports: The U.K. is rolling out the first coronavirus vaccines to the public on Tuesday, making it one of the first countries in the world to do so. Member of the public Margaret Keenan, a 90 year-old grandmother, made history as she became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine outside of trial conditions. The …

The Independent reports: The Queen of England and Prince Philip are expected to get the Covid-19 vaccine within the next few weeks, in line with national guidelines on the prioritisation of vulnerable groups. A source told The Mail on Sunday that Queen Elizabeth II, 94, and Prince Philip, 99, will not get preferential treatment, but will instead “wait in line” …

The Associated Press reports: The coronavirus vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech was being sent to hospitals across the U.K. in super-cold containers on Sunday, two days ahead of the kickoff of Britain’s biggest-ever immunization program, one being closely watched around the world. Around 800,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to be in place for the …

The Independent reports: Over 2,300 people have pledged to show up to an “egg-throwing contest” on the same day as the unveiling of a statue of Margaret Thatcher in her hometown of Grantham. The £300,000 bronze statue of the controversial former prime minister will be placed on a 10ft-high plinth due to fears about vandalism, making the entire sculpture over …

The BBC reports: The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for mass vaccination. Britain’s medicines regulator, the MHRA, says the jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe to be rolled out. The first 800,000 doses will be available in the UK from next …

Reuters reports: People who refuse a vaccine for COVID-19 could find normal life curtailed as restaurants, bars, cinemas and sports venues could block entry to those who don’t have proof they are inoculated, Britain’s new vaccine minister said on Monday. Asked by the BBC if there would be an immunity passport, Nadhim Zahawi said a person’s COVID-19 vaccine status might …

The Associated Press reports: The British government appointed a vaccines minister on Saturday as it prepares to inoculate millions of people against the coronavirus, potentially starting within days. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Conservative lawmaker Nadhim Zahawi will oversee the country’s biggest vaccine program in decades. The U.K. medicines regulator is currently assessing two vaccines — one developed by Pfizer …