Tag Archives: United Kingdom

The Week reports: The United Kingdom’s prime minister and health secretary have now both tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. British Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock announced Friday morning he has tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing “mild symptoms.” He said he will self-isolate, though he’s already been working from home recently. “Fortunately for me, …

Reuters reports: The United Kingdom will use firefighters to help deliver food, retrieve dead bodies and drive ambulances as it braces for the looming peak of the coronavirus outbreak that has already claimed the lives of more than 22,000 people across the world. Britain initially took a strikingly modest approach to the worst health crisis since the 1918 influenza epidemic …

The Irish Post reports: Same-sex marriage and abortion are set to become legal in Northern Ireland for the first time. The changes are the result of amendments to a routine Commons Bill on the governance of Northern Ireland tabled by Labour Party backbenchers Conor McGinn and Stella Creasy. McGinn put forward a proposal calling for Westminster to legislate for same-sex …

The BBC reports: US President Donald Trump will make a three-day state visit to the UK from 3 to 5 June, Buckingham Palace has announced. The president and First Lady Melania Trump will be a guest of the Queen and attend a ceremony in Portsmouth to mark the 75th Anniversary of D-Day He will also hold talks with the prime …

At about 12:30PM NYC-time today, Queen Elizabeth will become longest ruling monarch in British history. The BBC runs the numbers: The Queen will have reigned for 63 years and seven months – calculated at 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes at about 17:30 BST. Prime Minister David Cameron will lead tributes in the House of Commons and there …

Saying that he was acting on “Holy Bible evidence” about the “Satanic confusion” of homosexuality, Cayman Islands Rep. Anthony Eden has led the legislature of the popular cruise destination to unanimously reaffirm its ban on same-sex marriage. From the Cayman Compass: “To me, this is one of the most important motions for this House and the people of the Cayman …

Via the Huffington Post: Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who was accused of sexually harassing several men in a scandal that exploded on the eve of the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, has renounced the “rights and privileges” of his office but gets to keep his prestigious title, the Vatican announced Friday (March 20). O’Brien did not take part in …

Scotland’s referendum on independence from the United Kingdom is just weeks away and it appears that concerns about the economic impact of secession may have doomed the cause. Many businesses in Scotland have reservations about independence. Standard Life, a pensions and investments company based in Edinburgh, in May said it had drawn up plans to move operations to England if …

The Scottish Parliament is set to vote today on the third and final reading of its marriage equality bill, which is expected to pass easily. Via the BBC: The legislation, which is facing its final vote in the Holyrood parliament, passed its previous parliamentary hurdle by 98 votes to 15, with five abstentions. MSPs have been allowed a free vote, …

The prime minister of New Zealand today suggested holding a public referendum on changing the national flag.  Proponents argue that the current flag suggests that New Zealand remains a colony of the United Kingdom. Others point out that the flag is often confused with the national flag of Australia, which is almost the same except it carries two more stars. …