United Kingdom

    The number of UK coronavirus cases has more than doubled to eight after four more people tested positive for the illness, according to the Department of Health. All became infected after contact with the UK’s third confirmed coronavirus patient in a French ski resort. The four new patients were transferred from Brighton to London hospitals. They are being treated at Guy’s and St Thomas’ infectious disease unit, and another such unit at The Royal Free hospital. The UK’s third coronavirus patient is suepcetd of being a so-called super spreader. They are linked to at least seven confirmed cases in England, France and Spain after becoming infected in Singapore. The UK’s fourth patient was confirmed yesterday. They had been staying in the French Alps ski resort, Les Co...

    It started with a phone call to their home landline and ended with a police stakeout and panic alarm being fitted in their Cambridgeshire home. A retired couple who lost £43,000 to persistent and expert fraudsters have become the latest victims to complain that banks’ voluntary fraud code promising refunds to victims is worthless. In May last year, the UK’s biggest banks all agreed to abide by a new code that would see the victims of what is known as authorised push payment fraud refunded in full. Victims duped into sending money to an account operated by criminals were to be refunded, where they had been the victim of a complex fraud a so called no blame scenario. At the time the code was hailed as a breakthrough as before then the banks were routinely blaming fr...

    Remainers and leavers don’t exist in Britain anymore, a friend noted the other day. You can’t be in favor of remaining or leaving something you have already left. That ship has sailed. The new divide, he said, must surely be whether you are in favor of Britain rejoining the European Union or staying out. This observation, made somewhat in jest, contains a number of truths. The first, most obviously, is that Brexit has happened it is no longer a proposition but a living, breathing project. Fundamentally, now that Britain has left the EU, those seeking to lead the country must offer more than opposition to Brexit, but a program that seeks to make it work. This leads to the second truth, which is largely unacknowledged but no less real: The very fact of Brexit has tu...

    UK national Connor Reed spent two weeks in hospital after being diagnosed with the virus two months ago. The 25-year-old moved to the city of Wuhan, which has been cited as the source of the outbreak, last summer to teach English. Connor sought hospital treatment towards the end of last year after experiencing difficulties breathing and struggling with a bad cough. The North Wales native said he feared he was at death's door before turning to a traditional flu remedy, the humble hot toddy. Speaking to The Sun, Connor said: I was stunned when the doctors told me I was suffering from the virus. I thought I was going to die but I managed to beat it. I used the inhaler which helped control the cough and drank a hot whisky with honey until that ran out. It’s an old fa...

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sought to reassure the City about a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union, saying it should provide a predictable, transparent and business-friendly environment for financial services firms. In a written statement to parliament, the PM also said there should be obligations on market access and fair competition. The statement followed a major speech in London in which Johnson laid out the government’s position on an EU trade deal and warned that Britain would not align with the bloc’s rules. Such a hard-line position worries many firms in the City, which are keen to keep as much access to EU markets as possible. The pound had fallen 1.4 per cent against the dollar by 3pm to stand at $1.302. In a sign of the row brewing betw...

    On January 31st, the UK will leave the European Union, but what does this mean for British passport holders? Travel firms are insisting that everything will remain the same for holidaymakers after Brexit. Warnings were issued last year about potential restrictions for foreign travel in the event of the UK withdrawing from the EU without an agreement. These included passports needing to be valid for six months after the end of trips and passengers not being allowed to use border queues designated for EU passport holders. Will my passport still be valid after Brexit? Mark Tanzer, chief executive of travel trade organisation Abta, said that the transition period means there will be no changes when Brexit happens at 11pm on Friday. He said: Because the UK is set to ...

    Britain may have to accept a fish for finance compromise in EU trade talks which would see foreign boats in UK waters in return for few restrictions on the City, Irish premier Leo Varadkar warned today. He stressed there would have to be trade offs if the UK and Brussels are to strike a new trade deal which Boris Johnson has vowed to do by the end of the year. The UK has a very strong position on fisheries, he added, given the size of British waters, with a lot of fish taken out of your waters by boats from other countries, and the bulk sold to mainland Europe. However, he added: An area where you’re in a very weak position is one of the most valuable parts of the British economy which is financial services. And if financial services and entertainment, audio visua...

    Meghan Markle could be left without British citizenship after she and Harry announced they are to split their time between North America and the UK. The Duchess has to follow one rule if she wants to become a British citizen - she cannot live out of the country for more than 90 days. Meghan is thought to be in the second year of the five-year process towards naturalisation after her wedding in May 2018. But the Sussexes' move to Canada will take Meghan away from the 'strong commitment to the UK and an intention to live here', a government source said. Meghan must not have left the UK for more than 270 days in the three years before applying for it. This can be spread over the three years but must include 90 days in the last year. Harry must also meet a minimum i...

    The Queen considered stripping Harry of his royal dukedom as well as his HRH title and allowing him to use only the lesser title of earl, the Evening Standard has been told. As The Duke of Sussex is one of the ancient royal titles, downgrading Harry and Meghan’s rank in line with their reduced level of official duties was discussed, sources said. It is understood the suggestion was that the sixth in line to the throne would have been referred to by one of his lesser titles, the Earl of Dumbarton, with his wife being known as a countess putting them on a par with Prince Edward and Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex. But the Queen and Prince of Wales did not wish to appear petty and felt banning the couple from using HRH in public and for commercial use while st...

    Tests for coronavirus on 14 people in the UK have come back negative but there are checks ongoing on other people, according to the Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty. The announcement comes after Boris Johnson ordered a meeting of Whitehall’s Cobra emergency committee to respond to the threat. As the infection crisis escalated in China, Professor Paul Cosford, medical director at Public Health England, said it was “highly likely” that the virus would reach the UK. No cases of the deadly virus, which can be fatal, have yet been confirmed in the UK. The Cobra meeting, chaired by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, was called to urgently ensure precautionary measures are in place to deal with the virus if it does spread to Britain. Medical experts were at ever...