Tag: Britain

Drugs in river at UK’s Glastonbury music festival harming fish: scientists

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – High levels of illegal drugs have been found in a river running through Britain’s Glastonbury music festival site, endangering a rare species of fish and other wildlife, scientists said on Tuesday. The levels of cocaine and MDMA — more commonly known as ecstasy — detected in the water were so high, experts said, they could be harming wildlife downstream in Whitelake River that runs through the festival grounds. Samples taken […]

UK puts army on standby as fuel pumps run dry

by Ben PERRY Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain on Monday put the army on standby to help with the ongoing fuel crisis as fears over tanker driver shortages led to panic buying, leaving many of the country’s pumps dry. “Limited number of military tanker drivers to be put on a state of readiness and deployed if necessary to further stabilise fuel supply chain,” the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy said […]

Fuel ‘panic-buying’ in UK could see army to rescue

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain experienced further ‘panic-buying’ of motor fuel Monday as a shortage of lorry drivers on Covid and Brexit fallout could reportedly prompt the government to use the army to make deliveries. The Petrol Retailers Association claimed that almost half of the UK’s 8,000 fuel pumps had run out of petrol on Sunday, as desperate drivers formed long queues to fill up tanks. PRA chairman Brian Madderson told the BBC that […]

‘We’ve been expecting you, Mr Bond…’: 007 back after virus delay

by Joe JACKSON LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The latest James Bond movie gets its world premiere next week, nearly six years after the last film in the storied franchise and an 18-month delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic. British royalty and pandemic heroes have been invited to London’s Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday to watch “No Time To Die”, the 25th instalment of the popular spy saga. The film is expected to be Daniel […]

Britain runs coal power stations amid energy crisis

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain, which faces soaring natural gas prices, has been forced to run coal-fired power stations in order to secure energy supplies, electricity generation company Drax said on Thursday. The country is particularly exposed to Europe’s ongoing energy crisis due to its reliance on natural gas to generate electricity. The price of European gas futures has more than doubled since May. “These facilities have fulfilled a critical role in keeping the […]

Down on the farm, UK energy crisis looms large

by Joe JACKSON Agence France-Presse MALDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – The tranquil landscape of flat farmland and small villages in the Essex countryside in southeast England seems a world away from Britain’s escalating energy crisis. But fertiliser and carbon dioxide shortages are beginning to bite at places like Wicks Manor Farm, which rears pigs for pork and grows crops. “We’ve got some real concerns (and) quite frightening consequences to farming, as an industry throughout the […]

UK climate motorway protesters risk jail under new injunction

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Climate protesters who repeatedly caused traffic chaos by blocking London’s busy M25 orbital motorway may now face imprisonment after the government on Wednesday announced it had won a court injunction. “Invading a motorway is reckless & puts lives at risk. I asked National Highways to seek an injunction against M25 protestors which a judge granted last night,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote in a tweet. “Effective later today, activists will […]

UK reaches deal to boost CO2 production after shortage

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain has signed a deal enabling it to restart production of captured carbon dioxide for three weeks, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said Tuesday, after a shortage of the gas had sparked renewed food supply concerns. Two UK fertiliser plants accounting for up to 60 percent of Britain’s CO2 supply — which is vital for the food industry — shut last week due to spiking natural gas costs. But Kwarteng announced […]

UK rules out gas supply emergency as prices soar

by Véronique DUPONT Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain’s government does not expect a gas supply emergency during the winter as soaring prices threaten energy groups, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng insisted on Monday. “We have sufficient capacity, and more than sufficient capacity, to meet demand and we do not expect supply emergencies to occur this winter,” Kwarteng told parliament after holding an emergency meeting with gas and electricity suppliers and consumer groups. Kwarteng […]

UK PM Boris Johnson cautious over fulfilling UN climate fund pledges

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Forcing wealthy nations to honour their UN climate fund pledges this week will “be a stretch”, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted ahead of a Monday meeting with global leaders aiming to do just that. At the 2009 Copenhagen climate conference, rich nations promised to provide annual funding of $100 billion from 2020, for poorer nations to counteract the effects of climate change. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has said […]

Biden asks for early talks with Macron amid submarine row

by Stuart WILLIAMS with Holly ROBERTSON in Sydney PARIS, France (AFP) — US President Joe Biden has requested early talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, France said on Sunday, in an apparent effort to mend fences after a row over a submarines contract sparked rare tensions between the allies. The announcement came after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected French accusations that Canberra had lied about plans to cancel the contract to buy French submarines, […]

Australia rejects French accusations of lying over subs deal

  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday rejected France’s accusations Canberra lied about plans to cancel a contract to buy French submarines, saying he had raised concerns over the deal “some months ago”. Australia’s decision to tear up a deal for the French submarines in favour of American nuclear-powered vessels sparked outrage in Paris, with President Emmanuel Macron recalling France’s ambassadors to Canberra and Washington in an unprecedented move. Canberra has stood firm as […]