Tag: UK

EU chief pleads to save green deal in budget holed by Brexit

By Marc BURLEIGH Agence France-Presse STRASBOURG, France (AFP) — European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen pleaded Wednesday to save her signature “green deal” in the longterm EU budget that has been left short by Brexit. “If we do not set aside the funds… we will simply fail to achieve a climate neutral Europe” by 2050 as planned, she told the European Parliament. Her warning was laid down a week before an extraordinary EU summit in […]

Nine arrested in Greenpeace protest at BP in London

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British police arrested nine Greenpeace campaigners on Wednesday who blockaded BP’s London headquarters with solar panels and oil barrels to mark the new boss’s first day at the energy giant. The Metropolitan Police said the arrests were made outside the firm’s building in St James’ Square, central London, as part of a “proportionate policing plan”. They were detained for aggravated trespass, highway obstruction and conspiracy to commit a public nuisance. Around […]

UK vows action after envoy slams plans for UN climate talks

By Alice RITCHIE Agence France-Presse London, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday called for urgent action to deal with global warming, after his ex-climate envoy warned his own plans for UN talks later this year were “miles off track”. In a speech ahead of the COP 26 talks in Glasgow in November, Johnson said the evidence of climate change was “overwhelming”. At an event with naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough, he called […]

UK fishermen angling for big catch post Brexit

NORTH SHIELDS, United Kingdom (AFP) – Roland JACKSON / William EDWARDS Just before dawn, the Good Fellowship trawler casts its nets deep into the North Sea’s cold swirling waters, fishing for prawns off England’s northeast coast. Britain finally departs the European Union on Friday but remains bound by the bloc’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) until the end of a transition period on December 31. The Good Fellowship’s captain, David Shiel, is cautiously hopeful that Brexit […]

‘What use is wealth if it burns?’ Britain’s Prince Charles sounds climate alarm

DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) – Stuart WILLIAMS Britain’s Prince Charles on Wednesday told business leaders at the Davos economic forum that wealth was of no use if it doesn’t help tackle climate change, as he met Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg and warned over the perils of global warming and environmental damage. Charles, the eldest son of the Queen and heir to the throne, met Thunberg in Davos on the same day as President Donald Trump […]

UK looks to offshore wind for green energy transition

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Benoît PELEGRIN Britain, a global leader in offshore wind energy, plans to make the sector one of the pillars of its transition to carbon neutrality in the coming decades. The country aims to quadruple its offshore electricity production capacity by 2030 by utilizing the windswept North Sea and a favorable policy environment. “It’s more conducive to build offshore in the UK than anywhere else in Europe,” said James Brabben, of […]

UK’s Johnson urges ‘end to hostilities’ in Iran call

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson talked to US President Donald Trump about Iranian missile attacks on Iraqi bases housing coalition forces, his spokesman said on Wednesday. “The PM underlined the importance of de-escalation to avoid further conflict” and “the need for a diplomatic solution” to the crisis, the spokesman told reporters. “Both leaders agreed to stay in touch,” he added. News of the conversation came as Foreign Secretary Dominic […]

UK’s Johnson gets down to work after sweeping election victory; Brexit, top priority

  by Alice RITCHIE Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson got down to work Monday following his sweeping election victory, appointing ministers and announcing plans to publish legislation this week to get Britain out of the European Union. The Conservative leader will present a bill on Friday that begins the process of ratifying the divorce terms he struck with Brussels in October, his spokesman said. Johnson won a landslide […]

UK’s Johnson defiant after bombshell court ruling

by Alice RITCHIE / Robin MILLARD LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday challenged opposition MPs to call a confidence vote in his government, in a defiant response to the Supreme Court decision to strike down his suspension of parliament. Britain’s highest court on Tuesday found the Conservative leader acted illegally in suspending or proroguing, parliament for five weeks in the run-up to Brexit. But Johnson showed no contrition as […]

UK to let foreign students stay two years after graduation post-Brexit

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s government on Wednesday announced new post-Brexit immigration plans that will allow international students to work in the country for two years after graduating. Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said the change was aimed at attracting the “brightest and the best from around the world” and a sign of “the UK’s ambition once we have left the European Union”. “Instead of being open to free movement from just the (EU), the […]

UK PM insists he will not ask for Brexit delay despite new law

by Alice RITCHIE with Joe STENSON in Dublin LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday insisted he would not ask for a Brexit delay despite the approval of a new law that could force him to do so, as MPs prepared to vote against holding an early election next month. Johnson said that if MPs refused to support his call for an election then he would go to an EU […]

British Airways says almost all UK flights cancelled over strike

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Airways said Monday it has been forced to cancel almost all its flights from UK airports on the first day of a strike by pilots. “After many months of trying to resolve the pay dispute, we are extremely sorry that it has come to this,” BA said in a statement. The airline said it remains willing to return to talks with the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA). “Unfortunately, with […]