Tag: UK

UK sea levels rising quicker than century ago: study

  by Joe JACKSON Agence France Presse Sea levels are increasing around Britain at a far faster rate than a century ago while the country is warming slightly more than the global average, leading meteorologists said Thursday. The annual study — the State of the UK Climate 2021 — found recent decades have been “warmer, wetter and sunnier” than the 20th century. It comes hot on the heels of temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 […]

UK inflation hits fresh 40-year high

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British annual inflation surged to a fresh 40-year high in June on rising motor fuel and food prices, official data showed Wednesday, adding to a cost-of-living crisis. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) jumped to 9.4 percent last month from 9.1 percent in May, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement. Analysts said the data put pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates by as […]

UPDATED: UK PM Johnson steps down as Conservative leader

  by Jitendra JOSHI / James PHEBY Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) –Boris Johnson resigned on Thursday as leader of Britain’s Conservative party, paving the way for the selection of a new prime minister after dozens of ministers quit his scandal-hit government. “It is clearly the will of the parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party, and therefore a new prime minister,” Johnson said outside 10 Downing […]

Covid air war being lost, experts warn, urging mass ventilation

  by Isabelle CORTES Agence France Presse PARIS France (AFP) — The world is still not using one of its most effective weapons against Covid — properly ventilating public spaces — more than two years into the pandemic, experts warn. At the moment there is a “fragile, armed peace” with Covid-19, said Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva. “In the hopes of stemming the tide of the […]

INC London holds ‘Aloha my Brethren’ community event

From social distancing to social connection, INC volunteers in Heathrow held an open community event, inspired by Hawaiian culture and food. Invited guests were able to enjoy free live musical performances, interactive family friendly games and booths, Hawaiian cuisine and beverages; an event inspiring social bonds within the community.    Erianne Celestino – UK bureau    

UK to offer monkeypox vaccine to control spread

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The UK Health Security Agency on Tuesday recommended that some gay and bisexual men at higher risk of contracting monkeypox should be offered a vaccine to control an outbreak. A total of 793 cases of the chickenpox-like disease have been recorded across the country as of Monday, the public health body said. Head of immunisation Mary Ramsay said contact tracing had helped to limit the spread “but we are continuing […]

UK hit by biggest rail strike in over 30 years

  by Ben PERRY Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Rush-hour commuters in the UK faced chaos on Tuesday as railway workers launched the network’s biggest strike in more than three decades, forcing people to trek to work on foot, by bike, bus — or simply not bother at all. The RMT rail union argues the strikes are necessary as wages have failed to keep pace with UK inflation, which has hit a […]

Rolex worn during WWII ‘Great Escape’ sells for $189,000 in New York

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A Rolex watch worn by a British prisoner during the real-life “Great Escape” from the Nazi Stalag Luft III prisoner-of-war camp sold for $189,000 on Thursday in New York. The final sum for the timepiece, sold to an anonymous buyer, was less than the $200,000 and $400,000 expected by Christie’s. The watch was worn by Gerald Imeson on the night of March 24, 1944, when a group of Allied […]

INC holds “Neighborhood Appreciation Day” in Heathrow to mark Mental Health awareness month

  By Paul Jacob Erese and Love Ann Sison EBC United Kingdom To mark Mental Health Awareness Month last May, members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) in Heathrow, United Kingdom, hosted a Neighbourhood Appreciation Day as part of INCGiving socio-civic project. The Church and its members opened their doors to the local neighbourhood and surrounding communities in an effort to bring the community together in an uplifting, fun-filled family event. Many guests […]

Queen Elizabeth II kicks off historic jubilee celebrations

by Martine PAUWELS / Phil HAZLEWOOD / Valentine GRAVELEAU Agence France Presse    LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday kicked off the first of four days of celebrations marking her record-breaking 70 years on the throne, to cheering crowds of tens of thousands of people. But the 96-year-old sovereign’s appearance at the Platinum Jubilee — a milestone never previously reached by a British monarch — took its toll, forcing her to […]

Estimated 2 million have long Covid in UK: official data

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — An estimated two million people in the UK, which represents around three percent of the population, have reported experiencing so-called long Covid, official statistics showed Wednesday. Around 1.4 million of them said they first had Covid-19, or suspected they had the virus, at least 12 weeks previously, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It also found 826,000 of them first had coronavirus at least a year earlier, […]

Europe health official warns monkeypox cases could ‘accelerate’

  A top European health official warned Friday that cases of the rare monkeypox virus could accelerate in the coming months, as the virus spread across Europe. WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said that “as we enter the summer season… with mass gatherings, festivals and parties, I am concerned that transmission could accelerate”. The virus, which causes distinctive pustules but is rarely fatal, has previously been seen in central and west Africa. But […]