England

07 August 2019; AFP: Britain was seeking to fast-track a crucial post-Brexit trade deal with the United States on Wednesday after new Prime Minister Boris Johnson dispatched his top diplomat and foreign trade minister to Washington.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was due to hold talks with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo at the State Department while the International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has lined up meetings with top American trade officials.

LONDON, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Two British pilots set off Monday on a pioneering quest to circumnavigate the globe in an original WWII fighter aircraft.

The two intrepid aviators -- Matt Jones and Steve Brooks -- have left Goodwood Aerodrome in order to attempt to fly a Silver Spitfire around the world to cover a distance of 27,000 miles (about 43,500 km), taking in some of the most famous landmarks on the planet from the Grand Canyon in the West to the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji in the East.

LONDON, August 3. /TASS/: The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office welcomes Washington’s second round of sanctions imposed on Russia over the Skripal case, new UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

"We welcome unwavering US support today, with the introduction of Chemical & Biological Weapons Sanctions in response to Russia’s use of a deadly nerve agent in Salisbury. Continued global response shows we will not stand & watch these horrific weapons be used without consequences," Raab wrote.

LONDON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A plea was made Sunday to Europe's top Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier to urge European Union leaders to re-open negotiations with Britain to avert a no-deal outcome.

The call was made by Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, one of the few top ministers to keep his job in the biggest ever cabinet reshuffle following Boris Johnson's arrival at 10 Downing Street.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s governing Conservative Party lost a special election early Friday, leaving it with a one-vote working majority in Parliament as Brexit looms.

In the Conservatives’ first electoral test since Johnson became prime minister nine days ago, the party was defeated for the seat of Brecon and Radnorshire in Wales by Jane Dodds of the opposition Liberal Democrats. Dodds won 43% of the vote, while Conservative Chris Davies, who was fighting to retain the seat after being convicted and fined for expenses fraud, got 39%.

LONDON (AP) — New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing his first electoral test — a special election that could see the Conservative government’s working majority in Parliament cut to just one vote.

Voters are electing a new lawmaker for the seat of Brecon and Radnorshire in Wales on Thursday after Conservative incumbent Chris Davies, was ousted. He was dumped by a petition of electors after being convicted of expenses fraud.

Davies is running to regain the seat but faces a strong challenge from the Liberal Democrats in a vote overshadowed by Brexit.

LONDON (AP) — New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday finished his rocky debut tour of the U.K. in Northern Ireland, where he faces a doubly difficult challenge of restoring the collapsed Belfast government and finding a solution for the Irish border after Brexit.

LONDON, Jul 31 (APP): The Commercial section of Pakistan High Commission London was planning to explore markets for Pakistani products in big retail stores of the United Kingdom (UK) to propel exports, a senior official said.

“We are making efforts to make the access of Pakistani products to mega retail stores of the United Kingdom to boost Pakistani exports and discussions were in progress with interested companies for making a comprehensive strategy in this regard”, Muhammad Shoaib Zafar, Commercial Consular at Pakistan High Commission London told APP here on Wednesday.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Wales on Tuesday as part of a national tour intended to reassure Britons that his hard-Brexit push won’t hurt the economy and rip apart the U.K.

Currency markets were far from reassured, however, as the pound slid to a new 28-month low. And Johnson faced a tough reception from farmers — a group central to the Welsh economy — who fear economic havoc if Britain leaves the European Union without a divorce deal. They say millions of sheep might have to be slaughtered if tariffs are slapped on lamb exports to the EU.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s largest business group is warning that neither the U.K. nor the European Union is prepared for the country to leave the 28-nation bloc without a deal.

The Confederation of British Industry released a report outlining 200 recommendations for both sides to accelerate Brexit preparations. It concludes that “the EU lags behind the U.K. in seeking to prevent the worst effects of a no-deal scenario.”