England

LONDON, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Billions of dollars have been lost to fraud and error in Britain's support schemes in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, an official report revealed Wednesday.

The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons, the lower house of British Parliament, said the total losses from fraud and error across all COVID-19 state-backed business schemes are expected to be at least 15 billion pounds (20.4 billion U.S. dollars).

LONDON (AP) — Britain promised to hit Russia with “powerful” sanctions over its military confrontation with Ukraine. But the slim sheaf of measures announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson has disappointed allies and critics alike.

The U.K. has slapped asset freezes and travel bans on three wealthy Russians and sanctioned five Russian banks in response to President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine and to authorize sending in what he called “peacekeeping” troops.

LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Britain's elections watchdog asked the government on Monday to reconsider proposed changes to its oversight arrangements, warning they could impact its independence.

The government is hoping to pass wide-ranging legislation to update the laws around elections with what it calls the aim of protecting the health of Britain's democracy.

WINDSOR, England, Feb 21 (Reuters) - After the shame of Prince Andrew's U.S. sex abuse lawsuit and Prince Charles embroilment in a cash for honours scandal, Queen Elizabeth catching COVID-19 has rounded off a week of terrible news for the British royals.

Buckingham Palace said on Sunday the monarch, who turns 96 in two months, was suffering mild symptoms after testing positive for the virus. But growing health fears and scandals involving the family are threatening to overshadow national celebrations to mark her 70th anniversary on the throne.

LONDON, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- There have been more than 1 millon excess deaths in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Guardian said in a recent report.

The deaths are mainly attributable to COVID-19, as well as conditions that may have resulted from delayed medical care and overwhelmed health systems, the report quoted figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as saying.

LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and is experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms, Buckingham Palace said, adding that she still plans to carry on working. The diagnosis prompted concern and get-well wishes from across Britain’s political spectrum for the famously stoic 95-year-old.

Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a fixture in the life of the nation, the queen reached the milestone of 70 years on the throne on Feb. 6, the anniversary of the 1952 death of her father, King George VI. She will turn 96 on April 21.

LONDON (AP) — People with COVID-19 won’t be legally required to self-isolate in England starting in the coming week, the U.K. government has announced, as part of a plan for “living with COVID” that is also likely to see testing for the coronavirus scaled back.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ending all of the legal restrictions brought in to curb the spread of the virus will let people in the U.K. “protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms.” He is expected to lay out details of the plan in Parliament on Monday.

LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - An Atlantic storm battered Britain and Ireland on Friday with record winds of up to 122 miles per hour, killing at least one person, knocking out power for tens of thousands and shredding the roof of London's O2 arena.

Storm Eunice, which brewed in the central Atlantic and was spun up from the Azores towards Europe by the jet stream, posed a danger to life, Britain's Meteorological Office said.

LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Russia is ready to invade Ukraine but the Kremlin could use an unconventional attack on its former Soviet neighbour which might require the West to make a swift judgement call on the imposition of Russian sanctions, a senior Western official said.

Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine said on Friday they planned to evacuate their breakaway region's residents to Russia, a stunning turn in a conflict the West believes Moscow could use to justify an invasion of Ukraine.

LONDON (AP) — Millions of people in the U.K. were urged to cancel travel plans and stay indoors Friday as the second major storm this week prompted warnings of high winds and flying debris across northern Europe.

Britain’s weather service said Storm Eunice, known as Storm Zeynep in Germany, was likely to cause significant disruption and dangerous conditions, with gusts that may exceed 90 miles per hour in highly exposed coastal areas. The Met Office later said a 122 mph gust was recorded on the Isle of Wight, provisionally the strongest ever recorded in England.