By , LONDON (Reuters) - Junior minister Douglas Ross resigned from the British government on Tuesday over the handling of accusations that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s senior adviser had broken the coronavirus lockdown by travelling for help with childcare.Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s closest aide, refused to resign on Monday, saying he had done nothing wrong by driving 250 miles to northern England when Britain was under a strict lockdown.Johnson’s defence of Cummings, a key figure in his successful campaign to leave the European Union, has stirred anger in his Conservative Party, with...…By , LONDON (Reuters) - Junior minister Douglas Ross resigned from the British government on Tuesday over the handling of accusations that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s senior adviser had broken the coronavirus lockdown by travelling for help with childcare.Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s closest aide, refused to resign on Monday, saying he had done nothing wrong by driving 250 miles to northern England when Britain was under a strict lockdown.Johnson’s defence of Cummings, a key figure in his successful campaign to leave the European Union, has stirred anger in his Conservative Party, with...WW…

By , WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd [VA.UL] is seeking protection from creditors in the United States under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, which allows a foreign debtor to shield assets in this country, according to a court filing on Tuesday.Virgin Atlantic’s filing in U.S. bankruptcy court in the southern district of New York said it has negotiated a deal with stakeholders “for a consensual recapitalization” that will get debt off its balance sheet and “immediately position it for sustainable long-term growth.”In July, Virgin Atlantic said it has agreed...…By , WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd [VA.UL] is seeking protection from creditors in the United States under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, which allows a foreign debtor to shield assets in this country, according to a court filing on Tuesday.Virgin Atlantic’s filing in U.S. bankruptcy court in the southern district of New York said it has negotiated a deal with stakeholders “for a consensual recapitalization” that will get debt off its balance sheet and “immediately position it for sustainable long-term growth.”In July, Virgin Atlantic said it has agreed...WW…

By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is closely watching rises in coronavirus cases in other European destinations such as France and Germany after slapping a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spain at the height of the summer vacation season.The imposition of a British quarantine on Spain is one of the starkest indications to date that Europe could face a second wave of economic turmoil as governments scramble to head off a rise in cases from the Mediterranean to the North Sea.Shares in airlines and travel companies - already on their knees due to coronavirus lockdowns - tumbled while Spain...…By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is closely watching rises in coronavirus cases in other European destinations such as France and Germany after slapping a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spain at the height of the summer vacation season.The imposition of a British quarantine on Spain is one of the starkest indications to date that Europe could face a second wave of economic turmoil as governments scramble to head off a rise in cases from the Mediterranean to the North Sea.Shares in airlines and travel companies - already on their knees due to coronavirus lockdowns - tumbled while Spain...WW…

By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is closely watching rises in coronavirus cases in other European destinations such as France and Germany after slapping a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spain at the height of the summer vacation season.The imposition of a British quarantine on Spain is one of the starkest indications to date that Europe could face a second wave of economic turmoil as governments scramble to head off a rise in cases from the Mediterranean to the North Sea.Shares in airlines and travel companies - already on their knees due to coronavirus lockdowns - tumbled while Spain...…By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is closely watching rises in coronavirus cases in other European destinations such as France and Germany after slapping a 14-day quarantine on travellers from Spain at the height of the summer vacation season.The imposition of a British quarantine on Spain is one of the starkest indications to date that Europe could face a second wave of economic turmoil as governments scramble to head off a rise in cases from the Mediterranean to the North Sea.Shares in airlines and travel companies - already on their knees due to coronavirus lockdowns - tumbled while Spain...WW…

By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Monday that China has questions to answer over the information it shared about the novel coronavirus outbreak, but refused to comment on reports that a U.S.-led intelligence consortium had a accused Beijing of a cover-up.The United States has scaled up its rhetoric over Chinese culpability for the novel coronavirus in recent days, with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying on Sunday there was evidence the disease emerged from a Chinese lab.U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded the virus was not man-made or genetically modified. Washington has...…By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Monday that China has questions to answer over the information it shared about the novel coronavirus outbreak, but refused to comment on reports that a U.S.-led intelligence consortium had a accused Beijing of a cover-up.The United States has scaled up its rhetoric over Chinese culpability for the novel coronavirus in recent days, with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying on Sunday there was evidence the disease emerged from a Chinese lab.U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded the virus was not man-made or genetically modified. Washington has...WW…

By , , LONDON (Reuters) - One of the world’s leading COVID-19 experimental vaccines produces an immune response in both young and old adults, raising hopes of a path out of the gloom and economic destruction wrought by the novel coronavirus.The vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, also triggers lower adverse responses among the elderly, British drug maker AstraZeneca Plc, which is helping manufacture the vaccine, said on Monday.A vaccine that works is seen as a game-changer in the battle against the novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 1.15 million people, shuttered...…By , , LONDON (Reuters) - One of the world’s leading COVID-19 experimental vaccines produces an immune response in both young and old adults, raising hopes of a path out of the gloom and economic destruction wrought by the novel coronavirus.The vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, also triggers lower adverse responses among the elderly, British drug maker AstraZeneca Plc, which is helping manufacture the vaccine, said on Monday.A vaccine that works is seen as a game-changer in the battle against the novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 1.15 million people, shuttered...WW…

By , The Regal cinema owner, which began reopening in July after COVID-19 lockdown restrictions started to ease, employs 37,482 people across 787 venues in the U.S., Britain and central Europe, with 546 sites in America.“We can confirm we are considering the temporary closure of our U.K. and US cinemas, but a final decision has not yet been reached. Once a decision has been made we will update all staff and customers as soon as we can,” the company said.Earlier, a person familiar with the situation had gone further, saying Cineworld would close all its U.S., UK and Ireland screens this...…By , The Regal cinema owner, which began reopening in July after COVID-19 lockdown restrictions started to ease, employs 37,482 people across 787 venues in the U.S., Britain and central Europe, with 546 sites in America.“We can confirm we are considering the temporary closure of our U.K. and US cinemas, but a final decision has not yet been reached. Once a decision has been made we will update all staff and customers as soon as we can,” the company said.Earlier, a person familiar with the situation had gone further, saying Cineworld would close all its U.S., UK and Ireland screens this...WW…

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comLONDON, April 11 (Reuters) - England's shops, hairdressers, gyms and pub gardens will reopen on Monday in what Prime Minister Boris Johnson said was a "major step" towards freedom from the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.Hundreds of thousands of businesses have been closed since early January when England entered a third lockdown to stem surging infections driven by the "Kent" variant of the virus.A vaccination campaign that has delivered a first shot to well over half of adults and lockdown measures have cut deaths by more than 95%...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comLONDON, April 11 (Reuters) - England's shops, hairdressers, gyms and pub gardens will reopen on Monday in what Prime Minister Boris Johnson said was a "major step" towards freedom from the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.Hundreds of thousands of businesses have been closed since early January when England entered a third lockdown to stem surging infections driven by the "Kent" variant of the virus.A vaccination campaign that has delivered a first shot to well over half of adults and lockdown measures have cut deaths by more than 95%...WW…

By , , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will have to slow its COVID-19 vaccine rollout next month due to a supply crunch caused by a delay in a shipment of millions of AstraZeneca shots from India and the need to test the stability of an additional 1.7 million doses.Supply constraints are the biggest threat to Britain’s vaccine rollout - currently the swiftest among the world’s major economies - and health officials warned that the programme would face a significant reduction in supplies from March 29.“It is true that in the short term we’re receiving fewer vaccines than we had planned for a week...…By , , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will have to slow its COVID-19 vaccine rollout next month due to a supply crunch caused by a delay in a shipment of millions of AstraZeneca shots from India and the need to test the stability of an additional 1.7 million doses.Supply constraints are the biggest threat to Britain’s vaccine rollout - currently the swiftest among the world’s major economies - and health officials warned that the programme would face a significant reduction in supplies from March 29.“It is true that in the short term we’re receiving fewer vaccines than we had planned for a week...WW…

By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will introduce border checks with the European Union in stages from Jan. 1, reversing an original plan so it can now give companies struggling with the coronavirus crisis more time to fill out forms and pay tariffs.Slideshow The government said for the first six months of 2021 the new requirements would be introduced in stages, recognising the impact of COVID-19 as companies prepare for new customs systems with Britain’s biggest trading partner.This is a U-turn from February when Britain said it planned to introduce import controls on EU goods at the border...…By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will introduce border checks with the European Union in stages from Jan. 1, reversing an original plan so it can now give companies struggling with the coronavirus crisis more time to fill out forms and pay tariffs.Slideshow The government said for the first six months of 2021 the new requirements would be introduced in stages, recognising the impact of COVID-19 as companies prepare for new customs systems with Britain’s biggest trading partner.This is a U-turn from February when Britain said it planned to introduce import controls on EU goods at the border...WW…