
The European Union is making a “final push” to strike a Brexit trade deal with Britain, although there are still deep rifts over fishing rights, the bloc’s chief negotiator said on Tuesday.

The World Health Organization cautioned against major alarm over a new, highly infectious variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in Britain, saying this was a normal part of a pandemic’s evolution.

Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac Biotech Ltd's Covid-19 vaccine has shown to be effective in late-stage trials in Brazil, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people involved in the vaccine's development.

Responding to calls from the leader of the Scottish Nationalists and the mayor of London, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will not make moves to extend the deadline to reach a post-Brexit deal with the European Union.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday sought to sound a note of calm saying he was working as fast as possible to unblock trade across the Channel after France shut its borders to UK haulers in a bid to contain a new variant of the coronavirus.

Argentina and Chile announced late Sunday that they are suspending flights from the UK after health officials in Britain confirmed that a new variant of the coronavirus was rapidly spreading in the country.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned the new mutant strain of the coronavirus is “out of control” and suggested parts of England will be stuck in the new highest tier of restrictions until a vaccine is rolled out.

Following are details of a new coronavirus variant that has been identified in the United Kingdom, given at a news conference by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Patrick Vallance, Britain's chief scientific adviser, and Chris Whitty, the chief medical adviser:

British lorry drivers crossing the Channel next month will face a new regulation that may be hard to swallow: a ban on ham-and-cheese sandwiches, the UK government has warned.

Some thirty countries have now joined the Global Ocean Alliance championing an international commitment for a minimum 30% of the global ocean to be protected through Marine Protected Areas by 2030.