Europe

JetBlue sets date for start of flights between US and London

JetBlue Airways said Wednesday it will start transatlantic service late this summer, competing against bigger rivals on the lucrative route between New York and London.

Europe

Focus on local: London pub emerges from lockdown with gusto

LONDON — “You come here often?”

Europe

EXPLAINER: How worrying is the variant first seen in India?

LONDON — For the first time in months, people across England are meeting indoors at pubs, restaurants, cinemas, gyms and elsewhere as coronavirus rules were relaxed this week.

Middle East

The Latest: Biden expresses ‘support’ for Gaza cease-fire

WASHINGTON — The White House says President Joe Biden has expressed “support” for a cease-fire during a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Europe

Joy for UK pubs and hugs tempered by rise in virus variant

LONDON — Drinks were raised in toasts and reunited friends hugged each other as thousands of U.K. pubs and restaurants opened Monday for indoor service for the first time since early January. Yet the prime minister sounded a cautious tone, warning about a more contagious COVID-19 variant that threatens reopening plans.

New York

The Latest: Florida’s amusement parks loosen mask wearing

ORLANDO, Fla. — Visitors to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios-Orlando were allowed Saturday to remove their masks when outdoors, except when on attractions, in line or riding transportation.

Europe

Spotify co-owner Ek says Kroenkes reject bid to buy Arsenal

LONDON — Spotify co-owner Daniel Ek says a bid to buy Arsenal has been rejected by the Kroenke family which owns the London-based Premier League club.

Europe

Police fire tear gas on banned Palestinian march in Paris

PARIS — French riot police fired tear gas and used water cannons Saturday in Paris as protesters supporting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip defied a ban on marching in the French capital.

Europe

The Latest: New Mexico adopts CDC guidance on facemasks

SANTA FE, N.M. -- New Mexico has adopted guidance on facemasks from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that says fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks indoors or outside in most cases.

Business

The Latest: Philippine president eases lockdown in capital

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine president has eased a coronavirus lockdown in the bustling capital and adjacent provinces to fight economic recession and hunger but still barred public gatherings this month, when many Roman Catholic summer religious festivals are held.

Europe

UK apologizes for 1971 Belfast deaths; families want more

LONDON — A U.K. government minister stood before lawmakers Thursday and formally apologized for the killing of 10 civilians during unrest in Belfast half a century ago, as Britain and Northern Ireland struggle to come to terms with the events of the past...

Europe

Johnson ‘anxious’ over rise of Indian virus variant in UK

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday he was “anxious” about a rise in the U.K. of the coronavirus variant first identified in India, after a closely-monitored study of infections in England found the variant is becoming more prevalent just ahead of the next big easing of lockdown restrictions...

Europe

The Latest: Louisiana kids can start vaccinations Thursday

NEW ORLEANS — Children as young as 12 can expect to start getting Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday in Louisiana.

Europe

Boris Johnson’s office says court debt order ‘without merit’

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said Wednesday that a court order against Johnson over an allegedly unpaid debt is “totally without merit.”

Europe

UK foreign secretary calls for cooperation on cybersecurity

LONDON — U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Wednesday urged global cooperation to combat cyberattacks by “hostile state actors" and criminal gangs.

Europe

UK’s Johnson urged to bring forward inquiry into pandemic

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Wednesday that an independent public inquiry into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic will start hearing evidence next year. While welcoming the announcement, a leading group representing the bereaved thinks it should begin sooner...

Europe

UK government plan to toughen voter ID rules draws criticism

LONDON — The British government has announced contentious plans to toughen election voting rules by requiring photo identification at polling stations, a move it says will protect the democratic system against electoral fraud...

Europe

Dua Lipa wins big at Brits, urges health worker pay raise

LONDON — British singer Dua Lipa called for a “fair” pay raise for U.K. health workers as she was named a double winner at the Brit Awards in London on Tuesday night.

Europe

British PM seeks to bolster economy, union in new parliament

LONDON — The U.K. government sought to capitalize on its electoral strength Tuesday, outlining a sweeping legislative agenda to bolster the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, defuse tensions that threaten the country’s unity and combat social issues ranging from housing to care for older adults...

Europe

Fulham relegated from English Premier League after 1 season

LONDON — Fulham became the third and final team to be relegated from the English Premier League, with a 2-0 loss to Burnley sealing the London club’s return to the second-tier Championship on Monday...

Europe

UEFA has issues with CL switch to London, Portugal a backup

Playing the all-English Champions League final on home soil at Wembley is proving problematic. Instead, the players and fans of Chelsea and Manchester City could be headed to Portugal.

Europe

Hopes fade for minke whale stuck in River Thames near London

LONDON — Hopes faded Monday for a young minke whale who became trapped in the River Thames near London, authorities said.

Europe

UK standards watchdog looking into Johnson’s Mustique stay

LONDON — Britain’s parliamentary ethics watchdog confirmed Monday that she is investigating Prime Minister Boris Johnson over a vacation in the Caribbean just before the coronavirus pandemic.

Europe

Cautious cuddling? England to OK hugs as lockdown eases

LONDON — In England, it's going to be time to hug again.

Europe

Sturgeon: Scotland independence vote matter of when, not if

LONDON — Scotland's leader told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Sunday that a second Scottish independence referendum is “a matter of when, not if," after her party won its fourth straight parliamentary election...

Government and politics

Scottish government sets stage for another independence vote

LONDON — The Scottish National Party won its fourth straight parliamentary election on Saturday and insisted it will push on with another referendum on Scotland's independence from the U.K. even though it failed by one seat to secure a majority...

United Nations

The Latest: US to talk to WTO on wider vaccine distribution

WASHINGTON — The White House says the U.S. trade representative will begin talks with the World Trade Organization on ways to overcome intellectual property issues that are keeping critically needed COVID-19 vaccines from being more widely distributed.

Global trade

The Latest: 3rd meat plant shut down in UK local outbreak

LONDON — A meat processing plant in West Yorkshire has been shut down amid a localized outbreak of COVID-19, the third such site to shut down in the U.K. in recent days.

Michael Pence

The Latest: Coronavirus still spreading in 2nd S Korea wave

SEOUL, South Korea — The coronavirus continues to spread in South Korea, particularly in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan region, which is home to half the country’s 51 million people....

Prince Charles

Macron marks appeal that gave birth to French Resistance

LONDON — French President Emmanuel Macron marked Gen. Charles De Gaulle’s famed World War II appeal to resist the Nazis on Thursday in a special ceremony intended to invoke the deep...

United Nations

The Latest: Virus infections continue steady rise in S Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 59 COVID-19 cases as infections steadily rise in the capital area where half the country’s 51 million people live.

Tony Blair

Air Boris: Johnson’s plane gets red, white and blue makeover

LONDON — A Royal Air Force plane used by U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on official trips is getting a red, white and blue paint job at a cost of almost 1 million pounds ($1.25...

International News

Boris Johnson’s car hit in fender-bender; no injuries

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in a minor car crash on Wednesday after a protester ran in front of the vehicle as it left Parliament.

Opera

‘Hamilton,’ ‘Phantom’ will be off London stages until 2021

LONDON — Some of London’s biggest West End shows, including “Hamilton” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” won’t reopen until next year, producers announced Wednesday, as arts bodies warned that...

U.S. News

The Latest: New Zealand PM assigns military leader to border

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has assigned a top military leader to oversee the nation’s border quarantine measures after what she described as an...

Marcus Rashford

Rashford 1, Johnson 0: Soccer star wins U-turn on free meals

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an abrupt about-face Tuesday and agreed to keep funding meals for poor students over the summer holidays after young soccer star Marcus...

International News

UK begins coronavirus vaccine trial; France pledges funding

LONDON — Scientists at Imperial College London will start immunizing people in Britain this week with their experimental coronavirus shot, while pharmaceutical company Sanofi and the French...

International News

Internships get canceled or go virtual because of pandemic

LONDON — Yadeen Rashid was flying high in February. He’d just earned stellar grades in his latest semester at Virginia Tech university, where he’s in his third year double majoring in...

Religion

The Latest: New Zealand is no longer coronavirus-free

WELLINGTON, New Zealand —- New Zealand is no longer free from the new coronavirus after health officials say two women who flew from London to see a dying parent had tested positive....

Race and ethnicity

UK’s leader creates anti-racism panel; critics want more

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will establish a commission to look at racial equality in the U.K., a move that comes after two weeks of protests spurred by the death of...

England

‘We’ve missed it’: Long lines form outside shops in England

LONDON — Long lines stretched along streets and snaked around blocks across England as shops selling fashion, toys and other nonessential items welcomed customers on Monday for the first time...