UK

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under fire after a visit to Scotland Thursday. Johnson made a joke that has gone down the wrong way with many compatriots. "Shameful", Scottish politicians call it.   Johnson had just visited a wind farm in Scotland's Moray East on Thursday when some journalists asked him about the energy transition in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister replied that a lot of progress had already been made, adding a joke. "Thanks to Margaret Thatcher, who has closed a large number of coal mines across the country, we have started early and are now getting rid of that coal quickly," he said with a laugh. But the closure of the coal mines is not something to be laughed at by the Scots. It was the UK's main industrial sector, and when Thatcher decided to clos...

Corona infections are increasing in Great Britain, but London is sticking to its easing plans. There is now also confusion on the subject of masks. Some call for "personal responsibility", others want to get rid of it quickly.   The British government has come under increasing criticism for contradicting messages about wearing masks after the planned end of all corona measures. "I think it's pretty confusing for people what the right thing to do now," Warwick University Infectious Disease Expert Mike Tildesley told BBC television on Monday. He hoped enough people weighed the risks themselves not to be a massive increase in infections. The immunologist Peter Openshaw from Imperial College London criticized the planned lifting of the mask requirement on the BBC 4 radio station. It is...

Prince Charles did support his son Prince Harry financially after he and Meghan Markle renounced the British royal family.   According to Harry, however, the money tap was immediately turned off at the beginning of last year when he left for the US. But that's not right. Documents with which the royal family has to account for its income and expenses, however, show that Charles still gave money to his youngest son. The heir apparent gave £4.5 million from his private income to his sons Harry and William last year. A portion was used to help Harry and his wife Meghan, a spokesperson said. The financial support did stop last summer.

The British government is introducing a hefty fine for British people who go on holiday abroad during corona time.   It concerns an amount of 5000 pounds. Not only holidaymakers risk such a fine. Under the new legislation, this can be imposed on anyone who leaves the country without a valid reason. The new rules have yet to be approved by parliament and will then remain in effect until June 30, Sky News reports. Chances are, however, that the English will be able to enjoy a holiday abroad before that date. Health Minister Matt Hancock does not rule out the premature relaxation of the rules for international travel. He thought it was too early to anticipate this because the coronavirus seems to be spreading more quickly in parts of Europe. The new law states that no one may "leav...

British health minister Matt Hancock is pleased with the pace of vaccinations in the country and notes that the first phase has been successfully completed.   Everyone over the age of 70 has been offered a vaccination, and 90 percent has responded positively to the offer. The country is now moving to the second phase of the vaccination program for the 65-70 age group. Most of the other target groups of phase one have also been vaccinated. They are social workers, employees in health facilities, and other National Health Service (NHS). Hancock called it "a milestone on the road to freedom for all of us". Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke over the weekend of 15 million vaccinations delivered faster than expected while the number of new infection cases is falling significantly. Hanc...