Johnson is expected to set out a new system of "local COVID alert levels" of medium, high or very high, aimed at helping tailor restrictions for different parts of England.

Having a COVID-19-free pathway reduced the risk of complication or death by about half, researchers say.

The bill seeks to protect free trade between Britain's four nations once a Brexit transition period ends, but has soured relations with Brussels just as time is running out to reach a deal on their long-term relationship.

She fell into a live lane and only survived through pure luck, according to U.K. police.

With a splash of Plymouth gin, the U.S. ambassador to Britain officially launched a ship named Mayflower on Wednesday, 400 years to the day after a wooden vessel with that name sailed from an English port and changed the history of two continents.

Britain left the European Union on Jan. 31 but talks on new trade terms have made little headway as the clock ticks down to an October deadline.

Johnson's comments came hours after Britain's top public health officials issued a joint statement saying that children were more likely be harmed by staying away from school than from being exposed to COVID-19.

The data also showed the world's sixth-biggest economy entered a recession as it shrank for a second quarter in a row.

A ban on conversion therapy has been discussed for years, Crystal Goomansingh reports. But by 2020, no concrete action has been taken.

'We can't allow ourselves to be dragged along in the wake of another government's ... shambolic decision-making process,' said Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.