Author: Danica Kirka

LONDON • Queen Elizabeth II stepped gingerly onto the Buckingham Palace balcony Thursday, drawing wild cheers from the tens of thousands who came to join her at the start of four days of celebrations of her 70 years on the throne. Her fans sported Union Jack flags, party hats or plastic tiaras. Some had camped…

BRUSSELS • Cutting off natural gas to Poland and Bulgaria cost Russian President Vladimir Putin very little — but it is adding stress on European countries wrestling with how to reduce the energy imports feeding the Kremlin’s war chest and how to keep a united front on the war in Ukraine. European Union officials say…

LONDON • British authorities recommended Wednesday that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine not be given to adults under 30 where possible because of strengthening evidence that the shot may be linked to rare blood clots. The recommendation came as regulators both in the United Kingdom and the European Union emphasized that the benefits of receiving the…

LONDON • Prince William insisted Thursday that his family is not racist as he became the first British royal to speak out about accusations of bigotry made by Prince Harry and Meghan, his brother and sister-in-law. William made the comments in response to questions shouted at him during a visit to an East London school.…

LONDON • Buckingham Palace said Tuesday that allegations of racism made this week by Prince Harry and Meghan were “concerning” and would be addressed privately by the royal family. The comments, made in a statement issued on behalf Queen Elizabeth II, are the first from the palace since a two-hour TV interview by Harry and…

LONDON (AP) — Capt. Tom Moore, the World War II veteran who walked into the hearts of a nation in lockdown as he shuffled up and down his garden to raise money for health care workers, has died after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 100. His family announced his death on Twitter, posting a…

LONDON • Britain became the first country in the world to authorize a rigorously tested COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday and could be dispensing shots within days — a historic step toward eventually ending the outbreak that has killed more than 1.4 million people around the globe. In giving the go-ahead for emergency use of the vaccine…

LONDON • Britain raised its terror threat level to severe on Tuesday, its second-highest level, after recent attacks in Austria and France. The threat level of severe means an attack in the United Kingdom is considered highly likely. The level had previously been at substantial, meaning an attack is thought to be likely. The decision…

LONDON • Three people were killed and six injured Wednesday when a passenger train derailed in northeast Scotland after heavy rain and flooding hit the area. The train driver was believed to be among the dead, British Transport Police said. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said that the train conductor was also believed killed.…

LONDON • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in stable condition with the coronavirus Tuesday in a hospital intensive care unit, where he was given oxygen but was breathing on his own without a ventilator, officials said. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has temporarily taken over many of the prime minister’s duties to lead the country’s…