Brexit Day latest: U.K. marks its final hours in the E.U. - The Washington Post

Andy Rain EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Union flags line Parliament Square in London on Friday.

Brexit Day has arrived. At 11 p.m. in London, Britain formally leaves the European Union. Here’s what to know:

● Prime Minister Boris Johnson kicks things off with a Cabinet meeting in Sunderland, the first city to back Brexit in 2016.

● Johnson will carefully calibrate his celebration tonight, focusing on unity and moving forward in a televised speech; hardcore Brexiteers have planned a more raucous party in Parliament Square.

● The biggest change? British members of the European Parliament lose their jobs. Otherwise, everything will look pretty much the same until at least the end of 2020.

LONDON — Well, that wasn’t easy. But after 1,317 days, three prime ministers, two blown exit dates, dozens of votes in Parliament and years of negotiation, Britain will finally leave the European Union on Friday.

Brexit Day — or Brexit Night? — is finally here. At 11 p.m. London time, or midnight in Brussels, Britain is officially out, after almost five decades with the closest of ties to Europe.

The United Kingdom will now go it alone — and either roar ahead with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s vision for a can-do “Global Britain,” or the country will find itself diminished, economically, and as a solo player on the world stage.

The British prime minister and Brexit cheerleader has been searching for the right tone to mark such a profound moment in Britain’s history, at a time when the country remains deeply divided on the issue.

He doesn’t want to gloat — as pollsters find that more than half the country oppose Brexit. But he does want to mark the moment.

[How to mark Brexit Day? Boris Johnson is searching for the right tone.]

Johnson on Friday will hold a meeting with his top leadership team Sunderland in the north of England, a symbolic gesture given that the city was the first to declare in favor of Brexit during the 2016 E.U. referendum.

Later in the evening, an hour before the official departure, Johnson will broadcast a prerecorded speech to the nation from his office in 10 Downing Street, where he will attempt to strike an upbeat note and also promise to heal a divided country.

There won’t be any bongs from Big Ben — it’s under renovation. But there will be a light show that will focus on the union — England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — and a new 50-pence coin will enter into circulation.

Britain’s leaving will profoundly change its relationship with Europe and the rest of the world. But that will barely be felt by the average citizen, as Britain enters an 11-month transition period, where it will continue to obey the rules of the E.U., even though it’s no longer helping to make them.

[What changes after Brexit Day on Jan. 31?]

Through the end of 2020, negotiators in Brussels and London will seek to hammer out a new trade deal and come to terms with pacts for data-sharing, security, fisheries, aviation, banking and much, much more. Or at least that is the plan.

Kenzo Tribouillard

AFP via Getty Images

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President David Sassoli and European Council President Charles Michel arrive for a meeting near the European Parliament building in Brussels on Friday.

A joint letter published on Friday by E.U. leaders — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council leader Charles Michel, and European Parliament President David Sassoli — signaled that they will fight for their interests in upcoming talks.

“Without the free movement of people, there can be no free movement of capital, goods and services,” they wrote. “Without a level playing field on environment, labour, taxation and state aid, there cannot be the highest quality access to the single market. Without being a member, you cannot retain the benefits of membership.”

E.U. citizens in Britain, and Brits living elsewhere in Europe, will benefit from freedom of movement until the end of the year, but they will need to apply for residency rights if they plan to continue living outside their home country. The estimated 3.6 million E.U. citizens who call the U.K. home will have to apply for “settled status” by next June, otherwise they will be living in the country unlawfully.

[One of the biggest impacts of Brexit? An end to freedom of movement.]

The fact that the U.K. is still deeply split over the issue of Brexit is reflected not just in the polls, but also in Friday’s celebrations.

Steve Baker, a leading Brexiteer, told Parliament: “I will celebrate. I will allow myself a smile, I’ll allow myself that glass of champagne, I will enjoy myself. But I will celebrate discreetly, and I will celebrate in a way which is respectful of the genuine sorrow that others are feeling at the same time.”

Nigel Farage, leader of the Brexit Party, is hosting a party in Parliament Square. He tweeted on Friday, “At last the day comes when we break free. A massive victory for the people against the establishment.”

Alastair Grant

AP

Free apples with the Union Jack are handed out to promote British produce in Parliament Square.

There are also a number of pro-E.U. events around the country. In Dundee, supporters are gathering to ask the E.U. to “Leave a light on for Scotland.” In Bournemouth, people are meeting in the town square to “Shine A Light For Our Rights.” Pro-E.U. supporters in Oxford are gathering outside of the town hall, where they will hand out croissants and hold a candlelit vigil.

In Northern Ireland, there’s a protest planned in Armagh, which is close to the border with the Republic of Ireland.

In the 2016 Brexit referendum, England and Wales voted to leave, and Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain.

In Brussels — the home to Brits who have devoted their careers to the European Union, and to the Europeans who have lived and worked alongside them for decades — there were few celebrations planned Friday, with all but a handful of Brexit Party lawmakers mourning the departure.

[On Brexit Day, Britain’s ‘remainers’ to host sad dinner parties, while ‘leavers’ celebrate in Parliament Square]

The U.K. flag was still flying outside the E.U. headquarters on Friday, with plans to lower it, quietly and unceremoniously, sometime between Friday night and Monday morning. Janitors have been instructed to take away the British seat at E.U. meeting tables over the weekend, now that only 27 chairs will be needed. E.U. security staff are scrubbing their databases on Friday, so that British diplomats can no longer access internal E.U. documents or use their ID cards to enter E.U. buildings. Already on Thursday, an email was sent to E.U. staffers reminding them that they should no longer share documents with British officials.

Some commemorations started early. On Thursday, the city of Brussels lit the 18th-century Grand Place in the red, blue and white of the Union Jack, wheeled out a bright-red British telephone booth where visitors could take photos, and threw a concert with British hits.

Geert Vanden Wijngaert

Bloomberg

Brussels’ Grand Place is lit with the red, white and blue of the Union Jack on Thursday.

The Brussels public transportation system made a video with a wistful soundtrack that highlighted all the tram stops in the city that are named after British people and places — Liverpool, Churchill, Montgomery — many of which commemorate Britain’s role in liberating Belgium from Nazi occupation.

“Mind the gap when leaving,” the video ended, a play on the frequent warning on the London tube.

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The one cheerful group was the Brexit Party delegation of European lawmakers, many of whom marched out of the European Parliament for the final time Friday morning waving British flags and accompanied by a raucous bagpiper. (Never mind that bagpipes are most-commonly identified with Scotland, which may yet decide to break free of the United Kingdom in a bid to rejoin the E.U..)

“Yay, Brexit!” they chanted.

Others in Brussels were less “yah” than “bummer.”

In Place Luxembourg, the bar-ringed square outside the European Parliament building in Brussels, a British member of the European Parliament, Magid Magid, gathered supporters for a “Brexit’s S***, but Let’s Party Anyway” event on Thursday evening.

[Adieu, E.U.: British reps pack their bags as European Parliament approves Brexit]

Braving a Brussels drizzle, Magid pretended to officiate weddings between British citizens and E.U. nationals to help the Brits keep E.U. citizenship. Two Mini Coopers festooned with European flags and the phrase “Bollocks to Brexit” were parked near the bars.

“There is now a nasty political culture, and I really think things will get worse in the coming years,” said Calum Thomson, 24, who was sipping beers on Place Luxembourg on Thursday night as he wore the blue, gold-starred E.U. flag as a cape around his neck.

He said he was going to French and Dutch classes four nights a week — after work as an intern at a Brussels think tank — because he didn’t want to return to Britain. He said he was Scottish and in favor of breaking free and rejoining the E.U.

Birnbaum reported from Brussels. Quentin Ariès in Brussels also contributed to this report.

Read more

On Brexit Day, Britain’s ‘remainers’ to host sad dinner parties, while ‘leavers’ celebrate in Parliament Square

Adieu, E.U.: British reps pack their bags as European Parliament approves Brexit

What changes after Brexit Day on Jan. 31?

One of the biggest impacts of Brexit? An end to freedom of movement.

How to mark Brexit Day? Boris Johnson is searching for the right tone.

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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2020-01-31 13:05:00Z
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Prince Harry loses complaint against UK tabloid newspaper - CNN

The story, published by the Mail on Sunday in April, claimed that a series of photos taken by the Duke of Sussex and posted online to mark Earth Day were misleading, because they didn't make clear that the animals had been tranquilized.

Harry complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation about the accuracy of the story, but the watchdog threw the case out Thursday, saying the newspaper did not breach the organization's code of practice.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the decision.

According to a statement issued by the watchdog, Harry argued the full unedited photos were published on the royal family website in 2016 and have been available for anyone to see. He also said that he posted the photographs on Instagram to raise awareness -- not to show off his wildlife photography skills.

Harry argued the caption made clear that the animals were being relocated as part of conservation efforts, adding that it was not necessary to explicitly state that the animals had been sedated or tethered as this would be understood by readers.

The story in the Mail on Sunday was headlined "Drugged and tethered... what Harry didn't tell you about those awe-inspiring wildlife photos."

The article said that the elephant in the photo had been tethered and that the duke's Instagram followers would have been unable to see a rope around the elephant's legs because of the way the photo was cropped. It added that a spokesperson for Harry had declined to discuss the photos.

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have had a rough relationship with sections of British press ever since their relationship became public.

They spoke out against what they say is the relentless and aggressive coverage of Meghan specifically, some of which Prince Harry has described as containing "racial undertones."

The couple has launched several lawsuits against British newspapers. Last October, Meghan sued the Mail on Sunday for publishing private letters to her father, which the couple said were selectively edited. Days later Prince Harry sued the owners of The Sun and the Daily Mirror for allegedly hacking his voicemails.

In a lengthy statement at the time, Prince Harry alleged the British tabloid press was waging a campaign against Meghan that mirrored the treatment meted out to his mother, Princess Diana, who was hounded by the paparazzi until her death in 1997.

"I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person," Harry said in October. "I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces."

CNN's Hadas Gold contributed to this article.

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2020-01-31 12:36:00Z
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Brexit Live Updates: U.K.’s Final Hours in the E.U. - The New York Times

Here’s what you need to know:

• Britain approaches a historic change.
• “Dawn of a new era”: Johnson’s planned speech on Britain’s next act.
• Front pages reveal a divided Britain.
• Christine Lagarde offers reassurances, even as the specter of recession looms.
• E.U. leaders lament the loss and look to the future.

Flags were hung along the Mall, the ceremonial avenue leading up to Buckingham Palace in London, as part of the government’s muted celebrations.Credit...Mary Turner for The New York Times

Britain approaches a historic change.

At 11 p.m. on Friday — midnight in Brussels, and 6 p.m. in New York — Britain will officially depart from the European Union, 1,317 days after voting in favor of leaving the bloc in a referendum that plunged the country into a three-year-long debate over its future.

While this will be the official end of 47 years of Britain’s membership in what became the European Union, very little is set to change immediately. It’s the beginning of a transition period, scheduled to end on Dec. 31, during which London and Brussels must hash out the details of Britain’s future relationship with its European neighbors. Still, the moment carries enormous legal and symbolic weight.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his cabinet were to begin their day with a meeting in Sunderland, the city in northern England that was the first to announce it had voted in favor of leaving the European Union on the night of the 2016 referendum.

It was the first of a handful of celebratory, but noticeably muted, official events to mark the day, suggesting that a pro-Brexit government is seeking to avoid the appearance of gloating. In the referendum, 48 percent of voters wanted to remain part of the European Union, and later polls suggest that number may have grown since.

Flags will line Parliament Square and The Mall, the ceremonial avenue leading to Buckingham Palace, and government buildings will be lit up in the red, white and blue of the Union Jack.

A countdown clock will be projected onto the front of 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s official residence, along with a commemorative light display to “symbolize the strength and unity” of the four nations of the United Kingdom, the government said.

But a campaign for a celebratory 11 p.m. chime from Big Ben — the great bell of Parliament’s clock tower, which is currently silenced for restoration work — did not succeed.

In Brussels, the three presidents of the European Union institutions will give a joint statement Friday morning, expected to reflect a jointly published article in which they detail a hopeful future for the union.

“Dawn of a new era”: Johnson’s planned speech on Britain’s next act.

In the years of debate over Britain’s exit from the European Union, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was never one for nuance, even declaring that he would “rather be dead in a ditch” than see Brexit delayed again.

But as the hour of reckoning approaches, Downing Street has been remarkably subdued, not wanting to rub salt in the still raw wounds of those who desperately wanted to remain — about half the country.

When he addresses the nation tonight at 10 p.m., Mr. Johnson will attempt to strike a hopeful and conciliatory note.

“Our job as the government, my job, is to bring this country together and take us forward,” he will say, according to excerpts released by his office. “This is not an end but a beginning. This is the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act.”

Of course, the next year of negotiations over Britain’s future trade relationship with the European Union will play a large role in determining what that new act might look like.

But that concern was for another day. Mr. Johnson, instead, will use his remarks to convince the public that Brexit is “not an end but a beginning.”

“This is the dawn of a new era in which we no longer accept that your life chances — your family’s life chances — should depend on which part of the country you grow up in,” he will tell the nation. “This is the moment when we begin to unite and level up.”

Front pages reveal a divided Britain.

The front pages of the country’s main newspapers offered several interpretations of Britain’s final day in the European Union.

Some celebrated the coming of a new dawn while others offered a bleak picture of the twilight of an era of cooperation.

“Yes, We Did It!” declared the tabloid Daily Express, while The Daily Mail, another conservative, pro-Brexit paper, lauded “A New Dawn for Britain,” with a photograph of the sunbathed white cliffs of Dover, 62 miles from the French coast.

The liberal and pro-European Guardian offered the headline “Small island,” with a miniature union flag planted in a crumbling sand castle on a beach, the same white cliffs visible in the distance. What comes next is uncertain, the paper wrote, calling Brexit the biggest gamble in a generation.

The I, another paper with liberal leanings, had “U.K.’s leap into the unknown” overlaid on a satellite view of Western Europe at night, a perspective that emphasized Britain’s physical closeness to its European Union neighbors.

The headline on the Edinburgh-based The Scotsman was “Farewell, not goodbye,” with the British, Scottish and European flags — a nod to reinvigorated calls for Scottish independence from Britain. Scots voted against independence in a 2014 referendum, but then voted strongly to remain in European Union two years later.

That divergence from England has helped fuel calls for a second referendum on Scottish independence, with the suggestion that an independent Scotland could then rejoin the European Union.

For those Britons already missing Europe, The Times of London promoted a travel supplement full of European escapes and the “Best places to stay in touch with the Continent.” And, finally, The Daily Star saw a reason to celebrate, but not the one other tabloids were highlighting.

“Tonight is a TRULY HISTORIC moment for our great nation,” blared the cover of what it called a souvenir edition. “That’s right, it’s the end of dry January.”

Christine Lagarde offers reassurances, even as the specter of recession looms.

Christine Lagarde, Europe’s top central banker, said she was sorry that Britain was leaving the European Union, but offered assurances that the split could take place without disrupting the financial system.

“It is with great regret that we see our British friends leave the European Union,” Ms. Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, said in a statement. “We will work hard to ensure Brexit causes as little disruption as possible for the citizens, employers and financial markets in the euro area and the rest of the E.U.”

The European Central Bank and the Bank of England have already set up a system to swap pounds and euros to ensure that banks don’t run short of either currency. Bank regulators on both sides have agreed to continue sharing information. And the European Central Bank has already issued licenses for 25 banks relocating from Britain to the euro currency zone.

Britain was never a member of the eurozone. But as a member of the European Union it contributed about 58 million euros, or $64 million, to the European Central Bank’s capital. It will now get that money back.

But fears that Brexit could hurt the European economy may already be proving justified. The eurozone grew only 0.1 percent during the last three months of 2019 compared with the previous quarter, according to official statistics published on Friday.

That was a significant slowdown from previous quarters and meant that the 19 countries in the eurozone grew only 1.2 percent during last year, according to a preliminary estimate.

“The specter of recession is back,” Christoph Weil, an economist at Commerzbank in Frankfurt, said in a note to investors on Friday.

Eurostat, the official statistics agency, didn’t give a reason for the slowdown. But one factor was probably the uncertainty caused by Brexit, which has made businesses hesitant to hire or to invest in expansion. Trade between the European Union and Britain has also shrunk since the country voted to leave.

E.U. leaders lament the loss and look to the future.

In an opinion article published across the European press, the presidents of the three main European Union institutions called Brexit Friday a “new dawn” for Europe.

After offering kind words on Britain’s departure, Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission, Charles Michel of the European Council and David Sassoli of the European Parliament tried to strike an upbeat tone.

“We need to look to the future and build a new partnership between enduring friends,” they wrote. “Together, our three institutions will do everything in their power to make it a success. We are ready to be ambitious.”

The article was published alongside a cheery video touting the European Union’s economic and climate-friendly credentials and maintaining that its remaining 27 members were “#strongertogether.”

Brussels wants the message to be clear, because while Britain’s departure has yet to inspire strong withdrawal movements in other countries, as some expected immediately after the 2016 referendum, many Europeans are disillusioned with the project of ever closer union.

“We have a common vision of where we want to go and a commitment to be ambitious on the defining issues of our times,” the three presidents said. “That work continues as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.”

Megan Specia, Elian Peltier, Jack Ewing, Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Michael Wolgelenter contributed reporting.

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2020-01-31 11:48:45Z
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Coronavirus infections increase, flight carrying passengers from China set to arrive in UK - Fox News

A flight carrying 110 British and foreign nationals flew out of China on Friday and is expected to arrive at Royal Air Force Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at 1 p.m. (8 a.m. EST), according to the British Government.

“We know how distressing the situation has been for those waiting to leave,” Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a notice. “We have been working round the clock to clear the way for a safe departure. The welfare of those trapped and public safety have been our overriding priorities."

The plane will then travel to Spain where the passenger's home countries will take responsibility for them, the notice said. Chinese officials had originally blocked the flight on Thursday morning, which expected to leave Wuhan with 200 people.

Travelers wear face masks as they prepare to board a train at the Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.  (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Meanwhile, people in China are defying a lockdown by leaving and entering a bridge over the Yangzte River in Hubei province -- the country's virus epicenter. It's been on lockdown for vehicles, but people could still get out in "special circumstances," according to Reuters.

Weeks after China announced the outbreak of the coronavirus, the international community has increased measures to prevent a widespread epidemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global emergency as it spreads to countries outside of China and the number of infected patients continues to grow.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), talks to the media at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020.  (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Countries around the globe have increased travel restrictions to the infected mainland China and Hubei province -- with the U.S. State Department increasing its advisory to level 4: "Do Not Travel."

STATE DEPARTMENT, CITING CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, RAISES CHINA TRAVEL ADVISORY: 'DO NOT TRAVEL'

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have advised travelers to avoid all nonessential travel to the country.

Coronavirus has now infected more people in China than were sickened during the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s. No deaths have been reported outside of the country.

This illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January 2020 shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). This virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP)

Here are the latest figures.

How many have been infected or have died?

The death toll from the virus has increased to 213 on Friday, with a total of 9,692 infected. The number of cases has increased more than tenfold in a week, with 43 new deaths reported on Friday, the most in a 24-hour-period.

TRUMP SAYS US WORKING CLOSELY WITH CHINA ON CORONAVIRUS

Where is the virus?

Roughly 99 percent of new cases have appeared in China with the vast majority of the cases in Hubei province and its provincial capital, Wuhan. The virus has been reported in at least 16 countries globally.

The United States currently has six cases of the virus: two in California, one in Arizona, one in Washington and two in Illinois, health officials say. The sixth case was confirmed Thursday in a Chicago resident, who is the spouse of the first confirmed travel-related case in Illinois. The new case marks the first in the U.S. that occurred via person-to-person transmission, CDC officials said.

The United Kingdom announced on Friday it has two cases of the virus, who are reportedly members of the same family.

"The patients are receiving specialist NHS [National Health Service] care, and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus," said Chris Whitty, England's Chief Medical Officer.

France -- 5 cases

Thailand -- 14

Australia -- 9

Germany -- 4

Canada -- 3

Japan -- 14

Malaysia -- 8

South Korea -- 6

Taiwan -- 9

United Arab Emirates -- 4

Vietnam -- 4

Sri Lanka -- 1

Philippines -- 1

Nepal -- 1

Malaysia -- 7

Finland --1

Cambodia -- 1

India -- 1

Singapore -- 13

Italy -- 2

What are the current travel restrictions?

Officials at the CDC have advised travelers to avoid all nonessential travel to the country. The U.S. State Department raised its China travel advisory to "Level 4: Do Not Travel." The U.S. expanded the screening of travelers arriving from Wuhan from five to 20 airports.

"Those currently in China should consider departing using commercial means. The Department of State has requested that all non-essential U.S. government personnel defer travel to China in light of the novel coronavirus,"  The advisory said.

HOW IS CORONAVIRUS TRANSMITTED?

Pakistan says they're halting all flights to and from China until Feb. 2.

Singapore said it would ban travelers from China's Hubei province.

The United Kingdom and New Zealand also advised their people against nonessential travel to China.

Russia has signed an order to close the border between them and China. They also blocked tour groups from China.

China has cut off access to Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, trapping more than 50 million people.

Italy suspended all flights to China

South Korea urged an increase in its level of caution to "restraint" when traveling to China.

Hong Kong reduced half its flights and shut down rail service to mainland China.

United Airlines, the largest U.S. airline to China suspended some flights to hub cities in China and reduced daily departures from 12 to four.

United's pilots, concerned for their safety, will be able to drop trips to China without pay, a union memo said, according to Reuters.

American Airlines suspended L.A. flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing.

The Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents 15,000 pilots for American Airlines filed a lawsuit to halt service with the airline, citing “serious, and in many ways still unknown, health threats posed by the coronavirus."

"I am directing all APA pilots to cease flight operations between the United States and China," said APA president Eric Ferguson. "Until further notice, if you are scheduled, assigned, or reassigned a pairing into China, decline the assignment by calling your Chief Pilot or IOC Duty Pilot. Inform them you are declining in accordance with the CDC and WHO declarations."

AMERICAN AIRLINES SUED OVER CORONAVIRUS BY PLOT SEEKING TO CANCEL US-CHINA FLIGHTS

Delta airlines reducing flights to China from 42 per week to 21 per week

British Airways suspended all flights to and from mainland China.

Virgin Atlantic suspending operations to Shanghai for two weeks

Lufthansa suspending flights to and from China until Feb. 9

Air India and Seoul Air halting all flights to the country.

Egypt Air suspending all fights starting Feb. 1

Air France suspending all flights until Feb. 9

Finnair, Cathay Pacific, and Jetstar also stopping service.

Lion Air canceled 50 flights to China into February.

Air Canada suspending all direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai.

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Kenya Airways suspends all flights to China

The Associated Press contributed to the report

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2020-01-31 10:32:41Z
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UK confirms its first coronavirus cases - CNBC

A doctor at a community health station checks the body temperature of a visitor in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province Monday, Jan. 27, 2020.

Feature China | Barcroft Media | Getty Images

Two patients from the same family in England have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the country's chief medical officer.

In a statement Friday, England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said that the patients were now in the care of the country's National Health Service (NHS).

"We can confirm that two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive for coronavirus. The patients are receiving specialist NHS care, and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus," he said.

Whitty added that his team was "working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had," in order to prevent further spread.

No information was given on where in the England the patients were from.

The statement said the NHS in the United Kingdom had been preparing for U.K. cases of the new coronavirus strain and had put in place measures to respond.

"We are continuing to work closely with the World Health Organization and the international community as the outbreak in China develops to ensure we are ready for all eventualities," the statement added.

Following the release, Europe's bluechip Stoxx 600 shed its morning gains to sit around 0.1% lower. Shortly before 10 a.m. London time, the FTSE 100 was lower by around 0.5%.

At the moment a special quarantine unit for returning U.K. visitors from the Hubei province in China is being set up in the North West of England.

On Friday, China's official tally reported that the country had 9,692 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 213 deaths.

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2020-01-31 09:32:00Z
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Brexit: UK to quit EU at 23:00 GMT, as PM promises 'new dawn' - BBC News

The UK will leave the EU at 23:00 GMT, ending 47 years of membership.

In a video message to be released an hour earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will call Brexit - which follows more than three years of political wrangling - a "new dawn".

A series of events including marches, celebrations and candlelit vigils will be held by both Brexiteers and pro-EU demonstrators.

Little will change immediately, as the UK begins a "transition period".

Most EU laws will continue to be in force - including the free movement of people - until the end of December, by which time the UK aims to have reached a permanent free trade agreement with the EU.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged the country not to "turn inwards" and instead "build a truly internationalist, diverse and outward-looking Britain".

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the UK "must be united in a common vision for our country, however great our differences on achieving it".

Former Prime Minister David Cameron, who led the campaign to remain in the EU during the 2016 referendum, called it a "very big day for our country", adding that he believed the UK could "make a success of the choice that we made".

And Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said: "At last the day comes when we break free. A massive victory for the people against the establishment."

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Brexit was originally scheduled for 29 March last year but was repeatedly delayed when MPs rejected a previous withdrawal agreement reached by the EU and former Prime Minister Theresa May.

Mr Johnson was able to get his own deal through Parliament after winning December's general election with a House of Commons majority of 80, on a pledge to "get Brexit done".

This brought to an end more than three years of political argument, following the referendum, in which 52% of voters backed leaving the EU.

The prime minister will hold a cabinet meeting in Sunderland - the city that was the first to back Brexit when results were announced after the 2016 referendum - on Friday morning.

Mr Johnson, who led the 2016 campaign to get the UK out of the EU, will attempt to strike an optimistic, non-triumphalist note in his message, stressing the need to bring all sides together.

"The most important thing to say tonight is that this is not an end but a beginning," he will say in a message filmed in Downing Street.

"This is the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act. It is a moment of real national renewal and change."

Brexit Party MEPs, including Ann Widdecombe, left the European Parliament in Brussels led by a bagpiper.

Supporters of the EU are expected to take part in a procession through Whitehall at 15:00 GMT to "bid a fond farewell" to the union.

Later, Brexiteers will gather in Parliament Square for a celebration, and a clock counting down to the moment the UK leaves the EU will be projected on to Downing Street.

Buildings along Whitehall will be lit up and Union flags line Parliament Square.

A new commemorative 50p coin will also come into circulation to mark the UK's withdrawal.

However, Big Ben will not chime at 23:00 GMT due to ongoing renovation works.

In Brussels, the UK flag will be removed from the EU institutions, with one Union flag expected to be consigned to a museum.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen paid tribute to UK citizens who had "contributed to the European Union and made it stronger".

"It is the story of old friends and new beginnings now," she said. "Therefore it is an emotional day, but I'm looking forward to the next stage."

Upcoming negotiations would be "fair" but each side would fight for its interests, she added.

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Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney told Sky News he thought the EU and UK would struggle to reach a trade deal during the 11-month transition period, as there was "too much to agree".

In Scotland, which voted to stay in the EU in the 2016 referendum, candlelit vigils are planned.

And in a speech in Edinburgh later, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland was being "taken out of the European Union against the wishes of the overwhelming majority" of its people.

She argued that Scotland had "the prospect of a brighter, better future as an equal, independent European nation".

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For Labour, Mr Corbyn, who is due to stand down as party leader in April, said the UK was "at a crossroads", saying his party would "hold the government to account every step of the way".

Liberal Democrat acting leader Sir Ed Davey vowed his pro-EU party would "never stop fighting" to have the "closest possible relationship" with Europe.

He said it would be on a "damage-limitation exercise to stop a hard Brexit hurting British people".

Cabinet minister Michael Gove told BBC Breakfast he was "relieved" and "delighted" that Brexit was "at last coming to pass".

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2020-01-31 10:18:45Z
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Prince Harry loses complaint against UK tabloid newspaper - CNN

The story, published by the Mail on Sunday in April, claimed that a series of photos taken by the Duke of Sussex and posted online to mark Earth Day were misleading, because they didn't make clear that the animals had been tranquilized.

Harry complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation about the accuracy of the story, but the watchdog threw the case out Thursday, saying the newspaper did not breach the organization's code of practice.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the decision.

According to a statement issued by the watchdog, Harry argued the full unedited photos were published on the royal family website in 2016 and have been available for anyone to see. He also said that he posted the photographs on Instagram to raise awareness -- not to show off his wildlife photography skills.

Harry argued the caption made clear that the animals were being relocated as part of conservation efforts, adding that it was not necessary to explicitly state that the animals had been sedated or tethered as this would be understood by readers.

The story in the Mail on Sunday was headlined "Drugged and tethered... what Harry didn't tell you about those awe-inspiring wildlife photos."

The article said that the elephant in the photo had been tethered and that the duke's Instagram followers would have been unable to see a rope around the elephant's legs because of the way the photo was cropped. It added that a spokesperson for Harry had declined to discuss the photos.

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have had a rough relationship with sections of British press ever since their relationship became public.

They spoke out against what they say is the relentless and aggressive coverage of Meghan specifically, some of which Prince Harry has described as containing "racial undertones."

The couple has launched several lawsuits against British newspapers. Last October, Meghan sued the Mail on Sunday for publishing private letters to her father, which the couple said were selectively edited. Days later Prince Harry sued the owners of The Sun and the Daily Mirror for allegedly hacking his voicemails.

In a lengthy statement at the time, Prince Harry alleged the British tabloid press was waging a campaign against Meghan that mirrored the treatment meted out to his mother, Princess Diana, who was hounded by the paparazzi until her death in 1997.

"I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person," Harry said in October. "I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces."

CNN's Hadas Gold contributed to this article.

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2020-01-31 07:57:00Z
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