LONDON (AP) � The deputy leader of Britain’s main opposition party is refusing to apologize for calling the governing Conservatives “scum.� Labour Party lawmaker Angela Rayner called members of the government a “bunch of scum � homophobic, racist, misogynistic� during a reception Saturday at the party’s annual conference. The comment drew a reprimand from Labour

LONDON (AP) � Britain’s Conservative government is hoping a combination of relatively high vaccination rates and common-sense behavior will keep a lid on coronavirus infections this fall and winter and avoid the need for restrictive measures. That plan employs a lighter touch than most nations. Britain has recorded more than 135,000 coronavirus deaths. But it

LONDON (AP) � Britain doesn’t have enough truck drivers. The shortage is contributing to scarcity of everything from McDonald’s milkshakes to supermarket produce. Now energy firms are rationing supplies of gasoline and closing some petrol pumps. The government is scrambling to lure more people into what has long been an underpaid and underappreciated job. The

LONDON (AP) � James Bond star Daniel Craig has been made an honorary Commander in the Royal Navy. That’s the same rank held by the fictional secret agent in Ian Fleming’s spy thrillers. Craig was made an honorary naval officer ahead of the release of “No Time to Die,� his fifth and likely final appearance

PARIS (AP) � The most significant rift in decades between the United States and France seems on the mend after French President Emmanuel Macron and President Joe Biden got on the phone to smooth things over. In a half-hour call that the White House described as “friendly,� the two leaders agreed to meet next month

LONDON (AP) � A coroner presiding over an inquest into the death of British woman who was poisoned by a Soviet-developed nerve agent wants the probe to be turned into a public inquiry so she can examine Russia’s possible involvement. Unlike an inquest, British law allows a public inquiry to consider sensitive intelligence material during

LONDON (AP) � British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has conceded that a post-Brexit trade deal with the U.S. is not imminent as he voiced confidence that the decades-long U.S. ban on the import of British lamb would be lifted. A day after President Joe Biden downplayed the prospect of a trade deal by not pushing