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The British monarchy is facing a shortage of working royals, which is impacting their ability to attend events and engagements across the country. Currently, the monarchy is missing three key members due to health issues and personal reasons. Over the past decade, the number of domestic engagements undertaken by royals has declined by about 40%. This shortage has raised concerns among royal watchers, who believe that new working royals are needed to maintain the level of royal appearances seen in the past. However, critics argue that most visits involve little actual work and could be done by a smaller number of royals at a lower cost. Despite this, a YouGov poll found that the majority of Britons still support the monarchy. [Extracted from the article]

A new drinking game has become popular in Britain, where strangers across the country buy each other drinks out of kindness or in the hope of receiving a free drink in return. The game is made possible by a quirk in the app of Britain's largest chain of pubs, J D Wetherspoon, which allows users to order drinks online to any table in any of its 800 taverns across the UK. The game has gained traction on a Facebook page called "Wetherspoons The Game!" and has attracted over half a million members. The creator of the game, Chris Illman, started it as a way to boost his mood after being diagnosed with cancer, and it has since grown in popularity. The game has generated around £1 million of business for Wetherspoons, but the pub chain has stated that it has nothing to do with the game. Some behavioral psychologists find the practice of buying drinks for strangers without any expectation of reciprocation to be generous but unproductive, while others enjoy the feeling of helping others. The game has also led to surreal moments, such as a woman bringing a pet ferret to a Wetherspoons pub and receiving drinks for it. [Extracted from the article]

Jan Marsalek, the former COO of Wirecard, is suspected of being a Russian spy by Western intelligence and security officials. Marsalek is accused of using Wirecard to help Russian spy agencies move money for covert operations around the world. He is also believed to have provided assistance to a Russian mercenary organization and is currently involved in reconfiguring a business empire in Africa on behalf of Russian officials. Marsalek is wanted for securities-law violations and fraud and is believed to be residing in Dubai. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the weakened state of European militaries and their limited resources due to budget cuts and a decline in the weapons industry. It highlights the lack of deployable tanks and artillery in the British military, as well as the insufficient capabilities of France, Denmark, and Germany. The article warns that if Russia wins in Ukraine, it could rearm and cause trouble elsewhere. The erosion of Europe's industrial capacity to produce weapons poses a challenge, as most governments face budget constraints and opposition to cutting welfare spending for defense. NATO allies, including Germany and the UK, are facing challenges in meeting defense spending targets set by the alliance. Some countries have increased their military spending in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but concerns remain about the time it will take for European countries to strengthen their defense capabilities and the potential threat posed by Russia in the future. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: wsjworld; photo-commission; leder; Asia; BRICS Countries; Emerging Market Countries; Developing Economies; Central/Eastern Europe; Europe; North America EN wsjworld photo-commission leder Asia BRICS Countries Emerging Market Countries Developing Economies Central/Eastern Europe Europe North America N.PAG N.PAG 1 09/27/23 20230926 NES 230926 Assets taken from sanctioned Russian billionaires are costly to maintain as legal hurdles hold up sales; $28,000 a week to keep mold out of the Alfa Nero FALMOUTH HARBOUR, Antigua and Barbuda - Two dozen armed police and five FBI agents fanned out across the harbor here early one morning last year. The Italian government last year earmarked €13.7 million, or about $14.8 million, to cover urgent maintenance costs of assets such as yachts and villas. They raided the Alfa Nero, a 270-foot megayacht believed to be owned by Andrey Grigoryevich Guryev, a Russian phosphates magnate sanctioned by the U.S. for links to President Vladimir Putin. [Extracted from the article]

"Eye of newt" is a key ingredient in the witches brew in Shakespeare's Macbeth (although even those witches wouldn't actually hurt a newt - the expression is a pseudonym for mustard seed). Keywords: a-hed; wsjworld; Building Construction; Residential Building Construction; Non-residential Building Construction; Leisure Facility Construction; Construction; Real Estate/Construction; England; Europe EN a-hed wsjworld Building Construction Residential Building Construction Non-residential Building Construction Leisure Facility Construction Construction Real Estate/Construction England Europe N.PAG N.PAG 1 08/28/23 20230825 NES 230825 Endangered amphibian endangers new construction for pop stars and politicians; Boris Johnson promises to build a "newtopia" to compensate for a swimming pool EASTCOURT, England - The bane of Britain's great and powerful is a couple of inches long, has warty skin and a bright orange underbelly - and the power to disrupt some of their most heartfelt ambitions. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: Political/General News; International Relations; Politics/International Relations; Domestic Politics; SYND; WSJ-PRO-WSJ.com; political; general news; politics EN Political/General News International Relations Politics/International Relations Domestic Politics SYND WSJ-PRO-WSJ.com political general news politics N.PAG N.PAG 1 03/05/23 20230228 NES 230228 Deal now faces political tests in U.K.'s ruling Conservative Party and Northern Ireland WINDSOR, England - The U.K. and the European Union agreed Monday on a new trading arrangement for Northern Ireland, a move aimed at ending years of friction caused by Brexit and allowing greater cooperation between both sides at a time of mounting geopolitical risk to Europe from Russia's war in Ukraine. On Monday, the U.K. and the EU said that goods going from Britain to be sold in Northern Ireland wouldn't require customs checks. [Extracted from the article]

The stress of the pandemic and funding squeeze is exacerbating a staffing crisis in the U.K. As of September last year, there were 133,000 staff vacancies in the NHS, compared with 83,000 before the pandemic, according to government data. The government started constraining the NHS's budget in 2010, at the same time it launched an effort to make the system more efficient, such as adding more internal competition between different parts of the NHS for government funds. Keywords: wsjworld; leder; Healthcare/Life Sciences; Monetary Policy; Government Finance; Government Budget/Taxation; Economic News; Cardiovascular Conditions; Political/General News; Respiratory Tract Diseases EN wsjworld leder Healthcare/Life Sciences Monetary Policy Government Finance Government Budget/Taxation Economic News Cardiovascular Conditions Political/General News Respiratory Tract Diseases N.PAG N.PAG 1 02/09/23 20230207 NES 230207 The NHS is struggling under the effects of budget cuts, Covid delays and an aging population For more than a decade, the British government has run its National Health Service, the world's largest government-run healthcare system, on a tight budget. "The healthcare system in the U.K. is facing a crisis like no other I have seen in my career", said Nigel Edwards, the retiring chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, a healthcare think tank, and former chief executive for the NHS. [Extracted from the article]

Britain becomes first major Western economy to try to limit debt growth after piling on spending from pandemic and new energy subsidies. [Extracted from the article]

Former treasury chief could win contest as soon as Monday after large portion of Tory lawmakers said they wouldn't back Mr. Johnson's return to power. [Extracted from the article]

The government will cut payroll taxes, freeze corporate taxes, ditch a banker-bonus cap and spend billions to subsidize energy bills. [Extracted from the article]

Britain's longest-serving monarch was a symbol of stability in a fast-changing world; her son Charles becomes king. [Extracted from the article]

Her seven decades on the throne spanned the dismantling of an empire and a shrinking of the U.K.'s role in the world. [Extracted from the article]

The new prime minister faces record inflation, a faltering pound, spiraling energy costs and an ill-timed labor shortage. [Extracted from the article]

SUBSCRIBE Individually, the issues over which the G-7 criticized China would normally spark fireworks from Beijing, as President Xi Jinping's Communist government promotes a narrative that China is now too powerful to be pushed around. Keywords: Pharmaceuticals; Healthcare/Life Sciences; Political/General News; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Society/Community; International Relations; Health; Human Rights/Civil Liberties; Immunizations; Medical Conditions EN Pharmaceuticals Healthcare/Life Sciences Political/General News Respiratory Tract Diseases Society/Community International Relations Health Human Rights/Civil Liberties Immunizations Medical Conditions N.PAG N.PAG 1 06/15/21 20210614 NES 210614 Leaders also vowed to donate one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses to poorer nations over the next year Leaders of the Group of Seven call on China to respect human rights but stop short of an outright condemnation of Beijing. [Extracted from the article]

PHOTO (COLOR): Weapon of grass destruction The target of much of Mr. Hedges-Gower's ire is British celebrity gardener Monty Don and a growing movement to let lawns go long. Mr. Hedges-Gower, who has been tending to lawns for over 40 years, set up the Lawn Association in December to counter claims that lawns aren't eco-friendly and promote certain practices. A Lawn War Springs Up in England. [Extracted from the article]

Covid-19 Vaccines PHOTO (COLOR) J&J's One-Dose Vaccine: What to Know PHOTO (COLOR) AstraZeneca Got Its Vaccine Right. Keywords: Biotechnology; Pharmaceuticals; Vaccines; Health Care/Life Sciences; Biopharmaceuticals; Specialized Drugs/Medications; Regulation/Government Policy; Regulatory Bodies; Corporate/Industrial News; Adverse Drug Reactions EN Biotechnology Pharmaceuticals Vaccines Health Care/Life Sciences Biopharmaceuticals Specialized Drugs/Medications Regulation/Government Policy Regulatory Bodies Corporate/Industrial News Adverse Drug Reactions N.PAG N.PAG 1 04/09/21 20210408 NES 210408 European regulator finds link to rare blood clots, but says vaccine's benefits still outweigh risks The U.K.'s vaccines advisory body said AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine should preferably not be given to patients under 30 following concerns that it might cause potentially deadly blood clots in very rare instances. The U.K.'s vaccines advisory body said the Covid-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca PLC should preferably not be given to people under 30 following concerns that it causes potentially deadly blood clots in very rare instances. [Extracted from the article]