British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday rejected the Scottish government's call for a second referendum on independence before Britain leaves the EU -- but did not entirely rule out a vote.

Queen Elizabeth II gave royal assent on Thursday to a bill empowering British Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty and begin the process of leaving the European Union.

The risks to Britain of its vote to leave the EU were laid bare on Monday when Scotland's nationalist government announced a new independence vote, pre-empting this week's expected start of the Brexit process.

British Ambassador to Lebanon Hugo Shorter on Tuesday announced £2.5 million ($3.2 million) towards a new International Research Center (IRC) in Lebanon, the British Embassy said in a statement.

MPs look set to approve a bill on Wednesday empowering Prime Minister Theresa May to start Brexit negotiations, in a major step towards Britain leaving the European Union.

Within the framework of the £13million Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2016 between the British embassy in Beirut and Lebanon's Ministry of Interior, a twinning ceremony was held Tuesday at the Internal Security Forces’ headquarters between the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Lebanese Internal Security Forces.

The British government must win parliament's approval before starting talks to leave the EU, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, in a landmark judgement that also said regional lawmakers had no say.

Britain called on Monday for an immediate ceasefire in Aleppo, saying a humanitarian catastrophe threatened the Syrian city.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday told European leaders that her March deadline for triggering Brexit negotiations "remains unchanged" despite a court ruling that she first needs parliament's approval.

British Prime Minister Theresa May will on Monday meet the first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in London, where she will face calls for each region to vote on the government's Brexit plans.