https://www.scmp.com/rss/524620/feed Winston Churchill: A towering figure in British history, he served twice as Prime Minister, most notably leading the United Kingdom through the Second World War. His extensive political career included roles as First Lord of the Admiralty, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Home Secretary, where he championed prison reform and social security initiatives. A gifted orator and prolific writer, he earned the Nobel Prize in Literature. Churchill’s wartime leadership involved crucial strategic... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters Britain’s King Charles will have tea and a private meeting with ⁠President Donald Trump during his US state visit later this month, as the UK government hopes his “soft power” can heal a damaging rift between the allies caused by the Iran war. The monarch and his wife Queen Camilla head across the Atlantic on April 27, a four-day trip ostensibly to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence from Britain but one that now has far greater significance amid a growing spat between Trump and ‌Prime... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350114/britains-king-charles-charm-trump-state-visit-overshadowed-us-uk-rift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350114/britains-king-charles-charm-trump-state-visit-overshadowed-us-uk-rift?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 03:27:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s government said on Saturday it had ⁠put on hold ⁠its deal to cede sovereignty ⁠of the Chagos Islands – home to the US-British Diego Garcia airbase – which has been criticised by US President Donald Trump. British media reported that planned legislation underpinning the deal to cede the ‌islands to Mauritius, which needs the backing of Washington, would not be included in the government’s next parliamentary agenda. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said London would try to persuade... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3349744/trump-critique-pauses-uk-handover-chagos-islands-mauritius?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3349744/trump-critique-pauses-uk-handover-chagos-islands-mauritius?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 09:11:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse King Charles III will visit the United States in late April, Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday, despite some calls for the trip to be cancelled or delayed amid the Iran war. Confirmation of the monarch’s first state visit to the US comes at a rocky time for the so-called US-UK “special relationship”, with US President Donald Trump repeatedly criticising Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reticence over the US-Israel war against Tehran. The trip by the king and Queen Camilla would “celebrate the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348570/king-charles-pay-state-visit-us-late-april-amid-iran-war-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348570/king-charles-pay-state-visit-us-late-april-amid-iran-war-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:55:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump shared a video on his Truth Social network on Sunday of a television comedy skit portraying a terrified British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hoping to dodge a phone call with the American leader. The skit, broadcast on the premiere of the new British version of Saturday Night Live – adapted from the long-running US show – shows Starmer, played by George Fouracres, panicking inside 10 Downing Street at the prospect of a call with Trump. Starmer turns to a fake David... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347512/trump-reposts-saturday-night-live-video-mocking-starmer-truth-social?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347512/trump-reposts-saturday-night-live-video-mocking-starmer-truth-social?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 20:19:48 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Prime Minister Mark Carney told his fellow Canadians in March, “The old relationship we had with the United States, based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation, is over.” In the following month, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, topped Carney by declaring outright, “The West as we knew it no longer exists.” Commentators have described their widely reported speeches as “mournful” and “regretful”, presumably like... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3328723/times-giants-are-gone-and-new-century-humiliation-awaits-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3328723/times-giants-are-gone-and-new-century-humiliation-awaits-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 15:45:16 +0000 Jill Lander Jill Lander The final month of autumn, represented by the energy of the Dog, indicates this is the month when we benefit from taking on the essence of the Dog, enhancing harmony and loyalty. As we move into the last quarter of 2025, it’s time for greater understanding and tolerance. Become aware of the positive things in your life, as such thoughts increase internal warmth and light. If you are travelling this month, take every caution against travel disruptions and fluctuating weather, which may increase... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/leisure/article/3328480/whats-your-luck-october-2025-month-fire-dog?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/leisure/article/3328480/whats-your-luck-october-2025-month-fire-dog?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 07:00:08 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The British government, desperate to ease rising concerns about illegal immigration, has announced a radical new plan. It is one that would not be seen as remotely controversial in Hong Kong, or many other parts of the world. But in the UK, the initiative is viewed by many as a sinister threat to the country’s cherished freedoms. The proposal, announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer last month, envisages the introduction of identity cards to the UK. The idea, fiercely resisted by British people... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3327892/digital-id-may-be-bridge-too-far-those-brits-wanting-stop-boats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3327892/digital-id-may-be-bridge-too-far-those-brits-wanting-stop-boats?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Oct 2025 15:08:34 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Donald Trump hailed America’s “unbreakable bond” with Britain on Thursday as he and Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a huge tech deal on the second day of the US president’s pomp-filled state visit. A day after King Charles III treated Trump to a day of royal pageantry at Windsor Castle, Trump flew to Starmer’s Chequers country residence for talks on thorny issues including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. But Britain’s work in wooing the unpredictable Trump on his second state visit seemed to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3326035/trump-uks-starmer-sign-tech-deal-seal-unbreakable-bond?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3326035/trump-uks-starmer-sign-tech-deal-seal-unbreakable-bond?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:59:44 +0000 Natalie Chung Sum Yue,Santiago Millan Natalie Chung Sum Yue,Santiago Millan A century ago, Winston Churchill’s decision to pivot the Royal Navy from coal to oil defined British maritime supremacy. At present, whether nations invest in emerging energy technologies or double down on conventional ones could define who commands the next era of energy. The energy transition today is a technological and geopolitical contest between entrenched fossil powers and rising renewable challengers. As the transition accelerates, we are witnessing a widening divergence in how... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325719/how-chinas-green-energy-edge-puts-it-position-shape-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325719/how-chinas-green-energy-edge-puts-it-position-shape-future?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Though terribly sexist, it’s not for nothing that many Chinese on the mainland have taken to calling Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief and her boss, Ursula von der Leyen, “silly white sweeties”. Oftentimes, you just don’t know whether to laugh or cry over Kallas’ out-of-the-left-field pronouncements, and whether she is being serious or just wants to pick a fight with her favourite targets, Russia and China. She has lately taken issue with claims by both countries during the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3325506/yes-china-and-russia-really-did-win-wwii-allies-britain-and-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3325506/yes-china-and-russia-really-did-win-wwii-allies-britain-and-america?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 13:50:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A visitor to a French museum bit into a fresh banana worth millions of dollars taped to a wall last week, exhibitors said on Friday, in the latest such consumption of the conceptual artwork. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan – whose provocative creation titled Comedian was bought for US$6.2 million in New York last year – said he was disappointed the person did not also eat the skin and the tape. After the hungry visitor struck on Saturday last week, “security staff rapidly and calmly... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318827/france-museum-goer-eats-million-dollar-banana-taped-wall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318827/france-museum-goer-eats-million-dollar-banana-taped-wall?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 18:55:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press There is a part of London that few people have seen: a place where the city prepared for the Blitz, James Bond’s creator got inspiration, and secret Cold War messages passed between Washington and Moscow. It is a network of tunnels 100 feet (30 metres) below the streets that was secret for decades – but could be the city’s next big tourist destination. Local authorities have approved plans to fill the 90,000 sq ft (8,360 square metre) site with an intelligence museum, an interactive World War II... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3315860/secret-wartime-tunnels-below-london-become-spy-museum-memorial-and-bar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3315860/secret-wartime-tunnels-below-london-become-spy-museum-memorial-and-bar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 09:15:07 +0000