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Britain

Britain
The latest breaking news and stories on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), a constitutional monarchy in northern Europe which includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the world’s sixth largest economy. Also covering the UK’s relationship with the European Union (EU) post Brexit, as well as with China, plus commentary and updates on the UK’s economy, politics, society and social issues.
Capital
London
Head of State
King Charles III
King Charles III
Head of Government
Prime Minister Keir Starmer
David Webb arrives at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Hong Kong for a farewell fireside chat on May 12, 2025. Photo: May Tse
Hong Kong society

As I see it | Thank you, David Webb, you made Hong Kong a better place

By exposing governance abuses and holding listed companies to account, the shareholder rights activist helped clean up the city’s investment environment.

Israel-Gaza war

Trump names Blair, Rubio to Gaza ‘board of peace’

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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong passport ranks 15th globally, rising 3 places in visa-free access index

Crime

UK teen who praised Southport murderer jailed for possessing al-Qaeda manual

McKenzie Morgan praised the killer of three young girls at a Taylor Swift event, and threatened to bomb an Oasis show, was sentenced on Friday.

Flowers are seen at a makeshift memorial allowing people to pay their respects to the victims of a knife attack, in Southport, Britain on August 9, 2024. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

China dumps more US debt, buys other assets as Trump targets Powell

Beijing’s Treasury holdings hit a September 2008 low, and analysts point to fears over Fed independence and debt sustainability, while gold’s appeal rises.

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China society

Outside In | Plight of Hebei’s freezing elderly shows urgent need for pension reform

The swarming sociability of family life is fading as one-person households and lonely deaths rise. Coping with loneliness is now a life skill.

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Pakistan

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia plan defence deal to counter chaos in Middle East

Iran’s neighbours are worried that the US’ increasingly erratic behaviour may pose a risk to regional power balance and trade, analysts say.

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A protester waves the Iranian flag outside UN headquarters in New York during a Security Council meeting on Iran on Thursday. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Trump’s ‘America first’ agenda driving countries closer to China: survey

Nearly 26,000 people from 21 countries overwhelmingly agreed that Chinese global influence will grow over the next decade.

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Japan

Japan’s next-generation fighter jet project gets boost as European rival stalls

Germany, France and Spain have put their project on hold, prompting speculation that some may turn to the Japan-UK-Italy programme.

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Nigel Farage

Britain’s surging Reform UK party draws big-name Tory defector

Robert Jenrick joins Nigel Farage’s Reform party as the Conservatives descend into civil war.

Former Conservative Party member Robert Jenrick with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine war

Kremlin warns Ukraine running out of time to accept peace terms

The Kremlin insists Ukraine is running out of options as US-led talks stall, warning that the ‘situation is deteriorating’ for Kyiv daily.

Firefighters work at a private delivery company’s logistics hub hit by a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

FMT apologises for racial query tying Malaysia’s ‘Chinese problem’ to Palestine

During a George Galloway lecture, a Free Malaysia Today reporter asked if the ‘Palestine problem’ parallels Malaysia’s ‘Chinese problem’.

Artificial intelligence

Musk’s Grok barred from undressing AI images after global backlash

‘Spicy Mode’ feature had allowed users to create sexualised deepfakes of women and children.

Hong Kong

Legal Tales | Time to end bid-rigging in Hong Kong with criminalisation, tougher enforcement

In the wake of the Tai Po fire, an all-too-common practice in building management and maintenance comes under the spotlight – and must be redressed.

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The catastrophic blaze at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court has exposed widespread bid-rigging in Hong Kong’s building management and maintenance industry. Photo: Sam Tsang
Cambodia

‘Not the end’: Cambodia keeps up scam crackdown after Chen Zhi sent to China

Phnom Penh signals zero tolerance for scam centres following the deportation of the Prince Group tycoon.

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Guards escort accused scam boss Chen Zhi off a China Southern plane in Beijing on January 8, after his extradition from Cambodia. Photo: China’s Ministry of Public Security/AFP
Mergers & Acquisitions

Li Ka-shing’s CK Infrastructure gets nod to sell UK train leasing firm

Deal to dispose of UK Rails (Eversholt Rail), which was bought in 2015, ‘will generate substantial revenue’, company says.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong corporate governance activist David Webb dies at 60

A champion of transparency and investor rights, whose investigations and sharp commentaries unsettled the financial elite.

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Donald Trump

BBC moves to dismiss Trump’s US$10 billion lawsuit over edited January 6 speech

Lawyers for the broadcaster will argue the Florida court lacks jurisdiction and Trump’s 2024 election win proves he suffered no professional harm.

The viewfinder of a camera shows the entrance outside the offices of the BBC in London in November 2025. Photo: AFP
Science

Structural biologist Alexey Amunts launches new research lab in Shenzhen

‘Shenzhen adds another dimension; it is a place where ideas do not remain ideas for long,’ Amunts says of new position.

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Reform UK party

Former British finance minister defects to Reform UK, backing Farage for PM

Nadhim Zahawi declares the Conservative Party a ‘defunct brand’ as he joins a growing exodus of Tories joining Nigel Farage’s party.

Elon Musk

UK launches probe into Musk’s X over Grok’s ‘disgusting’ sexualised AI imagery

UK regulator acts after users prompt AI to create sexually intimate deepfakes, fuelling fears of widespread image abuse on the platform.

Britain’s media regulator is investigating X over whether Grok AI’s sexually explicit deepfakes breach UK content protection rules. Photo: AFP
Peter Mandelson

Former UK ambassador apologises to Epstein victims - but not for ties

Peter Mandelson speaks about losing his job over his relationship with the disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Peter Mandelson. Photo: BBC via Reuters
Greenland

Britain in talks with Nato allies over Arctic security as US eyes Greenland

UK minister says talks on the Arctic ‘business as usual’, while Trump posits having Greenland ‘one way or the other’.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk to open source X algorithm in 7 days amid global scrutiny

The company has been working to incorporate more AI into its recommendation algorithm through Grok, Musk’s AI chatbot.

Elon Musk

Musk blasts ‘prison island’ UK in showdown over Grok AI sexual images

The billionaire accused the government of being ‘fascist’ after it threatened to ban X over the deepfake photos.

Billionaire Elon Musk’s xAI operates Grok. Photo: AFP
Extreme weather

1 dead in UK, 100,000 French homes without power as storms batter Europe

The man died on Friday after a tree fell onto a caravan in Cornwall, while some rail services in Germany remain affected by the storms.

A fallen tree is cleared from a road in St Stephen, Cornwall, England, on Friday as Storm Goretti continues to batter the United Kingdom. Photo: PA via AP
X (formerly Twitter)

Will X be banned in the UK? Elon Musk hits back at shutdown warnings

Despite an outcry over AI abuse images, Musk called the warnings ‘censorship’ and reposted threats to sanction Britain if X is blocked.

Scams and swindles

Editorial | Regional cooperation led to arrest of alleged scam kingpin Chen Zhi

The cross-border nature of his alleged criminal network required governments and law enforcement agencies to work together.

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