Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC
 / location

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
Climbers walk in a long queue as they head to summit Mount Everest in the Solukhumbu district of Nepal. Photo: Reuters
Nepal

2 climbers die on Everest as record breaker warns of overcrowding

Both climbers had successfully reached the peak but died while descending. At least five climbers have died this Everest season.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong trade office in London can continue ‘legitimate activity’: UK official

Investing

Why more Hong Kong and mainland Chinese companies are building cash buffers

Cathay Pacific

Singapore Airlines faces narrow window to gain market share from Gulf rivals

SIA can capture more Asia-Europe traffic due to its strong oil hedging strategy and balance sheet, and the Iran war’s impact, analysts say.

videocam
Singapore Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at Changi Airport in Singapore. SIA says it will increase services to several European cities including Manchester, Milan and Munich. Photo: Reuters
Royalty

Queen pushed for ex-prince Andrew’s appointment as trade envoy

Emails released earlier this year suggest ‌that Mountbatten-Windsor, while serving ‌as trade envoy, forwarded reports to Jeffrey Epstein.

videocam
SCMP Highlights

Snaps of 1970s Hong Kong, what to eat in China’s Chengdu: 7 Lifestyle highlights

From the best food in China’s Chengdu to the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ stress, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Keir Starmer

Starmer’s leadership challenger Streeting floats UK ‘wealth tax that works’

The former health minister has proposed equalising capital gains levy with income tax, aiming for a ‘fairer’ UK wealth system.

Former British ⁠health minister Wes Streeting. Photo: EPA
Chen Zhi

Cambodia raids sites linked to Chen Zhi, Chinese tycoon accused of scam empire

82 Chinese nationals among 104 people detained in Phnom Penh raids as governments around the world crack down on Chen’s scam business.

videocam
Law

Legal Tales | The weight of silk: what the honour means for the Inner Bar as an institution

Why the rank of senior counsel is not a reward for commercial success, but a public declaration of a barrister’s paramount duty to the court.

King Charles III

UK radio station mistakenly reports death of King Charles

Radio Caroline has apologised after a computer error triggered the so-called death of a monarch procedure.

Britain’s King Charles attends an event in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Science

SMILE: China-EU satellite to study Earth’s solar defence defies trade tensions

Launch of satellite to study Earth’s magnetic shield hailed by lead scientists as result of ‘true 50/50 collaboration’.

videocam
A rocket carrying the SMILE satellite blasts off from a launch centre in French Guiana on May 19. Photo: Handout via Xinhua
Ukraine

UK relaxes sanctions on Russian oil, leaving Ukrainians ‘very let down’

UK inventories of diesel and jet fuel are set to shrink to their lowest since 2023 this month.

India

Trump’s H-1B visa squeeze paves way for Indian tech exodus

India’s tech workers helped build Silicon Valley. Now, rising H-1B barriers are sending the next generation elsewhere.

China-EU relations

Chinese investment in Europe surges to 7-year high despite rising trade tensions

But study warns that new project pipeline appears to be drying up, as Chinese investors face pressure from both Beijing and Brussels.

videocam
Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd is building a huge new facility in Debrecen, Hungary. Photo: Reuters
London

Dozens could face criminal charges over 2017 London tower inferno

Police seek prosecutions nearly a decade after Britain’s worst modern residential blaze killed 72.

Grenfell Tower on fire in 2017. The block was in a deprived part of Britain's richest borough. Photo: Getty Images
US, Israel war on Iran

Aluminium supply crunch threatens Asia’s clean energy push amid Iran war

Key Gulf plants have been hit by Iranian missiles, causing a drop in output of the metal used in making solar panels and wind turbines.

videocam
Yuan

As the world retreats from US Treasuries, will the sell-off deepen?

China is one of several nations trimming their exposure to US debt, as inflation drives Treasury yields to levels not seen since 2007.

videocam
7
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Philippines

More than a missile? Why the Philippines wants Japan’s old Type 88

Manila’s military already operates superior weapons, but analysts say Tokyo’s Cold War-era hardware still has something to offer.

videocam
4
Japanese soldiers stand beside a Type 88 surface-to-ship missile system in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, the Philippines, on May 6. Photo: AFP
Yuan

China joins global sell-off of US Treasuries in March as Iran war prompts panic

Seven of the top 10 foreign holders cut their exposure to US government debt, led by Japan, which offloaded US$47.7 billion.

46
Sexual harassment and assault

UK reality hit Married at First Sight pulled as contestants allege rape

Channel 4 removes all seasons ⁠of the series following rape and non-consensual sex allegations by three women.

Crime

UK jails driver for smuggling cocaine in Kardashian brand underwear shipment

UK border officials found the illicit haul hidden in a truck transporting Skims shapewear cargo.

Kim Kardashian at the 2026 Met Gala in New York on May 4. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong courts

4 plead guilty to rioting during 2019 PolyU siege in Hong Kong

Cheung Chung-yiu, Cheung Chin-ming, Chan Chun-hei and Chan Yuen-ming were aged between 16 and 27 at the time of the November 2019 riots.

4
The four defendants will be sentenced on June 8. Photo: Jelly Tse
Celebrity children

Meet Venezuela, Tyson Fury’s daughter who just got married at 16

Her marriage to amateur boxer Noah Price, 18, has sparked internet debate because of her age – but what did her mum Paris Fury have to say about it?

Keir Starmer

Revolt against UK’s Starmer revives bitter debate over undoing Brexit

With the prime minister’s leadership in crisis, the spectre of rejoining the EU is creeping back into the debate.

From our archives

On This Day | Hong Kong’s iconic Bank of China Tower opens in 1990 – SCMP archive

Opening 36 years ago today, the landmark skyscraper was Hong Kong’s tallest at the time.

The historic Bank of China building (centre) flanked by the tower under construction (left) in 1988. Photo: P Y Tang
France

‘It’s nasty’: Swatch-Audemars Piguet watch hype ignites global shopping chaos

From New York to Milan, buyers push and shove each other to get their hands on the ‘Royal Pop’ timepieces.

videocam
People wait in line to enter the Swatch store in Times Square in New York on Saturday. Photo: AFP
Keir Starmer

Rival pro-Palestine, far-right protests in London as 4,000 police deployed

London’s Metropolitan Police drafted more than 4,000 officers over fears that far-right demonstrators may clash with pro-Palestine marchers if not kept apart.

South China Sea

Can AI-assisted unmanned vessels be Beijing’s answer to South China Sea patrols?

Near-silent autonomous surveillance vessels that can keep going for months on end recommended for Chinese maritime enforcement.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement