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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
Corporate governance activist David Webb has died at the age of 60. Photo: May Tse
Hong Kong economy

Breaking | 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

Science

Biotech pioneer Alexey Amunts leaves Germany for China

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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.

UK Reform leader Nigel Farage and Nadhim Zahawi. Photo: dpa
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.

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.

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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’.

Donald Trump has said that he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous region of Nato ally Denmark. Photo: Reuters
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.

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.

Elon Musk’s website X faces the threat of being shut down in Britain over deepfake pornography and child abuse images. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
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.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Letters | As Hongkongers unite around Tai Po, the fire probe must deliver

Readers discuss how to sustain social cohesion in Hong Kong, the kindness of Hongkongers, and why the world must respond to the Venezuela raid.

Cambodia

Cambodia dissolves accused scam tycoon Chen Zhi’s Prince Bank

The central bank said the lender has been ‘suspended from providing new banking services, including accepting deposits and providing credit’.

A Prince Bank branch in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo: AFP
Cryptocurrency

China accuses extradited billionaire Chen of running crime network from Cambodia

Beijing says mainland police will put core members of his crime ring on a wanted list and fugitives should ‘turn themselves in’.

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Chen Zhi is accused of multiple crimes, including opening a casino, fraud, illegal operations and concealing criminal proceeds, according to China’s Ministry of Public Security. Photo: Handout
France

Europe paralysed by snow as brutal cold snap disrupts flights, rail services

Thousands stranded as chaos grounds flights, with black ice sparking fatal accidents, while death toll rises to six in season’s worst freeze.

Ukraine war

Ukraine’s allies agree to ‘robust’ security guarantees in push to end war

UK and France could deploy troops on Ukrainian territory after a ceasefire, but a big question mark hangs over Russia’s response.

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Greenland

Use of US military to acquire Greenland ‘always an option’, White House says

Trump’s preferred option might be to buy Greenland from Denmark, but the White House says military action is being considered.

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Danish troops train with Swedish, Norwegian, German and French peers in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, in September 2025. Photo: Retuers
Food and Drinks

5 premium sparkling teas in Hong Kong to try during Dry January

From The Peninsula’s Cuvée Sparkling Tea to Saicho’s limited-edition osmanthus offering, these low- or zero-alcohol tipples let you ditch the hangover but not the ceremony.

Greenland

‘End of Nato’: Denmark warns US against taking Greenland by force

Denmark’s prime minister says a ‘military attack’ would destroy the transatlantic alliance, while Greenland’s leader urges against panic.

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Palestinian Territories

Palestinian embassy in UK officially inaugurated

Ambassador Husam Zomlot hails upgrade from a mission to full embassy status as an ‘historic moment’.

Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Dr Husam Zomlot delivers a speech during the inauguration ceremony of the Palestinian embassy in London on Monday. Photo: EPA
Vietnam

Vietnam overtakes Thailand as Chinese tourists' top choice for travel

Chinese visitors to Vietnam jumped 41 per cent to 5.3 million, topping the 4.5 million to Thailand, where safety concerns reduced Chinese travellers.

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The Night Market in Nha Trang, Vietnam, a popular destination for the growing number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting the city. Photo: Roy Issa
European Union

UK begins ‘world-leading’ junk food ad ban to curb childhood obesity

Restrictions on daytime television and paid online advertisements are part of a US$2.7 billion preventive health strategy.

US-Venezuela conflict

After Venezuela takeover, Chinese investors brace for era of regional anxiety

Washington’s moves to assert dominance in the western hemisphere could see tighter restrictions to curb Beijing’s growing footprint.

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Human rights

Mobile seizure powers launch in UK crackdown on people smugglers

New UK laws allow officers to seize SIM cards and mobiles to gather intelligence on smuggling operators.

Migrants try to board a smuggler’s boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel off the beach of Gravelines, northern France. Photo: AFP
Obituaries

Anne Frank’s stepsister, Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, dies at 96

Schloss co-founded the Anne Frank Trust UK foundation in 1990 to pass on the memory of the Holocaust to young people and combat prejudice.

Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, the stepsister of Anne Frank and honorary president of the Anne Frank Trust UK, has died aged 96, her foundation said on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Switzerland

Swiss grieve as all 40 bar fire victims identified - many of them under 18

Hundreds march in silence to honour victims of the New Year’s Swiss bar fire who were as young as 14.

UK economy

UK’s Starmer says ousting him would lead to chaos, far-right government

Instability ‘would gift Nigel Farage’, the PM said, referring to the right-wing Reform UK leader who currently tops opinion polls.

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