US President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law said a Russian oligarch paid for “two incredible nights of celebration” in the Bahamas after her wedding to Donald Trump Jnr but was not involved in the actual nuptials, amid fresh ethics questions involving the first family. The couple had a private marriage ceremony on a Friday in May, Bettina Trump wrote in an Instagram post, and then a celebration the following weekend in the Bahamas. That second event, which had been planned before the wedding...

The leaders of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland signed a pact on Monday that threatens to lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom. The first ministers of the three semi-autonomous regions of the UK told Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his government to prepare for constitutional change and that their future lies with the European Union. “For people watching across these islands – for people watching around the world – there could be no clearer sign that Westminster’s time is coming to an...

A British man on ⁠Monday admitted ⁠repeatedly drugging and ⁠raping his wife at their home over more than two decades, just before his trial was about to begin. The man - from northern England ‌who is in his 60s but cannot be named as it would identify his wife who is entitled to lifelong anonymity – pleaded guilty at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to 45 charges, having ⁠previously admitted 15 offences. The man has now admitted charges including ‌21 counts of rape, 15 counts of assault by...

Germany’s military counter-intelligence agency, known as MAD, has warned of a growing threat from hybrid attacks and the use of recruited contract agents, or low-level agents, saying Germany is a “prioritised target of Russian espionage activities”. According to the agency’s annual report released on Monday, it cited Germany’s geostrategic position in Europe and Nato the expansion of the Bundeswehr and the introduction of new weapons systems as reasons for the heightened targeting. “The hybrid...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) is strengthening its research footprint in the Greater Bay Area with the establishment of its Shenzhen Research Institute, a platform designed to help bridge industry, academia and research and translate research into real-world impact. Prof. Ricky Kwok Yu-kwong, Vice President (Research and Institutional Advancement) of HKMU, says the Institute is positioned to be the...

President Donald Trump said ⁠on Monday ⁠that the US already ⁠has guardrails in place to regulate and prosecute AI companies, appearing to play down concerns expressed by industry leaders over the weekend about misuse of artificial intelligence. “The only control or ‘guardrails’ ‌that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that China would benefit from the doubt being cast on artificial intelligence...

The family photograph did the political work the summit’s final declaration could not. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood shoulder to shoulder as the Brics summit closed in New Delhi on Sunday – a single frame capturing an 11-nation bloc that now spans four continents and nearly half the world’s population. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres attended the gathering of emerging economies...