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HMS Queen Elizabeth, one of the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers, on a sea trial this week. (Photo by the Press Association)  At a time of rising tensions between China and the US, a move likely to anger Beijing. The UK would increase in presence in the waters after it sent four combat aircraft for joint exercises with Japan in the region last year, British Defense Minister Michael Fallon said Thursday. "We hope to send a warship to region next year. We have not finalized exactly where that deployment will take place but we won't be constrained by China from sailing through the South China Sea," Fallon told Reuters. "We flew RAF Typhoons through the South China Sea last October and we will exercise that right whenever we next have the opportunity to do so, whenever we have ships or planes in the region,” he added. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also said Thursday that Britain plans to sail two new aircraft carriers through contested Asian waters. “One

British government sees no point in being at event in Rome because UK will not be involved in planning bloc’s future  Theresa May with Angela Merkel at the EU summit in Malta. The British PM is not expected to attend the Rome summit. Photograph: Xinhua/Barcroft Jennifer Rankin   Theresa May  is expected to miss the EU’s 60th anniversary summit in March because the British government sees no point in being involved in planning the future of the EU. The British prime minister was invited to join the celebrations on 25 March with 27 other EU leaders but decided not to take part, a senior EU diplomat told the Guardian. “The door was open, but the response was, ‘We don’t think it is appropriate for us,’” the diplomat said, summarising the UK response. A second EU source said May’s decision was “entirely logical” because the main focus of the summit would be the future. “We are still a union of 28 and Theresa is of course very welcome to come and celebrate 60 years of the EU in Rome,” t

RUSSIA-UK RELATIONS British actor and writer Stephen Fry joked about Russian hacking at the opening ceremony of the 70th British Academy Film Awards. Source: imago stock&people/Global Look Press British actor and writer Stephen Fry joked about Russian hacking at the opening ceremony of the 70 th  British Academy Film Awards. “Let’s crack on with the awards themselves and find out who the Russians have decided has won,” Fry said, Metro news UK  reported on Feb. 12.  In suggesting that the Russians might have messed with the results of the BAFTA vote, Fry humorously referred to allegations that Russian hackers influenced the result of the 2016 presidential elections in the United States, which resulted in the election of Donald Trump as president. It was one of many remarks about the American president, who is despised by left-leaning groups. The comedian also called Meryl Streep, “One of the greatest actresses of all time,” adding that, “only a blithering idiot would think oth