at the Associated Press in London, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

SYLVIA HUI

UK reporter

Hui, based in London, reports on UK news for The Associated Press with particular interest in foreign and social affairs and human rights.

EMBARGOED UNTIL 00.01 UTC APRIL 24,2024 Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, speaks at a press conference in London, ahead of the launch of 'The State of the World's Human Rights', its annual report on the global human rights situation, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. The report will be published on Wednesday April 24, covering 155 countries and including regional and global analyses, it provides the most comprehensive overview of human rights trends and developments in the world today. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says

Amnesty International says the world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar.

A legal challenge over the UK’s role in arms sales to Israel will go ahead

A judge says a legal challenge over the British government’s role in allowing weapons to be sent to Israel can be heard at the High Court later this year.

Undated handout photo issued by Cambridge University of four Aboriginal spears that were brought to England by Captain James Cook more than 250 years ago and have now been repatriated to Australia in a ceremony at Trinity College in Cambridge, Tuesday April 23, 2024. (Cambridge University via AP)

Aboriginal spears taken by Captain Cook in 1770 are returned to Australia’s Indigenous people

Four Aboriginal spears that were taken to England by Captain James Cook more than 250 years ago have been returned to Australia’s Indigenous community at a ceremony in Cambridge University.

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, right, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, center, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, visit the Armourd Brigade barracks in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

UK puts its defense industry on ‘war footing’ and gives Ukraine $620 million in new military aid

The U.K. prime minister says the country is putting its defense industry on a “war footing” by increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade.

UK prosecutors charge 2 men with spying for China, including a parliamentary researcher

Prosecutors in Britain say a former researcher working in the U.K. Parliament and another man have been charged with spying for China.

A woman smokes on a street, in London, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. A bold plan to ban anyone born after 2008 from ever legally buying cigarettes in Britain faces its first test in Parliament. The bold plan has divided the governing Conservatives, with some hailing its public health benefits and others condemning it as state overreach. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

UK lawmakers back landmark bill to gradually phase out smoking for good

A plan by Britain’s government to introduce a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking has cleared its first hurdle in Parliament despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party.

Troops from France's 1er Regiment de le Garde Republicaine partake in the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale - the historic diplomatic agreement between Britain and France which laid the groundwork for their collaboration in both world wars, in London, Monday, April 8, 2024. France is the first non-Commonwealth country to take part in the Changing of the Guard. (Victoria Jones/Pool Photo via AP)

British, French troops march in historic joint parades in London and Paris in a show of solidarity

French troops have joined their British counterparts in the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace for the first time, marching together in a display of solidarity between Britain and France.

Stella Assange, wife of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice, in London, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Two High Court judges said they would grant Assange a new appeal unless U.S. authorities give further assurances about what will happen to him. The case has been adjourned until May 20.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Timeline of the Assange legal saga as he faces further delay in bid to avoid extradition to the US

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been fighting for more than a decade to avoid extradition to the United States to face charges related to his organization’s publication of a huge trove of classified documents.

Demonstrators hold placards after Stella Assange, wife of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, released a statement outside the Royal Courts of Justice, in London, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Two High Court judges said they would grant Assange a new appeal unless U.S. authorities give further assurances about what will happen to him. The case has been adjourned until May 20. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

UK court says Assange can’t be extradited on espionage charges until US rules out death penalty

A British court says Julian Assange can’t be extradited to the U.S. on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee he won’t get the death penalty.

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attends a visit to an engineering firm in Barrow-in-Furness, England, Monday, March 25, 2024. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

US and UK go after Chinese hackers accused of state-backed operation against politicians, dissidents

Hackers linked to the Chinese government launched a sweeping, state-backed operation that targeted U.S. officials, journalists, corporations, pro-democracy activists and the U.K.’s election watchdog.

FILE - Britain's Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales leave after they paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall for the Lying-in State, in London, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)

Worldwide support pours in for Kate, the Princess of Wales, after shocking cancer reveal

Support has poured in from around the world for Kate, the Princess of Wales, after she revealed in a candid video message that she is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer following major abdominal surgery.

This grab taken from a video released by the BBC Studios on Friday March 22, 2024, shows Britain's Kate, the Princess of Wales recording her message announcing that following her abdominal surgery in January "tests after the operation found cancer had been present." Kate, said Friday she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. (BBC Studios via AP)

Kate, the reliable face of a modern monarchy, now faces a personal battle in the public eye

One of the most famous, photographed and talked-about women in the world is fighting a very personal battle.

FILE - Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive to attend the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in Norfolk, England, Dec. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

As Kate announces her treatment for cancer, a look at recent events that have fueled rumors

On Friday, Kate, the Princess of Wales, said she is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer — and it’s an announcement that comes amid what hasn’t been a good year for Britain’s royals so far.

Kate, Princess of Wales, in London in November. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool )

A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumor mill. That’s a tall order

A British newspaper says Prince William and his wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home.

Britain's Prime Minster Rishi Sunak departs 10 Downing Street to go to the House of Commons for his weekly Prime Minister's Questions in London, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

The British government wants to define extremism. Critics say it risks creating more division

The British government has published a new official definition of “extremism.” Groups that get the label will be barred from receiving government funding.

Model Naomi Campbell poses for photographers during a photocall to promote the upcoming exhibition 'Naomi: In Fashion' at the Victoria & Albert Museum celebrating her 40 years in fashion, at the at The Dorchester hotel, in London, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Naomi Campbell’s enduring fashion career will be celebrated with a London museum exhibition

After four decades in fashion, the queen of the catwalk is getting her own exhibition. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is launching “NAOMI: In Fashion,” a celebration of Naomi Campbell’s enduring career.

FILE - Kate Middleton arrives for her wedding with Britain's Prince William at Westminster Abbey at the Royal Wedding in London Friday, April 29, 2011. Attention on Princess Kate has reached levels not seen since she married Prince William in a fairy-tale wedding in 2011. An admission from Kate that she altered an official family photo triggered a backlash. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer, File)

Kate’s been the reliable face of a modern monarchy. Now she’s at the center of a media backlash

Attention on Princess Kate has reached levels not seen since she married Prince William in a fairy-tale wedding in 2011.

FILE - Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Member of Parliament for Ashfield Lee Anderson visit a class at Woodland View Primary School, in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. The U.K.’s governing Conservative Party has suspended ties with one if its lawmakers after he accused London Mayor Sadiq Khan of being controlled by Islamists, as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war continue to roil British politics. (Jacob King/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Former deputy of Britain’s Conservative Party defects to smaller, populist party Reform UK

The former deputy chairman of Britain’s Conservative Party, who drew condemnation last month for saying the mayor of London is controlled by Islamists, has defected to the smaller right-wing Reform U.K.

FILE - Britain's King Charles III attends a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Waiting times to diagnose and treat cancer across the U.K. have worsened in recent years and are at near record highs. Experts say too many cancers are diagnosed too late, and survival for common cancers in the U.K. consistently lags behind countries with similar universal health care systems. The 76-year-old monarch's decision to openly share his cancer diagnosis was widely praised. But many couldn't help comparing the swift treatment Charles received with how ordinary Britons fare at public hospitals. (Yoan Valat, Pool via AP, File)

King Charles’ cancer diagnosis highlights the long waiting times many people in the UK face

Waiting times to diagnose and treat cancer across the U.K. have worsened in recent years and are at near record highs.

Britain's Kate, the Princess of Wales, Patron of The Forward Trust visits HMP High Down in Sutton, England, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, to learn about how the charity is supporting those in the criminal justice system to manage and recover from their addictions. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)

UK government says Kate to appear in June for a ceremony. But the announcement has caused confusion

Britain’s government appears to have made an embarrassing mistake after it advertised that Kate, the Princess of Wales, will attend a Trooping the Color ceremony in June, apparently before consulting palace officials.

Carlos Acosta brings the streets of Havana to ‘The Nutcracker’ with new take on holiday ballet

Carlos Acosta, the Cuban-born ballet star, has danced “The Nutcracker” countless times in his glittering career.

FILE - Dave Myers attends the TV Choice Awards 2017 at the Dorchester Hotel, London, Sept. 4, 2017. Myers, best known as one half of Britain’s adored “Hairy Bikers” TV chef duo, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 66. His co-star and long-time friend Si King said in a post on social media that Myers died peacefully at home Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Myers and King found fame in the U.K. and beyond with their “Hairy Bikers” TV series, an unlikely combination of motorbike travel show, humor and cookery program. (Ian West/PA via AP, File)

Dave Myers, TV chef known as one half of the “Hairy Bikers” duo, has died at 66

Dave Myers, best known as one half of Britain’s adored “Hairy Bikers” TV chef duo, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 66.

Families and supporters leave Belfast High Court after a High Court judge ruled that one of the key elements in the UK government's Troubles Act is unlawful, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. A new law that gives immunity from prosecution for most offenses committed during Northern Ireland's decades of sectarian violence is not compliant with human rights, a judge in Belfast ruled Wednesday. Ruling in a legal challenge brought by victims and their families, Justice Adrian Colton said the law's provision for conditional immunity from prosecution breaches the European Convention on Human Rights. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)

Northern Ireland judge rules that amnesty law for ‘the Troubles’ breaches human rights

A judge has ruled that a new law that gives immunity from prosecution for most offenses committed during Northern Ireland’s decades of sectarian violence is not compliant with human rights.

A UK jury found that a boy who fell during a Scout outing was unlawfully killed

A coroner has referred the Scout Association to U.K. police for investigation after a jury found that a 16-year-old boy who died on a Scout trip in 2018 was unlawfully killed.

A protester stands outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. Julian Assange's lawyers are on their final U.K. legal challenge to stop the WikiLeaks founder from being sent to the United States to face spying charges. The 52-year-old has been fighting extradition for more than a decade, including seven years in self-exile in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and the last five years in a high-security prison. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

WikiLeaks’ Assange faces wait to find out whether he can challenge extradition to the US

Judges say WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange won’t find out until next month at the earliest whether can appeal extradition to the U.S. on spying charges.

A demonstrator holds a Julian Assange mask outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. Julian Assange’s lawyers will begin their final U.K. legal challenge to stop the WikiLeaks founder from being sent to the United States to face spying charges. The 52-year-old has been fighting extradition for more than a decade, including seven years in self-exile in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and the last five years in a high-security prison. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Timeline of the Assange legal saga as he makes a final bid to avoid extradition to the US

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been fighting for more than a decade to avoid extradition to the United States to face charges related to his organization’s publication of a huge trove of classified documents.

Britain’s top diplomat says he hopes the Falkland Islands will wish to stay in the UK family forever

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has toured battle sites of the Falklands War during a visit meant to underline that the Falkland Islands are a “valued part of the British family.”

Naomi Campbell wears a creation for the Burberry Winter 2024 fashion show on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024 in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Naomi Campbell walks for star-studded Burberry show at London Fashion Week

“Saltburn” star Barry Keoghan and “The Crown” actress Olivia Coleman are among celebrities who turned up on the VIP front row to watch Burberry’s latest fashion show, which took inspiration from the inclement British weather.

People walk past a Body Shop store in Canterbury, England, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. The Body Shop, the British beauty and cosmetics retail chain, says it's appointed insolvency administrators after years of financial struggles. The retailer grew from a single shop in 1976 to become one of the most recognizable retailers on the British high street with hundreds of stores in the United Kingdom and beyond. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

UK beauty chain The Body Shop goes into administration after years of struggles

The Body Shop, the British beauty and cosmetics retail chain, says it’s appointed insolvency administrators after years of financial struggles.

UK sanctions 4 Israeli settlers accused of human rights abuses in West Bank

Britain’s government says it is imposing sanctions on four Israeli settlers accused of committing human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank.