Britain marks 20 years of London bombings with reflection
08 Jul 2025 02:18pm
Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales prepares to lay a bouquet of flowers as he attends a service at the 7/7 memorial in London's Hyde Park on July 7, 2025, to remember of the 52 people killed during the London bombings of July 7, 2005. (Photo by Chris Jackson / POOL / AFP)
LONDON - Britain on Monday marked the 20th anniversary of the 2005 London bombings that killed 52 people and injured over 700, with ceremonies, remembrance, and renewed focus on counterterrorism, reported Xinhua.
At 8.50am, the time the first bomb exploded, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan laid wreaths at Hyde Park's memorial, with King Charles III praising acts of courage and compassion from that day. A general view at a memorial service at the 7/7 memorial in London's Hyde Park on July 7, 2025, to remember of the 52 people killed during the London bombings of July 7, 2005. Britain on Monday marks 20 years since the London bombings, when four homegrown Islamist extremists detonated suicide bombs on three underground trains and a bus across central London, killing dozens and injuring hundreds more. (Photo by Chris Jackson / POOL / AFP)
Experts like Naomi Davis-Crane, a former counterterrorism analyst, warned of ongoing threats, especially from lone actors radicalised online. She stressed the need for vigilance, better victim support, and stricter control of extremist content on social media.
"There is a melancholy, and just a question as to when it will happen again - because it will happen again," she told Xinhua.
While the 7/7 attacks (referring to the 7 July 2005 bombing) were carried out by four British nationals radicalised by al-Qaeda ideology, more recent incidents - including the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing and the 2021 explosion outside Liverpool Women's Hospital - reflect an emerging pattern of lone actors radicalised online.
The case of Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana may further illustrate how radicalisation has increasingly moved online.
"A significant number of counterterrorist authorities during the last 20 years have realised the need to manage content that people are consuming via social media," said Davis-Crane.
"The social media platforms themselves have to identify and remove the content, and there is a responsibility on governments to legislate in this field," she added.
"Terrorism will impact every individual in a very different way, and the support needs will potentially last a lifetime," she said. - BERNAMA-XINHUA
More Like This
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malaysia Sun
28 minutes ago
- Malaysia Sun
ASEAN reaffirms commitment to keep region free of nuclear weapons
Xinhua 09 Jul 2025, 02:45 GMT+10 KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Nuclear weapons have no place in the Southeast Asian region, as all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remained committed to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said on Tuesday. In his opening remarks at the SEANWFZ Commission meeting on the sidelines of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings, Mohamad also reaffirmed ASEAN's commitment to harness the peaceful civilian applications of nuclear science, in accordance with the objectives of the SEANWFZ Treaty, in line with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. "ASEAN has made significant strides in advancing the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, particularly through ongoing cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) in the fields of agriculture, medical diagnostics, food technologies, among others," he said. "With the existential threat to humanity that nuclear arms pose, I call upon all ASEAN member states to remain united in our pursuit of a nuclear-weapon-free Southeast Asia," he said. Also known as the Bangkok Treaty, the SEANWFZ Treaty was signed in Bangkok, Thailand, in December 1995 by ASEAN members as a commitment to preserve Southeast Asia as a region free of nuclear weapons.
Sinar Daily
30 minutes ago
- Sinar Daily
Trump's tariffs on Asean may drive Southeast Asia's trade with China, India
On Monday, Trump began sending out trade letters to foreign countries, outlining tariff rates on imports to the US. 09 Jul 2025 09:05am A cargo ship arrives at the international cargo terminal at the port of Tokyo on July 8, 2025. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP) MOSCOW - Tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on imports from ASEAN member countries are likely to strengthen their trade ties with other nations, such as China and India. They will undermine the United States' credibility as a reliable economic partner in the region, according to Khoo Ying Hooi, Associate Professor of International Relations and Human Rights at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, in an interview with RIA Novosti. A cargo ship docks at the quay of the international cargo terminal at the port of Tokyo on July 8, 2025. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP) On Monday, Trump began sending out trade letters to foreign countries, outlining tariff rates on imports to the US. Among ASEAN states, Indonesia was subjected to a 32 per cent tariff, Thailand and Cambodia faced a 36 per cent tariff, while Malaysia will pay the tariff of 25 per cent. The highest tariff rate of 40 per cent was introduced for Laos and Myanmar. "In many ways, this process [of reorienting ASEAN exports to countries other than the US] has already begun. We've seen ASEAN countries deepen trade ties with other partners through multilateral arrangements, such as RCEP [Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership] and CPTPP [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership]. "China is likely to emerge as a major substitute for ASEAN exports affected by the tariffs, although this comes with its own geopolitical complications. India is another potential partner, given its large market and regional ambitions," Khoo said. Moreover, the bloc's trade strategy has long been "about diversification and hedging," and the US tariffs are expected to accelerate that trend, the expert added. "In the long run, [the tariffs] may undermine US influence in the region by pushing ASEAN further toward other economic poles ... They will strain US-ASEAN economic ties and may drive Southeast Asia further into the orbit of China and other alternative partners. In the long term, the US risks losing its credibility as a stable and predictable economic partner in the region," the professor said. At the same time, while the upcoming ASEAN summit in Malaysia may provide a "quiet platform for discussion," any renegotiation is unlikely at this stage, as "Trump's tariffs are often politically driven and intended to appeal to domestic constituencies," Khoo noted, adding that there will be "little incentive" for the US president to reverse trade course unless he is influenced by allied lawmakers or domestic businesses. "Countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand, who have strategic dialogues with the US, might use bilateral meetings on the sidelines to voice concern and seek clarifications. But ASEAN as a bloc doesn't have much leverage over US trade policy, particularly under an administration that prefers unilateral action over multilateral negotiation," the expert said. After returning to the White House, Trump began to tighten trade policy: he introduced duties on imports from Mexico and Canada, raised them for China, and then announced tariffs on steel, aluminum, and cars. The culmination was the announcement on April 2 of a 10 per cent base import rate and increased "reciprocal" duties for individual countries. However, a week later, tariff increases were put on hold, and the US began trade negotiations with many trading partners. Earlier on Tuesday, the US president extended the suspension of increased tariffs on foreign goods until August 1. - BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI More Like This
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
British teen missing after secretly flying to Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: A 17-year-old British boy reported missing by his family is believed to have secretly travelled to Malaysia last month and remains untraceable. David Balisong, from Cheadle, Greater Manchester, had told his brother on June 6 that he was leaving early for school, where he was sitting for his A-level exams. That same day, he boarded a one-way flight to Kuala Lumpur without informing anyone, the Daily Mail reported. His family only realised something was wrong when he failed to return home from college that evening. They found out that he had taken his passport. The next day, police in England confirmed that David had travelled alone from Manchester Airport and had been granted a 90-day visa upon arrival in Malaysia. His mother, Minerva, 50, a critical care nurse, said the family is devastated and clinging to hope that he is safe. "The emotion feels like a tsunami. We never saw this coming. We just woke up, and the next thing our son was gone," she was quoted saying. "We're not angry with him — we love him and care for him more than he knows. We just want to know he's safe." David, a computer science student at Manchester University, has reportedly turned off his phone and has not responded to emails. He had only £1,200 in his bank account when he left the UK. Born in the UK to Filipino parents, David has no known links to Malaysia. Minerva said the entire family — her husband Lorenzo, 55, and their two other children, Faith, 16, and Daniel, 13 — are still in disbelief. "He was healthy and happy, and nothing seemed wrong. "He's an ideal student, an ideal son. Everyone is shocked — he's a homebody who always comes home. "Even when he goes out, he asks for permission and keeps us updated," she said, adding that he may have been under some stress from his A-levels but showed no sign of distress. The family has launched a GoFundMe appeal to help raise funds for travel and accommodation in Kuala Lumpur to assist in the search. The New Straits Times has reached out to police for comment.
