UK Looks to Restart Cooperation after US Suspends Tech Deal

Pedestrians walk across Westminster Bridge as early morning fog covers the streets of London on December 17, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
Pedestrians walk across Westminster Bridge as early morning fog covers the streets of London on December 17, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
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UK Looks to Restart Cooperation after US Suspends Tech Deal

Pedestrians walk across Westminster Bridge as early morning fog covers the streets of London on December 17, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
Pedestrians walk across Westminster Bridge as early morning fog covers the streets of London on December 17, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

The UK government on Wednesday said it was focused on resuming talks promptly after the United States suspended implementation of a tech cooperation deal with Britain.

The deal was signed during US President Donald Trump's pomp-filled state visit to the UK in September.

But on Tuesday Michael Kratsios, head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said on X that the UK must make "substantial progress" on trade talks for the deal to resume.

The US and UK have been trying to implement the "Economic Prosperity Deal," agreed in May and one of the first international agreements signed after Trump threatened the world with punishing tariffs on goods entering the United States.

The US-UK Technology Prosperity Deal agreed in September 2025 was a non-binding agreement to sit alongside the broader Economic Prosperity Deal.

It was designed to align the two countries on tech innovation while spurring mostly private-sector investment, Agence France Presse reported.

Following the White House announcement, a UK government spokesperson said: "We look forward to resuming work on this partnership as quickly as possible... and working together to help shape the emerging technologies of the future."

Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle held trade talks with US counterparts in Washington DC last week to progress the Economic Prosperity Deal, the spokesperson said.

"They celebrated the success of the recent pharma deal and both sides agreed to continue further negotiations next year."

According to the Financial Times, US officials have become increasingly frustrated with Britain's lack of willingness to address non-tariff barriers, including rules and regulations governing food and industrial goods.



Kia to Sell Lower-priced Electric Vehicle in US

A KIA logo on an electric vehicle is seen on display at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
A KIA logo on an electric vehicle is seen on display at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
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Kia to Sell Lower-priced Electric Vehicle in US

A KIA logo on an electric vehicle is seen on display at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
A KIA logo on an electric vehicle is seen on display at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio

Kia said Wednesday it will begin selling a lower-priced electric vehicle in the United States later this year as automakers work to recharge EV sales.

The Korean automaker said at the New York Auto Show it will offer the EV3 in the US market starting later this year, Reuters reported.

Automakers are facing a tougher EV market in the United States after Congress repealed the $7,500 EV tax credit last year but higher gasoline prices in recent weeks has prompted new interest in the EVs.


Passengers Stranded in Moving Traffic after Robotaxi Outage in China

This file photo taken on August 1, 2024 shows a general view of a driverless robotaxi autonomous vehicle developed as part of tech giant Baidu's Apollo Go self-driving project, in Wuhan, in central China's Hubei province. (Photo by PEDRO PARDO / AFP)
This file photo taken on August 1, 2024 shows a general view of a driverless robotaxi autonomous vehicle developed as part of tech giant Baidu's Apollo Go self-driving project, in Wuhan, in central China's Hubei province. (Photo by PEDRO PARDO / AFP)
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Passengers Stranded in Moving Traffic after Robotaxi Outage in China

This file photo taken on August 1, 2024 shows a general view of a driverless robotaxi autonomous vehicle developed as part of tech giant Baidu's Apollo Go self-driving project, in Wuhan, in central China's Hubei province. (Photo by PEDRO PARDO / AFP)
This file photo taken on August 1, 2024 shows a general view of a driverless robotaxi autonomous vehicle developed as part of tech giant Baidu's Apollo Go self-driving project, in Wuhan, in central China's Hubei province. (Photo by PEDRO PARDO / AFP)

Some robotaxi passengers were left stranded in the middle of fast-moving traffic in a major Chinese city after their driverless vehicles stopped running, according to police and media reports on Wednesday.

A preliminary investigation indicates more than 100 robotaxis came to a halt because of a “system malfunction,” police in the city of Wuhan said in a statement, without elaborating. No injuries were reported.

One passenger told Chinese media that their robotaxi stopped after turning a corner. An instruction on a screen read: “Driving system malfunction. Staff are expected to arrive in 5 minutes.” After no one showed up, the passenger pushed an SOS button and was told that staff were on their way. The car door could be opened, so the passenger got out on their own.

It is the first time a mass shutdown of robotaxis has been reported in China, The Associated Press said. In December, many of Waymo’s self-driving cars came to a stop in San Francisco because of a power outage.

The taxis in Wuhan are operated by Baidu, a major Chinese internet and AI company that is expanding its Apollo Go robotaxi business to overseas locations in Europe and the Mideast.

Baidu did not have any immediate comment.

Police said reports that taxis were coming to a halt started coming in around 9 p.m., while media reports said multiple people were rescued.

While some passengers were able to exit their taxis on their own, others were afraid to get out because their vehicle had stopped in the middle lane of a ring road with other vehicles passing on both sides, the reports said. Ring roads are elevated roads without traffic lights designed to move traffic quickly in urban areas.

Baidu operates hundreds of robotaxis in Wuhan, which hosted an early pilot project for the company.


Microsoft Reportedly on Track to Invest $5.5 Billion in Singapore by 2029

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
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Microsoft Reportedly on Track to Invest $5.5 Billion in Singapore by 2029

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

Microsoft is on track to invest $5.5 billion in cloud and artificial ⁠intelligence infrastructure in Singapore ⁠through 2029, the ⁠Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a ⁠Reuters request for ⁠comment.

The Thai government ⁠said in a statement on Tuesday that Microsoft plans to invest $1 billion in Thailand over the next two years in cloud services and AI infrastructure.

The investment includes developing digital ⁠skills of the Thai workforce, the statement said.

The announcement follows a number of data center investments to support AI, as Southeast ⁠Asia's ⁠second-largest economy looks to speed up projects involving data centers, electronics, and power generation.