  We review the present status of rare B decays, focusing on inclusive decay
modes and their role in our search for new physics. We also briefly discuss
direct CP violation in rare B decays and the rare kaon decays $K^+\to
\pi^+\nu\bar{\nu}$ and $K_L \to \pi^0 \nu \bar{\nu}$, which offer complementary
opportunities for precision flavour physics.
