Government warns supply chains face major disruption
US export bans on armed drones allows Beijing to fill gap, claims RUSI report
China is meeting a growing demand for armed drones in the Middle East, adding new military capabilities to an already tense security situation, according to a new report from the London-based Royal United Services Institute. Iran is among the regional players using the new technology to undertake missions that would otherwise be too risky, as Henry Ridgwell reports.
Populist forces returned with a vengeance to Europe in 2018, seizing power in Italy and extending their grip in countries like Hungary and Poland. In France, street protests erupted demanding the resignation of the president. The populist wave could have major implications for European parliamentary elections scheduled this coming year where the political center now faces an assault from both right and left. Henry Ridgwell has more from Brussels.
$73 million revamp brings new African voices to legacy of empire
Belgium has long struggled to deal with its colonial past, a period that saw millions of Africans in Congo and Rwanda die from disease, starvation and violence. Now the country's museum of Africa, which once housed looted colonial treasures, including a human zoo, has undergone a five-year, $73 million revamp in an effort to show the reality of empire and of modern Africa. Henry Ridgwell reports from Brussels.
Tensions grow in Spanish city as migrant numbers rise
African migrants coming to Europe dream of landing a good job, but the reality is usually much harder - working on the streets, collecting garbage, or picking fruit and vegetables in the fields. The migrants aren't legally allowed to work while they wait for asylum claims to be processed, which can take months or years so they are forced into the black market.
At Brussels summit, EU says no to reopening talks on divorce deal
British Prime Minister Theresa May is struggling to persuade European leaders to renegotiate the deal to leave the European Union. A majority of MPs have said they will vote down the agreement if May doesn't secure concessions on the Irish backstop, but Europe rejected any substantial changes. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the prime minister was weakened this week after a third of her lawmakers voted against her in a leadership challenge, and the political turmoil looks set to continue.
British Prime Minister Theresa May chose to delay a key parliamentary vote Monday on the exit deal she reached with the European Union, in the face of almost certain defeat - which would likely have brought her leadership to an end. May says she will go back to Brussels to try to seal further guarantees on a future trade deal to avoid triggering the so-called ‘Irish backstop’. Henry Ridgwell reports.
Efforts to boost global action against climate change are stuttering – as several key nations have objected to a key United Nations-backed report on the impacts of rising temperatures, at the COP24 talks in Poland. Many developing nations say they are already suffering from the impact of climate change – especially in south Asia and Africa, where water shortages and intense storms are putting lives and livelihoods in danger. Henry Ridgwell reports.
US, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait fail to back IPCC report
Both U.S. allies and rivals have reacted strongly to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's call Tuesday for NATO allies to pay more for defense in the face of Russian aggression. Speaking in Brussels, Pompeo's also told allies that the United States is building a new liberal world order based on national sovereignty - remarks that brought a sharp reaction from Beijing Wednesday. More from Henry Ridgwell in London.
Threat follows US announcement it will withdraw from key arms pact if Moscow continues to violate it
Amnesty says more than 5,000 opposition supporters were summarily executed
Iran is accused of covering up the mass executions of thousands of political prisoners thirty years ago – killings that amount to crimes against humanity, according to a new report from Amnesty International. The human rights group wants the United Nations to open an inquiry into the killings and disappearances in 1988 which targeted supporters of Iranian opposition groups. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London.
US secretary of state says Washington is creating new ‘liberal world order’
US repeats demands for NATO allies to increase military spending
Russia’s recent attack on Ukrainian naval vessels will likely top the agenda at a NATO meeting this week – as the alliance searches for a robust response in the wake of the Kremlin’s latest act of aggression on Europe’s borders. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to join other foreign ministers meeting Tuesday in Brussels, as American demands for more military spending from NATO allies will also be discussed. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.
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