Social media app TikTok has secured a lifeline in the United States after years of hearings, regulatory battles and high-level talks between US and Chinese officials. A complex restructuring that transfers majority control to US is underway, with investors including technology company Oracle, investment firm Silver Lake, and Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp. President Donald Trump’s executive order certified … Read more
When Andrej Babiš swept back into power last Sunday, it may at first have seemed like another mere blip in a continent that has long grown accustomed to populists coming and going. Yet, there might be more to Babiš’s comeback than meets the eye. To borrow Churchill’s phrasing, it may not be the beginning of the end, but … Read more
Last week, the UK government announced fresh trade negotiations with Greenland, the day after European leaders, including Keir Starmer, gathered in Copenhagen for the European Political Community Summit. Alongside talks over reducing tariffs on seafood imports, the British government said it ‘will seek to strengthen cooperation on critical minerals.’ The UK is entering a crowded field, with … Read more
The European Political Community (EPC) held its seventh meeting in Copenhagen on 2 October. There was no guarantee that the EPC, a 2022 initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, would ever last this long. It was met with much scepticism at its creation, from candidate countries to the European Union, from Germany and even from France … Read more
The failed prosecution of two British men accused of spying for China continues to roil Westminster, sparking recriminations against the government and concern among MPs about their privacy and security. The case against the men was dropped last month, with the director of public prosecutions saying the British government had failed to provide sufficient evidence that China … Read more
As countries gather in Hanoi to sign the first-ever UN binding treaty on cybercrime, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued a sobering assessment of the cyberthreats facing the country. The NCSC’s annual review, which comes after recent high-profile cyberattacks on British businesses, warned that the number of cyber incidents that pose a risk on a national level has risen dramatically. … Read more
Senior Research Fellow Dr Marion Messmer provided evidence to a session of the UK Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on the National Security Strategy (NSS) on 22 October. The committee provides scrutiny, feedback and implementation recommendations on the NSS. Dr Messmer was asked to provide evidence due to her expertise on nuclear weapons issues. During her appearance … Read more
Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, said the threat from Da’esh (the network’s long-term name in Arabic) is still very real in both Syria and Iraq, where the group retains an estimated 6,000-10,000 fighters and continues to carry out hit-and-run operations, ambushes and roadside bombings. ‘Shattering and sober reminder’ Mr. Voronkov described … Read more
“As a moral duty, a legal obligation, and a strategic imperative – let’s put human rights where they belong: Front and centre in the fight against terror,” Mr. Guterres said in a video message to the High-Level International conference on Human Rights, Civil Society and Counter-Terrorism. The two-day event is taking place against the backdrop of the growing … Read more
Mr. Guterres was addressing the latest meeting of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, which brings together more than 40 UN agencies, Member States and other partners. The terrorism threat to Africa is increasing, he told participants. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 48 per cent of deaths attributed to terrorist groups globally last year. Exploiting fragilities “Groups … Read more