Today more than one million voters in Britain have petitioned the Prime Minister Boris Johnson to sack his Chief Advisor Dominic Cummings for breaking the UK’s lockdown to leave London and stay at his second home in rural County Durham in the North of England to celebrate a family birthday. The Prime Minister has been…
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen issued a press statement yesterday reporting on progress with the Coronavirus Global Response Initiative which was launched on 4 May. More than 40 countries, United Nations bodies and philanthropies made a pledge towards the research and development of coronavirus solutions at this global event – with…
The central bank of Lebanon’s Governor, Riad Salameh, gave an exclusive interview to leading French publication Paris Match, in which he explained that the central bank is not the cause of the problems that Lebanon is facing and that the country is better able to tackle its challenges thanks to the actions that the bank has taken….
The European Union and the Spanish Government convened an International Donors’ Conference in solidarity with Venezuelan refugees and migrants and countries in the region, with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). International donors pledged a total of €2.544 billion (of which €595 million…
As a young District Officer in 1984 I watched together with dignitaries from the New Territories of Hong Kong the UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sign the Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong together with TENG Xiaoping, the architect of the “One Country Two Systems” mantra. This international treaty paved the way for…
In a European Parliament debate on Hungary’s coronavirus emergency measures, most MEPs said democracy and fundamental rights are under threat in Hungary. The majority of speakers on 14 May stressed that the Hungarian government’s measures, including the declaration of a state of emergency without a time limit, are not in line with EU rules, calling…
BusinessEurope has published its position paper on the adoption of an International Procurement Instrument (IPI) by the EU. Public procurement is an important engine for economic growth, with over 250.000 public authorities in the EU purchasing goods, services, works and supplies, amounting to around EUR 2 trillion every year, accounting for approximately 14% of the…
By Ambassador Nathan A. Sales In April, Germany announced it was formally banning activities of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah from its soil. This historic development shows that the rest of the world is increasingly joining America’s efforts to isolate and combat this violent organization, and we urge our allies and partners to follow Germany’s…
The popular Ice Mountain adventure park in the west of Belgium has announced it has taken over the Jungle City amusement park in Tournai. The park’s new owner, Stephane Fievez, said the aim is to improve facilities for children up to the age of 12. The amusement park offers activities across 10,000 square metres, with…
By John Grogan In the seventeenth century the Mughal Emperor and patron of the arts, Javangir, famously exclaimed when he saw the valley of Kashmir, “If there is a heaven on earth it is here, it is here.” Sadly this weekend as the majority Muslim population in the area celebrate the festival of Eid-Al-Fitr tensions…
