A healthy relationship with Beijing is “squarely in our national interest,” Reeves said on Saturday as she announced agreements “worth £600 million to the U.K. economy over the next five years.” Speaking during a visit to U.K. bicycle maker Brompton’s Beijing store, Reeves insisted she would not alter her economic plans. “I have been really … Read more
After years of tension with the previous Conservative government over human rights and security concerns, Reeves has political space to take a different, more business-like approach to Beijing and try and tap China’s vast market for economic benefits. “Everything the Tories did on foreign policy was about backbench management,” said a U.K. government official, who, like … Read more
“As I travelled here, it was clear to me that there would obviously be no ordinary handshakes,” Baerbock told broadcasters Friday evening. “But it was also clear … that not only I but also the French foreign minister did not share this view. And accordingly, the French foreign minister did not extend his hands,” she … Read more
At the moment, however, there is no guarantee that the Lords could amend the bill without effectively wrecking it. That’s because any amendments added by the Lords need to go back to the Commons, which, combined with a shortage of time for private members’ bills, could mean the whole thing gets cut off by the … Read more
One of the most politically sensitive topics in Brussels, the €1.2 trillion budget governs spending on anything from support to Ukraine to film subsidies. Hawkish Eastern European and Nordic countries including Poland and Sweden are keen to boost EU spending on defense, while Southern ones such as Italy and Greece would like more cash to … Read more
Warring Russia and Ukraine exchanged some 300 prisoners Monday in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates. “The return of our people from Russian captivity is always very good news for all of us,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said hours after the handover. The two countries exchanged 150 enemy prisoners each, according to the … Read more
Chinese legal experts have condemned police in the eastern province of Jiangxi, saying they abused their power by once again sending a blogger – who previously accused an auxiliary officer of sexual assault – to hospital for psychiatric treatment. Police in Jiangxi’s provincial capital Nanchang said on Sunday they had sent Li Yixue – a … Read more
Syrian refugees and residents in Egypt face an uncertain future as new regulations may jeopardize their right to remain in the country after Bashar al-Assad’s ouster earlier this month. European countries quickly suspended Syrian asylum applications after the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham swept into Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after … Read more
Qatar has become a critical supplier of liquefied natural gas to Europe as countries are reducing their reliance on Russian energy following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy giant, has long-term LNG supply agreements with Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands. Al-Kaabi, who is also the chief executive of QatarEnergy, said the EU legislation would … Read more
In September, the prosecutor asked for a six-year prison term for Salvini as well as compensation of more than €1 million for damages if the court had found him guilty. The appeals process following the verdict could still take years. Salvini repeatedly defended himself, saying he “simply protected the country’s borders,” by preventing the migrants … Read more
