Briefing

British companies dreading a Brexit border breakdown

Deal or no deal, British companies will have to confront a wall of bureaucracy that threatens chaos at the border if they want to sell into the world's biggest trading…

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The 10 ‘Organising Principles’ underpinning relaunched UK-EU talks

Britain and the European Union have agreed to resume talks on reaching a trade deal to govern their future relations, setting out a new set of “organising principles” for intensified…

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What’s behind Thailand’s protests?

Thailand’s government banned gatherings of more than five people on Thursday in the face of three months of escalating demonstrations that have targeted King Maha Vajiralongkorn as well as Prime…

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Female vote key but policies lacking in New Zealand election

New Zealand’s upcoming general election has the rare distinction of providing a choice of two female candidates as the country’s next leader in a poll that could be decided by…

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What happens to the U.S. presidential election if a candidate dies or becomes incapacitated?

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday tested positive for COVID-19 and was taken to hospital. Trump has mild symptoms, according to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. But the…

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How Mike Pence could temporarily assume control if Trump becomes incapacitated

Like two U.S. presidents before him, Donald Trump could temporarily hand over power to his vice president should he become incapacitated, for example while undergoing a medical procedure as treatment…

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UPDATED: Azerbaijan declares partial military mobilisation amid reports of Syrian fighters involvement

Azerbaijan declared a partial military mobilisation on Monday following clashes with Armenian forces over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. See also: Armenia Accuses Turkey Of Direct Military Support For Azerbaijan Azeri President…

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Why Thai protesters are challenging the monarchy

Since a longstanding taboo on criticising Thailand's monarchy was broken by protesters in early August, their rallies in Bangkok have got increasingly bold in criticising King Maha Vajiralongkorn and demanding…

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OPEC turns 60

In 1973, Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries brought the U.S. economy to its knees. Now, the cartel created 60 years ago is more likely to do…

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Supporters who helped Trump win presidency lagging in motivation this year

With less than two months to go until the U.S. election, President Donald Trump is having trouble energizing his core supporters, especially white voters without college degrees who were key…

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Brexit back in crisis as UK threatens to undermine divorce pact

. Brexit trade talks plunged into fresh crisis on Monday after Britain warned the European Union that it could undercut the divorce deal it signed unless the bloc agrees to…

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On This Day…

301 - San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's oldest republic still in existence, founded by Saint Marinus 1783 - Treaty of Paris signed…

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After port blast, rudderless Lebanon drifts towards the rocks

Three weeks after the catastrophic explosion at Beirut port, Lebanon is drifting towards even more trouble as its politicians fail to agree a new government that can arrest a financial…

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What’s next after Japan PM Abe resigned? Potential successors?

The abrupt news that Japan's longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe resign over a worsening health condition, set off a flurry of attention on Friday over the path ahead for the…

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Three years on, Rohingya refugees remain in Bangladesh camps

August 25 marked the third anniversary of attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents that triggered military retaliation and led to the exodus from Buddhist-majority Myanmar over following days and weeks of…

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Who is Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny?

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is in Germany from Siberia for treatment. He is in a coma after drinking what his supporters suspect was poisoned tea; they accuse the authorities…

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In convention speech, Biden emerges from shadow and into ‘the light’

Joe Biden finally got his moment. After a 2020 presidential campaign dominated by President Donald Trump's words and actions, Biden on Thursday rose to the level of a true adversary…

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What is the purpose of the U.S. presidential nominating conventions?

The United States has held presidential nominating conventions for almost 200 years, and they have served in recent decades as an important televised introduction to each party's candidate in the…

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UAE’s Israel deal met with Arab dismay but quiet welcome in Gulf

From cries of "betrayal" to fears about "falling dominoes", the deal making the United Arab Emirates the third Arab state to forge ties with Israel stirred anger and dismay around…

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Who is Jimmy Lai, the media tycoon arrested in Hong Kong?

Jimmy Lai, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent democracy activists, was arrested on Monday for suspected collusion with foreign forces under the national security law, in what is the highest…

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Lebanese call for uprising after protests

Some Lebanese called on Sunday for a sustained uprising to topple their leaders amid public fury over this week’s devastating explosion in Beirut, and the country’s top Christian Maronite cleric…

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Analysis: Timeline of bombings in Lebanon

A huge explosion near the centre of Beirut killed at least 10 people, injured hundreds and sent shockwaves across the Lebanese capital on Tuesday, shattering windows and causing apartment balconies…

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Companies worldwide experience lower productivity due effects of rising temperatures as a result of climate change

An associate professor at Greece’s University of Thessaly says that companies worldwide have begun to respond to the effects of rising heat, as a result of climate change, on the…

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Israel’s “Bibi generation” starts to turn on Netanyahu over economy and COVID-19

For two months, many Israeli television viewers watched nightly as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued warnings and updates about the novel coronavirus and imposed lockdowns. When infections fell, he went…

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Scottish support for independence rises as COVID-19 imperils the United Kingdom

James Henderson has spent most of his life fiercely opposed to Scottish independence. Now, reluctantly he is backing it. The 71-year-old former marine engineer voted against Scotland leaving the United…

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Was there a Plan B if EU budget talks failed? – Charles Michel talks to POLITICO

Sitting once again on the Terrace Where It Happened, Charles Michel confessed he had no Plan B if leaders had failed to reach a budget deal, according to POLITICO, It transpires,…

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China can turn the other cheek, for now

by Gina Chon via Reuters Breakingviews Turning the other cheek takes fortitude, but that’s what China could do in response to the U.S. government’s latest actions. It slapped sanctions…

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CiNext – Hacking at the global order

by Tonio Galea A fire that broke out recently at an important Iran nuclear plant is risking spreading into a major hacking conflict. Some Iranian foreign officials were quick to…

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Making sense of Tunisia’s political crisis

Tunisia's government has collapsed less than five months after it was formed, plunging the North African democracy into a political crisis as it wrestles with economic troubles and social friction…

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Down but not out: Berlusconi could hold key to Italian government’s future

He is 83 and has lost most of his former support, but Italy's four-times prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is manoeuvring to put his centre-right Forza Italia party back into government…

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Coronavirus rekindles global trade disputes

At the start of the year, U.S.-China tensions were easing after their Phase I trade deal, while Washington, Brussels and Tokyo agreed on new global trading rules to curb subsidies.…

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World health-check halfway through 2020

by Tonio Galea A quick glance at the current situation in the world gives a rather grim picture of the global civilization. The coronavirus is still claiming lives, young…

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Why are Chinese and Indian troops fighting in a remote Himalayan valley?

The Indian army has said at least 20 of its soldiers were killed after hand-to-hand fighting with Chinese troops at a disputed border site on Monday night, in the deadliest…

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Untangling the conflict in Libya

Libya's conflict has taken a new twist after an attempt by eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar to seize the capital, Tripoli, crumbled rapidly in recent weeks. WHO'S BEEN FIGHTING WHO? Haftar's…

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Japan braces for worst postwar economic slump

Japan's economy braced for its worst postwar slump even as first-quarter GDP contracted less than initially thought, as the coronavirus crisis slams the brakes on global growth and raises pressure…

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The need to inject science in politics and policy

by Rafael Yuste and Dario Gil - from El Pais There is no need to point out that this crisis could have been avoided, or at least its impact on…

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Protests rattle Belarus President Lukashenko before election

In the Belarusian capital Minsk, a long queue formed outside a covered food market on Sunday as people waited for hours to give their signature to opposition candidates contesting a…

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Who is involved in Libya’s conflict and why

The conflict between Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA), recognised by the United Nations, and the eastern-based forces of Khalifa Haftar has become a cauldron for foreign rivals. This explains how…

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The Tripoli mirage

by Tonio Galea The Libyan National Army is enduring its worst days yet since launching an all-out assault on Tripoli to topple the Government of National Accord, more than…

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‘It’s up to us’: how Merkel and Macron revived EU solidarity

It took a courtroom of scarlet-robed judges to spur Angela Merkel to make one of her boldest moves in 15 years as German chancellor: propose huge cash handouts to the…

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Who finances WHO?

After accusing the World Health Organization of pro-China bias last month and suspending contributions, U.S. President Donald Trump went further this week, threatening to halt funding altogether if the body…

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Burying the hatchet in times of coronavirus

by Tonio Galea - Editor CorporateDispatch.com Almost four months since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, the world is still getting to grips with a pandemic that has overturned every…

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Men behaving badly – The male leaders who failed the Covid-19 test

Around the world, authoritarian leaders are exploiting, exacerbating or grossly mishandling the response to the pandemic, placing selfish interest ahead of public good. The Guardian carries an opinion piece by…

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When oil became waste

By David Gaffen The magnitude of how damaged the energy industry is came into full view on April 20 when the benchmark price of U.S. oil futures, which had never…

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20 years of Merkel the helm of the CDU

Exactly two decades ago, Angela Merkel became the first woman to lead a German political party. Her tenure as party leader and chancellor has seen her weather one crisis after…

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Censorship, Covid 19 and the Spanish Flu of 1918 – Lourdes Pullicino

By Lourdes Pullicino - Former journalist, lecturer in media and international relations On 25 March, Reporters without Borders (RSF), the world’s largest NGO promoting freedom of information argued that had…

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European Union survival at stake – Spanish PM

The European Union’s very survival is at stake and a new ‘Marshall Plan for Europe is needed’ to rebuild the continent’s economies, Spain’s prime minister writes in article published today by…

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EU’s von der Leyen calls for ‘Marshall Plan’ for Europe

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called on EU nations to invest billions in the bloc's budget to avert catastrophic economic consequences from the current coronavirus crisis. "We…

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How our Europe will regain its strength – Together

by Ursula Von Der Leyen The last few weeks have turned our world upside down. It seems like a lifetime ago that we were going about our everyday business. But…

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From Russia, with love

by Matthew Bugeja The world may have come to a grinding halt, but Russia has found a way to make headlines in the last week or so. It may have been…

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EU’s SURE response to Coronavirus explained

by Keith Zahra The European Commission is directing all available resources to save lives and support livelihoods in these times of crisis. Today, it has announced the setting up of…

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No time for seesawing

A crisis situation demands clarity from the people at the top of the chain of command. It is important for communities and organisations alike to find a sense of assurance…

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COVID-19 Why are so many people dying in Italy?

Most of us following closely the constant edging up of numbers around the world have posed a question more often than others. Why are so many more people dying in…

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Covid-19 may also heal

For all the devastation that the coronavirus is causing, in Malta it seems to have revitalised the Nationalist Party. In the past few weeks, the country witnessed a renewed sense…

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Welcome to the world, Malta

It was a cold, dreary January afternoon in which Jesmond and Matthew first met in Valletta some two years ago. Both were incredibly passionate about the news, but more than…

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Suffering in Silence: Loneliness in Maltese Society

by Jamie Bonnici Research Support Officer, faculty for Social Wellbeing When the research team at the Faculty for Social Wellbeing, with whom I work began delving into research about loneliness,…

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The walk of hope

Why does the picture of a frail old man walking in the rain speak to us so profoundly at a moment like this? Of course, it matters that the man…

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