International

• Saturday, January 19th 2019 - 09:28 UTC

  Brazilian lawmakers trip to China triggers strong controversy among Bolsonaro's bunker

  

  A trip to China by lawmakers from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's party has stirred anger in the far-right leader's entourage, partly because of his wariness of the Asian power but also because of the group's stated mission. The delegation of eight members of Bolsonaro's ultraconservative Social Liberal Party (PSL) said it was on the visit to check out Chinese facial-recognition technology, with a view to it maybe being used in Brazil to combat crime.

• Saturday, January 19th 2019 - 09:18 UTC

  Argentina/China companies link up to launch satellites for an Earth-observation constellation

  

  An international space venture called Satellogic says it will have 90 satellites launched by a Chinese company to create an Earth-observing constellation. The first launch by the China Great Wall Industry Corp. under the newly announced deal, scheduled for later this year, will deliver 13 satellites to low Earth orbit on China’s Long March 6 rocket, Satellogic announced in a news release.

• Saturday, January 19th 2019 - 08:50 UTC

  Germany plans to block China's Huawei products from its 5G network

  

  Germany is considering ways to block Huawei from its next-generation mobile phone network, according to reports. Berlin is exploring stricter security requirements which may prevent Huawei products being used in its 5G network.

• Saturday, January 19th 2019 - 08:39 UTC

  The Times and Sunday Times want to share resources, to build a sustainable future for Times' journalism

  

  Rupert Murdoch newspapers The Times and the Sunday Times are asking the government for permission to share resources, including journalists, between the two titles. The application to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is necessary as legal undertakings were made to keep them separate when he bought them in 1981.

• Saturday, January 19th 2019 - 08:36 UTC

  Leading Germans in an open letter ask UK to remain in the EU

  

  Leading German figures have written to the UK asking it to stay in the European Union. The letter, published in The Times, is signed by 31 people, including the leader of the Christian Democratic Union - and likely successor to Angela Merkel - Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

• Friday, January 18th 2019 - 10:01 UTC

  EU prepares contingency plans for a UK disorderly departure

  

  French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said a no-deal Brexit looks “less and less unlikely” and has launched a contingency plan to prepare for it. After the UK Parliament rejected the withdrawal agreement, Mr Philippe said laws had to be passed and millions invested in French ports and airports.

• Friday, January 18th 2019 - 09:39 UTC

  China moves in after Hitachi and Toshiba abandon nuclear plants' plans in UK

  

  China’s General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) will bring forward plans to build a nuclear plant in Britain, it said on Thursday, helping plug a gap left by the failure of two Japanese projects.

• Friday, January 18th 2019 - 09:23 UTC

  US investigating China's Huawei for “stealing trade secrets” from American partners

  

  The United States is reportedly investigating Huawei for “stealing trade secrets” from American business partners in the latest action against the Chinese technology giant. The criminal inquiry was first reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

• Friday, January 18th 2019 - 09:03 UTC

  UK and Spain agree to guarantee reciprocal suffrage at municipal level post-Brexit

  

  Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell announced this week that Madrid and London have agreed to guarantee electoral rights in local elections for British residents in Spain and Spanish residents in the UK post-Brexit.

• Friday, January 18th 2019 - 09:00 UTC

  WHO statement on reports of alleged misconduct

  

  World Health Organization (WHO) is aware of a news story published today about allegations of misconduct in the organization. The allegations are being investigated according to WHO’s established procedures, having been referred to WHO’s Office of Internal Oversight Services by the Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.