Britain’s highest court has ruled unanimously that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent prorogation of Parliament was unlawful. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said Parliament would resume Sept. 25 while Johnson was in New York, where he was expected to discuss his Brexit plan with other European Union leaders on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly. [node:read-more:link]
The global McKinsey & Co. consultancy says companies which see climate change as a future risk are making a huge mistake if they ignore its physical effects on infrastructure, supply chains, food systems, asset prices, productivity and economic growth. It also points out that the increasingly connected global economy means that risk in one part of the world often will extend well beyond the place of immediate impact. [node:read-more:link]
Tariffs on a diverse list of 437 items imported from China have been lifted by the U.S. as President Donald Trump explains that the two sides as “making a lot of progress” on trade talks. The editor of the Beijing-based Global Times, said the development is being taken as “a goodwill signal.” [node:read-more:link]
Reacting to a U.S. decision to sent more troops and weapons to Saudi Arabia after the recent drone strike on critical oil infrastructure, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says he’s not confident that war can be avoided. He also said in a televised interview that “whoever starts one will not be the one who finishes it.” [node:read-more:link]
Western powers are being urged by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to remoes their assets from the Persian Gulf and leave its security to regional nations. He is expected to unveil a regional peace plan this week at the United Nations. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. has confirmed it will deploy additional troops and missile defence equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a possible step to deployment of additional assets. More details are to come but the deployment is expected to be relatively small, likely hundreds rather than thousands of personnel. [node:read-more:link]
Saudi Arabia says it can prove Iran’s complicity in the recent drone attack on two major Saudi petroleum facilities. Even so, the kingdom is expected to wait until a UN inspection team completes its investigation. [node:read-more:link]
The Stockholm International Peace and Security Institute says that although the security implications of climate change have increasingly been debated by the UN Security Council, there are growing concerns about the UN’s overall response. In a new policy brief, SIPRI looks at how the climate security debate has evolved and highlights three priorities for action. [node:read-more:link]
Recent drone attacks on Saudi Arabian petroleum facilities evidently are raising concerns about the prospect of similar strikes against other strategic facilities. The extensive damage has spiked an increase in global oil prices. [node:read-more:link]
Saudi Arabia, which has small fleets of frigates, corvettes and patrol boats, is joining the western task force protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and other potential chokepoints in the region. Several merchant vessels have been attacked this year and the U.S. has been blaming Iran. [node:read-more:link]
Donald Lafleur, executive vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress, is the subject of an internal investigation after attending a trade union conference in Syria and then calling for an end to international sanctions. A CLC spokesperson says the organization was unaware Lafleur had attended the conference organized by the Syrian regime. [node:read-more:link]
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says “the time is right” for reconciliation between the European Union and Russia. His suggestion comes just as the U.S. Congress prepares to resume consideration of sanctions against Russia, which could heighten tensions between the EU and the U.S. [node:read-more:link]
Jens Stoltenberg, the Dane who has been Secretary General of NATO since 2014, worries about Middle East tensions rising after the weekend drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s main oil-processing facility. While there’s an ongoing argument about who was responsible, Stoltenberg said Iran is “destabilizing” the region. [node:read-more:link]
The Angus Reid Institute says the vast majority of Canadians see money-laundering as a critial issue in the aftermath of an expert panel’s conclusion that the annual flow-through could be nearly $50 billion. The last federal budget proposed several countermeasures but many Canadians evidently feel the government is not being aggressive enough. [node:read-more:link]
All U.S. civil and military organizations will be prohibited, effective Sept. 17, from using cybersecurity products or other software produced by Russia-based Kaspersky Lab. In finalizing the decision, the administration is acting on legislation approved by Congress in response to intelligence community concerns that Kaspersky executives could be forced by Moscow to share information. [node:read-more:link]
