World Affairs Archives

Research Briefing

United Kingdom Internal Market Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages

Friday, 09 October, 2020

The United Kingdom Internal Market Bill is a government bill that would make provision for the continuation of the UK’s single market when the transition period ends on 31 December 2020. As part of this it would provide for the ‘market access principles’ of mutual recognition and non-discrimination to apply to the sale of goods and the provision of services within the UK. It also seeks to provide unfettered access for qualifying Northern Ireland goods to the market in Great Britain. It contains provisions that seek to give ministers the power to unilaterally interpret, modify the application of or disapply parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, notwithstanding their obligations under relevant international and domestic law.
In Focus

Covid-19 Vaccine: Access for low and middle income countries

Thursday, 08 October, 2020

Almost 200 Covid-19 vaccine candidates are currently being developed. However, only a tiny percentage of these will ever be mass-produced and distributed. Concerns around ‘vaccine nationalism’ have grown, as high-income countries pre-order hundreds of millions of vaccine doses. This article looks at this problem and examines what solutions are being put in place to ensure low and middle income countries receive adequate supplies of any successful Covid-19 vaccine.
In Focus

Covid-19 and the US election: Voting during a pandemic

Tuesday, 06 October, 2020

With just under a month until the US presidential election, some American citizens have started casting their votes. The coronavirus pandemic has already caused disruption to previous elections held across the US this year. How might coronavirus affect the way Americans vote in November?
In Focus

400th anniversary of the Mayflower

Monday, 05 October, 2020

16 September 2020 marks 400 years since the Mayflower set sail on its famous voyage to America. This article tells the story of that voyage, using information from Mayflower 400 UK, the commemorative project marking the anniversary around the UK.
- In Focus
- Foreign Policy
In Focus

60th anniversary of US televised presidential debates

Friday, 02 October, 2020

The first televised US presidential debate between candidates took place on 26 September 1960. However, in 1954 a form of televised debate had taken place. Unlike the debate in 1960, this debate took place between two surrogates of the presidential candidates—Senator Margaret Chase Smith for Republican nominee Dwight Eisenhower and Eleanor Roosevelt for Democrat nominee Adlai Stevenson. But it was in 1960 that the candidates themselves took part in three rounds of debates for the first time. Each was broadcast directly to US citizens’ homes via television and over the radio.
In Focus

Black Liberation Movements: Then and Now

Thursday, 01 October, 2020

This article looks at two movements for Black liberation: Black Lives Matter and the Black Panther Party. It considers some similarities and differences between the two organisations and details their impact on society in the US and the UK.
Current Affairs Digest

Current Affairs Digest: World Affairs (September 2020)

Thursday, 01 October, 2020

Catch up on world affairs with a selection of articles you may have missed from September 2020. Articles this month include a look at modern Brazil, and how diplomats are operating during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Current Affairs Digest
- World Affairs
In Focus

Treason law reform and the Lord Haw-Haw case 75 years on

Friday, 11 September, 2020

Seventy-five years ago Nazi propagandist William Joyce (“Lord Haw-Haw”) was convicted for high treason. This article summarises the events leading up to his conviction and execution. It then considers the current law on treason and recent calls for reform.
- In Focus
- Crime
- Defence
- Justice
- Security
In Focus

Parliamentary scrutiny of treaties: Debate on committee reports

Wednesday, 19 August, 2020

This article summarises the conclusions of three House of Lords committee reports on the powers of Parliament to scrutinise treaties. In the context of Brexit, there have been calls for Parliament’s powers of scrutiny of treaties and trade agreements to be strengthened. The committee reports are due to be debated in the House of Lords on 7 September 2020.
In Focus

Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam: Three wartime conferences that shaped Europe and the world

Tuesday, 21 July, 2020

This year marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of two of the three allied tripartite heads of government conferences held during the second world war. What happened at these summits, and how was the UK Parliament kept updated on these key milestones 75 years ago?
In Focus

Terezin Declaration: The restitution of property

Monday, 20 July, 2020

The Terezin Declaration on Holocaust Era Assets and Related Issues is a legally non-binding document outlining several measures towards property restitution belonging to the victims of Nazi persecution. This article provides a background to the Declaration and discusses recent UK legislation on property restitution. The Declaration and the restitution of property is due to be the subject of an oral question in the House of Lords on 20 July 2020.
- In Focus
- International Law
In Focus

International impact of Covid-19 on parliaments

Thursday, 16 July, 2020

The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted how parliaments across the world operate. This article details how several parliaments have had to adapt. For example, the use of heat sensors in the Republic of Korea and reduced plenary sittings in the French Senate.
In Focus

Covid-19: How has it affected the sustainable development goals?

Thursday, 16 July, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected health, education and livelihoods around this world. This article gives an overview of some of the ways the pandemic is expected to impact progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. This is the subject of an oral question in the House of Lords on 22 July 2020.
In Focus

VJ Day 75: Role of the Chindits in the Burma campaign

Tuesday, 14 July, 2020
Current Affairs Digest

Current Affairs Digest: World Affairs (June 2020)

Friday, 19 June, 2020

Catch up on articles on world affairs you may have missed in June 2020, including on the impact of coronavirus on Africa's informal workers and on the relationship between Venezuela and Iran.
- Current Affairs Digest
- World Affairs

Total results (page 19 of 44)