Positive thinking

Victoria Honeyman, University of Leeds With Boris Johnson’s impressive election victory , one of the biggest questions in British politics will be answered: Brexit, in some form, will be done. But what does this election victory mean for Britain’s standing in the world? Who will the UK now count as its allies, and its enemies? The manner of Brexit matters in terms of Britain’s global standing. The large majority he has secured might give Johnson more room for manoeuvre in Westminster, making a softer Brexit possible. This would undoubtedly allow for smoother relations with the UK’s neighbours, but a softer Brexit might also have more advantages globally. Overseas, Brexit is viewed as a form of national self-harm by many, and a softer departure may well prevent Britain’s international standing from being substantially damaged. A softer Brexit, which might involve some freedom of movement, may also allow Britain to strike a stronger bargaining position in future trade neg...

Chinese intelligence has used tiny chips, mounted in hardware equipment sold in the United States, to spy on American government and Corporations. The complaint comes from an investigation published by the agency Bloomberg, and coincides with the speech held a few days ago by Vice President Pence to accuse Beijing of interference in the U.S. political system.   At the heart of the operation is Supermicro founded by Taiwanese engineer Charles Liang in San José. This company produced the motherboard servers, the basic hardware components for dozens of customers, including Elemental Technologies, which in turn provided the technology used by Amazon Prime to compress the video of its streaming service. During a test of the products conducted in Canada, the technicians discovered microchips as large as the tip of a pencil, inserted inside the MOTHERBOARDS. As they were not part of the original design of the hardware, they alerted the American authorities. Hence the investigation...