United Kingdom
I am a International Relations and History student currently studying at Loughborough. Main interests include current affairs, diplomacy and politics. Hobbies include sport, technology and travel.
German defence ministers are seeking experts from EU countries, to compensate for the shortfall of workers in medical and IT sectors in the army. This comes after years of under-investment and ceasing conscription in 2011 after fifty-five years. Defence Chief Eberhard Zorn claimed the German army (Bundeswehr) sorely lacked highly skilled workers, such as doctors and IT specialists.
The Chinese telecommunications manufacturer Huawei faces strong, united international criticism from a plethora of states, raising security concerns over their 5G mobile telecommunications equipment. Australia, The United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom have all expressed security doubts regarding the equipment being used for espionage.
Neighbours Singapore and Malaysia have been tangled in a web of accusations and finger-pointing concerning Malaysia's move to extend their maritime boundaries into Singaporean territorial waters. Malaysia has extended its port limits from Johor Bahru, significantly pushing Malaysia's maritime borders eastwards beyond those previously shown in a 1979 map.
Homegrown terrorism, inspired by extremist thought, provides one of the largest threats to our national security in the modern era. The Henry Jackson Society, a foreign policy think-tank, carried out a report comparing terrorist attack data between 1998 and 2010, with data from 2011 and 2015.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has made remarks suggesting a shocking misunderstanding of messaging apps that use end-to-end encryption, saying that they aid terrorism. Taking aim at messaging apps like WhatsApp, Rudd wrote in The Telegraph that end-to-end encryption is "severely limiting our agencies' ability to stop terrorist attacks".
Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull described the raids as a "major joint counter-terrorism operation", which has seen the arrest of four people, and the seizure of a "considerable amount" of material. This material would've been used to create an "improvised device" to use in the attack.
The US has stated that it won't call for an emergency UN Security Council meeting over North Korean missile testing, as there is 'no value' to the meeting. US ambassador Nikki Haley has stated that a meeting with the UN Security Council would only succeed in telling North Korea that the UN is reluctant to seriously challenge it.
However, the government has assured that Brexit won't alter existing data flows. A recent House of Lords report, 'Brexit: The EU data protection package', provides information as to how Brexit could affect existing data and trade flows. It states that cross-border data flows to the UK are extremely important, with trade in services accounting for 44% of the UK's global exports.
A report into the foreign funding of extremist groups will not be published by the government, prompting criticism from opposition parties. The report, commissioned by David Cameron, was set to examine the UK funding of extremist groups in places like Saudi Arabia, which has been recently highlighted as a hotbed for Islamic extremism.
Location based media platforms like Snapchat's so-called 'Snap Map' and Pokemon Go have received mixed responses in terms of their effects on society and personal security. Both the 'Snap Map' and Pokemon Go use location based mapping resting on harmless premises. They aim to create a fun way to interact with your friends and the environment.