Nato and EU sign deal ahead of summit
A declaration signed between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union will see them strengthen cooperation on military mobility, counter-terrorism and resilience to chemical-related risks, among other areas. The agreement, signed by Jens Stoltenberg, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, comes ahead of the highly-anticipated Nato summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. The BBC reports that US president Donald Trump has again hit out via Twitter at European members for failing to meet commitments to spend 2% of GDP on defence. But Tusk also addressed Trump’s criticism, tweeting that the “US doesn’t have and won’t have a better ally than EU.”
US-China trade war heats up
The United States has said it will impose 10% tariffs on a list of Chinese goods ranging from foods to consumer electronics. Decrying China’s “unfair practices”, US trade representative Robert Lighthizer said that “rather than address our legitimate concerns, China has begun to retaliate against US products....There is no justification for such action.” The new tariffs will affect some $200bn worth of Chinese imports, The Guardian says.
Tesla to build in Shanghai
Electric car maker Tesla has announced plans to construct a factory in Shanghai that will produce 500,000 vehicles a year, doubling its global capacity. But The Guardian suggests some analysts have questioned where Tesla, which has “burned through more than $1bn in cash”, will get the capital required for the plant.
EP calls for microplastics ban
The European Parliament’s environment committee has voted in favour of a motion to ban microplastics in cosmetics, personal care products and cleaning items by 2020. Green News says the ban goes above and beyond original proposals from the European Commission.
Monsanto bullied scientists, claim
“Monsanto has specifically gone out of its way to bully....and to fight independent researchers,” a lawyer told a court in California on Monday. The statement, reported in The Guardian, came at a lawsuit case brought against the company by DeWayne Johnson, who is suffering from terminal cancer and who used the weedkiller glyphosate, marketed as Roundup, in his capacity as a school groundsman. Monsanto lawyers claim there is overwhelming scientific evidence that “glyphosate-based products do not cause cancer.
Facebook fined
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office has slapped the maximum £500,000 fine on Facebook for its role in the Cambridge Analytica case. “Facebook has failed to provide the kind of protections they are required to under the Data Protection Act,” said information commissioner Elizabeth Denham.
Plans for City’s 3rd tallest skyscraper
Plans were unveiled on Tuesday for a 56-story, 263-metre high tower at 100 Leadenhall Street in London. The Diamond, as it has been dubbed, will be the 3rd tallest building in the City of London after the 290-metre tall Trellis and the 278-metre high Pinnacle.
Today's breakfast briefing was compiled by Duncan Roberts