UK lawmakers approve measure to block Parliament shutdown

21:06, July 18, 2019

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  EU lawmakers narrowly approve von der Leyen as new EU chief

  Ursula von der Leyen, the German Defense Minister, in Munich, Germany. (File photo: Xinhua)STRASBOURG, France, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Germanys Ursula von der Leyen was elected to be the next president of the European Commission on Tuesday with a slim majority.She made history as the first female chief executive of the European Union. The slim majority also helped avert a political crisis for the worlds largest trading bloc.

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  Activists block UK roads in new climate-change protests

  Environmental protesters have blocked roads in London and four other British cities in a new wave of demonstrations demanding faster action against climate change.Demonstrators from the "Extinction Rebellion" climate environmental activist group, protest outside of The Royal Courts of Justice on The Strand in central London in London on July 15, 2019. (Photo: AFP)Hundreds of supporters of the group Extinction Rebellion, along with a blue boat bearing the words "Act Now," blocked the street outside Londons Royal Courts of Justice on Monday. They called for charges to be dropped against more than 1,000 people arrested during climate protests earlier this year.Protests are also taking place in Glasgow, Cardiff, Bristol and Leeds.In April, members of the group blocked several London roads and bridges during 10 days of action designed to alert the public and politicians to the "climate emergency."Britain aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, but Extinction Rebellion wants it done by 2025.

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  Limiting 5G suppliers to Britain would lower security standards: lawmakers

  Britain only has three potential 5G suppliers including Chinese telecom giant Huawei, and limiting the field to just two would result in "less resilience and lower security standards," a British parliament committee said on Friday. We've been a part of UK networks for 18 years.