Invasive species could hitch a ride along China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), according to a new study. The BRI is intended to accelerate trade and transportation among more than 80 countries, including some of the world’s most biodiverse areas. Examining those areas, researchers identified “invasion hotspots,” which are especially vulnerable to non-native species, and found that a majority of them are within the BRI’s six proposed economic corridors.
A prolific espionage group, which the U.S. government believes is Chinese, compromised billion-dollar business service provider Visma in 2018, according to a report by the threat intelligence firm Recorded Future.
Why it matters: Visma, located in Norway, has more than 850,000 customers. The Recorded Future report, produced in part with data garnered by industry partner Rapid7, also details intrusions into the networks of an unnamed U.S. law firm and unnamed apparel company.
European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday that he's wondered about what a "special place in hell" for Brexit supporters might look like after a meeting in Brussels about the possible consequences of a "no deal" Brexit with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
President Trump said in his State of the Union address Tuesday that his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be held on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam.
The big picture: After the two leaders' historic summit in Singapore last June, Trump insisted that Kim had committed to "complete" denuclearization. On Tuesday, Trump claimed "nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months." But satellite images show North Korea has been expanding certain missile bases, and testimony from Trump's own senior intelligence officials suggests it's unlikely that North Korea will completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities.
A tension has surfaced in Europe between a fear of China effectively buying up whole industries and local companies becoming too large: Public officials are uncertain which dynamic is more pernicious.
Driving the news: In a decision tomorrow, the European Commission is expected to veto the railroad merger of Germany's giant Siemens and France's Alstom.
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is expected to share an update about the Trump administration's Middle East peace plan during a public session at the Warsaw Middle East conference next Thursday. A White House official told me Kushner will be participating in a discussion hosted by former Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende on efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
