This House of Lords Briefing pack contains a selection of material relevant to the forthcoming debate on developments in the Western Balkans and the threat posed by instability and insecurity in that region.
The Western Balkans (279 KB , PDF)
The Western Balkans (279 KB , PDF)
This proposed law would prevent sentencing guidelines setting out when a pre-sentence report should be obtained from being framed by reference to the personal characteristics of an offender such as race, religion or belief and cultural background.
2025 marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day and Victory over Japan Day, events which in 1945 brought an end to the second world war. On those days 80 years ago, celebrations erupted across Britain. However, world leaders and domestic politicians were aware of the numerous problems still to be tackled, such as reconstruction, demobilisation and the legacy of the development and use of the atomic bomb.
Between the 1970s and 1990s, the Gaddafi-led Libyan regime supplied the Provisional IRA with weapons, finance and military training. This included shipments of the explosive Semtex, which was used in several bombings where a number of people died and many more were injured. Campaigners have called on the UK government to use Libyan assets frozen in 2011 to compensate victims. However, successive governments, including the current Labour government, have declined to do so, arguing it would break international law.
