World News

A significant leak shows that at least nearly two million Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members work worldwide, including US government agencies and the biggest companies, Australian media reported Sunday.

London and Brussels have agreed to continue talks on a crucial trade deal to avoid Britain’s turbulent exit from the European Union’s orbit by the end of the month. The announcement followed difficult negotiations between the two sides to prevent a messy divorce on Sunday.

Iran on Saturday executed a journalist who inspired nationwide economic protests for freedom in 2017 after luring him out of exile in Paris and kidnapping him.

In a setback for Hungary’s self-declared anti-corruption opposition, a high ranking diplomat resigned after he was allegedly caught smuggling cigarettes through Ukraine’s border.

Hungary warned Friday that it would launch a case at the European Union’s top court against the linking of EU funds to respect the rule of law.

European leaders have warned that Britain’s exit from the European Union will likely be without a crucial deal on $1 trillion in annual trade. Britain already quit the EU in January, but it remained in the EU single market and customs union during a transition period.

The United States sends a warning to Iran on Thursday with two American bomber aircraft flying over a swath of the Middle East, officials confirmed.

European Union leaders agreed on a 1.8 trillion euro ($2.2 trillion) stimulus package after Hungary and Poland withdrew their veto. Both EU member states threatened to torpedo funds if payments were tied to rule-of-laws standards.

Hungary and Poland have agreed on a compromise to unblock the European Union’s enormous stimulus package, including the coronavirus rescue fund, several sources told Worthy News.

Britain’s foreign minister said Thursday that negotiations on a trade deal with the European Union will reach a “moment of finality” this weekend, with both sides assessing chances of an agreement as slim.

The United Kingdom on Wednesday signed a trade agreement with Canada, days before the end of the Brexit transition period, removing the risk of an estimated £42 million ($56.15 million) tariff burden on UK exports.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations is trying to persuade Iran to resume its obligations under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear arms deal, the Times of Israel reports. In a report to the Security Council published Tuesday, Antonio Guterres called on Iran to address concerns about its decision last year to begin, among other violations, the enrichment of uranium beyond the agreed limits.

A British grandmother has become the world’s first person to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 injection as part of a controversial global vaccination program.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France will continue to make economic and defense deals with Egypt, despite Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s heaviest crackdown on dissent in the Arab country’s modern history, the Washington Times reports. While he gave this assurance during the Egyptian leader’s two-day state visit to France, Macron emphasized that he and el-Sissi have “disagreements” on human rights issues.

The United States Department of Justice has announced that over 1,000 Chinese researchers have left America amid a US national security crackdown on alleged technology theft, Sky News reported Thursday. The researchers are believed to be connected to China’s People’s Liberation Army.

Britain and the European Union warned Tuesday that talks on a post-Brexit free-trade deal are teetering on the brink of collapse, with just over three weeks until an economic rupture that will cause upheaval for businesses on both sides of the English Channel.

Norway’s government has now barred its citizens from speaking against transgender people even in their own homes.

Romania’s prime minister resigned Monday after his Liberal party narrowly lost Sunday’s parliamentary election amid public concern over corruption and political upheaval.

Britain, France, and Germany say Iran’s apparent plan to install additional advanced centrifuges at its main nuclear enrichment facility is “deeply worrying” and contrary to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Organizers of the annual World Economic Forum event in Davos, Switzerland, have again changed their planned venue for next year’s edition, announcing it will now take place in Singapore in May — a sign that the COVID-19 crisis has played havoc with planning.