UK stops issuing ‘golden visas’ to fight money laundering; Yemen peace talks in Sweden

EU-Russia-Ukraine trilateral gas talks postponed until early 2019

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak. Source: AFP/VNA

According to Tass, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on December 6 that the trilateral gas meeting between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union (EU) will take place in the second half of January 2019, not on December 11 as previously planned. Minister Novak stated: "Yesterday we informed European Commissioner (Maros) Sefcovic. At his request, the meeting was postponed to January. It was scheduled to take place on December 11. A proposal has just been made by the European Commission to hold the meeting in the second half of January," after an expert-level meeting.

The European Commission said earlier that Brussels and Kiev supported the idea of ​​holding trilateral gas talks on the EU-Russia-Ukraine model early next year.

British Prime Minister tries to save preliminary deal with EU

British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at the House of Commons session in London on November 26, 2018. Photo: AFP/ VNA

On December 6, British Prime Minister Theresa May once again urged MPs in Parliament to support the preliminary agreement on the country's exit from the European Union (EU), also known as Brexit, or face a no-deal Brexit or even a reversal of Brexit.

Mrs May also proposed giving parliament a greater role in deciding whether to trigger the "backstop" arrangement at the border between Ireland and the British territory of Northern Ireland, or extend the transition period.

Dozens of workers killed in bloody attack in Papua, Indonesia

Police carry the body of a victim killed in an attack in Timika, Papua province, Indonesia on December 6, 2018. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

On the morning of December 6, the Papua Police Brigade found the bodies of 16 workers killed in a bloody attack by separatist militants on a group of construction workers at a construction site in Nduga district, Papua province, Indonesia. Papua police said that in addition to the 16 bodies found, they also found 3 survivors. Rescue forces are still racing against time to find the remaining victims being held by the rebel group. The Papua provincial government has mobilized additional forces and vehicles, including helicopters, to participate in the search process.

Earlier, on December 2-3, a group of gunmen attacked a bridge construction site in a mountain village in Nduga district, killing workers. According to local media, the perpetrators may be separatists from the "Free Papua Movement". These are the bloodiest attacks to have occurred in Papua since the separatists launched an uprising nearly 50 years ago.

Yemen peace talks begin in Sweden

Soldiers of the Saudi-led coalition patrol in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden on October 29, 2018. Photo: AFP/VNA

On December 6, in the town of Rimbo, north of Stockholm, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom opened the United Nations-sponsored Yemen peace talks with the participation of the Arab country's rival factions. At the negotiating table, representatives of the internationally recognized government in Yemen and the Shi'ite Houthi Muslim rebels sat across from each other.

These are the first talks in two years aimed at ending the conflict in Yemen that has killed at least 10,000 people since 2015 and sparked what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

UK temporarily suspends "golden visas" for investors and immigrants

In the year to September 2018, more than 1,000 people were granted “golden visas” to settle in the UK. Photo: Reuters

Britain will stop issuing Tier 1 visas, also known as “golden visas” that provide a fast track to residency for people who invest millions of pounds in the country, from December 7 until new rules come into effect next year. The new rules will require applicants to provide a comprehensive audit of their business and financial interests and show they have managed the £2 million (nearly 2.6 million USD) in investments needed for a Tier 1 visa for at least two years. In addition, applicants will no longer be able to invest in government bonds and must invest in active British companies.

“Golden visas” have long been criticised for providing an easy route into the UK for vested interests and the super-rich looking to launder shady money, according to the newspaper.The GuardianIn order to prevent money laundering in the UK, the government has reviewed and changed some regulations related to Tier 1 visas.

Canada arrests Chinese Huawei vice president

Ms. Meng Wanzhou - Vice President of Huawei Group. Photo: Reuters.

Canada's Justice Department announced on December 6 that it had just arrested the global finance director and vice president of China's Huawei in Vancouver. She is expected to be extradited to the United States. According to a spokesperson for Canada's Justice Department, Ms. Meng Wanzhou - daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei - was arrested on December 1 and is due to appear in court on December 7. Huawei confirmed Ms. Meng's arrest, saying it had received little information about the charges against her.

A statement from Huawei said that Ms. Meng Wanzhou, whose English names are Cathy and Sabrina, was detained while she was transiting between flights in Canada. Huawei also confirmed that it had not detected any wrongdoing by this person, and emphasized that the company has always complied with all US mobile device export control regulations, the country's sanctions against Iran and other laws.

Suicide bombing in Iran causes many casualties

The scene of the bombing in Iran. Source: AFP

A suicide car bomb attack at a police headquarters in the southeastern Iranian port city of Chabahar on December 6 killed at least four people and wounded many others, including women and children, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.

Rahmdel Bameri, a local official, said the suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives toward the police headquarters. He said police stopped the car and started shooting at the driver, but the attacker detonated the explosives. Authorities have not yet determined who was behind the attack. No militant group has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing.