22 Jan 2019; DW: Speaking with DW in Davos, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has called a new vote "the sensible thing in this situation." He said a "no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for everyone."

Speaking with DW at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair again made the case for holding a second referendum on Brexit. Blair said of the current parliamentary impasse, "The process is a mess," adding, "The sensible thing in this situation is to go back to the people."

23 Jan 2019; AFP: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday accused Washington of ordering a coup against his government and called for a "total revision" of ties with the US.

The latest claims by Caracas of a US coup plot came the day before a mass street protest announced by the opposition, and one day after a mutiny by some soldiers.

Maduro was specifically reacting to comments by US Vice President Mike Pence, who posted a video on Twitter branding Maduro "a dictator with no legitimate claim to power."

23 Jan 2019; AFP: Sony will shift its European headquarters from Britain to the Netherlands to avoid Brexit-related customs issues, but operations at its current UK company will remain unchanged, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

"We are moving the location of our European headquarters' registration to the Netherlands" by the end of March, company spokesman Takashi Iida told AFP.

The relocation is aimed at avoiding cumbersome customs-related procedures after Britain leaves the European Union, he said.

23 Jan 2019; AFP: British MPs frustrated with Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit strategy are seeking to force a new approach, which could include delaying Britain's exit from the EU and holding a second referendum.

The House of Commons rejected May's withdrawal deal last week, leaving Britain on course to exit the EU on March 29 with no deal.

She has promised to try once again to amend the agreement, but critics say she will not succeed -- and that parliament must now take control.

22 Jan 2019; DW: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Their alliance is in good shape, so what's left to talk about for two men who've engineered themselves all-powerful presidencies?

Israeli forces rounded up 16 Palestinians in overnight raids across the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli military on Wednesday.

The individuals were arrested for “suspected involvement in popular terrorist activities”, the army said in a statement, without elaborating on the nature of these activities.

According to the statement, the arrested Palestinians were taken to custody for further questioning.

22 Jan 2019; DW: The EU has fined Mastercard €570 million for limiting competition between banks offering cheaper payment fees. The European Commission said Mastercard's actions harmed consumers and retailers in the bloc.

The European Commission on Tuesday fined Mastercard €570 million ($648 million) for preventing retailers from looking for better card payment terms at banks around Europe.

23 2019; AFP: The White House on Tuesday said high-level trade talks with Beijing were proceeding uninterrupted, quickly rebutting media reports that progress toward resolving their trade war had faltered.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He is to meet his US counterparts in Washington next week as the two sides work to resolve their trade disagreements by March 1, when a 90-day truce is due to expire, allowing US import duties on Chinese goods to increase sharply.

22 Jan 2019; DW: US Ambassador Richard Grenell says months of pressure from the United States led Germany to ban Iran's Mahan Air. But German officials say they've cut off the carrier as part of their own security policy.

US Ambassador Richard Grenell is claiming a diplomatic victory after German officials decided to ban the Iranian airline Mahan Air from operating within the country.

President Donald Trump had a message Tuesday for Democrats hoping he'll relent in the political arm wrestling that has seen funds blocked to parts of the government for a record 32 days: "No Cave!"

Trump's defiant tweet again blamed congressional Democrats for the chaos, insisting he will not lift his shutdown on federal government funding unless they approve his $5.7 billion plan for more walls along the US-Mexican border.

BRUSSELS, January 22. /TASS/. US plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) will be the focus of attention at the next ambassadorial meeting of the Russia-NATO Council, the Russian mission to NATO said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Preparations continue for the next meeting of the Russia-NATO Council, which will focus on the INF Treaty situation," the statement reads. "We expect the meeting to take place in the near future," the mission added.

TOKYO, January 23. /TASS/. Signing a peace treaty between Japan and Russia is not an easy problem that can be solved just after several rounds of talks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday.

"This is not such an easy problem, which can be solved immediately after several rounds of negotiations," Suga stressed, signaling that concluding a peace treaty with Russia will take certain time.