The U.N. Is Investigating Possible North Korea Sanctions Violations in 20 Countries

(UNITED NATIONS) — U.N. experts say they are investigating possible violations of sanctions on North Korea in about 20 countries, from alleged clandestine nuclear procurement in China to arms brokering in Syria and military cooperation with Iran, Libya and Sudan.

A report to the Security Council obtained Monday by The Associated Press also details the appearance in North Korea of a Rolls-Royce Phantom, Mercedes-Benz limousines and Lexus all-wheel drive luxury vehicles in violation of a luxury goods ban.

And it notes a trend in North Korea’s evasion of financial sanctions by “using cyberattacks to illegally force the transfer of funds from financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges.”

The report’s executive summary obtained in February had said North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs “remain intact” and its leaders are dispersing missile assembly and testing facilities.

U.K. and E.U. Make Last-Minute Brexit Changes Ahead of Crucial Vote

(STRASBOURG, France) — Britain and the European Union emerged from last-minute talks late Monday to announce they had finally removed the biggest roadblock to their Brexit divorce deal, only hours before the U.K. Parliament was due to decide the fate of Prime Minister Theresa May’s hard-won plan to leave the EU.

On the eve of Tuesday’s vote in London, May flew to Strasbourg, France, to seek revisions, guarantees or other changes from European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker that would persuade reluctant British legislators to back her withdrawal agreement with the EU, which they resoundingly rejected in January.

At a joint news conference, May and Juncker claimed to have succeeded.

May said new documents to be added to the deal provided “legally binding changes” to the part relating to the Irish border. The legal 585-page withdrawal agreement itself though was left intact.

“In politics, sometimes you get a second chance. It is what you do with this second chance that count..