Compiled by Nathan Whiteman
GERMANY: German Minister of Interior Thomas de Maizière has warned Afghanistan that German aid to the country will only continue if Afghan refugees stop fleeing to Germany.
FRANCE: French foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has announced that France will attempt to convene a summit to negotiate peace between Israel and Palestine, stating that France will formally recognize Palestine. Israel has rejected the initiative as unfair because the ultimatum encourages Palestine to reject compromise.
JAPAN: In a move targeted at encouraging consumer spending, the Bank of Japan has imposed an interest rate of -0.1 percent on commercial banks. This means banks must pay to deposit their money in the central bank, incentivizing more loans to consumers.
CHINA/UNITED STATES: A Chinese man working for international agribusiness Dabeinong, Mo Hailong, has pleaded guilty to attempting to steal patented seeds from U.S. companies DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto.
CORRECTION TO LAST WEEK’S WORLD NEWS:
The virus causing birth defects in Brazil is the Zika virus. The previous spelling was an error.