The U.S. government confirmed it seized nearly a million barrels of crude oil from Iran that was allegedly bound for China. The Justice Department confirmed Sept. 8 that in April, the United States seized a shipment of crude oil by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization. In confirming the seizure, the department also announced its first criminal resolution involving the illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil, which is in violation of U.S. sanctions. “This is the first-ever criminal resolution involving a company that violated sanctions by facilitating the illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil and comes in concert with a successful seizure of over 980,000 barrels of contraband crude oil,” the announcement reads....Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/us-confirms-it-seized-iranian-oil-allegedly-en-route-to-china-5489146
Australia and the Philippines have become strategic partners following a pivotal meeting between the countries’ leaders on Sept. 8. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was honoured to be able to facilitate the ramp-up in ties, which was a historic moment in relations between the two nations and would see both countries work as partners to maintain a stable region. “Australia and the Philippines enjoy a long-standing relationship based on close cooperation and enriched by the 400,000 Australians with Filipino heritage,” he said. “Today is a watershed moment for relations between Australia and the Philippines. Our Strategic Partnership will facilitate closer cooperation between our countries and contribute to an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.”... 
A UK parliamentary researcher with links to senior MPs has been arrested on suspicion of spying for the Chinese regime, a report said on Saturday. The suspect, who was arrested and released on bail in March, is a male Briton in his late twenties who had studied and worked in China, according to The Times of London. The report said the man had links with senior Conservative MPs with high-level security clearances and had helped to shape the UK’s China policy. Another man in his thirties was also arrested and released on bail in the police investigation. The Metropolitan Police said the men were arrested under on suspicion of offenses under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act, 1911....
Hong Kong has been rated as the freest economy in the world by the Heritage Foundation for 24 consecutive years, and now it has been completely degraded to become just another ordinary city within mainland China. However, Mr. Ching Cheong, a senior journalist in Hong Kong, said that Hong Kong has long been infiltrated by China’s Communist Party (CCP) and riddled with gaping wounds for a long time. CCP’s History in Hong Kong Can Be Traced Back to 1921 In 1921, the CCP was established in the French Concession in Shanghai and later established its presence in British Hong Kong in August of the same year....