Briefly

BULGARIA

Prime minister quits after confidence vote

Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov submitted the resignation of his coalition government to the National Assembly on Monday after it was ousted in a no-confidence motion, the press office of the Parliament said. According to the country's Constitution, resigning is compulsory after a losing vote. Petkov's government will continue to act until the election or appointment of a new Council of Ministers. The cabinet was overthrown on Wednesday, two weeks after the There Is Such A People party, one of the four partners in the ruling coalition, withdrew its participation in the government, which was elected last December.

UNITED KINGDOM

London presses on with Brexit deal changes

A UK government bill proposing an overhaul to a post-Brexit deal in Northern Ireland was returning to Parliament on Monday, despite European Union warnings that it is illegal and could spark a trade war. Brussels threatened legal action after the UK government earlier this month introduced the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill to unilaterally change trading terms for the British province. A day before it gets its second reading in parliament－the first opportunity for lawmakers to debate a proposal, the EU's ambassador again warned London of reprisals if it is passed.

UNITED NATIONS

Oceans conference pushing for pact

The United Nations is hoping an international conference that got underway on Monday will bring fresh momentum to protracted efforts for a global agreement on protecting the world's oceans. The five-day UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, has drawn senior officials and scientists from more than 120 countries to the Atlantic port city in Southwest Europe, as well as activists dismayed by the failure to come up with international rules that might ensure ocean sustainability. No comprehensive legal framework covers the high seas.

Agencies - Xinhua