Happy Tuesday and welcome to your summary of the main international business and political stories from overnight.
First up, US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson urged members to travel to Washington DC to vote on a Senate deal that would end the government shutdown that started on October 1, CNBC reported.
The Senate narrowly approved the first stage of the deal to reopen the government, but the House needed to give its approval too. Johnson expected votes to occur this week.
“There’ll be long days and long nights here for the foreseeable future to make up for all this lost time that was imposed upon us,” he said.
Many government services had been suspended since October, and about 1.4 million federal employees were on unpaid leave or working without pay.
US President Donald Trump considered the Senate deal a positive development.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he spoke with Trump about the deal on Sunday night local time and expected Trump to sign it into law once the legislation gets passed, Bloomberg reported.
Meanwhile, Trump's lawyers threatened legal action against national broadcaster BBC for $US1 billion over the edit of a "salacious" documentary, the ABC reported.
Trump's lawyers claimed "fabricated" statements aired by the BBC last year had caused financial and reputational harm.
BBC director general Tim Davie resigned on Sunday local time and said the episode of its Panorama programme was misleading. A BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster will review Trump's letter and respond in due course.
Staying with Trump, the president also pardoned a long list of his political allies for their support or involvement in plans to overturn the 2020 presidential election, CNN reported.
The individuals included former Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and former chief of staff Mark Meadows.
In other news, Switzerland is close to securing a 15% tariff for US exports after it was hit with a 39% tariff in August, Bloomberg reported.
Sources told the news organisation that a deal may be concluded within the next two weeks. A spokesperson for the Swiss government declined to comment.
The European country had been trying to secure a better deal after a group of Swiss billionaires and corporate executives met Trump at the Oval Office. Trump then told Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to step up direct negotiations, Bloomberg noted.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been released from prison after serving three weeks of a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy, Al Jazeera reported.
Sarkozy, 70, will remain under judicial supervision pending an appeal against his conviction. He is banned from leaving France and could be required to wear an electronic tag while living at home.
He was found guilty for his part in efforts to secure funding for his 2007 presidential campaign from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. He was acquitted of separate charges of corruption and illegal campaign financing, Al Jazeera said.
Trade Minister Todd McClay.
Finally, New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay said up to $450 million in new business deals and partnerships were concluded at the China International Import Expo. Overall, more than 20 memorandums of understanding and supply agreements were signed.
More than 80 New Zealand companies participated from a range of sectors including food and beverage, healthcare, and technology. “China is an important market, and this event was a chance to showcase the broad range of premium, high-quality Kiwi offerings.
“The Chinese market remains vital as we work towards doubling the value of exports in 10 years,” McClay said.
