News in English

15. April 2017, 02:00

The Netherlands votes in a general election

People in the Netherlands are voting today in a general election, which is seen as a litmus test for populism in Europe ahead of crucial votes in France and Germany later this year. The race is dominated by the centre-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the anti-EU, anti-Islam Party for Freedom, led by Geert Wilders. Rutte says the election can show the world that the ´wrong` sort of populism can be stopped: "There´s nothing wrong with populism. The wrong sort of populism is not addressing the real issues of the people and making them bigger instead of solving them." The final days of campaigning have been overshadowed by a diplomatic crisis between the Dutch and Turkish governments.

Donald Trump´s 2005 tax return leaked

Parts of Donald Trump´s tax return for 2005 have apparently been leaked to an investigative journalist. The two pages, revealed by US television network MSNBC, show that he paid $38m in federal taxes on his income of $150m. He also wrote off $103m in business losses. There were no details about his sources of income. The White House condemned the leak but confirmed the figures. Trump has consistently refused to release his tax returns, in a break with presidential tradition.

Tusk warns UK on Brexit deal ´threat`

The president of the European Council Donald Tusk has dismissed suggestions that Britain would rather leave the European Union without a deal than sign an unsatisfactory one as a threat that would not work. He says a no-deal scenario would be bad for everyone, but above all for the UK.

Question mark over Syrian rebels joining Astana talks

There are conflicting reports as to whether or not a rebel delegation from Syria will join peace talks aimed at ending the six-year civil war. The talks in Kazakhstan´s capital, Astana, involve representatives from Russia, Turkey and Iran. The Syrian opposition had previously said it would not attend and accused Russia of failing to uphold a ceasefire brokered last December.

Francois Fillon placed under formal investigation

French prosecutors have announced that the centre-right presidential candidate, Francois Fillon, has been placed under formal investigation. He denies allegations that he diverted hundreds of thousands of euros of public funds to family members for parliamentary work they may not have done.

The weather

Sunny in the west and south, elsewhere overcast with the odd shower. Top temperatures from 10 to 17.

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