Moon calls for nuke-free Korea +++ 13 killed in California mudslides +++ Prominent French women criticize “new puritanism”

10. Februar 2018, 02:00

Moon calls for nuke-free Korea

South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, says his government is committed to a Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons: “The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula…this is our basic stance and will never be given up.” Moon’s comment comes a day after North and South Korea resumed direct talks for the first time in two years. The North refused to discuss the nuclear issue, but did agree to resume a military hotline with Seoul and said it will send a delegation to next month’s winter Olympics in South Korea.

13 killed in California mudslides

In the United States, rescue workers in southern California are looking for the victims of floods and mudslides near Los Angeles, where 13 people are confirmed to have been killed. More people are missing and around 300 people are trapped inside their homes. The mudslides were triggered by heavy rains which hit areas which were scorched last month by a series of wildfires. Bill Brown is the sheriff for Santa Barbara County: “It looked like a World War One battlefield. It was literally a carpet of mud and debris everywhere, with huge boulders. Rocks, downed trees, power lines, wrecked cars.”

Prominent French women criticize “new puritanism”

In France, the Le Monde newspaper has published an open letter signed by 100 French women writers, performers and academics. They warned about what they called a “new puritanism” after the sexual harassment scandals which followed allegations against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Among those signing is actress Catherine Deneuve. The letter states that while rape is obviously a crime, trying to seduce or flirt with someone is not.

EU calls for jailed journalists to be freed

The European Union is calling on Myanmar to free two journalists from the Reuters news agency who face charges of violating a colonial-era secrets act. Their supporters say they are being punished for reporting on last year’s crackdown on Muslim Ronhinga by the military. The EU says the case is a test for Myanmar’s commitment to democracy after years of military rule.

Ecuador wants Assange to leave London embassy

Ecuador reportedly wants Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to leave its embassy in London. Assange has been holed up in the mission since claiming political asylum in 2012. Assange was originally wanted by Sweden on sexual assault allegations. Those charges have since been dropped, but Assange now says he fears being extradited to the United States. The US wants Assange for publicizing information given to WikiLeaks by the fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The weather

This afternoon’s weather will remain mostly sunny in the west, while in the rest of Austria it will be mostly cloudy with scattered rain showers. Highs today are ranging from 1 to 10 degrees.

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