Macron and May increase military cooperation +++ Human Rights Watch praises Macron

18. Februar 2018, 02:00

Macron and May increase military cooperation

Britain and France have agreed to increase military cooperation in Africa and Eastern Europe, ahead of a visit to the UK by President Emmanuel Macron later today. The UK will announce the deployment of military helicopters in Mali - in support of French troops fighting Islamist extremists. France will send troops to reinforce a British contingent in Estonia.

Human Rights Watch praises Macron

Human Rights Watch has cited Emmanuel Macron's election victory last year as an example of how the world can resist the rise of populism. In its annual report, it says values such as inclusivity, tolerance, and respect, are under assault around the globe. It mentioned Austria as an example of a country where mainstream political parties had embraced an anti-immigration agenda.

Turkey complains about US plans in Syria

Turkey says it's not satisfied with the United States' denial that it intends to establish a mainly Kurdish border security force in northern Syria. The US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, said Washington's plan had been described incorrectly. He said the intention was to ensure that local militias were able to protect the area from attacks, by remnants of the defeated Islamic State group.

South Korea ‘clear-eyed’ about North

South Korea's foreign minister has said her government will deal with North Korea with what she called "clear eyes", after their agreement to field a joint team at next month's winter Olympics. Kang Kyung-wha said that the global context was still the imposition of sanctions to deal with the North's nuclear threat - and she said the South Korean government knew what it was doing: "We deal with the North, we engage in these discussions - including their participation in the Olympics - with clear eyes. We have decades of history in how to deal with these kind of situations."

Bus fire kills 52 in Kazakhstan

The Interior Ministry in Kazakhstan says 52 people were killed when a bus they were travelling in caught fire in the north-west of the country. Most of the victims were Uzbeks travelling to Russia. Only five people managed to free themselves from the burning vehicle.

Apple to pay $38 billion in foreign cash taxes

The technology firm Apple says it will pay about 38 billion dollars in tax on its overseas revenue, following recent changes in US tax rules. It's expected to be the biggest payment made under the reforms - that reduce tax on repatriated profits, and lower corporate tax.

The weather

Rain and snow for regions north of the Alps. A mix of sun and cloud for the rest of the country. Strong winds, with highs ranging from minus 1 to plus 9 degrees.

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