Trump threatens to walk away from North Korea talks +++ Macron discusses Eurozone reform plan with Merkel

20. Mai 2018, 02:00

Trump threatens to walk away from North Korea talks

US President Donald Trump says maximum pressure will be maintained on North Korea until the country agrees to denuclearise. Trump is set to meet with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un later this year. Speaking at a joint news-conference with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump said he remained optimistic about the talks with Kim, but that he was prepared to walk away if they did not go well. “If I think that it’s a meeting that is not going to be fruitful, we’re not going to go. If the meeting, when I’m there, is not fruitful, I will respectfully leave the meeting.”

Macron discusses Eurozone reform plan with Merkel

The French President Emmanuel Macron is travelling to Berlin today for talks with his German counterpart Angela Merkel about reforming the Eurozone. Macron has set out an ambitious reform plan, which includes proposals for establishing a European Monetary Fund and appointing an EU finance minister. The two leaders will also discuss the situation in Syria and the Iran nuclear deal, ahead of talks next week with President Trump.

Cuba chooses new leader to replace Raul Castro

Cuba's parliament has chosen Miguel Diaz-Canel to succeed Raul Castro as the country's president. Diaz-Canel is the first non Castro to lead the country since the 1959 communist revolution. Raul Castro, who took over the presidency from his brother Fidel in 2006, will stay on as head of the Communist party. Cuba expert Dr Stephen Wilkinson says he expects little to change. “Diaz-Canel is part of this team that has been introducing changes, in the economy in particular, since Raul took over. And so he’s not going to produce dramatic change or put his own personal stamp on the country. I think very much there is going to be a continuum.”

Hundreds of Syrian rebels evacuate besieged enclave

Syrian State media say hundreds of rebel fighters and their families have begun evacuating a besieged town north of the Syrian capital Damascus, after reaching a deal with the government. In total around 5000 people are expected to leave the town of Al-Dumayr. It is the latest in a series of agreements which have seen rebel fighters hand over territory in exchange for safe passage.

Jet engines to be inspected after deadly mid-air explosion

The US aviation regulator has ordered the inspection of 220 jet engines, following a deadly explosion on board a Southwest airlines plane travelling from New York to Dallas. The explosion shattered a window, killing a female passenger. The CFM engine is used by more than eight thousand 737 aircraft worldwide.

Ocean warming causes devastation to Great Barrier Reef

New research has revealed extensive damage to Australia's Great Barrier Reef as a result of prolonged ocean warming in 2016. The study, published in the journal Nature, shows that around a third of the reef was affected, with up to 90 percent of coral dying in some areas due to a process known as bleaching.

The weather

And mostly sunny conditions have been forecast for this afternoon across Austria. Top temperatures will range from 19 to 28 degrees.

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