News in English

8. April 2017, 21:58

Trump outlines his foreign policy agenda

The US president-elect Donald Trump has described Chancellor Angela Merkel's open door refugee policy as 'catastrophic' in a joint interview with Germany's Bild Newspaper and the Times of London. He said the emphasis for his administration should be smart trade, rather than free trade. Trump added that he will offer to end sanctions against Russia in return for a nuclear arms reduction deal with the Kremlin. He also said that NATO had become obsolete. The German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, who´s in Brussels meeting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, says the comment has caused surprise and anxiety: "This is in contradiction to what the American defence secretary designate said in his hearing in Washington only some days ago and we will have to see what the consequences will be."

Many killed in plane crash in Kyrgyzstan

A Turkish cargo jet has crashed near Manas airport in Kyrgyzstan, killing at least 37 people. Officials say most of the victims were residents of a village struck by the Boeing 747 as it tried to land in dense fog. The plane was reportedly supposed to make a stopover at Manas, near the capital Bishkek, on its way from Hong Kong to Istanbul.

France seeks to revive Mideast peace moves

Representatives from 70 countries have called on Israel and the Palestinians to revive peace moves. The closing declaration at a Middle East peace conference in Paris urged both sides to "officially restate their commitment to the two-state solution." The Palestinians welcomed Sunday's declaration. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the conference "rigged." Neither side was invited to participate in the day-long summit, hosted by France.

MPs back Erdogan´s bid for more power

Turkey's parliament has given preliminary approval to a new constitution that will increase the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. There will be a second round of voting later this week and, if approved, a referendum will follow.

South Korea seeks arrest of Samsung chief

South Korea's special prosecutor is seeking a warrant to arrest the head of the Samsung Group, accusing him of paying multi-million dollar bribes to a confidante of President Park Geun-hye. Jay Y. Lee was questioned last week as a suspect in a corruption scandal, which last month led to parliament impeaching Park.

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