North, South Korea to hold summit on April 27: Seoul
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-southkorea-summit/north-south-korea-to-hold-summit-on-april-27-seoul-idUSKBN1H50JE
SEOUL (Reuters) - North and South Korea will hold their first summit in more than a decade on April 27, South Korean government officials who held high-level talks with their North Korean counterparts on Thursday said.
The two Koreas had agreed earlier this month to hold such a summit at the border truce village of Panmunjom when South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent a delegation to Pyongyang to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
國際時事政治選舉集中理性討論區（三）
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Driver tries to ram group of French soldiers
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43582325?
A driver is on the run after trying to ram a car into a group of soldiers out jogging near their barracks in southeast France.
Soldiers of the 93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment dived into a ditch to avoid the oncoming vehicle in Varces-Allières-et-Risset, near Grenoble.
Gendarmerie have sent out patrols nearby to check number plates. The car is reportedly a Peugeot.
Police are not yet speculating about a motive for the attack.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43582325?
A driver is on the run after trying to ram a car into a group of soldiers out jogging near their barracks in southeast France.
Soldiers of the 93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment dived into a ditch to avoid the oncoming vehicle in Varces-Allières-et-Risset, near Grenoble.
Gendarmerie have sent out patrols nearby to check number plates. The car is reportedly a Peugeot.
Police are not yet speculating about a motive for the attack.
France's Sarkozy to face trial for corruption, influence peddling: Le Monde
PARIS (Reuters) - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will face trial over charges he misused his influence to secure leaked details of an inquiry into alleged irregularities in his 2007 election campaign, Le Monde reported on Thursday.
The case came about after investigators used phone-taps to examine separate allegations that late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi funded Sarkozy’s campaign and began to suspect he had kept tabs on a separate case through a network of informants.
Sarkozy’s lawyer was not immediately available for comment.
PARIS (Reuters) - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will face trial over charges he misused his influence to secure leaked details of an inquiry into alleged irregularities in his 2007 election campaign, Le Monde reported on Thursday.
The case came about after investigators used phone-taps to examine separate allegations that late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi funded Sarkozy’s campaign and began to suspect he had kept tabs on a separate case through a network of informants.
Sarkozy’s lawyer was not immediately available for comment.
pish
Russia expels diplomats in tit-for-tat action over Salisbury attack
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/29/russia-accuses-uk-of-violating-international-law-skripal-case
Russia will close down the US consulate in St Petersburg and expel 60 American diplomats as it takes tit-for-tat measures against all the nations that have expelled Russian diplomats over the nerve agent attack in Salisbury, the foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
More than 25 countries have announced plans to expel a total of more than 130 Russian diplomats in solidarity with the UK over what has been described as the first chemical weapons attack on European soil since the second world war.
Lavrov said US ambassador Jon Huntsman has been summoned to the foreign ministry, where he was given notice that Russia is responding quid pro quo to the US decision to order 60 Russian diplomats out. The expelled officials include 58 from the US embassy in Moscow and two from its consulate in Ekaterinburg.
Lavrov said Moscow will also respond to the US decision to shut the Russian consulate in Seattle by closing the US consulate in St Petersburg.
The same approach will be applied to other nations that expelled Russian diplomats this week, he added.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/29/russia-accuses-uk-of-violating-international-law-skripal-case
Russia will close down the US consulate in St Petersburg and expel 60 American diplomats as it takes tit-for-tat measures against all the nations that have expelled Russian diplomats over the nerve agent attack in Salisbury, the foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
More than 25 countries have announced plans to expel a total of more than 130 Russian diplomats in solidarity with the UK over what has been described as the first chemical weapons attack on European soil since the second world war.
Lavrov said US ambassador Jon Huntsman has been summoned to the foreign ministry, where he was given notice that Russia is responding quid pro quo to the US decision to order 60 Russian diplomats out. The expelled officials include 58 from the US embassy in Moscow and two from its consulate in Ekaterinburg.
Lavrov said Moscow will also respond to the US decision to shut the Russian consulate in Seattle by closing the US consulate in St Petersburg.
The same approach will be applied to other nations that expelled Russian diplomats this week, he added.
Sisi wins second term as Egyptian president after purge of challengers
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/29/egyptian-president-wins-second-term-after-purge-of-challengers
Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has been re-elected for a second term after an election campaign in which five of his potential challengers were prevented from getting on the ballot.
Preliminary results showed that Sisi won about 92% of the vote, with turnout at around 41.5%.
Twenty-five million of the 60 million registered voters turned out during the three days of polling that ended on Wednesday, state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported. Twenty-three million voted for Sisi.
Opposition groups had called for a boycott of this week’s vote, which they labelled a facade. There were no presidential debates and Sisi himself did not appear at any official campaign events, although he spoke at a number of ceremonies.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/29/egyptian-president-wins-second-term-after-purge-of-challengers
Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has been re-elected for a second term after an election campaign in which five of his potential challengers were prevented from getting on the ballot.
Preliminary results showed that Sisi won about 92% of the vote, with turnout at around 41.5%.
Twenty-five million of the 60 million registered voters turned out during the three days of polling that ended on Wednesday, state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported. Twenty-three million voted for Sisi.
Opposition groups had called for a boycott of this week’s vote, which they labelled a facade. There were no presidential debates and Sisi himself did not appear at any official campaign events, although he spoke at a number of ceremonies.
Earthquake off Papua New Guinea sparks local tsunami warning
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/30/earthquake-papua-new-guinea-tsunami-warning
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain island on Friday, initially triggering a tsunami warning for surrounding coastlines, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The shallow quake struck close to the coast, around 100 miles (162 km) southwest of Rabaul, a much more remote region than the country’s mountainous mainland highlands where a magnitude 7.5 tremor struck on 26 February, killing 100 people.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/30/earthquake-papua-new-guinea-tsunami-warning
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain island on Friday, initially triggering a tsunami warning for surrounding coastlines, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The shallow quake struck close to the coast, around 100 miles (162 km) southwest of Rabaul, a much more remote region than the country’s mountainous mainland highlands where a magnitude 7.5 tremor struck on 26 February, killing 100 people.
European powers face resistance to Iran sanctions to save nuclear deal
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-iran-eu/european-powers-face-resistance-to-iran-sanctions-to-save-nuclear-deal-idUSKBN1H51ET
BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) - France, Britain and Germany are struggling to persuade their EU partners to back new sanctions on Iran to preserve its nuclear deal, diplomats said, with Italy doubting whether the measures can stop the United States pulling out in May.
At a closed-door meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, London, Paris and Berlin sought EU support for formal approval of the new sanctions in April, after proposing them in mid-March, according to a document seen by Reuters.
But Italy, with support from Spain and Austria, resisted plans to impose travel bans and asset freezes on around 15 Iranians, companies and groups, linked to Iran’s ballistic missile program and role in Syria’s war.
Rome said they would not be enough to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump not to withdraw from the nuclear deal and would endanger burgeoning business ties with Iran. Spain was also wary of the knock-on effects.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-iran-eu/european-powers-face-resistance-to-iran-sanctions-to-save-nuclear-deal-idUSKBN1H51ET
BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) - France, Britain and Germany are struggling to persuade their EU partners to back new sanctions on Iran to preserve its nuclear deal, diplomats said, with Italy doubting whether the measures can stop the United States pulling out in May.
At a closed-door meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, London, Paris and Berlin sought EU support for formal approval of the new sanctions in April, after proposing them in mid-March, according to a document seen by Reuters.
But Italy, with support from Spain and Austria, resisted plans to impose travel bans and asset freezes on around 15 Iranians, companies and groups, linked to Iran’s ballistic missile program and role in Syria’s war.
Rome said they would not be enough to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump not to withdraw from the nuclear deal and would endanger burgeoning business ties with Iran. Spain was also wary of the knock-on effects.
France could bolster Syria role in fight against Islamic State: source
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-france/france-could-bolster-syria-role-in-fight-against-islamic-state-source-idUSKBN1H60RU
PARIS (Reuters) - France could increase its military presence to help a U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and warned that a Turkish advance on a town controlled by Kurdish-backed militias would be “unacceptable”, a presidential source said on Friday.
President Emmanuel Macron has been criticised at home for his response to a Turkish operation against the YPG militia, with opponents saying he has abandoned the Kurds.
After Macron’s meeting on Thursday with an SDF delegation that included the YPG, its political arm the PYD, and Christian and Arab officials, a senior Kurdish official said Macron had promised to send more troops to the area as part of the coalition’s efforts, provide humanitarian assistance and “mediate” between the Kurds and Ankara.
That drew a furious response from NATO ally Turkey, which considers the YPG to be an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the state within Turkey.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-france/france-could-bolster-syria-role-in-fight-against-islamic-state-source-idUSKBN1H60RU
PARIS (Reuters) - France could increase its military presence to help a U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and warned that a Turkish advance on a town controlled by Kurdish-backed militias would be “unacceptable”, a presidential source said on Friday.
President Emmanuel Macron has been criticised at home for his response to a Turkish operation against the YPG militia, with opponents saying he has abandoned the Kurds.
After Macron’s meeting on Thursday with an SDF delegation that included the YPG, its political arm the PYD, and Christian and Arab officials, a senior Kurdish official said Macron had promised to send more troops to the area as part of the coalition’s efforts, provide humanitarian assistance and “mediate” between the Kurds and Ankara.
That drew a furious response from NATO ally Turkey, which considers the YPG to be an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the state within Turkey.
Germany sells arms to Turkey despite Afrin offensive, German broadcaster reports
http://www.dw.com/en/germany-sells-arms-to-turkey-despite-afrin-offensive-german-broadcaster-reports/a-43188875
Germany continues to authorize the export of weapons to Turkey despite criticizing the country's offensive in the Syrian enclave of Afrin, German public broadcaster ARD reported Thursday.
The German government has approved the export of military equipment worth €4.4 million ($5.4 million) since January 20, when Turkey launched its offensive against Kurdish militia in Afrin, ARD said, citing a response from the Foreign Ministry to a question by the Left party.
The value of the approvals in the month preceding the offensive was almost €10 million.
http://www.dw.com/en/germany-sells-arms-to-turkey-despite-afrin-offensive-german-broadcaster-reports/a-43188875
Germany continues to authorize the export of weapons to Turkey despite criticizing the country's offensive in the Syrian enclave of Afrin, German public broadcaster ARD reported Thursday.
The German government has approved the export of military equipment worth €4.4 million ($5.4 million) since January 20, when Turkey launched its offensive against Kurdish militia in Afrin, ARD said, citing a response from the Foreign Ministry to a question by the Left party.
The value of the approvals in the month preceding the offensive was almost €10 million.
Mexico: Campaigning kicks off in presidential polls
http://www.dw.com/en/mexico-campaigning-kicks-off-in-presidential-polls/a-43203277
Mexican presidential hopefuls kicked off their campaigns on midnight Friday, exactly three months before voters head to the polls.
The diving popularity of President Enrique Pena Nieto's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) suggests that many Mexicans — fed up with ongoing corruption, soaring crime and the war on drugs — want a change at the top.
Recent opinion polls give Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, 64, a veteran leftist and former Mexico City mayor, a double-digit lead in the race to succeed Pena Nieto.
Battling it out for second place are Ricardo Anaya (pictured above), 39, of the conservative National Action Party (PAN) and former finance minister Jose Antonio Meade, 49, representing the PRI. Independent Margarita Zavala, a former first lady, is polling in fourth spot.
http://www.dw.com/en/mexico-campaigning-kicks-off-in-presidential-polls/a-43203277
Mexican presidential hopefuls kicked off their campaigns on midnight Friday, exactly three months before voters head to the polls.
The diving popularity of President Enrique Pena Nieto's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) suggests that many Mexicans — fed up with ongoing corruption, soaring crime and the war on drugs — want a change at the top.
Recent opinion polls give Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, 64, a veteran leftist and former Mexico City mayor, a double-digit lead in the race to succeed Pena Nieto.
Battling it out for second place are Ricardo Anaya (pictured above), 39, of the conservative National Action Party (PAN) and former finance minister Jose Antonio Meade, 49, representing the PRI. Independent Margarita Zavala, a former first lady, is polling in fourth spot.
Sierra Leone votes in run-off between Maada Bio and Kamara
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43595131
Voters in Sierra Leone are choosing their new president in a run-off poll which pits a coup leader against the president's hand-picked successor.
The vote was delayed after an allegation of electoral fraud in the first round earlier this month.
Former military coup leader Julius Maada Bio received the most votes in the first round.
He now faces ruling party candidate Samura Kamara who is an economist by training.
Mr Maada Bio received 43.3% of the vote in the first round.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43595131
Voters in Sierra Leone are choosing their new president in a run-off poll which pits a coup leader against the president's hand-picked successor.
The vote was delayed after an allegation of electoral fraud in the first round earlier this month.
Former military coup leader Julius Maada Bio received the most votes in the first round.
He now faces ruling party candidate Samura Kamara who is an economist by training.
Mr Maada Bio received 43.3% of the vote in the first round.
North Korea sanctions: UN blacklists shipping firms
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43601040
The UN Security Council has blacklisted 27 ships, 21 shipping companies and one individual for aiding North Korea in its effort to evade sanctions.
The measures were proposed by the US last month as part of a crackdown on the maritime smuggling of North Korean commodities such as oil and coal.
Sanctioned oil tankers and cargo vessels are banned from ports worldwide and businesses face an asset freeze.
It is the UN's largest ever package of designated penalties against Pyongyang.
North Korea is already under a range of international and US sanctions over its nuclear programme and missile tests.
The list includes 16 companies based in North Korea, five registered in Hong Kong, two on the Chinese mainland, two in Taiwan, one in Panama and one in Singapore.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43601040
The UN Security Council has blacklisted 27 ships, 21 shipping companies and one individual for aiding North Korea in its effort to evade sanctions.
The measures were proposed by the US last month as part of a crackdown on the maritime smuggling of North Korean commodities such as oil and coal.
Sanctioned oil tankers and cargo vessels are banned from ports worldwide and businesses face an asset freeze.
It is the UN's largest ever package of designated penalties against Pyongyang.
North Korea is already under a range of international and US sanctions over its nuclear programme and missile tests.
The list includes 16 companies based in North Korea, five registered in Hong Kong, two on the Chinese mainland, two in Taiwan, one in Panama and one in Singapore.
German government won't interfere if Carles Puigdemont extradited
http://www.dw.com/en/german-government-wont-interfere-if-carles-puigdemont-extradited/a-43198897
The German government will not step in and veto a possible court decision to extradite former Catalan regional President Carles Puigdemont to Spain, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday.
The Chief Prosecutors Office of Schleswig-Holstein is expected to make the extradition decision the week after Easter.
The German government would consider any interference into the office's decision a legal "affront" by the federal government against the judicial competencies of the German states. The ability to deny or approve extradition requests lies with the regional justice system in each of Germany's 16 federal states.
http://www.dw.com/en/german-government-wont-interfere-if-carles-puigdemont-extradited/a-43198897
The German government will not step in and veto a possible court decision to extradite former Catalan regional President Carles Puigdemont to Spain, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday.
The Chief Prosecutors Office of Schleswig-Holstein is expected to make the extradition decision the week after Easter.
The German government would consider any interference into the office's decision a legal "affront" by the federal government against the judicial competencies of the German states. The ability to deny or approve extradition requests lies with the regional justice system in each of Germany's 16 federal states.
French armed officers spark Italy migrant centre row
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43606225
Armed French customs officers have provoked widespread anger by entering a migrant centre over the border in Italy.
Five officers forced one individual to undergo a urine test at the facility west of the city of Turin on Friday evening, Italian reports say. The centre is located about 1km (0.6 miles) inside the Italian border.
However, the French government responded by saying they had asked for permission to enter the centre and were allowed in. They said a team of French customs officers on board a train travelling into Italy suspected a Nigerian train passenger with Italian residency of carrying drugs.
French customs officials were allowed to use the station at Bardonecchia under a bi-national agreement, it said.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43606225
Armed French customs officers have provoked widespread anger by entering a migrant centre over the border in Italy.
Five officers forced one individual to undergo a urine test at the facility west of the city of Turin on Friday evening, Italian reports say. The centre is located about 1km (0.6 miles) inside the Italian border.
However, the French government responded by saying they had asked for permission to enter the centre and were allowed in. They said a team of French customs officers on board a train travelling into Italy suspected a Nigerian train passenger with Italian residency of carrying drugs.
French customs officials were allowed to use the station at Bardonecchia under a bi-national agreement, it said.
NZ PM係Guradian 的專訪，巴打有興趣可以睇吓
Jacinda Ardern on life as a leader, Trump and selfies in the lingerie department
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/30/jacinda-ardern-on-life-as-a-leader-trump-and-selfies-in-the-lingerie-department
Jacinda Ardern on life as a leader, Trump and selfies in the lingerie department
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/30/jacinda-ardern-on-life-as-a-leader-trump-and-selfies-in-the-lingerie-department
Deutsche Post sold voter microtargeting data to CDU and FDP
http://www.dw.com/en/deutsche-post-sold-voter-microtargeting-data-to-cdu-and-fdp/a-43218488
The Sunday edition of the national broadsheet Bild reported that Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the center-right Free Democrats (FDP) purchased "more than a billion" of pieces of personal data about potential voters from a subsidiary of Deutsche Post in the run-up to Germany's national election in September.
The data was reportedly anonymized but contained enough information for the parties to determine, for instance, the general political leanings of residents of a building. Officials from Deutsche Post, which is still partly publicly owned, have refused to comment, but the two political parties have confirmed that they did acquire the data, which included such information as disposable income, level of education and whether the people concerned owned cars.
The report comes as concern continues to grow about the role of data mining and microtargeting in elections. In particular, the British company Cambridge Analytica has generated headlines for its role in the 2016 US presidential election. The company has been accused of appropriating data from 50 million Facebook users to help Donald Trump's campaign tailor advertisements to voters in swing states.
http://www.dw.com/en/deutsche-post-sold-voter-microtargeting-data-to-cdu-and-fdp/a-43218488
The Sunday edition of the national broadsheet Bild reported that Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the center-right Free Democrats (FDP) purchased "more than a billion" of pieces of personal data about potential voters from a subsidiary of Deutsche Post in the run-up to Germany's national election in September.
The data was reportedly anonymized but contained enough information for the parties to determine, for instance, the general political leanings of residents of a building. Officials from Deutsche Post, which is still partly publicly owned, have refused to comment, but the two political parties have confirmed that they did acquire the data, which included such information as disposable income, level of education and whether the people concerned owned cars.
The report comes as concern continues to grow about the role of data mining and microtargeting in elections. In particular, the British company Cambridge Analytica has generated headlines for its role in the 2016 US presidential election. The company has been accused of appropriating data from 50 million Facebook users to help Donald Trump's campaign tailor advertisements to voters in swing states.
Costa Rica chooses new president in conservative country split over gay rights
http://www.dw.com/en/costa-rica-chooses-new-president-in-conservative-country-split-over-gay-rights/a-43218270
As Costa Rican voter's began casting their ballots in a runoff election for the Latin American country's next president, opinion polls showed the two candidates in a virtual tie, with the only certainty that the winner will be named "Alvarado." However, the two men are not related.
Carlos Alvarado of the incumbent Citizens' Action Party stood on a platform of reining in the deficit, improving education and maintaining ecological standards. He was labor minister in the former government, in power since 2014.
Fabricio Alvarado is an evangelical pastor who heads the National Restoration Party — a party name that many construe as a loaded term for turning back the clock on equal rights. He came from nowhere in the first round of the presidential election held in February to head a field of 13 candidates with 25 percent of the vote, over Carlos Alvarado's 22 percent.
Neither of the candidates came close to the 40 percent of the votes needed to claim an outright victory.
http://www.dw.com/en/costa-rica-chooses-new-president-in-conservative-country-split-over-gay-rights/a-43218270
As Costa Rican voter's began casting their ballots in a runoff election for the Latin American country's next president, opinion polls showed the two candidates in a virtual tie, with the only certainty that the winner will be named "Alvarado." However, the two men are not related.
Carlos Alvarado of the incumbent Citizens' Action Party stood on a platform of reining in the deficit, improving education and maintaining ecological standards. He was labor minister in the former government, in power since 2014.
Fabricio Alvarado is an evangelical pastor who heads the National Restoration Party — a party name that many construe as a loaded term for turning back the clock on equal rights. He came from nowhere in the first round of the presidential election held in February to head a field of 13 candidates with 25 percent of the vote, over Carlos Alvarado's 22 percent.
Neither of the candidates came close to the 40 percent of the votes needed to claim an outright victory.
Further clash in Nigeria despite 'negotiations,' 18 dead
http://www.dw.com/en/further-clash-in-nigeria-despite-negotiations-18-dead/a-43224485
Authorities in the capital of Nigeria's Borno state said on Monday that 18 bodies had been recovered at two outlying villages since the clashes late on Sunday.
"The victims were killed while trying to escape the fight between the insurgents and the military," said the region's State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), which described the incident as an "attack."
It emerged later on Monday that Boko Haram fighters had also attacked a military base in the Cashew Plantation area on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
http://www.dw.com/en/further-clash-in-nigeria-despite-negotiations-18-dead/a-43224485
Authorities in the capital of Nigeria's Borno state said on Monday that 18 bodies had been recovered at two outlying villages since the clashes late on Sunday.
"The victims were killed while trying to escape the fight between the insurgents and the military," said the region's State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), which described the incident as an "attack."
It emerged later on Monday that Boko Haram fighters had also attacked a military base in the Cashew Plantation area on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
French train workers start strike to protest Macron labor reforms
http://www.dw.com/en/french-train-workers-start-strike-to-protest-macron-labor-reforms/a-43229171
Staff at France's state rail operator, SNCF, walked off the job on Monday night, kicking off a three-month strike that will also include union workers in the energy and garbage collections sectors.
The walkouts are a nationwide challenge to French President Emmanuel Macron's plans to increase competition in the public sector. Macron has so far encountered little effective resistance to his economic reform initiatives. The strikes will also test the strength of the historically powerful French unions.
SNCF rail workers will work for two out of every five days in strikes expected to last through June and bring major delays to France's 4.5 million passengers.
Trash collectors and energy sector staff will also go on strike over proposed reforms to the state-controlled sectors.
Separately, Air France workers will walk off the job over pay, meaning air travel will also be disrupted.
http://www.dw.com/en/french-train-workers-start-strike-to-protest-macron-labor-reforms/a-43229171
Staff at France's state rail operator, SNCF, walked off the job on Monday night, kicking off a three-month strike that will also include union workers in the energy and garbage collections sectors.
The walkouts are a nationwide challenge to French President Emmanuel Macron's plans to increase competition in the public sector. Macron has so far encountered little effective resistance to his economic reform initiatives. The strikes will also test the strength of the historically powerful French unions.
SNCF rail workers will work for two out of every five days in strikes expected to last through June and bring major delays to France's 4.5 million passengers.
Trash collectors and energy sector staff will also go on strike over proposed reforms to the state-controlled sectors.
Separately, Air France workers will walk off the job over pay, meaning air travel will also be disrupted.
Putin, Erdogan and Rouhani to discuss Syrian crisis in Ankara
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/putin-erdogan-rouhani-discuss-syrian-crisis-ankara-180403115527779.html
Turkey will host a trilateral meeting on the Syrian crisis between the presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran on Wednesday amid significant developments happening on the ground in the seven-year civil war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Ankara on Tuesday, followed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the evening, as the leaders meet for the second time since November to discuss the Syrian situation.
Iran and Russia, which support the Syrian government in the crisis, and Turkey, which backs the moderate opposition, have been in close cooperation through a series of talks aimed at finding a solution to the Syrian conflict since last year.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/putin-erdogan-rouhani-discuss-syrian-crisis-ankara-180403115527779.html
Turkey will host a trilateral meeting on the Syrian crisis between the presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran on Wednesday amid significant developments happening on the ground in the seven-year civil war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Ankara on Tuesday, followed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the evening, as the leaders meet for the second time since November to discuss the Syrian situation.
Iran and Russia, which support the Syrian government in the crisis, and Turkey, which backs the moderate opposition, have been in close cooperation through a series of talks aimed at finding a solution to the Syrian conflict since last year.
Dutch lawyer first person sentenced as part of Robert Mueller's Russia probe
http://www.dw.com/en/dutch-lawyer-first-person-sentenced-as-part-of-robert-muellers-russia-probe/a-43243003
A Dutch lawyer was sentenced to 30 days in prison and handed a $20,000 (€16,300) fine on Tuesday after being found guilty of lying to US Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators about contacts between President Donald Trump's campaign staff and Russian intelligence officials.
Alex van der Zwaan, the son-in-law of one of Russia's most prominent business tycoons, was sentenced after pleading guilty to lying to about his contacts with Trump's former campaign deputy Rick Gates and a former member of Russia's GRU intelligence agency.
Prosecutors alleged that in 2016 van der Zwaan and Gates shared communications with a person they knew to be a former Moscow intelligence official. Prosecutors said the 33-year-old Dutch lawyer admitted to withholding emails and repeatedly lying to Mueller's investigators about his contact with Gates and the Russian official — referred to in court documents as "Person A."
"Your honor, what I did was wrong. I apologize to the court, and I apologize to my wife," van der Zwaan told the judge.
Also on Tuesday, US media reported Mueller had told Trump's attorneys that the president is being investigated but is not currently considered to be a criminal target.
http://www.dw.com/en/dutch-lawyer-first-person-sentenced-as-part-of-robert-muellers-russia-probe/a-43243003
A Dutch lawyer was sentenced to 30 days in prison and handed a $20,000 (€16,300) fine on Tuesday after being found guilty of lying to US Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators about contacts between President Donald Trump's campaign staff and Russian intelligence officials.
Alex van der Zwaan, the son-in-law of one of Russia's most prominent business tycoons, was sentenced after pleading guilty to lying to about his contacts with Trump's former campaign deputy Rick Gates and a former member of Russia's GRU intelligence agency.
Prosecutors alleged that in 2016 van der Zwaan and Gates shared communications with a person they knew to be a former Moscow intelligence official. Prosecutors said the 33-year-old Dutch lawyer admitted to withholding emails and repeatedly lying to Mueller's investigators about his contact with Gates and the Russian official — referred to in court documents as "Person A."
"Your honor, what I did was wrong. I apologize to the court, and I apologize to my wife," van der Zwaan told the judge.
Also on Tuesday, US media reported Mueller had told Trump's attorneys that the president is being investigated but is not currently considered to be a criminal target.
US proposes punitive tariffs targeting $50 billion worth of Chinese imports
http://www.dw.com/en/us-proposes-punitive-tariffs-targeting-50-billion-worth-of-chinese-imports/a-43243114
US President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday unveiled a list of some 1,300 Chinese imports, worth an estimated $50 billion (€40 billion), which could be subject to an additional 25 percent tariff.
The list, announced by the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office, mainly covers non-consumer products, ranging from chemicals to electronic components.
The USTR list of tariffs — an additional tax on imports — excluded several consumer-focused products, such as cellphones and laptops assembled in China, but would affect Chinese-manufactured flat-panel televisions and light-emitting diodes (LEDs), should it come into force. The proposed tariffs would also hit vehicles such as motorcycles and electric cars.
China boasted a $375 billion trade surplus on goods with the US in 2017, a figure Trump has demanded be cut by at least $100 billion.
A public comment period on the proposed tariffs is slated to last until May 11, followed by a hearing on May 15. Companies and consumers will be able to lobby the government to get certain products removed from the list or have others added.
Report: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer:
https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/Section%20301%20FINAL.PDF
http://www.dw.com/en/us-proposes-punitive-tariffs-targeting-50-billion-worth-of-chinese-imports/a-43243114
US President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday unveiled a list of some 1,300 Chinese imports, worth an estimated $50 billion (€40 billion), which could be subject to an additional 25 percent tariff.
The list, announced by the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office, mainly covers non-consumer products, ranging from chemicals to electronic components.
The USTR list of tariffs — an additional tax on imports — excluded several consumer-focused products, such as cellphones and laptops assembled in China, but would affect Chinese-manufactured flat-panel televisions and light-emitting diodes (LEDs), should it come into force. The proposed tariffs would also hit vehicles such as motorcycles and electric cars.
China boasted a $375 billion trade surplus on goods with the US in 2017, a figure Trump has demanded be cut by at least $100 billion.
A public comment period on the proposed tariffs is slated to last until May 11, followed by a hearing on May 15. Companies and consumers will be able to lobby the government to get certain products removed from the list or have others added.
Report: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer:
https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/Section%20301%20FINAL.PDF