DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Singapore deports two South Korean media members Security has been ramped-up on the island nation ahead of Tuesdayʼs historic meeting. Parts of the country are in virtual lockdown as US President Trump and North Korean leader Kim prepare to meet on Tuesday. Two members of South Koreaʼs national broadcaster have been deported from Singapore after they were arrested for trespassing at the residence of North Koreaʼs ambassador, police said on Sunday. About 3,000 journalists have descended on the island country for the highly anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday. "The visit passes of the two South Korean men have been cancelled, and they have been repatriated to the Republic of Korea on 9 June 2018," police said in a statement issued Sunday afternoon, local time, shortly after Kimʼs arrival.
Swiss referenda approve betting regulation Swiss voters have blocked foreign betting sites in a reform of gambling law, and overwhelmingly opposed the #Vollgeld Sovereign Money Initiative. The Canton of Valais also decided against hosting the Olympics. Swiss voters overwhelmingly backed a new online gambling law aimed at preventing addiction, and requiring gaming companies to be certified by the Swiss government in order to operate in the country and online. The Gambling Act, which has already been passed by both houses of parliament, received the support of 73 percent of voters who cast ballots. It is set to take effect next year. The result is a crushing defeat for the people who collected 50,000 signatures to put the measure to a public vote. They claim the new law amounts to censorship of the internet.
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Turkeyʼs Erdogan slams Austriaʼs move to shut down foreign-funded mosques Vienna said the move was part of an effort to tackle political Islam
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against a war between "cross" and "crescent" after Austria said it would shut down foreign-funded mosques.
Argentina agrees to $50 billion IMF loan nflation has hit 25 percent, the Argentine peso has lost about 20 percent of its value against the US dollar, and the federal budget is in deficit. The government hopes the IMF loan will get the country back on track. Argentina and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday agreed on a $50 billion (€42 billion) stand-by loan in a bid to bolster the countryʼs public finances and aid its struggling economy. South Americaʼs thirdlargest economy intends to use the loan, which still requires the IMF executive boardʼs approval, to try to balance the budget by 2020 and re-
duce inflation to single-digits by 2021. Argentine President Mauricio Macri said in May that he would seek the loan, warning of a recession if the government were not able to get the IMFʼs help. The economy has been languishing amid rapidly rising consumer prices — annual inflation has hit an estimated 25 percent — and after the national currency, the peso,lost around 20 percent of its value against the US dollar. IMF Director Christine Lagarde welcomed the deal and said both sides would work together to make sure the loan and the associated economic reforms "benefit of all Argentines."
Germanyʼs waste problem: Recycling isnʼt enough The EU wants to outlaw single-use plastic items. But Germanyʼs Environmental Minister Svenja Schulze thinks recycling efforts need improving. So what will actually help keep the environment clean? On Monday, the European Commission presented its proposal toban disposable plastic items like single-use straws, plates and coffee cups. The plan, drawn up by European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Günther Oettinger, is an ambitious one. Oettinger told Funke Mediengruppe newspaper and magazine publisher: "We suggest that member states pay a certain fine into the EU
budget for every kilogram of plastic that is not recycled." Currently, the plan is to charge €0.80 ($1.00) per kilogram of plastic waste. At the same time, the Commission wants to compel countries to recycle up to 90 percent of plastic bottles. EU member states are expected to individually implement the ban on single-use items. Although Germanyʼs Environmental Minister Svenja Schulze told German national broadcaster ARD she would prefer a single Europewide regulation. Provided the "onus is on recycling plastic" – something that is already is one of Germanyʼs main environmental policies.
Spainʼs Basques form 200km human chain calling for independence vote Tens of thousands of people from Spainʼs autonomous Basque Country have joined hands to form a 202kilometer human chain. The gesture comes as locals push for the right to hold an independence referendum. More than 175,000 people inSpainʼs Basque Countryjoined to form a 202 kilometer-long human chain on Sunday, as they called for the right to host a referendum on independence form Madrid. The chain extended from the city ofSan Sebastianall the way to the Basque parliament in Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the autonomous region. The protest was organized by the Basque group Gure Esku Dago (In Our Own Hands). The Basque Country enjoys higher levels of selfdetermination than any of Spainʼs other sixteen regions, with its own police force, education system, language and special financial arrangement with Madrid.
Vietnamese protest amid fear of Chinese investment Vietnamese authorities have detained more than a dozen people protesting against the governmentʼs plans to create new urban economic zones. Many fear that Chinese companies and investors will get the lionʼs share. Hundreds of Vietnamese have taken to the streets in different parts of the country to demonstrate against a government proposal to grant companies lengthy land leases.
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