DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Brexit: UK lawmakers reject greater say for final deal vote British Prime Minister Theresa May won a vital parliamentary vote on Wednesday, which allows her government to press ahead with offering lawmakers a take-it-or-leave-it decision on any final Brexit deal. MPs voted by 319 to 303 to reject a rebel amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which sets the legal framework for the UK to leave the European Union. Pro-EU politicians spent months lobbying for parliament to be given the opportunity tostop Britain crashing out of the EU without a future trade deal, which could spell disaster for the British economy. May has offered parliament a vote on the final terms of any deal with Brussels, but has rejected what she sees as any attempt to undermine the chances of a strong Brexit deal. Those opposed to a hard Brexit wanted the option to return negotiators to talks with the EU, rather than crashing out with no trade deal at all — something the government says will weaken its position in the eyes of Brussels.
EU to impose countertariffs on US products as of Friday A raft of retaliatory tariffs from the European Union on US products will come into effect on June 22. The EUʼs list of targets reads like a summary of emblematic American exports, including motorbikes and jeans. EU countertariffs on a list of US products would come into force on Friday, the European Commission said Wednesday. The retaliatory measure comes in response to US tariff hikes on steel and aluminumthat were imposed on EU member countries on June 1, with the White House citing grounds of national security.
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Ukraineʼs Yulia Tymoshenko to run in next yearʼs presidential election Although she enjoys undying support in some quarters, many voters see her as part of the problem
US withdraws from UN Human Rights Council The United States told the United Nations on Tuesday of its intention to withdraw from the intergovernmental organizationʼs Human Rights Council. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the announcement at a press conference in Washington. It comes a day after the HRC denounced the Trump administrationʼs policy ofseparating children from their migrant parents at the US borderwith Mexico, with UN human rights chief Zeid Raʼad alHussein calling the practice "unconscionable."
Germanyʼs Angela Merkel accused of ʼbuyingʼ deal on The two-time ex-prime minister, who spent three years in jail for corruption, says she will run against Petro Poroshenko.
Ford and Volkswagen eye strategic partnership Ford and Volkswagen said in a joint statement late on Tuesday that they had signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at "exploring a strategic alliance designed to strengthen each companyʼs competitiveness." Reports earlier Tuesday suggested the two carmakers were interested in collaborating on vans and pickup trucks, but a Ford spokeswoman said it was too early to say what the final outcome of the partnership would be.
Read more: Ford plans huge invest-
ment in e-mobility In a separate statement, Fordʼs president of global markets, Jim Farley, noted that the move was intended to boost the US carmakerʼs effectiveness and efficiency. "This potential alliance with the Volkswagen Group is another example of how we can become more fit as a business, while creating a winning global product portfolio and extending our capabilities," he said.
Conductor Simon Rattle bids farewell to the Berlin Philharmonic The end of an era: In the Berlin Philharmonie and in live transmissions vialive streamand inmovie theatersacross Europe, Sir Simon gives the downbeat to his farewell at 7:30 p.m. CEST on Wednesday. It ends as it began. In 1987, Rattle gave his debut with the Berliners with the same work, Mahlerʼs Sixth. In 2002, he began his stint as artistic director and principal conductor of the renowned orchestra with Mahler as well; then it was the Symphony No. 5. The combi-
nation of Mahler, Rattle and the Philharmonic marked other highlights during his tenure in Berlin, notably in 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons, when he conducted the composerʼs complete symphonies. An open-air event titled "Goodbye, Sir Simon" on June 24 marks Rattleʼs very last appearance as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. The playbill at BerlinʼsWaldbühneincludes popular works by the composers Joseph Canteloube and Paul Lincke.
asylum with Emmanuel Macron World Refugee Day could barely have come at a more delicate moment for Angela Merkel and Horst Seehofer. The German chancellor is still locked in a power struggle with her interior minister over his potentially illegal plansto turn certain asylumseekers away at the border. And yet on Wednesday, the two government leaders attended an event at Berlinʼs German Historical Museum to commemorate the victims of forced displacement. As if to make the afternoon slightly more awkward, the pair afterwards posed for photos on either side of Umeswaran Arunagirinathan, a former refugee who had fled the Sri Lankan civil war as an unaccompanied minor, attended school in Germany and briefly faced deportation, before eventually becoming a heart surgeon and German citizen.
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