DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
US upsets China with new de facto embassy in Taiwan Chinaʼs Foreign Ministry has already lodged a complaint with the US over the new American Institute in Taiwan building. US officials say the complex represents the "strength and vibrancy of the US-Taiwan partnership." In a move likely to increase tensions between the US and China, the United States opened a $256 million (€225 million) representative office in Taiwanʼs capital on Tuesday. The American Institute in Taiwan has functioned as Washingtonʼs de facto embassy in democratic self-ruled island Taiwan since 1979. It was opened to conduct relations with Taiwan following Washingtonʼs decision to switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing. The new building is a significant upgrade from the low-key military building that AIT has used for decades and will serve as the representative office later this summer, AIT Director Kin Moy said at the opening ceremony.
German police in Viersen arrest suspect in teenage girl stabbing A 17-year-old turned himself into police following the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old girl in Viersen. Police had earlier released a 25year-old man who had been falsely suspected of the crime. German investigators looking into the stabbing and killing of a teenage girl recieved a breakthrough on Tuesday after the suspected attacker turned himself in to police. A 15year-old girl was fatally stabbed in a park in the German town of Viersen, near Düsseldorf on Monday. She was taken to the hospital, but later died of her injuries. Police earlier said the girl was of Romanian descent. After following false leads on suspects, a 17-yearold boy appeared at a police station in the city of Mönchengladbach along with his lawyer to turn himself in.
132/2018 • 13 JUNE, 2018
South Koreans wary of losing US defense assurance Trump-Kim summit:
President Moon Jae-in has welcomed the diplomatic "success" between Washington and Pyongyang, but many South Koreans believe it is not wise to give up on security guarantees. The summit in Singapore on Tuesday between US President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un was received in South Korea with a mix of euphoria and guarded optimism. After the summit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said it was a "historic event that has helped break down the last remaining Cold War legacy." Moon also personally commended both Trump and Kim for their "courage and determination" and called the summit a "daring step toward change." The image ofTrump and Kim signing an agreementwith their countries flags in the background was indeed astounding when one considers Washington and Pyongyang have no formal diplomatic relationship. The four-point joint statement between Washington and Pyongyang, however, was relatively short and vague. And while Pyongyang committed to work on "complete denuclearization," no immediate, concrete measures were outlined. More important for South Korea were President Trumpʼs statements during an hour-long press conference, in which he said that the US would be stopping joint military maneuvers with South Korea, as long as
the talks with Pyongyang are ongoing. For the North, this provides an incentive for the communication process to continue. Additionally, Kim promised to close another rocket testing facility. But for the South, an important defensive posture may be compromised. South Korean conservatives criticized the move toward diminishing military cooperation with the US. Hong Joon Pyo, speaker for the conservative Liberty Korea Party wrote on Twitter that "South Koreaʼs national security is on the edge of a crisis." The role of China is also looming large in the background as Pyongyang begins to publically commit to reducing its weapons capacity. Chen-shen Yen, a professor at the Institute of International Affairs at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, told DW that China probably has provided a kind of "guarantee" for North Korea in the background. "If the US changes its mind, China would continue to secretly help North Korea either through military capability or with a security guarantee," said Chen. "It is only because of potential promises from Beijing that Kim was able to appear so self-confident in Singapore."
Hamid Karzai: Former Afghan president hopeful for ʼpermanent peaceʼ with Taliban Former Afghan President Karzai has hailed the ceasefire agreement between Kabul and the Taliban at DWʼs Global Media Forum. He also said the West, including Germany, must admit their failure in the war-torn country. It was Hamid Karzai who set up a peace commission in 2010 for talks with Islamist insurgents. The Taliban, however, did not reciprocate the gesture and instead intensified their attacks on NATO forces, Afghan soldiers and civilians. But a recent week-long Eid truce between President Ashraf Ghaniʼs government and the militant group has raised hopes that the 16-year-old deadly conflict could finally be resolved. It was the first time since 2001, when US forces ousted the Taliban regime, that the group has shown a degree of flexibility in their dealing with the Afghan government, which it considers a "US puppet."
German teachers cannot strike, says Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe Four German teachers took their demand to be allowed to strike to the highest court in Germany, only to face defeat before the judges in Karlsruhe. Public officials cannot go on strike, said the Constitutional Court. Teachers who are employed as civil servants would not be allowed to strike, Germanyʼs Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday, refusing a push to soften the strike ban on public sector workers.
weather today BUDAPEST
22 / 31 °C Precipitation: 0 mm