4/2019 • 5 JANUARY, 2019 WEEKEND ISSUE
DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
EUʼs Jean-Claude Juncker offers to fast-track post-Brexit talks if UK accepts divorce deal Risks of a ʼno-dealʼ Brexit
The UK Parliament is set to vote on a Brexit divorce deal in January. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said both sides could start talks on post-Brexit ties a day after the dealʼs approval.
Explosion outside AfD office in eastern Germany Police authorities said "an unknown substance was detonated" on Thursday at around 7:20 p.m. local time (620 UTC) in front of the building that houses the offices of the rightwing Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Saxon city of Döbeln. Doors and windows of the building housing the AfD office were damaged, as well as two neighboring buildings. Parked cars were reportedly also damaged. No injuries were reported. The police did not give information with regard to possible suspects for the attack. Saxonyʼs State Office of Criminal Investigation was investigating suspicions that the crime was politically motivated.
Police refute claims of far-right patrols after migrant attacks A German far-right group claims to have carried out street patrols in the Bavarian town of Amberg where four asylum-seekers allegedly attacked a dozen passers-by over the weekend. The Nuremberg branch of the farright National Democratic Party (NPD) posted pictures on its Facebook page of people wearing red vests with the words "Weʼre creating safe zones" on them, walking through the streets of Amberg. The townʼs mayor, Michael Cerny, called for calm, however, saying the patrols did not constitute any form of vigilantism.
The European Union should immediately enter into talks on its future relations with the United Kingdom in the event that British lawmakers pass a draft deal on the UKʼs exit from the bloc, the head of the EUʼs executive has said. "If lawmakers in the House of Commons approve the withdrawal agreement in mid-January, we should begin work the very next day on the future relations between the UK and the EU," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Germanyʼs Welt am Sonntagnewspaper. Following more than a year and a half of difficult negotiations, the UK Parliament is set to vote on the withdrawal agreement sometime after January 14. Prime Minister Theresa May delayed the vote in early December amid widespread opposition to the agreement from both pro- and anti-EU lawmakers. But Juncker has said he believed the UK would leave the bloc despitecalls from some UK lawmakers for a referendum over any final exit deal. "That is what the people of the United Kingdom have decided," he said, referring to the June 2016 referendum, in which 52 percent of voters approved of Britain leaving the EU. Juncker also rejected claims the EU has been trying to keep the UK in the bloc. "That is not our intention," he said. "All we want is clarity about our future relations. And we respect the result of the referendum." The European Union should immediately enter into talks on its future relations with the
United Kingdom in the event that British lawmakers pass a draft deal on the UKʼs exit from the bloc, the head of the EUʼs executive has said. "If lawmakers in the House of Commons approve the withdrawal agreement in mid-January, we should begin work the very next day on the future relations between the UK and the EU," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Germanyʼs Welt am Son‐ ntagnewspaper. Following more than a year and a half of difficult negotiations, the UK Parliament is set to vote on the withdrawal agreement sometime after January 14. Prime Minister Theresa May delayed the vote in early December amid widespread opposition to the agreement from both pro- and anti-EU lawmakers. But Juncker has said he believed the UK would leave the bloc despitecalls from some UK lawmakers for a referendum over any final exit deal. "That is what the people of the United Kingdom have decided," he said, referring to the June 2016 referendum, in which 52 percent of voters approved of Britain leaving the EU. Juncker also rejected claims the EU has been trying to keep the UK in the bloc. "That is not our intention," he said. "All we want is clarity about our future relations. And we respect the result of the referendum." "That is what the people of the United Kingdom have decided," he said, referring to the June 2016 referendum, in which 52 percent of voters approved of Britain leaving the EU.
UK airports order anti-drone equipment
Indonesia halts exchange program to Taiwan amid reports of forced labor
Two of Britainʼs busiest airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, are buying military-grade drone protection systems, the UK media reported on Friday. The decision was reportedly made aftera drone scare grounded about 1,000 flightsand caused a shut down at Gatwick in December. Around 140,000 people had their travel plans disrupted. The police detained a man and a woman over the incident, but thetwo were subsequently cleared of suspicionand released on December 23. No new suspects have been arrested since. Following the disruption, the officials at Gatwick called in the military to deploy anti-drone systems and ensure air safety.
Indonesiaʼs Foreign Ministry announced Friday it will temporarily halt an exchange program to Taiwan following reports that hundreds of students had been forced to work in factories. Officials did not reveal the specific factors of their decision, saying only that Indonesian students taking part in the current work-study program had "faced problems." "We have asked for an explanation...and for authorities to take steps needed to protect the interests and safety of these students," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Armanatha Nasir said in a statement.