110/2018 • 17 May, 2018
Sweden and North Korea end talks ahead of possible Trump-Kim summit The Swedish and North Korean foreign ministers have wrapped up three days of talks on the security situation on the Korean peninsula. Have they cleared the way for a historic meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un? Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom and her North Korean counterpart Ri Yong Ho discussed the "opportunities and challenges for continued diplomatic efforts to reach a peaceful solution to the conflict," Swedenʼs Foreign Ministry said Saturday. The ministry did not comment on whether thethree days of talksin Stockholm hadlaid any groundwork for a possible meetingbetween US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "The main focus for the talks was the security situation on the Korean Peninsula," Wallstrom told reporters, adding that UN sanctions, nuclear weapons, and humanitarian concerns in North Korea were also on the agenda. Ri did not address the media during his visit.
Publisher slammed as Hitler appears in ʼgreat leadersʼ book The book "would bring tears of joy to neo-Nazis," a Jewish human rights organization has said. Adolf Hitler carries a certain fascination in some parts of the world that is largely untouched by his atrocities. Indian publisher Pegasus landed itself in hot water this week when it emerged that itʼs "Great Leaders" book for children included Adolf Hitler. Pictured alongside freedom fighters Mathama Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, the book chose Hitler as one of the "powerful world leaders who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of their countries and the people living in them." Also included in the book are current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, controversial Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi and former US President Barack Obama. "Dedicated to the betterment of countries and people? Adolf Hitler? This description would bring tears of joy to the Nazis and their racist neo-Nazi heirs," said Abraham Cooper of the Jewish human rights organization the Wiesenthal Center. "Placing Hitler alongside truly great political and humanitarian leaders is an abomination that is made worse as it targets young people with little or no knowledge of world history and ethics," Cooper said. 2
New Catalan separatist leader sticks steadfastly to independence from Spain Quim Torra:
Canada to deploy troops, helicopters to Mali Canada will send troops and helicopters to Mali to join a UN peacekeeping mission there, Canadian media have reported. The helicopters are expected to replace a German contingent. Canada will soon take part in its first peacekeeping mission to Africa since Rwanda in 1994, sending peacekeepers, backed by helicopters, to join UN Blue Helmets in Mali before autumn, Canadian media reported late on Friday. The commitment comes amid pressure on Canada from Germany and the Netherlands to send peacekeepers, with the Canadian helicopters expected to replace a German contingent, CBC News said, citing a senior government official. The deployment would be for a planned 12 months, according to the report.
After six months of standstill, Cataloniaʼs regional government has chosen a new president. Quim Torra takes over from Carles Puigdemont, with his predecessor’s blessing and rapprochement with Madrid a long way off. The figurehead of the Catalan independence movement, Carles Puigdemont, made no secret about how he views the role of his successor. In a video message from Germany, he namedQuim Torra as Cataloniaʼs new regional president, but spoke of a "provisional period." The subtext:Puigdemont continues to see himself as Cataloniaʼs "legitimate
Donald Trump signs Taiwan Travel Act, drawing Chinaʼs ire US President Donald Trump has signed a law promoting official exchanges between the US and Taiwan. The move could further strain US-China ties. US President Donald Trump on Friday signed legislation promoting contacts between Washington officials and their Taiwanese counterparts, angering China, which considers Taiwan as part of its territory. The Taiwan Travel Act will allow unrestricted two-way travel for officials from the United States and Taiwan, thus restoring direct official US contacts with the self-ruled is-
president."Thatʼs perhaps why the conservative Spanish newspaper "El Mundo" described Torra as "Puigdemontʼs ventriloquist." And Torra himself was also clear about the division of labor while presenting his government program: "Our president is Carles Puigdemont," said the 55-year-old lawyer in Barcelonaʼs parliament on Monday. land, which were cut in 1979 when Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. The White House said the bill, which was passed unanimously by Congress, would go into effect on Saturday morning even without the presidentʼs signature. The United States still does not have formal ties with Taiwan, but is required by lawto help it with selfdefense.
Syria: Al-Qaida and IS increasingly lose territory to Assad With the exception of Idlib, Syriaʼs government has recovered control of most major cities from rebels and ter-
ror organizations. Are the "Islamic State" and al-Qaida being beaten out of Syria? With Syriaʼs civil war now in its eighth year, the "Islamic State" (IS) and al-Qaida — two of the most prominent terror organizations active in the fighting — are on the decline. DW takes a closer look at their roles in the conflict. IS drew international attention when it swept across Iraq and Syria in 2014, making Raqqa, Syria, its capital and taking control of Iraqʼs second-largest city, Mosul. In Syria, IS now only really controls some area near Iraqʼs border, as well as some parts of the countryside. The organization does not currently have a central headquarters. In October, the US military estimated that the group still had about 6,500 members. AlQaida operates most prominently as Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham, a Salafist group that is concentrated near and in the major Syrian city of Idlib.