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165/2018 • 21 JULY, 2018 WEEKEND ISSUE

DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Germanyʼs Heiko Maas demands ʼminimum degree of reliabilityʼ from Donald Trump Maas said he was unconvinced by Trumpʼs attempts to backtrack on his Helsinki remarks

Germanyʼs top diplomat said international policy making is burdensome when the US presidentʼs words have a "half-life of 24 hours."

NATO hits back at Trumpʼs Montenegro World War III remarks

OAS condemns Nicaraguaʼs government over wave of violence

NATO officials on Wednesday scrambled to reassert the allianceʼs collective defense clause — commonly referred to asArticle 5— after US President Donald Trump appeared to suggest NATOʼs newest member Montenegro could instigate World War III. A NATO official told Germanyʼs DPA news agency that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty was "unconditional and iron-clad," reaffirming that "an attack on one is an attack on all."

The Organization of American States (OAS) adopted a resolution on Wednesday calling for early elections in Nicaragua and urging for an end to the wave of political violence that has gripped the Central American nation for three months. The regional bloc expressed its "energetic condemnation and serious concern over all the acts of violence, repression, human rights violations and abuse, including those committed by police, para-police groups."

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Wednesday spoke out over US President Donald Trumpʼs attempts tobacktrack on commentshe made during Mondayʼs Helsinki press conference with Vladimir Putin. Maas said Germany and other western allies demanded a "minimum degree of reliability" from Trump and his foreign policy. "It is, quite simply, extremely difficult to craft policies when the information or facts have a half-life of 24 hours. This will not work,"Berlinʼs top diplomatadded after meeting with his Chilean counterpart Roberto Ampuero. "This also seems to be the unanimous opinion within the United States," he added. Maasʼ criticism of Trump comes after the president on Tuesday backtracked on remarks he made during Mondayʼs press conference with Putin. Standing next to the Russian president,Trump cast doubt over his countryʼs intelligence agenciesʼassessment that Russia had meddled in the 2016 US presidential election. "I donʼt see any reason why it would be," the president said. On Tuesday, Trump said he had reviewed the transcripts of his Helsinki statements and explained that he had misspoken. "I said the word ʼwouldʼ instead of ʼwouldnʼt,ʼ" Trump told White House reporters. "The sentence should have

been, ʼI donʼt see any reason why it wouldnʼt be Russia,ʼ" the president said. Read more: US-German relations: Foreign Minister Heiko Maas ʼplaying with fireʼ Maas: Trumpʼs backtracking ʼunconvincingʼ Maas criticized the US president once again on Wednesday in an interview with the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland newspaper group. Asked to assess Trumpʼs reversal of remarks, Maas was quoted as saying: "This is apparently an attempt at damage limitation. It doesnʼt appear particularly convincing." Germanyʼs foreign minister went on to say he regretted that Trump didnʼt backtrack on his most recent criticisms of the European Union — which hedescribed as a foe — shortly before setting off for Helsinki. "Trumpʼs European trip overall showed that his behavior is a big challenge for diplomacy," Maas said. Stiff body language Although the US president had nothing but warm words for his Russian counterpart ahead of their meeting, their posture upon meeting was significantly more awkward. As they met for a brief photo call before close-door talks, the two men avoided eye contact and seemed unsure of how best to approach one another, with Trump slouching in his seat and Putin remaining engimatic.

Suspected Russian agent Maria Butina to be jailed until trial

Turkey ends state of emergency, but eyes tough terror bill

Suspected Russian agent Maria Butina appeared before a US federal judge in Washington DC on Wednesday for the first court hearing followingher arrest three days prior.The court ordered the woman to remain in jail until the start of her trial. The 29-year-old Butina faces charges of conspiracy and acting illegally as an agent for the Russian government. Specifically, prosecutors claim Butina was working with an influential Russian official and two Americans, trying to infiltrate a progun rights organization and influence Washingtonʼs policy on Russia.

After prolonging the state of emergency seven times, Ankara finally ended the measure introduced after the 2016 coup attempt. However, the state now aims to keep many emergency powers in place with a new anti-terror law. The Turkish government allowed for the state of emergency to expire early on Tuesday, two years after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan introduced a measure in response to a failed military coup that claimed over 200 lives.


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