DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Russia denies it is violating nuclear arms treaty The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed US claims that Russia is violating a major Cold War treaty that limits mid-range nuclear arms, from which Washington is planning to withdraw. "Groundless accusations are again being repeated," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared Russia in "material breach" of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. "No proof has been produced to support this American position," Zakharova said. She described the treaty as a "cornerstone of global stability and international security." Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that facts had been distorted "in order to camouflage the true goal of the US withdrawing from the treaty."
Terrorism deaths down, but still a widespread issue "The total number of deaths fell by 27 percent between 2016 and 2017, with the largest falls occurring in Iraq and Syria," the report said. However, despite both Middle East countries seeing the biggest improvement in sheer numbers, they still ranked in the top three countries most impacted by terrorism. In total, Iraq recorded more than 5,000 fewer deaths as a result of terrorism last year, while Syria had more than 1,000 fewer compared to 2016. The military defeat of the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group in Iraq and Syria resulted in the significant drop in terrorism-related deaths in the Middle East as well as in Europe. "ISIL has now lost most of its territory and sources of revenue and is actively redirecting "Despite its reduced capacity, ISIL remained the deadliest terrorist group globally in 2017."
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China vows quick trade deal as Trump sends mixed signals President Trump welcomed a deal, but reiterated that he was a Tariff Man
Beijing said bilateral talks were "very successful" and that it was "confident" a trade pact with the US would be reached in 90 days.
Venezuela: Erdogan and Maduro slam US sanctions Venezuela has suffered from a severe political and economic crisis since a collapse in oil prices several years ago. It has sought to bolster its ties with Turkey as it faces down a range of US sanctions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced US sanctions against Venezuela at a joint press conference with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on Monday. Ties between the two countries have grown closer in recent months as Venezuela struggles to overcome a severe economic and political crisis. The Turkish president said Venezuela
had been unfairly targeted with economic sanctions, adding that he "did not approve of these measures that ignore the rules of global trade." He said his "friend" Maduro was facing "manipulative attacks from certain countries and acts of sabotage from economic assassins." He vowed to strengthen trade ties with Venezuela to help alleviate the economic crisis. He also praised Maduro, saying the Venezuelan leaderʼs "exemplary attitude is very valuable at a time when enmity toward Islam has risen and Western countries are stoking hostility toward foreigners."
Client Earth: Changing environmental law, the world over James Thornton, head of public interest law firm Client Earth, holds governments around the world accountable for environmental damage. He tells DW how the law can be harnessed for the good of people and the planet. James Thornton: The thing that allows a really small group of people to change the world is using the enormous power of the law. Legal systems encapsulate, really, what a society thinks about itself and the rules that
people in the particular society have mutually agreed to be governed by. It always includes enforcement mechanisms. If, for example, a government has passed a law about air pollution or water pollution and then it doesnʼt do the right thing and protect the people like the law says, we — using the power of the law — can go to the courts and force the government to do the right thing. Thatʼs an example of how just a few people can actually make a big difference.
Trumpʼs exsecurity adviser Michael Flynn may avoid prison According to a court filing, President Donald Trumpʼs former national security adviser Michael Flynn has provided so much information to the Special Counsel Robert Muellerʼs Russia investigation that prosecutors say he shouldnʼt do any prison time. Prosecutors said that his cooperation has been substantial. The filing provided the first details of Flynnʼs assistance in the Russia investigation. Prosecutors say that he participated in 19 interviews and cooperated extensively in a separate and undisclosed criminal probe. The filing comes two weeks ahead of Flynnʼs sentencing and just over a year after he became one of five Trump associates to plead guilty in the Russia probe, in his case admitting to lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador to the US.
Police target ʼNdrangheta mafia in raids across Europe Police in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium have arrested several members of the Calabrian mafia. The ʼNdrangheta is heavily involved in Europeʼs cocaine trade. Joint investigative teams involving police in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium are targeting members of the Calabrian ʼNdrangheta mafia, Germanyʼs Federal Criminal Police Agency and Italyʼs Polizia di Stato confirmed after several media outlets had reported the story.
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