DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Turkey denies torture claims by journalist Deniz Yücel Turkeyʼs Foreign Ministry has denied claims that the German-Turkish journalist was tortured in prison near Istanbul. It has also rejected a warning from Germany that Turkey should stick to the UN anti-torture convention. The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sunday issued a statement rejecting claims that officers tortured GermanTurkish journalist Deniz Yücel while he was held in pretrial detention at Silivri prison near Istanbul. "Our country acts in compliance with its international obligations in its fight against torture, as it does in all areas," the ministry statement said. "Our country thoroughly investigates all allegations of torture and illtreatment and demonstrates, on every occasion, a transparent position on this issue."
Polls close in Lithuania presidental election Lithuanians voted on Sunday in a first-round ballot to elect one of nine candidates to the presidency. Polls predicted three candidates — former Finance Minister Ingrida Simonyte, economist Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis — have a realistic chanceof replacing incumbent President Dalia Grybauskaite, who cannot stand for reelection after completing her two five-year terms. The centerright Simonyte was popular with educated urban voters, while Skvernelisʼ populist politics appealed to rural voters. Nauseda, on the other hand, seeked to appeal across the rich-poor divide in the former Soviet republic of 2.8 million people. If no candidate wins an absolute majority following Sundayʼs poll, the two best-placed candidates will go into a runoff on May 26.
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Merkel should serve full term, says heir Kramp-Karrenbauer The new party chief insists she is not trying to push Merkel out as chancellor before 2021
Germanyʼs CDU, the party once led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, is now led by longtime ally Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
Germanyʼs Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank end merger talks Germanyʼs two largest lenders have called off any further discussions about a merger. Berlin had promoted the idea of creating a banking "champion" capable of supporting Germanyʼs export-orientated economy. The German banking market’s two major lenders, Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, announced on Thursday that they had ended merger talks. In a joint statement, both banks said that their management boards had come to the conclusion that a merger would "not provide sufficient added value." The government, which has a
15% stake in Commerzbank, had encouraged the discussions in the hope that a merger could create a national banking "champion" to provide financing for Germanyʼs exportorientated economy. The banksʼ joint statement cited perceived risks, restructuring costs and capital requirements as reasons to shelve the proposals. "After thorough analysis, we have concluded that this transaction would not have created sufficient benefits" to justify the risks and costs, Deutsche Bank chief executive Christian Sewing and Commerzbank chief Martin Zielke said.
Hungary at a Glance (Published by Scolar Publishing Company) It is a unique feature of the Carpathian basin that its relatively small area hosts an unparalleled variety of ethnic groups, religions and civilizations. This cohabitation gave birth to a common culture, while a truly multi-layered nation was also formed. For centuries the descendants of the founding Hungarian tribes lived alongside ancient peoples who preceded them and the people migrating here from neighbouring nations. Hungarians, Slovaks, Romanians, Serbs and Germans shared a common
land here, just like the members of the different faiths – Catholics, Calvinists, Lutherans and Jews – did. Our book is a special project, as it tries to convey the colourful nature of Hungary and its people. This unique “guidebook” covers everything from history to cultural heritage, from the achievements of the arts and sciences to the extraordinary music scene. Although these pages will give you only a glance, we do hope that this glimpse will inspire real love for this country in all our readers.
Iranʼs Revolutionary Guard: US has started ʼpsychological warʼ The commander of Iranʼs Revolutionary Guard, Major General Hossein Salami, said in a parliament session on Sunday that the United States has started a psychological war in the region, according to a parliamentary spokesman. "Commander Salami, with attention to the situation in the region, presented an analysis that the Americans have started a psychological war because the comings and goings of their military is a normal matter," said Behrouz Nemati in a summary of Salamiʼs comments, according to parliamentʼs ICANA news site. TheUS military has sent forces, including an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers, to the Middle East to counter what US officials have said are "clear indications" of threats from Iran to its forces there. The USS Abraham Lincoln is replacing another carrier rotated out of the Gulf last month.
Migrants force entry in Spainʼs Melilla exclave Around a hundred migrants on Sunday tried to climb the fence that separates Morocco from the Spanish exclave of Melilla. Spainʼs Interior Ministry said 52 of the migrants from sub-Saharan African countries managed to get across the 6-meter (19.6 ft) high structure. The migrants tried to storm the barbed wire fence at dawn, but Spanish and Moroccan security forces prevented "around half" from entering Melilla.
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