⊂ EUROPE ⊃
US slams Russia over increased violence in Ukraine: The United States on Sunday condemned an attack on special monitoring missions in eastern Ukraine and called on Russia and separatist forces to immediately observe the ceasefire under the Minsk agreements. Thousands of people have marched in Moscow to remember Russian opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead outside the Kremlin in 2015. Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister, was a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin. Russia has released anti-Kremlin activist Ildar Dadin from a Siberian prison after the Supreme Court overturned his conviction on Wednesday.
dw.com, bbc.com, washingtonpost.com, euronews.com
Turkey builds wall on border with Syria: Turkey has erected 290 kilometres of a planned 511-kilometre wall along its border with Syria. The wall is to stretch over the southern and south-eastern Turkish provinces of Hatay, Kilis, Sanliurfa, Mardin, Sirnak and Gaziantep, said the head of the building authority in charge of the project, Ergun Turan. The Syrian army and its allies made a sudden advance on Saturday and Sunday into areas held by “Islamic State” in northwest Syria. By taking the territory south of al-Bab, the army is moving closer to regaining control of water supplies for Aleppo.
en.europeonline-magazine.eu, reuters.com
US President Trump’s Congress speech to include tax reform: Donald Trump’s first budget proposal will spare big social welfare programmes such as Social Security and Medicare from any cuts, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. Mnuchin said Trump would use a major policy speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night to discuss his plan to cut taxes for the middle class, simplify the tax system and make American companies more globally competitive with lower rates and changes to encourage US manufacturing.
reuters.com, bloomberg.com
No debt relief for Greece according to Germany’s Spahn: Greece must not be given bail in conditions to write off debt in any future agreement with creditors, Germany’s Deputy Finance Minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday. Spahn argued that if such measures were given to Greece then why not other countries too? Creditors and Greece have agreed to negotiate another funding deal, after Athens said it would look at further reforms. Officials from the European Commission, the ESM, the IMF and the European Central Bank are due to return to Athens this week to resume talks.
politico.eu
⊂ QUOTES ⊃
„Do people have to die before the rightwing violence is considered a central domestic security problem and makes it to the top of the national policy agenda?“
MP Ulla Jelpke from the leftist Die Linke party says that the German government is too focused on a perceived security threat from migrants while the real threat is coming from the far right.
bbc.com
⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃
Protesters try to stop Le Pen supporters: Demonstrators in western France have tried to block buses carrying supporters of far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen to a campaign rally. The incident Sunday in the city of Nantes came after 11 police officers were injured Saturday in skirmishes with activists opposed to Le Pen’s appearance there. No injuries were reported. French independent candidate Emmanuel Macron would easily beat Le Pen in the second round of the country’s presidential election in May, two opinion polls showed on Sunday. French historian Henry Rousso on his way to a conference in Texas was detained for 10 hours by US border officials and threatened with deportation.
foxnews.com, reuters.com, bbc.com
Thousands of Romanians form EU flag at rally: Thousands protested in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Sunday against the Social Democrat government that tried to weaken a crackdown on corruption earlier this month. While the numbers of protesters has fallen sharply since early February, an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people gathered outside government headquarters on Sunday demanding the resignation of a government they say they cannot trust.
reuters.com
More than 3,500 attacks on refugees in Germany: There were 3,533 attacks on refugees and refugee hostels across Germany in 2016. The attacks left 560 people injured, among them 43 children, according to an Interior Ministry response to a parliamentary question. In addition, 217 refugee organisations and volunteers were attacked. In Sweden, up to 20 people have been injured in a fire at a centre for asylum seekers. Most are said to have suffered from smoke inhalation but two were hurt after jumping out of a window.
dw.com, euronews.com (Sweden)
Philippine authorities try to verify killing of German hostage: Philippine officials were working to confirm reports on Sunday that the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf beheaded a German hostage after a ransom deadline had passed. Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza said that an anti-terrorism task force told him validation efforts were ongoing. Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said troops were continuing operations to rescue foreign and local hostages, including German captive Jurgen Gustav Kantner.
dw.com, washingtonpost.com
Italy: Left splits with Matteo Renzi politico.eu
Belarus: Protests over law against social parasites euronews.com
⊂ JOB-BOARD ⊃
politjobs.eu: PlasticsEurope seeks Public Affairs Manager (m/f) *** GIZ seeks Policy Advisor (m/f) *** Siegfried Mureșan MEP offers Traineeship *** European Sunlight Association seeks Communication Officer *** ChildFund Alliance seeks Director – Brussels Office *** Mototrola Solutions seeks Director of Government Affairs – Europe and Africa *** Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft sucht Praktikant (m/w) *** Uni Europa seeks Policy Officer (m/f)
politjobs.eu, politjobs.eu/submit (Inserat schalten)
⊂ MALFUNCTION ⊃
Trump supporters tricked into waving Russian flags: Supporters of US President Donald Trump inadvertently waved Russian flags at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday after two undercover protesters handed them out. Several people tweeted photos of the flags, which were emblazoned with the word Trump written in gold lettering. Security guards later came around to collect the flags as one of the protesters called Trump a fascist.
dw.com