Tag Archives: minister
Interior minister offers to resign, in blow to German coalition
By Jörn Poltz and Thomas Escritt MUNICH/BERLIN (Reuters) – German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer offered his resignation to party colleagues late on Sunday, party officials said, escalating a row over migration with Chancellor Angela Merkel that threatens her fragile government. Seehofer said he was ready to step down as minister and as chair of his Christian Social Union (CSU) at a meeting where his party’s leadership was discussing whether to accept immigration proposals Merkel brought back from Brussels last week. The move makes the future of Merkel’s government even more uncertain, since her Christian Democrats party (CDU) relies on the Bavarian conservative CSU to maintain power through a coalition formed three months ago to end a political vacuum.
China praises Mattis visit, says defense minister to visit U.S.
China on Thursday praised the tone of this week’s visit to Beijing by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, saying it had achieve positive results and that Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe would go to Washington this year. Mattis, the first U.S. defense chief to come to China in four years, has described his talks as “very, very good”, even as President Xi Jinping told him China would not give up an inch of its territory, likely a reference to the disputed South China Sea and self-ruled Taiwan which China claims.
Israel will not accept any Syrian refugees on its territory: defense minister
By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel will not allow any Syrian refugees to enter its territory but will continue to provide them with humanitarian aid, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Friday. More than 120,000 people in southwestern Syria have been forced to flee since the Syrian government launched an offensive to recover an area bordering Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from rebels, a monitoring group said. The Israeli military said an increased number of Syrian civilians had been spotted in refugee camps on the Syrian side of the Golan over the past few days, and that it had overnight sent aid supplies at four locations “to Syrians fleeing hostilities”.
Seized Cash and Luxury Goods Linked to Malaysia's Former Prime Minister Are Valued at $273 Million
Second person dies following Saturday's grenade attack at Ethiopia rally – minister
A second person has died after a deadly grenade attack in Ethiopia’s capital on Saturday which injured more than 150 people at rally attended by new prime minister Abiy Ahmed. Nine police officials, including the deputy head of the capital Addis Ababa’s police commission, have been arrested for what authorities said were security lapses. Health Minister Amir Aman said on Twitter that as of 11 am on Sunday, two people had been killed and 156 wounded, with five of them in critical condition.
Second person dies following Saturday's grenade attack at Ethiopia rally: minister
A second person has died after a deadly grenade attack in Ethiopia’s capital on Saturday which injured more than 150 people at rally attended by new prime minister Abiy Ahmed. Nine police officials, including the deputy head of the capital Addis Ababa’s police commission, have been arrested for what authorities said were security lapses. Health Minister Amir Aman said on Twitter that as of 11 am on Sunday, two people had been killed and 156 wounded, with five of them in critical condition.
Italy's interior minister says Malta should take rescue boat
MILAN (AP) — Italy's populist, anti-migrant interior minister said Friday that Malta should allow a Dutch-flagged rescue ship carrying hundreds of migrants rescued from rubber dinghies off the Libyan coast to make port there because the ship is now in Maltese waters.
Former Israeli government minister charged with spying for Iran
Burkina Faso minister visits China after breaking with Taiwan
Burkina Faso’s foreign minister will begin a visit to China on Saturday, just days after cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan in the first such visit in 25 years, diplomatic sources told AFP. “Minister (Alpha) Barry flew to China after taking part in Thursday’s cabinet meeting and is expected to arrive in Beijing on Saturday, after stopping in Abidjan and Paris,” a diplomatic source told AFP on Friday. It is the first such visit since the west African country suspended co-operation with Beijing in 1993 before switching recognition to Taiwan a year later.
U.S. driven by self-interest in wanting to block Russia pipeline: German minister
A close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a stark warning to the United States about the risks of placing “America First”, accusing Washington of seeking to block a planned Russia-Germany gas pipeline to shore up its own exports. Economy minister Peter Altmaier defended the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is strongly opposed by many East European countries as well as the U.S., who say that by circumventing Ukraine the pipeline will increase Russia’s leverage over countries that rely on Moscow’s energy sales. Ahead of a summit due later on Friday between Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Altmaier said the European Union should guarantee that Ukraine will continue to receive gas transit fees, even after the pipeline is built under the Baltic.
