Juncker bei May: Das desaströse Brexit-Dinner

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Als EU-Kommissionspräsident Juncker mit der britischen Premierministerin May dinierte, hatten sie Wichtiges zu besprechen. Aber sie redeten aneinander vorbei. Am Ende sagte Juncker, er sei „zehnmal skeptischer als zuvor“. Es sollte ein Weckruf sein.

Jean-Claude Juncker hat schon viele schwierige Verhandlungen erlebt. Mit Alexis Tsipras rang der Präsident der Europäischen Kommission monatelang darum, dass Griechenland seine Pflichten erfüllt. Und mit Viktor Orbán streitet er seit der Flüchtlingskrise über europäische Solidarität. Juncker ist der Typ, der auch nach solchen Gesprächen, wenn allen die Köpfe qualmen, seinen Gesprächspartnern kumpelhaft auf die Schultern haut und sagt, man werde schon eine Lösung finden. Als der Kommissionspräsident am Mittwochabend den Amtssitz der britischen Premierministerin verließ, lag ein weiteres denkwürdiges Treffen hinter ihm. Er war freundlich empfangen worden, es war nie laut geworden, aber nach beschwichtigenden Worten war ihm nicht zumute. Juncker war tief schockiert, und er machte keinen Hehl daraus. „I’m leaving Downing Street ten times more skeptical than I was before“, sagte er seiner Gastgeberin zum Abschied. » | Von Thomas Gutschker | Montag, 1. Mai 2017

Tony Blair Announces His Return to Politics - and Hints at Starting a New Anti-Brexit Movement

THE TELEGRAPH: The Brexit vote has brought many unintended side effects - one of which is Tony Blair's return to politics, 20 years after he won a landslide general election.

As we head towards another of those - but this time with a Conservative government poised to take the victory - the former Prime Minister spoke of his ambitions to soften Brexit and "shape policy debate".

He told The Mirror: "This Brexit thing has given me a direct motivation to get more involved in the politics.

You need to get your hands dirty and I will." Read on and comment » | Helena Horton | Monday, May 1, 2017

France's May Day: Unions, Citizens Split Over Presidential Vote

Rodrigo Duterte Says He May Be Too Busy for White House Visit

THE NEW YORK TIMES: MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines said on Monday that he might not accept President Trump’s invitation to visit the White House, because he was “tied up” with a busy schedule.

“I cannot make any definite promise,” Mr. Duterte said, adding, “I’m supposed to go to Russia, I’m also supposed to go to Israel.”

Mr. Trump’s invitation on Saturday to Mr. Duterte, an authoritarian leader who has been accused of ordering extrajudicial killings of drug suspects, drew criticism from human rights advocates, who said such a visit would amount to a White House endorsement of Mr. Duterte’s policies. Thousands of people have been gunned down in the Philippines since Mr. Duterte took office in June, promising a harsh crackdown on narcotics. » | Felipe Villamor | Monday, May 1, 2017

Sebastian Gorka to Leave White House amid Accusations of Links to Far-right

THE GUARDIAN: Briton, who previously worked for Fox News and Breitbart, had been hired to sit on an advisory panel created by Steve Bannon

Sebastian Gorka, an adviser to Donald Trump who has been under pressure over his links to Hungarian far-right groups, is leaving the White House.

A senior official said Gorka, a former counterterrorism analyst for Fox News who joined the administration as an adviser, will be leaving the White House in the coming days.

The official said that Gorka had initially been hired to sit on the strategic initiatives group, an advisory panel created by Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon to run parallel to the national security council.

But that group fizzled out in the early months of the administration. Gorka was unable to get clearance for the national security council after he was charged last year with carrying a weapon at Ronald Reagan Washington national airport. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Monday, May 1, 2017

Jean-Claude Juncker Says Theresa May Is 'Deluded' in Scathing Call with Angela Merkel after Brexit Talks

THE TELEGRAPH: The European Union has warned that it is "more likely than not" that Brexit talks will fail after Jean Claude Juncker accused Theresa May of being "deluded" in the wake of a tense Downing Street dinner.

The President of the European Commission launched a scathing attack on Mrs May after the meeting on Wednesday last week, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported.

He reportedly claimed during the meeting that Brexit "cannot be a success" and threatened to end talks without a trade deal if Britain refuses to pay a "divorce" bill.

The Prime Minister said that the UK is not legally obliged to pay the EU anything as it leaves the EU. Mr Juncker and his colleagues responded by saying that Britain cannot simply cancel its membership of the EU as if it was a "golf club". Read on and comment » | Helena Horton and Steven Swinford, Deputy Political Editor | Monday, May 1, 2017

Macron vs. Le Pen: France's Bitter Presidential Run-off Race

France's Wartime Past Takes Centre Stage in Presidential Campaign

What’s Making the French Youth Vote for Extremist Parties?

Angela Merkel Arrives without Headscarf in Saudi Arabia for Talks with King Salman

THE INDEPENDENT: Theresa May also eschewed the strict dress code for women when she arrived in Riyadh

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Saudi Arabia without a headscarf for talks with the oil-rich kingdom's monarch. Ms Merkel was greeted by King Salman and other top officials upon her arrival at the western city of Jiddah. Like other recent female Western visitors, the German Chancellor did not cover her hair upon arrival in the conservative Islamic kingdom. Read on and comment » | Samuel Osborne | Sunday, April 30, 2017

Le Pens Euro-Kehrtwende: Au revoir, "Frexit"!

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Marine Le Pen verabschiedet sich von ihrem wichtigsten Wahlversprechen - der Abkehr vom Euro. Die Front-National-Chefin hofft wohl, so EU-Freund und Konkurrent Emmanuel Macron in der Stichwahl abzufangen.

"Frankreich seine Souveränität zurückgeben - bei Geldpolitik, Gesetzgebung, territorialer und wirtschaftlicher Verantwortung": Der Rückzug auf die Nation gehört zum Credo von Marine Le Pen und ziert als Punkt Nummer eins ihre 144 Wahlversprechen für ein "freies Frankreich."

Die Abkehr von der Gemeinschaft, der Bruch mit dem Euro - es waren bislang zentrale Kernaussagen im Programm der rechtspopulistischen Präsidentschaftskandidatin des Front National (FN). Brüssel und die "Herrschaft der Technokraten" waren die Urheber aller Übel der Nation; der Euro ein Symbol der ökonomischen "Unterwerfung" unter den Dirigismus von Angela Merkel. » | Von Stefan Simons, Paris | Sonntag, 30. April 2017

Trump Trolls White House Correspondents' Dinner

Donald Trump mocks members of the media attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington DC during a rally in Pennsylvania. ‘A large group of Hollywood actors and Washington media are consoling each other in a hotel ballroom in our nation’s capital right now,’ Trump says, to cheers. The US president Trump says he ‘could not possibly be more thrilled to be more than 100 miles away from Washington swamp, spending my evening with all of you and a much, much larger crowd and much better people’

Read the Guardian article here

Iranian TV Executive Shot Dead in Istanbul, Turkish Media Report

THE GUARDIAN: Saeed Karimian, founder of Farsi-language network GEM TV, reportedly shot dead along with his Kuwaiti business partner

The Iranian founder of a popular Farsi-language satellite television network has been shot dead in Istanbul alongside a Kuwaiti business partner, according to Turkish media, months after reportedly being convicted of spreading “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic.

GEM TV founder Saeed Karimian was travelling through Istanbul’s Maslak neighbourhood after 8pm (1700 GMT) on Saturday when the car was blocked by a Jeep and shots were fired, Turkey’s Doğan news agency said on Sunday.

Karimian was found dead by emergency services. His associate was taken to hospital but could not be revived. » | Reuters | Sunday, April 30, 2017

EU Threatens Theresa May on Trade Talks and Its Citizens' Rights

THE GUARDIAN: European leaders take hard line on Brexit at special summit, agreeing unanimously on rigid stance in just four minutes

The European Union has called on Theresa May to provide immediate “serious and real” guarantees to its citizens living in Britain. The EU leaders took just four minutes at a special summit to agree unanimously an uncompromising opening stance in the Brexit negotiations.

Leaders said they would not discuss a future trade deal with the British government until “sufficient progress” is made on the issues of Britain’s estimated €60bn divorce bill, the rights of EU nationals in the UK, and the border in Ireland.

The European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, told reporters at the special summit in Brussels that EU citizens in Britain were the number one priority, and that he had discussed the need for Britain to now live up to its warm words regarding EU citizens during a dinner with the prime minister in Downing Street last week. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Saturday, April 29, 2017

What Change Has Trump Brought to Washington? - Inside Story

Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States with fewer votes than his opponent. And his approval ratings after 100 days are lower than any previous president. Critics say it's been a chaotic and controversial start...but consistent with his electioneering. He's failed to fulfil some campaign promises and had to change his mind on others. And he's surprised the world with direct U.S. intervention in the Syrian conflict and his warnings to North Korea. He did say he wanted to shake up Washington, and by all accounts he has. But where is he going to take the United States, and the rest of the world, over the next four years? | Presenter: Jane Dutton | Guests: John Hudak, Deputy Director at the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution; Raisa Sheynberg, Former Director for International Economic Affairs at the National Security Council at The White House, under the Obama administration; Brad Thomas, Author of "The Trump Factor"

Brexit: EU-Kommission befürchtet Scheitern der Verhandlungen

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: In Brüssel hält man ein Scheitern der Gespräche für wahrscheinlicher als einen Erfolg. Die britische Regierungschefin May stellte bei einem Treffen mit Kommissionschef Juncker aus EU-Sicht vollkommen überzogene Forderungen.

In der EU-Kommission herrscht große Skepsis über einen erfolgreichen Abschluss der Brexit-Verhandlungen mit dem Vereinigten Königreich. Grund dafür ist der Verlauf des Treffens zwischen Kommissionspräsident Jean-Claude Juncker und der britischen Premierministerin Theresa May am vergangenen Mittwoch in London. » | von Thomas Gutschker | Sonntag, 30. April 2017

Bundesinnenminister: „Wir sind nicht Burka“

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Innenminister Thomas de Maizière stellt zehn Thesen zu einer deutschen Leitkultur auf. Dazu zählt er den Leistungsgedanken, das Erbe der deutschen Geschichte – und dass Frauen ihr Gesicht zeigen.

Bundesinnenminister Thomas de Maizière (CDU) hat einen Zehn-Punktekatalog für eine deutsche Leitkultur vorgelegt. „Ich will mit einigen Thesen zu einer Diskussion einladen über eine Leitkultur für Deutschland“, schreibt de Maizière in einem Gastbeitrag für die „Bild am Sonntag“. Wer sich seiner eigenen Kultur sicher sei, sei stark. De Maizière führt zehn Eigenschaften auf … » | Quelle: dpa/KNA/spo. | Sonntag, 30. April 2017

Les images fortes du séjour du pape François en Égypte

LE FIGARO: EN IMAGES - Au second jour de sa visite en Égypte, le pape François célébrait une messe alors que les chrétiens d'Orient sont visés par l'État islamique. La veille, il plaidait pour la tolérance et le dialogue entre musulmans et chrétiens.

Le pontife, âgé de 80 ans, s'est rendu ce samedi au stade de l'armée de l'air égyptienne, d'une capacité de 30.000 places, pour prononcer une homélie et prier avec les fidèles. Un rassemblement religieux qui réunissait tous les rites catholiques du pays, notamment les églises copte, arménienne, maronite et melkite, et dont la liturgie était en arabe et en latin. » | Par Le figaro.fr et AFP agence | samedi 29 avril 2017

Marine Le Pen Takes Her Fight to the Right as Macron Dips in Polls

THE TELEGRAPH: Marine Le Pen took her fight for the French presidency to the Right-wing Riviera bastion of Nice last night slamming Emmanuel Macron as a puppet of "oligarchs" whose aim is to destroy and "dilute" France.

Her claim came as one poll suggested that Mr Macron's lead had slightly shrunk ahead of the May 7 runoff.

"We can win," Ms Le Pen told 4,000 tricolour flag-waving supporters at the Nice rally. "Throw them out! We are David against Goliath."

The far-Right contender spent the first first three days after Sunday's first round vote wooing French workers - many of whom had voted for Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the Communist-backed firebrand. » | Henry Samuel, Nice | Thursday, April 27, 2017

100 Tage Trump: Die Absurdität als Alltag

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Donald Trumps erste drei Amtsmonate waren chaotisch und konfus. Eines ist klar geworden: Er ist ein demokratiefeindlicher Plutokrat - und lernt jetzt langsam, seine Macht anzuwenden.

Seinen 100. Tag als Präsident wird Donald Trump dort feiern, wo er sich am wohlsten fühlt - im Kreise ekstatischer Anhänger. Und zwar in Harrisburg, der Hauptstadt Pennsylvanias, das er im November knapp gewann: Auf einer Großkundgebung will er sich feiern lassen. Sein Wahlkampf geht nie zu Ende.

Wie dieser Wahlkampf waren auch seine ersten drei Monate: chaotisch, konfus, betäubend - ein tägliches Schleudertrauma zwischen "Im Ernst?" und "Wird schon". Eine Bilanz fällt schwer. Was zählt, was nicht, was bleibt? » | Ein Kommentar von Marc Pitzke, New York | Samstag, 29. April 2017