DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Leaders pay respects to D-Day soldiers in Portsmouth Leaders from 16 nations, including the United States and Germany, gathered in the UK naval base of Portsmouth to mark the 75 years since D-Day. The ceremony on Wednesday also involved some300 surviving veteransof the 1944 Normandy landings. While paying his respects in Portsmouth, US President Donald Trump read out excerpts of a prayer which President Franklin Roosevelt delivered to the nation on June 6, 1944. "Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day, have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity," Trump read. The eventʼs host, British Prime Minister Theresa May, said that soldiersʼ "solidarity and determination" defending freedom "remains a lesson to us all."
Berlin takes a new approach to the Three Seas Initiative The three bodies of water in question are the Baltic, the Adriatic and the Black seas. In 2015, Poland and Croatia called together the Three Seas Initiative, a loose group of 12 EU member states in the eastern sector of the bloc. It stretches from Estonia in the north, to Croatia in the south, and extends east to Romania and Bulgaria. What these countries have in common is that they are all members of the European Union, and all of them, with the exception of Austria, joined in 2004. Their aim is to strengthen cooperation, especially in the areas of infrastructure, energy, and security. Members not only feelphysically threatened by Russia— they also want to become more independent of it regarding their energy supply. The 12 countries also feel that their concerns are getting short shrift in Brussels.
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Manfred Weber reelected leader of conservative EPP in European Parliament France still opposes his aim of becoming European Commission president
The German lawmaker has negotiated a minor hurdle in his bid for Europeʼs top job. But France still opposes his aim of becoming European Commission president.
Tariffs prompt US firms to rethink China business: survey US businesses in China are increasingly worried about the trade conflict between the US and China. They are bearing the brunt of tariffs and non-tariff barriers adopted in recent months, a new survey said. Three-quarters of US companies in China say they are being hit hard by the ongoing US-China trade dispute, according to a new survey released Wednesday by the American Chamber of Commerce in China and its sister organization in Shanghai. The poll was conducted between May 16 and 20, days after Washington more
thandoubled duties on $200 billion (€179.3 billion) worth of Chinese goods. Beijing retaliated by charginghigher tariffs on $60 billion of American products. Firms manufacturing in China were the hardest hit, with more than 80% reporting adverse affects from both US and Chinese tariffs. Nearly half of the 250 respondents said they have experienced non-tariff retaliatory measures in China since last year. About one in five US companies experienced increased inspections, similar to the proportion reporting slower customs clearance.
Tintin and Snowy turn 90 — havenʼt aged a day He has fought organized crime, solved mysteries and even helped to bring down despotic regimes. The famous Belgian cub-reporter Tintin, with his trademark shock of strawberry-blonde hair, blue sweater and plus-four trousers, has taken his fans with him on world adventures that have been translated into more than 100 languages and dialects. Tintin made his first appearance 90 years ago, in the Catholic conservative Belgian news-
paper Le Vingtième Siècleʼs youth supplement, Le Petit Vingtième. Tintin and Snowy headed deep into Soviet territory, with Stalinʼs secret police watching them from around every corner. The story first appeared on January 10, 1929, running as a serial until May 1930; it was essentially anticommunist propaganda, neatly packaged for children. In 1930, the series was published in book form as Tintin in the Land of the Soviets.
Thai parliament elects Prayuth Chan-ocha as prime minister Both houses of Thailandʼs parliament on Wednesday elected Prayuth Chanocha as the countryʼs next prime minister. Prayuth comfortably reached the 375-vote threshold, more than half of the 750-member parliament, needed to win the premiership. Thailandʼs prime minister is chosen in a joint vote of the 500-seat House and the 250-seat Senate, whose members were appointed by the junta. The vote officially restored civilian rule in Thailand after more than five years under the junta leader. The 65-yearold retired general, who was nominated by a military-backed coalition led by the Palang Pracharath party, had been expected to keep his post under a new political system introduced by the junta, which critics say is meant to prolong the military dominance in Thai politics.
Denmark election: Social Democrats on course to win Denmarkʼs Social Democrats won the largest share of the votein the countryʼs parliamentary election on Wednesday, according to exit polls. The center-left party appears to have won crucial support in recent months thanks to its adoption of a a more restrictive immigration policy. Main election results: The Social Democrats won 25.3%. It and other left-wing parties that form the "red bloc" in the Danish parliament are set to win a total of 90 out of 179 seats.
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