German lawmakers warned of Turkish spying

BERLIN • German federal police warned parliamentarians they may have been spied on by Turkish intelligence and may also face potential security risks from Turkish nationalists, Die Welt newspaper reported on yesterday.

Germany's chief federal prosecutor in January launched an investigation into possible spying by clerics sent to Germany by the Turkish government, and in March opened a second, unrelated probe into suspected espionage. The report could further strain already frayed ties between Germany and Turkey, which are at loggerheads over a wide range of issues.

REUTERS

US House reaffirms Nato alliance

WASHINGTON • The United States House of Representatives voted nearly unanimously to reaffirm the Nato alliance's guarantee that all members defend each other, weeks after President Donald Trump raised doubts about Washington's support for the agreement.

The vote was 423-4 in the House, where Mr Trump's fellow Republicans hold a 48-seat majority, for a resolution "solemnly reaffirming" the US commitment to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

REUTERS

EU extends Russia sanctions until January

BRUSSELS • The European Union (EU) yesterday formally rolled over damaging economic sanctions against Russia to end January next year, saying Moscow had failed to live up to its Ukraine ceasefire commitments.

The sanctions, which target Russia's finance, oil and defence sectors, were imposed in July 2014 following Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula and Moscow's direct support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Moscow denies direct involvement in the conflict despite Nato's assertions its troops are supporting the rebels and says all the EU sanctions, along with extensive US measures, are both ineffective and counterproductive.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE