Briefly

MIDDLE EAST

Germany reaffirms two-state solution

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Wednesday that the European Union supports the two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and rejects any annexation plans of the occupied West Bank. Maas made the remarks at a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Jordan's capital Amman. "We are worried about the repercussions of the (Israeli) annexation decision," he said, adding the priority is "to bring the two sides to the negotiating table". As the first high-level European visitor to Israel since the coronavirus pandemic hit, he earlier said Germany and its European partners have "serious concerns" over Israel's annexation plans.

DPRK

Meddling in Korean affairs slammed

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea warned the United States on Thursday not to interfere in inter-Korean affairs, denouncing the US double-dealing on such issues as "disgusting". Kwon Jonggun, director general of the department of US affairs of the Foreign Ministry, said: "No one is entitled to say this or that about inter-Korean relations as the relations pertain to the internal affairs of the Korean nation from A to Z." On Tuesday, the DPRK cut off all inter-Korean communication lines in protest against the Republic of Korea for allowing defectors to scatter leaflets across the border. The US State Department later expressed disappointment over Pyongyang's decision.

TUNISIA

At least 30 migrants die as boat sinks

A boat carrying migrants sank off Tunisia's coast last week, killing at least 30 people, authorities said on Wednesday. The North African country's national guard said the boat capsized near the port of Sfax late on Friday or early on Saturday. On Tuesday, 22 bodies－including 19 women and two toddlers－washed up on a beach in nearby Kerkennah Island. The other bodies were found floating in the water. According to the UN refugee agency, attempts to reach the Italian coast from Tunisia have jumped by 150 percent in the first four months of the year, compared with the same period last year.

SWEDEN

Probe ends into 1986 murder of PM Palme

Authorities on Wednesday named their main suspect in the 1986 murder of then-prime minister Olof Palme, but said they had closed the case since the suspect is now dead. The authorities identified Stig Engstrom, a graphic designer, as Palme's probable killer. The announcement ended a decades-long investigation. More than 10,000 people had been questioned since 1986. Palme, 59, was shot in the back at close range as he walked home from a cinema in Stockholm with his wife on Feb 28, 1986.

Xinhua - Agencies