News in Brief
EU offers aid to Tunisia to reduce migrant flows
AFP – The European Union on Sunday offered major financial support to crisis-hit Tunisia, to boost its economy and reduce the flow of irregular migrants across the Mediterranean Sea.
The North African country, highly indebted and in talks for an IMF bailout loan, is a gateway for migrants and asylum-seekers attempting the dangerous voyages to Europe.
The EU is ready to offer Tunisia a 900- million-euro package plus 150m euros in immediate support, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said on a joint visit with the Italian and Dutch prime ministers.
Montenegro holds parliamentary vote
REUTERS – Polls opened in Montenegro on Sunday for a snap election many hope will bring in a new government to implement economic reforms, improve infrastructure and take the NATO member state closer to European Union membership.
The vote is the first in the former Yugoslav republic since Milo Djukanovic, former leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), lost the presidential election in April and stepped down after 30 years in power.
China complains to S Korean ambassador
AP – A Chinese official lodged a complaint with South Korea’s ambassador to China, in a tit-for-tat move after Beijing’s envoy to South Korea was summoned last week over his comments accusing Seoul of tilting toward the United States.
Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong expressed dissatisfaction with Seoul’s response to last week’s meeting between Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming and a South Korean opposition leader, according to a statement Sunday from China’s Foreign Ministry.