Europe

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An international team of investigators building a criminal case against those responsible in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is set to announce progress in the probe, nearly five years after the plane was blown out of the sky above conflict-torn eastern Ukraine.

LONDON (AP) — Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson increased his lead in the race to become Britain’s next prime minister Tuesday in a Conservative Party vote that eliminated one of his rivals and enabled upstart candidate Rory Stewart to defy expectations by remaining in the contest.

18 June 2019; DW: Twenty-four-year-old Dhruv Rathee has a degree in mechanical engineering from Germany and a master's degree in renewable energy engineering, but he is better known for his videos through which he hopes to educate the masses on political, economic, social and environmental issues.

"I am one-third journalist, one-third activist and one-third YouTuber, and it has been an educating experience," Rathee told DW in an interview.

18 June 2019; DW: The German Interior Ministry has confirmed that it received formal requests from more than 50 municipalities to host migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by German NGO Sea-Watch, DPA news agency reported on Tuesday.

Around 60 cities and towns across Germany on Friday offered to host 53 migrants who were rescued off the coast of Libya last week. They announced an alliance called "Safe Havens" to coordinate their efforts.

18 June 2019; DW: Germany, France and Spain on Monday signed a deal for a next-generation European fighter plane.

The framework was agreed between the defense ministers of each nation with French President Emmanuel Macron in attendance at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, just north of the French capital.

The arrangement will include a joint air combat system that could also control drones and satellites.

18 June 2019; DW: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled against the implementation of tolls on German motorways on Tuesday as non-residents would be penalized.

The Union's top court ruled that plans to charge highway users was in breach of anti-discrimination laws.

Austria, with support from the Netherlands, had argued that the levy is not in line with European agreements, as it singles out EU citizens.

Vienna welcomes decision

UFA, June 18. /TASS/: The United States is introducing new sanctions spontaneously and impulsively without taking into account even the opinion of its closest allies, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin told an Ufa international meeting of high representatives overseeing security issues.

"It’s no secret that over the past several years they [sanctions] have become a favorite method of the US policy," Naryshkin said. "What is especially alarming is that the restrictions are introduced absolutely arbitrarily, spontaneously and impulsively."

UFA, June 18. /TASS/: Russia expects that the attack on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz won’t spark war and the perpetrators will be found, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin told an Ufa international meeting of high representatives overseeing security issues.

"We hope that this won’t result in a difficult phase of a conflict and in military actions," Naryshkin said. "The situation requires a careful investigation and the true mastermind behind this very dangerous provocation should be identified," he stressed.

LE BOURGET, June 17. /TASS/: Two commercial launches with the Proton carrier rocket are planned for 2019, Glavkosmos Director General Dmitry Loskutov told TASS on Monday on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget.

"Later this year, the Proton will deliver two commercial spacecraft in the framework of the contract with the International Launch Services, whose board of directors includes representatives of Glavcosmos," Loskutov said.

MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/: Using Russian equipment and software to manage the country's power grids is necessary to protect the energy system from cyber criminals, the press service of the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Media told TASS on Monday.