Some senators urged the Duterte administration to "think over" its decision to shut out developmental aid from the European Union (EU), considering the fight against poverty and the country's ties with one of its biggest trading partners. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said on Friday, May 19, that he was "saddened" by the decision, since the EU has been a "reliable trading partner" whose assistance has benefited Filipinos, especially those in poor communities. 

The Duterte administration turned down 250 million euros worth of development aid from the European Union (EU) because it “may be used as the reason for interfering in the internal affairs of the country,” a Cabinet official familiar with the issue said. The high level source, who only agreed to speak under anonymity, told the Inquirer that the move aims to block the EU from questioning how the Philippines adopts and follows the rule of law, including respect for human rights.

Austrians do not know enough about Romania, and creating a country brand is "a challenge," Austrian Ambassador in Bucharest Gerhard Reiweger stated on Wednesday, at the Youth's Perspective on Romania's Public Diplomacy within the EU" event. [...] "The image of a country's economy is part of the global perception. If Austria is perceived only in cultural or tourism terms, it means that we have to work on our image from the economic involvement point of view. It is the same for Romania.

Inquiries from overseas prosecutors to their British counterparts about cyber crime have soared, underscoring the vital role the UK plays for investigators and criminals alike.High quality global journalism requires investment. The number of so-called Mutual Legal Assistance requests from foreign authorities to the UK relating to cyber crime jumped by 12 per cent in 2016, to 1,855, according to Home Office statistics gleaned through a Freedom of Information request.

A senior European Union official has urged Myanmar to allow full aid access to the north of Rakhine state, where thousands have fled their homes after a months-long army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. The area along the country's northwestern border has been under lockdown since October, when the military launched a campaign to hunt down Rohingya militants who staged deadly attacks on police posts.

On April the 3rd 2017, a historic trilateral meeting took place at the Bundeskanzleramt, the German Federal Chancellor’s workplace in Berlin. Chancellor Angela Merkel met with her Czech and Slovak counterparts – the Prime Ministers Bohuslav Sobotka and Robert Fico – to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the German-Czechoslovak Neighbourhood Treaty, which was signed on February the 27th in 1992.