Donald Trump says Germany owes "vast sums of money" to NATO, just a day after meeting Angela Merkel at the White House.
The president said the US must be paid more for providing defence in a tweet he posted while at his weekend retreat in Florida.
He reiterated his stance that Germany needs to meet its end of the bargain if it is to continue benefiting from the military alliance.
Mr Trump wrote: "Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel."
He added: "Nevertheless, Germany owes ... vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!"
But a former US ambassador pointed out that NATO members don't pay the United States for security, but contribute by spending on their own militaries.
Ivo Daalder tweeted: "Sorry, Mr President, that's not how NATO works.
"This is not a financial transaction, where NATO countries pay the US to defend them. It is part of our treaty commitment."
Mrs Merkel and Mr Trump appeared to have an awkward meeting at the White House, with the US President seemingly refusing to shake the German Chancellor's hand in front of the media in the Oval Office.
They had, however, shaken hands when they met earlier.
The two leaders discussed NATO funding, trade agreements and the international situations in Ukraine and Syria.
During their joint news conference on Friday, Mr Trump, who has dubbed NATO "obsolete", demanded America's allies pay back the "vast sums of money from past years".
Mrs Merkel said Germany had committed to increasing its military spending to the previously agreed level of 2% of GDP for NATO's European members.
Besides the United States (at 3.36% of GDP), only Britain (2.17%), Poland (2.01%), Estonia (2.18%) and Greece (2.36%) currently reach the goal, according to NATO estimates for 2016.
Mr Trump set the tone for his relations with the German chancellor during his campaign last year, saying her decision to allow refugees into Germany was a "catastrophic mistake" and suggested she was "ruining Germany".
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Friday, March 17, 2017
Donald Trump on GCHQ wiretapping claims: I was quoting 'legal mind'
Donald Trump has deflected questions about allegations GCHQ spied on him, saying he was just repeating somebody else's claims.
In a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the US President was asked whether he regretted tweeting the claim that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Towers during the election.
In his reply, he made a reference to claims that Mrs Merkel had been the subject of surveillance by Mr Obama in 2010 and appeared to lay the blame for the original allegation on Fox News.
He said: "As far as wiretapping (gesturing to Mrs Merkel), this past administration, at least we have something in common perhaps.
"We said nothing - all we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television. I didn't make any opinion on it.
"That was a statement made by a very talented lawyer on Fox and so you shouldn't be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox, ok?"
:: 'Trump Tower plans' on agent's stolen laptop
Those comments appear to contradict a series of tweets by the US President earlier this month, in which he labelled former president Barack Obama a "bad (or sick) guy" and said a "good lawyer could make a great case" out of the claims.
Mr Trump was referring to US media commentator Judge Andrew Napolitano, who made the original accusation about GCHQ involvement on Wednesday.
That claim was then repeated by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who has repeatedly said the US President stands by the allegation and does not regret making it.
On Thursday, US Congress rejected the wiretap claim, with leaders of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence saying: "Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government either before or after Election Day 2016."
GCHQ had previously dismissed the wiretap as "utterly ridiculous".
A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday that the White House had assured Number 10 it will not repeat the GCHQ claims.
He said: "We've made clear to the administration that these claims are ridiculous and they should be ignored and we've received assurances that these allegations will not be repeated.
"We have a close relationship with the White House and that allows us to raise concerns as and when they arise as was true in this case."
The US Justice Department said it had delivered documents to congressional committees following their request for information on the wiretapping allegations.
Mrs Merkel and Mr Trump appeared to have an awkward meeting at the White House, with the US President seemingly refusing to shake the German Chancellor's hand in front of the media in the Oval Office.
They had, however, shaken hands when they met earlier.
The two leaders discussed NATO funding, trade agreements and the international situations in Ukraine and Syria.
But Mr Trump denied claims his policies were isolationist. He said: "I don't believe in isolationist policy, but I also believe that a trade policy should be fair.
"I am a free trader, but I'm also a fair trader."
In a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the US President was asked whether he regretted tweeting the claim that the Obama administration had wiretapped Trump Towers during the election.
In his reply, he made a reference to claims that Mrs Merkel had been the subject of surveillance by Mr Obama in 2010 and appeared to lay the blame for the original allegation on Fox News.
He said: "As far as wiretapping (gesturing to Mrs Merkel), this past administration, at least we have something in common perhaps.
"We said nothing - all we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television. I didn't make any opinion on it.
"That was a statement made by a very talented lawyer on Fox and so you shouldn't be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox, ok?"
:: 'Trump Tower plans' on agent's stolen laptop
Those comments appear to contradict a series of tweets by the US President earlier this month, in which he labelled former president Barack Obama a "bad (or sick) guy" and said a "good lawyer could make a great case" out of the claims.
Mr Trump was referring to US media commentator Judge Andrew Napolitano, who made the original accusation about GCHQ involvement on Wednesday.
That claim was then repeated by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who has repeatedly said the US President stands by the allegation and does not regret making it.
On Thursday, US Congress rejected the wiretap claim, with leaders of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence saying: "Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government either before or after Election Day 2016."
GCHQ had previously dismissed the wiretap as "utterly ridiculous".
A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday that the White House had assured Number 10 it will not repeat the GCHQ claims.
He said: "We've made clear to the administration that these claims are ridiculous and they should be ignored and we've received assurances that these allegations will not be repeated.
"We have a close relationship with the White House and that allows us to raise concerns as and when they arise as was true in this case."
The US Justice Department said it had delivered documents to congressional committees following their request for information on the wiretapping allegations.
Mrs Merkel and Mr Trump appeared to have an awkward meeting at the White House, with the US President seemingly refusing to shake the German Chancellor's hand in front of the media in the Oval Office.
They had, however, shaken hands when they met earlier.
The two leaders discussed NATO funding, trade agreements and the international situations in Ukraine and Syria.
But Mr Trump denied claims his policies were isolationist. He said: "I don't believe in isolationist policy, but I also believe that a trade policy should be fair.
"I am a free trader, but I'm also a fair trader."
Advertising giant WPP warns Google over hate videos
The world's largest advertising agency has loaded pressure on Google by telling it to apologise to customers and advertisers who saw inappropriate content on YouTube, Sky News has learned.
WPP, through its media-buying company GroupM, has also written to clients explaining the potential risks to their brands, and offered them the choice of what they wanted to do next.
MPs recently said Google was "still profiting from hatred" after it failed to remove videos from groups allegedly linked to terrorism .
Google was summoned to appear in front of Cabinet Office ministers on Friday.
Sky News understands that the company apologised to senior civil servants representing the Government and pledged a review of their advertising systems.
Google was asked to return for another meeting next week to set out the action they plan to take.
The government, along with commercial organisations including the Guardian and French advertising giant Havas, have already suspended advertising with Google.
GroupM buys advertising space for a range of international companies, on a variety of media. It is responsible for more than $100bn a year of spending, making it the biggest media buying agency in the world.
Sky News understand the company has recently offered "advisory notices" to clients, warning them of the dangers of certain "uncurated" platforms - such as Snapchat Lenses.
It has not, so far, advised companies to pull their advertising, but has told them they should reflect on their "attitude towards risk" and decide if they want to change their strategy.
GroupM expects responses from major companies in the next 48 hours and then will decide on what action to take.
It is the attitude it takes towards YouTube, which is owned by Google, that will make the greatest impact.
Rob Norman, GroupM's chief digital officer, told Sky News that Google's response "has so far not been sufficient" and he said it needed to make "a public announcement apologising to consumers for the presence of the content, and telling those consumer that they should never imply that an advertiser endorses that content.
"The company needs to publicly apologise to companies whose reputation has been compromised, and to take action," he said.
"Google is presently saying that it takes this issue seriously, but what we will want to see is action.
"If nothing happens then I think the attitude of the market will harden."
Yvette Cooper MP, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, has said that Google's failure to remove the hate videos by was "frankly astonishing"
On Tuesday, the Home Affairs Select Committee summoned bosses from Google, Facebook and Twitter, to question them about the action the web giants were taking to remove hate speech from their platforms.
At that appearance, the committee drew attention to videos by National Action, a proscribed organisation which the Government has said is linked with terrorism.
Nevertheless, videos from the group remain on YouTube. The committee said it had found one in which masked men shout "they fear us because they think we will gas them, and we will."
The committee also raised the issue of adverts automatically being put next to hate videos.
Reports on Thursday and Friday in the Times found that government and major brand advertising was still being hosted next to hate videos.
In Friday's letter, Ms Cooper also wrote: "Google is the second richest company on the planet. The lack of effort and social responsibility it is showing towards hate crime on YouTube is extremely troubling.
"It is inexplicable to us that Google can move very fast to remove material from YouTube when it is found to be copyrighted, but that the same prompt action is not taken when the material involves proscribed organisations and hateful and illegal content."
A Google spokesman said: "We have strict guidelines that define where Google ads should appear, and in the vast majority of cases, our policies work as intended, protecting users and advertisers from harmful or inappropriate content.
"We accept that we don't always get it right, and that sometimes, ads appear where they should not. We're committed to doing better, and will make changes to our policies and brand controls for advertisers."
WPP, through its media-buying company GroupM, has also written to clients explaining the potential risks to their brands, and offered them the choice of what they wanted to do next.
MPs recently said Google was "still profiting from hatred" after it failed to remove videos from groups allegedly linked to terrorism .
Google was summoned to appear in front of Cabinet Office ministers on Friday.
Sky News understands that the company apologised to senior civil servants representing the Government and pledged a review of their advertising systems.
Google was asked to return for another meeting next week to set out the action they plan to take.
The government, along with commercial organisations including the Guardian and French advertising giant Havas, have already suspended advertising with Google.
GroupM buys advertising space for a range of international companies, on a variety of media. It is responsible for more than $100bn a year of spending, making it the biggest media buying agency in the world.
Sky News understand the company has recently offered "advisory notices" to clients, warning them of the dangers of certain "uncurated" platforms - such as Snapchat Lenses.
It has not, so far, advised companies to pull their advertising, but has told them they should reflect on their "attitude towards risk" and decide if they want to change their strategy.
GroupM expects responses from major companies in the next 48 hours and then will decide on what action to take.
It is the attitude it takes towards YouTube, which is owned by Google, that will make the greatest impact.
Rob Norman, GroupM's chief digital officer, told Sky News that Google's response "has so far not been sufficient" and he said it needed to make "a public announcement apologising to consumers for the presence of the content, and telling those consumer that they should never imply that an advertiser endorses that content.
"The company needs to publicly apologise to companies whose reputation has been compromised, and to take action," he said.
"Google is presently saying that it takes this issue seriously, but what we will want to see is action.
"If nothing happens then I think the attitude of the market will harden."
Yvette Cooper MP, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, has said that Google's failure to remove the hate videos by was "frankly astonishing"
On Tuesday, the Home Affairs Select Committee summoned bosses from Google, Facebook and Twitter, to question them about the action the web giants were taking to remove hate speech from their platforms.
At that appearance, the committee drew attention to videos by National Action, a proscribed organisation which the Government has said is linked with terrorism.
Nevertheless, videos from the group remain on YouTube. The committee said it had found one in which masked men shout "they fear us because they think we will gas them, and we will."
The committee also raised the issue of adverts automatically being put next to hate videos.
Reports on Thursday and Friday in the Times found that government and major brand advertising was still being hosted next to hate videos.
In Friday's letter, Ms Cooper also wrote: "Google is the second richest company on the planet. The lack of effort and social responsibility it is showing towards hate crime on YouTube is extremely troubling.
"It is inexplicable to us that Google can move very fast to remove material from YouTube when it is found to be copyrighted, but that the same prompt action is not taken when the material involves proscribed organisations and hateful and illegal content."
A Google spokesman said: "We have strict guidelines that define where Google ads should appear, and in the vast majority of cases, our policies work as intended, protecting users and advertisers from harmful or inappropriate content.
"We accept that we don't always get it right, and that sometimes, ads appear where they should not. We're committed to doing better, and will make changes to our policies and brand controls for advertisers."
Plane's propeller falls off as it nears Sydney airport
A passenger plane came close to disaster after one of its propellers fell off as it approached Sydney's main airport.
The 16 passengers and three crew on the Regional Express flight ZL768 narrowly avoided a catastrophe when the propeller almost hit the wing and tail after it sheared off.
"They were a hair's breadth away from a disaster. I don't know how the hell it didn't damage the aircraft as it went past," said Paul Cousin, the president of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association.
The only sign that something was up with the twin-engine craft was when the pilots felt a vibration about 12 miles from Sydney Airport.
As they prepared to shut down the right-hand engine as a precaution, they saw the propeller disappear over the plane's wing from the cockpit window.
They made a PAN emergency call to air traffic control, which is one step down from a full-scale mayday alert, and ground crews prepared for a possible crash landing.
But the pilots of the Saab 340, which had set out from Albury, around 300 miles from Sydney, made a successful emergency landing by gliding the plane in on Friday.
The crew said the propeller assembly had "dislodged", according to Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson, who said three investigators were looking into the "very, very unusual" incident.
"We don't have any idea at this stage why the propeller should separate from the engine," he said.
It is reported the propeller detached at 6,000ft, with the flight deck describing it as "just shed[ding] off" on air traffic logs.
Photographs of the plane on the ground show the right propeller had fallen off entirely, while early inspections suggest that it broke away from the shaft in the engine.
Twin-engine planes can land safely on one propeller and, while no one was injured, the passengers were offered counselling after landing.
People living in southwestern parts of the city have been told to inform police if they find the missing part, which will form a key part of an investigation.
The 16 passengers and three crew on the Regional Express flight ZL768 narrowly avoided a catastrophe when the propeller almost hit the wing and tail after it sheared off.
"They were a hair's breadth away from a disaster. I don't know how the hell it didn't damage the aircraft as it went past," said Paul Cousin, the president of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association.
The only sign that something was up with the twin-engine craft was when the pilots felt a vibration about 12 miles from Sydney Airport.
As they prepared to shut down the right-hand engine as a precaution, they saw the propeller disappear over the plane's wing from the cockpit window.
They made a PAN emergency call to air traffic control, which is one step down from a full-scale mayday alert, and ground crews prepared for a possible crash landing.
But the pilots of the Saab 340, which had set out from Albury, around 300 miles from Sydney, made a successful emergency landing by gliding the plane in on Friday.
The crew said the propeller assembly had "dislodged", according to Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson, who said three investigators were looking into the "very, very unusual" incident.
"We don't have any idea at this stage why the propeller should separate from the engine," he said.
It is reported the propeller detached at 6,000ft, with the flight deck describing it as "just shed[ding] off" on air traffic logs.
Photographs of the plane on the ground show the right propeller had fallen off entirely, while early inspections suggest that it broke away from the shaft in the engine.
Twin-engine planes can land safely on one propeller and, while no one was injured, the passengers were offered counselling after landing.
People living in southwestern parts of the city have been told to inform police if they find the missing part, which will form a key part of an investigation.
Tories 'scared' of new independence vote, says SNP's Angus Robertson
SNP deputy leader Angus Robertson has accused the UK Government of being scared of a second Scottish independence referendum.
The party's leader at Westminster also claimed the Conservatives had a "desperate desire" to prevent anyone rejecting a "hard Brexit".
It comes after the Theresa May rejected nationalist calls for a second voteuntil a Brexit deal had been reached.
She used a speech to Tory activists to reach out to Scots by talking of "one United Kingdom, all pulling together to get the best outcome".
:: Can Scotland still hold a referendum?
But Mr Robertson told the SNP spring conference in Aberdeen that it is for the people of Scotland to decide the country's future.
He said: "It is clear from the PM's panicked response to the Scottish Government's decision to, rightly, give people in Scotland a choice over Scotland's future, that the Tories are simply scared of the people's choice.
"The Tories' argument is not about process, it is about their desperate desire to prevent anyone having the chance to reject the hard right Brexit that they are so wedded to.
"The truth is it should not be for either Theresa May or the Scottish Government to decide Scotland's future - that choice belongs to the parliament and the people of Scotland, and it is one this party will never shy away from."
Responding to the announcement by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that she planned to stage a fresh vote on independence between autumn 2018 and spring 2019, Mrs May argued "now is not the time".
In her spring conference speech in Cardiff, Mrs May stressed the need for unity as Britain heads for the EU exit door.
She said: "The coming negotiations with the EU will be vital for everyone in the United Kingdom.
"Every person, every family, every business, every community the length and breadth of the United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland."
:: Will Tory expenses row lead to a by-election?
It was "essential that we get the right deal" and that required working together, she insisted, adding: "That is what we have always done when faced with challenges.
"We have pulled together as one and succeeded together.
"We are four nations, but at heart we are one people.
"And I will always ensure the voices and interests of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are represented as we negotiate to leave the EU.
"And I will always fight to strengthen and sustain this precious, precious union."
The party's leader at Westminster also claimed the Conservatives had a "desperate desire" to prevent anyone rejecting a "hard Brexit".
It comes after the Theresa May rejected nationalist calls for a second voteuntil a Brexit deal had been reached.
She used a speech to Tory activists to reach out to Scots by talking of "one United Kingdom, all pulling together to get the best outcome".
:: Can Scotland still hold a referendum?
But Mr Robertson told the SNP spring conference in Aberdeen that it is for the people of Scotland to decide the country's future.
He said: "It is clear from the PM's panicked response to the Scottish Government's decision to, rightly, give people in Scotland a choice over Scotland's future, that the Tories are simply scared of the people's choice.
"The Tories' argument is not about process, it is about their desperate desire to prevent anyone having the chance to reject the hard right Brexit that they are so wedded to.
"The truth is it should not be for either Theresa May or the Scottish Government to decide Scotland's future - that choice belongs to the parliament and the people of Scotland, and it is one this party will never shy away from."
Responding to the announcement by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that she planned to stage a fresh vote on independence between autumn 2018 and spring 2019, Mrs May argued "now is not the time".
In her spring conference speech in Cardiff, Mrs May stressed the need for unity as Britain heads for the EU exit door.
She said: "The coming negotiations with the EU will be vital for everyone in the United Kingdom.
"Every person, every family, every business, every community the length and breadth of the United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland."
:: Will Tory expenses row lead to a by-election?
It was "essential that we get the right deal" and that required working together, she insisted, adding: "That is what we have always done when faced with challenges.
"We have pulled together as one and succeeded together.
"We are four nations, but at heart we are one people.
"And I will always ensure the voices and interests of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are represented as we negotiate to leave the EU.
"And I will always fight to strengthen and sustain this precious, precious union."
Syria claims to have shot down an Israeli jet
The Syrian army has said it shot down an Israeli jet, which it claimed had attacked a military target near Palmyra.
Israel said all its aircraft returned unscathed.
The Syrian army high command said the jet was struck by an anti-aircraft missile after it had flown back into Israeli-controlled territory.
It said it was one of four planes which "penetrated our air space at 2.40am (12.30 GMT) via Lebanese territory".
It added that an air defence unit hit another jet and "forced the rest to flee".
The Israeli military said its aircraft struck several targets in Syria and were back in Israeli-controlled airspace when several anti-aircraft missiles were launched from Syria toward the Israeli jets.
An Israeli military spokesman denied a jet had been shot down, adding: "At no point was the safety of Israeli civilians or the IAF (Israeli Air Force) aircraft compromised."
After a number of anti-aircraft missiles were fired from Syria, rocket sirens sounded in Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley.
One of the projectiles was intercepted north of Jerusalem by Israel's Arrow air defence system.
A civil defence source told Reuters news agency the remains of the missile landed in a village on the outskirts of Irbid, northern Jordan, about 12 miles from the Syrian and Israeli borders.
The Israeli military did not confirm what was targeted.
Damascus described the operation as "blatant aggression" and an attempt by Israel to support "terrorist gangs" of Islamic State.
In recent years, both Israeli and foreign media have reported a number of Israeli airstrikes inside Syria targeting arms convoys of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
In January 2015, Jerusalem was blamed for an airstrike which killed six Hezbollah fighters and Iranian general Mohammad Ali Allah-Dadi in a Syrian-controlled area of the Golan Heights.
Israel said all its aircraft returned unscathed.
The Syrian army high command said the jet was struck by an anti-aircraft missile after it had flown back into Israeli-controlled territory.
It said it was one of four planes which "penetrated our air space at 2.40am (12.30 GMT) via Lebanese territory".
It added that an air defence unit hit another jet and "forced the rest to flee".
The Israeli military said its aircraft struck several targets in Syria and were back in Israeli-controlled airspace when several anti-aircraft missiles were launched from Syria toward the Israeli jets.
An Israeli military spokesman denied a jet had been shot down, adding: "At no point was the safety of Israeli civilians or the IAF (Israeli Air Force) aircraft compromised."
After a number of anti-aircraft missiles were fired from Syria, rocket sirens sounded in Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley.
One of the projectiles was intercepted north of Jerusalem by Israel's Arrow air defence system.
A civil defence source told Reuters news agency the remains of the missile landed in a village on the outskirts of Irbid, northern Jordan, about 12 miles from the Syrian and Israeli borders.
The Israeli military did not confirm what was targeted.
Damascus described the operation as "blatant aggression" and an attempt by Israel to support "terrorist gangs" of Islamic State.
In recent years, both Israeli and foreign media have reported a number of Israeli airstrikes inside Syria targeting arms convoys of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
In January 2015, Jerusalem was blamed for an airstrike which killed six Hezbollah fighters and Iranian general Mohammad Ali Allah-Dadi in a Syrian-controlled area of the Golan Heights.
George Osborne named editor of London Evening Standard
Former chancellor George Osborne has been appointed editor of the London Evening Standard, it has been announced.
The shock move, which will see Mr Osborne stay on as an MP, is likely to raise eyebrows given the number of outside jobs he has taken since being sacked by Theresa May.
There are also likely to be questions over conflicts of interest when he begins the role in the middle of May.
The former frontbencher will succeed Sarah Sands, who is joining the BBC to become the editor of Radio 4's Today programme.
Mr Osborne will edit the paper an average of four days each week, and it is understood he applied for the position when it became available.
The role will satisfy a long-held ambition for Mr Osborne, who was rejected by The Times and The Economist when he tried to break into journalism after graduating from university.
A source at the Standard told the Press Association that staff were "shocked and stunned" by the announcement.
The shock move, which will see Mr Osborne stay on as an MP, is likely to raise eyebrows given the number of outside jobs he has taken since being sacked by Theresa May.
There are also likely to be questions over conflicts of interest when he begins the role in the middle of May.
The former frontbencher will succeed Sarah Sands, who is joining the BBC to become the editor of Radio 4's Today programme.
Mr Osborne will edit the paper an average of four days each week, and it is understood he applied for the position when it became available.
The role will satisfy a long-held ambition for Mr Osborne, who was rejected by The Times and The Economist when he tried to break into journalism after graduating from university.
A source at the Standard told the Press Association that staff were "shocked and stunned" by the announcement.
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