Daily Bulletin | 18.04.2018, 17:30 UTC

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Daily Bulletin 18.04.2018 | 17:30 UTC Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls for early elections in June The vote was not due until November next year but President Erdogan has called snap presidential and parliamentary elections. They have been slated for June 24. Video of anti-Semitic attack in Berlin sparks outrage Religious and political leaders condemned the attack on two men wearing kippas in an affluent Berlin neighborhood. DW TV interviewed one of the victims, who says he wore the Jewish head covering as a kind of experiment. German police launch crackdown on human trafficking, organized crime Germany's Federal Police have started a nationwide crackdown on forced prostitution and a "network of organized crime," officials say. The raids mark the largest police action in the decadeslong history of the force. UK says attack on ex-Russian spy Skripal undercuts chemical weapons ban The UK's OPCW representative said Russia "attacked the reputation" of the OPCW chemical weapons watchdog. It comes after an OPCW report confirmed UK findings on the chemical used in the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy. German theater under probe for promising free tickets to those donning swastika A theater is under investigation for promising free entry to spectators who wear a swastika to a play named after Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf." The theater has defended the move as a social experiment. WWII bomb removal to force evacuation around Berlin's main station An 800-meter area will be evacuated on Friday morning to allow authorities to defuse a 500-kilogram World War II bomb. Police said there was no immediate danger from the unexploded device. Report: EU countries to be straitjacketed by China's New Silk Road European firms could miss out on China's $900 billion infrastructure initiative, warns a leaked report by EU diplomats. It said the New Silk Road trade corridor has the potential to disadvantage and even divide the bloc. New leader in Cuba: What's in store after the Castros? Analysts say little will change as Miguel Diaz-Canel is expected to take over the presidency in Cuba. The country's economy is in desperate need of reform and US-Cuba relations are on the rocks after a brief honeymoon. A history of Africa-Israel relations African-Israel relations have weathered ups and downs over the past decades. But recently, the Israeli government has shown renewed interest in the continent. President of German Cultural Council comments on his resignation from Echo board As a former member of the advisory board for the Echo prize, Christian Höppner accepted the nomination of the controversial rappers Kollegah and Farid Bang. Their popularity demonstrates a deep social rift in Germany. Amazon reef is huge — and under threat from Total oil drilling A reef at the mouth of the Amazon is almost six times larger than initial reports, scientists say — meaning the recently discovered site is threatened by proposed oil drilling. Nadia Pontes reports from Brazil. UEFA boss expresses VAR doubts ahead of World Cup 2018 UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has "some fear for the World Cup" when it comes to the implementation of VAR. The widely-criticized video referee system was only approved for use at Russia 2018 two weeks ago.   © Deutsche Welle 2018