The British navy’s newest and most expensive aircraft carrier needs repairs after a faulty shaft seal was identified during sea trials. Officials say the HMS Queen Elizabeth, which cost roughly 3 billion pounds (USD4 billion) to build, will be “scheduled for repair” at Portsmouth. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said yesterday the repairs wouldn’t be paid for by taxpayers because contractors who built the ship would be responsible. A Royal Navy statement says the problem won’t prevent the ship from sailing or interfere with the extensive sea trials program underway. Queen Elizabeth II earlier this month attended the commissioning ceremony of the carrier, which is named after the monarch.
Greece: Lawmakers to vote on 2018 ‘austerity budget’
Greek lawmakers are to vote on the country’s 2018 budget, which includes further austerity measures beyond the official end of Greece’s third international bailout next summer. The budget promises Greece’s international lenders continued belt-tightening measures and high primary budget surpluses — the budget balance before debt and interest payments are taken into account. Greeks will see new tax hikes and pension cuts over the next two years. Bailout lenders had demanded additional guarantees the Greek economy will be stabilized before considering measures to improve the debt repayment terms.
Germany: Survivors remember Berlin attack
Survivors and dignitaries are commemorating the anniversary of the attack on a Berlin Christmas market in which 12 people were killed and dozens injured. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leading figures joined relatives and victims for an interreligious service yesterday at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the heart of west Berlin. Berlin’s mayor Michael Mueller unveiled a memorial featuring the names of those killed by an Islamic extremist who drove a stolen truck into the crowded market on the Breitscheidplatz. The attacker was killed in a shootout with Italian police days after the Dec. 19, 2016, attack.
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