US President Donald Trump has congratulated President Erdogan on his victory in Sunday’s referendum that gave him sweeping new powers. In a phone call, Trump also thanked Erdogan for supporting America’s missile strike on a Syrian government airbase on 7 April. In the poll, 51.4% of Turkish voters backed the changes. Erdogan rejected criticism from international monitors who said he had been favored by an “unequal campaign”. “Know your place,” he told the observers.
Over in Baghdad, the Iraqi parliament has decided to restore the Kurdish share of the health department’s medication and equipment budget, according to the deputy head of the parliament’s health committee. The Iraqi prime minister has decided to return the 17 percent share of the medication budget to the Region with the possibility of raising the share. The decision comes days after KRG officials requested help in supporting over a million refugees and IDPs in the Region, which have been straining the health ministry’s existing budget.
Finally, brace yourselves as North Korea announced it will continue to test missiles, despite international condemnation and growing military tensions with the US. Vice-Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol told the BBC’s John Sudworth they will be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis. He said that an “all-out war” would result if the US took military action. Earlier, US Vice-President Mike Pence warned North Korea not to test the US. He said his country’s “era of strategic patience” with North Korea was over.
