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German youth ditch enviro interests for economic woes
Germany's position as an eco-pioneer could be under threat. A new government survey has found that the country's current generation of 14- to 25-year-olds are less worried about the environment than their elders were.
Young Germans are losing interest in environmental issues as they fear for their economic security, according to a government study released on Tuesday. Good living standards and opportunities for self-development are more important to young people than sustainable ecology, according to a report produced by the UBA, Germany's main environmental protection agency, in collobaration with the Environment Ministry. Only 21 percent of 14- to 25-year-olds consider an "intact environment" or the "chance to enjoy nature" important to living a good life, according to the study, which was based on a survey and focus group interviews. More important factors for a good life include belonging to a family or a community (71 percent), a high standard of living (48 percent) and having the chance to express oneself (39 percent). "Young people are interested in the environment and do consider an intact nature also important for a good life, but not to the same extent as older people," UBA President Maria Krautzberger said, suggesting that branded clothing and electronic products are of more interest to young people. Apathy mixed with worry Despite the newfound eco-apathy, young people's lifestyles are more likely to be environmentally friendly than older people's - whether by accident or design. "They move around the city and the country in an intelligent way," said Krautzberger. "They use the bike, bus and train, or go on foot; cars don't play nearly as big a role as for adults." "Of course the environment is very important, and I agree that we should try to preserve it, but the fact is that it isn't the highest priority for a lot of people," one 15-year-old told the researchers. "I think it's somehow natural that things like happiness and health for example are more important than some aspects of the environment." Though young people rank the environment as low on their list of priorities, it seems that they are aware that the environment is in a bad state - particularly in the rest of the world. Some 94 percent of young people said that the state of the environment worldwide was either "bad" or "very bad," while only 30 percent said this of the environment in Germany. Young people are also aware that the lifestyles of people in industrialized nations have an effect on the environment in the rest of the world: Some 84 percent said that high-consumption lifestyles such as those enjoyed in many European countries are at least partly responsible for environmental problems in poorer nations. This appears to have given many a pessimistic outlook. "It'll probably become more negative in the future," one 16-year-old told the study. "It's true that humanity is getting more conscious of the fact that it's getting worse, and is always looking for alternatives, for example to fossil fuels. But it'll always be a fifty-fifty situation, because something will make it worse, and something else will come along that will make it a bit better, but then it'll get worse again." "I'm aware that my prosperity is based on the exploitation of the environment or the exploitation of other people," a respondent said. Economic anxiety Anxiety about the future economy clearly weighs heavier on the minds of young Germans than ecology - and apparently there is also an increased awareness of market pressures. "The environment and nature do not play a significant role in young people's everyday lives," the study concluded. "Increased pressure to perform, educational pressure and uncertain career perspectives are more pressing challenges." But, balanced with worries about prosperity, there was also a concern about the environmental impact of continual economic growth. A majority (69 percent) agreed with the statement, "When I see that our economy continuing to grow year by year, I wonder: how long can that go well?" But at the same time, nearly half - 49 percent - also believed that economic growth would actually be necessary to combating climate change. In other words, the study found that young German are stuck between twin anxieties. "Young people are caught in a dilemma between skepticism toward economic growth and concerns about prosperity," the study concluded. "They display an average level of skepticism toward growth combined with greater-than-average concerns about prosperity. In addition, among young people there is a widespread conviction that ecological and social challenges can only be overcome with growth and prosperity." | [
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Germany's new anti-terror units: A paramilitary excess?
The German police are upgrading. A new special unit, BFE+, is being trained to counter terror attacks. However, the upgrade mainly serves as a psychological reassurance for the public, says criminologist Rafael Behr.
DW: Prof. Behr, why does Germany's federal police need the special BFE+ unit (Beweissicherungs- und Festnahmeeinheit plus, which means "evidence collection and arrest unit plus")? Rafael Behr: Well, there are very different ideas among specialists and professionals in the police regarding the need for it. I see two aspects: one of them is symbolic. The symbolic nature of such a unit shows that we are strong; we can respond to attacks on a new scale. And we can react to situations at several crime scenes simultaneously. We can respond by using pervasive weapons and better equipment. That is the symbolic effect. There is also the functional effect; for example, to make it clear that we are prepared for anything. We no longer need to discuss the deployment of the armed forces inside the country [currently banned by the German constitution, the ed.] because we have enough equipment and manpower to handle these attacks that vacillate between crime and war. In addition to the five new special units, which together comprise 250 men, the GSG-9 and riot police have been operating for many years now. Who is responsible for what, in the event of an emergency? This is quite clearly defined, at least bureaucratically. The taking of hostages, terrorist camps and acts of serious crime, fall under the jurisdiction of the Special Operations Command Units (SEK, or SWAT teams) and mobile task forces of the individual states. They are trained and equipped for these tasks. The GSG-9 is responsible for particularly serious attacks, like the one at the Munich Olympics in 1972 or the 1977 plane hijacking in Mogadishu, which was actually the unit's first mission. The riot police (anti-riot police/rapid reaction forces) actually play no role in this context, but we have units for all eventualities, and that is the crucial difference. GSG-9 and SEKs are dynamic intervention units, not investigative units. What is intended now with the BFE+ is to have a unit to launch large-scale manhunts, say, after an attack, when terrorists retreat into hiding, as was the case in Paris. This has drawn attention to a gap because the normal federal police supposedly cannot do this – although I have my doubts about that. We live in times of terror; terrorists operate with weapons of war, which the police do not possess, and the armed forces, which have these weapons, are not allowed to intervene domestically. So is this a militarization of the police and is it a logical and sensible development? I've noticed for some time that the ideal of a civil police force, which originated in the 1990s, is disappearing more and more, and that the police are diversifying. Of course, we are all familiar with the beat officers on neighborhood patrol, but other work is also done. We are heading towards the other end of the policing spectrum, meaning to the point that it borders on war-like or military action. I would also not object if the Germany army contributed material in the case of terrorist attacks. Why should it not make available special protected vehicles or tanks to transport police forces? This should not be a big problem. Fortunately, emergency situations requiring special forces rarely occur. Would it not be more efficient if the state police and the federal police had more staff and better equipment? Demanding more staff and actually having more staff are two different matters, and although additional staff has been promised, it is still not immediately available. If we now hire 500 more employees in North Rhine-Westphalia or 3,000 more for the federal police, they are merely filling the gap that occurs when older officers retire. Thus, more police does not necessarily mean more security. Professor Rafael Behr is a criminologist and sociology professor at the Hamburg police academy. DW's Volker Wagener conducted this interview. | [
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Williams beats Radwanska to advance to final round of Australian Open
Serena Williams will go on to face German Angelique Kerber in her seventh Australian Open final. A victory would bring Williams her 22nd Grand Slam singles title.
Williams defeated Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0 6-4 on Thursday, putting her one step closer to matching Steffi Graf's record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles. "I'm really excited to be in the final - it just kind of blows my mind right now," Williams said, according to the Associated Press. The American proved her prowess almost immediately, breaking Radwanska's serve in the opening and easily defeating her opponent in the first set. After putting up a fight in the second set, Radwanska eventually fell to Williams in the ninth game. Favorite to win Williams' opponent in the final round, seventh-seeded Kerber, defeated her opponent, the Brit Johanna Konta, 7-5 6-2. The two players will go on to face each other on Saturday. Williams, the critics' favorite, has gone on to win the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup every time she's made it to the final round. A win for Williams would put her alongside Graf and just behind Australian tennis legend Margaret Court, who holds the world record with 24 Grand Slam titles. blc/jil (AP, Reuters) | [
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Syria: 'Russia not interested in a political solution'
UN envoy de Mistrua has announced Syrian peace talk slated to begin this week would be postponed. In an interview with DW, Bassma Kodmani from the Syrian negotiating team blames Russian aggression for talks' collapse.
DW: The UN envoy Staffan de Mistrua has said that the peace talks have been suspended, but haven't failed. Would you agree with that assessment? Bassma Kodmani: I would completely agree. We, the High Negotiations Committee, came to Geneva to see if there was a plan to implement humanitarian solutions and settle them before we could start negotiating. The recess in the talks now is simply to say: these obligations have not been met at all, and on top of that, the entire process is being jeopardized by this week's very aggressive air campaign and military operations by the regime, its foreign militias and Russian air support. These operations are unprecedented in their intensity and must have been under preparation for several weeks. So we are wondering: how come there were all these diplomatic exchanges and commitments? So, even while [US Secretary of State] Kerry was talking with [Russian Foreign Minister] Lavrov the last few weeks, were the Russians preparing all along to discredit the US in this very visible and obvious manner by launching this operation just as the talks were supposed to start? That is really a very big question. To us, it seems that this is about settling the whole conflict militarily; they are not interested in a political solution it seems – that really is the message we have received from Russia. So, just to be clear: You're saying Russia has no interest in peace talks? In the last two months, Moscow was saying that they were looking for a ceasefire and a political process. We don't agree with Russia on the nature of the political process, but we were clear that there must be a political process coupled with a ceasefire, then we would come to the negotiating table. So, it would have been possible to start negotiating, but instead, we saw the air raids. So now, we see that the words we heard from Russia are in total contradiction to its behavior on the ground! The Russian airstrikes, in particular, are pushing back the opposition, which has been losing ground in recent months. Can you still win militarily? The balance of forces on the ground is obviously very unequal. We have three major forces fighting the Free Syrian Army: The Syrian army, Hezbollah and the militias from outside and from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, you see some ten countries are contributing mercenaries to these militias, as well as Iranian and Russian forces. We are fighting three major forces with just the Free Syrian Army and the limited weapons we have. The misbalance is obvious to everyone! If you try to eliminate the Free Syrian Army, then you eliminate the political process, because you are eliminating the only moderate force committed to a diplomatic process. So the political impact is huge – as is the humanitarian impact: we're seeing huge numbers of people fleeing as the air raids continue. There is another force on the ground: The Kurdish forces… We have Kurdish forces fighting alongside the Free Syrian Army, but the main group – the PYD – does have military capabilities, but the problem is that sometimes they fight alongside the regime. So we cannot count on them as part of the opposition. They are opening fronts and helping out on the regime's side when it suits them and then, when it suits them again, they come and talk to the Free Syrian Army. Their agenda doesn't seem reconcilable with the Free Syrian Army. Is the HNC going to stick to its demand that, as a precondition to any talks, the regime has to grant humanitarian access to besieged towns and the end of airstrikes? The humanitarian obligations under international human rights law are very clear: the sieges and starvation of populations are war crimes, killings and torture in prisons are war crimes, the indiscriminate bombings of civilians are war crimes! We want all war crimes to stop – that is our precondition. A ceasefire is a different story – dual track ceasefire and political negotiations on the transitional governing body are acceptable to us. That's what we came to Geneva for. As soon as the war crimes end, we can start the actual negotiations on the ceasefire and the transitional governing body, that's clear. What are the next steps? We will wait for what the international partners discuss. We believe that the members of the UN Security Council are entitled to an explanation from Russia about why it torpedoed the process here. DW spoke to Bassma Kodmani, a member of the main opposition umbrella group, the Saudi-backed Syrian High Negotiations Committee, on the line from Geneva. The HNC has demanded that, as a precondition to talks, the regime allow humanitarian access to besieged towns, stop bombing civilians and release thousands of prisoners - some of them children - held in regime jails. This interview was conducted by Naomi Conrad. | [
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Tanzania to drop live TV coverage of parliament
Tanzania plans to axe live parliamentary TV broadcasts, angering opposition legislators. Media practitioners and rights activists are still smarting over the closure by the government of a Swahili-language weekly.
A move by the government of Tanzania to stop state-owned broadcaster Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) from airing live streaming of parliamentary proceedings has triggered strong criticism. Human rights campaigners accuse the government of censorship. The decision to halt the broadcasts came a few days after members of the opposition faulted the government in parliament over its handling of the issue. "We know the government wants to hide something, but if the problem is indeed the cost, we are willing to foot the bill because our aim is to ensure Tanzanians enjoy their right to see what is going on in the parliament" said Salum Mwalimu, secretary general of the main Chadema opposition party. The right to information is guaranteed under the Tanzanian constitution, but there is no specific article enshrining freedom of the media. But analysts say media freedom is crucial to democracy, human rights and development since news media provide a basic information link between the government and the people. "If you deny people the right to get direct information from a reliable source, you will force them to find it from unreliable sources likely to mislead them," said Simon Berege, president of the Media Institute of Southern Africa. Minister for Information Nape Nnauye said TBC was halting live streaming of parliament to minimise huge costs which it can no longer afford. "TBC has been spending about 4.2 billion Tanzanian shillings ($ 2.1 million, 1.9 million euros) each year to foot costs associated with live coverage of the assembly. We have thus decided to stop the coverage," he said. Opposition legislators, lawyers and human rights activists expressed disgust at the move, accusing the government of curtailing press freedom and people's right to be informed. "This is a serious violation of the people's rights to information," Zitto Kabwe an opposition legislator from ACT Wazalendo party said. Nnauye has repeatedly used his sweeping powers to warn, punish or completely shut down media organisations critical of the political establishment. Newspaper banned permanently In January 2016, the weekly Swahili-language Mawio newspaper was permanently banned for allegedly publishing 'inflammatory' news and feature articles about the ongoing political impasse in Zanzibar, where the results of a disputed election were annulled after claims of "violation of electoral law" by the Electoral Commission. The opposition has dismissed these claims. Western diplomats in Tanzania have expressed concern that the Commission had annulled the vote "without having produced evidence to substantiate its claim that irregularities had taken place." The shutdown of Mawio applied to print and online editions. "We had resorted all our efforts, time and professional capacities to bring you news and informative features that dared to call a spade a spade; we are shattered," Simon Mkina, one of Mawio's editors told DW. Tanzanian authorities have traditionally relied on a web of anti-press laws, including the Newspaper Act of 1976, under which the government can ban publications it considers seditious or keep the press in check. "In fact this law retains most of the oppressive aspects of colonial laws which were meant to subjugate the colonized people,” said Badala Balule, a media expert who has researched media legislation in Tanzania. "The catch-all legislation enables officials to impose censorship almost at will upon relaying of information which the government deems secret. Prohibiting newspapers without registration is at the whim of a government-appointed official who may refuse registration if he is of the opinion that the publication may threaten national security" Balule told DW. Balule also gives another example where the absence of a constitutional guarantee for media freedoms is a serious shortcoming. "Classified information, [a category] which can be applied to any government document, also has its set of penalties, ranging from those imposed on civil servants for giving classified material to those imposed on the media for publishing it," he said. A study published in 2013 by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said conditions for journalists in Tanzania were worsening, with reporters being harassed or attacked and censoring their own work out of fear of reprisals. Tanzania is a member of the international initiative Open Government Partnership, which according to its website "aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance." Some Tanzanians view their country's participation in this scheme as a promising sign. "I think that as a member of Open Government Partnership, Tanzania ought to conduct its business openly, there's no reason to hide anything," said Edith Nyallu, a resident of Dar es Salaam. However, Tanzania has recently passed harsher laws to censor electronic communications and the publication of unofficial statistics. The Statistics Law gives the National Bureau of Statistics sweeping powers to imprison or impose fines of 10 million Tanzanian shillings on journalists who publish data from unofficial sources. | [
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Euromaxx Highlights
Donald Trump’s roots in Kallstadt The grandparents of US presidential hopeful Donald Trump lived in Kallstadt, Germany. Director Simone Wendel has shot an amusing documentary film about the town and its famous son. The Syrian YouTube star Firas Alshater Millions of people have viewed Firas Alshater's humorous video in social networks, where the Syrian refugee tells us what he thinks about the Germans. He's already planning more clips. The Angel of Venice’s Carnival At Carnival in Venice, 19-year-old Irene Rizzi floats down as an angel from the Campanile of St. Marks Cathedral to the Piazza San Marco. The Volo dell'Angelo is an absolute highlight of the Carnival. Kristof and Stefan Boxy The Boxy twins are among Belgium’s most famous star chefs. They have a catering business, write cookery books, and appear on their own TV show. They use their similar appearance as a marketing strategy. Holidays in a haunted castle Reporter Meike Krüger set out to test her nerves. She spent a night in Chillingham Castle in northern England, said to be haunted by several ghosts. The castle offers tours for horror tourists. | [
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Bolivia's Morales fighting for political survival
Evo Morales has governed Bolivia for over a decade and his term is set to expire in 2020. A referendum is being held to allow Morales to run for another term. DW's Jan D. Walter reports on the president's standing.
Bolivia's Evo Morales has long been considered one of Latin America's most beloved presidents. In 2014, the most recent general election, his "Movement toward Socialism"received more than 60 percent of the vote for the second time. A referendum to be held on Sunday (21.02.2016) will have the people deciding if Morales can run for another term. A year ago, that wish would have been fulfilled; over the last few months however, Morales has lost steam. Regional and communal votes have seen MAS candidates losing important offices. Morales must also be wary of losing more supporters should an economic downturn forecast through 2017 balloon into a crisis. His proponents have become fewer as people begin to believe that Evo Morales' politics are neither intended for all Bolivians nor for all Indigenous peoples. The voice of those without rights The head of a coca farmer's union became the "first indigenous president in Latin America" back in 2005 with that promise. At least that's how Morales fancied himself. Even before him, Bolivia and other Latin American states had previously had heads of state with indigenous roots. And Morales didn't exactly fit the cultural picture he'd created of himself. Neither did he grow up in an indigenous community nor did he speak the language of the tribe. Yet the message he wanted to sell came across clearly: Evo is a man from the middle of the native underclass. His success came as something well-deserved, according to German aid worker Anne Weiss. "He gave these people a voice." Anne Weiss is a pseudonym for a woman who has spent more than 30 years looking after social projects in Bolivia; she doesn't want to give her real name for fear that her organization's work may suffer. Corruption and oppression That alone should say plenty about how Morales and his political party are attempting to consolidate their power. Reports that critics and opponents are being threatened are multiplying. Those who support the regime can hope to be rewarded, say observers. The latest corruption allegations hit the president himself - and that just one week before the referendum. Morales is said to have handed out a contract worth an estimated 500 million euros to the Chinese company CAMCE; his ex-wife sits on the board of the company. Such accusations could be intentionally spread. But Morales has prepared for this. "The majority of the media in Bolivia is government-controlled. The very few independent media outlets there have chosen to self-censor in order to avoid problems," according to the country report for Bolivia put out by Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Indiscriminate financing of the social state As frequently as the media repeats the stereotype of the earth-loving indigenous, so too is the frequency with which it has become clearer to Bolivians that something is not right. The number of cases in which the government stamps out the rights of the indigenous community has increased. Above all, these communities are affected by the exploitation of natural resources like natural gas and ore. State-run companies make no detours around the lands claimed by indigenous communities in order to get at those raw materials. The income gained is too important as it fills the koffers from which the MAS finances its social projects. Economic turbulence up ahead How much longer this will continue to go well dependes on sinking prices of raw goods. Instead of using the boom times of recent years to create sustainable structures, or at least to construct reserves for harder times, Morales increased consumption and along with that inflated growth. It's already apparent in Venezuela and Brazil where that will lead. Economists have predicted a downturn soon for Bolivia's flourishing economy. Private businesses will have a tough time as the state's minimum wage doesn't allow for much wiggle room to compensate for a decrease in demand. "Small businesses are already closing because they cannot compensate for the last increases to the minimum wage," said Weiss, the aid worker. Good intentions don't match the reality Weiss can name many examples which were driven by good will, but which don't match the realities of the situation on the ground. Such as: all teachers should learn Quechua or Aymara, the indigenous languages. But what do the Guarani achieve with this? In Bolivia, there are more than 30 indigenous languages. A school that Anne Weiss' organization works with may need to close soon if they cannot decrease class sizes from the 50 or 60 students currently in each class down to the maximum of 30. "Of course that'd be ideal, but we have neither the physical capacity nor the personnel to accomplish that." For the pupils, the school's closing would mean that they would no longer be able to attend school. "Out on the street there are drug gangs that offer the kids attractive prospects." Morales' penultimate chance Whether Evo Morales has a chance to win a re-election in 2019 is more than unclear. In 2013, the Venezuelan regime was able to gain a majority of the vote, despite disastrous economic policies. Between now and 2019, a lot can happen. For now, it's a question of whether or not Morales can even run as a candidate. The country analyst at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation says the timing is right: the economy is still strong enough. And government employees have just received the so-called double Christmas bonus that is an obligatory part of the minimum wage. The government has even garnered the sympathies of its opponents by being able to bring their Chilean neighbors back to the negotiating table with the help of the courts in The Hague. For over 100 years, landlocked Bolivia has been fighting with Chile to gain access to the Pacific. Whether or not a return to the table ends up sufficing for Morales remains to be seen on Sunday. | [
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Polish Nobel Laureate Lech Walesa admits to 'mistake' after spy accusations
Former Polish President Lech Walesa has denied cooperating with Communist intelligence agencies during the Soviet era. He did, however, admit to making a "mistake."
In an entry on his blog on Friday, Lech Walesa denied all accusations of working with security agencies while Poland was a Soviet satellite state. "I did not cooperate with the security agency. I did not take any money," Walesa wrote, adding that he had made a "mistake." He added that he would not reveal details of the "mistake." "There is a person - a perpetrator, who is still alive who should reveal the truth and I'm counting on it. I had a soft heart," the Nobel Laureate said in his microblog. Walesa's comments came a day after Lukasz Kaminski, director of Poland's National Remembrance Institute (IPN), reported about a secret service document signed by Walesa. The IPN is responsible for prosecuting Communist-era crimes. The paper included a commitment to provide information from 1970-1976 and had been signed by Walesa under the codename "Bolek." However, IPN's Kaminski said on Thursday that every historical document had to be verified and an authentic intelligence agency document did not necessarily mean that its content was true. Walesa, currently on a trip to Venezuela, admitted he had signed a commitment to be an informant during the 1970s, but said he never acted on it. A special court cleared him of charges of collaboration 16 years ago. The 72-year-old leader is best known for launching the workers' party Solidarity in 1980, against the wishes of the Communist regime. He served as Poland's first post-Communist president from 1990 to 1995. The leader is still politically active and launched a scathing attack against the government last year, calling for early elections. mg/sms (dpa, AP, AFP) | [
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China protests Myanmar bombing on its territory, sends jets to border
Beijing has sent fighter jets to its border and summoned Myanmar's ambassador after a Yangon airstrike within China killed four citizens. The bombing was part of Myanmar's offensive against rebels in its north.
Fighter jets monitored China's border to Myanmar on Saturday after a bomb from a Myanmar aircraft hit a sugarcane field in the Chinese border city of Lincang and killed four people. Nine others were injured, news agency Xinhua reported. The strike, which came as Yangon's forces were battling rebels in the north at the Chinese border, followed a similar incident some days back when a stray shell from Myanmar exploded in Chinese territory. The jets were sent to "track, monitor, warn and chase away" Myanmar military aircraft flying near the shared border, news agency DPA quoted the Chinese Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke as saying. Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin also summoned Yangon's ambassador Thit Linn Ohn to protest the incident. China "strongly condemns" the incident and calls on Myanmar to carry out a thorough investigation, report the findings to China, punish the guilty and take steps to ensure similar events do not occur, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Myanmar denies accusations Myanmar officials, on the other hand, said their offensive took place after they informed Chinese officials of their plan and that their attacks were carried out "strictly adhering to the information we told them." "The targets of all our aerial attacks were inside our territory," Yangon official Zaw Htay told Reuters, accusing rebels of "purposely creating the attacks with the intent of causing misunderstanding between China and us." Myanmar's offensive against rebels in its Kokang region, at China's southwest, has sent thousands of people fleeing across the border into China. Myanmar's forces have blamed the latest fighting on a renegade rebel faction led by Phone Kya Shin, who attempted to seize Laukkai, the capital of the self-administered Kokang region. US officials have also accused Phone, also known as Peng Jiashing, of playing a major role in trafficking opium and methamphetamines. The guerrilla faction used to be part of the Burmese Communist Party, backed by China until it signed a ceasefire with Yangon in 1989. Myanmar officials however still accuse former Chinese soldiers of training the rebels, a charge Beijing denies. mg/ng (dpa, AP, Reuters) | [
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Spain mourns victims of Germanwings crash
Three days of mourning are under way in Spain following Tuesday's Germanwings plane crash as relatives of 35 Spanish victims prepare to visit the crash site in the French Alps. Nik Martin reports from Barcelona.
Spain held a minute's silence at noon on Wednesday for the victims of the Germanwings plane crash. The occasion was marked at Barcelona's El Prat airport where dozens of staff, passengers and reporters paid their respects to the 150 people on board the ill-fated airliner. A similar commemoration was held at the regional headquarters of the Spanish Professional Football League (LFP) and at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu, where two of the plane's victims - opera singers Oleg Bryjak and Maria Radner - had recently performed Richard Wagner's Siegfried. In the capital Madrid, both houses of Parliament and several government offices stopped for a minute of reflection. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy flew to France with Catalan president Artur Mas on Wednesday and was due to visit the crash site later in the day. Three days of national mourning were declared and across the country, flags were lowered to half-mast at many public buildings. Shocked and traumatized In hotels close to Barcelona airport, the Red Cross is helping to provide psychological support to relatives of those killed in Tuesday's crash. Family members have been giving DNA samples to help identify the victims' remains. "We have teams working three shifts - about 175 people - a lot of people are visiting hotels and homes in the Barcelona area giving psychological support," Oscar Velasco from Cruz Roja Espanola told DW. The Red Cross is assisting as many as 60 families, including nationals from Germany, Turkey and Morocco as well as Spain. They have doctors, counselors and translators to help those bereaved. "It is huge task helping families come to terms with this personal shock and it's important to maintain their privacy so they can begin the process of accepting the situation," added Velasco. Spain is liaising with French officials to organize a relatives' trip to the crash site, and the Red Cross thinks that will happen in the next day or two. Local media report that several families have already driven themselves to the French Alps, attempting to get as close as possible to the scene of the accident. 'Was it someone we know?' As the country began three days of mourning, several Barcelona residents described their disbelief at hearing of the tragedy. "I immediately thought of my friends in Germany, and my sister called me in tears, knowing that I was due to fly any day, to check I was safe," Andres Aguinaga told DW. Another resident Manuel Leon said his family was stunned: "We have friends who work in Germany and they regularly fly back and forth. We immediately thought 'Were they on the plane?'" he said. Counselors have also been brought in to help students at a high school in Llinars del Valles. Many of them have been left traumatized by the deaths of 16 German schoolchildren who had been visiting the tiny Catalan town as part of an exchange program. On Tuesday evening, hundreds of them attended a memorial Mass for the victims at a church in the town, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Barcelona. With many Germans owning second homes in Spain and thousands of Spanish working in Germany due to the country's financial crisis, some Barcelona residents said the relationship between the two countries made the crash an even more significant tragedy. | [
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Haltern after the Germanwings crash: 'All laughter has perished'
Hundreds of journalists and thousands of questions fill the town, but the people facing the deluge want just one simple question to be answered: Why? DW's Jan Walter reports from Haltern.
Sixteen children and two young women from the western-German town of Haltern died in the plane crash in the southern French Alps. That's the only real certainty that relatives, colleagues and friends truly have right now. One day after the accident, the street approaching the Joseph-König-Gymnasium high school is littered with film crew trucks belonging to broadcasters from Germany, Europe and the world. The school grounds, the starting point for a student exchange trip to Spain, are closed off to the public. On one side of the red-and-white cordoning tape stand camera crews, photographers and journalists grasping microphones. On the other side stand the mourners: children, youths and adults. They hold each other's hands, or hug, some of them stand alone, bending down to lay a wreath, or to light one of the countless candles which adorn the steps to the school entrance. Across the cordon People come and go, often with bowed heads, and bloodshot eyes. "I didn't sleep at all last night," one woman stutters into the microphone of an Italian journalist. One student, who looks like a senior, decides to face a whole handful of camera crews, answering their questions. Yes, he did know some of the victims. He chooses a language, one might presume, that he knows from watching news reporting at home: "We are most deeply shocked." His body language seems to suggest that he's not quite sure himself whether it's right to talk to the press, or whether it's not respectful enough. Head teacher Ulrich Wessel, meanwhile, considers himself obliged to face the media. "I am the school's principal, I sent that group on their trip," he tells the press corps. "Therefore I will face your questions, and any the parents might have." At the press conference at Haltern's town hall, Wessel has support at his side from the state's education minister, Sylvia Löhrmann, Haltern's mayor, Bodo Klimpel, and Cay Süberkrüb of the local council. Minister Löhrmann is a teacher herself, she might well have an idea of the gaping wound such a tragedy can inflict on a school community. However, she does not presume to know this, instead sticking to modest truisms when explaining her role in proceedings: "We cannot take anybody's grief, we can only share it." 'People from all over the world' Journalists pose perhaps the most personal questions to school principal Wessel. How did you learn the terrible news? How painful was it to tell parents about the accident? Do you feel at all responsible for this inconceivable tragedy? Wessel puts a brave face on things, sometimes pausing briefly to swallow down the lump which keeps forming in his throat. Still, when giving voice to some of his thoughts, his eyes often well up: "At our school, all laughter has perished," he says, adding that he doesn't know when it might return. For now, people will just have to survive this day, and then the next, he says. Condolences can certainly help in this regard, Wessel says, explaining that the town hall and his school have been inundated with well-wishes. "People who have never had any contact with our school - people from all over the world - are expressing their sympathy," Wessel says, adding that he sees the matter similarly even among the sea of journalists who have flooded the lakeside town. "I do not consider this interest to be cheap or sensationalist at all. I know that it's the feelings of your readers and your viewers drawing you all here." | [
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South Korea latest US ally to join AIIB
Washington looks increasingly isolated as another important ally joins the China-backed Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Australia and Taiwan could be next, as a deadline for founding members approaches.
Shares in South Korean iron and steel companies shot up after Seoul announced Thursday it would seek to join the controversial Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Histeel and Hanil Iron and Steel are likely to benefit from contracts when the China-backed bank begins pumping billions into infrastructure projects in the region later this year. A South Korean finance ministry official said companies in the communications, energy and transport companies would also gain contracts. South Korea is the latest in a growing list of countries who are accepting Beijing's invitation to become founding members of the AIIB before a March 31 deadline. But it is also one of the United States' closest allies in Asia, and Washington opposes the AIIB because it believes it will undercut the World Bank, where it dominates policy. Japan, which together with the US controls another Asian development lender, the Asian Development Bank, is still holding out. Strained relations Also in the region, Taiwan's president Ma Ying-jeou said on Friday his country should investigate opportunities in joining the bank, in spite of its strained relations with Beijing. Britain, another key ally of Washington, became the first EU country agreeing to join the AIIB two weeks ago. Since then, other European governments have been lining up to get in on the action. France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland have agreed. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has also hinted his country will join the more than 30 nations so-far agreeing to take part in the AIIB, which includes India and all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). kc/uhe (dpa, AP) | [
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Nigeria analyst predicts security revamp after Buhari victory
As the vote count progressed in Nigeria on Tuesday, victory by former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari looked increasingly certain. To find out about the implications of this, DW spoke to analyst Manji Cheto.
DW: How do you think Nigeria is likely to change under Muhammadu Buhari? Manji Cheto: Nobody has a definitive answer as to what his government could be like but there are clearly important clues that we could take from his previous two and a half year stint as military leader. I think the most symbolic thing about his victory is that he has a reputation as one of the most incorruptible leaders in Nigeria. In a country where that reputation is not believed to exist for people occupying a senior position, that is quite significant. Now it is left to be seen whether or not that is going to have a positive impact on his government and the people who take on the positions in his government. Again, if you look at what is happening with Nigeria's key economic indices – Nigerian stock, Nigerian bond yields – a lot of those things have decelerated quite rapidly and I think that is a reflection of waning investor confidence in the country. With Nigeria now demonstrating to the world that it is capable of changing a government and [bringing in] a guy who has a positive reputation, that is quite significant. That investor boost could actually see more money being pumped into the Nigerian economy. Do you see any immediate change forthcoming in the way Nigeria is handling the Boko Haram insurgency? I don't think so. I think one of the things we can definitely expect before we talk about a change of strategy is a change in security personnel. Buhari having been a military leader, he understands Nigeria's military, its weaknesses and strengths, and he is certainly going to want to have people who he can trust and who he can work with. So I think the most immediate change we are going to see is a change in the security apparatus. Buhari is a former military ruler, as you said, but he says he is now a ‘converted democrat.' How much doubt is there in Nigeria about his commitment to democratic governance? You're going to get a fifty-fifty doubt. There are people who are going to be incredibly cynical. That is one of the key challenges that he has, reconciling with the people who feel aggrieved by Jonathan's exit from office. So, yes, I think at the moment there is a fair bit of cynicism on that front. Nigeria is divided into a mainly Muslim north and a mainly Christian south. As a Muslim from the north, will Buhari be able to unite the country behind him? The Muslim north and Christian south dichotomy is far more complex than that. If you look at the south, particularly the southwest, there is a considerable number of Muslims there. And Buhari has allied himself with the southwest where people are Muslims who identify with the Islamic faith, but they don't actively practice Islam. So I think it is far more complex and I think a lot of Nigerians will start to look beyond that to see if he can demonstrate himself to be a true Nigerian president, as opposed to a northern president. I think the fact that he is aligned with the southwest is a key positive development in that respect. What about Nigeria's relations with its neighbors? Do you see this changing under a President Buhari? I don't think that is going to be a priority for the new government. I think the priority will certainly be dealing with the internal challenges and some of the military weaknesses. Once that is addressed I think the relationship with neighbors, which has been a bit tense in recent times over security, will start to improve. The elections are not over. There are gubernatorial and state assembly polls on April 11. How do you see them playing out in the wake of Buhari's victory? The presidential election has been tightly contested so I expect the same to happen. There are obviously going to be a number of key flashpoints. Key battlegrounds will include places like the economically powerful Lagos and Rivers State which is the largest oil producing state. The outcome of those elections is quite significant for whether we can look at the broader electoral process and judge it to be free and fair and quite credible. Manji Cheto is the vice president of Teneo Intelligence, a risk analysis organization in London Interview: Asumpta Lattus | [
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Russia calls UN Security Council meeting on Yemen strike pause
The UN Security Council will meet on Saturday at Russia's instigation to discuss the situation in Yemen. Moscow is proposing a pause in Saudi-led airstrikes in the country.
The meeting was called amid growing concern over the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which is experiencing a rising civilian death toll from fierce fighting. A Saudi Arabia-led campaign, which began on March 26, has pounded key locations across Yemen with airstrikes in an attempt to halt an advance of Shiite Houthi fighters. Riyadh maintains the Houthis are backed by Iran. The Houthis are allied with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was forced out in the country's 2011 Arab Spring uprising. The latest fighting prompted President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia last week. Aid agencies have reported that more than 500 people have been killed and three times as many injured in the past two weeks. Russia's mission to the UN said it called the meeting of the 15-member Council to "discuss an issue of humanitarian pause during coalition airstrikes in Yemen." The Houthis seized power in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in February, with Hadi declaring a provisional capital in his stronghold Aden, a southern port city. The UN backs Hadi as the legitimate leader of Yemen. Saudi Arabia and several regional allies have vowed to continue the airstrikes until the Houthis "withdraw and surrender their weapons." Russia's proposal came as several Gulf countries called for a UN resolution imposing sanctions and an arms embargo on the Houthis. But Russia wants amendments to apply an arms embargo to the whole country, and limit sanctions. jr/gsw (Reuters, AFP) | [
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Iran calls for end to Saudi air campaign, as US warns Tehran over Yemen
Iran's president has called for an end to Saudi-led airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. This came after the United States warned Tehran against its alleged involvement in the conflict in Yemen.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani used an address broadcast live on national television on Thursday to call on the coalition led by Saudi Arabia to immediately halt its campaign of air strikes on the Shiite Houthi rebels seeking to overthrow Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Shiite Iran is widely thought to be supporting the rebels, while Sunni Saudi Arabia supports President Hadi, who fled to the Saudi capital, Riyadh over a week ago, as Houthi forces approached his southern Yemen stronghold of Aden. Earlier, Iran's naval commander announced that two war ships were being deployed to the Gulf of Aden, in a move seen as raising tensions in the region. Habibollah Sajjari, though, said in remarks reported by Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency that the redeployment was meant only to protect commercial shipping lanes from the threat of attack by pirates. Meanwhile, the United States has warned Tehran against meddling in the conflict in Yemen. US Secretary of State John Kerry told the American public broadcaster PBS on Wednesday that Washington would stand by its allies in the Middle East, who in light of the current conflict in Yemen felt threatened by Iran. "We're not looking for confrontation, obviously, but we're not going to step away from our alliances and our friendships and the need to stand with those who feel threatened as a consequence of the choices that Iran might be making," Kerry said. Situation in Aden 'nearly catastrophic' Meanwhile, heavy fighting was reported on Wednesday between forces loyal to President Hadi and the Houthi rebels who are still trying to take control of the southern port of Aden, which relief workers have warned is facing a humanitarian catastrophe. A spokesperson of for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Yemen told the Reuters news agency that the situation in Aden was "nearly catastrophic." "Shops are closed, so people cannot get food, they cannot get water. There are still dead bodies in the street. Hospitals are extremely exhausted," Marie Claire Feghali said. Another aid organization, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), though, said a ship carrying 2.5 tonnes of medicine had docked in Aden's port on Wednesday, marking the first medicinal aid shipment since the fighting broke out in the city three weeks ago. The ICRC also said that a surgical team had arrived by boat in Aden. pfd/jil (Reuters, dpa, AP) | [
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Peru's ex-president Fujimori receives medical pardon
Peru's president has pardoned jailed former president Alberto Fujimori after he was hospitalized. The 79-year-old was serving 25 years for rights abuses and corruption.
Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski announced Sunday that he granted a medical pardon to jailed ex-president Alberto Fujimori for "humanitarian reasons." Fujimori was hospitalized on Saturday, prompting rumors that he could be handed a medical pardon. Fujimori's doctor said Peru's polarizing figure was transferred to Lima's Centenary Clinic after a "sudden drop in [blood] pressure with marked arrhythmia." The transfer came after his daughter, Keiki Fujimori, who leads the opposition Fujimorist Popular Front party, failed in Congress last Thursday to amass enough votes to impeach Kuczynski. Nine opposition members, including the ex-president's youngest son Kenji, abstained in that vote, allowing Kuczynski to dodge censure. Political analysts questioned whether Fujimori's pardon could be a way for Kuczynski to pay off his political debt to Kenji Fujimori. Loathed and lauded Some Peruvians laud the former strongman, who governed Peru from 1990 to 2000, for defeating the Maoist Shining Path guerrillas and stabilizing Peru's economy. Other Peruvians loathe him for human rights violations carried out under his governance. Peruvian law provides that no person convicted of murder or kidnapping can receive a presidential pardon unless in the case of a terminal illness. In a statement Sunday, Kuczynski said a medical board had determined Fujimori "suffers from a progressive, degenerative and incurable disease and that prison conditions mean a serious risk to his life, health and well-being." Three previous requests from Fujimori for pardons since 2013 were rejected after doctors said he did not suffer from incurable illness or severe mental disorder. cw, ipj/aw (AP, AFP) | [
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Britain's Prince Harry scores radio interview with former US President Obama
In his first interview since leaving office in January, Obama said he felt liberated despite missing the work of being president. He also warned about the perils of social media.
In a BBC interview broadcast on Wednesday, former US President Barack Obama told Britain's Prince Harry that he was at peace and felt liberated on the day he left the White House in January, despite the enormous amount of work left undone. The prospect of getting up in the morning and setting his own agenda for the day was "hugely liberating," Obama said, and explained that included having time to talk to his wife, Michelle. "I miss the work itself because it was fascinating," Obama said of his eight years in the White House, and he cited his health care reform, popularly known as Obamacare, as one of his proudest achievements. Dangers of social media Obama spoke with Harry in the prince's capacity as a guest interviewer for the BBC Radio 4 news program. The interview was conducted in Canada in September, and both men said it was Obama's first since leaving the Oval Office. The two also spoke about social media. Without naming his successor, Donald Trump, the former president said people in government should be careful how they used social media. And he cited the need to promote diverse views in a way that "doesn't lead to a Balkanization of our society." "All of us in leadership have to find ways in which we can recreate a common space on the internet," Obama said. "One of the dangers of the internet is that people can have entirely different realities; they can be just cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases." Fear of angering Trump In the past, Obama has already lamented how social media platforms compel people to make snap judgments about complex issues — again, without criticizing Trump's regular use of Twitter. In his interview with Prince Harry, Obama said moving online communities offline would help people see the complexity of public policy issues and added that it would make criticism more difficult. "It's also, by the way, harder to be as obnoxious and cruel in person as people can be anonymously on the internet," he said. As a guest editor Harry has focused on climate change, the military and mental health. In a brief live segment at the end of the show, he prince was asked by the BBC whether the Obamas would be invited to his wedding with US actress Meghan Markle next year. "I don't know about that," Harry said. "We haven't put the invites or the guest list together. Who knows whether they are going to be invited or not. I wouldn't want to ruin that surprise." The tabloid newspaper Sun reported Tuesday that British government officials had urged the prince not to invite the Obamas to his wedding for fear of angering Trump. bik/tj (AP, Reuters) | [
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Hollywood women launch anti-harassment campaign
Hundreds of women working in Hollywood's entertainment industry have unveiled an initiative to help victims of sexual harassment in the US. It aims to ensure survivors have access to justice and support.
More than 300 women working for Hollywood as top actors, directors, writers and other media executives on Monday launched an initiative to combat widespread sexual harassment across the United States. An open letter, published as a full-page ad in the New York Times and the Spanish-language La Opinion, introduced the "Time's Up" campaign, outlining a call for change that demands accountability from perpetrators, access to justice and support for victims and survivors, and gender equality. Read more: Time names 'The Silence Breakers' Person of the Year "We want all survivors of sexual harassment, everywhere, to be heard, to be believed, and know that accountability is possible," the letter says. The campaign has an emphasis on providing support for women in working-class jobs and includes a Legal Defense Fund, which has already accumulated $13.4 million (€11.17 million). Read more: Hollywood chooses Anita Hill to lead anti-sexual harassment commission "We also want all victims and survivors to be able to access justice and support for the wrongdoing they have endured," the letter adds. "We particularly want to lift up the voices, power and strength of women working in low-wage industries where the lack of financial stability makes them vulnerable to high rates of gender-based violence and exploitation." Imbalance of power The letter emphasized the role systematic gender inequality and imbalance of power played in fostering an environment that is "ripe for abuse and harassment against women." "Harassment too often persists because perpetrators and employers never have consequences. This is often because survivors, particularly those working in low-wage industries, don't have the resources to fight back," the letter says. Read more: Report: Bob Weinstein helped hide brother Harvey's misconduct “The struggle for women to break in, to rise up the ranks and to simply be heard and acknowledged in male-dominated workplaces must end; time’s up on this impenetrable monopoly," it continues. Time's Up supporters include actors Meryl Streep, Ashley Judd, Alyssa Milano, Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron, Eva Longoria and Reese Witherspoon, feminist writer Gloria Steinem and lawyer and ex-Michelle Obama chief of staff Tina Tchen. Tchen will assist in leading the Legal Defense Fund. Read more: Hollywood sexual harassment scandal widens with further accusations Wearing black as a symbol The campaign has asked that women walking the red carpet at the Golden Globes ceremony in on January 7 show their support and raise awareness of the campaign by wearing black. The movement comes after a flood of allegations disrupted or ended the careers of powerful male leaders in not only entertainment but also in big business, politics and the media, sparked by the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal. In early December, Time magazine announced that its Person of the Year for 2017 was "the Silence Breakers," referring to everyone who had come forward about sexual harassment and assault and cast light on a pervasive behavior that has long gone ignored or covered up. The #MeToo movement saw thousands of women share their stories of sexual harrassment. | [
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Building collapses in India, killing several people and trapping others
At least 14 workers have been killed after a building on a construction site in southern India collapsed. Dozens are feared trapped under the rubble, authorities say.
A five-story building in the southern Indian state of Goa collapsed on Saturday, leaving at least 14 construction workers dead. Many more are believed to be trapped under the rubble, the local IANS news agency reported. Ten people are reported to have been pulled from the building alive overnight. Police Superintendent Shekhar Prabhudessai said it was not known how many people were working on the construction site in Canacona, a city about 70 kilometers (44 miles) south of the state capital Panaji, when it collapsed. Witnesses reported seeing about 40 workers at the site before the building collapsed. "It was like an earthquake when the building fell," witness Ramesh Naik told the Associated Press news agency. "You could not see what exactly had happened because of the dust." Bodies were pulled from the rubble by police and local residents, while fire-fighters and rescue personnel sifted through the debris searching for survivors. Around 20 construction workers were rescued, local police officer Abhay Naik told DPA. At least three of those were transferred by ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment. "The rescue operation will go on through the night. Cranes and bull-dozers [will be used] to remove the debris to rescue those trapped," Naik said. The cause of the building collapse had not been determined, Superintendant Prabhudessai said. Building collapses are comparatively common in India as a huge demand for housing and second-rate building regulations often encourages builders to use inappropriate materials or add additional floors. Sixty people died when an apartment building collapsed in the city of Mumbai in September. jlw/msh (dpa, AP, AFP) | [
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South Sudan peace negotiators 'met this morning'
South Sudan's government and rebels have both claimed that they have finally started peace talks. The talks, held in Ethiopia, are aimed at brokering a ceasefire to end the violence that has rocked the fledgling nation.
A series of false starts initially delayed talks, with separate negotiations between intermediaries required and the release of several political prisoners held by Salva Kiir's government a sticking point. But after both sides finally agreed to negotiation regulations on Monday, they claimed that talks finally began the next day. The negotiations have been brokered by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an eight-nation bloc in Eastern Africa including South Sudan. "This morning at nine we met," South Sudan's Information Minister Michael Makuei told AFP, adding that the topics raised were an end to hostilities and "the question of detainees." Mabior Garang, one of opposition leader Riek Machar's delegation, confirmed to Reuters that talks had begun. Makuei also said, however, that some members of his team had returned to the South Sudanese capital of Juba to consult with the government and that there would be "no direct negotiations until they come back today." Fighting began in the world's most recently formed country on December 15 when President Kiir accused troops loyal to his then-deputy Riek Machar of trying to stage a coup to overthrow him. While Kiir's government remains in power, the ensuing fighting - much of it sectarian between members of rival tribes - has led to more than 1,000 deaths, according to the United Nations. An estimated 200,000 others have fled their homes. Kiir is an ethnic Dinka, while Machar is Nuer - although both leaders claim the conflict is primarily political. Sudan's role increases Sudan, from which South Sudan seceded in 2011 after years of war, has played an increasingly prominent role in a bid to bring peace back to the world's newest county. The still uneasy neighbors remain tied together by their shared oil industry, leading to a visit to Juba by Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. "We have come to see what we can do to stop this war knowing all too well that armed conflict would never resolve a problem and also knowing that any problem no matter how complicated can be solved at the negotiation table," Bashir said on Monday. ph/msh (AP, AFP, Reuters) | [
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Impasse at US-Germany 'no-spying' talks?
Two senior German politicians have urged the United States to concede to Germany's quest for a "no-spying" pact, with one warning that Berlin could consider sanctions against US firms operating in Germany.
German media reports of an impasse at US-German talks to avert spying between allies prompted several senior German politicians on Tuesday to suggest diplomatic and economic pressure on Washington. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere (pictured), however, said that the talks were continuing, telling journalists at a Berlin press conference that negotiations remained confidential. Withholding contracts? Stephan Mayer, the new internal affairs spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative parliamentary group, told Reuters on Tuesday her government should consider withholding contracts with US firms that operate in Germany. Mayer said if the talks failed then Germany must contemplate whether "US firms receive government contracts from the German side or public institutions." "The Americans understand one language very well, and that is the language of business," Mayer said, adding that such a deal could not be seen in isolation from current EU-US free-trade negotiations. He also told the newspaper Die Welt that an anti-spying agreement should not amount to a "placebo." Thomas Oppermann, the caucus leader of the center-left Social Democrats, who are Merkel's new coalition partners, said the "failure of the agreement would be unacceptable" and would "change the political character of relations." Talks going nowhere? Last August, Germany announced that Berlin and Washington would negotiate a deal not to spy on each other after revelations about the US' National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance. This was compounded by allegations the US had monitored Merkel's mobile phone and European interest in the claims of the former NSA intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who has temporary asylum in Moscow. The Munich-based Süddeutsche Zeitung quoted a German source close to the 'no-spying' talks as saying: "We're getting nothing." The German public broadcaster NDR jointly reported that German delegation sources had almost lost hope that an agreement would emerge. German conservative caucus leader Michael Grosse-Brömer said he would be "very disappointed if this agreement does not come about." "We must assume that it is not appropriate when friends are spied upon and listened to when the matter does not relate to averting potential terrorist attacks," he said. Veteran Greens party parliamentarian Hans-Christian Ströbele, who met Snowden in Moscow late last year, told the German news agency dpa: "We haven't made any progress because the government has been far too timid in demanding answers from the United States." 'Shared commitment' For months, senior US officials have signaled that Washington would not agree to a blanket pact and refused to comment on claims of US intelligence eavesdropping in Germany, including alleged monitoring of Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone. In Washington earlier on Tuesday, National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the negotiations on a mutual spy ban were continuing with Germany Hayden gave little indication that the US government would move substantially towards the German position. "Such consultations will continue among our intelligence services as a part of our shared commitment to strengthen our practical cooperation in a manner that reflects the shared threats we face, the technological environment in which we operate, our close relationship with one another, and our abiding respect for the civil and political rights and privacy interests of our respective citizens," Hayden said. New threats, says de Maiziere Interior Minister de Maiziere at his press conference said Germany faced new threats from international terrorism, requiring all legal measures possible. Speaking after consultations with the heads of Germany's intelligence services, he said 240 radicalized Islamists from Germany had gone to war-torn Syria in the past year. "That is grounds for disquiet because they could come back with combat experience and related international contacts to possibly carry out crimes here," de Maiziere said. Obama to speak on NSA 'soon' Last week, US President Barack Obama phoned Merkel to invite her to Washington in the coming months, hoping to mend fences between the transatlantic allies. The chancellor accepted, although neither side has announced a date. On Tuesday, Obama told reporters he had almost concluded his deliberations on how to rein in NSA activities, in a bid to restore American public confidence following concerns spy agencies were infringing constitutional rights to privacy. "Actually it's getting close. So I'll have plenty to say about that pretty soon," he said. ipj/ph (AFP, Reuters, dpa, AP) | [
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Record Number of Germans Moving Abroad
Despite an improved economic situation, more Germans relocated outside the country in 2007 than in any year since reunification in 1990, raising concerns over a demographic crisis in the near future.
Figures released on Monday, May 19, by the Federal Statistics Office showed that 165,180 German citizens migrated elsewhere last year, an increase of nearly 10,000 from 2006. The top destinations were Switzerland, the United States, Poland and Austria. A total of 111,291 Germans returned from abroad in 2007, resulting in a net loss of 53,889 citizens, the third straight year in which more Germans have left the country than returned. Both the number of Germans leaving the country and the net loss of German citizens were the highest since reunification in 1990, adding to concerns that Germany is heading towards a demographic crisis. Population experts have long been warning that Germany's ageing, shrinking population will be detrimental to Europe's largest economy in future. Population dropped for fifth year in a row The Statistics Office reported that, with a net total of 101,691 foreigners moving to Germany last year, there was a net gain from migration of 47,802. Additionally, the country saw its first increase in the number of births in a decade, with some 690,000 births recorded. But these numbers combined were not enough to offset the estimated 825,000 deaths in 2007. Overall, this resulted in a drop in the German population for the fifth straight year. Experts have predicted that the German population could fall to as low as 69 million in 2050 from some 82 million today. | [
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World Bank Spends Billions to Allay Food Crisis
The World Bank on Thursday, May 29, launched a new $1.2 billion program to get emergency aid to countries suffering from global food shortages and surging prices.
The new program will get at least $200 billion (128 billion euros) in grants to the poorest countries worst hit by the high cost of food, which the UN and World Bank have said is threatening to reverse nearly a decade of successes in reducing global poverty. Grants totalling $25 million were approved Thursday for Haiti, Djibouti and Liberia -- the first under the new facility. Haiti and others have suffered riots and even the dismissal of its government over food shortages. Another 10 countries have made requests for grants. The remaining $1 billion will be divided up through a mixture of grants and loans in a streamlined process that effectively bypasses the usual votes required by the bank's board of member countries. Plans to step up food production World Bank President Robert Zoellick said developing nations -- especially in Africa -- are seeking immediate resources for projects that could drastically increase food production, such as buying seeds and fertilizers for the upcoming harvest season. "These initiatives will help address the immediate danger of hunger and malnutrition for the two billion people struggling to survive in the face of rising food prices," Zoellick said in a statement. Total World Bank support for agricultural programs will increase to $6 billion in 2009 from $4 billion in 2008, the development bank said. Zoellick said he will push for a clear action plan at a UN meeting in Rome from June 3-5 to tackle the food crisis and provide poor countries with immediate support. "We don't need to reinvent the wheel. These leaders are asking for action now," he told reporters in a conference call from Japan. | [
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Bangladeshi Hindus seeking safety in India
The number of Hindus living in Bangladesh continues to shrink as many of them leave to seek refuge in neighboring India. Experts blame it on religious persecution and systematic oppression against the minority community.
Ananda Gopal Ganguly left his home early in the morning on Tuesday, June 7, to offer morning prayers. But the 70-year-old priest didn't reach his destination. Farmers later discovered his dead body near his home in the southwestern city of Jhenidah. This is the latest in a string of attacks on minorities by suspected Islamists in the South Asian nation. More than 40 people have been killed by Islamic extremists in recent years, and most of the victims belong to minority communities. Over the past four decades, the number of Hindus living in the Muslim-majority country has declined from 13.5 percent to 8.5 percent, according to Bangladeshi government data. The latest census, conducted in 2011, showed nearly a million Hindus disappeared from the country between 2001 and 2011. Insecurity and discrimination Mainstream political parties have failed to protect religious minorities in the country, says Rana Dasgupta, the general secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC). "The Hindu community living here has been facing persecution ever since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, first in what was then East Pakistan until 1971. And the situation didn't change much even after the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation," Dasgupta told DW. In the decades following its independence, Bangladesh witnessed a number of attacks on the Hindu community. For instance, in the aftermath of the demolition of the Babri mosque in India in 1992, over 200 Hindu temples were destroyed in Bangladesh by Islamic fundamentalists. Many Hindu families were also attacked by extremists at that time. Furthermore, violence against Hindu communities is common at the time of elections, as a consequence of political parties using polarizing rhetoric against minorities in their attempt to garner votes. Dasgupta blames religious fundamentalists, particularly the supporters of Bangladesh's largest Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, for attacks on the Hindu community, saying that the party's loyalists were found to be the perpetrators of many of the assaults. Jyotirmoy Barua, a lawyer and human rights activist, believes Hindus in Bangladesh are not getting enough support from the state, which is making them even more vulnerable in their own land. "In most cases, we see that the main reason behind the attacks on Hindus is disputes over land ownership," he told DW, adding that law enforcement agencies are failing to protect the rights of minorities in the country. "Attacks on the minority community are also carried out by workers of the ruling party, the Awami League. For that reason, Hindus feel helpless and the government is silent on this issue for long," Barua noted. Seeking refuge Around 750 people from minority communities, on average, are leaving Bangladesh every day, reveals research conducted by Abul Barkat, an economist and professor at Dhaka University. Most of them cross the border to seek refuge in neighboring India. Although many believe Bangladeshi Hindus mainly move to India for economic reasons, BHBCUC expert Dasgupta disagrees. "Security is the main reason behind their decision to leave Bangladesh. If the government ensures their safety, they will not leave the country," he stressed. Meanwhile, the Indian government is planning to change its citizenship law - to exempt Hindus of Bangladesh and Pakistan who have fled to India out of fear of religious persecution from being tagged as "illegal migrants." The move could make it easier for them to obtain Indian passports in the future. Dasgupta also said that mainstream political parties in Hindu-majority India have always expressed their support to Bangladeshi Hindus, pointing to the Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh's recent assertion that "Bangladeshi minorities who have taken refuge in India to escape persecution would be granted citizenship." The problem with 'state religion' But leaving Bangladesh is not a solution for the Hindu community, underlines Dasgupta. The rights activist calls on the nation's government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to scale up its efforts to protect Hindus and prevent attacks from both Islamists and politicians alike. "Bangladesh's constitution is not secular. It has a state religion, which is biased toward a specific religion. It won't be possible to ensure safety and security of minorities in the country without dropping state religion from the constitution," argued Dasgupta. Lawyer Barua also echoed a similar opinion. He stresses that the mainstream Muslim community needs to play an active role to protect the rights of all other religious groups in the country. "No law will be enough to protect the country's Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and Ahmadis, if the Muslims do not resist such extremist acts." | [
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Saudi effort to squash criticism of Yemen war violations may backfire
Saudi Arabia and its allies have threatened the UN with cutting funds to millions of children in order to squash criticism of rights violations in Yemen. Blackmailing the UN is unlikely to avert criticism.
Saudi Arabia is throwing its financial and diplomatic weight around in an effort to mask inconvenient but widely documented human rights abuses and violations of international law tied to its war in Yemen. The kingdom's most recent endeavor was revealed in a rare public rebuke from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who said on Thursday he faced "undue pressure" to remove the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen from a blacklist of countries that kill and maim children. The secretary general said he had made the "painful and difficult" decision to temporarily remove the Saudi-led coalition from the annex of the report earlier this week due to the "very real prospect" that millions of children in Palestine, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen would be cut off from funding. The Saudis and allied Gulf states provide hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to UN bodies annually, including the UN children's fund. The UN report on children and armed conflict, dubbed a "list of shame," found the US-supported, Saudi-led coalition was responsible for 60 percent of the 1,953 children killed or injured in Yemen in 2015. The UN documented 101 attacks on schools and hospitals, for which the coalition was held responsible for about half. Other armed groups in the conflict, including Houthi rebels, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the "Islamic State," Yemeni government forces and militia were also listed in the annex. Saudi Arabia and its allies, as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council all applied pressure to squash the report. Particularly contentious was the placement of the coalition together with terrorist and extremist groups. The UN report parallels widespread findings by rights groups accusing the Saudi-led coalition of committing grave violations of international law in its prosecution of the war in Yemen. The coalition, which includes the Gulf oil states and is backed by the United States, denies any wrongdoing. Saudi Arabia's UN Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi denied using "threats or intimidation" against the UN, while opining that it was his view that the delisting was "final, irreversible and unconditional." Ban said the coalition listing will now go to a joint review of cases. The UN's decision triggered a torrent of criticism from human rights groups, which noted removing the Saudi-led coalition sends "a message to parties to armed conflict that if they apply sufficient political pressure, they can manipulate their exclusion from the list and avoid scrutiny and accountability." "If the Saudi-led Coalition wants to be removed from the list, it should stop killing and maiming children and bombing schools and hospitals in Yemen—the violations for which it was listed," Human Rights Watch and 19 other groups wrote in an open letter to the secretary general. The Saudi efforts to squash criticism may even cause rights organizations to double down on their already harsh criticism of the kingdom's conduct in Yemen. Jane Kinninmont, the deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, told DW that Saudi strong-arm tactics may further damage its reputation. But, citing the US and Israel, she noted the Saudis threatened to cut funding just as a small number of other powerful countries have done. "It has not helped its international reputation in this case, but the move may be aimed more at the domestic audience, and also takes place in the context of possible legal challenges to the conduct of the war in Yemen," she said. "It is part of a general PR effort to discredit all reports of violations of international humanitarian law as Houthi propaganda." The UN excluded Israel and Hamas from the list last year after coming under pressure from Washington and Tel Aviv, which argued Israel should not be on the same list as a terrorist organization. "Now we have a pattern where you can bully your way off the list," Veronica Yates, the director of Child Rights International Network, which signed onto the open letter to Ban, told DW. "It really undermines a mechanism that has taken years to build up and strengthen." Since coming to the throne in early 2015, King Salman bin-Abdulaziz al-Saud and his 30-year-old son, the deputy crown prince and defense minister Mohammed bin Salman, have pursed a more aggressive foreign policy. The kingdom and its allies entered into a war of choice in Yemen against an alliance of Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in a bid reinstall the government of President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi and counter alleged Iranian influence in its backyard. The military operations and a naval blockade have exacerbated the humanitarian situation to the point that 80 percent of Yemenis are in need of assistance. Yet, the Saudis and Gulf states are also major contributors to UN operations, including in Yemen. This gives them considerable leverage and cover to pursue geopolitical objectives. Sebastian Sons, an associate fellow at the Near East and North Africa Program at the German Council on Foreign Relations, told DW that the UN backtracking reflects the increased influence of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states on the UN. "Saudi Arabia was one of the most important donors to UN institutions. The Saudi influence on the UN has increased tremendously," said Sons. "Nonetheless, this UN decision is a wrong step aiming at appeasing Saudi Arabia and to continue the cooperation with Saudi Arabia." He cautioned, however, that the Saudis need to act more cautiously and diplomatically in the future. "Otherwise, the international criticism against the Saudi policy will further increase which cannot be in the interest of the Saudi government," he said, noting the country faces severe security, socio-economic and external problems. | [
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Report: German MPs advised not to visit Turkey
Germany's Foreign Ministry has advised lawmakers with a Turkish background to avoid going to Turkey in the near future. Politicians of Turkish origin are facing a backlash over a Bundestag vote on the Armenian genocide.
An internal assessment from the German Foreign Office said the safety of parliamentarians traveling to Turkey could not be guaranteed, news magazine "Der Spiegel" reported on Saturday. The warning followed Ankara's angry reaction to the Bundestag's adoption of an Armenian genocide resolution last week. Germany is the 26th country to recognize the massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of Ottoman forces in 1915-16 as genocide. Turkey rejects the term genocide and insists the Ottoman Empire had no plans to deliberately eliminate the Armenian minority. Following the vote, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the 11 politicians of Turkish descent from the CDU, SPD, Greens and the Left party who had backed the motion. He accused them of siding with the outlawed Kurdish militant PKK and suggested their blood was "tainted." Threats to safety Green Party co-leader Cem Özdemir, who spearheaded the vote, has reported receiving dozens of death threats from Turkish nationalists. He is under police protection and has boosted security around his Berlin home. "Der Spiegel" said a number of Bundestag officials with Turkish heritage had canceled business trips to Ankara and summer vacation plans on the Bosphorus. Germany's Integration Commissioner Aydan Özoguz, of the Social Democratic Party, said the developments were unfortunate. "It is indescribable knowing that it's not possible to fly there at the moment," he said. "Erdogan needs to understand that we are not an extension of Turkey." Sevim Dagdelen, a Left party MP, called on the German government to take action. "Merely issuing a travel warning to us deputies isn't enough," she told AFP, adding that the ruling coalition should hit Turkish officials behind attacks on German MPs with an entry ban. nm/bk (AFP, dpa) | [
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India hands out life sentences for deadly Gujarat riots
Nearly a dozen people have been sentenced to life in prison for their involvement in deadly sectarian riots. But the Indian government has also cracked down on an NGO critical of Modi's involvement in the violence.
An Indian court on Friday sentenced 11 people to life in prison for participating in deadly sectarian riots that swept across the state of Gujarat in 2002, leaving over 1,000 dead in its wake. At least 12 more defendants received seven years in prison, while one received a 10-year sentence. "This is hardly the punishment for the crime they have committed," said Zakia Jafri, the widow of the opposition Congress party lawmaker Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the riots. Indian activist Anand Yagnik said the guilty should have received the death penalty. However, Special Court Judge P.B. Desai rejected the demand, saying the prosecution failed to prove accusations of a criminal conspiracy. The case has plagued Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political career since he served as the state's chief minister at the time of the riots. Activists claim Modi did little to prevent the violence that ensued, while others allege he instigated it. Earlier this month, a court convicted 24 Hindus and acquitted 36 others over the Gulbarg Housing Society massacre, in which a Hindu mob in 2002 set fire to residences and attacked inhabitants of the predominantly Muslim complex. 'Actions of a bully' Meanwhile, the Indian government on Thursday revoked the Sabrang Trust's foreign funding license, citing multiple violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), including misuse of foreign funds. The non-profit is run by high-profile activist Teesta Setalvad, a staunch critic of Modi who has brought attention to his involvement in the 2002 riots. "Never be scared of the actions of a bully who only knows the use of brute force. Right shall triumph," Setalvad said in a statement posted on Twitter. UN human rights experts on Thursday called on the government to repeal the FCRA. "We are alarmed that FCRA provisions are being used more and more to silence organizations involved in advocating civil, political, economic, social, environmental or cultural priorities, which may differ from those backed by the government," the UN Special Rapporteurs said in a statement. ls/kl (AFP, AP, Reuters) | [
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Prize for Achievement in African Leadership goes unclaimed, again
The Prize for Achievement in African Leadership again has no winner this year, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation has announced. The multi-million dollar prize is for heads of state who have left office in the last three years.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation announced on Thursday that the seven-member prize committee had failed to find a winner for the 2015 award, after no one met the criteria. "When we launched the prize 10 years ago, we deliberately set a very high bar," said chairman of the foundation, Mo Ibrahim, a telecoms entrepreneur. "We want the prize to shine a spotlight on outstanding leadership to provide role models right across society, as well as supporting laureates to continue to serve the continent by sharing their wisdom and experience." Candidates for the prize worth $5 million (4.4 million euros) are former African executive heads of state or government who have left office in the previous three years. The prize has been awarded four times since it was established in 2006: Mozambique's Joaquim Alberto Chissano, Botswana's Festus Gontebanye Mogae, Cape Verde's Pedro De Verona Rodrigues Pires and Namibia's Hifikepunye Pohamba. South Africa's Nelson Mandela was awarded an honorary prize in 2007. The winner receives $5 million over 10 years and then $200,000 a year for life, and can apply for another $200,000 a year for good causes they support. The five criteria for the prize for former leaders include democratic election, serving of a mandated term and the demonstration of exceptional leadership. With offices in London and Senegal, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation is an African Foundation set up "to put governance at the centre of any conversation on African development. It is our belief that governance and leadership lie at the heart of any tangible and shared improvement in the quality of life of African citizens." Some of the African leaders not meeting the criteria are Paul Biya who has been prime minister or president of Cameroon for 40 years, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of Equatorial Guinea for 36 years, Jose Eduardo dos Santos who has been leading Angola as president since 1979 and 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since 1980. jm/sms (Reuters) | [
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Memorial held for UK MP Jo Cox in Yorkshire
A memorial service has been held for British MP Jo Cox in the West Yorkshire town where she was gunned down. Reverend Paul Knight hailed her as a "21st century Good Samaritan."
Slain British lawmaker Jo Cox was remembered in a memorial service on Sunday in the town of Birstall, where she was killed going into a meeting with constituents. Cox, a Labour MP, was shot on Thursday by a man who yelled xenophobic slogans as he committed the crime. "Her humanity was powerful and compelling and we would do well to recognize her as an amazing example - a 21st century Good Samaritan," said Reverend Paul Knight, who led the Anglican service in her memory. "Jo was someone who went out of her way to help others. I regret to say I didn't know what she was like as a girl, but she grew into a fervent advocate for the poor and oppressed," Knight continued. Charity fund for humanitarian causes To further honor her memory, friends of Cox's have set up a charity fund that made its 500,000 pound goal ($718,000) in less than a day following 17,000 donations. The money has been split evenly among her three favorite charities: Hope Not Hate, a UK group that seeks to challenge and defeat the politics of hate and extremism within local communities; White Helmets, a grassroots, volunteer civil defense organization that operates throughout opposition-controlled Syria and the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), a UK organization set up in 1938 to involve women in preparing for civil-defense in the time of war. The patron of the RVS is Queen Elizabeth II, and its 35,000 volunteers provide practical services to older and housebound people every day, such as Meals on Wheels, Good Neighbours and community transport. "The system was overwhelmed with the scale and speed of the donations," said Nick Grono, head of the Freedom Fund, an NGO combating modern-day slavery and Jo Cox's former employer. Farage: I'm a 'victim' of political hatred Sunday also saw the resumption of campaigning for Britain's EU referendum. Some have argued that Jo Cox's murderer may have been spurred on by the anti-immigration feeling stirred up by the Brexit campaign. On the day of her death, the Leave campaign and its leader, UKIP head Nigel Farage, presented a new poster connecting the influx of refugees to Europe to the EU's "failure" of Britain. Farage has refused to apologize or rescind the poster, although it depicts migrants in the EU nation of Slovenia. He has also referred to himself as a "victim" of political hatred determined to blame the Leave camp for Cox's death, in an interview on British television on Sunday. Cox's suspected killer, 52-year-old Thomas Mair, refused to give his real name when he appeared in court on Saturday, instead saying "death to traitors, freedom for Britain." | [
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Post-Brexit fears prey on EU nationals in the UK
There are around two million EU citizens living and working in the UK. As Julia Macfarlane discovered, there's a certain sense of panic about their status now that the UK has voted to leave the EU.
"It's very unusual. We rarely get queries from European citizens [about applying for British citizenship] but now we get hundreds a week - email, Facebook, phone calls…We processed 35 new applications last week." Immigration lawyers at the Davidson Morris firm have been so inundated with the surge in enquiries from European nationals living in the UK about naturalization that they have hired a new staffer specifically responsible for dealing with the calls. A lot of the initial conversations they have had from people concerned about how the Brexit vote may affect their status in the UK showed that uncertainty over the outcome is causing a lot of anxiety for people who have lived in the UK for many years. In the wake of the vote to leave, Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan told the BBC that no one had suggested a change to the status of EU nationals living in Britain. However, there is a tangible sense of uncertainty for many of those in question. "Most of the people getting in touch have actually been living and working here for many years," says Anisa Ghoshi. "There was one gentleman who has been here for more than 40 years - since 1973." The man is originally Dutch, but told Anisa of the dilemma he was in, identifying completely with the British character and not that of his heritage - despite being a foreigner on paper. "I'm not a wishy-washy European!" he said. He has a flawless English accent, Anisa recalled - particularly the very British indignation in that last remark. Recent, subtle amendments to British immigration rules have caught many off guard. Until last November, European nationals living in the UK for five years were automatically granted the status of permanent residency, and after 12 months of continuing this status, were then eligible to apply for citizenship. The Home Office then introduced new rules that meant European Economic Area (EEA) nationals after five years now have to apply formally for permanent residence, proving eligibility in a range of criteria, in order to produce a document that proves their status of residency should they want to pursue citizenship. More bureaucracy An additional layer of bureaucracy, an increase in the time taken to complete the process, and one that caught a lot of European expats off guard - but one that puts an additional stumbling block in front of those wanting to secure their status in the UK, says a leading immigration barrister at Garden Court Chambers in London. "They've made the application very long and complicated since January this year. There are now more people needing help with applying for permanent residence," said Colin Yeo, who also confirmed that there had been a surge in the number of enquiries about citizenship from EEA nationals living in the UK in light of the referendum. The latest Home Office figures show applications for citizenship in 2015 rose by a fifth after the Conservatives won in the general election - standing on a manifesto which promised to hold a referendum before 2017- although the Home Office doesn't break figures down by nationalities from the EU and outside. When asked, the most common concern for EEA nationals enquiring about their status post-Brexit, was the possibility of deportation, or additional bureaucratic hoops to jump through, that if one is not careful and meticulous, could lead to deportation. The vast majority of Europeans enquiring about assistance with permanent residence or naturalizing as British citizens were people who have settled in the UK for many years, even decades, immigration firms told Deutsche Welle. In many cases people had married UK nationals, and had children with dual nationality. Living with uncertainty Despite the uncertainty of what sort of settlement the British government would make with the EU with regard to the status of EU nationals living in the UK, conditions are unlikely to jeopardize their status in the UK. That is, as long as they have been working or living as dependents in the UK for over five years and have an upstanding reputation, although the process of applications may very well be long and arduous, as lawyers are advising their clients. Nearly 40 percent of the total number of European workers in the UK totalling the more than two million people are from countries with far lower average wages such as Poland and Romania. As graduate unemployment continues to grow across the continent, there may be more young, lower-skill jobseekers adding to this number. The fast-food chain Pret a Manger was at the center of a political row several years ago over its high percentage of foreign workers at a time when British unemployment rose to a near 20-year high. It is however newer European migrants, often younger or of lower skilled professions such as retail and hospitality that occupy the lower wage ranges, and who have only recently settled in the UK, who might not have the same confidence of their status should the UK vote to leave the EU. It's of little comfort to Anke, an occupational therapist for the NHS from Germany, who has been here since 1990. She is married to a British citizen with two grown children - both of whom consider themselves British, rather than German. Devastating scenario "For the first time in 26 years I feel that my future is uncertain and that - depending on the decisions of the government - I could actually lose my right to live in this country. I would find that devastating." Given that she has lived and worked in the country for more than a quarter century with strong anchors to the country, she's most likely going to be successful in any application for citizenship - but she will have to go through the process anyway, should the UK vote to leave. "I think the problem is that nobody truly knows what would happen to the two million EU citizens who live in the UK…I don't feel particularly British but [citizenship] would secure my stay in this country." | [
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IMF's Lagarde should face court in Tapie affair - prosecutor
A French prosecutor says IMF chief Christine Lagarde should face trial over a massive state payout to tycoon Bernard Tapie. The Supreme Court is now due to rule on the recommendation on July 22.
The prosecutor recommended Friday that Lagarde's appeal against charges of misuse of public funds be rejected. Lagarde, who is head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), appealed an earlier Court of Justice ruling in December that she should face trial over a case where prominent French businessman Bernard Tapie received 404 million euros ($450 million) in taxpayer funds while she was French finance minister. The case dates back to 1993, when Tapie sold his majority stake in the sports giant Adidas to become a French cabinet minister. He later sued the French bank Credit Lyonnais, which bought the stake, accusing the lender of undervaluing the company. More than a decade later, Tapie backed Nicolas Sarkozy for president. In 2008, once elected, Sarkozy's government intervened in the court case when Lagarde ordered that the dispute transfer to binding arbitration. Judges later ruled that Tapie should receive hundreds of millions of euros in compensation. France's Supreme Court is expected to rule on Friday's recommendation on July 22. If the original order is upheld, the 60-year-old Lagarde will be tried in the Law Court of the Republic, which handles cases concerning offences committed by sitting government ministers. Prosecutors say Lagarde failed to challenge the arbitration ruling at the time, which they say was prejudicial to the state. She could face a year in jail if convicted as well as a fine of 15,000 euros. Lagarde has denied any wrongdoing or that she acted on orders from Sarkozy. Separately, Tapie was eventually charged with fraud, before being ordered to repay the cash in February 2015. He lost an appeal against the ruling on Thursday. Despite the case hanging over her, IMF's Lagarde to run for second term the IMF has named Lagarde to a second term as managing director, which officially starts next week. mm/kl (AFP, Reuters) | [
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Alpine 'Crypto Valley' pays with Bitcoins
The town of Zug in Switzerland wants to become the center of a Swiss "Crypto Valley." Residents can now pay their fees in Bitcoin, and Fintech companies in the region are closely watching this experiment.
Zug's mayor, Dolfi Müller, was surprised by the considerable media response. The city council was simply looking for a creative way to grease Zug's economy, "With Bitcoin, we're sending a message: We in Zug want to get out in front of future technologies," he told DW. The council only realized in hindsight that their decision would make history. Zug is the first locality in the world to accept the digital currency. It's a humble start; payments are limited to the equivalent of 200 Swiss francs. Müller wanted to keep risk low while Zug tests the waters, he's aware of the controversy surrounding Bitcoin. Some argue the digital currency isn't secure enough for civilian use. Bitcoin's market price is volatile and scammers are still all too common. To mitigate this insecurity, all Bitcoin payments in Zug are immediately converted into the Swiss currency. "That's what the stock exchange is for," says Müller, "it saves us from losing huge amounts in nanoseconds." Feline micro-finance with Bitcoin Zug is a picturesque Swiss town complete with a lake and panoramic views of the Alps. The taxes are low, but rent is through the roof. The population is international. Maybe that's why Bitcoin enjoys near universal approval among Zug's residents. There were few complaints as to the opacity of the origins of Bitcoins. On the contrary, many people find Bitcoin transactions refreshing because they cut out a middleman - the banks. One woman is organizing a project to castrate stray cats on the island of Santorini. To expect to receive large donations for this project is naïve, she says. Instead, she's turning to micro-finance, which Bitcoin is perfect for because it skirts banks fees. Bitcoins at the dentist However, Bitcoin still hasn't found its way into day-to-day transactions. Hotels, stores and restaurants don't accept the currency. Abbas Hussain-Probst is the exception. The dentist offers his patients the opportunity to rid themselves of toothache with Bitcoins instead of francs. But according to the dentist, public trust in Bitcoin is still low. Only a handful of his patients have paid with Bitcoin in the past year, and all of them work in IT. Of course, these are the people Zug's city council had in mind when they began accepting the digital currency. Moving toward a 'Crypto Valley' About 20 fintech companies have recently settled in Zug and neighboring Baar, including Bitcoin Suisse. The company has servers up in the Alps that run highly complex mathematical functions to mine new Bitcoins. To help popularize Bitcoins, the company also runs a number of Bitcoin-ATMs. One stands in Kafi Schoffel, a restaurant in Zürich. In exchange for francs or euros, the machine spits out a nondescript strip of paper with a QR code on it. This code, when scanned by a smartphone, can be used as payment. Kafi Schoffel customers use them to buy cappuccinos. Niklas Nikolajsen, CEO of Bitcoin Suisse, predicts it will still take a number of years before digital currencies enjoy widespread use. But he's sure the day will come when everyone buys their cappuccinos with Bitcoins. Nikolajsen says digital currencies reduce barriers to the global economy, "A taxidriver in Nairobi might be unable to accept credit cards because of high fees, but all he has to do is buy a five-dollar smartphone to accept Bitcoins." | [
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Mkhitaryan's farewell letter to Dortmund fans meets with mixed reaction
After his move to Manchester United was confirmed by the Premier League giants, Henrikh Mkhitaryan penned an open letter to Borussia Dortmund fans. But the Armenian's farewell note met with mixed reactions.
Mkhitaryan, the reigning DW Bundesliga Player of the Season, said in the letter that he feels “privileged” to have played for the Ruhr area club. "I will never forget the moments we shared together," said Mkhitaryan in a post on his official Facebook page. He also thanked his Dortmund teammates and the BVB fans for all the support he's been given over the years. Some Dortmund fans, however, are less than thrilled by the playmaker's move. Many BVB supporters cite Mkhitaryan's wage demands from the German club as the reason for their displeasure. According to reports, Dortmund had offered the attacker a salary of around 5 million euros a year, which would have made him one of the club's top earners but he rejected it and asked for a transfer in order to land a more lucrative deal elsewhere. His reported deal with Manchester United will see him earning a yearly wage of 10 million euros, double the offer reportedly made by Dortmund. However, plenty of of Twitter users sent Mkhitaryan messages of support and best wishes, while also expressing their sadness at his departure from the Signal Iduna Park. Some fans have drawn comparisons between the Armenian and another former BVB man Mario Götze, who signed for Bayern Munich after a 13-year spell with Dortmund. Other Dortmund fans have criticized his failure to take a penalty in the DFB Pokal final against Bayern Munich. Finally, this fan also made a cheeky remark about the fact Mkhitaryan's new club won't play Champions League football this term. Mkhitaryan is the third high-profile player to leave Borussia Dortmund this transfer window, after the departures of Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gündogan. Dortmund's CEO Joachim Watzke was recently quoted saying that the attacker will end up staying at Dortmund, only to later confirm his move to the Premier League club. | [
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Jailed mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano dies in prison, aged 83
Sicilian mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano has died after a long illness. He was considered to be Cosa Nostra's "boss of bosses" for years, prior to his 2006 arrest in Corleone.
The notorious mafia boss died in prison at the age of 83, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. "Cosa Nostra" boss Provenzano had been suffering from Parkinson's disease. He died at the San Paolo hospital in Milan, where he was being treated for bladder cancer. Bernardo Provenzano, 83, was arrested in 2006 in Sicily after spending 43 years on the run. At the time of his arrest he was considered to be one of Italy's most wanted criminals and was given several life sentences in prison. Provenzano, dubbed "the bulldozer" or "the tractor" for the manner in which he flattened opponents and rivals, was found responsible for multiple murders over the years. Bomb attacks ordered by the mafia boss resulted in the deaths of two top anti-mafia prosecutors in 1992, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. Provenzano was presumed to be the "capo dei capi" or the "boss of bosses" of the criminal organization, which he reportedly led until his arrest in 2006. A life on the run Provenzano was born in the Sicilian village of Corleone - which later became famed for being associated with the Sicilian mafia in the "Godfather" movie trilogy. He reportedly committed his first murder aged 25, when he killed a rival boss. Provenzano's criminal career saw him second-in-command to mafia leader "Toto" Riina, who presided over a series of killings of top judges that became a hallmark of Italian life in the 1980s. He became the uncontested head of "Cosa Nostra" after Riina was arrested in 1993. The Agence France Press news agency reported that Provenzano is thought to have been involved in arranging Riina's arrest. Under Provenzano's leadership in the 1990s, the group focused on infiltrating Italy's police force as well as getting involved in public works contracts in Sicily, gradually turning the mob into a white-collar industry of illegal activity, and this weakening its dependence on crimes like drug trafficking. The bounty on Provenzano's arrest was said to be some three billion lira at that time, or around 1.5 million euros ($1.65 million). By 2003, the price on his head had risen to 2.5 million euros. Sudden arrest and incarceration Provenzano was finally arrested in a farmhouse in his native village of Corleone near the Sicilian capital Palermo in 2006 after the police received information saying he had undergone an operation for prostate cancer in Marseille, France. A picture from a false ID document helped in leading the police to his hide-out. Provenzano had already been convicted in absentia of more than a dozen murders, including those of Sicily's top two anti-Mafia investigators, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. He was also convicted for a series of bombings which took place in 1993 in Rome, Milan and Florence, including one attack near the Uffizi art gallery. His lawyer Rosalba Di Gregorio cited Provenzano's increasing physical frailty and mental health in several failed attempts to ease the prison his conditions, especially after a failed suicide attempt in 2012. In one of the last pictures taken before his death, Provenzano's ill health was visible. However, Provenzano spent the last decade of his life under condition akin to solitary confinement in a bid to curb his influence from behind bars. Following his death, social media users started sharing the names of some of his victims. ss/msh (AFP, AP, dpa) | [
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Social media and breaking news: Keep calm and don't retweet everything you see
Tweets, Facebook Live and Periscope feeds can offer useful insights into breaking news events, but if they are not used carefully, they can turn already tense moments into downright panic.
It was a Friday evening in Munich and many people were on their way home from work or shopping for the weekend. All of a sudden, smartphones started beeping with tweets and breaking news alerts. Friends whatsapped each other and very quickly a now frighteningly familiar situation became apparent: there was an attack underway in a major European city. This time it was at the Olympia shopping center in Munich. Just like a week ago in Nice, France, anyone on Twitter, Facebook, Periscope or other social media networks received instant updates, pictures and videos of what was happening on the ground at that very moment. It's become commonplace in our digital age to turn to social media for information of any kind - even more so when it comes to breaking news. That's because hardly a news event takes place without eyewitnesses recording developments and sharing them instantaneously across social platforms. Violent and shocking events such as the shooting in Munich or last week's terror attack in Nice are no exception. In fact it is exactly in such situations that social media shows its greatest strengths and weaknesses. Speed and eyewitness perspectives When it comes to speed, reach and mobility, social networks have an undisputed advantage over other media. Given an internet connection, users can easily upload photos and videos of what they experience in real-time, regardless of where they are. And these have the potential to be seen by millions far away from the original uploader. If used wisely, this eyewitness social media content can give the public good and useful details. During the course of Friday's attack in Munich, many social media users did exactly that. Those who were at or near the shopping center when the shooting broke out, posted content and provided details of the location and current situation. By doing so they informed others of what was going on and possibly helped people avoid dangerous situations. One of the very early photos taken in front of the shopping center is by Timm Kraeft. His tweet indicates in matter-of-fact terms the location and extent of the police blockade. Another example is the activation of catastrophe warning notices, which alert people to dangers in their area. When a user in a Munich taxi saw a warning flash up on the board computer she photographed and shared it, thereby alerting her followers to the escalating situation in the neighborhood of Stachus. The police and public offices also took to social media to inform people of developments, such as which areas to avoid or details about train cancellations. Munich police were particularly active on Twitter, posting updates in at least four languages, keeping its audience abreast of all that was happening. Direct assistance Beyond its informational value, content shared on Twitter and other platforms can provide direct assistance to victims or others in need. One trend that has sadly become all too familiar is the use of the hashtag #PortesOuvertes or "open doors." This term first appeared after the Paris attacks in November 2015, when residents opened up their homes and offered a place to stay for those stranded in the city. Residents in Brussels and Nice made the same gesture and now the German equivalent #OffeneTür is spreading across Twitter users in Munich. This gesture and other help initiatives from Munich natives, such as this one to donate blood or anything else needed by the victims, are typical of the unifying power social media can have during and after a tragic event. Think before retweeting But tweets and live video feeds have their limits and can at times be a veritable source of harm during breaking news events. Amid the chaos and with emotions running high, users may share indiscriminately, as images flood their feeds with scenes of death and bloodshed. Some have good intentions and are simply seeking to inform others about the dimensions of the news. Others may more cynically seek to boost the numbers on their profiles or attract attention by sharing shocking images. Whatever the case, in these moments, it has become a regrettable habit for social media users – on Twitter in particular – to spread unverified content from unreliable sources. Needless to say, only minutes after the news broke in Munich, this type of content was already abundant online. Publishing fake, manipulated or contextually wrong material is unhelpful for those seeking information, but it is also insidious. Rumors are wildfires that are difficult to put out and traditional news sources or official channels, such as police departments, subsequently struggle to communicate verified information to the public, as it gets lost under the flurry of false information. The Munich police Twitter account told followers in no uncertain terms that sharing photos and videos of gunfire on social media was not acceptable. The police department called on users to report such content and even offered an upload tool so users could send it directly to the police. Spreading these rumors across the social networks not only complicates the job of security officials, it can be very unsettling to those who may be near a scene of crime. As one Twitter user pointed out, "The people in Munich also have internet and are scared crazy by your rumors. Just stop it." Spreading terror is what the terrorists want Even verified content should be shared with extreme caution. Publishing pictures or videos of a crime scene or, worse still, of a crime as it takes place, poses a particular problem: Terrorists seek publicity; it is in the very nature of their action. They want you to see what they are doing, they want images of it to be spread and watched so as to frighten people. Sharing such content amounts to giving these people and organizations publicity and thus playing into their hands. Christian Christensen, a professor for journalism and a specialist on social media at Stockholm University, tweeted a warning along these lines in the hours following the terror attack in Nice. If you spread violent images, he wrote, "accept you are doing what the terrorists want." Out of respect for the victims After events in Paris, Brussels, Nice and now Munich, one of the first reflexes of authorities is to ask the public not to share these images, if only out of respect for the victims and their families. When the police in Nice began seeing graphic content shared on Twitter they told people: "Out of respect for the victims and their families, do not take part in spreading pictures or videos of the crime scene." The Munich police tweeted an adamant appeal to people sharing images of the victims: Christian Christensen put it quite succinctly in his tweet after the attack in Nice: Don't undermine the police Another problem with sharing live footage from a crime scene or on-going police operation is that the perpetrators themselves may see this very content and thus learn details about an investigation, hindering the working of the authorities. In Munich, police repeatedly posted urgent message asking the public to refrain from sharing such content, even tweeting it in several languages. Violent breaking news events are a difficult time for all, but it is especially so for those directly affected and for law enforcement agents. If there is one thing social media users users can and should do during this time, it is simply to stop and think about what impact a retweet, a like or a share would have before helping it go viral. | [
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'A decision in the name of sport itself'
The IOC has decided Russian athletes will be allowed to participate in the Rio Olympics. André Hahn from the Left Party considers this a fair outcome.
DW: Mr. Hahn, what do you think of the IOC's decision to allow the Russian team to participate in the Rio Games subject to certain conditions? André Hahn: I think the IOC has made a fairly wise decision. Unlike some critical voices I believe it's the IOC's responsibility to protect the competitiveness of clean athletes and make sure they can participate in the Olympics. There are surely numerous athletes in Russia who have never doped and would therefore have suffered most from a blanket ban. My personal credo has always been to punish all those linked with doping, including athletes, doctors and officials, but not an entire nation as long as there is not sufficient evidence. You can't, for example, simply ban innocent Russian archers only because there were cases of doping in the Russian track and field or weightlifting squads. Therefore I believe the IOC has made a decision in the interest of sport itself. A blanket ban would have distorted the competition in many other disciplines that are largely free from doping, and I don't think that would have been a fair decision either. But the McLaren report concluded that an "institutionalized, government-run doping program" existed in Russia. Moreover, 14 national anti-doping organizations urged the IOC to fully ban the Russian Olympics team. Is it justified simply to ignore this? First of all, I found this recommendation quite problematic, as it was made before the publication of the McLaren report. I don't think this was an appropriate way to proceed. I fully understand the demand to implement harsh drug tests in every country. But this does not solely apply to Russia. The current issue must be handled on a case-by-case basis, and those who have doped should of course be banned from the Olympics. The preconditions imposed by the IOC make sense: Every athlete must provide a negative drug test conducted abroad by international authorities. It seems likely quite a few athletes will fail to do so and will therefore not participate in Rio. Russian athletes will travel to Rio within the next couple of days. Some of them may then be forced to return to their home country if they are unable to meet the criteria. Isn't this a problematic - or even "chaotic" situation, as some have stated? The chaos you are mentioning primarily stems from the IOC's failure to deal with the situation sooner. The Olympics will start just a few days from now, multiple athletes have already travelled to Rio in order to settle in, which was impossible to prevent. However, I am certain the Russian Olympic Committee knows who has been doping. As a result, I expect the number of Russian athletes nominated for the Olympics to decrease significantly. I strongly assume there are enough responsible coaches as well as officials in Russia who will make sure their Olympic squad is free of doping. "I genuinely hope Russia will now seriously commit to eradicate doping" So you do believe there is a serious commitment in Russia to eradicate doping? Well, at least I genuinely hope Russia will now seriously commit to eradicate doping in the near future, for this apparently has not been the case in the past. We've heard grave accusations linked to the Sochi games in 2014, declared by witnesses who we should trust since they were part of the system. This is a very serious issue. The key question now is whether we impose a collective ban against every single athlete or revert to the principle of solely punishing those who are proven guilty. I prefer the latter. As far as I know the Court of Arbitration for Sport will be responsible for determining that all legal criteria are met by the athletes. In my opinion this is the right approach. There are, however, other voices. Some of them claim that while imposing a blanket ban would have been unjust towards certain athletes, the decision not to do so has severely damaged the Olympic idea. What do you think is more important? The right of an athlete to be treated on a case-by-case basis or the need to restore the IOC's reputation? The fact the IOC has a negative image is far from surprising, due to doping and several other factors. Over the last few years the Olympic idea has suffered due to things like increasing commercialization and the skyrocketing cost of hosting major sports events. Doping is just another factor contributing to the IOC's bad reputation. In this context it is vital we can count on a fully independent World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which has not always been the case. For example, WADA's former president served as vice president of the IOC at the same time, which I regards as problematic. Moreover, we have to make sure there are sufficient numbers of independent anti-doping labs. There is a clear lack of those facilities in many regions around the world. Furthermore no positive drugs tests should ever again be withheld from the public, which used to be common practice in cycling. There were a number of prominent cyclists - from the US as well as from Germany - who were eventually found guilty of doping and individually punished. Nobody, however, ever entertained the idea of banning all German or American cyclists from major competitions including the Olympics. But once we were dealing with the Russians, there were calls they for be banned altogether. Dr. André Hahn, who was born in the former East Germany, has been a member of the German Bundestag representing the Left Party since 2013. He currently serves as his party's spokesperson on issues regarding sports. | [
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Turkey signals Incirlik Air Base access, if Germany "behaves" well
Access demanded by German parliamentarians to the Incirlik NATO airbase could be restored, says Turkey's foreign minister. Mevlüt Cavusoglu has warned through that any approval will depend on how Berlin "behaves."
Cavusoglu's conciliatory signal via the German newspaper "Die Welt" Wednesday echoed Chancellor Angela Merkel's claim early this week that she expected "good news" in the coming days. Cavusoglu's remark preceded his visit due Wednesday to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg where the 47-nation European body is examining President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's large clampdown on officials and civilians since a failed coup in July. Ankara banned in June access to Incirlik by members of Germany's parliament, which has ultimate say over German troop deployments, in anger at the Bundestag's declaration that 1915 massacres of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces amounted to "genocide." Germany budgets investment On Tuesday, the magazine "Der Spiegel" said Berlin was prepared to invest in new German facilities at the busy air base in southeastern Turkey. Cavusoglu told "Die Welt" Wednesday that if Germany "behaves as it's doing now we will consider it," - implying restoration of parliamentarian access. "If Germany, however, tries to treat Turkey badly then that will not be the case," he said, adding that his country refused to be regarded as a "second class country." The impasse was eased last Friday when the German government said the Bundestag parliament's almost unanimous Armenia resolution was not binding. Merkel subsequently emerged from weekend talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying she was hoped the ban would soon be lifted. Based at Ercirlik alongside crews from other nations are some 240 German soldiers and Tornado reconnaissance aircraft involved the international campaign against the jihadist "Islamic State" (IS) militia which holds parts of Syria and Iraq. Cavusoglu in Strasbourg In Strasbourg Wednesday, Cavusoglu is due to meet foreign ministers of other Council of Europe nations. NATO said Tuesday its Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit Turkey on Thursday and Friday. It will be his first since the 15 July coup attempt in which more than 270 people were killed. ipj/jil (Reuters, AFD) | [
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Love-Struck German Judge Turns Blind Eye to Justice
Wearing black robes and being addressed as "Your Honor" apparently doesn't keep people from doing really, really stupid things, as one love-struck German judge recently proved.
No one can blame Wolfgang W. for falling in love. The 63-year-old Munich judge (whose full last name has been withheld for legal reasons) might have been married, but he wouldn't be the first man to leave his wife for a younger woman. What does matter a little in this particular case is that W. met Fatime L. in his courtroom. The 30-year-old Albanian woman was attending the robbery trial of her lover. All that might have kept most people from going further than a friendly smile. The judge, however, pulled out his mobile phone and reportedly began sending the woman explicit text messages such as "I'm kissing you awake" and "Alone with you in bed. I want to drag you into bed before breakfast and sleep with you." He might have gotten away with it all. But then W. withdrew an offer to sentence Fatime's boyfriend to no more than 22 months in prison and asked her to help him decide on the man's jail time. "He should be sent away for longer so that you're at peace or he should be sent to his wife, which might also help," the judge wrote. "It's up to you." That did it for Fatime, who forwarded the messages to her boyfriend's defense lawyer. It shouldn't come as a surprise that court officials accepted her application to remove the judge from the case. W. will have lots of time for text messaging in the future: He faces disciplinary action and charges of abuse of office, which could send him to prison for up to five years. | [
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Norwegian pension fund to divest from coal
The Norwegian parliament has decided to pull out of investments in the coal sector. Environmental campaigners say this will have a major impact, but still seek closure of potential loopholes.
The Norwegian parliament's finance committee announced on Thursday that it intends to divest the country's sovereign wealth fund from the coal industry. Environmental groups have welcomed the Norwegian parliament's decision, saying it shows how lawmakers have responded to public pressure in the global fight against climate change. "This is very important and will send a very strong signal to coal burning and mining companies all over the world," Truls Gulowsen, head of Greenpeace Norway told DW. "The fund is one of the world's top 10 largest investors in the global coal industry, so this will have a real impact." Greenpeace estimates that new regulations would result in around $5 billion (4.6 billion euros) being pulled out of the coal sector. The move has cross-party support, and parliament is set to confirm the decision June 5. "This is a clear signal to those who use coal that they have to look at other forms of energy," Hans Olav Syversen of the Christian Democrats told public broadcaster NRK. The 900 billion euro fund will no longer invest in firms where coal-fired energy accounts for 30 percent or more of their turnover or profit. "The 30 percent level is a practical and sound approach that others around the world will be able to follow," Gulowsen said. Earlier this week, environmental groups delivered a petition with 44,000 signatures urging the Norwegian government to divest from fossil fuels. A recent report co-authored by Greenpeace said that previous moves to withdraw some of the sovereign wealth fund's investment from fossil fuel industry were inadequate, calling them "pretend divestment." Gulowsen told DW that politicians had responded to those criticisms, and that the new decision represented a major step forward. However, he added that Greenpeace and others were calling for a second criteria for divestment, by volume of coal - saying that the fund would still invest in the world's three largest private coal-mining firms. Each of these extracts more than 100 million tons of coal annually, because they are also involved in other mining activities. "We hope that these miners will also be excluded down the line," Gulowsen said. Activists say the global campaign to divest from fossil fuels is gaining momentum, with ever more pension funds, charities, faith groups and universities pulling out of companies that contribute to carbon emissions. | [
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Sanctions: Who's really hurting in Russia?
With the EU about to review its sanctions regime against Russia, Fiona Clark looks at how Russians are faring under the embargoes and asks if they’re really having any effect on the country's leadership.
Russians might think I'm insane but there are times when I wander the aisles of my local supermarket and literally laugh out loud. At least it's better than crying when I see blueberries on sale for the equivalent of 16 euros a punnet (125 grams) or mixed berries for just under 20 euros. I know they may have travelled all the way from the US, but seriously, who pays these prices? I assume somebody does, but it can only be wealthy because for the average Muscovite that's about 10 percent of a weekly wage. I know fresh berries may not be a necessity, but even staples like yoghurt and ‘kasha' (buckwheat, usually eaten for breakfast or as a potato replacement with dinner) have had a hefty price hike. Strangely enough they're both locally produced so shouldn't be affected by the sanctions that Russia imposed on the EU in retaliation for the sanctions imposed on it, nor should they be affected by those imposed by the EU, or by the severely devalued ruble. In general though, most products have gone up by about 30 percent, and some, like Italian prosciutto or French cheese, have completely disappeared from the shelves. The last time I saw real Italian parmesan was in January. The lack of these 'luxury' items has brought out the entrepreneur in some. Like kids craving their names in a tree trunk for all eternity, one clever art gallery owner has started producing fridge magnets stating "parmesan was here" or "ham was here" to remind consumers of the delicacies they used to enjoy. Now those of us who travel regularly carry them back from Europe in our hand luggage. But cheese is clearly a suspicious item. Every time I take a bag full of eight wedges of parmesan, four blocks of cheddar and an assortment of goat's cheese through Heathrow I'm pulled aside for security check. "I live in Russia," I tell them. "Sanctions. You can't get real cheese." Like a drug-addict, I explain you are allowed to bring it into the country as long as it's "for personal use only." A boost for entrepreneurs But what's bad for me, may not be so bad for Russian manufacturers. The sanctions have provided a huge opportunity to artisanal producers to bring their products to those who have enough money to pay for them. Like the blueberries, you may need to take out a small loan for a slice of camembert at 48 euro/kg, but Russia has a lot of wealthy people so there is a market for these products. For the average man, however, this is out of the question. Instead supermarkets now stock an array of locally produced copies of popular cheeses. There are two problems with this - the fakes don't taste anything like the real thing (think rubbery plastic), and, according to recent media reports, they may be made with palm oil, not milk products. Since the sanctions started a year ago Russia has imported 39 percent more palm oil, and Russia's agricultural watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, says much of that is destined for the fake cheese market which now makes up some 50 percent of the cheeses in the supermarket fridge. But is it the sanctions that have driven the prices up? Before they were introduced Russia was already looking down the barrel of an economic downturn. Then the oil price plummeted, dragging the ruble down with it. And the result of all these things combined is that inflation is up - this April it was running at 16 percent, more than twice as high as it was a year earlier. But strangely enough people don't seem to be angry - yet. The general attitude, as one taxi driver told me, was that "we've been through tough times before and we know how to survive." They are however, being prudent with their finances. One local newspaper, The Moscow Times, cites a survey showing that more than 50 percent of Russians have reduced their spending and almost 20 percent have no disposable income left after paying for food and housing. They're cancelling holidays abroad and tourism to Europe is down 30 percent. And businesses are feeling the pinch. Government statistics show retail spending has dropped 9.8 percent in the year to April 2015. Clothes shops and restaurants are shutting their doors and over the past few weeks I've noticed that stalls at my local food market are disappearing as increased rents drive vendors out. One meat seller explained that she pays 5,000 rubles (about 90 euros) a day to rent a one meter length of bench space (unrefrigerated) to sell her pork. On top of that she has to pay 4,000 rubles for her butcher and overnight refrigeration. "I'm sorry for my language," she says, "but they even charge you 100 rubles just to go to the toilet. 100 rubles!" That's about 1.80 euros - more than three times the average 50 cents charged in Germany. Collusion and stagnation In total each month she pays out 270,000 rubles. She has to sell a lot of meat to cover that. Unfortunately though salaries aren't growing. In fact government statistics show real wages have fallen by just over 13 percent in the year to April 2015. Faced with an economic slowdown many companies are cutting workers' pay or cutting their hours, or simply laying them off. The Ministry of Labor said that the number of people officially registered as unemployed increased by 3.4 percent to over 900,000 in late January. The Russia and India Report says that's the equivalent of about 30,000 losing their jobs in just one week. For foreign companies operating in Russia it's not all bad news. The devalued ruble means staff are costing them about 30 percent less than usual. Workers aren't happy but as one country manager told me, he and his competitors in the IT industry have had discussions and will only raise the pay of their staff if they do it in unison. If they act unilaterally they risk a flood of resignations as staff flock to the higher paying company, giving the first to raise rates a cherry picking opportunity. And it's good for exports. A devalued ruble makes Russia's raw materials more competitive on the world market - ironically helping many of the oligarchs on the sanctions list to increase their profits. I'm no economist, but less disposable income can only mean less demand - effectively rubbing salt into an already wounded economy that's set to contract by around 4 percent this year. It's hard to say how much of this is the result of the slowing economy, the falling oil price or the sanctions, but it's even harder to tell if that elite inner circle who were supposed to be the real targets of sanctions are hurting. They may not be holidaying this summer in Cannes, Mallorca or Australia - as the sanctioned CEO of Russia's railways, Vladimir Yakunin said "I am sorry I won't be able to see the kangaroos there." But instead he'll visit the white tigers at a Sochi wildlife refuge. Fiona Clark is an Australian journalist currently living in Russia. She started her career with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a TV news reporter in the mid-1980’s. She has spent the past 10 years working on publications such as The Lancet and Australian Doctor and consumer health websites. This is her second stint in Moscow, having worked there from 1990-92. What was to be a two-year posting is still continuing. | [
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Inflation is back in the eurozone
In May, eurozone inflation hit positive territory for the first time in six months, moving the currency bloc away from the risk of deflation. But the figure still falls way short of the European Central Bank's target.
Prices were up by a slightly better than expected 0.3 percent in May, compared with the same time last year, official figures showed on Tuesday. April's reading had been flat. "This increase was stronger than widely expected, even if inflation is hardly racing ahead," said Howard Archer, chief European Economist at IHS Global Insight, told the AFP new agency. The figures mark a return to inflation after five months of negative consumer prices, which had sparked fears about a prolonged bout of deflation in the single currency bloc. The numbers came a day after data showed that German consumer prices rose at their fastest pace in eight months in May. Towards the end of last year, plunging energy prices as well as the eurozone's overall stagnant economy and high unemployment had caused prices to drop. Economists fear deflation because it means shoppers tend to put off purchases in the belief they may become even cheaper, leading to ever weaker demand, slowing the economy and pushing up unemployment. May's uptick can be attributed to a buoyant service sector, higher prices for unprocessed food and a rise in crude prices. The reading is, however, still far below the European Central Bank's target of 2 percent. ng/uhe (AFP, Reuters, AP) | [
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Women's World Cup gender tests 'ridiculous'
Female athletes are increasingly forced to pass gender verification tests. Medical ethicist Claudia Wiesemann says the tests are not just "ridiculous," but can have humiliating consequences.
DW: The German Women's National Soccer Team had to supply medical confirmation that all players were indeed women in order to be allowed to play in the Women's World Cup in Canada this summer. What does "gender verification" entail? Is it just a little peek down where the sun doesn't shine? Claudia Wiesemann: Well, at first it was, in the 50s and 60s. Back then, it was a purely phyiscal test. Later, it was examined whether the athletes had two X chromosomes. Men usually have an X and a Ychromosome. Then came more thorough physical tests, which included an exam of the organs in the abdomen. Today, hormone levels are tested in the blood - so how much testosterone a woman has in her blood. Is it complicated to measure that? Not really. It's pretty easy to examine testosterone levels. What's harder is interpreting the results. Why is that? There's no such thing as definite gender verification. Women can have very high levels of testosterone, but their bodies can be completely insensitive to the effects. Some people are more sensitive to testosterone, others less. Women can even have a Y chromosome and still have a female physique. Men and women are merely two extremes of a continuum, and, between these extremes, many different types are possible. How have attitudes developed within international sports associations? The International Olympic Committee (IOC,) for example, has introduced rules regarding testosterone levels. That was the IOC's way of reacting to massive criticism of previous tests, which were discriminating and didn't yield accurate results. But the testosterone examination is no different. In order for a woman to compete in a women's competition, the IOC demands she has lower testosterone levels than a man. But that's a purely arbitrary cut-off. There are women who undoubtedly grew up as females, but have higher-than-average testosterone levels. That makes them better athletes - just like a man who's taller than two meters (6'6'') is a better basketball player, because he's taller than average. Supporters of gender verification say that if women with heightened testosterone levels compete alongside other female athletes, it's unfair and distorts the competition. How do you respond to that? A physical advantage will always influence how the competition goes. That's also true for the basketball player who's taller than two meters, but we'd never entertain the idea of disqualifying him because of an unfair advantage. We have to provide a reason why a certain advantage is so unfair that it merits disqualification. Additionally, we have to think about the damage we'd be doing by excluding someone from the competition because of a purportedly wrong gender. What kind of detrimental effect could that have? There can be major damage. One female athlete from India [Santhi Soundarajan, eds. note] was publicly called a liar and a cheater when a gender verification exam showed she had a Y chromosome. She tried to kill herself because of the hostility and humiliation that ensued. How often do intersexual people whose gender cannot biologically be determined, face this issue? That's a big problem for them. The fact that intersex individuals exist is not widely known in society. Instead, most people think that it should be easy to tell the difference between man and woman. While that's true for 99.9 percent of cases, it's not the case for the remaining 0.1 percent. Going back to the German Women's National Team: According to media reports, the players had to present a kind of medical certificate from their gynecologists, confirming that they are indeed all women. What do you think about that? I find it disastrous that national associations are participating in this madness. They really are in a tough situation, though. They can't suddenly protest and say "Fine, then we're not coming" right before such an important competition. That's the perfidious aspect of the international associations' policy. They're simply passing the buck to the national associations. And they in turn pass that pressure on to the athletes, saying: "Either you participate in this pseudo-medical exam, or you can't compete." Claudia Wiesemann is a medical ethicist and director of the Institute for Ethics and History of Medicine at the University of Göttingen. | [
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South Sudan expels UN aid coordinator
The United Nations has announced the expulsion of one of its deputies from South Sudan. Authorities have offered no official explanation, but the UN has pointed to the aid coordinator's critique of the government.
The South Sudanese government has decided to expel Toby Lanzer, the outspoken deputy chief of the United Nations mission to the country, UN officials said Monday. The announcement came after Lanzer was refused entry into South Sudan as he tried to return to wrap up official business ahead of the end of his assignment there later this month. Authorities in Juba have not offered an official explanation for the decision, but the UN has suggested that it stems from Lanzer's critique of the government and the rebels over the recent increase in sectarian fighting. "Mr. Lanzer has been instrumental in addressing the increasing humanitarian needs of conflict-affected communities in the country and ensuring that life-saving humanitarian assistance reaches the most vulnerable," said a UN statement. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Juba to immediately rectify the situation by allowing Lanzer to finish his work in the country before he is replaced by Eugene Owusu of Ghana at the end of the month. Humanitarian crisis rapidly escalating In May, Lanzer released a statement noting his dismay after fighting in the Unity and Upper Nile states forced 100,000 people to flee their homes in the course of a single week. Following the advance of the South Sudanese army on the rebel-held town of Leer, Lanzer argued that the military operations had "devastated countless lives" after witnesses told him tales of rape and civilian murders. On social media last week, Lanzer tweeted: "4.6 million people in South Sudan will be severely, yes severely, food insecure by July. That is 800,000 more than in July of last year." Lanzer is due to take up his new post as UN regional humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel in a matter of weeks. es/cmk (AFP, dpa) | [
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Oxfam: G7 emissions have 'savage impact' on African crops
On the eve of the G7 talks in Germany, Oxfam has released a report highlighting the devastating impact emissions from G7 countries' coal plants will have on Africa's food supply. DW speaks to Oxfam's Kiri Hanks.
A report released Saturday by Oxfam shows the G7 countries' continued reliance on coal is on track to cost the world $450 billion (405 billion euros) a year by the end of the century. Climate change and food security are expected to feature high on the agenda when leaders from the world's seven most economically powerful nations - the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada - meet Sunday for talks at Elmau palace in the southern German state of Bavaria. The "Let Them Eat Coal" report, which uses modeling by Climate Analytics researchers in Berlin, shows five of the G7 members, including Germany, have been burning more coal since 2009. In an interview with DW, Oxfam's energy advisor Kiri Hanks says Africa stands to lose millions of tons of staple crops by the 2080s. DW: Can you explain the link established in the "Let Them Eat Coal" report between hunger in Africa and coal plants in G7 countries? Kiri Hanks: We've done some new modeling to make the link between the climate change that G7 coal plants are causing and the impact that this is having on lost harvest. So we show that 7 million tons of staple crops are at risk of being lost by the end of the century if we carry on burning coal at the current rate. Coal-fired power plants are the biggest driver of climate change. The G7 coal fleet alone is emitting twice as much fossil fuel emissions as the whole of Africa, and 10 times as much as the 49 least developed countries. So they still have a huge coal problem and they have to move a lot faster in tackling it. Really, they should be leading the way as the leading group of industrialized economies and the countries with the means to invest in alternatives. The report says Africa's food sources will be particularly impacted by climate change driven by G7 emissions. Can you tell us what that reality looks like in practical terms? The most savage of all the impacts is the effect it's having on farming and the ability of people to feed themselves and grow enough food. Africa in particular will face costs of $84 billion annually by the end of the century. That includes the cost of adapting agricultural practices and irrigating fields, so it's total economic costs that will be caused by G7 coal plants. On the one hand you have the insidious rise in temperature, which will increasingly affect the harvest, but on the other hand you've got the impacts we're already seeing now - more flooding, more drought and more severe weather events. The report also looked at each country's energy grid to make recommendations for phasing out coal. When could the G7 countries realistically become coal-free? We've commissioned research from E3G, an energy specialist think tank, to analyze potential coal phase-out pathways and what policies could be put in place to speed up the transition from coal. For example, the UK, France and Italy could phase out coal within the next five to eight years. The US and Canada could phase out by 2030, Japan by 2035 and Germany by 2040. And this would really be the date of closing their last coal-fired power plant. What strategies can help wean G7 countries off coal? Some countries can move faster than others because you've got forward looking political leadership, different starting points and different energy mixes. In Japan you've got a situation where the government is deliberately following a coal-intensive energy pathway. And they've actually weakened legislation, so it's easier to build a new coal plant than it is to build a wind turbine, for example. Germany is still burning a huge amount of coal, and they're also phasing out nuclear at the same time. Germany could be coal free by 2040, but that would mean first tackling lignite (brown coal) because that's the worst and dirtiest form of coal. We're saying lignite there should be phased out by 2020. Environmental groups have described the G7 summit as an opportunity to create momentum for the Paris climate talks in December, when countries hope to sign a new climate change agreement to curb emissions. How optimistic are you that enough progress will be made? The G7 have huge sway and huge potential to send the right kind of signal to Paris - that they intend to phase out coal. This is one thing they could do that would really give the right message to the rest of the world, especially emerging economies who are going to be the big coal consumers of tomorrow. If the G7 take up their leadership role, they can inspire actions from others by showing that it's possible to phase out coal and maintain a healthy economy. The G7 have also pledged to deliver $100 billion in climate finance to developing countries (agreed at the 2009 UN climate conference in Copenhagen) and yet we're still waiting to see a politically credible road map for that money to be delivered, so these are areas where the G7 could really help momentum ahead of Paris. Kiri Hanks is the energy adviser with Oxfam in Britain. | [
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New police raid on Deutsche Bank HQ in Frankfurt
German investigators have carried out a search on the premises of Deutsche Bank's Frankfurt headquarters. The raid comes as the bank struggles to break free of regulatory issues that led to the resignation of its CEOs.
The investigators carried out their search as "subpoenas" in connection with "an ongoing inquiry," a spokesman for the state prosecutors' office in Frankfurt said. He said the office could not say anything about the reasons for the search because "the operational phase" was still ongoing. A source familiar with the incident said some 30 police officers in 10 police cars had arrived at the Deutsche Bank headquarters in Germany's banking capital to take part in the search. Deutsche Bank, whose premises have been searched several times in the past, confirmed that the raid took place, saying that none of its employees had been charged with any wrongdoing. "I can confirm there were searches today at offices of Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt at the request of prosecutors in Wiesbaden," a bank spokesman said. Wiesbaden is a city just to the west of Frankfurt. "The searches were aimed at obtaining evidence in connection with an inquiry against clients in respect of certain securities transactions," he said. Scandals galore The financial institution has recently been facing a number of legal problems, including probes into alleged manipulation of benchmark interest rates and derivatives, tax evasion and money laundering. Last month, it was fined a record $2.5 billion (2.2 billion euros) for its involvement in manipulating the interbank lending rate Libor. On Sunday, the banks two co-CEOs, Anshu Jain and Jürgen Fitschen, said they would be stepping down amid falling shareholders' confidence. John Cryan, former chief financial officer at Swiss banking giant UBS, will replace Jain when he leaves on June 30, and then become the bank's sole chief executive when Fitschen retires in one year's time. Fitschen is currently on trial in Munich on allegations of perjury stemming from testimony regarding the dissolution of the Kirch media empire. tj/bw (dpa, Reuters) | [
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World Day Against Child Labor highlights conditions on US tobacco farms
An estimated 500,000 children are working on tobacco fields in the United States, most of them in extremely hazardous conditions. World Day Against Child Labor, on June 12, aims to highlight the plight of the children.
Celia Ortiz was only 11 when she started working on tobacco fields in North Carolina. When most children were sleeping late, watching television, or riding their bicycle during spring breaks, Celia would wake up each morning at five to harvest crops for 10 or 12 hours in extremely dangerous conditions. She worked on tobacco fields for seven years. "When you're a child, you're out there because you need the money," she said. "It's not like you're looking for fun." Celia is taking part in the World Day Against Child Labor on June 12 with members of the Child Labor Coalition - a group of nonprofit organizations including Human Rights Watch. The coalition gathered in Washington DC to raise awareness and discuss problems and possible solutions for the country's child labor issue. There are four states that produce 90 percent of the country's tobacco - North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee - and in these states children as young as 7 are working 50-60 hours per week harvesting and cultivating tobacco plants, in most cases with severe repercussions. Human Rights Watch estimates nearly half a million such children work on these fields. "This is perfectly legal in the US," says Zama Coursen-Neff, executive director of the children's rights division at Human Rights Watch. "[It is legal] because of a loophole in child labor laws that makes it legal for children to work in agriculture at far younger ages, for far longer hours, under far more hazardous environments." Nicotine exposure Coursen-Neff took part in an initiative that spoke to over 140 child workers across the United States. "Three-quarters of them reported frequently feeling dizzy, nauseous, or vomiting in the fields," she said. Two-thirds of them displayed symptoms of Green Tobacco Sickness, or nicotine poisoning. This occurs when workers are exposed to wet tobacco plants, through either rain or morning dew, and contact with the plants causes their skin to absorb the toxins. This is extremely hazardous to the younger workers. "Nicotine exposure during adolescence leads to mood disorders, attention deficit, lasting cognitive disorders," Coursen-Neff explained. For Celia, this was all too familiar. She recalls feeling the symptoms of nicotine exposure. "You get dizzy and nauseous," she said. "The world is closing in on you and you feel like you're going to die. I can't even explain it properly." Celia says she only learned of the hazards of her work last year. "From all the years that I worked, they never informed us of the dangers and hazards. When you're young you don't know what to do." Child workers were not given proper protection against the nicotine exposure or frequent usage of pesticide sprays on the crops, which would also fall on their clothes and skin. They were left to find their own ways of protection. "We would put on garbage bags and put holes in them for our head and feet," Celia said. "And we didn't have rain boots so we put grocery bags over our shoes." Humiliation and danger The conditions grew worse as Celia worked over the years. Eventually the farmers stopped providing water to the workers. The children brought their own to stay hydrated, but that led to more complications. "Going to the restroom is another problem. You would have to go to the other side of the field just so nobody could see, just to get some privacy. It's dangerous, especially being a young lady." These lengthy trips for solitude were often met with harsh demands for faster and harder work. "I knew it was wrong that we didn't get water," she remembered. "I knew it was wrong we didn't get restrooms. I knew it was wrong they sprayed pesticide while we were working." Even then, Celia said, there was too much fear to say anything. "It was hard for me to speak up and say, 'Hey I'm sick please take me off the row.' Because you want to prove to adults that you can work like they can, and you want to be paid. That's the fear factor about speaking up." The environment also presented psychological stresses of insecurities and self-doubt. "In one instance I was humiliated and belittled because I didn't do the job as well [as an adult]. I started to think, 'If I can't do this job what makes me think I can do an office job?'" But even that office job is usually a pipe dream. "Unfortunately," explained Coursen-Neff, "the interference of their education and the negative health effects of working in agriculture in the United States perpetuates a cycle of poverty that ultimately leave children often without any other options except to continue working in the fields." She says it's time to break the cycle. "This is a solvable problem. Children are too young to buy cigarettes, and yet right now children are working in fields in the United States being poisoned by nicotine in the fields, and these bills that are in Congress right now can do something about that." The Child Labor Coalition is hoping to lobby for changes to the law, amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that would prohibit child employment in tobacco-related agriculture by "deeming such employment as oppressive child labor." As for Celia, she will return to work. Not in the fields, though - she did get that office job, in a bank. The hope is to turn her exception to the rule into a more common occurrence. | [
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Christopher Springate
Born in: Hong Kong Languages: English, German, French, Portuguese, Spanish, conversational Italian Degrees/Journalistic experience: M.A. in Modern and Mediaeval Languages (St Catharine´s College, Cambridge) Diploma in Periodical Journalism, Grad. Centre for Journalism (City University, London) Diploma in European Journalism (Centre de Formation des Journalistes, Paris) I worked for DW, BBC World Service, Guardian, Independent, New Statesman etc. With DW since: 1992 Favorite quotes: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” (Former US President John F. Kennedy) “Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when there are no rivers.” (Former Soviet Premier, Nikita Kruschev) My personal hero: Nelson Mandela What do I strive to be as a journalist? I have three ideals as a journalist: First of all, I strive to be as independent as possible. I have never been a member of a political party, and never will be. For me, membership of a political party is incompatible with independent journalism. I believe fervently in public service journalism as one of the few sources of independent information in a world full of vested interests. As a journalist, I want to deliver information that is independent of political, economic and cultural influence. Secondly, I strive to be as impartial as possible. This involves reporting on as many sides of the story as possible. There are almost always several perspectives on a story. It is our job as journalists to portray as many of these perspectives as possible and give a full picture of events and issues. It is then up to our audience to make up their own mind. In my view, in mass media such as radio and TV, we journalists should never tell you what to think. And thirdly, I strongly believe in our mission to explain. As journalists, it is our job to put events in a context, to make it easy for our audience to understand what is at stake. With our planet becoming ever more sophisticated and complex, this is a constant challenge. But then … what would life be without challenges, right? 7 trips I must make before I die: 1. The Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area in southern Africa 2. The entire coastline of Mozambique, from Maputo in the south to Ibo in the north 3. The rainbow nation of South Africa, from east to west and then from north to south 4. The Okavango Delta in Botswana, when the water arrives and the animals migrate there 5. North-eastern Brazil, following the footsteps of Walter Salles´ film, “Central Station” 6. The underbelly of the southern US, in a quest for the soul/music of that region 7. Latin America, from coast to coast and from head to toe | [
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Supreme Court blocks Madoff victims from recovering billions
A ruling by the US Supreme Court could block victims of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme from recouping billions of dollars from investors who cashed out before the enterprise of the disgraced financier went bust in 2008.
The high court on Monday said federal bankruptcy law did not permit trustee Irving Picard to recover billions of dollars in payments from some clients of Madoff's fraudulent investment scheme who profited from the now defunct company. Those former Madoff customers sold their shares in Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities more than two years before the firm collapsed on Dec. 11, 2008, walking away with handsome profits. Picard, the bankrupt firm's liquidator, subsequently took action to recover the money that Madoff had swindled from unsuspecting investors, many of whom saw their entire life savings evaporate. Picard sought to win back some $4 billion (3.5 billion euros) from people who withdrew more than they invested, but a federal court barred him from doing so late last year. Monday's Supreme Court decision let that ruling stand. 'Clawbacks' According to lawyers in the case, the courts have blocked Picard and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation - a nonprofit that helps customers recover funds when brokerages go under - from directly recoving some $2 billion. It also complicated the process of getting back a further $2 billion. The courts' recalcitrance was due to clauses in federal bankruptcy code that aim to prevent such "clawbacks." When Congress wrote the laws, representatives hoped to preclude the kind of "significant market disruption" that recovering lost funds from brokerages could cause. Madoff was exposed a fraud when the financial crisis struck and it became clear that he had perpetrated the world's greatest known financial fraud. The impact of his Ponzi scheme has meanwhile been estimated at $65 billion. cjc/hg (AFP, Reuters) | [
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Whose side are we on? The financial crisis and Greeks in Germany
Greek expats living in Germany are in a strange quandary. It is tough to take sides, when they are torn between a desire to speak for the Greek people and yet vouch for the country where they lead relatively easy lives.
"Can you have any opinion at all about this crisis," yells Theo (name changed), as he shoves journalists out of his tiny Greek restaurant in Bonn. He refused to say a word about Athens, shutting his eyes and closing his ears every time he hears the word "Tsipras." Athens has defaulted a debt repayment of 1.5 billion euros to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and is speeding towards bankruptcy. The eurozone's leaders' willingness to compromise is rapidly shrinking and a referendum this Sunday will decide whether the Greeks support Prime Minister Tsipras' proposals or whether they side with the European Union. Against this volatile backdrop, finding out what Greeks, who live in Germany's former capital, think about their country's problems, can be a tough call. A journalist has to, paparazzo-like, sneakily ask questions about the weather or order several rounds of drinks before a kind waiter at a Greek restaurant finally relents and speaks on the dreaded subject. "You can tell the whole world that my staff and I support the European Union and what the European Central Bank has proposed to Greece," says Alex, the owner of a popular restaurant by the Rhine in Bonn. He hopes the referendum on Sunday will be for the European Union's proposal and that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will have to step down. You need "Vitamin B" in Greece Nikos, who sells gyros and pita at a Bonn suburb, is of Greek origin, but the 26-year-old considers himself more German than Greek. "Greeks are lazy," he laments, adding that only connections to important people help you get your job done. "Vitamin B is the only thing that works," he claims, referring to connections - "Beziehungen" in German, using a popular metaphor. But Nikos is aware of the problems that have been bothering his extended family back in Thessaloniki. He has been saving up to send money to his cousins, many of who don't have enough money to buy food. "Many children come to school without having had anything to eat at home," says Sokratis Ntallis, archpriest at the Orthodox Greek Church in Bonn. "The church makes food and clothes available to such people," he adds. The Orthodox Church in Germany works together with its Greek counterpart to help those in need. These include Greece's younger generation, many of whom have been driven to suicide after they couldn't handle the financial turmoil. Why it's tough to take sides Compared to life in Greece, Elena Aliki Papyrou has it easy in Germany. The professional translator from Athens has been living in Bonn for almost ten years now. News from home has been depressing lately. "Many of my friends have moved out of the country to find jobs and a better future. They are affected not only financially. The quality of life has also suffered. They work a lot for less money," she adds. For Elena, Greece's people have themselves been largely responsible for the crisis today. "Corruption has been rampant in the last 50 years and it simply got transferred from one government to another," Elena explains, adding that Greeks didn't even think what they were voting for. "The people of my country will have to use their minds," she hopes. But speaking their mind is not what many Greeks in Bonn want to do right now. Some feel that their opinions may not be representative of all the Greeks living in the city. For many, like Alex, speaking his mind may mean bad business. "The last time the markets crashed, in 2008, we spoke to many journalists from different channels. After a week, we lost over 10 percent of our clientele," he says. The food business has its ups and downs, but since the beginning of this year, several customers have simply stopped coming, he adds. Like Alex, most Greeks here in Bonn feel that having an opinion on Greece's finances is a difficult task. Greeks on Sunday will have to decide carefully, what is best for them. A Grexit is unthinkable for these expats, for Europe cannot exist without Greece. "Europa is a Greek word," Alex sums up his emotions in one sentence. | [
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Greece's woes reveal a 'democracy crisis' in Europe: political scientist Jürgen Neyer
Political scientist Jürgen Neyer sees parliamentary democracy in a crisis of its own, with two different concepts of democracy crashing into each other. The financial misery in Greece is making this visible, he told DW.
DW: What light is being shed on democracy right now in Europe by the debt crisis? The debt crisis is drawing attention to fundamentally different ideas of democracy that exist in Europe. We have the old or classical concept, which identifies democracy with the traditional sense of sovereignty of a people. We can still see this within Greece, where a society decides on its own via a democratic election how it should live. This idea is simply not viable in contemporary Europe. We have a plurality of societies existing simultaneously that are beginning to develop and grow together on account of the central institutional system. The main question now doesn't necessarily concern Greek debt or how Athens is going to repay its bills, but rather the extent to which Greece is ready to cooperate and follow the rules in this European system. Which concept of democracy prevails in the European Union? The societies are holding to their own rights for self-determination in their own politics. This means that the Germans don't decide on their own anymore, the French don't decide on their own anymore, the Greeks don't decide on their own anymore, because they have to take into consideration how the rules that have been agreed to will affect each nation. This hinders national sovereignty drastically. What role do institutions such as the European Central Bank play? There are portions of politics that are simply removed from the parliamentary process. For competition policy, the European Commission is responsible, and for financial and currency policy the European Central Bank is the main player. We confer responsibility to so-called independent agencies, which means we give influence to the "experts." This is extremely difficult to merge with the classical understanding of democracy. And I must say that the current crisis in Greece has been integral in exposing this. How should this institutional and political apparatus change to favor more democracy? The question is initially whether the societies in Europe even want more sovereignty. If they do want this, then they will have to part, to a certain extent, with the shared European rules. And if 28 different societies want to both co-exist and decide for themselves how to live, you can imagine how hard it would be to come up with shared rules. There must be an array of options on the table. Does Europe want to move in the direction of a federal republic and treat Greece, for example, like Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the Saarland, as a kind of federal welfare state? Or does Europe want to become a collection of national states? Or would a third concept work better? This kind of fundamental discussion about political order is not exactly taking place at the moment. Do political parties like the Alternative for Germany (AfD) or the leftist Podemos in Spain or Syriza in Greece have an important function? These are indeed very important. I am not a sympathizer with any of these kinds of parties, but at the same time, it must be said that they are the ones sticking their finger into the sore spot of the European integration process. And this process needs urgent political attention. Jürgen Neyer teaches at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder). His area of concentration is the institutional order of the European Union. This interview was conducted by Andreas Gorzewski. | [
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Fires rage across Spain's Canary Islands
Thousands of people have been evacuated on Spain's Canary Islands to escape forest fires sweeping across the islands of La Palma and La Gomera. Fire fighters and the military are trying to bring the flames under control.
The fires raged for the second day on Sunday, devastating thousands of hectares of pine forest on the popular holiday island of La Palma. Around 4,000 residents and tourists had to flee their homes and were moved into a temporary shelter. Around 30 homes and several wineries have been burned down. Some 500 firefighters, forest rangers and military personnel, including from neighboring islands, were called in to deal with the fires. Spanish air force planes and helicopters are also involved in efforts to bring the blaze under control. The flames were fanned by strong winds and were spreading on several fronts while a fresh outbreak was detected on the smaller island of La Gomera. Spain has seen temperatures soar to well over 30 degrees Celsius. The fire has struck at the height of the holiday season – the archipelago off the Atlantic coast of northern Africa entirely depends on tourism. Local authorities said they hoped to bring the blaze under control on Sunday. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is expected to fly to La Palma later in the day to oversee efforts to tackle the fire. Since the the start of this year, at least eight people have been killed by fires in mainland Spain. Fires have ravaged some 75,000 hectares of land, almost double the number as for the whole of 2008. ai/AFP/AP/Reuters Editor: Sonia Phalnikar | [
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Chirac Launches Development Aid Foundation
Former French President Jacques Chirac has started a private foundation dedicated to development and environmental issues, as well as cultural preservation. Meanwhile, Chirac still faces corruption accusations.
Chirac will officially inaugurate the foundation at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, June 9, together with supporters like former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohammad Yunus. "In the face of major world challenges, I still want to fight," said Chirac last week in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro -- his first public interview since leaving office last year. "The foundation is the perfect tool for this. "I want to stir and awaken consciences." Named after the 75-year-old former president, the foundation has begun half a dozen projects since it was legally established in March with a one-million euro ($1.57 million) endowment and a small staff. The endeavors focus on providing access to clean water and medicine, combating deforestation and preserving dying languages. Chirac is to announce the next set of projects on Monday. Under investigation The inauguration event marks a rare public appearance by the former head of state, who has been battling corruption allegations since losing his presidential immunity last year. He is under suspicion of embezzling city funds for political purposes during his time as mayor of Paris between 1977 and 1995. Last November, he was placed under formal investigation, a major step toward full criminal charges. Chirac denies the allegations. | [
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Long necks, fat bellies, shrill colors: How Florence's 16th-century artists saw people
We might not consider them beautiful, but Florence's Mannerism portraits were groundbreaking in art history. Some are being shown in Germany for the first time, at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt.
"Elegant, cultivated, artificial," is how curator Bastian Eclercy describes the style of a new generation of Florentine Mannerism artists in the early 16th century. They wanted to set themselves apart from the grand masters of the Renaissance, such as Leonardo, Michelangelo or Raffael. Shrill colors, disproportionate limbs, unusual forms and perspectives were the trademark of art works during this era. Bastian Eclercy calls them "capricious and extravagant, at times bizarre." Numerous significant paintings, designs and sculptures of this era form part of the exhibition "Maniera. Pontormo, Bronzino and the Florence of the Medici," curated by Bastian Eclercy in Frankfurt's Städel Museum. Bronzino's painting "Portrait of a Lady in Red" is both starting point and center piece of the exhibition. It's not only one of the most valuable works of art in the museum's possession , but also one of the key works of Florentine portrait painting. The portrait featuring a lady clad in a red dress and holding a small dog on her lap appears sublime and lofty. She looks down at her admirers with an aloof expression on her noble face - an effect purposefully created by Bronzino, the court painter of the Medici. Art on loan from all over the world Painters such as Rosso Fiorentino were more daring in the way in which they dealt with classical motives than, for example, Renaissance painter Raffael. That difference in approach becomes clearly discernible in the exhibition. Whereas Raffael created his work "Madonna Esterházy" (ca. 1507/08) with soft colors and a well organized and simple structure, Fiorentino's portrait of the Madonna, the child and John (ca. 1515) is more dynamic and cheeky: The facial traits of the two boys are almost reminiscent of a caricature, and the Madonna's transparent dress allows the beholder to sneak a peek at her breasts and belly button. The Städel Museum shows a total of 120 works from museums from all over the world, among them the Paris Louvre, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the State Gallery in Stuttgart, with the aim of presenting the entire range of stylistic variety and the particular obstinacy of Florentine artists. Many of these impressive art works originate in Florence, the center of Mannerism. Jacopo Pontormo's "Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand," which depicts human suffering in a very physical way, is a loan item from the Galleria Palatina. The portrait of "The Duke Alessandro de' Medici" by Giorgio Vasari, featuring the Florentine sovereign in a suit of armor, is part of the collection of the world-famous Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Medicis - obsessed with power and fond of culture In the exhibition, the paintings are presented in eight different parts, thus reflecting different chapters in the rich history of the city, while throwing light on the immense influence of the powerful Medici family on the world of art. Another central theme is also the widespread political unrest of the era, including the conquest of Rome by Charles V and the temporary expulsion of the Medici from Florence. Apart from paintings, designs and sculptures, curator Eclercy also made an effort to include architectural aspects of Mannerism in his exhibition. For that purpose, the Städel Museum constructed a copy of the vestibule of the Biblioteca Laurenziana with Michelangelo's famous staircase in a proportion of 1:3. That masterwork had once been commissioned by the Medici Pope Clement VII. How Mannerism got its name Giorgio Vassari was not only a blessed artist and the court painter of the Medicis, but has also gained particular significance for the study of art. That's why a whole chapter has been dedicated to him in the exhibition. The second edition of his main work "Le Vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori, ed architettori" (The Lives of the most Eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects),written in 1568, has remained the first systematic description of art history which also contains the first theoretical debates on Mannerism. And Vassari also served as the eponym of this art style: "Maniera" (Italian for Mannerism), which is derived from "mano" (hand), means "way" or "fashion," and describes the individual style of the Mannerists. The exhibition "Maniera. Pontormo, Bronzino and the Florence of the Medici" is shown in Frankfurt's Städel Museum from February 24 through June 5, 2016. | [
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Two deadly explosions rock Mogadishu
Two explosions have rocked the center of Mogadishu. A Somali police official confirmed that gunmen have also forced their way into a prestigious hotel in the Somali capital.
Eyewitnesses reported that the first of the two blasts could be heard 15 kilometers (10 miles) outside of the city on Friday. It reportedly took place at a central hotel in the city and was accompanied by heavy gunfire. A second explosion was later confirmed by a government employee. Residents reported a large plume of smoke rising above the city. Police said a suicide bomber had rammed his car into the SYL hotel's entrance at 7:45 p.m. local time (1645 GMT) and that a number of gunmen had then entered the premises after an exchange of gunfire with hotel guards. There was no definitive information on casualties but the German news agency dpa reported that at least 20 people had died, citing a local government spokesman. Several more were wounded, it said. Police Major Ahmad Ismail told the Reuters news agency that it remained unclear whether the fighters were still inside the hotel. Al-Shabab claims responsibility The SYL hotel, also known as the Somali Youth League hotel, is located across from the presidential palace in Mogadishu and is frequented by government officials and business executives. The Islamic extremist al-Shabab group, which is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network, claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier this month, the group attempted to bomb a Daallo airlines flight en route from Mogadishu to Djibouti. The blast tore a gaping hole to the plane's fuselage and sucked the attacker out of the plane. Al-Shabab carries out attacks government facilities in Mogadishu on a regular basis, seeking to establish an Islamist state in Somalia. ss/sms (AFP, AP, Reuters) | [
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Russia mulls resuming direct flights to Egypt
Russia's top diplomat has announced Moscow's intentions to resume flights to Egypt after 2015's aviation tragedy. Metrojet, the downed aircraft's operator, was banned from undertaking domestic and international flights.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced on Wednesday that Moscow was working with Egyptian authorities to resume "direct air links" to Egypt, in comments carried by Russia's state-owned TASS news agency. "We agreed to restore air links as soon as possible, provided the highest security standards are guaranteed for Russian citizens," Lavrov said after meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in the nation's capital. Moscow banned all direct flights to Egypt in November after a Russian passenger plane was downed over the Sinai Peninsula shortly after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh, a well-known tourist destination on the Red Sea. The "Islamic State"-affiliated militant group Sinai Province claimed responsibility for bringing down the Airbus A321 aircraft by smuggling a bomb onto the passenger plane. In a statement posted online, the militant group said the attack was made in retaliation for Russian airstrikes against "Islamic State" targets in Syria. Russian investigators confirmed the plane was brought down by an explosive device, although Egyptian authorities said there was a lack of evidence to prove the militant group's claims. 'Security for our citizens' Lavrov said Russian and Egyptian authorities have been in contact to ensure the necessary security measures have been implemented by Cairo. "Specific recommendations were formulated. Our specialists are certain they will provide reliable security for our citizens who travel to Egypt and from Egypt by air. The Egyptian side has considered these recommendations and, as far as I understand, were supported in general," added Russia's top diplomat. Egypt's Red Sea tourist destinations, including Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, were considered some of the most popular vacation spots for Russian citizens prior to the aviation disaster. Moscow's decision to ban direct civilian flights to Egypt further damaged the country's ailing tourism industry, one of its main sources of foreign currency. Meanwhile, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency on Wednesday banned Kogalymavia, which operated the downed flight under the name Metrojet, from undertaking international and domestic flights due to "discrepancies and violations" following safety inspections, TASS reported. | [
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Obama nominates Merrick Garland to Supreme Court
US President Barack Obama has nominated Merrick Garland to serve as the Supreme Court's ninth justice. The president is preparing for a tense battle with Republicans over who will replace the late Antonin Scalia.
On Wednesday, President Obama announced his nomination of Garland, the chief judge for the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. At a press conference on the White House lawn, Obama extolled Garland's virtues, including his integrity, modesty and even-handedness, and his attitude "that all views deserve a respectful ear." "To find someone with such a long career in public service ... who just about everyone not only respects but genuinely likes, that is rare," Obama told reporters. "And it speaks to who Merrick Garland is, not just as a lawyer, but as a man." Washington is gearing up for a tense, months-long battle between the White House and the Republican-controlled Senate, which must confirm the nominee. A lot hinges on the choice to replace the late Antonin Scalia - for both Democrats and Republicans. On one side, Democrats want to preserve the Obama administration's liberal agenda by using the opportunity to tilt the Supreme Court in a more left-leaning direction for the first time in generations. On the other side, Republicans are dead-set on ensuring that a replacement stays true to the legacy of Scalia, a revered conservative who died in February. Gearing up for a fight Congressional Republicans have already said they'd refuse to consider Obama's nomination, insisting they would wait until after the presidential election in November before moving forward with the nomination process. During his press conference, Obama spoke out against the Republicans' position, calling it "unprecedented." "It is tempting to make this confirmation process simply an extension of our divided politics," Obama said. "But to go down that path would be wrong. It would be a betrayal of our best traditions." Obama sent an email to his supporters earlier in the day, in which he defended his decision to go forward with the nomination even as the political atmosphere in the country grows more polarized by the day. "In putting forward a nominee today, I am fulfilling my constitutional duty. I'm doing my job," Obama said. "I hope that our senators will do their jobs, and move quickly to consider my nominee." The 63-year-old Garland, considered a moderate, was confirmed to the DC Circuit in 1997 by both Democrats and Republicans. | [
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Welcome into the world
It's not all bad news for the planet's plants and animals - while many species are going extinct, fresh ones are also being discovered. DW presents newcomers for 2016.
Fancy Indian crabs The discovery of five new species of colorful freshwater crabs in the Western Ghats, India, is certainly good news. The mountains are a biodiversity hotspot in the world, for their rich variety of animals and plants. Unfortunately, there are great threats against them. These freshwater crabs are characterized by bright colors: from silvery grey to luminous pink. As opposed to marine crabs, these species have adapted to terrestrial mode of life and only need a freshwater pool for breeding. Findings on the new crabs were published in the journal "Zootaxa" in February 2016. Pictured above, Gubernatoriana thackerayi - named after its discoverer - has especially unique coloration among its relatives. Scarlet embellishes its shell and walking legs, while a flashy orange is reserved for the two pinchers. Casper the octopus Some cephalopods can change the color of their skin as a camouflage technique. This ghostlike octopus, on its side, lacks pigment cells altogether. The new species was found near the Hawaiian island of Necker by zoologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Social media users couldn't pass up the comparison of the newly discovered animal, and its translucent appearance gained it the nickname Casper. Giant baby Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic plants, the flowers of which are known as the largest in the world and emit an overpowering smell of rotting flesh. Most of the - including the distantly related "corpse flower" - are found in southeastern Asia countries such as the Philippines, home to many rare and endangered species. Recently discovered Rafflesia consueloae, on the Philippine island of Luzon, is the smallest of the largest flowers in the world. So small, that it can "only" reach a diameter up to 12.7 centimeters when fully extended. It was described and illustrated in the journal PhytoKeys in February 2016. Something is shining over there In the 21st century, more than 100 new species of reptiles and amphibians have been found in India. A team of researchers from the United Kingdom and India - lead by David Gower from the Natural History Museum in London - has recently added a new name to the list. The "Khaire's black shieldtail" has been described in a paper published in the scientifc journal "Zootaxa." In the wild, attractive colors are often linked to poisonous animals. However, despite its appearence, the newfound species belongs to a genus of non-venomous shieldtail snakes. Melanophidium khairei is the first species described in this genus for 144 years. 'Zorro' unmasked The cousin to piranhas pictured above is vegetarian, feeding on seeds, fruit and vegetation. Found in a tributary of the Amazon River, in western Brazil, the new fish has a length of about 45 centimeters. It has been named Myloplus zorroi, combining the names of the fictional black masked character Zorro and a renowned fish researcher. The finding was published in the scientific journal "ZooKeys" on March 7, 2016. Tarantula rock star Scientists in the United States have recently identified 14 new species of tarantula - among them, Johnny Cash. This spider has black hair, and was found near the prison were Cash recorded his famous song "Folsom Prison Blues," in California. It was described in the scientific journal "ZooKeys" on February 4, 2016. In Australia, the recent discovery of an endemic spider has also attracted scientists. It uses water vibrations to move and trap aquatic prey such as fish or toads. Less high-profile than its glamorous relative, it has simply been named Brian. Widespread neighborhood More than 7,000 known species of amphibians exist worldwide. A thumbnail-sized frog and the Honnametti bush frog in India; the Asian litter frog in China; and a frog with yellow eyebrows in Colombia have been among the 2016 newcomers. To top it off, the identity of a rare tree frog - with a novel way of feeding its young - has been verified. It was rediscovered in north India after thought to be extinct for more than a century. | [
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Australian stock exchange boss steps down
The head of Australia's stock exchange resigned Monday amid allegations of bribery at a gambling group he previously ran. Elmer Funke Kupper had been CEO of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) since October 2011.
Funke Kupper has also taken a leave of absence from the board of Tabcorp, Australia's largest bookmaker, which is currently being investigated by the Australian Federal Police. The allegations center on a payment of $151,460 (134,535 euros) to the bookmaker by relatives of Cambodia's Prime Minister Hen Sen. Tabcorp, a publicly listed company, had reportedly been looking to expand into the country. Funke Kupper told the media last week that he had no recollection of such a payment during his four years at the helm of Tabcorp, which said it did not pursue the expansion opportunity in Cambodia. ASX chairman Rick Holliday-Smith said the board "accepted that Elmer wanted to direct his full focus to the investigations which may be made into the Tabcorp matter - and not have them interfere with the important role of leading the ASX". A statement by the ASX announced that Rick Holliday-Smith will take over Funke Kupper's duties until a replacement is found. AFP, ASX (hch/bea) | [
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Russian court sentences Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko to 22 years for murder
The Ukrainian pilot received her sentence a day after being found guilty by a Russian court over the killing of two journalists. Savchenko has been at the center of the conflict between Kyiv and pro-Moscow separatists.
The 34-year-old Savchenko was sentenced to 22 years in jail after the court found her guilty of giving the coordinates used in an attack that killed two journalists who worked for the Russian state TV broadcaster VGTRK. Savchenko has become one of the most famous faces of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine after she was taken into custody by pro-Moscow rebels in June 2014. Following her arrest, Kyiv granted her diplomatic immunity by appointing her as a representative to the Council of Europe. However, Moscow argued she still had to stand trial, as the alleged crime occurred after the appointment was made. She has denied any wrongdoing, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called on Moscow to return her to the country. Russian officials have suggested they are open to handing Savchenko over as part of a prisoner swap. The pilot responded to the sentencing in court by singing aloud the Ukrainian national anthem. Complicit in murder Savchenko was also found guilty of illegally crossing the Russian border. On Monday, the Russian court declared that Savchenko, "having skills of military training, and experience in military actions in Iraq, while on a holiday, on her own choice in order to participate in the armed conflict in Ukraine's southeast, came to the Aidar batallion under commander Sergey Melnichuk, which was located in the town of Schastye in the Luhansk region." The court said Melnichuk was primarily responsible for the killings, and that he'd supplied the pilot with the gear and equipment. Savchenko has called the accusations a "lie," something also echoed by both Brussels and Washington, who believe the pilot was abducted by pro-Moscow rebels and falsely charged. Russia has been accused of backing the rebellion in the eastern part of the country, which erupted after demonstrators forced President Viktor Yanukovich out of office in February 2014. The ensuing conflict has led to the deaths of more than 9,000 people, according to the UN. blc/msh (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa) | [
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Trump vows to undo Iran deal, NATO funding at AIPAC meeting
Leading US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has received a lukewarm response from pro-Israeli advocates. The mogul toned down his fiery rhetoric for the annual AIPAC conference.
In a speech to an influential pro-Israel lobby on Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed to take apart the Iran nuclear deal and strengthen ties with Jerusalem. At the meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Trump also promised to push back against United Nations interference in Israeli interests. "My number one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran," said the Republican front-runner. In a change from his usual firebrand off-the-cuff speeches, Trump made the unconventional decision to read from a teleprompter at Monday's event. According to DW's Richard Walker, the real estate mogul's assertion that he had studied the Iran deal more than anyone else garnered a degree of derision from spectators, but they warmed to him when he promised to revoke the agreement. "I have been in business a long time. I know deal making. And let me tell you, this deal is catastrophic. For America, for Israel and for the whole of the Middle East," Trump said. He then reaffirmed his commitment to side with Israel in peace negotiations with Palestine, promising to resist UN attempts to pressure Israel. "The Palestinians must come to the table knowing that the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable," he said. Trump: US can't afford NATO Shortly before addressing the AIPAC event, Trump told an CNN interviewer that he would also move the US embassy to Jerusalem and cut American funding to NATO. "The fact is I would like to see it moved, I would like to see it in Jerusalem," the Republican candidate said. Both Palestine and Israel consider the ancient city their capital, prompting most nations, including the US, to station their missions in the less controversial Tel Aviv. Furthering questioning long-standing Washington policy, Trump also swore to reduce spending to defense organization NATO if elected. "We are paying disproportionately. It's too much and frankly it's a different world than it was when we originally conceived of the idea," he said. "We have to reconsider. Keep NATO, but maybe we have to pay a lot less toward NATO itself." Trump even went so far as to say he'd work closer with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose authoritarian policies in eastern Ukraine have seen tensions with NATO reach their most dire level since the end of the Cold War. | [
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Europa League finalist Dnipro among three clubs handed European ban
Having defied all odds to reach the Europa League final last year, Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk have now been banned from European competition over financial violations.
Last year's Europa League finalist Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk of Ukraine has been named among three clubs banned from European competition by UEFA over financial issues. UEFA announced on Thursday that Dnipro, Azerbaijan's Inter Baku and Romania's Targu Mures would be excluded from the next European competition for which they qualify in the next three seasons. All three clubs had been ordered by UEFA to clear "overdue payables" and told they would be excluded from Europe unless they cleared those debts by January 31. "I did not imagine this could have happened to the club that was playing in the Europa League final half a year ago," Dnipro head coach Myron Markevych, whose side knocked out Ajax and Napoli on route to the Europa League final last year, which they lost 3-2 to Sevilla, told the “Segodnya” newspaper. "How could it happen? I am not aware of the president's plans and how he sees the future of the club. We've got new debts. I know the foreign players are making new complaints. We have not been paid for four months at all. "This is very bad for us," Markevych added. "We have been playing on the European stage for 10 years and now we have been kicked off for something which is not the fault of the players and coaches.” UEFA gave no statement on another Romanian club, Astra Giurgiu, which had been given the same January 31 deadline. | [
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Death toll mounts in Kolkata flyover crash as rescuers search for survivors
Many people have died and more than 150 have been injured after a flyover collapsed in the eastern Indian city. Rescuers are meanwhile working tirelessly to find people buried under the debris.
At least 21 people have died and around 60 injured people have been admitted to nearby hospitals, dpa news agency reported. The incident occurred on Thursday morning after 80 meters (260 feet) of the flyover collapsed in Kolkata's busy Burrabazar area. "The guilty will not be spared. We will take action against builders. This is a very serious incident," Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal, told reporters. "But our first priority is to rescue the trapped, treat the injured in hospital and console the families of those who have died," she added. India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, expressed his condolences on Twitter. Flyover collapse an 'act of God' Some 400 army personnel, including engineers and medical workers, were deployed at the site. The chief of the disaster response force, O.P. Singh, said the operation was a "very very challenging task." Workers used bulldozers, saws, special cameras and sniffer dogs to find survivors. IVCRL, the construction company building the flyover, said it was missing 30-40 people who had been working on the site. "We completed nearly 70 percent of the construction work without any mishap," IVCRL's senior official K.P. Rao told officials. However, the company was widely criticized after another senior employee, named only as Dilip, described the incident as "a total act of God." Many Indians took to Twitter to express their frustration at the hazard. Sonal criticized the builders for calling the tragedy an "act of God." This user criticized the corrupt political system and negligence that led to the flyover crash. mg/rc (AP, dpa) | [
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Icelandic activist: 'Turkey is the last place refugees want to go'
Chios is one of five hotspots in Greece where refugees are being imprisoned until they get shipped off to Turkey. DW spoke to the activist and blogger Benjamin Julian about the precarious situation.
DW: How long have you been on the island of Chios? Benjamin Julian: I've been here for two weeks now. I came here on the day the Turkish deal went into effect. How many helpers are still there? It's a little bit hard to estimate. There are two or three soup kitchens, Soli Café and local solidarity groups which also called for protests at the detention center last Thursday. There is also staff of UNHCR here. Are any other large human rights organizations present? There is also a person from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch might be sending someone and the Norwegian refugee council was here as well. The presence is not as big in Chios, partly because a lot of them pulled out when the hotspot regime started. What can you tell us about the situation of prisoners escaping from the Hotspot on Friday? There is a long experience in Chios of having the refugees in open facilities. This system seemed to have little trouble. Since the closed camps have started after the Turkish deal, the mood soured a lot, and it's not just because there are closed camps now, although that is a big reason for it, I would say it is at least as much because they are told when they arrive at the closed camps that the idea is to deport them. They know that a million people went to Europe last year and now suddenly they are the first group who is not allowed in. So then the local solidarity groups called for a protest on Thursday. While they were protesting outside, the people inside were also protesting which they have been doing daily. They broke out of the prison while the protests were ongoing. In the end they went back inside, but were determined to break out again, which they did. Partly out of immense frustration at the humiliating way they were being treated. And partly because they feel they are being kept in a prison where the guards are not even able to keep them in. I assume all the people you have talked to are against going to Turkey? Oh yes, definitely. That is the least of all places they want to go to. Some Syrians would rather go to Syria than go to Turkey. Some would rather be in Greece than be deported to Turkey and many say that neither is an option. Those are the two options Europe is offering them. Most of them want to go to Northern Europe. [Many refugees, meanwhile, have now applied for asylum in Greece, hoping to stay in Europe, the Ed.] Which refugees are able to apply for asylum in Greece? The whole asylum history has been a fiasco from the beginning. The first days the policemen didn't even know what do to with asylum requests. A few days in they just started saying that it would happen and that they would sort of accept your name on a list, a list of people wanting asylum, but they couldn't do anything about it. And when the agreement finally came, it was semi-broken and had several problems. It was just a big dilemma everybody expected to happen. This is what you get when you want to create a revolution in an asylum system that is supposed to happen in two days. It's impossible, it's not doable. Since then people have been applying for asylum and they are supposed to get interviews, but I don't know if anyone actually had one yet. One person in the camp told me this morning that some of the people who just got deported applied for asylum, but did not get an interview. I don't know if it is confirmed, but it sounds to me like the fiasco is not over. There is still not a solid system about asylum processing and it is not being done in an effective way. So yesterday, you saw the first boat leaving for Turkey. Do you know how fast the deportation is going to go now? Yes, the first boat left in the morning, earlier than expected, just after sunrise. The idea is to deport everyone. Boats are expected to come daily, at least in the next three days. There are very few cases that will get asylum here because of conditions uncertain. If they can show that they are being persecuted in Turkey, but there we are talking about a handful of people. All the other thousands are supposed to apply for asylum or anything close to that once they are in Turkey. However, I am not sure if Turkey will offer that to them. It seems to me that Europe is just going along with the scheme, no matter what the legal background to it is. I think the European Union is doing this to send a message to refugees who are thinking about coming. How difficult is it to speak to people over the fence? It is hard, because the police doesn't really allow it. If you get caught, you risk spending a few hours at the police station. But I've done it a few times, less and less actually. What is the food and hygiene situation like in the hotspots? It is bad, but it is definitely not what frustrates them the most. How long are you going to stay there? I will stay for a few more days, but I might go to Turkey now to see what things are like on the other end. I was there before but now I am curious to see what happens next. As far as I know there is still no reception for them. They are still building it. Benjamin Julian is an Icelandic activist and author of the blog "On the refugee trail." | [
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IMF warns global recovery 'too slow, too fragile'
International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde has ramped up her calls for stronger policies by the world's economies to boost growth, warning that downside risks would only increase without decisive action.
In a speech at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, on Tuesday, Christine Lagarde outlined specific policy actions to spur global growth, warning that the recovery from the 2008-2009 financial crisis "remains too slow, too fragile." "Let me be clear: We are on alert, not alarm. There has been a loss of growth momentum," Lagarde said, adding that if policymakers across the world would act together to confront the challenges, "the positive effects on global confidence will be substantial." The IMF chief urged the United States to raise its minimum wage, expand tax credits for the working poor and improve family leave benefits. She also called on European countries to implement better training and employment-matching policies to help reduce unemployment among young people. Moreover, emerging economies should cut fuel subsidies and boost social spending, she demanded, while countries with high and growing debts and elevated borrowing costs should pursue further fiscal consolidation. Risks mounting Her remarks come less than two weeks before senior ministers, central bankers and other policymakers from the IMF's 188 member countries gather in Washington for the IMF and World Bank spring meetings to assess the health of the world economy. The global emergency lender has already indicated it will cut its current 2016 global growth forecast of 3.4 percent next week when it publishes fresh forecasts at the meeting in Washington. During her speech in Frankfurt, Largarde said weak global growth was "exacerbated" by China's relative economic slowdown, lower commodity prices and the prospect of financial tightening for many countries. "Emerging markets had largely driven the recovery and the expectation was that the advanced economies would pick up the 'growth baton.' This has not happened," she said, adding that other risks, such as uncertainties from terrorist attacks or "the silent threat of global epidemics" were also a factor. Lagarde also warned against resorting to protectionist policies, as the US presidential candidates publicly questioned free trade agreements and Europe sought to rein in free movement in response to the refugee crisis. "To some, the answer is to look inward ... to close borders and to retreat into protectionism," she observed. "But history has told us - time and again - this would be a tragic course." Greek debt crisis re-emerges In her remarks, Lagarde did not mention negotiations between the IMF, European lenders and Greece for a new bailout program for the heavily indebted eurozone country. After the whistleblowing Web site Wikileaks published an apparent transcript of a controversial IMF conference call over the weekend, Lagarde denied on Monday that IMF staff might threaten to pull out of the Greek bailout as a negotiating tactic to force more European debt relief for Greece. The issue forced the German government to again rule out debt relief for Greece in an effort to rally skeptical members of chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party behind the third Greek bailout package worth 86 billion euros ($97 billion). uhe/cjc (dpa, AFP, Reuters) | [
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New clashes erupt between Armenia, Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh
Clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces have killed at least 13 people in a third day of fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey is backing Baku as the worst violence in decades hits the disputed territory.
US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Monday to review efforts to stop the violence that has broken out along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of conflict and how to get Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume talks. Russia and the West have scrambled to call for an end to the fighting. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - a staunch ally of Azerbaijan - insisted that the Armenian-controlled region was rightfully part of Azerbaijan. "Karabakh will one day return to its original owner. It will be Azerbaijan's," Erdogan said in televised remarks. Separatist authorities in Karabakh - which claim independence but are supported by Armenia - said three civilians and two more soldiers were killed in fierce shelling. And Azerbaijan said three of its troops were killed overnight when Armenian forces shelled its positions using mortars and grenade launchers. This comes as Armenia warns of a wider war against its neighbor. "A further escalation of military actions could lead to unpredictable and irreversible effects, up to a widespread war," Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at a meeting with an envoy of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Interfax news agency reported. "This will naturally affect the security and stability of not only the South Caucasus but also Europe," Sargsyan was quoted as saying. In an apparent reference to Erdogan's bullish statements, the Russian foreign ministry said: "Lavrov and Kerry condemned attempts by certain external players to instigate confrontation around Karabakh." Decades of conflict in region Ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Armenia seized control of mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh - a majority ethnic Armenian region - during the twilight days of the Soviet Union. The foes have never signed a peace deal despite the 1994 ceasefire and some 30,000 people have lost their lives in the conflict. Energy-rich Azerbaijan, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire state budget, has repeatedly threatened to take back the breakaway region by force. jar/bw (AFP, Reuters, dpa) | [
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Obama calls Libya his 'worst mistake'
US President Barack Obama has spoken in an interview about the biggest mistake of his presidency, which he considers the 2011 campaign in Libya. Five years later, the North African country remains unstable.
In an interview with US broadcaster Fox News, President Obama spoke candidly about his lack of foresight in the aftermath of the fall of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. He said that his "worst mistake" was "probably failing to plan for the day after what I think was the right thing to do in intervening in Libya." Since the downfall of Gadhafi, who was killed in the course of a popular uprising, Libya has spiraled into chaos and anarchy, with the country split up and ruled by rival militias vying for power. The self-styled "Islamic State" (IS) group managed to gain influence in the country amid that power vacuum as well. A UN-back unity government might be in sight but the balance of power in Libya remains feeble. Praise for Clinton as Secretary of State The president added that his former secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton, was "outstanding," defending the current presidential candidate, who has been facing criticism over her use of a personal email server for official correspondence as the US' top diplomat during her tenure between 2009 and 2013. Clinton's private-server emails reportedly contained classified material, including 22 messages with top secret information. "She would never intentionally put America in any kind of jeopardy," Obama told Fox News' Chris Wallace. Clinton has faced a number of lawsuits seeking the release of the documents under freedom of information laws in the US and has had to defend herself before Congress. The use of her private email account has also raised questions about her handling of the deadly 2012 attack on the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, during which the US ambassador to the country, Christopher Stevens, was murdered alongside two CIA contractors. Not the only one to blame for Libya Obama had criticized British Prime Minister David Cameron and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy for their roles in the bombing campaign in Libya before. The US President said in an interview with "The Atlantic" magazine in March 2016 that Cameron had become "distracted" while Sarkozy appeared to seek to promote his country during the 2011 NATO-led military intervention in Libya. Presidential highlights In the Fox News interview Obama also reflected on some of the best moments of his tenure as president, which is due to end in January 2017. "Saving the economy from a great depression" was his biggest accomplishment, he said. He also named the US health care reform, commonly referred to as Obamacare, as one of the highlights of his time in the White House. Obama added that his single worst day in the White House was when he had to travel to Newtown in the US state of Connecticut after a gunman had shot and killed 20 young children and six adult staff members at an elementary school in December 2012. ss/kms (AFP, dpa, FOX) | [
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Beginner: veteran German rappers are back
The hip-hop trio Beginner from Hamburg made their fans wait 13 years for a new album. The delay may have been Jan Delay, as he pursued a solo career. Now, Beginner have moved on to "Advanced Chemistry".
After 25 years in the business, Beginner are anything but. The German rappers have built and held onto a cult following. Now, after pursuing solo ventures, they're back together. But the music scene has changed radically since their last album 13 years ago. | [
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New massacre of cult members in Angola
According to information obtained by DW, Angolan security forces perpetrated another massacre against members of the sect "Light of the World". It is not the first massacre of the kind in Angola.
Only a few people are said to have survived the attack by Angolan security forces against members of the Luz do Mundo" ("Light of the World") sect in a village inhabited by them in Kassongue province in central Angola. The incident occurred in mid-August. Angelo Kapuacha, chairman of the Angolan NGO "Regional Forum for University Development" (FORDU), told DW that he was informed of the occurrence by neighbors of the village and relatives of those killed during the fighting. "People told me about the shooting and bomb explosions." According to Kapuacha the village community was attacked twice by the police. "The first attack was on August 9. At the time, five believers died. Then soldiers and police besieged the village. On Saturday, August 13, a further massive attack took place." The attacked stood no chance Elias Kalupeteka, the son of the imprisoned leader of the sect, Jose Julino Kalupeteka, told DW that nobody stood a chance during the latter attack: "Except for the people arrested, we are not aware of any survivors," he said. Angelo Kapuacha of FORDU estimates that about 43 members of the sect lived in the village at the time of the attack. He believes that seven of them survived. "Six women were jailed after the attacks; two were later transferred from the prison but have since disappeared." Kapuacha further adds that a girl was able to escape from the attacks, but was later found by the police and also jailed. He presumes that all the others, including the men and most of the children, did not survive. "We have not heard from them." In April 2015 police clashed for the first time with members of the isolated free Christian church in Monte Sumi, in the province of Huambo. At the time, the government said some 13 civilians died. But human rights groups and the opposition claim that there were more than 100 deaths. What seems certain is that in last year's attack nine policemen were killed by members of the sect. In the aftermath, the cult’s leader Jose Kalupeteka and a number of his acolytes were sentenced to long prison sentences for murder. Access to information denied Sparse information about the second massacre has started to reach the public only very recently. "So far, only the body of the village leader has been handed over. Only the police and government know where the rest of the dead are," says Kapuacha. There is no way of verifying the accounts on the spot, as the military and police have cordoned off the area around the village, he adds. Elias Isaac, director of the internationally recognized non-governmental organization Open Society in Angola confirmed this to DW. "Something extraordinary happened in Kassongue that must have resulted in the death of many people. People have been thrown in jail and you can not access the place. Keeping people from going to this area alone, shows that something is very wrong. If there had been no massacre and no deaths the government would allow people to access the place." Isaac is calling for an independent investigation of the incident. Lives in danger "The Light of the World" sect was founded by the Angolan preacher Kalupeteka. In line with Adventist beliefs, it expects the world to come to an end soon. Many of its members live in secluded camps or villages. They are perceived as a nuisance by Angolan authorities, because they cannot control the church’s activities. But Elias Kalupeteka, the son of the cult leader, is sure that, "as long as the members of "The Light of the World" keep their faith, persecutions will not stop them." According to Angelo Kapuacha of FORDU the government is trying to wipe out a whole church with more than 50,000 members across Angola: "Their life is in danger," he told DW. Neither the Angolan police nor the Interior Ministry were willing to comment on the allegations. | [
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Prosecutor requests Sarkozy stand trial over 2012 campaign funds
The Paris state prosecutor has recommended former French President Nicolas Sarkozy face trial over alleged illegal funding of his failed 2012 campaign. The case could ruin his chances of running for president in 2017.
The Paris prosecutor's office said Monday it had asked investigating magistrates to send former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and 13 others to court. The judges in charge of the case must now decide whether to follow the prosecution's recommendations. Sarkozy is accused of false accounting that allowed him to significantly exceed campaign spending limits in 2012. He was handed preliminary charges over the scandal and put under investigation in February. Re-election bid Sarkozy served as president of France between 2007 and 2012, before losing his re-election bid to current Socialist President Francois Hollande. The 61-year-old has announced plans to run for the presidency again in next year's elections, but a criminal trial could hurt his chances of success. To get a spot on the 2017 ballot, Sarkozy will first have to win backing from his conservative party in primaries set for November. His main rival for the nomination of Les Republicains (The Republicans) is Alain Juppe, 71, who has served as prime minister and minister of defense plus foreign minister. Allegations of illegal overspending The illegal funding case hinges on the activity of public relations firm Bygmalion, which organized some of Sarkozy's campaign appearances and is accused of using an invoice system to conceal unauthorized overspending. Bygmalion allegedly charged 18.5 million euros ($21 million) to Sarkozy's right-wing party - then called the UMP, but since renamed Les Republicains - instead of billing the campaign. According to the prosecution, the incorrect invoicing allowed it to greatly exceed the legal spending limit of 22.5 million euros. nm/jil (Reuters, AFP) | [
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Is Afghanistan's friendship with India imperiling security?
After a spate of recent deadly bombings, the Afghan capital Kabul still remains in shock. Experts believe Afghanistan's increasingly close ties with India are a reason for the uptick in violence.
"As soon as you step into the city you can sense that there is only fear and horror," says Sirajuddin Yuldash, a resident of Kabul. "People are even scared of police cars and try to hide from them as soon as they see them to avoid the next suicide bombing, which can happen anytime." Violence has never been absent in the Afghan capital, and the recent incidents are just another episode of suicide attacks and bombings that have rocked the city. Still, the increasing brutality and high number of casualties have left many Afghans shaken. On September 5, twin blasts carried out by the Taliban insurgent group followed by a 11-hour standoff with Afghan security forces killed at least 41 people, including senior government officials, and left over 100 people wounded. And a couple of weeks ago, 16 people lost their lives when militants stormed the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul. The insurgents, however, are targeting not just the capital, but also provinces such as Uruzgan and Helmand. Reports suggest that the capital of Uruzgan, Tarin Kowt, is on the verge of falling to the Taliban, as militants have fought their way to within a few kilometers of the city over the past several days. Ever since the Taliban was toppled from power in 2001 by US-led NATO forces, the militant group has been engaged in an armed struggle to dislodge the Western-backed government in Kabul. But some observers believe Afghanistan's increasingly close ties with India are a reason for the recent uptick in violence. India increases military aid New Delhi has had close ties to Kabul since the fall of the Taliban regime, and emerged as one of Afghanistan's major donors, underwriting an array of development projects in the impoverished nation. Furthermore, military cooperation between the two sides has been on the rise, with India recently gifting four Mi-25 attack helicopters to bolster the Afghan Air Force's ability to help ground troops fighting Taliban militants. India also trains hundreds of Afghan soldiers each year in its military academy. In its first public response to Indian military aid, the Taliban recently urged New Delhi to stop giving defense equipment to the Afghan government, condemning it as a "clear hostility" towards the war-ravaged nation. "We call on India to stop exporting items of killing and destruction to Afghanistan and to stop efforts of prolonging the lifespan of this corrupt regime with its military aid," Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Taliban, said in a statement released on Sunday, September 4. "Taking recent Taliban statements into account, it becomes obvious that the Jihadists are identifying India not only as a partner of US interests in Afghanistan but also as an increasing successor in military terms and subsequently as a primary target," says Siegfried O. Wolf, a South Asia analyst at the University of Heidelberg. "As such, the last Taliban attacks in Kabul are not only directed against the Afghan government but are also a signal towards New Delhi to stay out of the country, that India - like the US - is identified as hostile foreign influence," he told DW. New Delhi replaces Washington? The deepening of the bilateral military cooperation comes at a time when the US is looking to gradually back away from Afghanistan. Many say the US has already named New Delhi its "successor" to take over Washington's role in Afghanistan, citing US Secretary of State John Kerry's recent announcement on an Afghanistan-India-US trilateral dialogue in New York next month. The announcement has been met with dismay in Pakistan, which has so far been the go-to partner on Afghan security issues. Islamabad's military-intelligence establishment has traditionally maintained close ties with the Taliban, and Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of providing safe harbor to the militant group's leadership on its territory. Haroon Mir, a political analyst at the think tank Afghanistan Center for Research Policy Studies, is convinced that the trilateral talks and the exclusion of Pakistan have definitely had an impact on Islamabad's actions towards Kabul. "These attacks are a threat to Afghanistan's government. Pakistan has warned Kabul before that they are able to have an impact on the situation in Afghanistan and they have now proved it by using the Taliban." Choosing between Pakistan and India Both New Delhi and Islamabad have wrestled for influence in Kabul in recent decades. But the strengthening of ties between New Delhi and Kabul has sparked fears of a possible proxy war in Afghanistan between India and Pakistan, a historic backer of the Taliban. "Closer ties between Kabul and New Delhi are not only an outcome of decades-long friendship between the two countries but also a logical consequence of Pakistan's approach towards Afghanistan," underlined Wolf. "Pakistan's double game of officially supporting the international 'war on terror' and covered state-sponsorship for Jihadists is an obvious contradiction to Islamabad's public rhetoric of being interested in a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan." Nevertheless, Afghanistan is economically dependent on Pakistan. Experts say both countries have to cooperate regionally and work towards a normalization of their bilateral relations. If the two countries fail to improve their relations, they will face not only economic disaster but also armed conflict, Wolf said. Against this backdrop, Afghans are increasingly concerned about the severe impact the geopolitical struggle involving Afghanistan, Pakistan and India is having on their lives and security. Additional reporting by Masood Saifullah. | [
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Opinion: Ukraine heads back to the old system
There's a new head of government in Ukraine, but the trust in the system's ability to change is waning. The old boys' club and old patterns of behavior have returned, writes DW's Bernd Johann.
Volodymyr Groysman nearly didn't make it to the post of Ukraine's prime minster. Arguments over the candidates for ministry positions blocked the election of the country's new head of government for days. President Poroshenko's plan to propel his close confidante to the position of prime minister came up against stiff opposition in the coalition government, especially after Poroshenko's protégé Groysman himself voted against candidates for ministry posts in order to push through his own people. In the end, the president got what he wanted: Groysman, previously the speaker of parliament, became prime minister. But it's not the liberating event it might have been. While it has spared the country the dissolution of parliament and a new round of elections, the reformers in Kyiv did not emerge as victors from the power struggle. Back to pre-Maidan times Two years after the cries for a democratic revolution reverberated out of Maidan Square, the old opaque patterns of political business have returned to Ukraine. Real issues have been put on the back burner; what counts is power and position. The broad governing coalition of many parties - a symbol of hope for a European Ukraine in the greater community - has been shattered. The old boys' club is emerging once again, as is nepotism, as politicians and wealthy oligarchs alike resort to pulling the strings behind the scenes. Poroshenko himself belongs to this club. Even as president, he has not yet removed himself from his company as he'd promised to do. The Panama Papers renewed the pressure on him to do this. Groysman also became politically important thanks to Poroshenko. The new head of government was the mayor of Vinnytsia before he came to politics in Kyiv via the president's party. Vinnytsia is also home to one of Poroshenko's chocolate factories and is the political home of the president. An indication that the old boys' club remains intact. No more excuses for Poroshenko Poroshenko forced the resignation of Arseniy Yatsenyuk as prime minister, turning him into a scapegoat for the failings of the government. Now, with his own man presiding over Ukraine, the president will have no excuses in te future for procrastinating with reforms. When will the day for decentralization come, which is supposed to give greater individual responsibility and rights to the country's regions? When will the judicial system finally be reformed to rid it of corruption? Hundreds of government-run companies must be privatized in order to attract investors and put more money in the country's coffers. Bankruptcy is still a looming threat. All of these projects have been pushed back in Kyiv, including the search for a compromise in resolving the war in Donbass, a war forced on Ukraine by Russia. Prime Minister Groysman has no time for dithering. The weeks-long government crisis gambled away a lot of time and faith in the government. Both domestically and in the West, the question is being asked just how willing the new cabinet will be toward instituting reforms - and rightfully so. That those energetic reformers in the former government are no longer a part of the process is not a good sign. Have something to say? Add your comments below. | [
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Glamorous icon of the swinging '60s: Julie Christie turns 75
Born on April 14, 1941, the British actress is most famous for playing Lara in "Doctor Zhivago." Here are more roles that turned Julie Christie into a pop icon in the1960s - or that revived her career later on.
Most starlets would probably be quite happy to have landed a role such as "Lara" in "Doctor Zhivago" once in their lives. As the young and incredibly beautiful lover of Omar Sharif alias Dr. Jurij Zhivago, Julie Christie became famous beyond her British homeland. The pompous and melodramatic movie set in the Russian Revolution was the work of British director David Lean. And Christie continued to work with outstanding British directors in the '60s and '70s, among them John Schlesinger, Richard Lester and Nicolas Roeg. Dark blue eyes and noble features: Julie Christie Christie's radiant smile that could instantly turn into moving sadness, her expressive eyes and her noble features lent a lot of glamour and depth to her roles. Christie was not just beautiful, she was also highly gifted as an actress: She played lovers and models, as well as older women afflicted with rather tragic experiences. Her performance in Joseph Losey's movie "The Go-Between" is unforgotten. Here, she plays a young, attractive woman with whom a 12-year-old boy in puberty falls in love. Already at age 25, Julie Christie was awarded an Oscar for best actress for her performance in the British movie, "Darling." Indian-born, she became a star in Britain Christie was clever enough to not let herself be pinned down to particular roles. And when it came to working with different directors, she did not limit herself to British directors. The British actress was born on April 14, 1941, in India, where her father ran a tea plantation in Assam. And already at a relatively young age, she worked with outstanding non-British directors such as François Truffaut, John Ford and Robert Altman. There isn't really any explanation for why the '80s and '90s saw a sort of decline in her career. After all, Julie Christie continued to be extremely beautiful, and she certainly did not suddenly lose her acting skills. And yet, films shot during those decades, such as "Dragonheart" (1996) and "I'm with Lucy" (2002) have not stuck in people's memory - in contrast to box office hits such as "Troy" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," which are remembered not so much for Christie's performance, but rather for their settings and special effects. Comeback with 'Away from Her' Julie Christie fans and international audiences were relieved when the British actress, who had once been acclaimed so much only to be quickly forgotten, succeeded in making a triumphal comeback roughly 10 years ago. She returned into people's hearts as a woman suffering from Alzheimer's. Julie Christie, hailed by critics for her performance as Fiona in "Away from Her," won an Oscar nomination and, in addition to numerous prizes, a Golden Globe. For a long time, Christie, who has always been protective of her privacy, has shared her life with British journalist Duncan Campbell, whom she married in 2008 - in India, her birthplace. Christie and her husband run a farm in Wales. On April 14, 2016, Julie Christie, one of the most glamorous actresses of European cinema, turns 75. Happy birthday! | [
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Bundesliga: Robert Lewandowski returns to scoring form as Bayern Munich beat Schalke
Bayern Munich moved within touching distance of their fourth consecutive championship with a routine win over Schalke. Lewandowski added another two to his impressive scoring record, while Vidal scored the third.
Bayern Munich 3-0 Schalke (Lewandowski 53', 64', Vidal 73') After sitting out of Bayern Munich's Champions League win at Benfica, Robert Lewandowski returned to the side to score a double to extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to 10 points. The Polish center forward - without a goal in his last three matches - decided the outcome with two simple finishes in the second half, before Arturo Vidal continued his excellent streak with a third. Given Bayern Munich's season has still to reach its crescendo as a semifinal meeting with Atletico Madrid looms large, it was little surprise that Guardiola made six changes from Wednesday's win over Benfica. Rafinha, Juan Bernat, Medhi Benatia, Kingsley Coman, Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski all returned to the starting lineup. Javi Martinez was left out of the matchday squad, but will be available for the German Cup semifinal against Werder Bremen on Tuesday. Bernat and Costa looked menacing on the left in the opening stages, with the Brazilian winger firing a half volley over the crossbar in the first minute. But Schalke's compact 5-4-1 formation was impenetrable for the entirety of the first half - as alarming as it got for the Royal Blues was a glancing header from Lewandowski that was matched by Schalke keeper Ralf Fährmann. Schalke were clearly tetchy in possession and squandered a number of decent counter-attacking situations. Junior Caicara, advanced on the right flank, forayed into positions behind Bernat, but his passing lacked precision. Manuel Neuer's only real task against his former club was to pluck a header out of the air from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Sharp-shooter Lewandowski scores Bayern upped the tempo of their play after the break and peppered Fährmann's goal with a handful of efforts. On 51 minutes, Arturo Vidal, who has become one of the team's most important players in recent weeks, spun past his marker and dragged his shot inches past the target. Two minutes later, Vidal's header set up Lewandowski whose control and finish broke the deadlock. The 27-year-old striker took his tally to 27 for the season, finishing off an incisive move that emanated from Rafinha's work rate on the right-hand side. Lewandowski has been peerless in his consistency over the season, however the form of Chilean midfielder Vidal has been pivotal in the last few weeks. Vidal's form has been impressive since a man-of-the-match performance in Bayern's 4-2 win over Juventus in the last 16 of the Champions League. He scored a double on international duty with Chile before gaining Bayern a first leg lead over Benfica. His thumping finish on Wednesday gave Bayern the important cushion to book a spot in the semifinals. With 17 minutes left, Vidal finished off Franck Ribery's cross to score his fourth goal in five games and seal the win that moved Bayern a step closer to clinching the league title. Schalke, tied on 45 points with Mainz and Borussia Mönchengladbach, are four points off fourth-placed Hertha with four games remaining. | [
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Forever and a Day
The two-part documentary Forever and a Day – The Scorpions Film tells the story of a band that just can’t stop living the dream.
100 million recordings sold, 5,000 concerts in more than 80 countries and endless hits – the Scorpions from Hanover are one of the most successful rock bands in music history. The musicians announced that they would be ending it all in 2010, following a three-year tour. But things didn’t turn out that way! The two-part documentary Forever and a Day – The Scorpions Film tells the story of a band that just can’t stop living the dream. Director Katja von Garnier accompanied the five artists on their tour of the globe: the key locations in the film are Bangkok, Beirut, Berlin, Budapest, Moscow, Paris and L.A. At the same time, the documentary charts the history of the group, with archive footage of the most thrilling moments of the past five decades. Broadcasting Hours: Part 1: DW SUN 09.10.2016 – 19:15 UTC MON 10.10.2016 – 01:15 UTC MON 10.10.2016 – 15:15 UTC WED 12.10.2016 – 05:15 UTC THU 20.10.2016 – 03:15 UTC SUN 23.10.2016 – 09:15 UTC Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3 Delhi UTC +5,5 | Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8 London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3 San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4 DW (Amerika) MON 10.10.2016 – 09:15 UTC Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -2 Part 2: DW SUN 16.10.2016 – 19:15 UTC MON 17.10.2016 – 01:15 UTC MON 17.10.2016 – 15:15 UTC WED 19.10.2016 – 05:15 UTC THU 28.10.2016 – 03:15 UTC Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3 Delhi UTC +5,5 | Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8 London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3 San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4 SUN 30.10.2016 – 09:15 UTC Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3 Delhi UTC +5,5 | Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8 London UTC +0 | Berlin UTC +1 | Moscow UTC +3 San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4 DW (Amerika) MON 17.10.2016 – 09:15 UTC Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -2 | [
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German Left stalwart Gregor Gysi to run for Bundestag
Gregor Gysi, a Left party veteran renowned for his rhetoric, says he'll run again for parliament next year. He says Chancellor Merkel's conservatives must be voted into opposition to make the right-wing AfD superfluous.
Gysi, who stood down as the opposition Left's parliamentary group leader last year after a 10-year tenure, said Thursday that his party must again strive for an alliance with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens. In an apparent bid to reassure the Left's younger heads, Gysi said he was "pulling on the same rope" as co-leaders Katja Kipping and Bernd Riexinger and its leading Bundestag parliamentarians Sahra Wagenknecht and Dietmar Bartsch. "Angela Merkel has undone solidarity in Europe like no other chancellor before," Gysi told the Berlin Kurier newspaper, adding that he would only stand as a direct candidate in his Berlin electorate of Treptow-Köpenick. "The protest against Merkel must be channeled in the correct direction so that finally something can develop positively in this country," he said. Germany and Europe needed "a different, a social, a peaceful and democratic political agenda," he said. That could only be achieved with a strong left, capable of relegating Merkel's CDU/CSU conservatives into the opposition and thereby making superfluous the upstart Alternative for Germany (AfD), he asserted. Gysi said he reached his decision after "careful consideration," prompted by "requests and signals," particularly from within his own electorate. His announcement precedes Berlin city-state's election due on Sunday. Gysi, who was a lawyer in former communist East Germany before being first elected to the Bundestag in 1990, had until Thursday stayed mute on whether he would run again. Two weeks ago, Gysi accused Merkel's coalition government - comprising her conservatives and the center-left SPD under Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel - of distancing itself from the German federal parliament's condemnation of Turkey's World War One massacre of Armenians. Berlin-Ankara ties plunged after that resolution. ipj/kms (AFP, dpa) | [
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US and UK create huge new safe havens for marine life
Extensive new marine protected areas are being established by nations around the world, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom. The announcements came at the Our Oceans conference in Washington, D.C.
More than 20 countries including Lebanon, Cambodia, Malaysia and the Seychelles have announced 40 new marine protected areas and expansions of existing ones, during the two-day Our Oceans conference currently being held in Washington, D.C. Among them were the United States and the United Kingdom, which both announced extensive new MPAs today. US President Barack Obama addressed the conference, saying, "The notion that the ocean I grew up with is not something that I can pass on to my kids and my grandkids is unacceptable. It's unimaginable.” He added, “the investment that all of us together make here today is vital for our economy, it is vital for our foreign policy, it's vital for our national security, but it's also vital for our spirit. It's vital to who we are." Last month, Obama expanded the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii by more than 1,140,000 square kilometers, creating the world’s largest marine protected area. Today, he designated the first marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean. The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is an area of 12,700 square kilometers off the coast of New England. It encompasses underwater mountains and canyons and is intended to protect marine species, including endangered whales, sea turtles and deep-sea coral. Britain's pledge was even more impressive. At the conference, Sir Alan Duncan, the UK's Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, announced that Britain would be creating MPAs around four islands in its overseas territories in the Pacific and Atlantic, totaling almost 6.5 million square kilometers. The biggest of these MPAs surrounds Pitcairn Island, where the legendary mutineers of the Bounty once settled. In his speech, Duncan made light of the fact that at 840,000 square kilometers it will be smaller than the new record-holder in the U.S. "Well, this was going to have been my big moment, because until last week the Pitcairn MPA would have been the largest in the world," he told the conference. "But President Obama sort of rather blew that out of the water by announcing an even bigger MPA in Hawaii – trust the Yanks to indulge in a bit of one-upmanship over us poor Brits. But we’re happy as our loss is the world’s gain and we congratulate the United States." | [
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Berlin sees bad news as Davutoglu resigns in Turkey
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was thought of as more than just a reliable partner to Germany's federal government. Many in Berlin see a reason for concern in his resignation.
Norbert Röttgen, the leader of the Bundestag's foreign policy committee and a member of the Christian Democrats (CDU), called Ahmet Davutoglu's resignation announcement bad news for Europe and for Turkey. The prime minister also plans to step down from his position as Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader at a special party congress in two weeks' time. Davutoglu had taken over the position of head of the party and the government from Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had been elected president in 2014. The 57-year-old Davutoglu was always considered to be a close and loyal confidant of Erdogan's. Now it seems he has fallen from grace: Tensions have risen between the two over the past couple of weeks as Davutoglu voiced opposition to his mentor's plans to introduce a new system that would expand the president's - that is Erdogan's - power. Erdogan's supporters accuse Davutoglu of attempting to undermine the president's authority. Germany is losing an important negotiating partner. Davutoglu led negotiations between the European Union and Turkey on a controversial deportations pact, and he and Chancellor Angela Merkel are seen as the architects of the EU-Turkey refugee plan that resulted. 'A warning' Katrin Göring-Eckardt, the parliamentary chair for the Greens, now sees Turkey's cooperation with the EU as threatened. "Ultimately, Mr. Davutoglu was a reliable partner for the Europeans, and he was someone who sought to open Turkey toward Europe," she said Friday morning on German public television. "Obviously the same cannot be said about Mr. Erdogan." The German federal government, however, played down the situation: Acting spokesman Georg Streiter said he assumed that constructive cooperation would continue. "The EU-Turkey agreement stands," Streiter said, adding that the deal was made between the European Union and Turkey - not between the EU and Davutoglu. In a press statement released Thursday, Jürgen Hardt, foreign policy speaker for the CDU/Christian Social Union parliamentary group, wrote that Davutoglu's resignation "increases fears that President Erdogan is intent on transforming Turkey's democracy into an authoritarian presidential state." He added that restrictions directed at the press and opposition as well as an increasing number of civilians enlisted in the fight against the Kurdish Workers' Party are "a warning to all democratic and pro-European forces in Turkey." The Left warned that Turkey's democracy could descend into "despotism": "It does not matter who is prime minister under Erdogan," said Sevim Dagdelen, the foreign policy speaker of the Left parliamentary group. "This is about cementing Erdogan's absolute power. Davutoglu was always a willing facilitator to that end - but apparently not willing enough." | [
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Opinion: Duterte presidency is a threat to democracy
Rodrigo Duterte's victory in the presidential election is a crushing defeat for the country's political establishment and poses a gargantuan challenge for democracy in the Philippines, writes DW's Thomas Latschan.
Sometimes politics in the Philippines can be an enigma: Less than two months ago, people were celebrating in the streets of Manila. In late February 2016, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos gathered at the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, or EDSA for short. They commemorated the overthrow of the Marcos regime exactly 30 years ago, at the precise location, where the masses had revolted against dictatorship and the reign of violence. Today, again, people are celebrating on the streets of the island nation, hailing a 71-year old who calls himself "the Punisher." He is someone who promises to wage a "bloody war" on crime and plans to hunt down and kill criminals. He promises easy solutions for the enormous and complex problems plaguing the country, while repeatedly stating that democratic values didn't count for him as long as he would achieve his goals. "Forget the law and human rights," Rodrigo Duterte has shouted to his supporters. According to him, parliament has to be dissolved, if its members stand in his way. He would impose martial law instead and install a "revolutionary government." But how could it come to this? Poverty, corruption and crime At the beginning of the campaign, nobody would have thought Duterte could win. Skillfully, he positioned himself as an outsider of the political establishment. The more blatant his remarks, the bigger the crowd attending his speeches became. Duterte's election victory is a rebuff for the ruling elites in Manila. That's because, in 30 years of democracy, they have failed to solve the biggest problems of the country - widespread poverty, rampant corruption and everyday crime. This failure fueled the people's longing for a strong man, a savior or, if salvation wouldn't come, a "punisher." This outcome must be particularly painful for the outgoing President Benigno Aquino, under whose watch the country experienced rapid economic growth - averaging over six percent. But a majority of the population didn't benefit from the robust expansion. And the progress was too slow for them. At the same time, poverty remains widespread - with over a quarter of the population living on approximately a dollar a day. Aquino made progress in terms of reducing poverty. And World Bank President Jim Yong Kim described his government as the most zealous in fighting corruption. However, this resulted in corruption scandals being now discussed more openly and fervently than before. And it led to rising public anger and frustration at the ruling political class; and this popular disgust was tapped into by "the punisher." In addition, the crime rate in the country has remained high under Aquino, while the judicial system continues to be weak and conviction rates remain low. And even the victims of the atrocities committed during the Marcos-era are still awaiting justice. In a country where the population is on average 23 years old, most people have no recollection of the horrors of the dictatorship. Instead, many have lost their confidence in the rule of law and democracy. Moreover, many young Filipinos - feeling deprived of economic opportunities - yearn for change. Only when seen through this lens can one explain why the people rest their hopes on a man who is even rumored to be working with death squads. It is this amalgam of everyday frustration combined with a lack of awareness of history, which turned an unelectable candidate into a socially acceptable figure. Threat of polarization That's why not all Filipinos are celebrating today, as only a segment of the electorate voted for the hardliner Duterte. The Philippine law allows him to declare victory and become president even though he won just 38 percent of the vote. But the majority is still against him, and the country faces the threat of a polarization of its society. A lot will ultimately depend on who wins the race for vice-president. In that contest, the liberal candidate Leni Robredo is leading her opponent, the son of the former dictator Marcos, by a tiny margin. Should Marcos still win, then two designated autocrats would be leading the country. Nevertheless, the coming years will prove to be a severe test for democracy and the rule of law in the Philippines. Have something to say? Add your comments below.This comment thread closes automatically in 24 hours. | [
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Tanzania's Magufuli leads fight against corruption
As an anti-corruption conference ends in London, in Tanzania the battle to end graft is on in earnest. At the forefront is President John Magufuli. In his five months in office, he's already shown he means business.
Nicknamed "the bulldozer" for his style of leadership, Tanzania's President John Pombe Magufuli has earned himself credibility and acclaim, both in and outside Tanzania, for his fight against corruption. He has started to sweep away the country's reputation for endemic corruption and poor public service. The East African country is ranked among the top 20 countries in Africa with the worst corruption and is also placed 117th out of 168 countries in Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Index. Since assuming office in November 2015, Magufuli has been rebuilding lost trust with Western donors by firing public officials deemed to be incompetent and corrupt. Last November and December, six senior officials in the Tanzania Revenue Authority, including Commissioner General Rashid Bade, were fired. Also suspended was the director general of the Tanzania Ports Authority, Ephraim Mgawe, over a scandal involving the non-payment of $40 million (35,1 million euros) in import taxes. Magufuli also sacked Edward Hoseah, the long-serving director general of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), due to the slow pace of the fight against graft. Magufuli left no doubt about his aims immediately after he was sworn in. "I'm telling government officers who are lazy and negligent to be prepared. They were tolerated for a long time. This is the end," Magufuli warned in his first speech as president. Later, he matched his words with actions, slashing the number of cabinet posts from 30 to 19 by merging ministries. "The bulldozer" banned inessential foreign travel for politicians and business class flights for all but the most senior figures. The president went further to ban the Independence Day celebrations in favor of leading a street cleaning campaign. Last month, Magufuli made his first foreign visit to Rwanda. While there, he said he had turned down many invitations from the West to attend various conferences. He drove all the way to Rwanda, avoiding flight costs. In Rwanda, the country's president, Paul Kagame, commended Magufuli's efforts in cutting unnecessary costs and fighting corruption in Tanzania. "Your consistent message on fighting corruption is very refreshing. You have a good and reliable partner in Rwanda,” Kagame told Magufuli. How Magufuli is making a difference The African Union estimates that $50 billion is lost to corruption and other financial crimes across Africa each year. Many heads of state on the continent have vowed to eradicate corruption from their countries. Legislation to punish the vice has been drafted and anti-corruption authorities have been formed. However, on the ground, little seems to have changed. Rwandan researcher and political commentator Christophe Kayumba told DW that, unlike other African heads of state, Magufuli has translated his intentions into actions. "Magufuli has actually acted on his words. He has suspended corrupt officials and reduced public expenditure," Kayumba said. According to a local newspaper, Tanzania Daily News, besides cutting costs and taking administrative action against incompetent and corrupt public servants, some 596 cases related to corruption are currently before the courts. Many Tanzanians say they believe in Magufuli. However, some fear their president is fighting a lone battle. "He is doing a good job, but the corrupt people don't appreciate that," Lightness Elly, a resident in Arusha, said. Another resident, Msafiri Musa, told DW that the president is fighting against top officials, influential leaders and wealthy people who have been surviving on graft. "He is really trying, and that is why those who are used to taking bribes are opposed to him. We must back him in this struggle," Musa said. Also in Arusha, Mary Mahu said all corrupt activities should be exposed. "There are some unscrupulous business people who have hidden a huge consignment of sugar and are now selling it at exorbitant prices," Mahu said. "This is affecting us if the corruption networks are not dismantled." It is too early to say whether Magufuli will stick to his course as he continues in his first term in office. However, Kayumba is optimistic the president will keep up the fierce fight against corruption. "If you study the history of President Magufuli, he comes from the old school of people who believe in integrity and moral values. He is a disciplinarian person," Kayumba said. | [
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Debate over German defense budget surfaces
Increased defense spending budgeted by the German cabinet for 2017 has already been called into question. It won't even keep the army functional, according to a Defense Ministry paper quoted by the newspaper "Bild."
Germany's defense sector on Saturday sought a bigger share of Germany's federal budget for election year 2017 as debate surfaced ahead of parliament's final expenditure approvals in November. Defense ministry budget experts had concluded that an extra 1.7 billion euros earmarked for the Bundeswehr was insufficient to keep existing services functional, let alone enable investments in new equipment, said the tabloid "Bild." In late March, Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet adopted the cornerstones of a 325-billion-euro federal budget for 2017, with 36.6 billion euros planned for defense and more than half overall - 171 billion euros - set aside for social welfare. "Bild," quoting the internal defense paper, said the Bundeswehr would be left unable to purchase additional Leopard 2 battle tanks and would have to do without a new air defense system, known by its acronym as TLVS. The reaction to those claims within government circles had been that defense funding would be "needs-oriented," Bild added, referring to longstanding warnings about Bundeswehr readiness. By 2020, defense spending would be 10.2 billion euros higher, a defense ministry spokesman told the French news agency AFP, adding, however, that such increases needed to be sustained in the long term. Two percent of GDP NATO allies, reacting to Russia's actions in Ukraine, agreed at their summit in Wales in 2014 to halt defense budget cuts and spend two percent of each nation's gross domestic product (GDP) on their militaries. "Bild," again quoting the confidential paper as well as the DBwV association, which represents soldiers, said Germany would remain below that two-percent commitment. The Munich-based news magazine "Focus" said German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen had rejected calls for a return to military conscription, which Germany adopted in 1956 and dropped in 2011. The Bundeswehr, currently at 177,000 soldiers plus some 87,000 civilians, needed more personnel, "but primarily highly motivated and qualified specialists," she said, adding that recruits whose "hearts were not in it" were of little help. The more effective recruitment approach was to show that the Bundeswehr was an "attractive and modern employer," von der Leyen said, referring to her ministry's plan to recruit 14,300 extra soldiers and 4,400 civilians over the next seven years. Recruits sought for new cyber unit Alongside the Bundeswehr's five sections - ground forces, air force, navy, logistics and medical service - Germany is now recruiting personnel for its new cyber defense division. In 1990, at the time of German reunification and shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Bundeswehr had 585,000 troops - combining personnel of the former West Germany and the former communist East Germany. ipj/bw (dpa, AFP, Reuters) | [
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Solar-powered plane makes next US leg of global journey
The Solar Impulse 2 plane has departed from the US state of Oklahoma on an 18-hour journey to Ohio. The solar-powered plane is on a mission to circumnavigate the globe.
The plane took off from Tulsa, Oklahoma, early on Saturday morning on its way to Dayton, Ohio, where the Wright Brothers developed the first powered airplane. The 18-hour flight is the 12th leg of a journey for the Swiss-made Solar Impulse 2 as it attempts to circumnavigate 35,000 kilometers (21,700 miles) around the globe without using any gasoline. After Ohio, the plane is expected to make one more stop in the United States before crossing the Atlantic to Europe, from where it will continue on to the United Arab Emirates. "The flight is part of the attempt to achieve the first ever Round-The-World Solar Flight, the goal of which is to demonstrate how modern clean technologies can achieve the impossible," the project said in a statement. The plane's 17,000 solar cells power propellers and charge batteries. Its ideal speed is only 45 kmh (28 mph), but it can go twice as fast during the day, when the sun gives it a boost. At night the plane runs on a battery using power stored during the day. The plane, which is as heavy as a car and has wings wider than a Boeing 747, is being operated by two Swiss pilots, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg. They started the journey in March 2015 from the United Arab Emirates, traveled more than 27,000 kilometers and spent 351 hours in the air. Previous stops include Oman, India, Myanmar, China and Japan. In the United States, the crew stopped in Hawaii for several months to repair a battery damaged during a five-day flight from Japan. They then continued on to San Francisco and Arizona. cw/bw (AFP, AP) | [
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Opinion: Without Mullah Mansour things will get worse
The United States is presumably hoping that a moderate Taliban leader will step into the shoes of the hard-liner Mullah Mansour. That hope is based more on desperation than calculation, DW's Florian Weigand writes.
The United States has just provided confirmation that talking to the Taliban about peace is impossible right now. Early Sunday, they tried to kill the Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour with a drone attack - successfully, it seems, according to reports from Afghanistan's government. The only way this attack makes any sense is if any readiness to talk has been completely ruled out and Washington is hoping for a successor who is more open. Peace talks have been going on for months now, with a group of four - the US, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan - at the table. However, the Taliban's chair has always remained empty, in spite of both attempts to win them over and background pressure from the intelligence services. Mullah Mansour's undoing was presumably that he was, from the Taliban's point of view, very successful and able to reject talks without turning a hair. He was covertly pulling the strings even before he officially took over the leadership in the summer of 2015. By then, his predecessor, the infamous Mullah Omar, had been dead for two years: His death was kept secret to give Mullah Mansour time to establish himself fully. His leadership, once it became official, had a spectacular beginning. Last autumn, some two years after the withdrawal of German troops, the Taliban succeeded in capturing the former German army base in Kunduz for several days. It was only with difficulty, and with the support of specialist units and the US Air Force, that the Afghan military was able to recapture this symbolically important position. Taliban march on The Taliban are gaining ground elsewhere in Afghanistan, too. They claim to be active in 70 percent of the country. This is sure to be unconfirmed propaganda, but it may still be closer to the truth than the airbrushed reports of the government in Kabul. It is certainly the case that NATO is, once again, having to intervene more and more often in the fighting, and that its mandate will be extended beyond 2017. Even if the reports should turn out to be incorrect - as happened a few months ago - Kabul and Washington will not rest until they have hunted down Mullah Mansour. Will it then really be possible to start over with a more moderate Taliban leader? That's certainly the hope in Kabul, Washington and Islamabad. Diplomats and intelligence agencies will be sure to try to lever a more balanced dialog partner into position. Pakistan in particular is needed for this - the country has a long reputation of being very close to the Taliban. The strategy is unlikely to pay off, though. In the fight for succession, potential candidates will have to make their mark in the eyes of their followers - and the only way to do that is with spectacular terrorist attacks or conquests. The splendor of the Mullah Mansour era is the benchmark they will have to surpass. Experience has shown that the Taliban are able to score local successes even without central leadership. Its fighters know what their goal is, and they don't need orders from on high to tell them: the overthrow of the government in Kabul and the withdrawal of all foreign troops, followed by an Islamic state, as they had before, in the 1990s. These are not good prospects for a negotiated peace. The United States, Kabul and Islamabad may fervently wish for something different, but the Taliban may be more likely to elect an even more uncompromising leader: They already see themselves on the path to victory. The attack on Mullah Mansour was more an act of desperation than the cool calculation of the possibility of making a new start with a new leader. Do you have something to say? Add your comments below. The thread is open for 24 hours. | [
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Rule of law under threat: Poland in the EU pillory
The EU Commission has activated the next stage in its constitutional proceedings against Poland. Warsaw is outraged. What next in the battle over the constitutional court? Bernd Riegert reports.
What we are now seeing is political foreplay, in an attempt to avoid more heavy-handed intervention by the EU Commission. By launching proceedings against Poland for violating the rule of law, the EU Commission is entering uncharted waters. For the first time ever, the Juncker-led Commission is making use of an instrument that it only acquired in March 2014, when it was supported by the European Parliament; the Council of Ministers, or representatives of the national governments, had reservations. The so-called rule of law mechanism is essentially just a formal, structured dialogue between the Commission and the "offender." The mechanism was introduced as a precursor to the actual sanctions procedure according to Article 7 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty. This "political atomic bomb," as it was described by the former EU Commissioner for Justice, Viviane Reding, can ultimately lead to the revocation of voting rights for the accused country. The EU has never yet applied Article 7. It didn't dare do so in 2010 when the EU Commission demanded a revision of changes to the Hungarian constitution. What accusations has the EU Commission made against Poland? The vice-president of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, and his lawyers accuse the Polish government of "systematically endangering" the rule of law in Poland. They say that changes in the composition of Poland's constitutional court and the circumvention of its modus operandi restrict the independence of the judiciary in a manner that contravenes European principles of the rule of law. These basic principles are laid down in the Lisbon Treaty, to which of course Poland, as a member state, is of course also a signatory. The situation has been aggravated by the government's refusal to publish and recognize the court's judgments. How has the Polish government reacted? Poland's national-conservative prime minister Beata Szydlo has adopted a strident tone. She sees the EU Commission's actions as an attack on Polish sovereignty. She insists that, following a landslide victory last year, her party has the right to shape the Polish judiciary, media and politics in the manner that, in her opinion, is what the voters want. Timmermans' negotiations in person in Warsaw failed to bring about a rapprochement. Szydlo ranted in parliament that the EU Commission wanted to destroy the EU. "It's not Poland that has a problem with the Commission - the Commission has a problem with itself," she said. Is there an umpire? In principle, the Council of Europe's so-called Venice Commission in Strasbourg is a recognized referee on tricky constitutional questions. The Polish government expressly requested an opinion from this board of European and American constitutional law experts. In March, however, the decision of the Venice Commission went against Poland. Suddenly the government in Warsaw no longer felt bound to its commitment to recognize the judgment. The Council of Europe is an association of European states that primarily supervises the preservation of human rights. It is not a European Union institution. What's the procedure? After dialog was opened in January, the Polish government had four months in which to explain its actions. As the EU Commission has not so far detected any response to its concerns, it is now implementing the second stage of the mechanism by publishing a formal warning to Poland to return to constitutional principles. The Warsaw government now has just two weeks in which to respond to the warning. If it does not do so before the deadline, the EU Commission will submit a concrete recommendation as to the legal and political steps Poland must take in order to safeguard the rule of law, in particular the independence of the constitutional court and the freedom of the press. If Poland rejects these recommendations, there is the option of dropping the "atom bomb" and initiating proceedings according to Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty. Can the EU really punish Poland? The EU Commission has no way of imposing penalties on a member state. Only the EU Council can do that - the committee made up of representatives of the governments of all 28 member states. According to Article 7 of the EU Treaty, the Council can decide with a four-fifths majority that "the clear danger of a grave infringement" of common values exists in Poland. Poland would receive recommendations on how to remedy these deficiencies. If that doesn't work, the Council can establish that a "grave infringement" of common values has occurred. This must be decided unanimously; Poland would not be entitled to vote. However, it is highly unlikely that all of the remaining 27 member states - including Britain - really would show the Polish government up in this way. The Hungarian premier, Viktor Orban, has already declared his solidarity with Poland. As a final step, the Council can then impose penalties on Poland: it can either revoke its voting rights or cut financial resources. After all, Poland is the biggest beneficiary of the EU funding. Will it come to this? At the moment, it is very hard to imagine this scenario. Rather, the focus of the EU Commission in Brussels is to avoid sparking even more crises within the EU. On the other hand, the Commission must ensure that it retains its credibility as "custodian of the EU treaties." It's clear that the rule of law mechanism and the proceedings according to Article 7 will go on for many more months, if not years. Besides, the Polish government may look at the possibility of taking action of its own over individual steps and taking these to the European Court. So far the EU has always managed to avoid formal penalties in disputes like these. Orban, Hungary's nationalist premier, did at least partially relent after a noisy argument with the EU Commission in 2012. The ostracism of Austria in 2000, when the right-wing populist FPÖ joined the government, came to nothing. No sanctions were imposed on the neo-fascists in Italy's government under Silvio Berlusconi. The threshold for penalties is relatively high. "It was only when Viktor Orban started going on about reintroducing the death penalty that the red line came into view," says one EU diplomat. Had Orban succeeded in doing this, criminal proceedings according to Article 7 would have had to have been initiated. | [
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EgyptAir crash investigator downplays possibility of explosion
The head of Egypt's forensic team has downplayed the theory of an explosion bringing down the EgyptAir flight. Investigators are struggling to work out why the Airbus 320 jet crashed with 66 people on board.
"Whatever has been published is baseless and mere assumptions," Hisham Abdel-Hamid, head of Egypt's forensic authority, told the country's MENA news agency on Tuesday. Forensic experts had floated the theory of an explosion triggering the crash after they collected wreckage (pictured above) and body parts, believed to belong to the travelers on the flight. They said the largest of these was barely bigger than than the palm of a hand and suggested there had been an explosion. However Abdel-Hamid and other forensic experts downplayed the claim and the government of Cairo also released a statement, warning media outlets "to avoid chaos and spreading false rumors and damaging the state's high interests and national security." Meanwhile, Greek officials said they would start dispatching key data on the disaster on Wednesday. According to a Greek defense ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the plane had lurched violently in mid-air before plunging into the Mediterranean Sea. Egyptian officials however denied they saw the plan swerve on their radar screens. French investigators, who are helping Egyptian officials look for clues, said the plane sent a series of warnings, indicating there was smoke on board and that possible computer faults had occurred shortly before it disappeared. The EgyptAir Airbus 320 was flying from Paris to Cairo last Thursday when it vanished from radar screens and plunged into the Mediterranean Sea. There were 66 passengers and crew members traveling in the plane. Investigators are trying to find the machine's black boxes, which could reveal what went wrong. mg/jm (Ap, Reuters) | [
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Stop the nonsense: homeopathy has no place in medicine
On Thursday, more than 500 doctors will meet in Bremen for the 165th Annual Congress of Homeopathic Doctors. It’s scandalous that medical professionals still adhere to such superstitions, says DW's Fabian Schmidt.
Homeopathy is nothing but an obscure mistaken belief. It explains alleged successes in healing patients with a mystic and magic "memory of water," with ominous "energy" and "vibrations." This hocus-pocus is no more scientific than Santeria incantations by Haitian voodoo priests. Homeopathy has been clearly proven to be pharmaceutically useless in proper medical trials. Therefore, its only place is in the cabinet of horrors of historical medical and anthropological research institutions. The best would be to store homeopathy in the last corner on some dusty shelf, somewhere hidden far away behind behind Berlin's famous 19th century doctor Rudolf Virchow's pathological collections of jars with diseased body parts and organs. After all, his terrifying exhibits were part of real scientific medical research. They represent the foundation of our modern medicine. Medicine must not be arbitrary Since Virchow researched cells and his contemporary Robert Koch discovered the importance of bacteria a lot has happened: Our medical research today is focusing on the level of molecules. With the decoding of the human genome, medicine has become better and more powerful than ever before. At no point in history have humans better understood how all the various processes in the body influence each other. Never before have we known more about the functions of all those enzymes, hormones and proteins. Today, even the use of custom made molecules for individual treatment is a common practice against some cancers. It's called personalized medicine. Scientific knowledge today is precise, thorough and verifiable. That's why the medical profession must not allow medicine to be devalued by unscientific and ideologically tainted belief-systems from the Napoleonic era. There must be no place for such arbitrariness in this noble scientific discipline. Doctors need to take a stand For the sake of their own reputations, but even more for the protection of patients and customers, the medical professional organizations, universities and the research-based pharmaceutical companies must take a clear stand: homeopathy must be outlawed. It has no place in medical practices, pharmacies or serious research laboratories. The curricula of medical faculties also need to be free of these esoteric teachings. Leave the globuli - the homeopathic tablets - to those who can really use them: to historians, who are researching the errors of ancient medicine, to anthropologists who are looking into creepy superstitious rites or to the incorrigible shamans and druids. At least those self-appointed healers do not have a medical license. | [
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Merkel praises Franco-German cooperation a hundred years after Battle of Verdun
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has hailed Franco-German cooperation ahead of the centenary commemorations of the Battle of Verdun. Merkel said that despite differences the two neighbors' policies align.
Merkel said in her weekly podcast that the French invitation to attend the ceremonies honoring the dead from Battle of Verdun highlighted the degree of trust and cooperation between two neighbors that fought two bloody wars in the 20th century. "To be invited to these commemorations shows the extent to which relations between France and Germany are good today," said Merkel, who will join French President Francois Hollande on Sunday at Verdun to remember the 350,000 killed in senseless fighting during one of the bloodiest battles of WWI. The German Chancellor said the Franco-German experience of working to build a united Europe showed that despite occasional differences of opinion compromises can be forged. She cited cooperation during the euro-crisis as an example. "Again and again Germany and France have a common position," Merkel said. The comments come as France and Germany seek to tackle persistent economic woes, the bloc's border security, counter terrorism, and prevent a British exit from the EU, among other issues. "Europe faces difficult tasks, there is no doubt about that," the German leader said. "Europe has problems, but Europe has also done and achieved many things." cw/jm (AFP, dpa) | [
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Clinton campaign dogged by 'drip, drip' email scandal
This week's State Department report stopped short of saying Clinton had committed a crime, but it was still a stinging rebuke. The new Washington parlor game is guessing what impact the report will have on an FBI probe.
The news got worse this week for US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton after an internal report by the State Department's inspector general criticized the former secretary's use of a private email server for both her personal and government correspondence from 2009 to 2013. Frank Sesno, the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University in the US capital, gave the report a 6 on a scale of 1-10, with a 10 being devastatingly bad. According to the report, Clinton's use of a private email server was "not an appropriate method" for preserving those emails, which is a far cry from a malevolent act that could possibly result in a criminal indictment - though that remains a possibility as an FBI investigation into her email use continues. "There is nothing felonious in the report," Sesno said. "It doesn't cause political harm. But it gives plenty of material to her political opponents." By itself the email scandal would likely have done little damage to Clinton's campaign. However, the accusations don't exist in a vacuum, but rather against a backdrop of questionable events and scandals that have dogged the former senator and first lady since her husband, Bill Clinton, rose to national prominence during his own presidential campaign in the early 1990s. During Clinton's 1993-2001 presidency, the couple were under relentless attack from their political opponents. A special prosecutor came up empty in his investigations into an array of scandals - except for one: that Bill Clinton lied under oath about an affair with a White House intern. Despite the fact that there were no other findings of wrongdoing, the impression of general impropriety has been seared into the public psyche ever since. For example, Republicans continue to question then-Secretary Hillary Clinton's role in the September 11, 2012, events at the US consulate in Benghazi Libya, when the diplomatic post was attacked by militants and four Americans, including the ambassador, were killed. The report released Wednesday by State Department Inspector General Steve A. Linick plays into "this albatross narrative of untrustworthiness," Sesno said - "this drip, drip, damage she's got going." 'Anything but' The public's doubt has only been fanned by the fact that, though she later admitted it was problematic, Clinton had initially denied doing anything wrong by routing government and personal correspondence through a single account on a server set up in her private home in New York state.Clinton ostensibly did this because she didn't want to have two accounts and two phones. The basic problems with this arrangement are twofold. First, as secretary of state, Clinton dealt with classified and top-secret information, which is only supposed to be sent through secure government servers. So far it seems that little, if any, of the correspondence in question was classified at the time it was sent or received. And there is no indication that national security was at all compromised. Second, as a top-level official, Clinton's correspondence is supposed to be preserved as part of the historical record and an accounting of public servants' work. It was only once the scandal broke - over a year after Clinton left office - that she turned over tens of thousands of emails that had been stored on her private server. But thousands of others, which she claims were personal emails, were erased. In an interview with the US television network NBC earlier this week, Clinton acknowledged again that her email arrangement had been a mistake. "I think it's pretty clear looking back what I thought was convenient turned out to be anything but," Clinton said. "And, as I have acknowledged, I should have just used two accounts." It is a mistake that Clinton has paid a heavy price for. When she left the State Department her favorability rating was pushing 65 percent; now she has slipped below 40 percent among registered voters. Under attack With the primaries drawing to a close in the next two weeks, Bernie Sanders, Clinton's rival for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, has only the slimmest mathematical chance of wresting the nomination from her, but he persists in attacking her from the left. Meanwhile, the presumptive Republican nominee, real estate magnate and former reality TV star Donald Trump, is relentlessly attacking her from the right. Add in the stinging report from the State Department inspector general and the ongoing FBI probe into whether her private server broke the law, and Clinton is a candidate under siege. The big question in Washington now is what impact the report could have on the FBI investigation.And there is one line from the report that could be devastating for Clinton. According to the report, two members of the State Department's IT staff were told "never to speak of the secretary's personal email system again"after they raised concerns about Clinton's unconventional setup. It will be up to the FBI to determine whether this was a matter of a senior official telling underlings that everything was fine or a warning to government employees to keep their mouths shut. The latter sounds like a cover-up - and that would be a crime. "The parlor game in Washington now is: 'Does the IG report feed into whether she'll be indicted?'" Sesno said. There's no word when the FBI's investigation will be concluded, but the agency is under considerable pressure to draw its conclusions quickly - and certainly well ahead of the November presidential election. Whenever it happens, there are three basic possibilities for the conclusion of the FBI investigation: · The agency could find no criminal wrongdoing and issue a mild rebuke (a prospect that seems less likely given the harsh tone of the State Department report). · It could find no criminal wrongdoing but issue a harsh rebuke. · It could find that a crime was committed and file charges. The first conclusion would not only clear Clinton's name but rob her political opponents of much needed ammunition as they battle for the White House. The second would clear her, but Trump would surely seize on the findings to peddle his "crooked Hillary" motif with gusto. The third conclusion, criminal charges, would very likely force her out of the race. But, if you think Clinton's campaign is dead in the water, think again. Despite it all, oddsmakers still consider Hillary Clinton the favorite to become the next president of the United States. | [
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Austrian foreign minister suggests 'refugees should be held offshore'
Austria's foreign minister has suggested that the EU's refugees be interned offshore rather than allowed on to the continent. He said the EU should look to the Australian example of dealing with migrant entries.
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz (photo) of the rightist Austrian People's Party told a newspaper that Australia's immigration policy should be replicated by the EU in order to deal with the current influx of refugees. Migrants who try to reach Australia by boat are turned back or sent to internment camps in the Pacific Ocean countries of Nauru and Papua New Guinea where they are held indefinitely while their cases are processed. The system has been criticized by human rights groups amidst reports of rape and suicides among detainees. "The Australian model of course cannot be completely replicated but its principles can be applied in Europe," Kurz, who at 29 years old is Europe's youngest minister, told Die Presse in an interview published Sunday. Australia makes zero exceptions Kurz commented that in the first half of the 20th century the United States held new arrivals on Ellis Island as they travelled to New York. In fact, Ellis Island was an immigration inspection station that processed thousands of new arrivals every day. Immigrants were only held in the station's infirmaries if they were suspected of carrying infectious diseases but otherwise were not interned, as the minister suggested. But in an apparent attempt to stake out a tough approach to refugees, Kurz told the newspaper that the EU should adopt a resolution whereby those who try to enter Europe illegally lose their right to demand asylum. Far-right parties have made sweeping gains in recent Austrian elections. Austria, governed by a coalition of social-democrats and conservatives, allowed some 90,000 asylum seekers to enter the Alpine country last year. But Vienna has since hardened its conditions of asylum and tried to close the migrant route from Greece to the north of Europe via the Balkans. At least 204,000 migrants and refugees have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe since January, the United Nations refugee agency said this week. More than 2,500 people have died trying to make the sea crossing as Europe faces the largest wave of migration since World War II. jar/jm (AFP) | [
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Chinese company buys ailing Frankfurt Hahn Airport
A Shanghai construction company has bought a majority share in the long-stagnant airport, hoping to see its business take off again. It's betting that tourists and trade with Asia will be the salvation.
German federal state Rhineland-Palatinate announced Monday that it had sold its majority stake in of Frankfurt's Hahn Airport to Shanghai Yigian Trading Company (SYT), in a deal worth somewhere in the "low double-digit million euro range." According to Reuters, SYT counts as one of the leading construction companies in China. Roger Lewentz, Rhineland-Palatinate's interior minister, expressed hope that SYTwill give the aiprort an "extra push" to develop. Primarily used by discount airlines, especially Ireland-based Ryanair, Frankfurt Hahn has suffered through years of financial turbulence. It ended the 2014 fiscal year 45 million euros ($51 million) in the red. Another loss of 16 million euros is expected this year. While not offering any timeline for crawling back in the black, SYT announced on Monday its plan for revitalizing the airport, largely by increasing its business with Asia. Hoping to draw Asian tourists, SYT's chief representative Zu Tao Chou announced that the company was in talks with Chinese airline Yangtze River Express over its return to Frankfurt Hahn. The airline stopped operating at the airport in 2015, striking a blow to its business. SYT also aims to build the airport into a hub for freight deliveries. "We expect good business in cargo deliveries of food to Asia," Chou said. Local-foreign partnership Rhineland-Palatinate had an 82.5 percent share in the airport's ownership. It will still maintain an involvement, including through subsidies and investment aid. Lewentz calculated that the Hahn will receive as much as 70 million euros in tax money between now and 2024. "The support shows the high-priority the state government will ascribe to the site in the future," Lewentz said. According to the agreement though, SYT will have to supply at least half of the investments. Rhineland-Palatinate president Malu Dreyer is confident "that the buyer will commit itself to the future of the location." SYT supported that sentiment, rather romantically. Chou said Monday that he "lost his heart" to the airport. Sealing the deal The state's legislative assembly still has to approve the sale in a vote expected before the body's summer recess. The European Commission also has to approve the state's continued involvement in the airport's operation. The airport is located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) away from Frankfurt am Main. Originally it served as a US military airbase before being converted to commercial use in 1993. Fraport, which operates the international flight hub Frankfurt Airport, sold its share to Rhineland-Palatinate in 2009 for a single euro. The German state of Hessen, where Frankfurt am Main is located, owns the remaining shares of the airport, about 17 percent. It is already in the "home stretch" of negotiations with SYT about a buyout, which could take place within the coming weeks. jtm/uhe (AFP, dpa, Reuers) | [
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How survivors and victims' families cope after a mass murder
Mass shootings and terror strikes leave a wake of death and destruction behind them. But in the aftermath, the people who suffer most and the longest are survivors and the victims' families.
"I switched on the TV on Friday evening after my dinner and saw pictures of the shooter targeting and killing people. I asked myself whether Tim K. had behaved in the same manner as the attacker in Munich," said Barbara Nalepa in an interview with Germany's public broadcaster ARD. Nalepa lost her daughter Nicole to a mass shooting seven years ago in Winnenden in southern Germany. At the time, 17-year-old Tim K. used guns found in his parents' home to kill 15 people before committing suicide. Nalepa said the old memories had come alive inside her again when she heard about the July 22 mass shooting at Munich's Olympia shopping mall. The 18-year-old, Ali David S., who was "proud" of sharing his birthday with Adolf Hitler, gunned down nine people. The immediate aftermath of a mass murder Immediately after the attack, "the reaction is one of shock," says Petra Hohn of "Verwaiste Eltern" - literally, orphaned parents - which counsels mothers and fathers who have lost their children to a tragedy. "Each person reacts differently. Some people cry and scream, some become quiet and stop speaking," Hohn adds. "In the immediate aftermath of a terror attack - like the one in Paris - there is fear, people go numb, they have physical injuries, they cannot think straight and are hypersensitive to triggers," Levent Altan tells DW. Altan is the executive director of Brussels-based Victims Support Europe, an umbrella organization that works towards providing legal, emotional and psychological support to victims of any crime. Practical needs also take precedence right after a shooting or a similar event. What people need most is information. "It can be extremely difficult to get information or find a loved one," Altan says, describing how a distressed father was looking for his daughter in Nice, where a man plowed a truck into Bastilles day celebrations, killing 84 people. Things like healthcare, insurance and compensation also need to be sorted out, especially if there are foreign victims. A feeling of solidarity The atmosphere during the immediate aftermath of an attack gives a feeling of solidarity with victims. The "honeymoon period," according to Altan is when everyone is focused on the event and victims are grateful to have survived. "There is a feeling of love from all over the world, and there is a lot of media attention." After a while, attention and support for the victims decrease, and there is a feeling of disillusionment. Winnenden victim's mother Barbara Nalepa knows the feeling. According to her, politicians have not taken necessary steps to ensure that guns are inaccessible to young people - like the killers in Munich and Winnenden. "I wake up with bad thoughts in my head and go to sleep feeling sad and angry," she says. "I don't want anyone to say, 'Oh, look, she's the poor woman of the Winnenden victim's family… I don't want politicians to just throw words in the air. I demand from our leaders that they finally begin to do something [about this problem]." Feelings of anger and helplessness are normal after a tragedy, says activist Petra Hohn. "At one moment you feel secure, but you're actually not safe. Everybody around, the wounded, the victims' relatives, everyone who had something to do with the event feels helpless." Random attacks also trigger feelings of fear and anxiety, and the feeling of having little control over your own safety, VSE's Altan says, illustrating with the example of terror attacks in the Belgian capital, in which 32 people were killed. "The Brussels attacks had a depressing effect. People were more cautious about going out to public places, tourist attractions and theaters. There were feelings of wariness and concern. The army was deployed on the streets, and it was a very unsettling environment to live in," he tells DW. Supporting survivors and families in the long term At some point, victims' relatives and the wounded have to settle for a sustainable method of coping with the crisis, where they find ways to cope with grief and deal with injuries that might have a huge impact on their lives. Many survivors, for example, may develop handicaps, leading them to change their jobs or move house, says victims support expert Altan. Nicole's killing, for example, has drastically changed the lives of Barbara Nalepa's family. Her 13-year-old twins are out of counseling now, but it's not going to be easy to forget what happened, especially because the recent attacks reopened old wounds. "It is very difficult to process these feelings of sadness," Nalepa says. "I think it's going to take us a very long time to get over it. My husband and I will have to bear this grief all our lives. We cannot have the same life as we had before and I am sad that I cannot get my old life back." Discussions after mass shootings and terror attacks often tend to focus on catching terrorists or the criminals and preventing terror attacks in the future; victims support expert Altan says. However, policymakers need to understand that victims' families and survivors need to be treated with respect and dignity, they need to feel validated and protected, and they need long-term support in terms of legal, emotional and psychological assistance, he concludes. | [
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Belgium police arrest two brothers suspected of plotting attack
Belgian police have arrested two men "suspected of planning an attack" following raids ordered by a counterterrorism judge. Authorities later released one brother, but charged the other with attempted "terrorist murder."
Belgian authorities charged 33-year-old Nourredine H. with attempting to commit "terrorist murder" on Saturday after police found evidence of an alleged plan to launch an attack in Belgium. "Based on provisional results from the investigation, it appears that there were plans to carry out an attack somewhere in Belgium," the federal prosecution office said in a statement. His brother, Hamza H., was released without a charge. The police raids were on houses in Mons and Liege, both predominately French-speaking cities. They are only the latest raids in a series of counterrorism sweeps. Belgian public broadcaster RTBF reported that Nourredine H. helped make arrangements for people looking to travel to Syria in order to fight. He also made a number of contacts in France and was looking for weapons, tipping off investigators, RTBF reported. Belgium remains on high alert There was no apparent connection with the attacks at Brussels airport and the city's metro on March 22, in which 32 people were killed, the prosecution office said. Nor were weapons or explosives found in the raids ordered by the judge specializing in counterterror cases Belgian authorities last month charged two men with terrorist offenses amid reports of a planned attack on a Euro 2016 fanzone in central Brussels. The country increased domestic security precautions for its July 21 national day celebrations after an attack that killed 84 people in the city of Nice on Bastille Day, July 14. jar/jlw (AP, Reuters) | [
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Muslims in France, Italy join Catholic mass to mourn French priest
Muslims in France have attended Catholic mass in churches and cathedrals across the country in a show of solidarity following the gruesome murder of a French priest. Interfaith services were also held in Italy.
Dozens of Muslims were among the faithful who packed into the Gothic cathedral in the town of Rouen, northern France, on Sunday. Policemen and soldiers stood guard outside, seeking to reassure a jittery community five days after two jihadi teenagers killed an 85-year-old priest inside a church just a few kilometers away in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. "This morning we extend a special welcome to our Muslim friends," Rouen Archbishop Dominique Lebrun said in his homily. "I thank you in the name of all Christians. In this way you are affirming that you reject death and violence in the name of God." A number of Muslim leaders attended the service, along with three nuns who were at the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray when Father Jacques Hamel was brutally murdered at the altar. The killing gave rise to questions about lapses in security after it was reported that both 19-year-old offenders were known to authorities and had attempted to reach Syria. There were also fears the attack could create possible tensions between the religions and add to divisions in French society. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Sunday called for a new "pact" with the country's 5 million Muslims, which make up the largest Muslim population in Europe. "Islam has found its place in France... contrary to the repeated attacks of populists on the right and far-right," he said, calling for the rejection of Islam to be combatted "with the greatest strength." Churches in other French cities also opened their doors to Muslims on Sunday. Dalil Boubakeur, the rector of the Mosque of Paris, was among those who attended a service in the capital's iconic Notre Dame cathedral. "The situation is serious," he told broadcaster BFMTV. "Time has come to come together so as not to be divided." Multifaith services were held across Italy too, notably at Rome's Santa Maria di Trastevere church. In Naples, Abdullah Cozzolino from Italy's Islamic Confederation spoke in the Treasure of St. Gennaro chapel next to the Duomo cathedral, stressing the "need of dialogue, more affirmation of shared values of peace, of solidarity, of love, out of respect for our one God, merciful and compassionate." nm/ rc(AP, AFP) | [
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Growing momentum for electric cars
The present-day market share for electric vehicles is tiny but growing. Automotive expert Stefan Bratzel tells DW the Dieselgate scandal could give new impetus to e-mobility. But success will not come overnight.
Stefan Bratzel is director of the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) - an independent institute for empirical automotive and mobility research at the University of Applied Sciences (FHDW) in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. Deutsche Welle: You have published the findings for the first half of this year of an international study of electric mobility. What are the main results? Stefan Bratzel: On the global level, it's a picture of growth. China is fast becoming the leading market. In the first six months, approximately 170,000 electric vehicles were sold there, including buses and light commercial vehicles. The US recorded a slight increase, but a total of only 66,000 electric cars were sold there. In Europe, there's still the major exception of Norway but not much else. For Germany, the record so far has been very sobering. The sales of purely electric vehicles fell as much as 6 percent in the first half. What about the market share for electric cars? How many e-vehicles are there compared with those with conventional internal combustion engines? The market shares is negligible. In Germany, there was a market share of 0.6 percent for electric cars among new car registrations - which could almost be a rounding error. In China, after all, we are already at a level of 1.5 percent. Although this is not much, the rate of increase is enormous - doubling within one year. But China should always be treated with caution, due to fraud and the often poor quality of the vehicles. France, too, is quite respectable, with 1.5 percent of new car registrations being electric cars. Although in some markets we can see there's been a certain amount of growth in market share, but it's still at, so to speak, homeopathic levels. Why haven't electric cars become widespread? I call it the RIP problem: range, infrastructure and price. The customers expect a minimum range of 400-500 kilometers (248-310 miles) from a car. But so far electric cars only cover distances of 150-180 kilometers - in the standard cycle. But, for example, if it's too hot outside and the air conditioning is turned on, that range drops to only 100 kilometers, which is completely insufficient and needs to be significantly increased. As for the infrastructure for charging electric cars, electric mobility is out of the question for anyone who doesn't have a garage with a power connection. Even people who do have a garage like this, but who want to travel a little bit farther, need a dense network of fast-charging stations along the way. While there are smaller efforts being made, including by the German government, they're not nearly enough to solve the problem. As far as price goes, electric cars are still significantly more expensive than comparable vehicles with internal combustion engines, and a lot still needs to happen there. The RIP formula is easy to remember - electric mobility will indeed "rest in peace" if these three problems are not solved. We talked about the needs of customers. How important are electric cars to manufacturers? Electric cars are becoming increasingly important for them, and I think this realization is taking hold among manufacturers. The Dieselgate scandal has made it clear that CO2 limits are increasingly difficult to reach. Not least because more and more gas-guzzling SUVs are being sold that emit a higher output of greenhouse gases than comparable vehicles. Manufacturers will not succeed in making their fleets meet ever more stringent air pollution limits without electrification. That's also why VW recently announced it planned to have purely electric vehicles make up one-quarter of its sales by 2025 - and that's only nine years away. Even one or two years ago no-one was thinking in terms of this magnitude, but now they're working on it. Whether these goals are achieved remains to be seen, but the path is at least leading in this direction. Those are ambitious targets. What do you predict will happen? I think in the next few years we will see only slight increases in market share - because of the problems I described. But from 2020 it should gain tremendous momentum. We expect that in 2025 the world every tenth, possibly every eighth vehicle will already be solely electrically powered, with the share increasing. Battery-powered electric mobility is therefore becoming increasingly important. In the long term, fuel cells could become relevant, but there are still much bigger problems to overcome with them. Interview: Klaus Ulrich | [
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Saudi Arabia's ambivalent relationship to terrorism
Saudi Arabia is often accused of supporting jihadist groups. Now, the monarchy is helping Berlin's security authorities in the fight against terror. What appears to be a contradiction is not.
A jihadi inspired rampage in a regional train near Würzburg; and a bomb attack - designed to kill a large number of people but gone awry - in Ansbach: Both attacks were supposedly orchestrated by men in Saudi Arabia that gave the attackers instructions from afar, via chat. That is the story the German magazine "Spiegel" is reporting in connection to chat protocols in the possession of federal agencies. The magazine also refers to information provided by a high-ranking government official in the Saudi capital Riyadh. According to the official, several telephone numbers show that the two young men were in close contact with the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS) in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government has now announced comprehensive cooperation with Germany in investigating the recent attacks in Bavaria. For years, Saudi Arabia has been the source of what has appeared to be contradictory information. First, the country is accused of exporting an extremely conservative strain of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism, which also happens to be the kingdom's state religion. Shortly after the outbreak of war in Syria, accusations that the monarchy was financing jihadi groups that were not only seeking to topple the Assad government but also create a new "caliphate" under the control of the terror organization "Islamic State" (IS), grew louder. And finally, for years the West has considered Saudi Arabia to be an important partner in the fight against jihadist terror. Dubious commitment Sebastian Sons, Middle East expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), tells DW that the news is not as contradictory as it initially seems. "The Saudi government has been involved in the fight against terror since the attacks on America in September 2001. That was partially a reaction to US pressure. But it was also because institutions in the kingdom were increasingly the target of jihadist attacks as well, first by al-Qaeda and later 'IS.'" At the same time there are a number of religious foundations in the country, and some of these, as well as a number of wealthy individuals, have great sympathy for the aims of "IS" and provide the organization with financing. "Such money transactions are now being very closely monitored." Yet, there is no way to exert total control over them. "Firstly, Saudi Arabia doesn't have the capacity to do so. And secondly, one has to say that there is serious doubt about whether they have the political will to do so." Nevertheless, even if the royal house had the will, it would be able to do little about it. Because the House of Saud, which has controlled the country since it was founded in the eighteenth century, is totally dependent upon the conservative Wahhabis. It is the religious movement that lends the Sauds the ideological legitimacy upon which their rule is based. Alliance between religion and politics The moral foundation for the rule of the Sauds was established by a religious scholar hailing from an area near what is now the capital Riyadh. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, as the scholar was known, was born in 1703, the son of a judge. Ibn Wahhab developed an entirely new criteria with which to judge the legitimacy of regional rulers. This legitimacy, he said, only existed as long as rulers abided by the tenets of religious faith. Political leaders, according to Wahhab, must comply to the will of god in all that they do. Should they fail to do so, they forfeit their legitimacy. Thus, subjects were given a clear criteria with which to judge their rulers: Do their actions express the will of god, or not? It was a radically emancipating idea, yet it carried the seed of later abuses in it from the start: For who determines what god's will is? Ibn Wahhab came up with a unique solution to the problem: He directly tied religious power to political power. And he did so by seeking out an alliance with the most powerful partner of his day: Prince Saud l., ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad al-Saud, the conquerer of the Emirate of Diriyah, the first Saudi state. The prince secured the theological power of his religious partner with his own military might. And in return, the legitimacy of his political rule received the scholar's religious blessing. The alliance between these two families, the ruling Sauds and the descendants of ibn-Wahhab responsible for answering all religious questions in the kingdom, has continued to hold until this day. Unresolved dilemma This alliance, by necessity, also determines the royal family's current reaction to terror. "The royal family sees terrorism as an extreme security threat, but it still has to align itself with the Wahhabi scholars in terms of ideology," says Sebastian Sons. This means that the monarchy is constantly forced to tolerate its - at times radical - world view. They rarely have the luxury of refusing to give their support. "The structure of the Saudi state is based upon the alliance between Wahhabi scholarship and the House of Saud. That is a unsolvable dilemma for the royal family, even today." That means that the rest of the world will have to live with the reality of more attacks being orchestrated from Saudi Arabia. As long as ideological extremism cannot be overcome, security measures can only help to a point. | [
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Rights body accuses Mexican police of arbitrary executions
Mexico's National Human Rights Commission has said police massacred 22 civilians in the western state of Michoacan last year. Police say they acted in self defense, and that the killings were not arbitrary executions.
The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) on Thursday said the police had committed "violations of the right to life by excessive use of force that entailed the arbitrary execution of 22 civilians." Officers were also said to have been guilty of "aggravated acts of torture on two people who were detained." At least 42 people suspected of being Jalisco New Generation Cartel gang members were killed, while only one police officer died in the raid on a ranch near the small town of Tanhuato. The CNDH said police had lied about their role during the incident, where they shifted 7 bodies and planted weapons on some of them. It was unclear how or why another 15 of those who died had been killed. "As a result of the investigation done by this organization, based on technical and scientific tests ... we established facts that imply grave human rights violations attributable to public servants of the federal police," said Raul Gonzalez, the president of the CNDH. Killings 'in self defense' The findings would appear to contradict the government's claim that 42 people who were killed had attacked officers. A Black Hawk helicopter was employed to "contain the suspects." The Mexican federal police, army and navy have repeatedly been accused of abuses in a drug conflict that has claimed more than 100,000 lives since it began in 2006. Mexico's national security commissioner Renato Sales denied that police had carried out arbitrary killings and executions, and said the investigation was continuing. He urged Congress to pass laws on when security forces can fire weapons. "In our view, the use of arms was necessary and proportional to the very real, imminent and lawless aggression," he said. "They acted in legitimate defense." rc/kl (AP AFP, Reuters) | [
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Report: Exercises for military deployment in Germany expected to start soon
Exercises for an internal German military deployment could start as soon as November, a state interior minister has told media. The anti-terror drills involving Bundeswehr and police would be the first of their kind.
Klaus Bouillon, the head of Germany's interior ministers' conference, said Bundeswehr anti-terror exercises could be approved by the end of the month, in an interview with the "Rheinische Post" on Saturday. "I expect that Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere will greenlight the exercises on August 31," Bouillon, who is also the state of Saarland's interior minister, told the newspaper. "Exercises could begin already in November for an internal Bundeswehr deployment," added the minister. So far, military and police exercises are planned in the German states of Saarland, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt, the journalists' consortium "Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland" reported on Saturday. SPD shift on deployment Bouillon, who is a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) party, said that he believed the exercises would take place "in the majority of states." Even states led by the Social Democrat party (SPD), which have opposed constitutional changes on the internal deployment of German armed forces in the past, are starting to shift, the interior ministers' conference chief said. "I also see a movement in SPD-led states for cooperation between police and the Bundeswehr in case of terror and catastrophes," Bouillon said. Lower Saxony's SPD interior minister, Boris Pistorius, reportedly suggested in a letter to Bouillon that all of Germany's 16 states should conduct the police and military exercises together. Pistorius suggested that the exercises take place nationwide according to the law and under police command, "Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland" reported, quoting the letter. New military strategy Germany's constitution, in reaction to the misuse of the military for state-sponsored terror during the Nazi era, allows for domestic military deployments only under special circumstances, including natural disasters and imminent external threats. A 2012 Constitutional Court decision found that the Bundeswehr could also be deployed in the event of terrorist attacks. In July, the Defense Ministry confirmed the legal situation in its "White Paper" mapping out Germany's military strategy. The exercises would be the first cooperation between police and armed forces to prepare for terror attacks. Following a spate of violent attacks in Germany, some of which were claimed by the militant "Islamic State" group, Chancellor Merkel called for the internal deployment of the military if a major act of terrorism took place. rs/tj (AFP, dpa) | [
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Kurdish YPG, Assad regime clash in Hasakeh
The Kurdish YPG militia has launched a bid to take Hasakeh after calling on pro-government militias to surrender. Fighting over the divided city marks the most violent confrontation between the YPG and Syrian regime yet.
Kurdish militia launched a major assault Monday to capture the entire city of Hasakeh and called on remaining pro-government forces to surrender. The fighting appears to have undone tacit understandings between the YPG and the Syrian army that had kept Hasakeh relatively calm during the past five-year conflict. The Syrian air force attacked the armed Kurdish group for the first time during the war last week, prompting the US-led military coalition to scramble aircraft to protect American special forces troops deployed alongside the YPG. US Navy Captain Jeff Davis warned Damascus that the US-led coalition would do what was needed to protect its forces on the ground. "The Syrian regime would be well advised not to do things that would place them at risk," Davis said Friday. Syrian state media accuses the YPG-affiliated security force known as the Asayish of violating a ceasefire. That was denied in a leafleting campaign that said the YPG intended to take control. "To all the elements of the regime and its militias who are besieged in the city you are targeted by our units," the leaflets read. The loss of Hasakeh would be a strategic blow to President Bashar Assad's government and would be a setback for Russia, which has given air support to Assad's forces to prevent further territorial losses in the country. Thousands of civilians in the city, which is a mix of Arabs and Kurds, including members of the Christian community, have fled to villages in the countryside as the fighting intensified, residents said. Fighting around Hasakeh has killed 43 people including 27 civilians, among them 11 children, since Wednesday, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Thousands of civilians have now fled Hasakeh, where electricity has been cut and bakeries shut. jar/rc (Reuters, AFP, AP) | [
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Julian Weigl: 'Last year I played a bit too safe'
After a rapid rise in his first Bundesliga season, Julian Weigl is expected to deliver again in his second. DW spoke to the BVB star about that pressure and what he plans to change this time around.
Second albums are hard to get right, especially if the first was a hit. Julian Weigl's first season on the big stage certainly was one. Out of nowhere, a player seemingly signed as a prospective talent became the central pivot of Thomas Tuchel's midfield. Now, ahead of his second, Weigl has the pressure of delivering again, and delivering again is just what the Bavaria native has in mind. "I think it's important not to let up or give that little bit less because you think you've alleady proved yourself," Weigl told DW. "Many athletes can have a good year, but the important thing is to perform consistently on the pitch. Now it is time to do more to prove my performance." Dressed for a training session that doesn't start for a while, it's easy to see Weigl's hard-working mindset is more than just an attitude. His father got him into football and while Julian always went to his father's games, he didn't watch because he was too busy playing himself. While he's still got his flashes of youth - the handshake is more friendly than formal and Drake is his one of his favorite artists - he's just as calm in person as he appears when three players are trying to close him down in midfield. At the start of September Weigl will turn 21 years old. For a man of his age, he's proved so much that his final year as a teenager must feel like a lifetime ago. Since then, he has left his old life in Bavaria for a new one as a Borussia player, after the club bought him from second-divison side 1860 Munich for an understated 2.5 million euros ($2.8 million). Weigl made over 50 club appearances, and even made his Germany debut before joining the Euro 2016 squad. Weigl has eased into top-level football with remarkable composure. The youngster admitted that this year had gone went quickly for him, though, and that a recent holiday in the United States with his girlfriend was a welcome chance to get away and take stock. "I arrived [at Dortmund] knowing no one and it changed drastically from one week to the next and of course, you want to have moments when you can eat alone and be a nobody." In a Dortmund team that lost its spine this summer, Weigl has become more than just another member of the team. His role this season will be huge, as BVB welcome a host of new faces and the return of the Champions League. "The Champions League is the most awesome competition out there," Weigl said, clearly excited at the prospect of playing at the top level of club football. "We lost three important players, so it was obvious we would need to dip into the market. But I trusted the club because they've always signed good players. When Robert Lewandowski left, we got Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,' Henrikh Mkhitaryan came in for link:19416307:Mario Götze."# The temptation the second time around for both Tuchel and Weigl will be to offer something new, but the midfielder isn't tempted to stray too far from what has made him so successful. "My strength is how I played last year and I'm hoping to prove that and take it to the next level by making fewer mistakes and improving my weaknesses. There were perhaps a few games last year when I played a bit too safe. I want to operate a little more offensively, so I can deliver an assist from time to time." As Weigl grows as a footballer, it's exciting to think what kind of player he's developing into. "Last year was my first year so you don't always trust yourself to make the killer pass. I think taking last year's form, perhaps I can take the next step, to take more players out of the play with my passes and be more attacking." Weigl is a model professional. He genuinely trains hard and when the name Dirk Nowitzki came up, it became abundantly clear that this is no ordinary 20-year-old. "Dirk Nowitzki talked about Kobe Bryant being a workaholic. It's those things make you think: 'I won't just spend today on the sofa. I won't do it tomorrow, I'll do it now.'" And it's hard not to believe Weigl is becoming a better play today. He's also working with the physio team to keep in shape and he even said that he tries "to live professionally." His focus on diet is also impressive. He's been working on a plan to put on some bulk and it seems to be going well. "It's clear that I'm not going to be a Mats Hummels or a Sokratis, and I might lose a bit of my style of play if I did, but one, two, three kilograms (6.6 pounds) would help." Time with the Germany squad this summer has helped Weigl. He said Toni Kroos' passing quality and Bastian Schweinsteiger's work ethic left an impression on him. At Dortmund, he goes to Sokratis for tackling help and Aubameyang for finishing, something that he's keen to improve. Dortmund fans will be hoping that he will stay with the club for a long time. His current contract ends in 2019, but Weigl was non-committal when asked about his future. "I don't make five-year plans. I just want to keep building on last year's performances," he said. Weigl's affection for 1860 means there's no chance of him following the recent trend of swapping yellow and black for the red of Bayern. The rest of Europe will be on guard, but for now Dortmund fans can look forward to another successful album from their midfield maestro. | [
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'Infrastructure can drive up disaster vulnerability' says UN climate expert
Collapsed bridges, unsafe power grids, interrupted water supply: Weak infrastructure can turn natural hazards into disasters. In an interview with DW, UN expert Matthias Garschagen talks about the 2016 World Risk Report.
Each year, the World Risk Report (WRR) and its World Risk Index (WRI) analyze vulnerability of over 170 countries to natural hazards. They do so to identify disaster hotspots and risk indicators. The United Nations University's Institute for Environment and Human Security publishes the report jointly with German NGO Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft and in cooperation with the University of Stuttgart. Now in its sixth edition, the annual report and index highlight several key areas: level of exposure (likelihood of a natural disaster), vulnerability (level of susceptibility), how well a society can cope (resilience) and what preventive measures can be taken. DW spoke to scientific lead Matthias Garschagen about the newest developments and why a reliable infrastructure is vital to a country's capacity to cope with hazards. The interview was conducted by Anke Rasper. Deutsche Welle: How high is the risk for disasters at this moment in time? Matthias Garschagen: That's a tricky question. In principle, particular parts of countries have a higher risk of suffering from disasters related to natural hazards. In the past days and weeks, we were able to see this in several parts of the world where we have floods and storms - also here in Europe. These risks are also increasing with regional environmental degradation and issues like climate change. The risk is also changing globally due to the role of vulnerabilities. It's not only about assessing the intensity of natural hazards but how susceptible societies are when being hit by those events. And the short-term and long-term capacity of those societies to deal with them. What are the global hotspots for risk at the moment? It's clearly sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia as well as, to a certain extent, South Asia and Latin America. If you were to decompose risk into its main components of the hazard exposure on the one hand and societal vulnerability on the other, the hotspots would shift to a certain degree. As you said, sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the world regions with a tremendous amount of risk and vulnerability. Can you talk about a few countries as examples? Mainly Western Africa - countries like Togo, Benin and Nigeria - countries with a high exposure to floods and droughts and, to a certain level, sea-level rise. They are also facing high vulnerability. They have many development challenges, like healthcare, infrastructure, quality of the environment, which drive up the vulnerability. Speaking of infrastructure: That's the emphasis of this year's report. What role do logistics and infrastructure play for risk and vulnerability? Infrastructure plays a key role for the question of whether a hazard turns into a disaster. This can go along two lines. On the one hand, infrastructure is of key importance for relief and response work. In the case of a flood, for example, you need reliable streets, bridges and airports in order to get support and relief into the right places quickly. Infrastructure also plays an increasing role for vulnerability in the first place. Can you give an recent example where infrastructure played an important role? The Nepal earthquake is a good one. Kathmandu's international airport was not up to dealing with the quantity of incoming aid. That was the main transport nodal point to get the relief work going. And the many damaged streets and bridges also hindered the flow of items from the airport. Would a rich country been in a better position to recover faster? Yes, and better able to cope with the impacts in the first place. If you compare Nepal to Switzerland, for example, the data clearly shows that Switzerland has, per capita and per square kilometer, a higher number of paved roads and bridges. It also has more helicopters and alternate airports and airstrips. All of this helps with short-term disaster response. Having economic buffers also makes a huge difference in terms of recovery. Can infrastructure in poorer countries be improved in ways that make it less susceptible to disasters? There are several ways. What is helpful is to look at the different dimensions of risk, which we also propose in the report. To start with exposure: Infrastructure development is done in non-exposed areas. In other words, if you do future planning for a new airport or power plant, you ought to think about flood scenarios in the context of climate change - not just in the present, but 10 or 20 years in the future. Or if you build a new nuclear power plant, you have to plan for the next 50 years. Could it be exposed to floods in 20 years? That is the first step. The second step is susceptibility, in terms of the fragility of a building. Are there building codes in place in order for buildings to withstand earthquakes? And, even more importantly, are those building codes enforced? In the Sichuan earthquake in China, the major problem was not a lack of building codes but that they were not adhered to due to corruption and poor enforcement. That's why a lot of the school buildings caved in, which massively contributed to the high death toll among school children. Thirdly, how can infrastructure cope with certain situations? Hospitals are increasingly aware of alternate evacuation routes in the event of a major flood, even here in Central Europe. Right now those topics are on the agenda, but more conceptually than practically. What are you hoping to achieve with the report? The World Risk Report has two main objectives. The first one is to raise awareness among the next generation of risk managers, politicians, etc., that disaster risk also encompasses building regulations, law enforcement, the level of corruption and so forth. All these things can drive up vulnerability and susceptibility towards these hazards. Secondly, we give recommendations as to what can be done for long-term risk reduction. One key recommendation is to be aware that infrastructure is much more than the technical solutions. It's also about institutions and the humans who run it. This cannot be stressed enough. Too often we focus on the export of technology and know-how in the international community, not so much on the institutions around them. Did you select the infrastructure and logistics emphasis because Habitat, the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, is coming up in October? That's part of it - transportation and communications nodal points are often located in cities. Plus humanity is increasingly living in cities and increasingly depends on infrastructure. To understand the interface with disaster risks is quite timely and important. What role do disasters and infrastructure play in urban settings? Infrastructure does not only play a large role for cities themselves but for societies at large. If communication nodal points or service stations go down in urban areas, where between 50 percent and two-thirds of societies live, the rest of the country will be affected as well. A power outage can hinder the flow of relief items to remote villages. One other key thing is that we should not to pin our hopes too much on technology. Smartphones, drones, social media and the like can do a lot, but what's most needed is basic infrastructure like a functioning road network, bridges and airports. Without these in place, no smartphone in the world can help you to get the right relief to remote places affected by landslides and floods. This interview was condensed for clarity. Dr. Matthias Garschagen is the scientific lead of the 2016 World Risk Report. He is the head of vulnerability assessment, risk management and adaptive planning, at the United Nations University's Institute for Environment and Human Security in Bonn, Germany. | [
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Amazon close to launching new streaming service
Amazon is reportedly a month away from launching a new subscription-based music streaming service. Once licensing agreements are signed, Amazon will enter a crowded market dominated by Spotify and Apple Music.
The online retail giant Amazon is close to signing licensing deals with some of the world's preeminent record labels, a final step in its bid to claim a chunk of the digital music market, according to a report in the Financial Times. The newspaper cited two people familiar with the matter, who said Amazon could launch its streaming service as soon as September, though the company has yet to officially confirm a launch date. Another player looking to enter the music streaming fray was Pandora, until now a provider of internet radio. That company was similarly close to inking agreements with the holders of music rights and could introduce its service by the end of the year, Financial Times noted. A subscription to both companies' new streaming platforms would cost $9.99 a month, according to the Financial Times. Other industry players, including Spotify, Apple, SoundCloud, Deezer, Tidal and Google Play, all offer similar services for that price. According to the report, Amazon would pay the same level of royalty fees as Apple, which pays a bit more than Spotify. Spotify, which counts more monthly subscribers than any other music streaming service, diverts about 70 percent of its revenue to copyright owners. cjc/uhe (Financial Times, dpa) | [
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