DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Saudi Arabia introduces law banning sexual harassment The measure has been passed by the Cabinet and an advisory council, and will become law with a royal decree. The country is making some piecemeal reforms, including ending its notorious driving ban on women. Saudi Arabia passed a draft law Wednesday that criminalizes sexual harassment less than a month before the stridently conservative country lifts a decadesold ban against women driving. The measure, which was passed by the Shura Council, carries a maximum 5-year prison term and fine of up to 300,000 riyals ($80,000, or €70,000). "The law is aimed at combating and preventing the crime of harassment, enforcing penalty on perpetrators, protecting victims and safeguarding the individualʼs privacy, dignity and freedom ensured by the Islamic sharia law," the council said in a statement.
Syria recognizes Georgiaʼs breakaway regions in nod to Russia The Georgian government has hit back at Syria by severing diplomatic ties with the Arab republic. Syria is now one of five countries that have recognized the Moscowbacked regions. The Syrian government has recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two Georgian breakaway regions backed by Russia, as independent countries. "A deal has been reached between the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia to exchange recognition and set up diplomatic ties at the embassy level," said a Syrian Foreign Ministry official in comments circulated by the staterun SANA news agency on Tuesday. The move prompted the Georgian government to announce its decision to sever official ties with Syria, blaming Russia for orchestrating the diplomatic stunt.
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Cuba forms commission to revamp constitution Potential changes include market reforms and a presidential term limit
A commission led by former President Raul Castro will be responsible for rewriting Cubaʼs 1976 constitution.
Australian shoppers face Amazon restrictions US internet giant Amazon has said it will block Australian shoppers from its international websites. Itʼs a move to counter new tax laws on online purchases and "the massive administrative burden." New regulations in Australia require internet retailers like US company Amazonto collect a 10-percent goods and services tax (GST) on everything bought on overseas sitesfrom July 1. As a result, Amazon said Australian shoppers wanting to use its global platforms would instead be directed to its smaller domestic site offering much
less for sale. The company reportedly baulked at the massive administrative burden of tracking GST from all overseas transactions. The retailer said it would compensate by opening a "global store" for Australians, adding an extra 4 million items previously available only on its American website. But even with the changes, the number of products available would be a fraction of whatʼs on sale globally. The new tax rules were brought inafter years of lobbying by struggling local retailers having to apply GST to all online store sales.
German university hospital defends auto firmsʼ nitrogen dioxide test ethics No experiments on animals or humans can take place in Germany without a go from an authorized ethics committee. Dr. Thomas Kraus from Aachen University Hospital says this was the case in the most recent NO2 scandal. The European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) "did not impinge in any way on the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) research it commissioned Aachen University Hospital to do," Professor Thomas Kraus from the
hospital told the German press agency DPA on Monday. The EUGT is a now defunct organization that was funded by German carmakers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW plus partsmaker Bosch, thus raising questions of possible conflicts of interest. In 2013, 25 healthy volunteers were exposed to NO2 pollution for three hours, Kraus said. "None of them had any negative health effects," he went on, adding that the tests were meant to measure the impact of pollutants in the workplace.
Israel launches retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza after Hamas rocket attacks The fighting is the worst episode of violence since Israel and Hamas fought a brief war in 2014. The United States, European Union and United Nations have condemned the rocket and mortar attacks against Israel. Israel has launched airstrikes against targets throughout the Gaza Strip after the armed wing of the ruling group in the Palestinian territory launched dozens of rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel. The confrontation, which continued into Wednesday morning, is the worst episode of violence between Israel and Hamas since they fought a seven-week-long war in 2014. The Israeli military said around 70 rockets and bombs had been fired into Israel by 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday (1700 GMT). One mortar shell landed near a kindergarten.Israeli forces intercepted most of the rockets and mortar shells, the military said, and tanks and bombers responded by targeting 55 militant locations within Gaza.
Paris police clear 1,700strong Millenaire migrant camp The dawn operation was the 35th camp clearance undertaken in the French capital over the past three years. Those living at the "Millenaire" camp in the northeast the city are being moved to temporary accomodation. French security forces began the evacuation of the largest migrant camp in Paris on Wednesday morning, where up to 1,700 people, mostly from Africa, were living in makeshift conditions.
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124/2018 • 04 June, 2018
Helmut Kohl widow denied inheritance of posthumous compensation The former German chancellor had won a lawsuit against his ghostwriter, but passed away before the payments were settled. A court has now ruled that Maike Kohl-Richter may not inherit her husbandʼs compensation. The high regional court in Cologne ruled Tuesday that Maike KohlRichter was not entitled to receive €1 million ($1.1 million) in damages awarded to her husband, the lateformer German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, shortly before his death. The compensation, which was not settled until after Kohlʼs passing, represented the largest sum ever won in a private lawsuit in Germany. The court concluded that damages-related compensation cannot be inherited. Such payments can only be awarded to the plaintiff directly, while that person is alive. Kohlʼs widow will now have the opportunity to appeal the decision. The compensationwas awardedto Helmut Kohl in April 2017, following alawsuit against his former ghostwriter, Heribert Schwan. The focus of the suit was Schwanʼsunauthorized biographytitled "Vermächtnis - die Kohl-Protokolle" (Legacy - The Kohl Transcripts).
Wawrinka out after fiveset marathon, rains halts Rafael Nadal Rain eventually dampened the mood at Roland Garros but there was still plenty of action on day two in Paris. Last yearʼs beaten finalist Stan Wawrinka slumped to defeat, while there were no surprises on the womenʼs side. Stan Wawrinka was the big-game casualty in the first round in Paris as the Pole was dumped out of the French Open by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Geopolitical tensions cloud German export picture The world is a complicated place, but the immutable laws of international trade have often served to simplify it. That appears to be changing fast, and Germany is in the firing line as risks of a global trade war rise. In the 1976 US movie Network, a longtime news anchor goes rogue and begins leading his broadcasts with his personal — and increasingly popular — views. When he hears that the station is to be bought by a Saudi Arabian conglomerate, he rails against the deal live on air and is subsequently hauled up to the top floor to meet the chairman of the board. "You have meddled with the primal forces of nature, Mr. Beale," he tells the anchor angrily. "There are no Russians, there are no Arabs…there is only one holistic system of systems, one vast
and immane, interwoven, interacting, multivariate, multinational dominion of dollars. Petro-dollars, electrodollars, multi-dollars, reichmarks, rins, rubles, pounds, and shekels. It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet." Those operating in the business of international trade will tend to agree with the essence of that sentiment but that said, there is little point denyingthat those corporate forces of nature are being meddled with left, right and center these days.
Cancer at the nail salon Did you know that you have an increased cancer risk at the nail salon? Or that a lack of sleep can make you depressed? DW brings you this weekʼs health news, all in one handy guide right here! One yogurt a day might keep the doctor away. At least thatʼs whatresearchers from the University of WisconsinMadison are saying. Their research showed that eating 12 ounces (just over 300 grams) of yogurt a day can reduce the amount of inflammation in the body. They believe that yogurt improves the integrity of the intestinal wall in a way that prevents bacterial toxins from entering the rest of the body and causing inflammation. And
whether itʼs aching joints, skin disease, dementia or diabetes – inflammation plays a role in all of them. Yogurt not only reduces inflammation, but also supports digestion and strengthens your bones and teeth. Are you often too lazy to follow your work-out plan? Instead of forcing yourself to exercise, you could combine your routine with mindfulness training. Itʼs supposed to help boost your motivation. Thatʼs the result of astudy by researchers at Iowa State Universityin the US. They studied the effects of a mindfulness-based stress reduction program on physical activity. The program included exercises in breathing, meditation, selfawareness, and stretching and movement.
Cate Blanchett recites manifestos to Budapest audiences at National Gallery A piercingly provocative multichannel video installation should entice spectators to the Hungarian National Gallery this summer. Starring award-winning Cate Blanchett, the highly immersive Manifesto project by German artist Julian Rosefeldt presents modern-day characters through 12 scenes, all played by the Australian actress and each projected on an individual screen.
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OECD: Trade war risks imperil economic upswing The prospect of increasing trade frictions is threatening the global growth outlook, the OECD has said in its latest biannual forecast. Nonetheless, it expects unemployment to hit a 40-year low in 2019. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Wednesday it expected global growth to reach 3.8 percent this year and 3.9 percent in 2019. The eurozone economywas forecast to grow by 2.9 percent this year and 2.8 percent in 2019. The Paris-based policy organization made up mainly of developed nations noted in its biannual outlook that budgetary easing had taken over from central bank stimulus as the main engine of economic expansion, with three-fourths of OECD member countries now likely to loosen their purse strings. The overall OECD unemployment rate was seen falling to 5 percent by the end of next year, which would mark the lowest level since 1980 and set the stage for higher growth in workersʼ wages.
MH370: Mystery of missing jet remains as fouryear search ends A US company has ended its search of the Indian Ocean for the remains of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. It disappeared in March 2014, with 239 people on board, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Efforts to locate the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 drew to a close in the remote Indian Ocean on Tuesday, after a private company, hired to extend the search, admitted it had found no trace of the aircraft. Texasbased Ocean Infinity said in a statement it had "searched and collected high-quality data from over 112,000 square kilometers of ocean floor ... overcoming both challenging conditions and terrain," but without success. Oliver Plunkett, Ocean Infinityʼs chief executive, said the failure to find any sign of the plane was "extremely disappointing." In January, the firm signed a 90-day "no find, no fee" deal with the Malaysian government to resume the hunt for the missing aircraft, a year after the official search was called off.