DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
With a rapidly aging population, Germany looks to Balkans for care workers Joana Bocaj is 25 years old. Sheʼs a nurse in the city of Vlore in southern Albania, but she hopes she wonʼt be working there much longer. Joana is preparing to leave Albania and start a new working life in the western German city of Dusseldorf. She heard about the city from a colleague. "I think Iʼll have a better life and a better future in Germany," she says. "Here our salaries are low, and no one values our work. Thatʼs why Iʼd like to live and work over there." Joana will be welcome in Dusseldorf. Until recently, the German government had neglectedchronic personnel shortagesin the German care sector. The governmentʼs 2017 coalition agreement said that an additional 8,000 care workers were to be employed nationwide. That figure has since been revised upwards, with officials now talking about recruiting at least 13,000 new care workers.
German teaching brochure sparks spying row and far-right outrage
Germanyʼs biggest newspaper, Bild, has been accused of pandering to far-right populist sentiment over a report that allegedly mischaracterized a brochure published by the anti-racist nongovernmental organization Amadeu Antonio Foundation (AAS). The Bild report from November 29 described a 60-page AAS guide designed to help kindergarten teachers and parents deal with children who had expressed racist sentiments or appeared to be indoctrinated by neo-Nazi ideology. In a story entitled "Row over snooping manual," Bild presented the publication as an attempt to get children to spy on their parents. In its response to the report, the AAS pointed out that Bild only picked up on the three-month-old brochure after far-right German blogs like Philosophia Perennis and Journalis‐ tenwatch had expressed their own outrage. Bild largely repeated the far-right arguments without challenging them, and the AAS says it has received hundreds of threats of violence since the newspaper ran the story.
274/2018 • 4 DECEMBER, 2018
US coalition kills ʼIslamic Stateʼ leader wanted for beheadings The leader was responsible for the beheading of a US aid worker in Syria, said a US official
The leader was responsible for the beheading of a US aid worker in Syria, said a US official. Even as the group suffers military defeat in Iraq and Syria, the UN has warned it still poses a threat to global security.
Textile workers still unsafe years after Bangladesh, Pakistan factory disasters More than five years since two fatal factory disasters in Bangladesh and Pakistan, the issue of workersʼ safety in South Asia remains unresolved. It becomes an even bigger issue when European companies are involved. Whatʼs common between the 2012 factory fire in Pakistanʼs Karachi city andthe 2013 Rana Plaza collapsenear the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka? Both facilities manufactured clothes for popular European brands and both had abysmal safety standards for their workers. The textile factory fire in Karachi burned to death some 250 workers, whereas the Rana Plaza col-
lapse killed more than 1,100 people. Hundreds more were severely wounded in both accidents. Much has been said and written about the two cases over the years. Litigation processes, public awareness campaigns and safety inspections kick-started in the aftermath of the two fatal incidents. Some compensation has also been paid to the victimsʼ families. But many questions remain unanswered to date. Most significantly, what lessons have European textile companies and consumers learnt from these tragedies? And how to make sure that these incidents donʼt happen in the future?
Largest David Lynch retrospective to date on show in Maastricht Most people associate the name David Lynch with bizarre movies that dive deeper into the subconscious than many might be comfortable with. Award-winning films like Wild at Heart and Blue Velvet or the cult TV series Twin Peaks have become synonymous with the director, epitomizing his unmistakably disturbing style exploring what lurks underneath the surface of American society. Still David Lynch is not only a film director but
also an accomplished artist, whose paintings, sketches, sculptures, photographs, video installations and mixed media works have been shown around the world. The Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht now brings Lynchʼs work as an artist to The Netherlands for the first time. The works shown at the exhibition "David Lynch: Someone is in my house" span from Lynchʼs childhood in the 1950s to his most recent work from 2018.
German cities get more funding for air quality, but retro-fitting plan still to come The German government agreed on Monday to provide additional funding to cities, in an effort to tackle air pollution linked to diesel vehicle emissions. The decision came after a meeting, dubbed the "diesel summit," between Chancellor Angela Merkel and representatives from cities and municipalities. German cities are currently facingcourt-imposed banson older diesel-powered vehicles. This stemmed from legal action taken by environmentalists to enforce EU regulations on air quality. To address the issue, the German government established the "Cleaner Air" program, in place from 2017 to 2020, to cut emissions from municipal vehicles. The German automotive sector is also making a financial contribution.
Bayer pharma workers protest 12,000 worldwide job losses More than 1,000 employees of German pharmaceutical giant Bayer protested at the companyʼs site in Wuppertal, in western Germany, on Monday. The company has announcedplans to cut 12,000 jobs worldwidein an attempt to placate investors after an onslaught of lawsuits that came with its $63 billion (€55 billion) takeover of agrochemical conglomerate Monsanto earlier this year.
weather today BUDAPEST
3 / 8 °C Precipitation: 0 mm
274/2018 • 4 December, 2018
German intelligence foiled 2016
How the EU is cracking down on geoblocking
Islamic State terror attack
As of Monday, traders offering their goods and services to EU customers have to comply with a new law designed to restrict geoblocking practices in e-commerce activities. Hereʼs what you need to know.
Three teams of "Islamic State" (IS) terrorists were to have traveled to Germany in 2016 to prepare for and carry out a devastating attack — with the target possibly a music festival. A man, Oguz G., and woman, Marcia M., who traveled to Syria in autumn 2015 to join IS were to have played a central role in the attack. From ISʼ then-de facto capital of Raqqa, Marcia M. — who was herself a convert to Islam — tried to recruit women in northern Germany to marry IS members so that they could be granted permission to enter Germany. However, one of the women who was contacted was an informant for Germanyʼsdomestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), who alerted authorities. Details of the case emerged after an investigation by the German broadcasters ARD and WDR, as well as the Süddeutsche Zeitung and Zeit newspapers. The case was confirmed by the German Federal Prosecutorʼs Office.
Dina Asher-Smith named in IAAF Female Athlete of the Year shortlist Britainʼs Dina Asher-Smith has been named in the five-strong shortlist for the 2018 IAAF Female Athlete of the Year award. The triple European champion is joined by fellow sprinter Shaunae Miller-Uibo from the Bahamas. Belgian heptathlete Nafissatou Thiam, Colombian triple jumper Caterine Ibarguen and steeplechaser Beatrice Chepkoech from Kenya complete the list. The award will be presented on 4 December in Monaco.
Geoblocking is the common practice by online traders of denying customers from certain countries access to their websites. Usually, itʼs fairly easy for sellers to identify your IP address and hence where you are located. In other cases, websites are accessible, but customers are automatically redirected to related online portalswhere goods and services are more expensivethan for customers in the country where the seller is based. And geo-discrimination doesnʼt stop there. There have been plenty of cases where customers are prevented
from finalizing a purchase because credit or debit card payments from other EU countries arenʼt accepted. In theory, these restrictions should be banished from the European Union as of December 3, 2018. The new antigeoblocking regulation cracks down on companies discriminating against customers on the basis of which country they are in, dovetailing with the European Commissionʼs e-commerce competition law sector enquiryand its Digital Single Market strategy. The latter has all been about removing obstacles to online retail.
5.3 million Germans suffer from depression each year A study by the German Depression Foundation found the illness caused relationship breakdowns for almost half of those affected. The German Depression Foundation has published its 2018 Depression Barometer, offering an insight into how widespread the mental disorder is in Germany, and the impact it can have on personal relationships. The foundation interviewed 5,000 people between ages 18 and 69 for the study. Eighty-four percent of respondents stated that depression
caused them to completely withdraw from social life, 72 percent experienced feeling disconnected from people in general, and 45 percent broke up with their romantic partner. "The high number of separations shows what a profound illness depression is," German Depression Foundation chairman Ulrich Hegerl said. Around 5.3 million people in Germany suffer from depression each year, and around 17 percent of German adults will experience a persistent depressive disorder in their lifetime, the foundation said.
Zsidró Hair Salons offer services of the highest quality in the close neighbourhood of your hotel! Bring Daily Newspaper over Andrássy street to Zsidró salon, and you will get -10% off the price of your haircut/hairstyling! Services: Hair Styling: haircut, professional dying, styling PRECEDING the newest trends, hairstyle consultation, treatment for scalp problems (oily or irritated scalp, dandruff, hair loss) also for gentlemen! professional correction of dye jobs gone wrong, etc. Address: Andrássy Rd. Salon 17 Andrássy Rd. Budapest (opposite to Hotel Moments) Phone: +36 1 342 73 66 With no appointment as well! Just come over!
Hotel Azúr Prémium H-8600 Siófok, Erkel Ferenc u. 2/c. Telephone: 06 86 501 450 premium@hotelazur.hu http://www.hotelazur.hu/hu/premium
Published by: Mega Media Kft. 1075 Budapest, Madách I. út 13-14. +36 1 398 0344 www.hotelujsag.hu
eBay sues Amazon for allegedly poaching its sellers Online retailer eBay filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against its competitor Amazon, accusing the Seattle-based giant of using eBayʼs own messaging system to steal sellers. eBay described Amazonʼs scheme as an "orchestrated, coordinated, worldwide campaign" to "illegally lure eBay sellers." While both eBay and Amazonʼs revenue is boosted by independent sellers, the group has become a greater part of Amazonʼs recent growth. In 2017, more than half the items sold on Amazon came from third-party sellers. In eBayʼs lawsuit, Amazon representatives are accused of creating eBay accounts and then messaging sellers to persuade them to take their goods to Amazon.com instead. eBay argues that the move violated its user agreement. The plaintiff claimed that Amazonʼs "abuse" was systematic and had the sole purpose of harming eBay.
Hungaryʼs university ban on gender studies heats up culture war Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen hinted at it during an interview in August: Hungarian universities would no longer offer gender studies as a discipline. According to Semjen, nobody wanted to employ "genderologists," so there was no need to train them. He also called the idea of gender as a social construct "absurd." The subject has now officially been abolished. Last weekend a government decree signed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban came into force, removing gender studies from the list of masterʼs programmes. Degree courses in the discipline that have already begun can be completed. But after that, the subject will be banned at Hungarian universities. A master’s degree in gender studies is currently offered at two Hungarian universities: Budapestʼs state-funded Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE), Hungaryʼs oldest university, and theCentral European University (CEU), a private institution funded by Hungarian-American billionaireGeorge Sorosʼ Open Society Foundation. Around 20 students have taken part in the masters program at each university.