DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Chinese investments in Europe take a dive A study published Tuesday by consultancy EY shows that Chinaʼs mergers and acquisitions in Europe dipped by 21 percent last yearwith a total of 196 M&A deals registered in 2018. In Germany alone, the number of investment deals sank from 54 to 35 last year. The decline in Chinese investment activities on the Continent was particularly dramatic in the second half of 2018 when the number of acquisitions decreased by 26 percent, and the number of investments in Germany plunged by a staggering 60 percent. There were only 10 Chinese transactions in Germany in the final six months of last year, with the number of takeovers hitting low levels last seen in the first half of 2013.
32/2019 • 7 FEBRUARY, 2019
Pope Francisʼ UAE trip a historic milestone Francisʼ trip to the United Arab Emirates has given new hope to interfaith dialogue
Russia to build midrange nuclear missiles after INF treaty withdrawal
Draghi: Eurozone faces economic downturn, more stimulus needed
The defense secretaryʼs statement follows a decision by the United States last weekto suspend obligationsto theINF Treaty, a bilateral arms agreement banned ground-launched missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,410 miles). The US has claimed Russia had violated the treaty, which former Soviet and US Presidents Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan agreed to in 1987. Russia, who denied the US allegations, responded to the US pullout by withdrawing from the treatyas well. Shoigu said Tuesday that such mid-range missiles must now be designed, insisting that Russia take "tit-for-tat measures." He also accused the US of seeking to make "ground-based missiles with a range capability of over 500 kilometers."
Collective push against climate change more powerful than youʼd think
It is the first time the pope has ever visited the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.
European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi has warned that weaker growth in the global economy will continue to be felt in Europe. The ECB, which kept key interest rates on hold, is unlikely to raise them until the summer. The head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, on Thursday said the bank was ready to "adjust all of its instruments" if the economy runs into serious trouble and warned that risks "have moved to the down-
Peter Kalmus sits outside Californiaʼs Pasadena City Hall in his electric car. His sons, aged 10 and 12, are on steps of the grand building, waving signs with the slogans: "School strike for climate" and "Adults, act like it!" Kalmusʼ Tesla is just the kind of luxury youʼd expect a climate scientist at NASAʼs jet propulsion laboratory to have. But he doesnʼt exactly live a
side." Draghi blamed "the persistence of uncertainties related to geopolitical factors and the threat of protectionism, vulnerabilities in emerging markets and financial market volatility," hinting atcontinuing worries of the US-China trade conflictand Brexit, among other issues. "The near-term growth momentum is likely to be weaker than previously expected," he said, before insisting that the ECB was "not out of instruments" to face any economic headwinds.
lavish lifestyle. Actually, he says, he usually cycles. He hasnʼt been on a plane since 2012, and he eats a vegetarian diet. As someone who works in climate science, Kalmus feels thereʼs no excuse not to reduce his carbon footprint. "This is an urgent crisis," he says. "Those of us who understand that should act like itʼs an urgent crisis."
Greece: Turkish coup suspects ʼnot welcome,ʼ but Athens must respect judiciary Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Tuesday that coup suspects are "not welcome" in Greece, but the case regarding eight Turkish servicemen who fled the country after a failed 2016 coup attempt on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a judiciary matter. "On the thorny issue of the eight soldiers, Greece respects the decisions delivered by the judiciary," Tsipras said in Ankara after meeting with Erdogan. "Coup plotters are not welcome in Greece, however what is more important is to strengthen our cooperation on the sector of security." The soldiers,who fled to Greece seeking asylum, have been a source of tension between the two Aegean Sea neighbors in recent years. But Tsipras said Greece and Turkey have agreed to deescalate tensions and initiate confidence building measures.
Germany reveals plan to stop foreign takeovers Germanyʼs economy minister, Peter Altmaier, on Tuesday officially launched a controversial plan aimed at developing the countryʼs industrial sector and increasing its international competitiveness in technology and innovation. Though it was the first time Altmaier fully detailed the "National Industry Strategy 2030," some key points had previously been revealed the German media the previous week, prompting the minister to take the defensive against claims of protectionism and intrusive state intervention.
weather today BUDAPEST
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32/2019 • 7 February, 2019
Invisible and dangerous: The Salafist scene in North Rhine-Westphalia There are more Salafists in North Rhine-Westphalia than in any other German state. The scene has all but vanished from the public eye in its stronghold. But it is still very active, as DW is told by numerous sources. "Speak after me," the red-bearded German convert and Salafist preacher Pierre Vogel says as he publicly summons the young woman. Cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd in the pedestrian zone of the western city of Offenbach, she does exactly that, and repeats the words of the Islamic profession of faith. That was in 2010. The conversion was filmed and uploaded to YouTube — just one example of the many videos shared online from the heydays ofSalafist missionary work in Germany. Until 2016, the scene had a self-confident and sometimes aggressive public appearance. Bearded men in baggy pants and flowing white robes such as Pierre Vogel regularly distributed free German-language editions of the Koran in market squares and pedestrian zones. As part of their "LIES!" campaign (German for "Read"), key figures of Germanyʼs Salafist scene publicly preached their radical interpretation of Islam as converts were invited to join "Islam seminars" up and down the country. Vogelʼs people also offered leisure activities such as barbecues and football in an effort to create a parallel Islamic society.
The plastics issue we seem to ignore Giant petrochemical companies have announced a wealthy alliance to tackle plastic pollution. But thereʼs little talk of scaling back production to help the environment. The day my close childhood friend turned 2 years old, The New York Times published an in-depth article entitled "The Promise and Perils of Petrochemicals." It offered an insight into the complexities and "alchemy" of synthetics manufacture, and claimed that products such as plastics are often created more to meet the needs of industry than those of the consumer. In the same breath, it warned that large-scale production could, in years to come, become anenvironmental hazard. That was in 1977. Fast forward to the here and now, and that
prophecy is graphically borne out in abundant images from across the world of clogged waterways, dead wildlifeand trash heaped as far, high and wide as the eye can see. Even the author of the decades-old caution might have struggled to imagine how, in the intervening 40 plus years, global and globalized society would go from an annual production of some 50 million tons — equivalent in weight to around 150 Empire State Buildings — to 335 million tons in 2016, as figures from Statista show.
A safer internet and the stupid things we do online You donʼt have to be savvy to be safe online. Just sensible. Be sensible online, avoid a few stupid pitfalls, and asafer internetwill be within everyoneʼs grasp. 5) The abandoned-phone toilet-dash Ever felt that bursting urge for the loo on a plane? But you canʼt go because all the toilets are occupied? So you fiddle with your phone for distraction. And then as soon as a toilet becomes free, you swiftly throw your phone into the netting on the back of the seat in front, or into that charg-
ing cradle on long-haul flights, and make a glorious dash for liberty. But you forget to lock the screen. Big no-no. Any nefarious fingers nearby could easily scan your phone for personal data, such as who you are, where you live, your contacts, or anyprivate detailsyouʼve saved in a notes app, photos, or even worse. Unless youʼve got a two-factor authentication set up, one that requires a fingerprint or facial recognition, they may even be able to access your banking apps. Or credit card in your digital wallet.
Serena Williams knocks out Simona Halep in epic Australian Open clash Serena Williams underlined why she is the favourite to win the Australian Open with a 6-1 4-6 6-4 win over top seed Simona Halep in a high-quality last-16 match. The 37-year-old American dismantled Halepʼs game to race through the opening set in 20 minutes.
Múzeum+ February at Museum of Fine Arts The February edition of monthly event series Múzeum+ is being held on the 14th at the Museum of Fine Arts. For each of these events, besides interactive workshops and concerts, an English-language guided tour also features. This time the theme is German Renaissance Art, starting at 7pm. For the complete schedule, check the museum website.
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Berlinʼs classic ad columns to disappear Berlinʼs cityscape wonʼt be quite the same without them. While they may seem trivial in our digital world, advertising columns are seen as an immutable part of many urban environments, and of Berlin in particular. But now the city has decided that the legendary posts were to be removed — 20 of them a day, until they all disappear by June 30. Absurdly, according to the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, while the traditional ad columns will be removed, ILG, the new company from Stuttgart that has acquired the advertisement rights for the next 15 years, will build 1,500 new columns — 1,000 less than before — of a new type to replace the Berliner original ones. They will be larger and have lighting. It was in the German capital that the poster-plastered pillars were invented in 1854. In German, the advertising columns — known in the plural as Litfasssäulen — are named for their inventor, Ernst Litfass, who was born in Berlin over 200 years ago, on February 11, 1816.
Russia: Fake bomb threats prompt mass evacuations in Moscow A series of fake bomb threats forced tens of thousands of people on Tuesday to evacuate buildings in Russiaʼs capital of Moscow. School children, office workers and shoppers were among those who had to briefly empty 100 buildings in and around the city, reports said. In total, some 20,000 people were affected, while authorities swept the areas and ruled out any danger.Some institutions, such as the Russian State University of the Humanities, cancelled activities for the day due to the disruption caused by the mass evacuation. Tuesdayʼs incident was the latest in wave of false bomb alarms to hit Russia. Last week, some 55 buildings in Russiaʼs second city Saint Petersburg had to be evacuated. Similar threats were reported and let to evacuations in several other cities like Krasnoyarsk in Siberia and Volgograd in the south. Read more: High-rise mania overshadows Moscowʼs suburban dream In November 2018, a train station and 12 shopping malls had to be evacuated in Moscow due to anonymous calls warning of bomb threats that turned out to be fake.