DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
UN migration compact formally adopted The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration has been formally adopted by UN member states at a conference in the Moroccan capital Marrakech. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the nonbinding accord, which was finalized in July after 18 months of talks, as a "roadmap to prevent suffering and chaos," rejecting claims that it would allow the UN to impose migration policies on member states. German Chancellor Angel Merkel hailed the compact as a "milestone" for the international community and its handling of migrants. She called migration "natural " and "also good, when itʼs legal." The compact states that it is designed to "foster international cooperation among all relevant actors on migration, acknowledging that no state can address migration alone, and upholds the sovereignty of states and their obligations under international law."
Promised EU help for truck drivers is in the wrong lane "Driving a truck used to be fun," says André Bergner. "But nowadays Iʼm only doing it for lack of alternatives; the open borders have wrecked so much," he adds while leaning against his 40-ton vehicle. Heʼs hinting at hisfellow drivers from Eastern Europe who are on the road for wages a lot lower than his. Bergner says he used to tour Scandinavia for weeks on end, or Eastern Europe, plus tours leading him right down to Italy. But now, he notes, heʼs at home on weekends. "Eventually, my wife wouldnʼt accept my old schedule any more," Bergner says while looking bashfully at the ground. A recent proposal by EU transport ministers calls for a 45-hour break outside the trucks after drivers have been on the road for six days. This means drivers would have to return home or stay in a hotel near their current location.
280/2018 • 11 DECEMBER, 2018
Venezuelaʼs Nicolas Maduro further consolidates power in municipal vote At the ballot box, President Nicolas Maduro accused the US of seeking to
With opposition parties banned and an ongoing economic crisis, a scant number of Venezuelans cast their votes.
Brexit: Theresa May warns of elections, uncertainty, if deal rejected With a key Parliament vote on her Brexit plan looming, Prime Minister Theresa May has warned that a rejection of the deal could take Britain into "uncharted waters." She also raised the specter of a general election. Theresa May has warned there is a "very real risk of no Brexit" or elections if Parliament rejects her plan for Britain to leave the EU. Mayʼs government is widely expected to lose a Tuesday vote in Parliament onher Brexit plan reached with Brussels last month, with the opposition Labour Party, the prime ministerʼs nominal allies in Northern Irelandʼs Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and some
members of her conservative party saying they will not support the deal. It is unclear what would happen if the deal fails, but it could put Britainʼs Brexit plans in jeopardy and Mayʼs job on the line. May told the Mail on Sunday newspaper that Britain "would truly be in uncharted waters" if the Brexit deal reached after two years of intense negotiations with the EU was rejected less than four months before the country is set to leave the block on March 29. A failure of the Brexit deal to pass would "mean grave uncertainty for the nation with a very real risk of no Brexit or leaving the European Union with no deal," she said.
Berlin shines at Christmas time The Christian Advent season roughly coincides with Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. So why not celebrate together? In front of the Brandenburg Gate, the Jewish Community of Berlin has set up a ten-meter-high Hanukkah candelabra. Along with the huge Christmas tree, Christian and Jewish traditions are united here in a prominent place in the capital. Colourful strolling on the Unter den Linden
While the trees on the boulevard Unter den Linden were uniformly decorated with golden chains of lights in the past years, they now glow in changing colors: Green, blue and red. This new concept had previously been the subject of heated discussion: Preservationists did not consider changing colors on the historic mile appropriate. In the end variety won – fitting in a city as colorful as Berlin.
Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwere acccept Nobel Peace Prize In theirNobel Peace Prize acceptance speeches on Monday,Denis MukwegeandNadia Murad called on the world to protect victims of wartime sexual violence. They also slammed global indifference to the plight of women and children in conflict. In her speech Murad implored the global community to help free hundreds of women and girls still held by jihadists. She also said that the world must protect her people and other vulnerable communities. Speaking in Osloʼs City Hall and seemingly overcome with emotion, Murad said: "It is my view that all victims deserve a safe haven until justice is done for them."
German rail strikes cause widespread delays Long-distance rail travel came to a halt across Germany on Monday morning, with regional trains also heavily affected, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and the southwestern cities of Karlsruhe and Mannheim. There were also cancellations in Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania, Hamburg and Lower Saxony. Services slowly resumed after 9 a.m. but disruptions are set to continue throughout the day, rail operator Deutsche Bahn said.
weather today BUDAPEST
0 / 3 °C Precipitation: 0 mm
280/2018 • 11 December, 2018
Spain asks: Is monarchy right for us?
US sets ʼhard deadlineʼ for China trade talks
t was a hazy and cold December morning in Madrid, and the central Puerta del Sol square, the neural center of the Spanish capital, stood empty of tourists even though it was already past 10 a.m. "Care to vote, sir?" asked one of the men surrounding a table beneath the equestrian statue of 18th century King Charles III. "What for?" the passerby inquired. "For the republic!" replied the man, raising his voice to a shout. On December 2, over 23,000 people in 12 districts and four municipalities of the Madrid region voted in an unofficial referendum on Spainʼs form of government. The result was overwhelming in its rejection of the monarchy: 93 percent of those who cast ballots would prefer to have a president of the republic as Spainʼs head of state. "Almost 1,500 people who support the monarchical regime have determined that it should nonetheless be submitted to the peopleʼs will," said the non-partisan grassroots coordinating body behind the Assemblies for a Peopleʼs Poll on Monarchy or Republic in a press release afterwards.
Washington has said it needs to see progress in trade talks with China before March 1 or tariffs will go up. Separately, Beijing has said the US should withdraw its arrest warrant for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.
Francesco Molinari: Open champion named European Tour Golfer of the Year Open Champion Francesco Molinari has been named European Tour Golfer of the Year. The 36-year-old Italian was a hero of Europeʼs Ryder Cup victory over the United States at Le Golf National in September. Molinari also won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, holding off Rory McIlroy to secure victory. But it was his triumph two months later at Carnoustie that set him apart from his other European Tour rivals. Molinari was the first player from the home team to win all five matches in the Ryder Cup.
The US and China have until March 1 to secure a trade deal which would "assure the protection of US technology" and "get additional market access" to US companies, US Trade Representatives Robert Lighthizer said Sunday. If the deal is not reached, the US is set to raise tariffs on $200 billion (€176 billion) of Chinese goods from 10 to 25 percent. "As far as I am concerned it is a hard deadline," Lighthizer told the US cable network CBS, after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day delay on raising the tariffs to allow negotiations. "When I talk to the president of the
United States he is not talking about going beyond March," Lighthizer added. News US sets ʼhard deadlineʼ for China trade talks Washington has said it needs to see progress in trade talks with China before March 1 or tariffs will go up. Separately, Beijing has said the US should withdraw its arrest warrant for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. The US and China have until March 1 to secure a trade deal which would "assure the protection of US technology" and "get additional market access" to US companies, US Trade Representatives Robert Lighthizer said Sunday.
The travel headlines of the year 2018 Worldwide, 1.2 billion people have traveled, more than ever before! We review 2018, a year of travel, looking at the headlines that have made us smile and reflect: Palau to become the first country to ban toxic sunscreen to protect its reefs (ABC) The island state of Palau located in the Pacific Ocean between Japan and Australia is a pioneer in environmental protection. Years ago, the worldʼs first shark sanctuary was established here and commercial fishing was banned. Now coral-damaging sun
lotions are on the agenda. Small country, but big on sustainability! European river cruises hit a new obstacle: Not enough water (The New York Times) At the beginning of August, it was over for the large cruise ships on the Rhine and Danube: the water levels were so low that the passengers had to continue their journey by bus. The mega-summer in Germany also caused a lot of other headlines: Record sales at the ice cream parlors, crowded Baltic beaches and open-air swimming pools had to close due to overcrowding.
Visit Budapest’s most charming Basilica Advent Fair The Advent Fair by St Stephen’s Basilica is one of the most atmospheric in Budapest. Centrepieced by a towering Christmas tree and a free ice-rink for kids, stalls offer delicious dishes and all things jolly, while special light shows projected onto the façade of the Basilica make every night special. See below for tips on what to eat, drink and buy – and find out what film star Antonio Banderas was up to here last year! Right in the city centre, this Christmas fair has been improving year upon year, offering an enchanted experience for all ages.
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
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Can Poland end its toxic relationship with coal? Polandʼs love affair with coal goes way back. For decades coal was the favorite for energy: mined locally, and cheap. In those days, the environment was pretty low on the agenda. But things are slowly changing. When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, coal made up almost 100 percent of Polandʼs energy mix. Last year, the country turned to other sources for 20 percent of its power, and its wind power operators boast that Poland has more installed turbines than Denmark. The official plan is to reduce the share of coal in Polandʼs energy mix to 50 percent by 2050. For a country that has long relied on coal as the backbone of its economy, that entails a dranatic transformation. Yet, with coal reserves in existing mines running low and most power plants due to retire well before mid-century, environmentalists argue the target is actually a renewed vow of commitment to a relationship already turned sour.
Man carrying large snake walks through Germanyʼs Dusseldorf train station A man in his mid-30s has become somewhat of an attraction at Dusseldorfʼs central train station as he walked around with a boa constrictor on his shoulders. Police have confiscated the reptile. On Saturday, a 36-year-old man strolled through Dusseldorfʼs central train station with a 1.8-meter-long (5.9foot-long) boa constrictor around his neck. The sight of the man with a large snake on his shoulders caused excitement among people at the station. Police later confiscated the reptile with the help of a fire department animal expert. News Man carrying large snake walks through Germanyʼs Dusseldorf train station Police said the man could not prove he was the owner of the snake. Also, carrying a snake in public is not considered appropriate. Authorities will hand the boa constrictor over to a zoo on Sunday. Until then, it will stay with the fire department. The boa constrictor, also known as the red-tailed boa or the common boa, is a large, nonvenomous snake that is usually kept and bred in captivity. It is often found in tropical North, Central and South America, as well as some islands in the Caribbean.