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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

US Ambassador Richard Grenell threatens German firms over Russian pipeline German companies building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Germany and Russia received letters from US Ambassador Richard Grenell warning them of "a significant risk of sanctions" if they did not pull out of the project, Germanyʼs mass-circulation Bild am Sonntag has reported. The large pipeline is set to deliver gas from northwestern Russia to northern Germany under the Baltic Sea and effectively double the amount of gas Germany imports from the country. The US opposes the project over fears that the gas link would tighten Russiaʼs control of Europeʼs energy supply and diminish the importance ofgas transit countriessuch as Ukraine. US companies are also keen to sell gas obtained by fracking to many European countries. ʼClear messageʼ from Washington In the letter cited

by Bild am Sonntag, Grenell wrote thatthe pipeline would make Europe dependent on Moscow and increase the threat of Russian interventions.

Saudi woman finds asylum in Canada Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun, an 18-year-old Saudi woman who said she was abused by her family andfeared deportation back home, arrived in Toronto, Canada, from Thailand on Saturday and was greeted by Canadian officials, including Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Her arrival at Torontoʼs Pearson International Airport capped off a tumultuous week for Alqunun that involved her barricading herself in a hotel room at a Bangkok airport to avoid deportation back to Saudi Arabia. With Freeland at her side, Alqunun emerged briefly at the airportʼs arrivals hall wearing a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cap and a hooded sweatshirt with "Canada" on the front.

Freeland introduced her to a group of media as "a very brave new Canadian."

11/2019 • 14 JANUARY, 2019

CDU to review Angela Merkelʼs migration policy since 2015 crisis AKK:

CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer wants a "comprehensive review" of Germanyʼs immigration system. Contradicting Angela Merkel, the new party leader said scrutiny of the fateful year of 2015 was necessary.

US-China economic dispute is ʼnot about tradeʼ DW spoke with economist Yukon Huang about common misconceptions over the US-China economic rivalry, and how both sides are only trying to save face while not addressing core problems that will take many years to solve.

Thelatest round of trade talks between China and the US concluded in Beijing on Wednesday. Although negotiators expressed optimism and global markets breathed a temporary sigh of relief, there was no concrete sign of an agreement to end the ongoing trade dispute between the worldʼs two largest economies. The US continues to demand that China open markets to US investment, goods and services,

along with preventing intellectual property theft. Chinaʼs state-owned newspaper China Daily published an editorial on Wednesday stating China would not make any "unreasonable concessions." The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a statement on Wednesday saying the US was committed to "resolving structural issues" in order to improve trade between the two countries. For the US, these would include transparent changes in Chinaʼs legal system and government policy that would guarantee protection against forced technology transfer or heavy government subsidization of major industries.

Plastic pollution: Do beach clean-ups really make a difference?

It could be paradise. On the Honduran island of Roatan in the Caribbean, sandy beaches lined with palm trees stretch as far as the eye can see. But the view is ruined by mounds of trash: Plastic bags and single-use water bottles, old clothes, unloved toys and even plastic chairs. Marine biologist Laura Leiva of the Alfred Wegener Institute grew up here in Honduras and has witnessed the rising tide of plastic pollutionfirst-hand. "The last 10 years have seen more plastic [wash up] on the shores here," she told DW. "The only clean places are the tourist resorts because people actively clean them," she says. "Around them, [the beaches are] full of trash. Itʼs so sad." The trash originates from Roatan itself, neighboring islands and the Central American mainland.

Police in western Germany launch massive raids against criminal clans German police launched simultaneous raids in six cities across the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) on Saturday evening, with some 1,300 officers sweeping shisha bars and other venues in Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, Bochum, Recklinghausen and Gelsenkirchen. Authorities said they were targetingfamily crime clans of Arabic background in the northwestern state. According to the mass-circulation Bild daily, police are focusing on the Arabic crime syndicates, especially those with Lebanese background. Police spokesman Oliver Peiler told reporters that the coordinated raids started at 9 p.m. local time (2000 UTC). "As we do quite often, tonight we are checking numerous shisha-bars (…) because the shisha bars act as sanctuaries for members of these family clans," he said.

Italian ex-militant Cesare Battisti arrested in Bolivia Left-wing Italian terrorist Cesare Battisti, who was on the run from Brazilian authorities, has been captured in Bolivia, an adviser to President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday. Battisti, a founding member of far-left Italian radical group Armed Proletarians for Communism, was convicted in absentia in 1993 of four political killings committed in the 1970s and sentenced to life in prison. The 63-year-old has maintained his innocence. Battisti was detained late Saturday in Bolivia "and will be soon brought to Brazil, from where he will probably be sent to Italy to serve a life sentence," tweeted Filipe Martins.

weather today BUDAPEST

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11/2019 • 14 January, 2019

Holocaust survivor George Brady dies at 90 Czech-Canadian Holocaust survivor and entrepreneur George Brady died on Saturday, the Czech news agency CTK has reported. The 90year-old passed away from heart failure, according to a relative, former Czech Minister of Culture Daniel Herman. Born as Jiri Brady on February 9, 1928 in Nove Mesto in Czechoslovakia, he and his Jewish family faced increasing persecution during Nazi Germanyʼs occupation of the country during World War II. The family was eventually separated and sent to prisons and concentration camps. Brady went first to the Theresienstadt camp and ghetto in northern Czechoslovakia, then to the Auschwitz extermination camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Read more: Auschwitz sees record visitors in 2018 Bradyʼs parents and sister, Hana, were murdered in the camps, but Brady escaped in January 1945 during a death march toward Germany. He moved to Canada in 1951 and later became a successful businessman.

Millie Knight withdraws through injury British visually impaired skier Millie Knight will not defend her World Championship downhill title because of an "ongoing injury". The 19-yearold won world downhill gold in Tarvisio, Italy, in 2017 as well as silver medals in the slalom, giant slalom and combined disciplines. In 2018, she and guide Brett Wild won three medals at the Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang. Knight wrote onTwitterthat she is "unable to give 100%".

"It is with a heavy heart that Brett and I wonʼt be competing at the World Championships this year," she said.

Romaniaʼs EU presidency overshadowed by corruption cases

Surge in German arms sales to Saudi Arabia and Turkey

The east European stateʼs sixmonth presidency starts as its most powerful politician Liviu Dragnea sues the European Commission over fraud accusations. EU auditors say more needs to be done to fight fraud.

Germanyʼs Economic Affairs Ministry disclosed Thursday that German firms sent €160 million ($184 million) worth of arms to Saudi Arabia between January and October last year. That was up €50 million on the whole of 2017. Berlin only decided on afull stop in November, prompted by the Saudi murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, amid restrictions already applying over Riyadhʼs role in war-torn Yemen. Read more:Amnesty slams Western arms sales to Saudi Arabia Riyadh leads a nine-country coalition backing a Yemeni government opposed by Iranbacked Houthi rebels, who last month reached a fragile ceasefire arrangementunder UN mediation. German weapons exports to Turkey — mostly naval items — more than tripled to €202 million in the same timeframe, up on €62 million in 2017, the ministry said in its reply to parliament.

Erdogan isunder international scrutinyover his intention to dislodge Kurdish rebel groups in neighboring wartorn Syria.

Romania took control of the Council of the EUʼs rotating presidency on January 1 and will be responsible for ensuring the continuity of the EUʼs work until June. The former Communist country only joined the EU in January 2007 andhas been at odds with Brusselsregarding the rule of law, separation of powers and corruption. This week, the countryʼs most powerful politician, Liviu Dragnea, brought a case to the European Court of Justice

in relation to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) claim that €21 million ($24.15 million) was fraudulently paid to Romanian officials from 2001-2012. The payments involved a road construction firm called Tel Drum, and last November, investigative journalists in Romania claimed they had found documents which linked Dragnea to Tel Drum. Dragnea was also head of a county council in the south of Romania at the time.

The most beautiful African National Parks These make Africaʼs national parks and nature reserves highlights on any trip to the continent.

Savannas, rainforests, deserts, volcanic landscapes, mountains and coasts; added to that is its incredible wealth of fauna. That always attracts tourists. People are ready to pay a lot of money to see exotic animals in the wild. Countries such as Namibia, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania are classic safari destinations. Here tourists can see the "big five:" elephants, African buf-

falo, rhinos, lions and leopards. In many African countries, tourism is one of the largest and most important sources of income. The national parks play an important role. Local inhabitants earn money as guides, generate revenue by renting lodges or run restaurants – just to mention a few possibilities. Most tourists would like to go on safari without forgoing the comforts of home. The national parks, more than 300 in number, make that possible: safe ways to get close to nature and animals.

Record traffic and new terminal at Budapest Airport Budapest Airport has just announced a double-digit rise in passenger numbers for 2018.

Hungary’s major international transport hub registered 14.8 million travellers last year, a 13% jump when compared to the numbers logged in 2017.

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Paris: Multiple fatalities after explosion at bakery An explosion that caused a fire at a bakery in central Paris on Saturday killed at least three people and injured 47, French authorities said. At least 10 people are believed to be in critical condition after the blast, which blew out windows and overturned cars. Two of those killed were firefighters, according to police. Later, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said a woman from Spain who was on holiday in Paris also died as a result of the explosion. Authorities said the massive explosion, likely caused by a gas leak, gutted the ground floor of the building. The blast happened at around 9 a.m. local time (0800 UTC). "We still need to determine the circumstances and cause of the explosion, but at this stage we can say it is clearly an accident, presumably a gas leak," Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters, adding that officials did not suspect foul play. The firefighters had been responding to a gas leak alert at the site when the explosion occurred, Heitz said.

"First there was a gas leak and the firefighters arrived, then there was an explosion that caused the fire."

Police closed off streets as emergency services landed two helicopters in the street, apparently to evacuate victims.