DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Paul Manafort gets 3.5 more years in prison on conspiracy charges US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort to 73 months, or just over six years, in prison Wednesday. Manafort was on trial in Washington DC, facing two charges of conspiracy against the United States related to his work as a lobbyist for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party. Each charge carried a maximum sentence of five years. Manafort was given a 60-month sentence on the first count and 13 months on the second. The judge did not hand down any fines. The charges, to whichManafort had pleaded guilty, were brought as part of Special Counsel Robert Mullerʼs Russia probe investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. Manafort will serve 30 months of the first sentence concurrent with the47month sentence he received in the state of Virginiaon separate charges of bank and tax fraud last week. That means that Manafort will serve a total of seven and a half years behind bars.
Brazil school shooting leaves children dead Two armed men wearing face masks killed at least six children who were on their snack breaks at the Raul Brasil school on Wednesday. Two school officials were also killed. A further 17 people, mostly children, were shot and injured in the attack on the school in Suzano, south-east Brazil. A number of them were in serious condition according to police. The attackers turned their guns on themselves and died shortly after the attack, police said. Their motive is as yet unclear. State police Commander Marcelo Salles spoke outside the school and said that in more than 30 years of service, he had "never seen anything like this, it was an unspeakably brutal crime." Security cameras inside and near the school showed children screaming and running away, looking for help.
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After Cardinal Pell verdict, Catholic Church must reform It is time for the Catholic Church to reform itself
Pope Francis once made George Pell one of the Vaticanʼs most powerful men. Now, the cardinal is headed to prison for sexual abuse. It is time for the Catholic Church to reform itself, says dw.
Are ratings agencies hurting Africaʼs economies? When international ratings agencies like Moodyʼs or Fitch downgrade countries, the economies of these nations suffer. African governments have had enough and are retaliating against what they call ʼsubjectiveʼ ratings. Namibian Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein lost his temper over numbers and letters that were meant to evaluate his countryʼs credit risks. The rating was "confusing" and "puzzling," he said in the summer of 2017 after he learned Namibia had been downgraded from "Baa3" to "Ba1" by US ratings agency Moodyʼs — turning Namibian state bonds into "speculative" risks with "substantial credit risk." Still, Namibia has it better than
most African countries: Fourteen out of 21 rated African states have been given even lower ratings such as "high credit risk" or "very high credit risk" by Moodyʼs. These ratings have irked many African governments. Three US ratings agencies dominate the global market: Moodyʼs, Standard & Poorʼs and Fitch. "That is part of the criticism, that it isnʼt a very robust analytical process, there is a high degree of subjectivity to it," said Sean Gossel, who teaches economics at the University of Cape Town. "Much of the criticism is that the personnel making these ratings do not understand the African environment and do not understand the challenges that African countries in particular face," Gossel told DW.
Plovdiv 2019: Historic moment for a historic city The ancient city of Plovdiv put on a party on Saturday nightcomplete with fireworks, light shows, concerts and speeches from dignitaries as it took up its mantle as European Capital of Culture. Having been an architectural hot spot during Roman rule, Bulgariaʼs second city has again taken center stage in the region. "This is a unique and historic moment for our city," said Plovdiv Mayor Ivan Totev before the opening ceremony. The artist collective Phase7 staged an impressive light show in front
of tens of thousands of visitors as performances by local musicians and dancers gave a foretaste of the European Capital of Culture 2019 motto: "Together." As Plovdiv residents combine to showcase their distinctive city, a number of headline events are planned throughout the year, including the Ayliak Art Parade in May on Europeʼs longest boulevard. The focus will be on slow, sustainable and harmonious living via green, creative products and innovations.
German wastedisposal workers lead league for days off sick Analysis of 14 million clients of German insurer AOK showed that waste-disposal workers with physically demanding jobs needed the most sick leave last year. They took an average of 32.5 days off work in 2018. Road and tunnel guards come just next on the list with 31.4 days off work on average, and industrial foundry workers come next with 30 days lost. University teaching and research staff took the fewest days on the list — 4.6 days on average. The AOKʼs Scientific Institute presented its report on Wednesday. "Every job has a specific health risk profile," the Instituteʼs Helmut Schröder said. "The companyʼs prevention measures must therefore always be adapted to the respective occupational group."
Nigeria building collapses ʼwith schoolchildren feared killedʼ Nigerian emergency services said on Wednesday that a building collapsed, possibly trapping schoolchildren inside. The Nigerian news station Channels TV reported that a school was located on the top floor of the building, adding it collapsed "with pupils feared killed and others trapped." Over the past five years, more than 170 people have been killed inbuilding collapses in Nigeria.
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