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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

German spy chief passed info to AfD The relationship betweenGermanyʼs domestic spy chief, Hans-Georg Maassen, and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) came under renewed scrutiny on Thursday, when it was revealed that the head of the domestic intelligence service, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), had passed on information from his yearly report to the far-right populist party ahead of its publication. AfD Bundestag member Stephan Brandner confirmed to public broadcaster ARD that Maassen had given him "numbers from the report" at a personal meeting on June 13, five weeks before it was released. "We talked about different figures that are in there," Brandner told ARD, including the number of Islamist extremists in the country. The BfV is tasked with tracking extremist groups inside Germany and determining whether they represent a danger, and brings out a report on its findings every summer.

Hambach Forest: Battleground for climate action On Thursday morning, police moved into Germanyʼs ancient Hambach Forest toremove activists and the treehousesthey have lived in for the last six years. The forest is one of the oldest left in Europe. But underneath it lies a wealth of lignite, or brown coal — an extremely carbon-heavy fossil fuel. Police told DW they were acting on the request of local authorities to remove the tree-dwelling activists because of fire safety concerns.

But tensions have been building in the west German forest for months, as energy company RWEprepares to fell the treesin order to expand an open-cast lignite mine. Read more: The battle for villages and forests in Germanyʼs coal country Over the last week, police have clashed with activistsover the removal of the campʼs ground-based structures.

Now, the conflict has stepped up a notch, as officers dismantle the treehouses.

211/2018 • 14 SEPTEMBER, 2018

UK mass surveillance violates right to privacy Rules European court

The UKʼs mass surveillance program, exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, violates free speech and privacy, the court ruled.

However, judges didnʼt come down as hard on intelligence agencies as some might have hoped.

Asiaʼs growing wealth gap is a problem that can no longer be ignored Many leaders at this yearʼs World Economic Forum on ASEAN are deeply concerned about the widening gap between rich and poor. But solutions to the problem are thin on the ground.

The growing inequality in the AsiaPacific region is a hot topic at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN being held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from September 11-13. More than 1,000 participants are taking part, among them six heads of government from the region. One big topic on everyoneʼs mind is the widening gap, despite economic growth, between rich and poor. A point politicians can simply no longer ignore. Read more: Is inequality good or bad for the economy? Muhammad Chatib Basri was

Indonesiaʼs finance minister in 2013-2014. Today, he is an advisor to the World Bank on development policy and teaches economics at the University of Indonesia. The inequality in his country has him deeply concerned. He sees the root of the problem partly in misguided policy. "We need to make sure the people who are getting the benefit of social spending are really the poor people. In Indonesiaʼs case, we subsidize fuel but it is a fact that the ones who benefit from this subsidy are the middle and upper classes, not the poor. So rather than giving this subsidy, it would be better to give a conditional cash transfer.

That kind of change in policy is very important," he told DW during the conference.

Why hurling tomatoes became a symbol for the German womenʼs movement Anyone looking for information on the history of the German womenʼs movement has a new online resource.

On Thursday, a state-funded project, the first of its kind in Europe, went online with the Digital German Womenʼs Archive (DDF) along with its Twitter hashtag #frauenmachengeschichte ("women make history"). The coalition agreement signed by the current German govern-

ment called for the creation of a central archive with the goal of preserving and raising awareness of the history of women in Germany. "Together, we must continue to fight for the equal participation of women," said Franziska Giffey, the minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. She said the DDF shows what German women have fought for over the past decades.

Skripal suspects say Salisbury trip was ʼcoincidenceʼ The men wanted by the UK over the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal denied any wrongdoing in a joint interview published on Thursday. "I think its pretty much nonsense," said one of the suspects, Alexander Petrov, when asked if they had any sort of poison with them during their trip to the UK. Read more:UK to request extradition of Russian attack suspects Talking to Margarita Simonyan, the editor-inchief of Moscow-funded RT, Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov denied being agents of the Russian military intelligence GRU. They said they were working in the area of fitness supplements. "We fear for our lives," Boshirov said, with Petrov commenting that the UK was offering a reward for the two of them. "After our lives turned into a nightmare, we didnʼt know what to do, where to go," said Petrov.

They also said they would appreciate an apology from London.

Pussy Riot-linked activist hospitalized for possible poisoning Russian activist Pyotr Verzilov has been rushed to a hospital in Moscow after suddenly losing the ability to see and speak, according to Russian media. Verzilov crashed the World Cup final with Pussy Riot members.

Kremlin critic Pyotr Verzilov is receiving treatment at the toxicology unit of a hospital in Moscow after his health unexpectedly deteriorated, Russian media reported.

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211/2018 • 14 September, 2018

Germany greenlights controversial migrant transfer centers Speeding up asylum proceedings and bringing them all under one roof — simply put, thatʼs the idea behindGermanyʼs migrant transfer centers, also known as "Anker" centers. The name derives from the German words for arrival, decision and repatriation. Up to 1,500 refugees and migrants can be housed in each center. Arrivals, asylum applications and the decisions on those applications — everything is to take place at the centers,including deportations. In each of the seven locations in Bavaria, which officially began operations as "Anker centers" on August 1, every agency involved in the asylum process will be present on site, the state interior minister for Bavaria, Joachim Herrmann, recently told reporters. The pilot phase for the centers will last around six months, after which initial evaluations are planned. Only after these evaluations are complete will the German federal government have to create a legal basis for the centers — and it would be dependent on the countryʼs 16 states to do so. However, approval for the plans is limited. Apart from the eastern state of Saxony, which is to set up a center of its own in Dresden, only Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia have expressed interest so far.

Joachim Löw unveils first postWorld Cup squad

Greece exits bailout: Is the Greek economy strong enough?

Greece will exit its stability program on Monday. How has the Greek economy developed since austerity was imposed in 2010?

And is Greece prepared to meet the budgetary targets? A data analysis provides answers.

Greeceʼs government debt is more than twice the EU28 average; the countryʼs market value as measured by gross domestic product has decreased by a third since the crisis started; and one in five people are unemployed: At first glance, the situation doesnʼt give rise to optimism.

Traditionally, the service sector is the strongest contributor to Greeceʼs

GDP, followed by industry and agriculture. But Greece urgently needs new sources of income to avoid slipping back into recession after the thirdausterity program endson August 20.

Exports are a promising source of income: Despite some tough years, goods exports rose by 35.5 percent from 2010 to 2017, a welcome relief in Athens and Brussels.

Eurovision Song Contest 2019 to take place in Tel Aviv Despite calls for boycotts, Israelʼs cultural center has been chosen to host next yearʼs song contest. Tel Aviv was picked over the contested city of Jerusalem, which both Israelis and Palestinians claim as a capital.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has announced that Tel Aviv will host next yearʼs Eurovision Song Contest. The Israeli government had originally aimed to hold the worldʼs largest live music event in Jerusalem.

However, after backlash over the US recognition of Jerusalem as its capital and asubsequent fear of boycotts, that plan was dropped. Eurovision said it

had selected Tel Aviv, Israelʼs cultural and commercial epicenter, over Jerusalem and the southern city of Eilat due to its "creative and compelling bid." "Eurovision is a perfect fit for our city, which has been internationally acclaimed for its vibrant energy, creative spirit, its lively cultural scene and its celebration of freedom," Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said Thursday. "We are looking forward to host a joyful and nonstop event in the spirit of Tel Aviv." Israel won this yearʼs Eurovision contestin Lisbon with a punchy pop tune entitled "Toy" by charismatic singer Netta Barzilai. Her victory claimed for Israel the right to host next yearʼs contest.

Joachim Löw has unveiled a familiarlooking squad for the upcoming international break. However, the national team head coach has given three young players their first international call-ups.

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Trump to propose 25 percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods US President Donald Trump is now considering a 25 percent tariff on up to $200 billion (€171 billion) worth of Chinese imports, according to media reports in the US. Sources close to the internal US deliberations told both Bloomberg and the Washington Post that the Trump administration is consideringwhat would be a significant escalation of the current tariff regime against China, which currently stands at 25 percent on $34 billion worth of primarily industrial goods, in place since early July. In June, Trump directed the US Trade Representative to prepare fresh tariffs on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, with a rate of 10 percent touted.This wave of tariffs would include a wide range of products, from dog food to furniture, bicycles to beauty products.

Italy threatens to scupper EUCanada free trade deal The new government in Rome is walking in the footsteps of Donald Trumpʼs trade protectionism, as it has threatened to torpedo the CETA trade agreement because it doesnʼt protect Italyʼs farmers and their products. Italyʼs new agriculture minister Gian Marco Centinaio said on Thursday that the government wouldnʼt ratify theComprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada— the EUʼs first major free trade deal since 2011. In an interview with Italyʼs daily La Stampa, Centinaio said CETA didnʼt ensure sufficient protection for the countryʼs speciality foods. "We will not ratify the free trade treaty with Canada because it protects only a small part of our PDO [Protected Designation of Origin] and PGI [Protected Geographical Indication] products," Centinaio told the newspaper.

"Doubts over this agreement are shared by many of my European colleagues," he added. The treaty did enter in force on a provisional basis in September 2017, doing away with tariffs on a large number of goods and widening access to Canadian beef in Europe and EU cheese and wine in Canada.