DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Egg image cracks Kylie Jennerʼs most-liked Instagram post record A stock image of a simple brown egg had gathered more than 30 million likes (as of 17:13 CET on January 14) on the social media platform, surpassing the 18 million generated last year when celebrity model Kylie Jenner posted a photo of her daughter Stormi. The egg was posted on January 4 by Instagram user Egg Gang, under the handle world_record_egg, with the aim of taking over Jennerʼs record and making it the most-liked post on Instagram. Read more: Digital Warriors - Women Changing the World "Letʼs set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram. Beating the current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million)! We got this," the postʼs caption read.
Germany: Hundreds of flights canceled at Frankfurt ahead of strike Hundreds of flightsgoing in and out of Frankfurt Airport on Tuesdayhave already been canceled, airlines said Monday ahead of a security workersʼ strike. Airport operator Fraport said 470 of 1,200 planned flights have been scrapped ahead of the planned walkout. The DBB and Verdi trade unions have announced a walkout from 2 am to 8 pm local time (01:00 - 19:00 UTC) at eight German airports, including Hamburg, Munich, Leipzig, and Hanover in addition to Frankfurt, which is Germanyʼs largest and busiest air hub. Both unions are seeking pay rises for workers not only in security, but also in passenger relations, customs, freight and human resources. The workers are demanding €20 ($22) an hour pay. Currently, airport security workers in Germany make between €11.30 and €17.16 . Smaller employee walkoutshave already been carried out in Berlin, Cologne-Bonn, Düsseldorf, and Stuttgart.
13/2019 • 16 JANUARY, 2019
Macron responds to ʼyellow vestsʼ with call for national ʼdebateʼ French President Emmanuel Macron penned a letter calling on citizens
French President Emmanuel Macron penned a letter calling on citizens to turn "anger into solutions." Far-right politician Marine Le Pen accused Macron of "blindness" in his handling of the "yellow vest" rallies.
Airport strikes across Germany Staff responsible for checking passengers and cargo have started an 18-hour warning strike at Germanyʼs biggest airports. An estimated 220,000 passengers are affected. Delays across German airports 220,000 passengers across Germany affected by airport security staff strike Germanyʼs largest airport Frankfurt International had to cancel hundreds of flights as security workers staged an 18-hour strike over pay. Other airports affected include Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Hannover, Dresden, Leipzig/Halle, Dortmund and Erfurt. The DBB and Verdi trade unions began their walkout at 2 a.m. local time (0100 UTC). Theaction is in support of a pay
claimseeking to increase the hourly rate for staff to €20 ($23): "Because employers have shown no willingness to make a better offer, the extension of warning strikes has become necessary," Verdi board member Ute Kittel said. Other German airports impacted by the labor action include:Berlin,Munich,Stuttgart,Hannover,Bremen,Hamburg,Dresden,Leipzig ,Erfurt andDortmund . For more information regarding flight status and delays please check the individual airport website by clicking on the link. Officials at Munich airport said that although Verdi called for action there as well, passenger security checks are carried out by a public-sector contractor whose workers would not strike.
As Game of Thrones teaser drops, ʼUnseen Westerosʼ revealed in Berlin Another dark, somewhat foreboding teaser trailer for the delayed final‐ Game of Thrones installment wowed expectant fans early Monday. But some will be able to get their fix a few months early at the "Unseen Westeros" show in Berlin. Showcasing never-before-seen places from the world of ice and fire originally conceived by George R.R. Martin in his
best-selling book series, the exhibition of artwork is a rare collaboration between Game of Thrones artists, and others not directly associated with the series. Running January 23-27 at the Umspannwerk, a vast former factory in Reinickendorf, Berlin, the exhibition and book of the same name was created with the permission and cooperation of Martin and his publisher.
Chinese court sentences Canadian drug suspect to death A Chinese court on Monday sentenced a Canadian man to death on drug trafficking charges aftera retrial deemed his original 15-year prison sentence to be too lenient. The Dalian court said Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, who was detained in December 2014, played a "key part" in an international drug smuggling operation and was recruited to help smuggle more than 222 kilograms (488 pounds) of methamphetamine from a warehouse in Dalian city to Australia. Read more: Sierenʼs China: Huawei and diplomatic dynamite The ruling has deepened a rift between China and Canada, with the sentence coming on the back of Chinaʼs discontent with Canadaʼsarrest of a top executive from Chinese telecom giant Huaweiin December on a US extradition request related to alleged violations of US sanctions against Iran.
Second German deported from Egypt over suspected ʼISʼ links The Egyptian government announced on Monday that it had deported another man back to Germany, the second suspect deported from Cairo after being detained for terrorist sympathies. Isa El Sabbagh, 18, was allegedly found with several maps of Egyptʼs North Sinai region, a gathering point for terrorist groups. The man was missing for several weeks before Egyptian authorities confirmed that they had detained him on suspicion of supporting the ideology of "Islamic State" (IS). According to German news magazine Der Spiegel, the young man has already arrived at Frankfurt Airport.
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13/2019 • 16 January, 2019
German train-delay scarf sells for thousands at auction A scarf knitted by a German woman to represent how long she was delayed on trains run by German rail company Deutsche Bahn sold for €7,550 ($8,660) on eBay on Monday. There were 134 bids from 45 bidders for the 1.5-meter (5 foot) scarf, which was knitted over the course of 2018 and features stripes in different colors, to represent different-length delays. Read more: Deutsche Bahn flaws prompt calls for basic railway reform Journalist Sara Weber, the scarf makerʼs daughter, said her mother was a commuter in the Munich area and had knitted two rows per day: Gray for under five minutes, pink for 5-30 minutes, and red for delays of more than 30 minutes or when both of her trains were running late. Weber posted a photo of the scarf on Twitter and the response was so enthusiastic that she and her mother decided to auction it and give the proceeds to the charity Bahnhofsmission, which assists people in need at railway stations across Germany. On Monday, Weber tweeted that the scarf had been sold for €7,550. "My mum is very happy — and so am I. We never would have expected that would happen," Weber wrote.
Bayern Munich coach Kovac deserves a fresh start Bayern Munich are not used to being in the Bundesligaʼs second spot going into the leagueʼs midseason break. They had been Herbstmeister (the term given to the Bundesliga leader after the first half of the season) for the previous seven seasons, a title whichBorussia Dortmund stole this year. It is perhaps not a coincidence that Bayernʼs fall from grace this term has come with Niko Kovac at the helm. The former Bayern star has had difficulties getting the best out of his players this season. In league play, his side is scoring at a rate 22 percent lower than last season and allowing goals 28 percent more frequently. On several occasions, his team has run out of ideas going forward and been completely undisciplined at the back.
Hungary’s best craft beers created for the winter season Budapest’s booming craft-beer industry has long gone seasonal, but this particular winter sees a rare crop of quite excellent brews. From Russian imperial stout to barley wine matured in Tokaji wine barrels
EU minting more coins for a cashless world
With more than 340 million users, today the euro is one of the most important currencies in the world, though it has seen its share of ups and downs since it was first introduced 20 years ago on January 1, 1999. As of October 2018, there were euro banknotes with a face value of €1.2 trillion ($1.36 trillion) and coins worth €28 billion in global circulation. While the European Central Bank (ECB) is in charge of notes, national eurozone central banks have much more leeway with coins, which is why the notes are all the same whereas the coins show
changing national motifs. And as with all things cash Germany is already once again being crowned championfor 2019. After calculating the amount of cash needed for the New Year — for replacement and increased demand — eurozone central banks are preparing to mint coins with a face value of €2.1 billion according to plans just released. Though €488 million of this will be commemorative coins for collectors, the total is only slightly down from last yearʼs €2.2 billion and a long way from bringing about a cashless revolution.
Will 2019 be the year of lab-grown meat? After years in the lab, will meats derived from animal cells finally break into the mainstream consumer market? Lists outlining ways in which we can reduceour carbon footprint regularly encourage meatless Mondays or becoming a vegetarian. But theseincreasingly common lifestyle changesmay soon disappear as lab-grown meats come closer to being available commercially. Read more: Change your ways, save the environment In December, Israel-based Aleph Farms unveiled the first steak grown in a laboratory. In producing the thin piece of steak, the company was able to sur-
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mount one of the major challenges faced by this young industry: growing a meat product in the lab that integrates both muscle and fat tissue. "Meat is a complex tissue, not just a mass of cells," said Didier Toubia, cofounder and CEO of Aleph Farms. "Itʼs various types of cells interacting together forming that very specific 3-dimensional structure." In the US a few months earlier, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agricultureannounced that they would "jointly oversee the production of cell-cultured food products derived from livestock and poultry" — a signal that the commercialization of such meats may not be far off.
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Bangladesh — a small tiger economy with big plans Bangladesh has been making progress and the country is so successful in many areas that it is a "role model for South Asia." These are not the words of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but the British business magazine Economist. Bangladesh is going to the polls on December 30 to elect a new government and PM Hasinaʼs Awami League (AL) party is pulling out all the stops to secure victory and retain power. During the election campaign, ruling party members have repeatedly pointed to Bangladeshʼs robust economic development under the incumbent government and promised that, should they win, this trend will continue in the coming years. The economy of the Muslimmajority nation, with a population of over 165 million inhabitants, has grown by an average of over six percent per year since 2008.
US and Turkish presidents discuss safe zone in northern Syria Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, took to the telephone to discuss the situation in northern Syria on Monday. "The president expressed the desire to work together to address Turkeyʼs security concerns in northeast Syria while stressing the importance to the United States that Turkey does not mistreat the Kurds and other Syrian Democratic Forces with whom we have fought to defeat ISIS," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement, referring to the "Islamic State" (IS) extremist group. The Turkish presidency said the two men discussed the creation of a safe zone in northern Syria cleared of militia groups. It did not provide any other details. Thedisagreement between the NATO alliesis the latest consequence of Trumpʼs December 19 decision to withdraw US military personnel from Syria. This could leave the Kurdish militia under threat should Turkey start a new offensive. Over the weekend, Trump had taken to Twitter to threaten he would"devastate" the Turkish economyif Ankara sent its forces to attack the Kurds in northern Syria.