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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

AfD worker accused of ordering arson attack in Ukraine A parliamentary worker for the farright Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been accused of ordering a false flag arson attack in an attempt to discredit Ukraineʼs government. Three men are on trial in Poland following last Februaryʼs firebombing of a Hungarian culture center in Uzhorod, western Ukraine. According to Polish authorities, the attack was to be attributed to Ukrainian neo-Nazis in order to sour relations between Ukraine and Hungary. One of the accused, named only as Michal P., told the court that the attack, in which Molotov cocktails were used, was ordered by Manuel Ochsenreiter, who works in the office of AfD Bundestag member Markus Frohnmaier. Michal, who is also charged with funding a terrorist organization, told the Krakow court that Ochsenreiter gave him €1,500, plus money for a plane ticket, to find people to carry out the attack.

Police warn of safety risks as more Germans get gun licenses More Germans are applying forbasic weapons licensesaccording to the countryʼs Interior Ministry.

As of December 31, 2018, some 610,937 citizens had been issued licenses. The jump of 53,377gunpermits over 2017 represents a 9.6 percent increase in the number of Germans now licensed to carry gas pistols, flare guns,pepper sprayand other weapons not intended for deadly use. Police representatives suggest the increase illustrates a latentsense of insecurityamong citizens. However, Left Party domestic policy expert Ulla Jelpke said the increase was "a result of the panic created by law and order politicians like Interior Minister Horst Seehofer and right-wing agitators like the AfD [Alternative for Germany]."

14/2019 • 17 JANUARY, 2019

Brexit likely to be Britainʼs greatest disaster Theresa May has earned her defeat in parliament and only has herself to blame

Brexit has developed enormous destructive power. No matter how this British drama ends, the damage will remain, says DWʼs Barbara Wesel.

In Detroit, carmaker Volkswagen opens arms wide to US The North American International Auto Show is still the biggest and premier auto show in North America. But, this year, only one German carmaker bothered to show up.

Maya Shwayder reports from Detroit.

Shine the hubcaps, rev up the engines, and break out the unnecessary blonde models. The Detroit auto show is back for another year. The North American International Auto Showis still the biggest and premier auto show in North America. With the huge market up for the taking, automakers flock to the Motor City every year, and put on slickly produced

reveals and high-caliber performances. But, among the usual heavyweights on display this year like Toyota and Ford, where are the Germans?

Daimler, Audi, Porsche, and BMW are all big names that you wonʼt see at this yearʼs show. Volkswagen is the only German brand that bothered to show up. It might be a sign that German automakers donʼt see much value in coming to Detroit anymore.

After all, these days a lot of the cool, sexy, new technology innovations debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which wrapped up this year just days before NAIAS began.

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.

ʼEl Chapoʼ paid Mexicoʼs expresident $100 million bribe, says witness A key witness inthe trial of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman on Tuesday said the Mexican drug lord had paid a bribe amounting to $100 million toformer President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Colombian trafficker Alex Cifuentes, who described himself as Guzmanʼs former right-hand man, said the oncehead of the Sinaloa cartel had bribed Pena Nieto in 2012, when he was president-elect, in exchange for the government ending its manhunt to find him. Cifuentes admitted that he first discussed the bribe with prosecutors in 2016, when he began cooperating with US authorities. Pena Nieto had first asked for $250 million, but later settled for $100 million, Cifuentes said he told prosecutors. After the bribe was paid, Pena Nieto sent a message to Guzman that he longer had to live in hiding, Cifuentes testified.

Kenya declares all ʼterroristsʼ killed in hotel attack Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Wednesday that securities forces had killed all the "terrorists" involved inan attack on a hotel complexthat left 14 people dead.

Kenya has frequently been targeted by the Somali militant group alShabab, which claimed responsibility for the attack in Nairobi on Tuesday.

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14/2019 • 17 January, 2019

Sweden to end months without a government

Brexit vote defeat increases no-deal fears for UK car industry

Sweden looked set to finally resolve four months of political deadlock on Wednesday and allow Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to take a second term in office. The Left party said it would abstain in a crucial vote on Friday, clearing the way for Lofven and his patchwork coalition. Lofven, leader of the Social Democrats, has been leading a caretaker government sinceelections on September 9 yielded inconclusive results. Although the Social Democrats won the most votes, their 31.1% support left them grappling to form a coalition in a country with eight mainstream parties and proportional representation. These problems were compounded by the fact that most other parties wanted to govern without the support of the Left andthe far-right Sweden Democrats, who are rooted in Norwegian white supremacist circles. But the Social Democrats have managed to pull together an unusual union of the left and right wing by gaining the support of the Greens, Liberals, and the Center party. In doing so, however, Lofven has had to promise to take his traditional center-left party to the right.

With just 10 weeks left until the UK is scheduled to leave the EU, the prospect of a no-deal exit remains firmly on the table. That’s bad news for the UK car industry, which is already planning for the worst.

Australian Open: Angelique Kerber breezes into third round

In the punch-drunk days that followed Britainʼs vote to leave the EU in June 2016, David Davis was the man Theresa May turned to in the fog.

Tasked with leading the newlycreated Department for Exiting the European Union, his views on how straightforward the Brexit process would be had long since been established. "Within minutes of a vote for Brexit the CEOs of Mercedes, BMW, VW and Audi will be knocking down Chancellor Merkelʼs doordemanding

that there be no barriers to German access to the British market,"he said in a speech he gave in London four months before the referendum. "And while they are at it they will be demanding that those British companies that they own will have uninterrupted access to Europe," he added. Davis appeared to genuinely believe that the powerful German car industry would be fighting for UK interests in the negotiations that lay ahead between the EU and the UK.

Few more days to go! 78th Vienna Philharmonic Ball Date: Thu, 24. January 22:00 Location: Vienna, Austria Musikverein, Golden Hall . Please find out more information under: https://www.wienerphilharmoniker.at/ball Ticket sales begin on January 14, 2019, at the Vienna Philharmonic Ticket Office, Kärntner Ring 12, 1010 Vienna, Mon. - Fri., 9:30 AM 3:30 PM. Before this date, tickets

can only be purchased in conjunction with a table reservation. Some tickets will also be available online beginning on January 14, 2019. Program : Johann Strauss Jr. Ouvertüre zur Operette "Der Zigeunerbaron (The Gypsy Baron)" , Richard Strauss Wiener Philharmoniker Fanfare, o.op. 109 , Gottfried Freiberg Ausseer Fanfare. CONDUCTOR Zubin Mehta ORCHESTRAWiener Philharmoniker

Germanyʼs Angelique Kerber sailed into the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Brazilʼs Beatriz Haddad Maia. Kerber won this competition back in 2016 andlooks to be in great formin the early stages of this tournament, producing a fierce display as she overcame the 22-year-old Haddad Maia in a battle between two lefthanded players. "It was a really tough match," Kerber said after the win. "She played really well. I knew that I had to play my best tennis."

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German online shoppers are serial returners German shoppers return roughly 12 percent of online purchases, a new poll by digital industry association Bitkom shows. Two years ago, the figure was 10 percent. One-third of shoppers said they send back every tenth item, 14 percent admitted to returning a quarter of all purchases.

"The share of returns is extremely high and rising steadily, especially in certain sectors, like the fashion industry," says Julia Miosga, who heads Bitkomʼs trade and logistics department. The 14 to 29-year-olds are the worst offenders, with a hefty 18 percent of purchases being returned.

Overall, women return 15 percent of items bought online, men only make up 9 percent of the total figure. Retailers are increasingly looking for ways to make it easier to buy the right product and size online by giving more detailed information – specifically about clothes – via chats, product descriptions, 360 degree pictures and videos. Some also reward honest feedback with vouchers and discounts.

Bangladesh election: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wins by landslide Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinaʼs party has won the general election with a landslide majority, the Election Commission said early on Monday.

An alliance dominated by Hasinaʼs Awami League won 288 seats in the countryʼs 300strong parliament. The opposition alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia won just six seats. Election to one seat was not held Sunday and results for another seat were halted by the commission. "My congratulations to the Awami League," Helal Uddin Ahmed, secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat, told reporters. Hasinaʼs party was widely anticipated to win the election that was hit by violence and rigging allegations. At least 16 people were reported to have been killed in violence between rival supporters.