DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Syrian refugees in Germany required to renew passports at pro-Assad embassies Of thehundreds of thousands of displaced Syrianswho have come to Germany since 2014, many enjoy only "subsidiary protection" and not full refugee status. Among other things, this means that they are dependent on embassies loyal to the regime of President Bashar Assad. Under German law, people with various levels of political asylum or similar protection in Germany have to actively cooperate in procuring identity documentation, including passports. Andmore and more Syrians are being granted only subsidiaryrather than full refugee status. Whereas 99.7 percent of Syrians coming to Germany in 2015 were classed as full refugees, last year only 38.2 percent were — with 61 percent enjoying only subsidiary protection. The situation, say activists, is unacceptable. "Itʼs a scandal," Jens-Martin Rode of the Association of GermanSyrian Assistance Groups, told DW.
More journalists killed globally in 2018, report says A total of 80 journalists were killed in the first 11 months of 2018, while 348 were in prison and 60 more were being held hostage, according to figures from Reporters Without Borders (RSF).The RSF report, which was released on Tuesday, said 49 of those killed between January 1 and the start of December had been murdered or were deliberately targeted with violence. Read more: World Press Freedom Index 2018: Europe turning into crisis region for journalists The nongovernmental organization said the murders ofSaudi journalist Jamal KhashoggiandSlovak data journalist Jan Kuciak"highlighted the lengths to which press freedomʼs enemies are prepared to go." "Violence against journalists has reached unprecedented levels this year, and the situation is now critical," the organizationʼs head, Christophe Deloire, said in a statement which accompanied the reportʼs release.
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Xi Jinping says no one can ʼdictateʼ Chinaʼs economic path Though he vowed to further open up China, he offered no new specific measures to do so
Speaking on the 40th anniversary of Chinaʼs economic reforms, Xi made it clear that Beijing wonʼt take orders from other countries.
Malaysia files criminal charges against Goldman Sachs over 1MDB scandal Goldman subsidiaries and two of the bankʼs former employees were accused of misappropriating $2.7 billion from Malaysian fund 1MDB. The US bank has also been accused of benefiting from $600 million in inflated fees. Malaysia on Monday filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs and four other individuals as part of an investigation into a multibillon-dollar scandal involving the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state investment fund. The US bank has been under scrutiny for its role in helping raise $6.5 billion (€5.7 billion) through three bond offerings for 1MDB, a fund launched in 2009 by former Malaysian Prime Minister Na-
jib Razak to promote economic development in the country. Attorney General Tommy Thomas said criminal charges were filed Monday against Goldman Sachs, ex-bankers Tim Leissner and Ng Chong Hwa (also known as Roger Ng), Malaysian financier Low Take Jho (also known as Jho Low) and former 1MDB employee Jasmine Loo. All are accused of making false statements in order to "dishonestly misappropriate $2.7 million" from the proceeds of the three bonds. Thomas said the four individuals are accused of conspiring to "bribe Malaysian public officials in order to procure the selection, involvement and participation of Goldman Sachs in the bond issuances."
Giant South American birds cause chaos in northern Germany Giant South American flightless birds are causing chaos in northern Germany after their population more than doubled, farming groups announced this week. The autumn census of Europeʼs only wild rhea population, at the border of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein, found numbers had jumped from 205 birds in spring to 566, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. The population explosion of greater rheas came despite population control efforts in the Schaalsee Biosphere Re-
serve. Almost 300 of the counted birds were juveniles born this year, presumably due to the uncharacteristically warm and dry summer. Who let the fox out? If you suddenly come face-to-face with a fox after a night out clubbing in Berlin, donʼt worry youʼre not hallucinating. The entire city of Berlin has become a habitat for foxes, says conservationist and wild animal consultant Katrin Koch. In fact, studies show that there are now more fox dens in the city than in forests.
Dutch church holds neverending vigil to protect family from deportation On a quiet and peaceful residential street in The Hague, Netherlands, something extraordinary is happening on Tuesday. And it has been going on 24 hours a day, for the last seven weeks. Here at the Bethel Church, the church service never ends. This small red brick Protestant community center is using a loophole in Dutch law to protect the Tamrazyan family from beingdeported to Armenia. "We have more than 650 pastors from dozens of denominations, from all over the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany who have signed up to do the ʼshiftsʼ of services," a church spokeswoman tells me. "And weʼve had over 6,000 visitors, mostly from the Netherlands, but from all over the world, come to pray with us."
Russian cargo ship ʼfreedʼ from British coast off Cornwall British rescuers have refloated a Russian ship with 18 sailors trapped on board after it dragged its anchor and grounded off the southwest coast of England. A lifeboat has been standing by for the beached crew. A Russian cargo ship dragged its anchor in strong winds off the coast of the Falmouth, Cornwall on Tuesday, relocating the 180-meter vessel to within a few meters of the coast. Dramatic footage posted on social media showed a rescuer from the local coastguard rescue team being lowered onto the huge ship during the operation to re-float it.
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