DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn arrested over financial misconduct Nissan Motor Company said on Monday it was moving to fire its highflying chairman, Carlos Ghosn, from his post after he was arrested for using company money for personal use and engaging in other serious acts of misconduct. Ghosn, who heads the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, was arrested in Tokyo on violation of financial regulations including misreporting his income. Shares in French carmaker Renault plunged as much as 12 percent as the news of his alleged misconduct broke - Renaultʼs lowest level in about four years. Nissan said the violations were discovered during an investigation over several months that was instigated by a whistleblower.
Romania offshore gas law plays with fire Romaniaʼs untapped oil and gas potential of up to 200 billion cubic meters, or bcm, in the Black Sea has attracted the interest of the worldʼs oil and gas majors, including US giant ExxonMobil and Austriaʼs OMV Petrom. Romania already covers almost all its gas use from its domestic onshore production and could double that over the next two decades when — or perhaps now if —offshore sources are added to supply. The Eastern European country produces 10.5 bcm of gas a year, mostly onshore, and consumes 11-12 bcm, making it largely independent of Russian gas, something others in the region can only envy. Other EU members are in fact scrambling to define coherent energy strategies that donʼt make them too reliant on Russian imports, hence the spike in interest in Romania, as well as US and Norwegian gas.
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German President Steinmeier calls for ʼnew startʼ with South Africa He praised South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
Steinmeier landed in South Africa on Monday for a three-day visit with a delegation of leading German businesses. Ahead of the visit, he praised South African President Cyril Ramaphosaʼs anticorruption efforts.
How Volkswagen is gearing up to be an electric car leader The German auto giantʼs board has approved plans to spend €44 billion over the next five years to overhaul its plants for electric vehicle production. DW explores where the money will be spent. Volkswagen on Friday took a step closer to shaking off the Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal after its supervisory board gave its ambitious electromobility strategy the go-ahead. Over the next two years, three of its German factories will be retrofitted for the production of electric vehicles (EVs) as the Wolfsburgheadquartered company aims to create the largest production network for
EVs in Europe. VW said on Friday its €44-billion ($50-billion) investment would include the overhaul of its production facilities for at least three sites to help achieve its target to launch 30 pure EVs over the next decade. It aims to achieve annual unit sales of 2-3 million e-cars by 2025, accounting for up to 25 percent of its total sales. The supervisory board also saw plans for VWʼs planned entrylevel e-car, which reports suggest will cost just €20,000. Volkswagenʼs first fully-autonomous vehicles are expected to roll off the production lines by 2021, according to the firmʼs Together 2025 strategy presentation.
Buried ʼPicassoʼ painting revealed as hoax Following an anonymous tip, writer Mira Feticu has found a painting buried in a Romanian forest which appeared to be a stolen Picasso. However, two theatre directors now claim it was all part of their publicity stunt. Picassoʼs lost masterpiece "Tete dʼArlequin" seems destined to stay lost after a possibly spectacular find was reported to be a hoax by the Dutch public broadcaster
NOS on Sunday. A group of Romanian nationals snatched the picture from a Rotterdam museum in a spectacular 2012 robbery. The incident, dubbed by the Dutch media as "the theft of the century" also saw robbers grab six more valuable paintings, including works of Monet and Gauguin. Three people were soon arrestedand convicted, but the artworks were never found.
Yemeni government confirms participation at peace talks The government backed by Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries has said it will send delegates to UNbacked peace talks. The last set of peace talks in September failed after Houthi rebels failed to show up. The Saudi Arabia-backed government of Yemen confirmed on Monday that it would take part in peace talks sponsored by the United Nations. The government also called on the UN to "pressure" Yemenʼs Houthi rebels to attend the talks without conditions. The announcement coincided with a speech by Saudi Arabiaʼs King Salman in which he reiterated his countryʼs support for the UN efforts to end the war. The Iranbacked Houthis have fought a threeand-a-half-year-war with the Yemeni government and analliance of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia.
Germany issuing travel bans to 18 Saudis over Khashoggiʼs death Germany has triggered proceedings to ban 18 Saudi citizens allegedly involved inthe murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggifrom entering Europeʼs border-free Schengen zone, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday. "We still have more questions than answers in the Khashoggi case," Maas said on the sidelines of a European Union meeting in Brussels, adding that he had discussed the decision with Britain and France prior to his announcement.
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