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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Kazakhstanʼs President Nursultan Nazarbayev fires government Kazakhstanʼs President Nursultan Nazarbayev fired the government on Thursday over what he described as its failure to improve living standards and make positive changes in the country. "In many areas of the economy, despite the adoption of many laws and government decisions, positive changes have not been achieved," Nazarbayev said. Nazarbayev to announce measures Nazarbayev, who has ruled since the country became independent after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, wrote on the presidential website that he will soon propose "a range of measures to strengthen social welfare and raise peopleʼs quality of life."

UKʼs Jeremy Corbyn: Risk of nodeal Brexit ʼvery seriousʼ

The leader of Britainʼs biggest opposition party warned on Thursday that there was a "very serious" risk that the country would crash out of the European Union without a deal. Following a "useful" meeting in Brussels with Michel Barnier, the EUʼs chief Brexit negotatiator, Corbyn said May was "trying to keep the threat of a no deal on the table" and accused her of "running down the clock" ahead of the Brexit deadline on March 29.

The Labour Party was "determined" to remove the possibility of a no-deal exit, he said, adding that Barnier had conveyed the EUʼs own fears about the predicted economic damage such an outcome would entail for both sides.

45/2019 • 22 FEBRUARY, 2019

Merkel voices solidarity with Juncker Stops short of calling for Orbanʼs Fidesz to be thrown out of EPP

The chancellor has backed the European Commission president in the face of aggressive attacks from Hungary. Still, she declined to call for removing Orbanʼs party from the conservative bloc in the European Parliament.

Is Daimlerʼs Dieter Zetsche Germanyʼs business rock star?

The Daimler chairman with the walrus mustache is one of the few German CEOs that is instantly recognizable. Set to retire after 13 years, he leaves behind a company struggling to be relevant in a digital world.

Perhaps surprisingly, the 65-year-old Dieter Zetsche was born to German parents in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1953.

His father was there working as a civil engineer and the family soon moved back to the Frankfurt area where Zetsche attended school before studying electrical engineering. A company

man through and through, Zetsche joined Daimler way back in 1976 and quickly worked his way up. At the same time he got his doctorate degree from the University of Paderborn in 1982. Later he would famously use this title in an ad campaign called "Ask Dr. Z." From mid-2000 to the end 2005 he was in Detroit and ran the "merged" DaimlerChrysler division, before being made chairman of the board of the whole conglomerate on January 1, 2006. Ironically, once at the top he was the driving force behind the 2007 demerger with Chrysler.

Tintin and Snowy turn 90 — havenʼt aged a day He has fought organized crime, solved mysteries and even helped to bring down despotic regimes. The famous Belgian cub-reporter Tintin, with his trademark shock of strawberry-blonde hair, blue sweater and plus-four trousers, has taken his fans with him on world adventures that have been translated into more than 100 languages and dialects. Tintin made his first appearance 90 years ago, in the Catholic conservative Belgian

newspaper Le Vingtième Siècleʼs youth supplement, Le Petit Vingtième. Tintin and Snowy headed deep into Soviet territory, with Stalinʼs secret police watching them from around every corner. The story first appeared on January 10, 1929, running as a serial until May 1930; it was essentially anticommunist propaganda, neatly packaged for children. In 1930, the series was published in book form as Tintin in the Land of the Soviets.

India to cut water to Pakistan as Kashmir conflict escalates The announcement came as tensions between India and neighboring Pakistan continued to soar in the wake of adeadly terror attackin thedisputed Kashmir regionlast Thursday. India blames Pakistan for the attack, which killed 40 paramilitary soldiers, whereasPakistan denies any involvement.

Water usage rights in the regionare covered by the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which gives India control over the eastern Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers; and Pakistan control of the western Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.

Gadkari, whose ministerial brief includes transport and water resources, also announced that India had begun construction of a dam on the Ravi river, a major tributary to the Indus.

Most of Kashmir, located in the Himalayas, is split between Pakistan and India, with both sides also claiming the right to the otherʼs portion. The first full-blown insurrection in the region erupted in 1989, with insurgents demanding independence or unification with Pakistan.

Germany approves new abortion law Germanyʼs Bundestag voted 371 to 277 on Thursday to approve arevision to the countryʼs controversial abortion law, also known as Paragraph 219a. The new regulation allows doctors and hospitals to state on their websites that they provide abortions.

The law, which was known as an "advertising ban," prohibited medical professionals from even mentioning that they provided abortions.

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45/2019 • 22 February, 2019

The Salafist scene in North Rhine-Westphalia

Renault reports ex-boss Ghosnʼs small but suspect deal to police

There are more Salafists in North Rhine-Westphalia than in any other German state. The scene has all but vanished from the public eye in its stronghold. But it is still very active, as DW is told by numerous sources.

"Speak after me," the red-bearded German convert and Salafist preacher Pierre Vogel says as he publicly summons the young woman. Cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd in the pedestrian zone of the western city of Offenbach, she does exactly that, and repeats the words of the Islamic profession of faith. That was in 2010. The conversion was filmed and uploaded to YouTube — just one example of the many videos shared online from the heydays ofSalafist missionary work in Germany. Until 2016, the scene had a self-confident and sometimes aggressive public appearance.

Bearded men in baggy pants and flowing white robes such as Pierre Vogel regularly distributed free German-language editions of the Koran in market squares and pedestrian zones. As part of their "LIES!" campaign (German for "Read"), key figures of Germanyʼs Salafist scene publicly preached their radical interpretation of Islam as converts were invited to join "Islam seminars" up and down the country. Vogelʼs people also offered leisure activities such as barbecues and football in an effort to create a parallel Islamic society.

The French car maker has said its former chief Carlos Ghosn personally benefited from a sponsorship deal. Ghosn, an auto-industry stalwart, is on trial in Japan over allegations of financial misconduct.

Paris Saint-Germain fined €100,000 for racial profiling

French car maker Renault said on Thursday it had informed investigators that its former Chairman and Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn had benefited personally from a sponsorship deal. Renault said it had identified that Ghosn received a sum of €50,000 ($57,000) as part of a sponsorship deal with the Palace of Versailles outside Paris. "The elements gathered so far require additional checks to be carried out," thecompany

said in a statement."Groupe Renault has decided to bring these facts to the attention of the judicial authorities."

The operators of the palace waived the usual 50,000-euro fee for a marriage reception at the 17th-century Grand Trianon complex as part of the sponsorship deal. Ghosn threw an extravagant Marie Antoinette-themed wedding party at Versailles to celebrate his second marriage in October 2016.

Israeli pop queen Netta says Eurovision about music, not politics The Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted for the third time in Israel this May. But as international artists call to boycott the event, 2018 contest winner Netta Barzilai says Eurovision is about participation.

Almost a year afterwinningthe Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Lisbon, the 26-year-old Israeli singer Netta Barzilai has released her muchanticipated new single, "Bassa Sabada" — Arabic for "Bummer, thatʼs Awesome." After her inimitable, contest-winning performance

of the song "Toy" at the 2018 ESC bought her global attention, Nettaʼs latest electro pop anthem has already clocked near four million YouTube hits just days after release.

But with Netta having earned Israel the right to host this yearʼs ESC in May, a political backlash has the potential to overwhelm her own artistic momentum. Although the finale will be hosted in Tel Aviv instead of the contested city of Jerusalem (where it took place in 1979 and 1999) — as was originally suggest by Israeli officials — that hasnʼt stopped calls to boycott the contest.

French champions Paris SaintGermain (PSG) have been fined €100,000 ($113,557 million) by the French Football League (LFP) after scouts were found to have racially profiled potential young recruits between 2013 and 2018.

Sting to return to Budapest for summer 2019 Sting is head over heels for Budapest.

After a successful free show with Shaggy a month ago on Heroes’ Square, the former Police frontman has just announced another Budapest concert for next summer. On 2 July, the Grammy-winning singer brings his My Songs tour to the Papp László Aréna, where he will be taking the stage with his own band. From “Englishman In New York” to “Every Breath You Take”, the set should include Sting’s biggest hits. Tickets are on sale now.

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KiK: German court rejects Pakistani lawsuit over deadly fire A German regional court in Dortmund on Thursday ruled against four Pakistanis who had sued the German discount clothing retailer KiK for €30,000 ($34,500) each. The plaintiffs said the company should have provided them compensation for the pain they suffered and the death of their family members in a 2012 fire at a clothing factory in Karachi that killed more than 250 people. Saeeda Khatoon, a Pakistani mother, along with Muhammad Jabir and Abdul Aziz Khan, all lost their sons to the fire. Another plaintiff, Muhammad Hanif, is himself a survivor. "I am very sad that our voice was not heard by the court. We lost our children in the 2012 factory fire. It seems that nobody cares for the poor workers. It was a decision in favor of the companies. But I will not stop my fight for our rights," Khatoon told DW.

Disaster-prone nations threatened by huge insurance gap New research from Lloydʼs and CEBR has shown that vast assets are underinsured, posing a huge threat to livelihoods particularly in poorer nations. Those most at risk are also those with the lowest insurance levels. Disaster-prone developing nations are exposed to crippling losses when storms, floods or earthquakes strike, because they suffer from a dangerous lack of insurance, industry experts said Monday. Globally, assets worth about $163 billion (€141 billion) are not insured against catastrophes, posing a significant threat to livelihoods and prosperity,London-based insurance market Lloydʼs said in a fresh report. The value of underinsured assets had shrunk by only 3 percent since 2012, it noted. Many nations with the lowest levels of insurance were also among those most exposed to risks, including from climate change impacts, and were least able to fund recovery efforts, the study stressed. "If insurance is not available,catastrophes can have a much greater impact on economies and lives, Lloydʼs Chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown said in a statement. Emerging and low-income nations accounted for almost the entire global insurance gap, the report noted.