DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Berlin drag racers sentenced to life in prison for murder A regional court in Berlin on Tuesday handed down life-terms at the retrial of two men involved in a deadly race in 2016. The firstmurder verdicts in a German illegal car-racing trialwere overturned last year by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), whichruled there had been insufficient evidenceof an intention to kill. The renewed ruling The presiding judge found there was sufficient evidence to suggest the suspects had shown "willful intent," saying: "What happened had nothing to do with negligence.""The accused had trivially played with the lives of others."The racers were "reckless" and had "revered their vehicles." The verdict met with state prosecutorsʼ demands.
Japanese scientists make breakthrough in cloning a woolly mammoth A team of scientists from Japan and Russia announced a significant step forward in an effort to bring the woolly mammoth back to life – although they cautioned that tabloid reports saying they are a decade away from a Jurassic Park-style attraction populated by mammoths and saber-tooth tigers are wide of the mark. Instead, the scientists say, they hope the technology they are developing can be used to prevent species that are today on the verge of extinction from disappearing forever. In a study published in the journal Sci‐ entific Reports, researchers announced that they have managed to recover cells from the left hind leg of a juvenile mammoth that was discovered in the Siberian permafrost in 2011. Cell nuclei from the mammoth, believed to have been roaming what is today northern Russia around 28,000 years ago, were successfully implanted in mouse cells.
71/2019 • 27 MARCH, 2019
UK Parliament defies Theresa May, backs vote on Brexit alternatives MPs are now expected to vote on a range of Brexit options
In a bid to break the Brexit deadlock, lawmakers in the UK Parliament have handed Theresa May another defeat. MPs are now expected to vote on a range of Brexit options, including "no deal" and a second referendum.
Deutsche-Commerzbank merger is nonstarter from the beginning Thereʼs once again talk in Germany of a possible merger between Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank. But DWʼs Henrik Böhme is not convinced it will solve the banksʼ structural problems. One only has to look back two decades. At the time, Dresdner Bank was the focus of attention. First Deutsche Bank tried to take over the number two bank in Germany, followed by an equally unsuccessful attempt by Commerzbank. In the summer of 2001, the bank was finally sold to the insurance
giant Allianz for around €30 billion ($33.7 billion). But seven years later, Allianz had lost interest and sold the Dresdner to Commerzbank, which had to put a mere €9 billion on the table to acquire it. The only remarkable thing during the time Allianz and Dresdner Bank spent together was a drastic reduction in jobs. And the timing was extremely unfavorable: shortly after the takeover, the world financial crisis broke out — and Commerzbank had to seek government support worth billions of euros.
Beethoven House closes ahead of composerʼs anniversary year Strolling down the Bonngasse, the street where the Beethoven House is located, one could easily overlook the humble facade were it not for the tourist groups that cluster outside. For many, treading the squeaky wooden floors that were once walked upon by Ludwig van Beethoven himself is an emotional moment, particularly when they gaze into the cordoned-off "birth room,"
empty save for a bust of Beethoven on a pedestal. From February 28, the room where the infant Beethoven is said to have entered the world — probably with a loud cry — and the house his family lived in wonʼt ever be the same. The Beethoven House is closing for several months, the permanent exhibition being given a thorough workover and the facilities expanded.
EU job application process ʼdiscriminatoryʼ: ECJ The EUʼs top court ruled on Tuesday that unequal treatment on the basis of language is not permitted when hiring workers for EU institutions. Spain had challenged a requirement to complete an application form in English, French or German for a job with the European Parliament. The ECJ ruling annulled a call for expressions of interest for the driver job, and voided a database of candidates. Applications had been submitted through the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) jobs portal. The Parliament had justified the language restriction because, it argued, newly hired workers would need to communicate effectively in their daily work, and English, German and French are the institutionʼs most widely-spoken languages.
EU Parliament approves controversial copyright reform Lawmakers have backed a preliminary deal on a controversial new EU copyright law, which will force the likes of Google and YouTube to pay publishers for using their work. Critics fear for the freedom of the internet. The European Parliament on Tuesday voted to approve acontroversial new copyright lawthat hands more power to news publishers and record companies. The deal brings measures that would make platforms such asYouTube and Facebook liable for copyrighted materialon their sites one step closer to conclusion.
weather today BUDAPEST
8 / 11 °C Precipitation: 0 mm
71/2019 • 27 March, 2019
German export policies threaten European defense projects: French ambassador Franceʼs ambassador to Germany, Anne-Marie Descotes, warned on Monday that German arms export policies and licensing rules threatened future Franco-German defense projects. The remarks come as the two European nations are seeking to form closer defense cooperationand deepen ties between their parliaments. In anessay published by the German militaryʼs Federal Academy for Security Policy, she said Germany had a tendency to see arms exports as a domestic political issue, but that its policies still "have serious consequences for our bilateral cooperation in the defense sector and the strengthening of European sovereignty."
Lionel Messi has scored 650 goals in his career for Barcelona and Argentina Lionel Messi scored the 50th hattrick of his career as Barcelona came from behind to beat Sevilla and go 10 points clear at the top of La Liga. In a masterclass from the Catalansʼ captain, he first equalised with a brilliant volley from 16 yards. He levelled for a second time with a curling shot from the edge of the box. Messi then chipped Tomas Vaclik for his third, his 36th goal in 35 games against Sevilla, before setting up Luis Suarez for an injurytime fourth. It really was a one-man show with Barcelona not playing particularly well as they extended their lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid, who host Villarreal on Sunday. Sevilla - who are out of form - took the lead twice in the first half from a Jesus Navas counter-attack strike and Gabriel Mercadoʼs eight-yard finish.
Justin Trudeau admits to mistakes in corruption trial crisis but not breaking any rules Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denied interfering in Canadaʼs judicial system, though conceded he should have done things differently in handling accusations he intervened to shield a firm of bribery charges. Embattled Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted to making mistakes in his handling of a controversy that threatens to sink his government ahead of October elections, but he stopped short of apologizing. Trudeau said on Thursday that his government had done nothing illegal afteraccusations of hindering the prosecution of giant Canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin. "There are many lessons to be learned and many things we would have liked to have done dif-
ferently," he said, but he insisted there was no breakdown in Canadian justice. Trudeau tried to shore up the biggest crisis of to face his government which has already seen theresignationof two high profile Cabinet members and a close aide. ʼNo pressureʼ Trudeauʼs former adviser Gerry Butts defended the prime minister yesterday in the House of Commons, telling the justice committee that "nothing happened here beyond the normal operations of government."
After a year of record droughts, Germanyʼs meteorological office sets up early warning system Germanyʼs meteorological office says the droughts were not a once off and is setting up an early warning system to help farmers. The year 2018 was a bad one for German farmers. A record drought resulted in major crop failures, leading the German government to designate the event a crisis of "national dimensions." Some8,000 farmers were forced to apply for emergency aiddue to a record dry period between April and November. Just 60 percent of the usual yearly precipitation fell over the whole year,
according to new figures from Germanyʼs National Meteorological Office (DWD). Eberhard Hartelt, president of the farmers and vintners association (BWV) in the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate and a farmer himself, called it a "catastrophic drought," the likes of which he had never experienced. "The entire fall sowing season took place in bone-dry soil … I had to resow the fields because no rapeseed would grow as there was no moisture in the soil," Hartelt told DW, adding this will likely affect his harvest and income in 2019.
Budapestʼs historic Lotz Hall café reopened as Café Párisi After two years of undesired silence a new café has opened its gates in Budapest’s neo-renaissance styled jewellery box, the former Paris Deparment Store (Párisi Nagy Áruház). Situated in the heart of the city on Andrássy avenue, Café Párisi is the perfect location for those who wish to enjoy the luxury of early 20th century Budapest.
Hotel Azúr Prémium H-8600 Siófok, Erkel Ferenc u. 2/c. Telephone: 06 86 501 450 premium@hotelazur.hu http://www.hotelazur.hu/hu/premium
Published by: Mega Media Kft. 1075 Budapest, Madách I. út 13-14. +36 1 398 0344 www.hotelujsag.hu
Mann+Hummel: Hidden champion fights fine particles It only takes the weather to be unfavorable,and megacities across the world sink into wafts of mist. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 7 million people die every year partly as a result of inhaling polluted air over longer periods. Increasing traffic has no doubt contributed to creating "thick air." Many nations are in the middle of campaigns to reverse the trend by pushing e-mobility, arguing that electric vehicles donʼt have exhaust pipes as sources of poisonous nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. But a closer look reveals that fine particulates cannot be reduced drastically through electric cars. "Irrespective of a carʼs transmission system, it will always produce a lot of particulate matter," says Jan-Eric Raschke, who heads the fine particulates/filtration division at the German company Mann+Hummel. He explains thatroughly 90 percent of all particulate emissions in cars stem from tire wear and the braking system.
Syrian girls attacked in Berlin, racism suspected A man spouting racist insults allegedly confronted two Syrian teenagers in northeastern Berlin and punched them in the face, authorities said Saturday. He hit the girls, aged 15 and 16, "with his fist several times ... before fleeing into a shopping arcade," police alleged in a statement. Both girls were taken to hospital for treatment. Read more: Racist or Islamist — lonewolf attackers show similar patterns Hours later, a woman reportedly attacked a 12-year-old girl in the southeastern district of Neukölln. Officers alleged the suspect tried to tear off the girlʼs headscarf, pulled her hair and threatened her with pepper spray. The woman also allegedly attempted to stab the child with a syringe filled with what appeared to be blood, police said. Officers from the state security police are investigating the incidents, which took place late Friday. The suspected hate crimes highlight tensions over migration in Germany. Last month, a 50-year-old German man was charged with attempted murder after he deliberately drove his car into foreigners in the western cities of Bottrop and Essen.