DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Second HIV patient cleared of AIDS-causing virus Researchers have announced that a man infected with the HIV virus, which causes AIDS, is in sustained remission following a bone marrow transplant from an HIV-resistant donor. This makes the man, known as the "London patient," the second person ever to have been cleared of the fatal virus thataffects some 37 million people worldwide. The treatment and result was published in the international science journal Nature and is expected to be officially announced at a medical conference in Seattle on Tuesday. The scientists used the same method that proved successful for an an HIV-positive patientin Berlin in 2007. In both cases, the transplant was intended to treat blood cancers. "Byachieving remissionin a second patient using a similar approach, we have shown that the Berlin patient was not an anomaly," lead researcher Ravindra Gupta said.
Pakistan says ʼaction being taken against Jaishe-Mohammedʼ militant group The Pakistani government announced on Monday that it would launch a "decisive" crackdown against militant outfits in the country. The decision comes amid rising tensions with India over militancy in the disputed region of Kashmir. The two nuclear-armed South Asian nations came close to a full-scale military confrontation last week, with New Delhi claiming it bombed an alleged militant camp inside Pakistan and Islamabad saying it shot down Indiaʼs fighter jets in retaliation. Although the two countries continue to trade gunfire across their disputed frontier, known as the Line of Control, the risk of a full-blown war has somewhat subsided after Pakistan handed back a captured Indian fighter pilot to New Delhi on Saturday.
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German politicians welcome Emmanuel Macronʼs EU initiative Some say Berlin itself needs to show more initiative
The German government says it supports a call by the French president for reforming and bolstering the European Union. But some say Berlin itself needs to show more initiative. German political leaders have reacted positively to a raft of suggestions by French President Emmanuel Macronfor strengthening the European Union. In an official statement by Angela Merkelʼs government to Reuters news agency, a spokesperson said: "Itʼs important ahead of the European election (in May) for pro-European forces to present their ideas. The German government supports the lively discussion about the orientation of the European Union." On Tuesday, Macron, who has come under fire in France by yellow-vest protesters and others, presented ideas for a "European renaissance" in an article published in newspaper throughout Europe and online. Among his wide-ranging suggestions were enhanced protection against hate speech, greater control of EU borders and immigration, and a nationally adjusted European minimum wage ideas that went down well with most German politicians. The Social Democratic Partyʼs (SPD)lead candidate in the European election, Katharina Barley — who is both a UK and German citizen — tweeted in French: "Dear Emmanuel Macron, thank you for this initiative. We need to come to-
gether as Europeans and make Europe strong." The lead candidate of the center-right Free Democratic Party (FDP), Nicola Beer, also expressed support for the French presidentʼs suggestions. "Macron stresses Europeʼs commonalities, significance and strength," Beer wrote on Twitter. "Strong partners and friends are crucial for a European renaissance. (This is) an important initiative for necessary reforms to combat scaremongers on the right and left." Critics: ʼBerlin should do moreʼ Some of those who expressed support for Macronʼs ideas criticized the German government for failing to take the lead on the EU. WhileMerkelʼs government has said it favors a strong EU, in the past it has been hesitant to back Macronʼs suggestions for greater EU involvement in economic and fiscal issues. The conservative chairman of the Bundestagʼs foreign affairs commission, Norbert Röttgen, tweeted: "We need more Europe in the right places rather than less. We need to stand up more for Europe, the source of our freedom, security and prosperity. Macron has shown the way. How about some proposals now from Germany?"
US to scrap India and Turkeyʼs preferential trade status India and Turkey are set to lose their preferential trade treatment with the US, according statements from the White House on Monday. "I am taking this step because ... I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India," Donald Trump said in a letter to leaders of US Congress. Washington intends to terminate Turkeyʼs preferential status because it is "sufficiently economically developed" and no longer qualifies, according to the US Trade Representativeʼs office. Since starting in the program in 1975, Turkey has shown a growth in income per capita, reduced poverty, and diversified exports, officials said.
China sees slower growth, increases military spending China faces a "graver and more complicated environment" with risks that "are greater in number and size," Li said before 3,000-plus delegates at the two-week gathering of the National Peopleʼs Congress. In his speech, Li set the targets for the countryʼs economic growth to between 6 and 6.5 percent in 2019. This would mark 2019 as the worst year of growth in the last three decades, behind 2018 with 6.6 percent. Even with the projected slump, however, China would remain one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
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