DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Bulgarians unfazed by anti-Roma hate speech from deputy prime minister Bulgariaʼs deputy prime minister, Valeri Simeonov, has been found guilty of hate speech against Roma — but has not been asked to step down. Prejudice against Roma is widespread in Bulgaria. This was a double first for Bulgaria: In the Black Sea town of Burgas, the district court found the countryʼs deputy prime minister, Valeri Simeonov, guilty of hate speech towards Bulgariaʼs Roma minority. First, the Bulgarian courts have always been very hesitant in their dealings with hate speech against Roma. Second, no deputy prime minister in Bulgaria has ever been found guilty of a crime, let alone one such as this. Yet there still has been no statement from the government, and Simeonov has kept his post despite protests from 11 Roma organizations. Simeonov has also announced that he will appeal the verdict. In addition to his role as deputy prime minister, Simeonov also chairs the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues.
Academics flee Turkey for Germany as Erdogan targets teachers Turkish professors who signed a call for peace are being charged with disseminating terrorist propaganda. Many are seeking refuge in Germany — but here too they face an uncertain future. Dilek Dizdar still hasnʼt received an indictment. A professor of intercultural German studies and translation at the University of Mainz, she was one of the 1,128 signatories of an appeal for peace — an initiative of Academics for Peace — in the form of an open letter written in January 2016 and addressed to the Turkish government. In it, the academics called on the state to halt military operations in Kurdish territories and seek a peaceful solution to the conflict.
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Bavariaʼs Seehofer defies CSU youth wing His partyʼs youth wing has disowned the 68-year-old and hailed his rival, Markus Söder
China, South Korea pledge to mend ties, hold talks South Korea and China have agreed to speedup efforts to normalize their relations. Ties between the nations have been strained over the deployment of a controversial US missile defense system. South Koreaʼs foreign ministry announced Tuesday that both sides had agreed to talks and backed a plan to "expeditiously bring exchange and cooperation in all areas back on a normal development track." The installation of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea resulted in a year-long standoff with damaging implications for trade and diplomacy between the two nations. An angry Beijing voiced fears THAADʼs powerful radar could be used to peer into Chinese territory, while Seoul maintained the system served solely to defend againstescalating nuclear threats from North Korea.
Refugees in Germany waiting longer for asylum processing Bavariaʼs embattled premier Horst Seehofer has vowed to "fight like a lion" at Berlin talks to form Germany’s next government. Seehofer defied internal calls Sunday to step aside as his Christian Social Unionʼs (CSU) top prospect for Bavariaʼs 2018 state election, insisting that his goal in Berlin was to form a "stable" federal coalition in the wake of Germanyʼs September election. Bavariaʼs leader of 9 years said he was "fighting like a lion," adding that the people of Germany understandably expected beneficial political results. On Saturday, two thirds of the CSU youth conference delegates, meeting in Erlangen, had demanded that Seehofer quit his dual role as party chairman, saying Bavariaʼs governing party needed a "plausible" new leadership start. Delegates of the CSUʼs Young Union (JU) treated the 50-year-old Söder, currently Bavariaʼs finance minister and long-time Seehofer rival, to applause and cries of "Markus, Markus." They also criticized the absence from Erlangen of Seehofer, who was represented by his CSU confidants, Bavariaʼs Inte-
rior Minister Joachim Hermann and European Parliamentarian Manfred Weber, who leads EU conservatives in Strasbourg. Weber told youth delegates Seehofer deserved respect as state premier. "The manner in which things have gone in the last few weeks has already created damage," Weber told Bild am Sonntag. In April 2017, Seehofer declared his intention to run as state premier again in 2018,contrary to his past utterances that he might retire to his home city Ingolstadt, the headquarters of the carmaker Audi. JU chairman Hans Reichert accused Seehofer, who first became premier and CSU chairman in 2008, of avoiding current internal party discussion. Seehofer told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag he remained unfazed by the "uninterrupted barrage directed at my person," insisting his sole current task was to "impose" CSU policy at the coalition talks on forming Germanyʼs next government, about to enter their third week in Berlin.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has been struggling to process asylum applications. Could job losses at the office be the reason? German authorities have been taking far longer to process asylum requestscompared to the beginning of the year, according to German daily Nüremberger Nachrichten. Citing an internal document from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), the newspaper said on Tuesday that the number of cases processed per month fell from 50,000 in the first months of 2017 to between 15,000 and 18,000 in recent months.
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Germany recovers from deadly Storm Herwart The second major storm to hit Germany in a month has flooded city streets and caused havoc for transport. Four people were killed when the brutal winds brought down trees in Poland and the Czech Republic. Germany was still reeling from the aftermath ofStorm Herwarton Tuesday after days of train standstills, flooding and traffic chaos that destroyed historic buildings and caused Berlin to declare a state of emergency. In the Czech Republic and Poland, Herwart claimed the lives of four people who were struck by falling trees. On the North Sea island of Langeoog, a freight ship remained stranded on the beach after flood waters receded. The town has called in top salvage experts, who remained stumped two days after the worst of the storm. Over the weekend, the storm wrecked havoc on the nationʼs transport system. The trains in much of northern Germany, including Hannover and Hamburg, came to a complete stop – forcing rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) to send thousands of passengers in cramped taxis, sometimes for hours, to destinations as far away as Berlin. German police detain Syrian for ʼpreparingʼ explosives attack
A 19-year-old Syrian has been detained on suspicion of planning to carry out a terror attack in Germany. The man was ready to carry out the attack using highly explosive materials, according to prosecutors. A Syrian man suspected of planning a terror attack was detained in the northern German city of Schwerin, the Federal Prosecutorʼs Office said on Tuesday in a statement. The suspect, identified as 19-year-old Yamen A., was taken into police custody. Prosecutors said in a statement that the teen is "strongly suspected of having planned an Islamist-motivated attack" that involved "highly explosive" materials. Authorities added that Yamen A. had already "concretely prepared" the attack. In July this year, the suspect made the decision to detonate an explosive device in Germany "in order to kill and injure as many people as possible," the statement read. Yamen A. then began to procure components to make an explosive device, including chemicals. It was not initially clear whether the suspect had selected a location to carry out the attack, prosecutors said. They added that there are no signs that Yamen A. was connected toany terrorist organizations. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the suspectʼs arrest prevented a "serious terror attack in Germany." 2
Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont turns himself in to Belgian police They will appear before a judge in the Belgian capital Sunday afternoon
Cataloniaʼs ex-president Carles Puigdemont and four former cabinet members have turned themselves in to police. Sacked Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four other former ministers have turned themselves in to Belgian police, the prosecutorʼs office in Brussels has confirmed. They are due to appear before a Belgian judge Sunday afternoon. "They were taken into custody at 9:17 a.m. [0817 UTC] - so this morning," said Gilles Dejemeppe, a spokesman for Brusselʼs prosecutorʼs office. "This afternoon, the persons involved will be heard by
Donald Trump to new Fed boss: Youʼre hired! US President Trump is turning the announcement of a new Federal Reserve head into a reality TV experience like his show The Apprentice. But is it just a distraction from other problems? Jens Korte reports from New York. US President Donald Trump is looking for a suitable candidate to take over the US Federal Reserve Bank, which is by many accounts the second most important position in America after the president. But the casting for the job is a throwback to his days on the reality TV show "The Apprentice" when he played himself, Donald Trump, the real estate mogul and businessman. In the show, he selected candidates from a group of
the investigative judge." The judge has 24 hours - from the time of surrender - to decide on how to proceed with regard to fulflling Spainʼs extraditon request. Spanish prosecutors filed charges against Puigdemont and the other former regional leaders of Catalonia for their role in last monthʼs independence referendum, which the Spanish government at the time called illegal - a position that was backed by an independent court ruling. applicants who were then allowed to work for him as an "apprentice." The process was long and accompanied by as much spectacle as possible. As president, Trump is now staging what the political website The Hill mockingly called "Central Bank Apprentice." For months, Trump has been tossing out names — such as Gary Cohn, formerly the number two at the investment bank Goldman Sachs, and who was seen as a favorite for the position for several months — only to drop them unceremoniously.
German job agency seeks minimum wage worker to trawl child porn photos from home
Australia shutters Papua New Guinea detention center Around 600 asylum seekers have refused to leave the facility, citing fears of attacks from locals. Australian lawmakers have warned of a "humanitarian emergency" when authorities in Papua New Guinea shut off the water. Private security staff at a controversial Australian detention center in Papua New Guinea left the facility for the first time in years on Tuesday ahead of its expected closure. The facility formed an integral part ofAustraliaʼs expensive offshore detention programknown as "Sovereign Borders." However, Papua New Guineaʼs Supreme Court ruled that the facility is unconstitutional and needed to be closed. Some 600 asylum seekers residing at the facility have refused to leave, saying the alternatives provided are less secure. Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the campʼs closure would proceed, and that the asylum seekers have access to temporary residences nearby. "All have been informed for a considerable period of time that there is safe and secure alternate accommodation where health and other services will be maintained," Dutton told Reuters news agency in an emailed statement.
A Bavarian job ad sounded enticing until potential employees were told what it actually involved. Investigators have questioned the practise of unskilled, minimum wage workers sifting child porn collections from home. A German business that posted job ads seeking workers to sift through troves of child pornography images came under scrutiny this week for its questionable handling of child abuse images. A data analysis business in the Bavarian city of Augsburg offered potential employees the chance to work from home in exchange for €450 ($525) a month, as part of a so-calledtax-free Minijob. The job advertisement called for a "forensic image analyzer," according to local news outlets. Applicants needed their own computer and some computer experience. They would be given four to five days of training after which they could work from home.
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Trumpʼs Japan trip a ʼsymbolic show of solidarityʼ Donald Trumpʼs first stop in Japan on his maiden voyage to Asia as US president is an opportunity to underline Washingtonʼs alliance with Japan and reassure US allies on opposing North Korea. An air exercise byUS bombers over the Korean Peninsula on Thursday highlights that when US President Donald Trump arrives in Japan on Sunday, regional security will be at the top of the agenda. Trump is scheduled to begin histhree-day visit to Japan by playing a round of golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The meeting with Abe will tee off Trumpʼs 12-day Asian tour - including stops in Seoul, Beijing, Vietnam and meetings with leaders from
Anti-Semitic Anne Frank football stickers appear in Germany Stickers displaying Anne Frank wearing football jerseys have appeared in Germany as an antiSemitic provocation by neo-Nazi fans. Dortmund and Leipzig ultra groups appear to be copying their Italian counterparts. An anti-Semitic campaign by far-right Italian football supporters appears to have spread to Germany, after stickers featuring murdered Jewish child diarist Anne Frank wearing a Schalke 04 football jersey have appeared in social media posts and stuck up around Düsseldorf, near the cities of Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen, where the club Schalke is based. The fake Panini-style stickers were first reported by local blog Ruhrbarone, which published a photo of them it said had been found on the Facebook profile of a neo-Nazi active in the local far-right scene. No one has taken responsibility for creating the image, but the fact that Anne Frank is pictured wearing the jersey of Schalke 04, biggest rival of football club Borussia Dortmund (BVB), seems to corroborate Ruhrbaroneʼs speculation that the neo-Nazis are BVB supporters.
theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)in Manila. Analysts anticipate that Trump will use every opportunity to reiterate the need to ensure lasting security in the region and will highlight the threat that North Korea poses to that ambition. During an interview with US broadcaster Fox News on Thursday, Trump warned that Japan was a "warrior nation" that, if forced to, could take matters on North Korea into its own hands.
The Facebook ads Russian agents bought during the US election
A congressional committee has released a trove of Russian-funded Facebook ads that were disseminated during the 2016 presidential election. Following two days of testimony by lawyers from Facebook, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Incʼs Google, the House Intelligence Committee made public a sampling of the ads under scrutiny. Facebook has handed over some 3,000 examples to Congress, which they have identified as purchased by Russian entities. The internet giant believes thatover 120 million Ameri-
cans were exposedto disinformation created and by the St. Petersburgbased Internet Research Agency. Facebook company Instagram believes that at four million people were affected on its platform starting in October 16. Twitter, for its part, has suspended 22 accounts linked to several hundred Russian-operated Facebook accounts. The hearing comes as part of awider investigation into suspected Kremlin interferencein the 2016 presidential elections led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Austrian full-face veil ban comes into effect Austriaʼs prohibition of full-face coverings has officially come into force. The government said the ban helps uphold Austrian values and promotes integration despite criticism from Muslim and refugee groups. People in Austria are now banned from covering their faces in public. The ban includes wearing the burqa, which hides the entire face, and the niqab, which leaves the eyes uncovered. Those violating the ban could face a penalty up to €150 euros ($176). In May, Austrian lawmakersapproved a billthat outlaws wearing a full-face veil in public. The new legislation also establishes mandatory integration courses and prompts asylum-seekers to do unpaid public work.
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259/2017 • 6, November 2017 German teachersʼ association calls for €10 billion for school repairs
Billions of euros are needed to renovate Germanyʼs schools, the teachersʼ association has said. Fixing unhygienic conditions and faulty heating systems has been "scandalously" delayed, the associationʼs head said. The German Teachersʼ Association called on the next German government to approve billions of euros to renovate dilapidated schools in the country, according to a report published Monday. "In light of the scandalous renovation backlog at numerous schools, the [next] coalition agreement must include a comprehensive investment program for school renovations and refurbishments," the associationʼs chairman Heinz-Peter Meidinger told the German daily newspaper Bild. The association is urging a minimum commitment of €10 billion ($11.6 billion) over the next four years. The Credit Institution for Reconstruction (KfW) previously estimated the total cost of repairing Germanyʼs crumbling schools at €34 billion — far above the associationʼs request, noted Meidinger. Meidinger, who is also a principal of a school in the southern state of Bavaria, expressed shock at the learning conditions at some schools in Germany. He listed cases of schools with "leaky roofs, mice and rats in the utility ducts, intolerable hygienic conditions in the toilets, poor thermal insulation and crumbling plaster on the interior and exterior walls and a lack of regular cleaning." The conditions were a "shame" for Germany, Meidinger added. Climate change: World way off track on Paris accord goals
Existing national goals will only meet one-third of the Paris climate target, according to a UN report. The study comes less than a week before the world climate conference kicks off in Bonn. As the United Nations prepares to welcomedelegates from across the world to Bonnon Monday for the two-week COP23 climate summit, it released a stark warning today. The national pledges currently on the table by the signatory countries will only bring a third of the reduction in emissions required by 2030 to meet global climate targets. The biggest roadblock is not with national governments, says the United Nations Environment Program report. Rather, the private sector and regional governments arenʼt increasing their climate action at a rate that would help close this gap. The Paris goal is to limit global warming to at least under 2 degrees Celsius — and to 1.5 degrees if possible — in order to avoid catastrophic climate change. 4
Lufthansa reaches for global skies Germanyʼs Lufthansa Group looks set to expand, even as some rival airlines cut back or fall into bankruptcy. It has set its sights on becoming a leading global player. But air travel markets remain fiercely competitive. The end of Air Berlin will continue to change the air transport marketin Germany and Europe. There have already been three failures this year on the Continent. In addition to Air Berlin, which not long ago was the No. 2 airline in Germany, Alitalia filed for insolvency in May, and is currently being kept afloat by means of cash infusions from the Italian state. And in early October, the British holiday airline Monarch Airlines went under. "There will be further consolidation in the coming years," Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr has said. Thatʼs been his view for a long time. For Lufthansa, Spohr believes, this trend presents an opportunity. What the vari-
Trump likely to pick Powell as new US Fed chair Under pressure from fresh allegations against his campaign team, US President Donald Trump is preparing to announce Fed governor Jerome Powell as his choice to replace Janet Yellen at the head of the central bank. Sources familiar with the matter told the news agency Reuters on Monday that Jerome Powell was the leading candidate of the Trump administration, with the White House sayingthe US presidentwas being expected to make the official announcement on Thursday. A US Federal Reserve governor since 2012, Powell is a wellknown figure among bankers and investors. He worked as a partner at Carlyle Group from 1997 to 2005 after serving briefly in the administration of George W. Bush as US Treasury Secretary. Donald Trump has been deliberating between Powell alongside current chair Janet Yellen, and John Taylor, a Stanford economist who were also on the White House short list.
Hotel Moments Budapest H-1061 Budapest, Andrássy út 8. T.: +36 1 611 7000 reservation@hotelmoments.hu www.hotelmomentsbudapest.hu
Indiaʼs domestic workers face abuse without legal protection Indiaʼs labor ministry is currently preparing legislation to provide social security for domestic workers. But rights groups say more legal protection against mistreatment is necessary. Stories ofwealthy families in India physically abusing and mistreating young women employed as domestic workers in metropolitan areas are becoming more common in India. In a high-profile case last July, a 26-year-old domestic worker from Bangladesh lodged a compliant with Indian police saying she had been beaten up and held captive by her employers at a home located in the upscale gated community of Noida, a suburb of New Delhi. She was freed after friends and family gathered in protest outside the apartment complex where she was being held. Her employers accused her of theft, but it was later discovered that she had not been paid for two months. The case is indicative of a larger trend of domestic workers in India being mistreated.
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ous insolvencies will mean for the German air travel market wonʼt be known in detail until next summer. Several milestones must be passed before the mists clear. First, the EU competition authorities must approveLufthansaʼs takeover of many of Air Berlinʼs routes. This involves the allocation of starting and landing rights at various airports. Further slots will be allocated at the regular conference of IATA, the International Air Travel Association; these will only enter into force with the upcoming summer schedule, after the end of March. Thereʼs always scope for additional changes before then, Spohr explained on Wednesday.
Venezuela introduces 100,000 bolivar bill worth $2
The new note unveiled by President Nicolas Maduro is meant to curb outof-control inflation that has left the country reeling. Just one year ago, a 100 bolivar bill was the largest amount of cash on the market. Venezuela announced plans to begin issuing 100,000-bolivar notes on Wednesday as the government struggles to control skyrocketing inflation. One year ago, the largest bill was only 100 bolivars – an amount that is now practically worthless. President Nicolas Madurounveiled the note at a cabinet meeting. It will be worth about €2 euros or $2.3 on black market exchanges. Caracas said the new bill is only a stop-gap measure amidst a more comprehensive financial overhaul, one facet of which is to eventually rid the country of paper money entirely. "The use of the physical currency is being replaced," the president said. Maduro also announced a 30 percent increase in the countryʼs minimum wage and a rise in pension payouts for retired workers, though economists have warned this will only exacerbate inflation. He also took the opportunity to threaten any opposition politicians who boycott nationwide mayoral elections in December.
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Europe remains a major bird killer Experts are meeting this week in Manila to tackle this and other threats against migratory species
Despite legal protection, birds are still illegally killed across migration routes – particularly in the Mediterranean. Bird migration is one of natureʼs most fascinating charms but for birds to reach their destinations is becoming ever more difficult. And humans have a lot to do with that. Every year,about 25 million birds are killedacross migration routes in the Mediterranean - whether shot, trapped or glued. In addition, up to 2 million birds are killed illegally in Northern and Central Europe together with the Caucasus region, anew study conducted by BirdLife International-
has shown. Surprisingly, most of the birds are slaughtered for "fun," lead author of the study Anne-Laure Brochet told DW. In order to further improve law enforcement and raise awareness, illegal bird killings will be on the spotlight at the 12th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP12) happening this week (October 22 to 28) in Manila, Phillippines.
Self-driving bus starts first route in Germany German railway company Deutsche Bahn has introduced an autonomous bus to drive passengers along a pre-programmed route in Bavaria. In case of an emergency, a human driver can take control with a joystick. The electric vehicle delivered its first passengers on Wednesday in Bad Birnach, Bavaria, starting on its eightminute route from the townʼs hot springs to the central area and the railway station. The EZ10 bus has six places to sit and can take in a further six standing passengers, and the ride is free of charge. Itʼs the first time a self-driving bus has been incorporated in Germanyʼs public transport system. Among the first group to ride the self-driving bus was Richard Lutz, the head of the German railway giant Deutsche Bahn (DB), the company behind the pilot project. "Weʼve just driven, completely autonomously, into a new era of transport," he said in a statement after the first trip. The bus was developed by the French start-up EasyMile. It is equipped with sensors which can detect obstacles and activate brakes.The vehicle moves along a pre-programmed route with its speed initially limited to 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) per hour on a road with a 30 kph speed limit. Also, the bus is not yet capable of avoiding obstacles on its own.
Martin Day Wine Festival in Hotel Gellért
Teachers for AI — can robots create more jobs than they retire? While headway in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry has many worried about potential jobs losses, others see this as a perfect opportunity to nurture an economy that is completely human-based. Workers can spend anywhere from 5 minutes to 40 hours a week going through simple tasks on a smartphone, making AI all over the world more intelligent and efficient. By building platforms and crowd sourcing a large supply of workers, the companies that train AI were smart to realize the data needed could be processed by anyone with steady access to the internet. From this developed companies like Clickwork, Neurala,
and Alegion Inc., which utilize "human taggers" to push AI education. With over a million "clickworkers" signed up, thereʼs an estimated 100,000 people logged on at this very moment, sifting through droves of information and lending a human touch to robot training. "Staring at security cameras or an airport scanner, remote-controlling a robot, driving trucks up and down a mine did not exist as jobs until recently," says Massimiliano Versace, CEO of Neurala, "and will probably not exist as jobs occupying a full-time human as they are today. Humans were created to do much more complicated and elevated tasks than watching videos 24/7."
Tamás Széll - the most well known gastro hero in Hungary, who proved to the world that Hungarian chefs are also artists of the “Culinarium” – will introduce the mysteries of fine dining at the Martin Day Wine Festival of Danubius Hotel, accompanied by the golden trio of the chefs from Gerbeaud, Gundel and Gellért, with plenty of wine and foaming beer, posing a drinking challenge to everyone. All that between November 9 and12. Further information:borfesztivalgellert.hu
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Culture
New Hungarian film Aurora Borealis now screens in Budapest Becoming a mother is a miraculous time in a woman’s life. However, there are certain scenarios when the arrival of a newcomer is not entirely wonderful news. The new motion picture by eminent Hungarian director Márta Mészáros, Aurora Borealis, tells a touching tale, taking viewers back in time in Hungary and leaving them reaching for the Kleenex. The story has two timelines. One transports viewers back to a western Hungarian village in 1953, where a descendant of an aristocratic family, Ákos, falls for a village girl, Mari. They try to escape to Austria together, but unfortunately with no success, and after being harassed by soldiers, Mari has to start a new life alone and pregnant in occupied Vienna. The other storyline is in the present, unfolding the events through the recollections of old Mari, now a pensioner living in her old village. One day she gets a letter from Russia and falls into a coma. Her daughter Olga, a lawyer living alone in Vienna, comes back to care for her. Suspecting something about her mother’s past isn’t quite right, she starts investigating. This is only a fraction of the story, as anything else would be a major spoiler. However, even the trailer foretells that Olga’s dad might not be who she thinks after all.
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259/2017 • 6, November 2017
Anti-Semitic Anne Frank football stickers appear in Germany
Stickers displaying Anne Frank wearing football jerseys have appeared in Germany as an anti-Semitic provocation by neo-Nazi fans. Dortmund and Leipzig hooligan groups appear to be copying their Italian counterparts. An anti-Semitic campaign by far-right Italian football supporters appears to have spread to Germany, after stickers featuring murdered Jewish child diarist Anne Frank wearing a Schalke 04 football jersey have appeared in social media posts and stuck up around Düsseldorf, near the cities of Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen, where the club Schalke is based.
Werder Bremen dismiss coach Alexander Nouri
Bundesliga club Werder Bremen have sacked head coach Alexander Nouri. The widely expected move comes with the team yet to have won a league match this season and follows a 3-0 defeat at home to Augsburg. Werder Bremen announced the dismissal of head coach Alexander Nouri in a statement posted on their website on Monday. In the statement, sporting director Frank Baumann thanked Nouri for his work at the club. "Alex took on a very tough task last season and successfully accomplished it. We want to thank him for that," Baumann said. 6
Athletics doping: IOC confident over Russia doping reform plans International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach believes Russia will resolve its doping issues and field athletes at next yearʼs Rio Games. Russia was provisionally suspendedfrom world athletics after an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report alleged "state-sponsored doping". Bach met with his Russian Olympic Committee counterpart Alexander Zhukov to discuss the report. He said he was "confident" in the measures put forward by the ROC. Council members of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on Friday voted 22-1 in favour of Russia being banned. As it stands, Russian athletes may not enter international competitions, including the World Athletic Series and Rio Olympics, which begin on 5 August next year. Russia will also not be entitled to host the 2016 World Race Walking Cup in Cheboksary and the 2016 World Junior Championships in Kazan. "We are confident that the initiatives being proposed by the ROC, with the responsible international organisations - Wada and the IAAF - will ensure compliance as soon as possible in order to provide participation of the clean Russian athletes at the Olympic Games," said IOC president Bach.
Jose Mourinho says tax fraud case is ʼclosedʼ He had been accused of defrauding the Spanish tax authorities of millions of euros between 2011 and 2012
Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho has said that he has settled his tax fraud case in Spain. Jose Mourinho has said his tax fraud case is now "closed" after he paid the money he owned to the Spanish tax authorities dating back to his time in charge of Real Madrid. The current Manchester United coach made the statement outside of a courthouse on the outskirts of Madrid, where he appeared briefly before a judge on Friday morning to answer questions regarding accusations of tax fraud. The 54-year-old Mourinho had been accused by Spanish prosecutors of defrauding the countyʼs tax authorities of €3.3 million ($3.8 million) in unpaid
taxes between 2011 and 2012. The money in question concerned revenues from image rights, not his salary from Real Madrid. Leaving the tribunal in Pozuelo de Alarcon in the northwest of the Spanish capital in the company of his lawyers, Mourinho said: "Itʼs simple. I left Spain in 2013 with the information and conviction that my situation with the tax authorities was perfectly legal. Then I was informed that an investigation was opened and they told me that in order to regularize my situation I had to pay a certain amount of money."
Germany coach Joachim Löw names squad for England, France friendlies Germany head coach Joachim Löw has named his squad for the national teamʼs last two matches of 2017. A couple of familiar faces return, while Marcel Halstenberg earned his first call up to the national team. Midfielders Mario Götze of Borussia Dortmund and Manchester Cityʼs Ilkay Gündogan are to return to the national team after a yearʼs absence, as they were two of the 25 players coach Joachim Löw named to his squad for the upcoming friendlies against England and France. Both Götze and Gün-
dogan made their last appearances with the national team in Germanyʼs 0-0 draw in a friendly in Milan last November. Götze missed most of the second half of last season due to a metabolic disorder, while Gündogan had missed time after having torn the cruciate ligaments in his right knee. Left-back Marcel Halstenberg, 26, earned his first call up due to what Löw described in a statement posted on the German football associationʼs (DFB) website as "consistently strong performances" for his club side, RB Leipzig.