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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

German mother jailed for prostituting young son online

A court in southwestern Germany on Tuesday sentenced a 48-year-old woman to 12 and a half years in prison for offering her son, now 10, up for sex on the darknet in exchange for payment. The womanʼs 39-year-old partner was given a 12year sentence followed by preventive detention. They were themain suspects in a pedophile ringthat operated out of Staufen, near the city of Freiburg. The couple — named as Berrin T. and Christian L. — both confessed not only to pimping the victim out to a number of men, but also to carrying out abuse themselves.

How the European Union plans to get around United States sanctions on Iran The European Unionʼs top foreign affairs representative Federica Mogherini and three EU foreign ministers, Jeremy Hunt from the UK, Jean-Yves Le Drian from France and Heiko Maas from Germany, have jointly condemned American sanctions against Iran. While the US has withdrawn from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — otherwise known as the Iran nuclear deal — which aims to ensure Iranʼs peaceful use of nuclear energy, the EU, China, Russia and Iran continue to uphold the agreement.

Now the EU wants to circumvent the current US sanctions, which will also punish European companies that do business with Iran.

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EU defiant in face of Trump threats over Iran trade She said itʼs up to Europeans to decide who they trade with

The EU foreign affairs foreign encouraged companies to ignore US President Donald Trumpʼs threats on doing business with Iran.

Speaking in Wellington alongside New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Tuesday, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini directly called on EU companies to defy US President Donald Trump.

Mogherini was responding to Trumpʼs early-morning tweetthreatening companiesthat did not adhere to renewed US sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran. In it, Trump warned: "Anyone doing business with Iran will not be doing business with the United States." In her response, Mogherini said it was up to European companies to decide who they trade with. She voiced support for trade as an integral part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, in which Iran pledged to stop its nuclear program in return for the relaxation of sanctions and increased trade relations.

Trump, who has called the JCPOA, "the worst deal in history," withdrew the US from it in May of this year. He reinstated harsh sanctions on Iran on Monday. Iran has accused the US of going back on its word and sowing economic unrest in the country. Mogherini says that

Iran is continuing to uphold its end of the bargain and that the other signatories must also uphold theirs.

"We are doing our best to keep Iran in the deal, to keep Iran benefitting from theeconomic benefitsthat the agreement brings to the people of Iran because we believe this is in the security interests of not only our region but also of the world." Read more: US reimposes sanctions on Iran: What does that mean? She went on to say that Iranian-EU trade relations are, "a fundamental aspect of the Iranian right to have an economic advantage in exchange for what they have done so far, which is being compliant with all their nuclear-related commitments."

Mogherini emphasized: "We are encouraging small and medium enterprises in particular to increase business with and in Iran as part of something [that] for us is a security priority." Though the EU, which said it "deeply regretted" the US move, issued a "blocking statute" on Monday in an effort to protect European companies, several, such as Germanyʼs Daimler, announced they would comply with Trumpʼs wishes rather than put their US investments at risk.

Germany struggles to step up cyberdefense Along a broad, tree-lined avenue near the heart of Bonn, a shimmering glass and concrete building rises above a small side street. A black iron fence, retrofitted to secure the perimeter, bears a warning: This is military territory. The office complex houses the German militaryʼs new Cyber and Information Domain Service (CIDS), a command center that oversees a vast team of soldiers and civilians defending and protecting the Bundeswehrʼs critical networks and information systems. Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen inaugurated the cyber command at a ceremony in April 2017, hailing it as a milestone in German defense ascyberattacks become a fundamental threatto security. Read more: Bundeswehr cybersecurity center trains elite counterhackers "There are daily incursions on our systems and networks, regardless of notions like peace, crisis, conflict or war.

They come from various players, private and governmental," she said.

"And to be clear: When the Bundeswehrʼs networks are attacked, we are allowed to defend ourselves."

The murky world of the darknet The so-called darknet is a cyber underworld where child prostitution and other criminal activities are advertised. Sharing of photos and videos of child sexual assault is rife. Those who access disturbing material there are usually looking for it.

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Germany claims success with program to support migrant returnees After four years, Derrick Adamson had had enough. He was living in Germany illegally, and without valid papers his dream of a better life had come to nothing. "I heard that people from Ghana who were doing badly in Germany were given help if they returned home," 28year-old Adamson told DW. He went back — and is now receiving support from the German governmentʼs migration advice center in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. It arranged for him to be trained in starting up his own business. For one year he also had access to an adviser who helped him make the step to become self-employed. "I donʼt just approach things without any sort of plan anymore," says Adamson. "For example, I now know that you have to have sound financial planning."

India scraps controversial tax on sanitary pads India has announced that it has withdrawn a controversial tax on sanitary pads. Saturdayʼs rollback comes after a vocal campaign aimed at boosting female education, empowerment and, ultimately, job prospects. The move is part of a bigger package of cuts toIndiaʼs Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Around 90 consumer items, many of them popular with urban middleclass voters, will be impacted by the tax cut. "I think all women will be happy to know that sanitary pads will now have 100-percent exemption. There will be no GST on sanitary pads," Indiaʼs Acting Finance Minister Piyush Goyal told journalists Saturday.

Campaigners had seized on this issue because a lack of access to sanitary pads often forces girls to stay home during their periods. Missing school every month becomes a significant drag on girlsʼ education that ultimately hampers their job prospects as adults.

Sanitary pads were taxed at 12 percent under the GST, which was launched a year ago. A national survey earlier this year found that about 60 percent of women between the age of 16 and 24 didnʼt have access to tampons.

In some poorer areas of central and eastern India the figure was as high as 80 percent.

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Turkeyʼs Erdogan to make state visit to Germany in late September There are a host of problems and issues for Germany and Turkey to discuss

Some in Germany have criticized giving the authoritarian Turkish leader military honors and a banquet.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will conduct an official state visit to Germany on September 28-29, the German presidency confirmed on Tuesday. The Turkish president will meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, with military honors and an official state banquet on the agenda. It was unclear if Erdogan would meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel or other officials.

Read more: German politicians wary of pending Erdogan state visit The two NATO members have witnessed relations plummet in recent years amid German concerns over the dete-

Court jails youngest member of British female terror cell A British court sentencedSafaa BoularFriday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years for planning terror attacks in London with her mother and sister. The trio is Britainʼs first case of an all-female terror cell. Prosecutors told Londonʼs Central Criminal Court that the 18year-old began plotting an attack in Britain after authorities thwarted her attempts to travel to Syria tomarry a fighterfrom the so-called "Islamic State" (IS). Boular had been planning a gun and grenade assault in online messages with the militant but was arrested in April 2017, along with her

rioration of human rights in Turkey and the countryʼs authoritarian trajectory. However, Turkey remains an important strategic, military and economic partner for Germany and the European Union. It will be Erdoganʼs first state visit to Germany since he became president in 2014 and moved to cement his control over Turkey through a controversial referendum last year granting him sweeping powers. It also comes months after Erdoganʼs enhanced powers and the dismantling of the parliamentary system went into effect following June elections. sister and mother, after her plan was discovered. Undercover officials had put the family under surveillance, tracking their movements and listening in on telephone conversations in which they discussed the plot using coded language.

German exports still defy trade worries In the first half of 2018, German trade remained on a solid growth path. But is stagnation in July a first foreboding of a slowdown caused by mounting concern over US President Donald Trumpʼs trade measures?

According to fresh trade figures released by the German statistics office, Destatis, on Tuesday, the countryʼs exports surged 3.9 percent to €662.8

France: Macron ex-aide Alexandre Benalla under investigation over protester attack French authorities on Sunday opened a judicial investigation intoa disgraced former security aide to French President Emmanuel Macronand four others involved in an alleged attack on unarmed protesters in May. Alexandre Benalla, who had accompanied Macron since before the 2017 presidential election, faces possible charges of violence by a public official, illegal use of surveillance video and impersonating a public official. An official in Macronʼs Republic on the Move (LREM) party who was next to Benalla when the attack happened, Vincent Crase, is also in police custody. Three police officers could face charges of illegally giving Benalla police footage of the attack to help him clear his name.

Macron fired Benalla on Friday after French newspaper Le Monde on Wednesday published video footage showing the 26-year-old aide wearing a police helmet while beating a man and dragging a woman during May 1 demonstrations in Paris. Macronʼs office said Benalla had only been authorized to join the police as an observer.

Crase and Benalla, whose house was raided on Saturday, are now prohibited from possessing a weapon or holding public office.

billion ($788.9 billion) in the first six months of 2018 to, compared with the same period last year. Imports even climbed to a new all-time high, marking a 10.2 percent increase. Germany imported goods worth €541.3 billion in the first half of 2018, taking in goods worth €93.7 billion in June alone — the highest ever volume recorded for a single month. "Global growth and stronger demand from within the European Union are supporting German exports," said Kevin Heidenreich, trade expert at the German Chambers of Commerce and Trade (DIHK). At the same time, he warned however that there was "no reason for euphoria." Germanyʼs controversial and much-discussed trade surpluswas nearly unchanged, at €121.5 billion after reaching €121.3 billion in the first six months of the previous year.

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China bans Winnie-the-Pooh film China denied the screening of a new Winnie-the-Pooh film after Xi Jinping was compared to the cartoon bear, according to reports. The Winnie-the-Pooh character has increasingly become a symbol of resistance in China.

"Christopher Robin," a new Disney film based on AA Milneʼs famous Winnie-the-Pooh books, has been banned in China,according to the Hollywood Reporter. Cathleen Taff, head of distribution for Disney, confirmed the film has been denied a release the Associated Press reported. The move locks the release out from the worldʼs second largest film market. While an official reason has not been given for the filmʼs apparent ban, Winnie-thePooh has become a symbol of resistance to the ruling Communist Party in China after bloggers started

ECJ rules students cannot use online photos without consent On Tuesday, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that students may not use any image downloaded from the internet for school reportswithout permissionfrom the photographer who made it. The court in Luxembourg made the ruling in a case involving a German high school. A photographer sued the school in Waltop, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, for 400 euros ($460) in damages after he saw a photo he had taken of the Spanish city of Cordoba on its website. He also demanded the photo be removed from the schoolʼs site. The photo appeared in a report presented by one of the schoolʼs students.

The student hadsimply downloadedthe picture from an online travel website and pasted it into her presentation without the photographerʼs permission. ʼPublic reproductionʼ and thirdparty usage The photographer claims the travel magazine alone was licensed to use his photo, which appeared on its site without a copyright attribution.

Therefore, he argued, third party usage was aninfringement of his rights, a claim with which the ECJ agreed.

to compare Chinese President Xi Jinping to the friendly but clumsy, slowwitted and tubby toy bear. The new film tells the story of a now middleaged Christopher Robin, whose mundane life takes a turn when he is unexpectedly reunited with the Hundred Acre Woodʼs Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and other animals from his childhood. It is the second time this year a Disney film has been denied release in China, after A Wrinkle in Time, which deals with issues surrounding magic and religion, was banned.

Hungary rolls out red carpet for German carmakers

BMW is following in the footsteps of its German rivals like Mercedes and Audi by investing a billion euros in a new plant in Hungary. The Central European country has become an attractive location for German carmakers.

Hungaryʼs Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto was visibly proud when, after 17 months of negotiations, he recently announced a multibillion-euro investment in his country by a German car manufacturer. "Some 150,000 cars can be produced in Debrecen every year," said the minister. "This will initially create more than 1,000 jobs." The

plantʼs construction is set to begin in a year. With this decision, BMW is just following in the footsteps of its fellow German automakers, which have pumped huge investments into the Central European country over the past two decades. Read more: Hungary critically needs labor thatʼs nowhere to be found "The investments started after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and German reunification," said Sandor Richter from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW). "The auto industry, in particular, has sought and found opportunities there."

Japan heat wave raises concerns over Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics During a visit to Tokyo, the head of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) inspection team, John Coates, acknowledged concerns that the heat could be a "huge challenge" for theTokyo 2020organizers. "We are mindful that we do have to prepare for extreme heat," he said. The Games are set to run from July 24 to August 9, 2020 when temperatures in central Tokyo could reach 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) and above. Japanʼs Meteorological Agency has warned of more high temperatures this week and has called on people to take precautions, such as drinking more water and turning on the air conditioning.

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180/2018 • 08 August, 2018

US firms try to protect themselves amid Trump trade battles From September 2018, US President Donald Trump wants the US to have punitive tariffsof around 10 percent on handbags and clothing from China, among other things. For his daughter Ivanka, who owns her own fashion business, that may have quite a big effect because unfortunately for the First Daughter, the majority of her firmʼs products are made in the country her father has targeted above all others in his trade war. Trumpʼs protectionist approach has provoked reactions from his countryʼs biggest trading partnersand the US is now appealing its case to the World Trade Organization (WTO). "One things leads to the other in a trade war," said David Kotok, founder of asset management firm Cumberland Advisors.

That trade war, it would appear, has begun. US companies in the firing line Since the earliest days of his election campaign, Trump has promised to revive struggling US industries. He spoke of them as victims of bad trade deals and unfair practices. But already, some American companies are feeling the negative effects of his trade policy: "In a globalized economy, there are no winners in a trade war," says Kotok. Above all, multinational corporations with international supply chains are going to be affected. On the one hand, their products become more expensive and less attractive in foreign markets, when compared with domestic alternatives.

American whiskey, jeans and motorcycles are among those products already affected by this within the EU.

Why higher US tariffs on car imports would backfire Having slapped higher duties on EU steel and aluminum already,US President Donald Trump is now looking to curb successful European car imports, which have long been a thorn in his side against the general backdrop of a massive US trade deficit with the bloc and Germany in particular.

"We are finishing our study on cars from the EU," Trump tweeted earlier this week, saying the measures that his administration will take to rectify the imbalance will see things "evening out" fairly soon.

The American president has threatened to impose a tariff of at least 20 percent on all imports of EUassembled vehicles, a month after Washington launched an investigation into whether auto imports posed a national security threat.

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German exports still defy trade worries In the first half of 2018, German trade remained on a solid growth path. But is stagnation in July a first foreboding of a slowdown caused by mounting concern over US President Donald Trumpʼs trade measures?

In the Trump era, can the concept of ʼfree tradeʼ survive?

For economist Fred Bergsten and his ʼbicycle theory,ʼ trade policy is intrinsically unstable because it tends towards either liberalization or protectionism. To not fall off the bike (protectionism), he believes, multilateral trade negotiations must constantly pedal towards greater liberalization.

So, as the EUʼs top brass signedthe single marketʼs biggest trade deal ever, with Japan, this week, creating an open trading zone covering nearly a third of the worldʼs GDP, the question is — can the EU and other advocates of global free trade keep pedaling hard enough when the US appears intent on crashing the bike? Read more: EU, China seek closer ties as US turns against trade EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Maelstrom certainly thinks so.

"The EU-Japan deal will send a strong signal to the world against US protectionism," she said on Tuesday, just days afterUS President Donald Trump had characterized the EU as "a foe."

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According to fresh trade figures released by the German statistics office, Destatis, on Tuesday, the countryʼs exports surged 3.9 percent to €662.8 billion ($788.9 billion) in the first six months of 2018 to, compared with the same period last year.

Imports even climbed to a new alltime high, marking a 10.2 percent increase.

Germany imported goods worth €541.3 billion in the first half of 2018, taking in goods worth €93.7 billion in June alone — the highest ever volume recorded for

a single month. "Global growth and stronger demand from within the European Union are supporting German exports," said Kevin Heidenreich, trade expert at the German Chambers of Commerce and Trade (DIHK). At the same time, he warned however that there was "no reason for euphoria." Germanyʼs controversial and much-discussed trade surpluswas nearly unchanged, at €121.5 billion after reaching €121.3 billion in the first six months of the previous year.

EU-Mercosur trade deal ‘could be done by September’

EU confronts member states

The EU and the South American trading bloc Mercosur are close to concludinga free trade deal that has been almost 20 years in the offing, according to Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie. "We have achieved a sort of critical mass that will enable us to go to the closing game," Faurie told reporters following two days of talks between seven Mercosur ministers and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom. "The target is a good agreement that we consider that we will be arriving at more or less at the end of August, first part of September." Malmstrom also sounded an optimistic note but she was noncommittal on a date, citing previous roadblocks. "We are very close, but I donʼt want to give you a date because I did that before," she said.

Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are the four full members of Mercosur.Venezuela has been suspended since December 2016while Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname are associate countries of the bloc.

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issuing citizenship for money

The European Commission is calling on EU countries to be more cautious when granting citizenships, according to an interview with Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova published in the German daily Die Welt on Tuesday.

Jourova said an increasing number of EU member states had been issuing citizenship to third-country nationals if they had previously invested large sums of money in their respective countries. Read more: ʼGolden visasʼ: EU offers the rich bigger bang for the buck The Commission was "extremely concerned" about the escalation of "golden passports," being offered, the Czech politician said. EU countries offering "golden visa" programs included: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Between 2013 and 2017, Hungary also ran a golden visa program. Transparency International accused them of running essentially "secret" schemes without EU oversight or disclosure of statistics, with the Schengen zone and the single European market as the key selling point.

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Domino effect could heat up Earth by 5 degrees Celsius Despite Paris climate deal

Will Donald Trumpʼs star on Hollywood Walk of Fame be removed?

The West Hollywood City Council voted Monday evening in favor of a resolution calling for the removal of US President Donald Trumpʼs star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the media insider news outlet The Holly‐ wood Reporter said. The resolution, which the media outlet said received unanimous approval, urged the Los Angeles City Council and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to take the presidentʼs star out of the pavement "due to his disturbing treatment of women and other actions that do not meet the shared values of the City of West Hollywood, the region, state and country." Trump received his star in 2007 for hiswork as a media producer on the Miss Universe Pageant and the highly popular reality TV show The Apprentice, which he also hosted.

Plastic bottle recycling champion: Norway or Germany?

Even if the Paris agreement is successfully implemented, the planet could still heat up by 5 degrees Celsius, scientists warn. This "hothouse" climate would make parts of the world uninhabitable.

A joint study by international climate scientists from Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Australia presents a bleak prognosis: Even if the goals of the Paris climate agreement are achieved and global warming is limited to maxiumum 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels, the climate system could still pass a devastating tipping point.

"Human emissions of greenhouse gas are not the sole determinant of

temperature on Earth," said Will Steffen, lead author of the study and climate researcher at the Australian National University and the Swedish research institute Stockholm Resilience Centre. "Our study suggests that human-induced global warming of 2 degrees Celsius may trigger other Earth system processes, often called ʼfeedbacks,ʼ that can drive further warming — even if we stop emitting greenhouse gases," he said.

#MeTwo: To be or not to be German enough Mesut Özil may not have realized that his resignation from the German national soccer team would start an avalanche of dismay on social media.He quit the teamsaying, "When I win Iʼm German. When I lose Iʼm an immigrant." His decision was a reaction to the outpouring of criticism directed against him after Germany lost in the early stages of the World Cup. However, the ire directed at the soc-

cer player with Turkish parents had started building up several months earlier when he took a picture with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Many Turks welcomed what seemed to them to be a tacit vote of confidence in Turkeyʼs leader, while many Germans were dismayed at seeing Özilʼs alleged support of Erdogan, whose leadership has been widely criticized as autocratic.

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Culture Facebook removes conspiracy theorist Alex Jonesʼ pages as podcasts taken down

SPOTIFY, FACEBOOK AND APPLE HAVE ALL TAKEN DOWN CONTENT BY ALEX JONES, WHOSE INFOWARS SITE HAS A MASS FOLLOWING. WHILE HEʼS PREVIOUSLY TAKEN HEAT FOR FAKE NEWS, IT WAS HATE SPEECH THAT LANDED HIM IN HOT WATER NOW.

FACEBOOK AND APPLE HAVE ALL TAKEN DOWN CONTENT

BY ALEX JONES,

Norwayʼs bottle deposit scheme has been getting a lot of celebratory press. But some of the figures being quoted may be misleading.

At the end of last year, a study by British environmental consultancy Eunomia named Germany the worldʼs best recycler, with the country recycling 56 percent of its household waste. But since then, various media reports have given the impression Norway was way ahead. International media have carried the news that Norway recycles 95 percent of its polyethylene terephthalate — or PET — bottles, and social media has run with it, with avideo posted by the World Economic Forumcelebrating this impressive figure achieved through a tax and deposit system.

Three major global technology companies took action against American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over the past two days, removing his digital content from their sites for having violated their hate speech policies. Social media giant Facebook announced on Monday that it had taken down four video pages belonging to Jones for contravening its community standards while streaming player Spotify said that it had now removed all of Jonesʼ InfoWars podcast offerings. Read more: Facebook refuses to censor Holocaust denial as social media sites struggle with German laws The news came one day after media news website BuzzFeed reported that Apple had removed the majority of Jonesʼ podcasts from its platforms. The removals were a noticeable example ofenforcement action taken by technology companies to regulate offensive content in the digital realm.

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180/2018 • 08 August, 2018

Berlin hosts Europeʼs best in 2018 Athletics Championship

The European Athletics Championship began in Berlin on Monday, with 1600 athletes from 51 European countries participating. Seven reigning Olympic champions, 15 world champions and 34 European champions from Amsterdam 2016 will go head to head in the 24th edition of the 84-year-old event. It will be the second part of this yearʼs newmulti-sport European Championships, co-hosted

by Glasgow and Berlin.

Why Mesut Özil has founded his own eSports team

It is old PR wisdom. If the public is against you, change the topic to get them back onside. In the fast-paced media world, new stimuli and new news arenʼt just a currency, theyʼre a calling card. A new project can help a tarnished image and give someone in the media spotlight some breathing room. Being associated with a positive, forward-thinking trend certainly doesnʼt do any harm. Read more: How does the FIFA eWorld Cup compare to the real thing? This wonʼt be news to those advising Özil. His crushing resignation, subsequent criticism and the ensuing fallout with the DFB, the German star was under pressure and has acted accordingly.

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Aleksandar Kolarovʼs free kick stunner secures Serbia win over Costa Rica A brilliant second half free kick from captain Aleksandar Kolarov led Serbia to a deserved win over Costa Rica. Serbia were wasteful in front of goal but did enough to secure three vital points in Group E. Another World Cup day, another sublime freekick. If Cristiano Ronaldo’s ice-cold effort tosnatch a point against arch-rivals Spain on day two was the current goal of the tournament front-runner, the Portuguese may have just met his match. Aleksandar Kolarov, take a bow. A combination of poor finishing and sublime goalkeeping had kept the scores level until Serbia’s no.11 produced his moment of magic. Kolarov’s powerful left foot is no secret, but few inside the stadium would have expected such a thunderous strike when the Roma defender stood over a free kick midway through the second half. His shot was unstoppable; a side-footed missile which screamed into the top corner of the Costa Rica net. Kaylor Navas, who kept his team in the game with several crucial saves either side of half time, was nowhere near it.

Toni Kroos named German footballer of the year Jupp Heynckes and Dzsenifer Marozsan were also recognised by the German football media

Another Champions League win at the end of another season of excellence has seen Toni Kroos named German player of 2017/18.

The Real Madrid midfielder was announced as the best German men’s player of last season by Kicker magazine on Sunday and succeeds Philipp Lahm, whowon the 2017 award ahead of Kroos. Votes from 475 members of Germany’s sports journalists’ union were counted and Kroos received almost five times as many as Freiburg’s Nils Petersen in second. Naldo was rewarded for a fine season with Schalke with third

place. "It is and remains a great honor to win Footballer of the Year,” says Kroos in quotes that will appear in Monday’s edition of the publication “This is a not a prize that is easy to win.” It is the first time Kroos has won the award and he will add it to an already bulging trophy cabinet that includes four Bundesliga titles, a La Liga crown, three Champions Leagues, a World Cup and myriad individual honors.

Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool boss ʼdoesnʼt careʼ about transfer criticism Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp "doesnʼt care" about allegations of hypocrisy over his transfer spending.

After Paul Pogbaʼs £89m move to Manchester United in 2016, Klopp said he would quit football if such fees became commonplace.

The£66.8m signing of goalkeeper Alissonfrom Roma took Liverpoolʼs spending over the past 12 months to

almost £250m. "We donʼt care what the world around us is thinking," Klopp said.

"Like Manchester United didnʼt care what I said."

The German added: "It is only an opinion in that moment. Did I change my opinion? Yes. That is true. But it is better to change your opinion than never have one.