DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Brussels proposes class-action suits for EU consumers Presenting a raft of proposals for its New Deal for Consumers, the European Commission has said it aims to strengthen citizensʼ rights by allowing the filing of class-action suits. Business organizations are not amused. Consumers from across the European Union may in future be able to join forces and file class-action lawsuits with a view to getting compensation from companies that break the law. Under a proposal made by the EU executive Wednesday, consumersʼ rights are to be strengthened considerably. Calls for the EU to introduce collective lawsuits, a tool used extensively in US litigation, had grown after Volkswagen clientswere outraged to learn that the German car giant had cheated on emissions tests. "In a globalized world where the big companies have a huge advantage over individual consumers, we need to level the odds," EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said in a statement.
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Azerbaijanʼs strongman Ilham Aliyev re-elected for fourth consecutive term The president has been accused of corruption, rights abuses and election-rigging
Algeria: Military plane crash leaves more than 250 dead A Russian-made passenger plane used by the Algerian military has crashed near the capital Algiers. More than 250 people on board have died in one of Algeriaʼs worst air disasters. An Algerian military plane carrying mostly army members and their families crashed on Wednesday shortly after take off, killing 247 passengers and 10 crew members. "This morning at around 8:00 an Ilyushin model military transport plane ... crashed directly after takeoff in an agricultural field that was clear of residents," Major General Boualem Madi told state TV. The Defense Ministry said it had opened an investigation into what caused the Russian-made Il-76 military aircraft to crash near an airbase in Boufarik in northern Algeria. The ministry did not say if there were any survivors.
Gulf Stream system at weakest point in 1,600 years A further weakening of the system of currents in the Atlantic Ocean could wreak havoc on the Earthʼs climate. But there isnʼt too much reason to be overly concerned about a looming ice age — at least not yet. Two new studies have found that the system of currents in the Atlantic Ocean is exceptionally weak — and its strength, or lack thereof, could have serious ramifications on the global climate. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) — also known as the Gulf Stream system — is often described as part of the global ocean conveyor belt. It transports warm water from the Atlantic towards the Arctic, which influences the relatively mild climate of Western Europe. In the northern Atlantic, this surface water eventually cools and sinks to the bottom of the ocean, where another current transports it south to Antarctica before circulating back to the Gulf Stream and beginning the cycle anew. This entire process is known as thermohaline circulation.
Outcry in Bavaria over extending police powers
Opposition lawmakers boycotted the election, claiming it was rigged in Aliyevʼs favor. AzerbaijanʼsIlham Aliyev,who has led the former Soviet Republic for 15 years, secured his fourth consecutive term on Wednesday. According to exit polls, Aliyev garnered 83 percent of the vote in the snap election that was boycotted by the main opposition parties as fraudulent. "All previous elections in Azerbaijan were falsified and held with blatant violations of the electoral law. These elections will be no exception," said the executive secretary of the opposition Republican Alternative Movement. Opposition lawmakers have also accused Aliyev of callingthe elections six months ahead of schedulein order to shorten the campaigning period and hinder
attempts at preventing ballotstuffing. Instead of any real competition, Aliyev ran against seven lowprofile figures who made no serious attempts at campaigning. Aliyev has been in power since 2003, following the death of his father Heydar Aliyev, a former KGB agent who became increasingly authoritarian over his own decade in power. The younger Aliyev has further cemented the familyʼs grip on control by appointing his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva as first vice president. Aliyev has denied the accusations of corruption and human rights abuses leveled against him, and touted his countryʼsgrowing economyas proof of his good leadership.
An outcry in Munich over legislation to widen police powers has prompted an angry rebuttal from Bavariaʼs interior minister. Opposition Greens say planned preventive snooping is rejected by 60 percent of Bavarians. Joachim Herrmann, interior minister in Bavariaʼs Christian Social Union (CSU) government, has accused opposition parties in the southern stateʼs Munich assembly of staging a "scurrilous disinformation campaign."
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