270/2017 • 18, NOVEMBER 2017 WEEKEND ISSUE
DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Kevin Spacey: London theater reveals 20 testimonies of harassment Netflixʼs House of Cards cancelled
Londonʼs Old Vic theater has received 20 testimonies alleging sexual harassment by Hollywood star Kevin Spacey. The theater has apologized for staff not being able to talk openly before, but the allegations may continue.
Malta: Paradise Papers leave locals polarized In the wake of the Paradise Papers leaks, many locals in Malta feel frustrated and are calling on the European Union to come to the rescue. Daiva Repeckaite reports from the island. "A term my friend came up with — we are political orphans. We have no leader, no direction, no ambition because of that," Alexander Hili, a student of European Studies, fluctuates between strong motivation and growing frustration. He has joined numerous protests for the rule of law in Malta, but, as another leak on offshore dealings of the rich hits the archipelago, most ordinary people, prefer to go with the flow.
Hariri accepts Macronʼs invitation to France After his shock resignation and trip to Saudi Arabia, Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri will travel to France with his family, French officials have said. President Macron had invited him for to stay for a few days. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri will travel to France at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. "He will come to France and the prince has been informed," Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday in Riyadh, referring to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Londonʼs Old Vic Theater on Thursday released the findings of an internal investigation into alleged harassment by Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey. The probe, which began on October 31, has revealed "20 personal testimonies … of alleged inappropriate behaviour carried out by Kevin Spacey during his time as Artistic Director," according to a press release. The theater stressed that "no legal claims, formal grievances, formal disputes, settlement agreements or payments made or authorised were made at all in relation to Kevin Spacey during his tenure." The statement said that the theater had not been able to verify any of the allegations and that Spacey had not commented on them. In all but one case, the statement says, the individuals did not come forward at the time of the alleged harassment. However, Spaceyʼs status at the Old Vic as a "cult personality" may have kept people from speaking up. "The investigation found that his stardom and status at The Old Vic may have prevented people, and in particular junior staff or young actors, from feeling that they could speak up or raise a hand for help," according to the statement. Spacey, who was artistic director at the Old Vic from 2004 to 2015, has faced a number of allegations of sexual harassment since the The New Yorker and The New York Times published stories aboutsexual harassment and abuse allegations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein earlier this year. The revelations
sparked a wave of abuse and harassment allegations against major stars in the film industry. Kevin Spacey has also been dropped from the Netflix hit "House of Cards," as well as other productions. Londonʼs Old Vic Theater on Thursday released the findings of an internal investigation into alleged harassment by Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey. The probe, which began on October 31, has revealed "20 personal testimonies … of alleged inappropriate behaviour carried out by Kevin Spacey during his time as Artistic Director," according to a press release. The theater stressed that "no legal claims, formal grievances, formal disputes, settlement agreements or payments made or authorised were made at all in relation to Kevin Spacey during his tenure." The statement said that the theater had not been able to verify any of the allegations and that Spacey had not commented on them. In all but one case, the statement says, the individuals did not come forward at the time of the alleged harassment. However, Spaceyʼs status at the Old Vic as a "cult personality" may have kept people from speaking up. "The investigation found that his stardom and status at The Old Vic may have prevented people, and in particular junior staff or young actors, from feeling that they could speak up or raise a hand for help," according to the statement.
Da Vinci painting smashes auction record at $450 million
Cambodian Supreme Court dissolves main opposition party
The Italian painterʼs recently discovered portrait of Christ "Salvator Mundi" has sold for a record-breaking $450.3 million (€382 million). The artwork, which went missing for several years, was once traded for just $60. Christieʼs auction house on Wednesday described frenzied bidding for a 500-year-old painting believed to be by Leonardo de Vinci, which went under the hammer for $450.3 million, smashing a previous record for a piece of artwork sold privately or at auction.
The high court verdict followed the arrest of Cambodiaʼs opposition leader Kem Sokha in early September. Critics fear for democracyʼs future in the small Southeast Asian country led by Hu Sen for 30 years. Cambodiaʼs Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ordered the dissolution of the countryʼs main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), and banned more than 100 CNRP members from political office for five years.
270/2017 • 18, November 2017 Weekend issue
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 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
Merkel and Macron hail Europe’s climate leadership, acknowledge shortcomings COP23:
France and Germanyʼs leaders opened the high-level talks at COP23 on Wednesday, calling on other countries to match Europeʼs climate goals. But with Germany heavily reliant on coal, how ambitious is Europe really? The European Union came in for high praise from the leaders of France and Germany at the UN climate summit in Bonn on Wednesday, as delegates entered the last stretch of the two-week conference. German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened her address by noting that EU legislators had agreed last week to reform theEmissions Trading System, the market mechanism that is the bloc’s main tool for reducing emissions. A glut of free allowances has driven down
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 price ofcarbon, which has in turn not motivated companies to reduce their emissions. "The certificates are going to be taken out of this scheme in order to be able to develop it into a meaningful instrument," she said, acknowledging that the system has not worked as intended to date. Her message was clear: Europeʼs efforts to date may not always have worked, but it is still on the most ambitious road, and other countries should follow the European lead. 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.
270/2017 • 18, November 2017 Weekend issue
THOMAS SABO presents new jewellery statements for Autumn/Winter 2017 Love of the familiar and yearning for the faraway : A seductive ornamentation of modernity: THOMAS SABO is launching a varied Autumn/Winter 2017 Collection that connects two central themes of contemporary lifestyle: yearning for the faraway and love of the familiar. In the jewellery collection you will find expressive avant-garde looks, filigree diamond jewellery, elegant Sterling silver essentials, strong new Rebel at heart designs and items of jewellery that can be personalised with engraving. Each design is made of 925 Sterling silver, exquisitely gold-plated or handembellished with decorative stones. ‘Together’ – at THOMAS SABO, the universal inspiration and key message of the collection appears in a range of its own: as a new product, a sparkling heart and a ring engraved with ‘Forever Together’ merge to create feminine items of jewellery – symbolically, an inseparable unit – also available in an exclusive Fine Jewellery version with faceted diamonds and 9k rose gold. In addition to this, the feminine Glam & Soul collection also offers a large selection of graphic jewellery designs that make clear statements in back-to-basics style. With exceptional individual styling, and conceived with modern-day trendsetters in mind, the ladies’ collection is triumphantly joined by the Royalty range – an artistic interpretation of the Victorian era – as well as the Mini Chakras, a representation of the main centres of physical energy of Hin-
duism. These ranges full of vital energy and strength give expression to the love of decades and cultures. Rebel at heart jewellery for men and women combines modern design codes with the symbolism of centuries-old cultures. In this tenth anniversary year, THOMAS SABO reinterprets the classic icons of the collection, from the skull to the cross design. Meditative energy sources are the Power Necklaces and Power Bracelets: Inspired by Buddhist Mala prayer beads, the new designs with stone beads are said to give inner strength and support the flow of life energy. Invoking the inspirations of the jewellery collections, THOMAS SABO once again offers matching watches for Autumn/Winter 2017: New designs for women in the Spirit and Karma range, together with the new watches for men in the Rebel
Spirit and Rebel with Karma ranges, are more than just timepieces. Like an item of jewellery each model is also a reflection of its wearer’s personality. The new Autumn/Winter 2017 Collection is available in all THOMAS SABO shops and shop-in-shops, and online at www.thomassabo.com and through selected partners. THOMAS SABO is one of the globally-leading jew‐ ellery, watches and beauty companies, designing, selling and distributing life‐ style products for women and men. The company, established in 1984 by Thomas Sabo in Lauf an der Pegnitz, southern Germany, operates around 300 of its own shops across all five continents with a total of around 1,860 employees. At its headquarters, THOMAS SABO employs a staff of around 490. THOMAS SABO also collaborates globally with approximately 2,800 trade partners as well as leading airlines and cruise operators.
Muslims in the EU: Feeling at home despite discrimination
A new study shows that while Muslim immigrants integrate well in their countries of residence in the EU, they still experience a lot of discrimination. However, the numbers vary dramatically from country to country. The majority of Muslims in the European Union feel at home in the countries they live in, even though many have experienced discrimination. Thatʼs one of the key findings in astudy released by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights(FRA) on Thursday. The agency is an independent body that delivers fundamental rights assistance and expertise to the EU and its member states For the Muslim-focused edition of the "Second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey" researchers talked to 10,527 people last year in 15 EU countries includingGermany, Italy and Sweden. Some 76 percent of participants said they felt strongly attached to the country they live in. Many also report having a strong trust in institutions like the police and parliament. "I am encouraged by the confidence of Europeʼs Muslim communities in our public institutions and rule of law, despite the individual challenges of discrimination which they attest to," European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said.
35th Hungarian Press Photo Exhibition at Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center The previous year’s best Hungarian press photos were chosen for the thirty-fifth time - a celebration of photo reporters and photography across the country.
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270/2017 • 18, November 2017 Weekend issue
When cold viruses take over the office! tʼs a familiar sight, co-workers with noses running and tissues piled high on their desks
tʼs a familiar sight, co-workers with noses running and tissues piled high on their desks. But theyʼre just drawing it out for themselves and exposing others to the risk of infection. Ideally, the thing to do with a cold is to stay home a few days and get plenty of rest. But nowadays, many sufferers bring their runny noses and coughs into work with them to prove they really are sick. Then, when the bug makes the rounds, everyone else does the same. Not only are they exposing their co-workers to infection but causing the company even bigger headaches when more and more employees call in sick. And the risk of infection is higher than many people think. Germs collect on door handles, keyboards, telephones and everything else people touch with their hands. Itʼs hard to say exactly how long germs can live outside the body. The best strategy is to wash your hands persistently and regularly with soap
and water for at least 25 seconds each time. And when somebody sneezes? They spray germs much farther than the two meters previously thought, so it wonʼt help much to duck and cover. Thatʼs the finding from research conducted by John Bush and his fellow scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They used highspeed cameras to show how a sneeze unleashes a fine shower of particles throughout the area. But entirely invisible is the spreading gas-like cloud of viruses carried in microscopic droplets. This path of infection is highly effective and very difficult to defend against. Keeping humidity in a room high can slightly lower the risk from flu viruses, as these remain infectious longer in dry air.
ESA launches new Sentinel-2B satellite to monitor Earth
White rhino killed by suspected poachers at French zoo
The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched the newest addition to its multi-billion-euro Copernicus program. The monitoring network aims to track pollution, deforestation, weather, and other changes on Earthʼs surface. The Sentinel-2B satellite entered orbit on Tuesday afterblasting off from ESAʼs launch site Kourouin French Guiana. Its twin, Sentinel-2A, was launched in 2015. Both of the satellites are a part of a fleet set up for ESAʼs Copernicus Earth Monitoring program, which is the worldʼs largest environmental monitoring project, according to the agency. The two orbiters are set to monitor the globe from the opposite sides of the planet and send outhigh-resolution color and infrared imagesof the surface. By doing so, the satellites will help scientists track changes in forest cover and water pollution. 4
The break-in at the Thoiry wildlife park near Paris is suspected as poaching. Rhino horns fetch thousands on the black market. Zookeepers at the Thoiry zoo and wildlife park made the grisly discovery on Tuesday after an overnight attack. "Staff left the rhino enclosure on Monday. When they returned on Tuesday, an animal had been killed and its two horns had been sawn off," a police spokeswoman told news agency AFP.
Mourning geckos donʼt need males Some animal species can do very well without male partners. Mourning geckos are just one of many examples. Their reproduction method — known as parthenogenesis — is our natural phenomenon of the week. More or less once every two to four weeks over her five-year lifespan, the female mourning gecko goes through the same ritual: The reptile begins the search for a well-protected place to hide one or two of her eggs. Fifty to 75 days later, new geckos hatch from these eggs. Not very spectacular, right? But the nocturnal climbers look
exactly like their mother. And if they lay egg, once they reach maturity after eight months, their offspring will look exactly like them. Thatʼs because mourning geckos clone themselves — and all of them are female. No males are required to reproduce. That reptiles do not need males is not totally unusual in nature and various other species do the same. Some crabs, snails, and plants as well as komodo dragons and single-celled organisms — all of them come into the world alive and well without a male. The process behind this is called parthenogenesis which means something like "virgin birth."
Smartphones - not so smart for the planet
Since then, nearly 7 billion smartphones have been sold around the globe - not without an impact on the planet. Itʼs eight in the morning, the train is crowded with people heading to work - and it is hard to find anybody who is
not staring at their smartphone. Then, a Twitter message pops up. It comes from Greenpeace. "Think twice about the impact your beloved gadget is having", is the reminder. Since the first Apple iPhone appeared on the market in 2007, more than seven billion smartphones have been produced around the world - that more or less equals the number of people on the planet. Now it might sound very romantic if everyone kept one phone for life. But that is far from being the case. Greenpeace says an average phone in the United States is only used over two years. Most of the time, phones are not replaced because of some irreparable technical problem. It is rather just the desire to have the latest model, with some new innovative features - or because it is easier and less expensive to buy a new one.
270/2017 • 18, November 2017 Weekend issue
The world at 3 degrees: What it means for five cities Heatwaves and smog combine to choke French capital
From rising sea levels to megastorms and drought, how five cities around the world will face their own struggles to adapt to a warming planet. Shortly before climate change talks kicked off in Bonn, the UN warned that the latest global warming projections point to a 3.2 degree Celsius increase by 2100— far above the goal to limit temperature rise between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius. But behind the numbers, what would a warmer world actually look like? Global warming is just that — global. But the impacts vary from place to place. DW takes a look at what 3 degrees would mean for five very different cities. In the event of a 3 degree rise in the global temperature, New Orleansʼ future looks uncertain. The relationship betweenclimate change
and stormsis only just beginning to be understood, but rising sea levels and warmer sea surface temperatures mean New Orleans is likely to experience more Hurricane Katrina-like weather events by the time the century is out. 2017ʼs unusually hyperactive hurricane seasonmay be a worrying harbinger of things to come.Bridget Tydor is a Senior City Planner at the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) and a member of the ICLEI US Peopleʼs Delegation to COP23. She told DW the city is working hard to maintain levees and be ready to evacuate huge numbers of people.
Self-driving bus starts first route in Germany Railway company Deutsche Bahn has introduced an autonomous bus to drive passengers along a preprogrammed 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 selfdriving bus has been incorporated in Germanyʼs public transport system. Among the first group to ride the selfdriving 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. Netflix to release Hungary’s Oscar Entry ‘On Body and Soul’
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."
On Body and Soul’ by eminent Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi receives its U.S. premier on November 12th at the prestigious American Film Institute Fest in Los Angeles, before being made available from February on streaming service Netflix. Hungary’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign-Language Film in 2018 will be the first Hungarian feature to be released on Netflix. Budapest-born Enyedi has already been awarded the Berlinale, the FIPRESCI Prize and, a first for a Hungarian and a woman, the Sydney Film Prize.
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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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270/2017 • 18, November 2017 Weekend issue
US soccer star Hope Solo accuses Sepp Blatter of sexual harassment
Former US goalkeeper Hope Solo has said ex-FIFA boss Sepp Blatter groped her backside during the 2013 Ballon dʼOr ceremony. Sexual harassment wasnʼt just a problem in Hollywood but in womenʼs football as well, she said. Hope Solo, a star goalkeeper and former member of the US football team, accusedformer FIFA President Sepp Blatterof sexually harassing her, in an interview published on Friday. "Sepp Blatter grabbed my ass, it was a few years ago at the Ballon dʼOr ceremony just before I got on stage," Solo told Portuguese newspaper Expresso.
Rafael Nadal pulls out with a knee injury
Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will pull out of the ATP World Tour Finals. The world number one has been dealing with a knee injury and had to pull out of a tournament in November. After losing to Belgian David Goffin 7-6 (5), 6-7, 6-4 in his first match at the ATP World Tour Finals in London on Monday, menʼs world number one Rafael Nadal said he was pulling out of the tournament with a knee injury. "My season is finished," the Spaniard told reporters after the match. "My commitment was to try. Iʼve missed this event too many times in my career." 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.
Mario Götze: The return of the king? Götze is yet to fully recapture his old form
When he scored the winner in the 2014 World Cup final, Mario Götze looked set to be one of the worldʼs best players. But with Russia 2018 looming, Tuesdayʼs game may be one of his last chances to re-establish himself. After almost a year of absence, Mario Götze has finally made his comeback to the German national squad. However, the Dortmund midfielder had to watch from the bench asGermany played out a goalless draw against England at Wembleyon Friday night. His muchanticipated return to “Die Mannschaft” is likely to happen in Tuesday’s friendly against a highcaliber French team. “I feel very,
very good. I believe I’m at 100 percent,” Götze assured reporters during a press conference last week. The 25-year-old’smetabolic illness sidelined him for large parts of last seasonbut he has already featured in eight Bundesliga matches this year with Dortmund. Nevertheless, Götze is yet to fully recapture his old form - heʼs failed to score in 12 appearances for his club this term.
Italy sack Gian Piero Ventura after World Cup failure, Carlo Ancelotti linked Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura has paid the price for overseeing the countryʼs first failure to reach a World Cup since 1958. Carlo Ancelotti, recently sacked by Bayern Munich, is among the favorites for the job. The Italian football federation (FIGC) confirmed the inevitable on Wednesday after Italyʼs aggregate loss to Sweden ended their World Cup 2018 hopes. "As of today Gian Piero Ventura is no longer the coach of the national team," the
FIGC said in a statement after Ventura, 69, refused to resign. Ventura defended his leadership as having "one of the best records in 40 years" despitefailing to lead the four-time winners to their 19th World Cup. "I lost only two games in two years," he had told Italian television show Le Iene. In fact, Ventura had lost three. He took charge of Italy after Euro 2016, when Antonio Conte - now at Chelsea - took the Azzurri to the quarterfinals, where they lost on penalties to Germany.