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276/2017 • 25, NOVEMBER 2017 WEEKEND ISSUE

DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Angela Merkelʼs German coalition crisis greatly exaggerated Uncertainty as opportunity for democracy

There has been a lot of talk about German democracy in crisis. But the government keeps ticking along, and politicians across nearly the whole spectrum say the situation is hardly as dire as some are making it out to be.

ʼNazi Grandmaʼ Holocaust denier may finally face jail

Iraqi army launches operation to clear IS remnants

A court in western Germany is considering the appeal of octogenarian Ursula Haverbeck, who has multiple convictions for Holocaust denial. Haverbeck has been handed several jail terms, but has so far avoided prison. A German court was due to make a decision on Thursday in the appeal of an 88-year-old woman convicted for incitement to racial hatred on multiple occasions. Ursula Haverbeck challenged two verdicts handed down by a court in the western town of Detmold, after she denied that the genocide of Jews between 1941 and 1945 had taken place.

The capture of Rawa last week signaled the fall of the final IS stronghold in Iraq, putting a decisive end to the terror groupʼs "caliphate" aspirations. Liberation forces are now pushing into the desert. Iraq launched an army operation to flush militants out of its border region with Syria, the military said on Thursday, as it pushes to entirely expel "Islamic State" (IS) from its lands. The Iraqi army, federal police and the Shiite paramilitary group Hashed al-Shaabi have begun "clearing" a large strip of desert in the west of the country, General Abdelamir Yarallah said in a statement.

Politicians donʼt get more veteran than the president of the Bundestag, 75year-old Wolfgang Schäuble. So itʼs interesting to recall what he told the German parliament on Tuesday in the wake ofthe breakdown in talks to form a new government coalition. "Dear colleagues we havean extraordinary situation," the elder statesman said. "Itʼs a test, but itʼs not a crisis of state." Angela Merkel may have failed for the moment to pave the way for a new German government. But that doesnʼt mean that Germany is without a government. On the contrary, Merkel continues to govern from the Chancellorʼs Office just as sheʼs done for the past 12 years. Officially Merkel is now a caretaker chancellor leading a caretaker government. But the German constitution gives the current government the same powers and duties as one sanctioned by an election. There is also no time limit. The same government cabinet members who have led Germany for the past four years will continue in their posts until a new government has been formed and they can be replaced. The situation may be uncertain, but many parliamentarians — including those from the centerright, pro-businessFree Democratic Party (FDP), which scuppered the coalition talks last weekend— think that the opacity of the current situation opens up new possibilities. "The hold of the big establishment parties is loosening somewhat," FDP member of the Bundestag Christoph Hoffmann told DW. "We now have more parties in parliament, and itʼs more difficult to arrive

at a stable coalition. We have to get used to that. But itʼs a chance for democracy and wonʼt weaken the parliament."Johannes Kahrs of the left-wing Social Democrats, who together with Merkelʼs conservatives formed the grand coalition that still runs Germany, seconds that sentiment. "We have a working government," Kahrs told DW. "We have a budget. We also have a debate right now about what to do with the results of the national election. But that should be part of any democracy." Practically speaking, the only thing the caretaker government isnʼt able to do is make decisions that would involve major changes in policy. Two major examples from Germanyʼs recent past, for instance, the end of compulsory military service and the phase-out of nuclear power, would be impossible right now. The constraints of a caretaker government became evident at the COP23 Climate Conference in Bonn last week. There more than 20 countries declared that they wanted to phase out coal as a source of power.German Environment Minister Barbara Hendrix would have loved to join them, but had to defer, saying that she didnʼt want to preempt the next governmentʼs policies. Thereʼs nothing in the German constitution that mandates this, but it is governmental practice. If the caretaker government has no choice but to take an important decision, it can still ask for the support of the new Bundestag, where conservatives and Social Democrats still have a healthy majority.

Police enter decommissioned Australian detention camp

FB to show users if they ʼlikedʼ alleged Russian propaganda

apua New Guinea police have moved in on the shuttered Australian-run Manus detention camp in an attempt to force hundreds of asylum seekers occupying it to leave. The camp long symbolized Canberraʼs strict asylum laws Authorities in Papua New Guinea are removing more than 300 asylum seekers from a squalid immigration camp on Manus island to another location Australia has paid PNG and the nearby island of Nauru to hold refugees as part of its controversial immigration policy.

The social media giant Facebook is working on a tool to let users know if they ʼlikedʼ any of the accounts allegedly pushing Russian propaganda. The company believes some 146 million Americans were exposed to such posts. The US-based company announced it would create a web page for its users to visit in order to find out if they liked or followed accounts with an alleged pro-Kremlin agenda. The tool would apply to accounts on both Facebook and Instagram, which has been owned by Facebook since 2012.

276/2017 • 25, November 2017 Weekend issue

Russia vetoes last-ditch bid to save probe into gas attacks in Syria Russia used its veto twice in 24 hours to deny a new mandate to the UN team looking into chemical weapon attacks in Syria. Moscow said it would not extend the mandate of the probe without fixing its "fundamental flaws." Tensions were running high in the UN Security Council on Friday after Russia vetoed a last-ditch motion by Japan to continue the UN-led investigation into chemical weapons use in Syria. The move comes only a day after Russiavetoed a separate US draft resolutionto extend the probe, and its own draft was in turn rejected by the US, UK, and France. Moscow has repeatedly criticized the findings of the UN-backed investigative body, dubbed Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) as biased and inaccurate. Last week, JIM released a report blaming the Syrian regime for the chemical attack which killed around 100 people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in April. Russia rejected it as "invented" and insisted that the body needed to reform.

Ousted Venezuelan opposition leader escapes house arrest, flees to Spain Ousted Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma has likened his escape to a film. He plans to take the fight against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro abroad. The ousted opposition mayor of Caracas arrived in Spain on Saturday after orchestrating a daring escape from house arrest in Venezuela. Antonio Ledezma landed in Madrid from Bogota, Colombia, where he arrived a day earlier after slipping across the border. He was greeted by his wife and two daughters who live in Spain. Ledezma said he planned to organize resistance from abroad to President Nicolas Maduro, under whose rule millions of Venezuelans have suffered from shortages of food and other basic supplies. "I am going to travel the world to spread the hope of all Venezuelans to escape this regime, this dictatorship," Ledezma said. The 62-year-old opposition figure was removed as mayor of Caracas and arrested in 2015 on allegations he sought to topple Maduro. He was later put under house arrest due to health issues. Ledezma was one of the opposition leaders who led protests against the government in 2014, which also resulted in the arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. He remains under house arrest. 2

Ratko Mladic found guilty at Bosnian war crimes trial Mladic was removed from the courtroom after an angry outburst

UN war crimes judges have found former Bosnian Serbian general Ratko Mladic guilty of crimes against humanity and genocide during Bosniaʼs 1992-1995 war. Former Bosnian Serbian commander Ratko Mladic, was found guilty of charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide for his rolein the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica, ruled the United Nationsʼ Yugoslav war crimes tribunal on Wednesday. Mladic was sentenced to life in prison by the three judge panel on the United Nationsʼ International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). "For having committed these crimes, the chamber sentences Ratko Mladic to

life imprisonment," judge Alphons Orie told the court after convicting Mladic on ten out of 11 charges. The reading of the verdict was temporarily adjourned after an angry outburst by 75-year-old Mladic, who was removed from the courtroom. His defense team had tried to delay the hearing on the grounds of Mladic’s increased blood pressure, saying that he was in ill health after suffering three strokes. Mladicʼs lawyer said that they plan on appealing the ruling. Valdez peninsula, bore no results, Argentina said it was stepping up its search efforts and calling on allies for help. "We have not been able to find, or have visual or radar communication with the submarine," navy spokesman Enrique Balbi told reporters at a news conference. "I donʼt want to dramatize the issue. Weʼre lacking communication and donʼt know what happened." The incident has formally been upgraded to a "search and rescue" operation, Balbi added.

Cambodia charges 2 journalists with espionage The arrests are the latest in a widening crackdown on media and the opposition in Cambodia ahead of elections next year. The move further

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.

strains ties between the United States and Cambodia. Two Cambodian journalists who worked for a US-funded radio station were charged with espionage on Saturday, the latest move in a widening crackdown on critics of authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Uon Chhin and Yeang Socheameta, former journalists of the Washington-based Radio Free Asia, were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly providing information to a foreign power. The offense carries up to 15-years in prison. Radio Free Asiaʼs Phnom Penh bureau closed its office in September, citing "intimidation" and threats that it was violating tax and registration regulations. The Cambodia Daily newspaper reported the two journalists were accused of setting up broadcasting equipment in the capital and sending news reports to Radio Free Asiaʼs Washington bureau.

276/2017 • 25, November 2017 Weekend issue

YOUR JOURNEY TO TOTAL RELAXATION AND WELLBEING BEGINS AT HARMONY SPA BUDAPEST The Harmony Spa welcomes local guests as well as hotel guests for treatments, relaxation and wellness usage as a DaySpa. Aria Hotel Budapest’s spa offers 35 Feet Indoor Heated Pool and Jacuzzi, Finnish and Infrared Sauna, Aromatic Steam Bath, Gym and private rooftop yoga sessions, all in the heart of Budapest, just a few steps away from St. Stephen’s Basilica. 35 Feet Indoor Heated Pool, lounge space with Private Cabanas, and indulging Jacuzzi – Harmony Spa is truly a place for total relaxation in the heart of Budapest, which was also honored as the Europeʼs Best Wellness Spa 2015 at the World Boutique Hotel Awards. There is so much to love about Harmony Spa at Aria Hotel Budapest, but what the judges said put the Aria on top was the unique experience of musically inspired spa treatments and the option to book a private Harmony Rooftop Yoga to take in the morning glow of the beautiful and majestic city around you while taking time to reset, relax and restore. The Harmony Spa welcomes local guests as well as hotel guests for treatments, relaxation and wellness usage as a DaySpa. Harmony Spa offers lounge space with Private Cabanas, 35 Feet Indoor Heated Pool and Jacuzzi, Finnish and Infrared Sauna, Aromatic Steam Bath, Hydro Rider Aqua Bicycles and a wellequipped Gym. Private rooftop yoga and aquafitness sessions can be booked on request, as well as the Harmony Rooftop Yoga classes organized on every second Sunday with

breathtaking views to the St. Stephen’s Basilica. Discover the haven of wellness and beauty, with an orchestra of sensory experiences to indulge in. Harmony Spa at the Aria Hotel Budapest provides a unique fusion of spa and state of the art wellness for an integrated experience to help you relax, revitalize, re-energize and rejuvenate. From innovative antiageing and lifting facials to tranquilizing beauty and spa treatments, massages, manicure and pedicure are all available to our guests. Local guests who book a treatment also enjoy a complimentary half day pass to the Wellness and Gym. More on treatments: Enjoy our all natural approach to beauty and well-being with exclusive body treatments and rituals, benefit from high performance ingredients, Hungarian thermal water, natural herbs and vitamin extracts for exceptional results, leaving your skin healthy and glowing. Throughout the treatments you will have our therapists’ undivided attention as they ensure your comfort with warmed beds and heated towels, and anything you need to feel completely at peace. Guests may choose from one of

Aria’s most simple treatments or one of the intensive treatments such as structured detox or anti-aging nourishment. One can also enhance their experience with a wide range of spa, well-being, and anti-aging services. More on the Gym: Treat yourself to some "me" time that will benefit your life long after your holiday ends. The guests of the Aria Hotel Budapest and local visitors are welcome to arrange for personal training sessions or physical therapy sessions to help them start on a path to wellness and recovery. Guests enjoy access to an array of high performance equipment to enhance their strength and stamina, including Cardio Machines with treadmill, elliptical, bicycle from Technogym, Kinesis Wellness Ball and free weights. Two Aqua bicycles are available to enjoy in the heated indoor swimming pool. Enjoy swimming, private or group aqua fitness classes, as well as our unique Harmony Rooftop Yoga sessions. Every treatment at the Aria comes with a complimentary pass to the Harmony Spa Fitness and Wellness. We wish you a great relaxation! See you there!

Argentina navy loses contact with submarine with 44 crew on board No one has heard from an Argentinian submarine for at least two days. While authorities initially insisted it wasnʼt missing, Argentinaʼs navy has stepped up its search efforts. Argentinaʼs navy lost contact with one of its submarines and its 44 crew members, it announced on Friday. Although the German-built ARA San Juan has been out of contact for two days, the navy initially did not consider it lost. "Itʼs not that itʼs lost, because to be lost, you have to look for it and not find it," the navy told a local broadcaster. However, after an initial search operation in the submarineʼs last known position, around 430 kilometers (267miles) off the southeastern Valdez peninsula, bore no results, Argentina said it was stepping up its search efforts and calling on allies for help. "We have not been able to find, or have visual or radar communication with the submarine," navy spokesman Enrique Balbi told reporters at a news conference. "I donʼt want to dramatize the issue. Weʼre lacking communication and donʼt know what happened." The incident has formally been upgraded to a "search and rescue" operation, Balbi added.

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. Capa Center exhibits camera-captured fates, relationships and humanity for two months.

276/2017 • 25, November 2017 Weekend issue

Preventing dementia with computerized brain training The participants were involved in the training over a ten-year period

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."

Brain training using a specialized computer program can reduce the risk of dementia by almost one third, a newly published study shows. Elderly people can reduce the risk of dementia by exercising brain training on a computer, a study by researchers from the University of South Florida in Tampa has shown. The team led by Jerri Edwards launched their longterm experiment,Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE), in 1999 to find out whether a training method called "useful field of view," or UFOV, actually helps reduce the risk of dementia. And

as it turns out, it apparently does: 2,802 healthy adults between the ages of 74 and 84 participated in the experiment. They were randomly put into either a control group or one of three other groups that received different types of cognitive training. The first group received instruction on memory strategies, the second group on reasoning strategies and the third group received individualized computerized speed of processing training or UFOV.

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.

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.

276/2017 • 25, November 2017 Weekend issue

Climate changeʼs evil twin

Germany must allow third gender

Ocean acidification:

An intersex person has won a court case to allow them to enter a third gender into the registry of births. The case was appealed to the Federal Constitutional Court after failing at lower levels. Germanyʼs Federal Constitutional Court on Wednesday called for a third gender option in the registry of births. Intersex people, who are neither male nor female, should be able to register their sexual identity as such, the Karlsruhe court ruled. The court found that the general right to the protection of personality in Germanyʼs Basic Law meant the register had to be altered to allow a third gender. The court ruled seven to one that lawmakers must create new legislation by the end of 2018 to allow for a third sex, providing the examples of "intersex," "diverse" or another "positive designation of sex." Another possibility raised was to scrap gender entries altogether. "Assignment to a gender is of paramount importance for individual identity; it typically plays a key role both in the self-image of a person and in the way in which the person concerned is perceived by others. The gender identity of those persons who are neither male nor female is protected,"the court ruled.

A recent report shows rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere are about to make the worldʼs oceans uninhabitable for many sea creatures, threatening entire ocean ecosystems. What can be done? Life on Earth began at sea. Over the billions of years since, the oceans have sustained a myriad of species, from worldʼs biggest mammals to the psychedelic profusion of life that makes up a coral reef. But since the industrial revolution, the waters that cover more than two-thirds of our planetʼs surface have become increasingly hostile to their inhabitants. Overfishing, plastic pollution and warming waters all make it harder for ma-

rine life to survive. But now, perhaps the biggest threat is also one of the most insidious effects of the carbon we pump into the atmosphere –ocean acidification. Ulf Riebesell at the GEOMAR center for ocean research in Kiel explains that oceans absorb up to quarter of carbon emissions. "The CO2 reacts with the seawater to form carbonic acid. The more CO2 the ocean takes up, the more acidified it gets," he says.

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."

in registry of births, court rules

Advent Feast at the Basilica November 24 - January 1

One of the ‘Best European Christmas Markets’ is a must-see event in the heart of Budapest Discover Hungary’s most acclaimed Christmas market: The Advent Feast at the Basilica is blending Central European traditions and modern attractions, turning the iconic St. Stephenʼs square into 3D cinema. For more details and information about the Advent Feast’s event schedule, check out thewww.adventiunnep.hu/enwebsite. Budapest 1051, Szent István tér Opening hours: MondayFriday: 11 am – 10 pm, SaturdaySunday: 10 am – 10 pm, and 10 am – 2 pm on December 24. Skating class hours: Friday from 2-8 pm, Saturday from 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am -6 pm.

Weather

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Hungary Budapest: Debrecen: Eger: Hévíz:

5/9 6/6 5/9 9/8

Athens: Berlin: Bratislava: Bucharest: London: Madrid:

5/16 4/18 8/7 8/9 8/10 5/18

Kecskemét: Keszthely: Miskolc:

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Europe Moscow: Paris: Prague: Rome: Varsaw: Vienna:

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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.

276/2017 • 25, November 2017 Weekend issue

Bradley Wiggins speaks of ʼliving hellʼ as UK doping case is closed

Bradley Wiggins has spoken of his "living hell" after the UK AntiDoping agency (UKAD) closed its case against Team Sky. The Olympic gold medallist and Tour de France winner criticized the way the case was handled. UKAD announced on Wednesday that they had insufficient evidence to bring any charges after investigating a so-called ʼmystery packageʼ delivered to the British rider at the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine. It had been alleged by British newspaper the Daily Mail that the package contained triamcinolone, a banned substance which allows riders to lose weight while maintaining power. But UKAD said its investigation had been hindered by British Cyclingʼs lack of medical records and they werenʼt able to establish whether the package contained triamcinolone or the legal substance fluimucil.

Michael Schumacherʼs Ferrari sells at auction for $7.5 million

Once the face of Formula One, Michael Schumacher drove the F2001 to victory in the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix. At auction, his iconic racing car has set a new record. Michael Schumacherʼs Monaco Grand Prixwinning racing car has sold in New York for $7.5 million (€6.35 million), auction house Sothebyʼs said, setting the world record for a modern-era Formula One car. The Ferrari F2001 racing car went under the hammer on Thursday evening, sparking a bidding war between eight competitors that was over in six minutes. The racing car is still fully functional. 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.

Boris Becker has just turned 50 Going up, going down

Is he a star? We Germans love it when things go well for our heroes. However, when things donʼt go so well, thatʼs no longer the case. I only ever met Boris Becker once. I ran into him on the set of a television broadcast many years ago. A polite, tall man in a pinstripe suit was waiting backstage to be called before the cameras. Becker will have long since forgotten about it, having met so many journalists over the years. No, this isnʼt true, I tell myself. I imagine that I know Boris Becker inside out. As a tennis fan, I followed every single one of his important matches. Like many others,

I too spent July 7, 1985 in front of the television. Becker won Wimbledon at the age of 17, and he remains the youngest-ever menʼs champion. From there he went on to a successful career in professional tennis, winning five more Grand Slams. He is one of the greatest athletes this country has ever produced. He has had so many iconic moments, from his lunging volley to the clenched fist, and heʼs been the subject of so many tabloid headlines too.

Tennis star Maria Sharapova investigated for criminal conspiracy in India Maria Sharapova has been named as part of a broader Indian police investigation into alleged cheating and criminal conspiracy. The tennis star endorsed a luxury apartment project that was never built. "Ballet by Maria Sharapova" is the name of a project of luxury apartments endorsed by the former world number one, and run by the Indian real estate firm Homestead Infrastructure Development. In a wider case against the firm, police have filed charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy

against the Russian tennis player. The complex of luxury apartments, located in Gurgaon a satellite city of New Delhi, was supposed to be ready in 2016, but construction was abandoned after builders took millions from homebuyersʼ pockets before the project folded. "Any celebrity who endorses any product technically becomes an agent for the company. No one would have invested in the project if Sharapovaʼs name was not there," Piyush Singh, a lawyer representing one of the buyers, told AFP.