DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
ʼLaser manʼ John Ausonius receives life sentence in Frankfurt John Ausonius has received a second life sentence, this time for the murder of a Jewish woman in Frankfurt. Ausonius has been serving another life sentence in Sweden for the murder and attempted murder of 10 immigrants. John Ausonius — the Swedish convicted killer dubbed "the laser man" and suspected white supremacist — has received another life sentence for the murder of a Jewish woman more than 25 years ago. A Frankfurt court on Wednesday found Ausonius guilty of shooting dead Blanka Zmigrod, a 68-year-old Holocaust survivor, near her home in February 1992. Prosecutor Nadja Böttinger told the court during Tuesdayʼs plea hearing that the evidence at hand was far too abundant to be considered mere coincidence. During Wednesdayʼs sentencing, Judge Bärbel Stock agreed.
German prisons: 150 dangerous Islamists need deradicalizing German jails are struggling to cope with scores of radical Islamist extremists. Their number is expected to grow following the opening of a slew of terror-related probes in recent months. About 150 dangerous Islamists are being held in prisons across Germany, according to figures from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) published by German daily Die Welt on Wednesday. The men are either serving jail sentences or are in custody on terror-related charges, the paper cited the BKA as saying. The newspaper said there were also several "relevant persons" being held, which it said were those regarded as sympathizers or supporters of radical Islam. "In the next few years we must expect a wave of extremists in our prisons," the German state of Hesseʼs Minister of Justice, Eva Kühne-Hörmann (CDU), told the newspaper.
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EU eyes enlargement as JeanClaude Juncker tours Balkans Jean-Claude Juncker is set to visit six western Balkans states hoping to join the EU
With a possible accession date named, the trip is aimed at encouraging progress towards Brusselsʼ mandated reforms. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Sunday kicks off a visit the newest prospective European Union member states. The whirlwind tour through the western Balkan countries of Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina andKosovois intended as an encouraging gesture, as Juncker himself put it. Arecently agreed EU enlargement strategyeven included a timeline for when these states could join the bloc: 2025. But this target date should not be understood as a guarantee that all western Balkan countries will be admitted to the EU in seven yearsʼ time. Instead, Juncker has said the 2025 timline is intended to encourage the governments of the six potential member states to undertake political reforms, uphold the rule of law, fight corruption,ensure press freedom, stimulate their economies and resolve outstanding conflicts with their neighbors. European Commission staff close to Juncker have said new members will only be admitted if sufficient progress that meets concrete targets is made in these areas, but that that the EU is willing to enlarge the bloc and the six states have a realistic chance of joining. Immediately prior to Junckerʼs departure, the EUʼs top enlarge-
ment official, Johannes Hahn, promised in a newspaper interview that formal accession talks with Albania and Macedonia will begin soon. A specific date to start talks would be decided in the summer, he said. So far, formal EU accession negotiations have only been held with Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro, already a NATO member, has made the greatest progress. "Weʼre talking about over 18 million people in six states that still find themselves in a fragile environment," Hahn said at a presentation on the EUʼs latest plans in the Balkans. "For this reason alone itʼs in the interest of the EU to give these states and its peoples an opportunity to join." On his journey through the western Balkans, Juncker will have to address the regionʼs numerous unresolved conflicts, and Kosovo presents perhaps the greatest challenge of them all. After a period of violence,Kosovodeclared itself independent from Serbia in 2008. Not all EU members have recognized Kosovo as an independent state, however, and neither has Serbia. Brussels has made clear that this long-standing conflict must be resolved if Kosovo and Serbia are to join the EU.
Nearly four-inten Germans use online services The shared use of cars, music, accommodation, files and more looks set to increase in Germany, a new survey shows. Germanyʼs share economy market is worth more than €20 billion, according to the survey. Almost 40 percent of Germans used "share economy" services, such as Uber and Airbnb in 2017, according to a survey published on Wednesday by auditing and consulting firm Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC). The study, "Share Economy: The New Business Model," was based on a representative survey of more than 4,500 consumers in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey and Germany. Of these countries, Germany had the largestshare economymarket at more than €20 billion ($24.6 billion) and therefore 2,000 German participants were included in the survey.
US evangelist Billy Graham dies at 99 The Baptist preacher who counseled presidents and spoke about the Bible to hundreds of millions has passed away in his native North Carolina. Conservative politicians paid tribute to Graham online. Evangelist Billy Graham has died at the age of 99, a spokesman confirmed on Wednesday. According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, he preached to more people than anyone else in history during his 70 years on the pulpit.
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47/2018 • 24, February 2018
US Nuclear Posture Review: A bigger bang for the buck?
The United States has put countering China and Russia, dubbed "revisionist powers," at the center of a new national defense strategy. DW takes a look at what that entails. At the height of the Cold War, the United States and the then-Soviet Union possessed around 70,000 nuclear warheads between them — enough to destroy or poison every square centimeter of inhabited land on Earth several times over. Americas US Nuclear Posture Review: A bigger bang for the buck? The United States has put countering China and Russia, dubbed "revisionist powers," at the center of a new national defense strategy. DW takes a look at what that entails. At the height of the Cold War, the United States and the then-Soviet Union possessed around 70,000 nuclear warheads between them — enough to destroy or poison every square centimeter of inhabited land on Earth several times over. Somewhat ironically, the concept of "mutually assured destruction" (MAD), whereby the full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender, was and is a guarantor of peace.
A record 28 French restaurants get Michelin three-star ratings Twenty-eight French restaurants have been honored with the gastronomic sectorʼs most coveted rating. Thatʼs a record number of threestar ratings for any single country in the Michelin Red Guide. A comeback by La Maison des Bois mastermind Marc Veyrat (pictured) and the emergence of Christophe Bacquieʼs Hotel du Castellet as another culinary force in southern France have given the country a record for most restaurants to hold a vaunted foodie guideʼs coveted three-star maximum. Set for official release on Friday, Michelin France has become the most prestigious of the publicationʼs 31 national editions and the domestic culinary bible. Michelin has faced criticism that its stars reward pomp and presentation rather than the food itself and for the guideʼs putting restaurateurs under unbearable scrutiny. The guide has made many a chefʼs name; others say it has nearly broken their wills. Veyrat — a 67-yearold who quit cooking after a skiing accident nine years ago and faced hardship again when La Maison burned down in 2015 — told The Associated Press that he does not mind the stress. 2
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Canadaʼs Justin Trudeau amid talks of ʼsnubʼ Modi met the Canadian premier nearly a week after he arrived on his first state visit
Trudeauʼs trip to India has seen him make multiple costume changes and show off dance moves but has not gone exactly to plan. Modi greeted Trudeau with his signature bear hug on Friday, amid chatter that the Indian authorities were giving a cold shoulder to the visiting North American dignitary. Trudeau has been fending off criticism that his government is not sufficiently critical of Sikh separatists in Canada. The separatists seek to create an independent Sikh homeland in the Sikh-dominated north In-
Finding ancient cities and improving weather forecasts with LiDAR Researchers discovered an old Mayan city with the help of lightwave technology. Christoph Kiemle from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) explains how the method works and how it could be used in self-driving cars. LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging. Itʼs similar to radar, or radiowave detection and ranging, but it works with optical radiation rather than radio waves. It works with light, basically. You can use lasers to send out this light to discover properties of the atmosphere or the Earth surface. We typically send a laser beam down to Earth from an airborne platform. That beam travels through the at-
dian state of Punjab. The meeting took place a day after embarrassed Canadian diplomats had to revoke a party invitation for a man convicted of attempting to kill an Indian minister in Canada. Earlier in the week, Jaspal Atwal, a Canada-based former member of a banned Sikh separatist group, was photographed with Trudeauʼs wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, at a reception in Mumbai. mosphere and can measure particle matter, aerosol in the atmosphere for example. It can detect clouds, it could travel down to the surface when there are no clouds, and it gives us profiles of atmospheric properties. We can detect and derive a lot of information from these measurements that help advance science.
Maldives declares state of emergency, former president arrested The president of the Maldives has ordered his predecessor arrested and called a state of emergency. Soldiers charged into the Supreme Court and arrested two judges after they ordered imprisoned politicians released. Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen called a state of emergency on Monday and ordered soldiers to arrest
Indonesia debates bill criminalizing gay sex and any sex outside of marriage Indonesiaʼs parliament speaker has called for reforms to the criminal code that would outlaw any sex outside of marriage, including gay sex. Critics say the bill would also weaken checks and balances on democracy. Indonesian lawmakers began debating controversial changes to the countryʼs criminal code on Tuesday, which critics warn would violate human rights and undermine the countryʼs democracy. Indonesiaʼs parliament speaker Bambang Soesatyo opened proceedings by urging lawmakers to consider the legislation that would curb "homosexual excesses." Writing in the Indonesian daily Koran Sindo, Soesatyo also said Tuesday that gay lifestyles in the country had spawned "horrifying" excesses, such as murder, HIV/AIDS and pedophilia. "If these people actively promote their lifestyles, it will be very worrying," he said. "We urge the state to take firm action." While homosexuality is not illegal in the worldʼs largest Muslim majority country, it has long been viewed as a bugbear to both Indonesiaʼs Islamic and secular political parties.
his 80-year-old predecessor, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, his estranged half brother, who supported the main political opposition. Yameen is in an escalating legal battle with the South Asian island nationʼs Supreme Court after judges ordered the release of all imprisoned opposition leaders in a surprise ruling last week. He ordered Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another of the Supreme Courtʼs four judges arrested early Tuesday. Yameen called a 15-day state of emergency, deepening a political crisis.The emergency decree grants wide powers for the security forces and police to make arrests, search and seize property and restricts freedom of assembly, officials said.Soldiers forced their way into the Supreme Court building and arrested two of the tribunalʼs four justices.Police used pepper spray to disperse hundreds of protesters who had gathered outside the court.Former President Gayoom was charged with bribery and attempting to overthrow the government, according to his lawyer.
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Turkey considers chemical castration for pedophile child abusers Turkeyʼs justice minister has said authorities want to "reduce or eliminate" the sex drives of convicted child abusers. The idea was immediately rounded upon by rights groups as draconian. The Turkish government said on Tuesday that a new law would be submitted to parliament that would permit judges to order the chemical castration of child abusers. Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said the measure is being considered "to reduce or eliminate" the sex drives of people convicted of sexually assaulting minors, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency. He said the draft law would be presented to lawmakers "within a few days." Turkeyʼs legal system dealt with a more than fourfold increase in child sexual
Germany to compensate Algerian Jewish Holocaust survivors Jews who lived in Algeria during the Vichy regime will receive compensation, said the Claims Conference. Algerian Jews were "one of the last" groups to be recognized by Germany, the organizationʼs vice president told DW. The Claims Conference Hardship Fund on Monday announced that a new group ofJewish Holocaust survivorswill be eligible forcompensation from the Germany government. The group consists of Jews who lived in Algeria between July 1940 and November 1942. Those eligible for compensation will receive a one-time payment of €2,556 ($3,180), which the German government will begin paying out in July. "Even at this late stage, itʼs very important both for the individuals, because it acknowledges what they went through, and in general, because it creates a historical record which will stand the test of time," Eric Schneider, who serves as executive vice president of the Claims Conference, told DW. "The further we get away from the events, I think thereʼs the greater possibility of Holocaust revisionism … When the German government takes responsibility and acknowledges the event, then it makes it a lot harder to refute it.
abuse cases in 2016 compared to a decade earlier, according to justice ministry data cited by rights groups. Courts ruled on 21,189 cases compared to 3,778 in 2006, and more than 60 percent of suspects were convicted. Chemical castration, which involves using anaphrodisiac drugs to reduce libido and sexual performance, does not prevent a person from experiencing sexual urges indefinitely. The drug is administered either by mouth or injection, with a frequency between once a month and once every three months.
Far-right trolls active on social media before German election
Two new studies have revealed how small groups of far-right activists spread hate speech before Germanyʼs election last year. Their highly organized approach and hierarchical structure reportedly amplified the effect. Right-wing internet trollssought to influence Germanyʼs federal electionin September by setting up dozens of fake YouTube, Twitter and Facebook accounts to help them manipulate the online political debate, two studies released on Tuesday revealed. One study, published by several German
public broadcastersand the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, revealed how some 5,000 users on the "Reconquista Germanica" (Germanyʼs recapture) platform planned their social media campaigns. According to the research, the group launched a daily election countdown just three weeks before the vote, which included daily attacks on Chancellor Angela Merkelʼs conservative Christian Democrats/Christian Social Union alliance (CDU/CSU), the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the Left Party.
European markets plunge at opening bell as stock market dip deepens Global markets continue to wobble precariously. European markets took a big hit as Tuesdayʼs trading began, following major losses across Asia and particularly in Japan. Wall Street fared no better on Monday. European markets opened on Tuesday awash with red, with the main benchmark indices all down around 3 percent followingWall Streetʼs Monday rout. Minutes after the bell to signal the start of trading, Germanyʼs DAX index dropped 3 percent to 12,308 points. It was a similar story in France and the UK, whose indices opened 3 and 2.5 percent lower respectively.
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Chinese migration brings social change to Italyʼs Alps Home to the largest concentration of Chinese residents in Europe, two mountain villages have become the unlikely setting of an integration experiment. Giulia Saudelli and Matteo Civillini report from northern Italy. At midday, the fog is so thick one can barely see the mountainside. From the vast space that opens out below, all one can hear are the Chinese workers busily hitting large slabs of stone with their chisels. The quarryʼs owner paces around them, making sure the precious material is handled with care. A few meters away a truck is ready to load the rough-cut stones, which, after a journey down a steep mountain road, will be delivered to the workshops in the tiny villages of Bagnolo Piemonte and Barge. This is the daily routine in the Infernotto Valley, in northern Italy, home to the largest Chinese community in terms of concentration in Europe. Since the early 1990s more than 1,300 of them have settled in this remote area, making up around 10 percent of the total population. The Chinese presence is so strong that Hu has now become the most common surname in Barge. Their arrival initiated what can be described as a 20-yearlong migration experiment, unintentionally providing a testing ground for integration policies in Italy and beyond. What brought them to this unlikely place is the Luserna stone. A pillar of the local economy, the ʼgrey goldʼ — as it is known locally — is a foliated rock featuring sheet-like layers of varying shades of color.
German metalworkers finally secure wage agreement Following weeks of bitter fighting, a wage agreement for the German metal and electrical industries has finally been struck. Employees were able to secure higher wages and more flexible working hours. A wage agreement was reached in the early hours on Tuesday in Germanyʼs metal and electrical industries. The powerful IG Metall union announced the deal initially covering workers in the southern German state of BadenWürttemberg, but expected to be eventually implemented for a total of 3.9 million workers in the sector nationwide. According to the deal, employeesare to receive a pay hike of 4.3 percent from April this year. Additionally, monthly one-off payments of €100 ($124) were agreed for January through March. Employers and trade union representatives also agreed on the possibility of workers reducing their hours from 35 to 28 hours per week for two years, should they need to look after children or care for older relatives. 4
Prominent ivory trade investigator killed in Nairobi home World-renowned ivory investigator Esmond Bradley-Martin has been found dead in his home with a stab wound to the neck. Martin had spent decades tracing the trade of ivory and rhino horns from Africa to Asian markets.
United Kingdom waits to see how the post-Brexit winds will blow The UK is the current world leader in offshore wind capacity. But with the country heading for the EU exit door, can the renewable energy boom last? Lying unpainted on its side, the greenish curve of a 75meter (246 feet) long wind turbine blade bears a passing resemblance to a whale. Itʼs twice the length of a blue whale but at 25 tons, is much lighter than the earthʼs largest creature. For employees at the state-ofthe-art Siemens Gamesa factory in the port city of Hull in northern England, another comparison is more apt. "Four bull elephants, thatʼs how we equate it," said Alison Maxwell, the head of communications at the facility. Siemensʼ £160 million ($223 million/182 million euros) plant has manufactured these great fiberglass beasts for wind farms in Britain since it opened at the end of 2016 in the economically deprived city. And itʼs a good time to be in business.
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Kenyan police said on Monday that ivory trade investigator Esmond Bradley-Martin had been found dead in his home by a family member. The relative had gone to check on Martin at his home in the Nairobi suburb of Langat on Sunday afternoon after he did not respond to phone calls. "He was found dead in his house and had stab wounds," said a police officer. "An investigation has been launched." The head of the United Nationʼs En-
vironment Program, Erik Solheim, said he was shocked by Martinʼs murder and described the late investigator as a "global authority" on ivory and rhino horn trafficking. Martin, an American citizen who had lived in Kenya for decades, was a key figure in the global crackdown on illegal ivory supply chains. Much of his research quantified and analyzed the Asian ivory markets in China, Hong Kong,Vietnam and elsewhere.
Nissan, Dongfeng to invest heavily in e-cars in China
Deutsche Bank to clip investment banking wings
Together with its joint venture on the ground, Japanese automaker Nissan is to make a multi-billiondollar investment in the production of e-cars in China. Beijingʼs e-car quota system goes into effect next year. Japanese carmaker Nissan and its Chinese joint venture partner Dongfeng Motor Company announced Monday they would invest $9.5 billion (€7.6 billion) in China to increase annual sales by 1 million vehicles andboost the production of electric cars. The move came as China was rolling out new regulations to limit gas vehicles in a bid to reduce air pollution across the Asian nation. Authorities in Beijing will implement a complex quota system as of 2019, requiring carmakers to produce a minimum number of electric vehicles. They are also looking at plans to completely ban fossil fuel cars at a date that has yet to be decided.
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Deutsche Bank is cutting at least 250 investment banking jobs in locations including London and the United States as it seeks to keep a lid on expenses amid a sustained slide in its securities unit. Germanyʼs biggest commercial bankwas about to lay off at least 250 employees in its corporate and investment banking division, the news agency Reuters reported Monday. Quoting a person familiar with the matter, Reuters said that the total number of job losses could rise to as many as 500, mainly affecting senior and midlevel investment banking positions. According to Bloomberg News, other people with knowledge of the matter said the bank had trimmed positions in locations including London and the US in the past two weeks. They reportedly included Marc Benton, who oversaw European energy investment banking, and Evans Haji-Touma, who focused on sovereign wealth and public pension funds. The corporate finance unit for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, led by Alasdair Warren, felt some of the cuts, too. The departures also included Andrew Tusa, co-head of UK corporate brokering and Jonathan Gold, a senior financial institutions banker in London, the people said.
47/2018 • 24, February 2018
Would ʼdurabilityʼ labels help people shop greener? But would such schemes actually inspire greener choices?
France has floated the idea of slapping labels on products like electronics to tell consumers how long they will last, and how easily they can be recycled. The increasingly short lifespan of products, particularly electronics, is a double scourge: tothe environment in the form of e-waste, and to the consumer who must constantly replace short-lived items with new ones. Now, a French politician has proposed a new label for products to inform consumers about their durability, traceability, eco-design and recyclability. Brune Poirson, who is Secretary of State to the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition in Emmanuel Macronʼs government, said the labels would "give
the French the means of a more responsible consumption, more favorable to their budget." But analysis shows that consumers are far more interested in the latter than the former. And that may be the fatal flaw in the labels Poirson is envisioning. At a time when many consumers suspect that manufacturers are engaging in "planned obsolescence" — that is, purposefully designing products to break down quickly so consumers will have to buy new ones — the idea is likely to be popular with the public.
Russian accused of running spam network extradited to US Suspected Russian hacker Pyotr Levashov pleaded not guilty before a US judge after being extradited from Spain. Prosecutors claim he ran a massive computer network that sent out spam and installed malicious software. Spanish authorities have extradited to the US a Russian man suspected of carrying out cybercrimes using bulk spam emails and malicious software, US officials announced Friday. Pyotr Levashov, a 37-year-old from St. Petersburg, pleaded not guilty to the charges of wire and email fraud, hacking, identity theft and conspiracy after appearing before a federal judge in the US state of Connecticut. He re-
mains in detention. Levashov was arrested in Aprilwhile vacationing with his family in Barcelona. In October, Spainʼs National Court granted the US extradition request, rejecting a counter-extradition request from Russia. US prosecutors say Levashov ran the sprawling Kelihos botnet — a network involving up to 100,000 infected computers that sent spam emails, harvested usersʼ logins and installed malicious software that intercepted bank account passwords. According to the indictment, the network generated and distributed more than 2,500 spam emails a day and allegedly victimized thousands of people in the US.
German university hospital defends auto firmsʼ nitrogen dioxide test ethics No experiments on animals or humans can take place in Germany without a go from an authorized ethics committee. Dr. Thomas Kraus from Aachen University Hospital says this was the case in the most recent NO2 scandal. The European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) "did not impinge in any way on the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) research it commissioned Aachen University Hospital to do," Professor Thomas Kraus from the hospital told the German press agency DPA on Monday. The EUGT is a now defunct organization that was funded by German carmakers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW plus partsmaker Bosch, thus raising questions of possible conflicts of interest. In 2013, 25 healthy volunteers were exposed to NO2 pollution for three hours, Kraus said.
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Culture
Budapest’s Széchenyi Baths extend opening hours When the weather is so moody, it is so nice to plunge into a hot pool filled with mineral-rich thermal waters and soak away in the soothing atmosphere. While the outdoor pools at Budapest’s splendid Széchenyi Baths are always open until 10pm, from March 1st, the indoor thermal area will also stay open until the same time, welcoming those who would rather enjoy the sight of snow from inside, savouring spa delights after dark. Housed in a stunning NeoBaroque building, the Széchenyi is probably the most popular spa in Budapest, and certainly the largest of its kind in Europe. While the open-air plunging area is most popular, the Széchenyi altogether holds 11 pools within, each filled with mineral-rich healing waters, as well as steam cabins, saunas and showers. From March 1st, bathers can enjoy these convivial facilities until as late as 10pm, while the outdoor area stays open until the same time as usual. Three pools inside are only available to guests with a medical referral, but this still leaves enough room for tranquil relaxation for everyone.
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47/2018 • 24, February 2018
Bruno Labbadia takes over as head coach of Wolfsburg
Bruno Labbadia has been appointed as the new head coach of Wolfsburg. The Bundesliga club made the announcement less than 24 hours after Martin Schmidt threw in the towel. On Tuesday, Wolfsburg announced the appointment of Bruno Labbadia as their third coach this season, as the club seeks to avoid relegation to the second division. "We are pleased to have been able to recruit Bruno Labbadia for VfL (Wolfsburg). Now we all have to look towards the future and work together to fulfill our duties in a calm manner," the clubʼs managing director, Tim Schumacher, said in the statement announcing the appointment.
Formula One to stop using grid girls amid #MeToo movement
Grid girls have long been a staple of Formula One but the sportʼs new owners have decided to end the practice, days after darts did the same with its walk-on girls. The concept has often been labeled as sexist. Formula One will no longer use walk-on grid girls before races this season, after deciding the practice is old-fashioned amid the current debate oversexual harassment. "Over the last year we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport," Sean Bratches, Managing Director of Commercial Operations at Formula One, said in a statement. 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.
Michy Batshuayi slams Europa League racist abuse Borussia Dortmund:
Borussia Dortmund striker Michy Batshuayi has accused Atalanta fans of racial abuse during a Europa League tie in Italy. The Belgian star complained on Twitter that he was subjected to constant "monkey noises." Michy Batshuayi and two other Borussia Dortmund players complained they received racial abuse during their sideʼs Europa League match in Italy on Thursday. After Dortmund progressed to the last-16 with a 4-3 aggregate win over Atalanta, Batshuayi tweeted: "2018 and still racists monkey noises in the stands ... really ?! Hope you have fun watching the rest of Europa League on TV while we are
through." The on-loan striker accused the Atalanta fans of making monkey noises for the duration of the match. His teammates Dan-Axel Zagadou and Alexander Isak were also reportedly the target of abuse. Dortmund captain Marcel Schmelzer said he was not aware of the noises during the match but that he condemned it "in the strongest possible terms," adding that "this doesnʼt belong anywhere."
IOC rejects request to invite 15 cleared Russians to Pyeongchang The IOC has rejected a request to invite 15 Russians, who have had their doping bans overturned, to compete at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The Kremlin has expressed regret at the decision. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday rejected a request to invite the 15 Russians to the Pyeongchang Winter Games just days after theCourt of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had overturned their lifetime doping bans. A statement posted on the IOCʼs website said that the decision came after a special panel had "unanimously recommended that theIOCnot
extend an invitation to the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 to the 15 individuals." "The OAR IG (Olympic Athlete from Russia Implementation Group) confirmed that no additional invitations will be extended to these 15 individuals," it added. The 13 active and two retired athletes were among 28 Russians whose bans were overturned by the Swiss-based CAS on Thursday. The IOC bans on 11 other Russian athletes was upheld. The two retired athletes, who had their requests denied, would have worked as coaches for the "Olympic Athlete from Russia" team at the Pyongchang Games.