title

DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Hirohito wartime memoir sells for $275,000 A memoir by Japan’s World War II Emperor Hirohito fetched $275,000 at auction – more than double the expected price. The monologue is thought to have been designed to exhonerate Hirohito of blame for the slide into war. The 173-page memoir was bought by a Japanese surgeon well-known for his right-wing views, who said he wished to restore it to the countryʼs royal family. "It should have been in Japan, but it ended up overseas," Dr. Katsuya Takasu told The Associated Press in Tokyo. "So it feels like itʼs finally coming back."

The memoir sold at the Bonhams auction house in Manhattan for $275,000 (231,000 euros). Plastic surgeon Takasu, has been criticized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights group, for using social media to praise Adolf Hitler and deny both the Holocaust and the 1937 Nanjing massacre.

Poland: Ex-military intel chief detained on charges of collaborating with Russia General Piotr Pytel has been accused of illegally striking a deal with Russian security services for the passage of Polish NATO troops back home from Afghanistan. Polandʼs opposition has decried the move as political.

Polish military police on Wednesday detained a former military counterintelligence chief on charges of illegally collaborating withRussiaʼs FSB security services. The case relates back to a agreement struck by Poland andNATO with Russian military intelligencein 2010, which allowed for the safe passage of Polish troops back home from Afghanistan through Russia. General Piotr Pytel was accused by Polish authorities earlier this year, along with his predecessor Janusz Nosek, of overstepping his duties by signing the cooperation pact with Russia.

287/2017 • 8, DECEMBER 2017

North Korea says war with United States is ʼinevitableʼ North Koreaʼs Foreign Ministry condemned drills by the South Korean and US militaries

Pyongyang has said that the outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula was now a matter of "when," rather than "if."

North Korea lashed out again on Wednesday at large-scale military exercises - involving its southern neighbor and the United States - this time saying that war was "unavoidable." The comments were attributed to an unnamed North Korea Foreign Ministry spokesman, who said "bellicose comments" from high-ranked US officials, including CIA Director Mike Pompeo, had confirmed Washingtonʼs intent for war. Pompeo had said on Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was unaware of how tenuous his situation was both domestically and internationally. The North Korean spokesman accused Pompeo of directly provoking the country by "impudently criticizing our supreme leadership that is the heart of our people." "The remaining question now is: when will the war break out," the official said. "We do not wish for a war but shall not hide from it, and should the US miscalculate our patience and light the fuse for a nuclear war, we will surely make the US dearly pay the consequences with our mighty nuclear force which we have consis-

tently strengthened." The comments came hours after the US flew a B-1B supersonic bomber over South Korea as part of a combined aerial exercise. "Through the drill, the South Korean and US air forces displayed the alliesʼ strong intent and ability to punish North Korea when threatened by nuclear weapons and missiles," the South Korean military said in a statement. Last weekend, White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster said the possibility of war with North Korea was "increasing every day." North Koreaʼs Kim and US President Donald Trump have traded insults, engaging in heated rhetoric, several times in recent months. Meanwhile, a Chinese daily newspaper in a province bordering North Korea on Wednesday published a list of tips for how readers should best protect themselves in the event of a nuclear attack in North Korea. The tensions come as United Nations political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman makes a rare visit to North Korea this week, making him the highest-level UN official to visit the isolated country since 2012.

Salvator Mundi: Da Vinci painting that sold for $450 million headed to Louvre Abu Dhabi A painting of Christ by da Vinci sold at auction for $450 million is headed to the newly opened Louvre Abu Dhabi, the museum has said. A US newspaper reported it has found the mystery buyer of the "Salvator Mundi." The Louvre Abu Dhabi announced via Twitter in English, French and Arabic on Wednesday that the famed Da Vinci painting "is coming to" the gallery. Christieʼs auction house, which sold the painting ina record-shattering auction that stunned the art worldin November, responded by congratulating the Louvre Abu Dhabi, tweeting that the work of art was going to "its new home." It was unclear if the painting was going to the Louvre Abu Dhabi on loan or if the museum purchased it outright or with other buyers. The museum did not immediately respond to DWʼs request for comment.

Australian parliament passes same-sex marriage bill After a multi-million-dollar postal survey and lengthy debate, Australia’s parliament has voted 146 to 4 in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. The first weddings could take place early next year. In the Canberra parliamentʼs final session of the year on Thursday, lawmakers engaged in a lengthy debate as several amendments put forward by opponents of the bill to legalize samesex marriage were voted down. The Australian parliament voted 146 to 4 in support of same-sex marriage.

weather today BUDAPEST

0 / 8 °C Precipitation: 0 mm

287/2017 • 8, December 2017

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

Under pressure over corruption, Israelʼs Netanyahu calls for change to police bill Critics charge the bill was designed to protect him from corruption investigations

Netanyahu has called for the controversial bill to be redrafted so that it doesnʼt to apply to two corruption probes against him.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for changes to a controversial draft bill critics say is designed to shield him from ongoing corruption investigations. The apparent reversal came aftertens of thousands of people protested in Tel Aviv on Saturdaydenouncing corruption and demanding the prime minister step down.

The draft legislation would block Israelʼs police from publishing findings and limit its ability to issue rec-

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

ommendations to the prosecutorʼs office on indictments related to public officials. Recommendations would only be sent if the prosecutorʼs office asked for them. The prime minister is suspected of corruption and abuse of office in two investigations, which have raised speculation he may be forced to step down if there is an indictment. Netanyahu wrote on Facebook that he asked lawmakers from his rightwing Likud Party to redraft the bill.

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.

287/2017 • 8, December 2017

Venezuelaʼs Nicolas Maduro announces ʼpetroʼ cryptocurrency pegged to oil and gold The Venezuelan president has announced plans to create a cryptocurrency backed by oil, gas, gold and diamond reserves. He said the "petro" will help combat the USʼ "blockade" against the oil-rich country.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced that his government will launch a cryptocurrency in a bid tocombat a "blockade" from the US. "This is going to allow us to move toward new forms of international financing for the countryʼs economic and social development," Maduro said in his regular Sunday televised broadcast. The president said a team of 50 people specializing in technology, economics, finance and monetary policy will be established to determine how move forward on the

US and Poland strike $10.5 billion missile defense deal The US has approved the $10.5 billion sale of a Patriot anti-missile system to NATO ally Poland. Eastern European NATO states have been ramping up their military capabilities in the face of perceived Russian aggression.

In a move likely to irk Russia, the US and Poland agreed on Friday a major arms deal that could see the eastern European NATO member soon begin conducting air and missile defense operations. As part of the $10.5 billion (€8.9 billion) sale, Poland is expected to receive 208 Patriot Advanced Capabilty-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement missiles, 16 M903 launching stations, four AN/MPQ-65 radars, four control stations, spares, software and associated equipment. Made by US defense contractor Raytheon, the missiles are reportedly designed to detect, track and engage unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles and shortrange or tactical ballistic missiles. In a statement issued following the sale, the State Department said that: "A secure Europe capable of deterring air and missile threats and other forms of aggression promotes peace and stability within NATO and on the European continent."

cryptocurrency, which he said will be called "petro."

According to Maduroʼs announcement, theblockchain technologybehind Venezuelaʼs cryptocurrency will receive institutional, political and legal legitimacy from the Ministry of University Education, Science and Technology. However, the cryptocurrency will be "backed by wealth reserves of Venezuelan gold, oil, gas and diamonds." Opposition leaders have derided the announcement, which they said needed congressional approval.

Turkeyʼs Recep Tayyip Erdogan in historic Greece visit

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become the first sitting Turkish president to visit Greece in 65 years. Could the EUTurkey refugee deal be a sticking point during his landmark trip to Athens? Recep Tayyip Erdoganʼs visit to Greece is being greeted with understandable fanfare. Erdogan traveled to the country in 2010, when he was prime minister, but his trip on Thursday is the first by a Turkish head of state since 1952. When it comes to the mood on the ground, however, expectations are much more reserved, according to Konstantinos

Filis, research director of the Athensbased Institute of International Relations. "Economicand security issues will be the focus of the visit. Controversial topics will be ignored," the he told DW. One such contentious issue is the status of Cyprus. UN-led talks on the reunification of the islandbroke down in July. Greek and Turkish Cypriots blame each other for their collapse. A revival of negotiations is nowhere in sight, especially in light ofnext yearʼs presidential electionin the Republic of Cyprus.

Austrian full-face veil ban comes into effect Austriaʼs prohibition of full-face coverings has officially come into force. The government said the ban helps uphold Austrian values and promotes integration despite criticism from Muslim and refugee groups. People in Austria are now banned from covering their faces in public.

3

287/2017 • 8, December 2017 Can the ad industry become sustainable?

A look at an entrepreneur who wants to revolutionize the ad industry. Andrea Henao is a former advertising executive who left the corporate world to found her own business — a boutique ad agency that vets its clients. ndrea Henao wants to change the ad industry. Two years ago, the Berlin-based French entrepreneur founded an ad agency that only works with sustainable brands. I met Henao in her offices, not too far from the Berlin’s notorious Alexanderplatz. The premises are decorated with second-hand furniture that she bought online, and art pieces collected and made with friends and colleagues. While showing me around, she shared the stories about the furniture and art. Henao understands the importance of stories. And she knows just how brands come up with stories that appeal to customers with certain values.

With rising consumer awareness about environmental issues and labor practices, brands increasingly emphasize ecological footprint and employee working conditions. Unfortunately, ad campaigns do not always tell the truth — they exaggerate, embellish and lie.

And this is something Henau wants to change. "We really believe that we are responsible for the ad that we promote, hence we promote exclusively sustainable brands," she tells me. The ad industry has yet to play a significant role in ensuring brands tell the truth.The onus to reveal false claims has generally fallen on activists, consumer groups and the media. But Henao believes advertisers can play a bigger role.

China sales behind German carmakersʼ rosy third quarter Strong vehicle sales in the wordʼs most important car market have been essential in enabling German carmakers to end their third quarters on a positive note. Their dependence on China is expected to increase further.

Germanyʼs top carmakers would not have been able to present positive third-quarter results without a booming auto market in China, a study by consultancy EY showed Tuesday.

It said China had long become the most important market for Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler, with one in three of their cars sold in the third quarter having gone to the Asian nation. To be more precise, the Chinese market accounted for 34 percent of Germanyʼs overall car sales between July and September, the highest ever rate logged so far.

Back in 2010, only 23 percent of Germanyʼs quarterly car sales ended up in China.

4

Google spat with Amazon heats up In the online corporate jungle, the beasts donʼt come much bigger than Amazon and Google. Their latest feud is related to how they promote the other’s wares but industry experts predict that bigger battles lie ahead.

Internet giants Amazon and Google have come to blows over the way in which they promote and acknowledge each other on their own platforms.

Given the Silicon Valley rivalsʼ status as two of the biggest companies in the world by market capitalization, its little surprise that they already compete intensely across several areas,from online search to the sale of voicecontrolled products. On Tuesday, Google, which is owned by the conglomerate Alphabet Inc, announced it

Germany bans sale of childsnooping smartwatches A German regulator has banned the sale of childrenʼs smartwatches that have one-way monitoring functions.

Officials said parents had been using the watches to listen in on teachers while their children were in class.

Certain smartwatches for children can no longer be sold in Germany as some of these models are equipped with a "wiretapping" function, a regulator said on Friday Germanyʼs Federal Network Agency, orBundesnetzagentur, announced the ban saying that these watches can be classed as "unauthorized transmitters."

"According to our investigations, parents were using the watches, for example, to listen in on teachers during class," said Bundesnetzagentur President Homann.

Germany Germany bans sale of child-snooping smartwatches A German regulator has banned the sale of childrenʼs smartwatches that have one-way monitoring functions. Officials said parents had been using the watches to listen in on teachers while their children were in class.

Hotel Parlament H-Budapest 1054, Kálmán Imre utca 19.

T.: +36 1 374 6000 reservation@parlament-hotel.hu www.parlament-hotel.hu

Norwegian wealth fund plans to divest of oil and gas Norwayʼs trillion-dollar sovereign wealth fund is proposing to drop oil and gas companies from its holdings, saying it already has enough exposure to the industry and wants to protect against fluctuating oil prices.

Oslo is set to decide in the fall of 2018 on backing a proposal from the countryʼs sovereign wealth fund —the worldʼs biggest— to cut oil and gas companies from its benchmark index.

In a letter to the government, the Norwegian central bank, which manages the fund, said on Thursday that the move would make Norway "less vulnerable to a lasting decline in oil prices."

"This advice is based exclusively on financial arguments and analyses of the governmentʼs total oil and gas exposure," the bankʼs deputy governor Egil Matsen said in a statement. "It does not reflect any particular view of future movements in oil and gas prices or the profitability or sustainability of the oil and gas sector," he added.

Published by: Mega Media Kft. 1075 Budapest, Madách I. út 13-14. +36 1 398 0344 www.hotelujsag.hu

would block its video platform YouTube from being used as an app on two different Amazon devices. In a statement, it cited the fact that Amazon does not sell Google hardware on its various platforms. "Amazon doesnʼt carry Google products like Chromecast and Google Home, doesnʼt make Prime Video [an Amazon service] available for Google Cast users, and last month stopped selling some of Nestʼs [a sister company of Google] latest products," said Google.

Czech billionaire Andrej Babis named new prime minister

Czech President Milos Zeman has appointed the populist mogul Andrej Babis as the countryʼs new prime minister. While Babis emerged as the clear victor of the recent election, his political future is far from certain.

The 63-year-old Andrej Babis was officially tasked with naming the new Czech cabinet on Wednesday, with President Milos Zeman designating him prime minister in the Prague Castle ceremony. "Our country should be more active towards solving illegal immigration," Babis said after accepting his appointment. Babisʼ ANO movement won 78 seats in the October vote, putting it far above any other of the eight remaining parliamentary parties in the state. Even so, ANO remains well short of a majority in the 200-seat chamber. The populist Babis has so far failed to ensure the support of any of the other factions. Babis is among the richest people in the central European state, controlling over 250 companies, including several newspapers and the most popular radio station in the Czech Republic. During the campaign, he pledged to fight corruption and illegal immigration, while also voicing skepticism on adopting the euro as a currency in the 10.6-million nation.

287/2017 • 8, December 2017

If it has a bill like a duck and walks like an ostrich — itʼs a dinosaur Paleontologists have said it roamed the earth some 75 million years ago in present-day Mongolia

This mashup of a creature was indisputably a carnivore with croclike teeth and razor-sharp claws.

Scientists have uncovered a bizarre new dinosaur fossil they say looks like it was part duck, part crocodile part ostrich and part swan. They said it walked like an ostrich but had flippers that allowed it to swim like a penguin. In addition, it had a duck-like bill but with razor sharp teeth and the claws of a carnivore.

It wasnʼt big, only about 18 inches (45 centimeters) tall, but scientists

believe it roamed the earth 75 million years ago in what is now Mongolia. Its complete, curled-up, skeleton was discovered in a sandstone rock. "Itʼs such a peculiar animal," said Dennis Voeten, a paleontology researcher at Palacky University in the Czech Republic. "It combines different parts we knew from other groups into this one small animal."

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."

Weather

Germany must allow third gender in registry of births, court rules 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.

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.

Sat

1/5

Sun

Mon

2/3

0/5

Hungary Budapest: Debrecen: Eger: Hévíz:

1/8 2/6 3/9 3/8

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

5/9 2/4 4/7 2/9 3/10 5/7

Kecskemét: Keszthely: Miskolc:

2/7 1/9 2/8

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

-4/2 4/8 2/8 4/10 2/3 3/7

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.

5

287/2017 • 8, December 2017

Case of wrestler throwing bout sparks anger in Iran

Tehranʼs ban on any contact with Israel has led to another case of an Iranian athlete being ordered to lose during an international competition. This policy is coming under growing criticism in Iran. "Ali Resa lose!, Ali Resa you must lose!" echoed through the venue in Bydgoszcz, Poland in the final moments of one of the semifinals at the U23 wrestling World Championships. This unbelievable but effective order from the Iranian coach to his athlete, Ali Resa Karimi (pictured above, right), can be clearly heard in a video recording of the semifinal.

The Iranian had a 3-2 lead over his opponent, Russiaʼs Alikhan Zhabrailov, with just moments to go in the bout. However, Karimi followed the orders of his coach, who was positioned at the edge of the mat, and demonstrably ceased to put up any resistance.

A victory for the IOC as Thomas

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.

Tiger Woods shows no ill effects in return to competitive golf He carded a three-under-par 69 and was extremely happy with his display

Tiger Woods has made his comeback from 10 months out at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Golf great Tiger Woods played his first round of competitive golf since February on Thursday and it was like he had never been away. The 14-times major champion, who also missed the whole 2015-16 season because of injury, had back surgery in April and then suffered a recurrence of much publicized personal problems. The 41-year-old pleaded guilty toreckless drivinghaving being found asleep in his car by the side of the road in May. He had five drugs in his system and has since had treatment to help him deal with his medications. He looked to be

very muchon the way to recovery as he hit five birdies as part of his three-under-par opening round in the invitational Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. He is just three shots off the leader. "I thought I did great," Woods said. "I hadnʼt played in a while after some difficulities, so to come out here and score like I did was nice. It was fun to be out there and be part of a scorecard again." Woods has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open and his career has gone downhill since amid injury and tales of marital infidelity.

Bach stands up to Russia

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has finally flexed its muscles by banning Russia from the Winter Olympics. Itʼs a victory for its president but work remains to rid sport of drugs, writes DWʼs Michael Da Silva. Almost a year and a half after the McLaren report revealed the depth and breadth of state-sponsored Russian doping, it was still not a foregone conclusion that the International Olympic Committee would make the correct call.

6

Vladimir Putin: ʼRussia will not boycott Winter Olympic Gamesʼ President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will not prevent athletes from competing at the 2018 Winter Games under the Olympic flag. The statement came a day after the IOC banned the country over a doping scandal.

Just hours after aKremlin spokesman said Moscow would take some time to consider its responseto the International Olympic Committeeʼs (IOC) decision to ban Russia from the Olympic

Games, President Vladimir Putin (pictured above) confirmed that his countryʼs athletes would be free to compete.

"We will certainly not declare any boycott, we will not prevent our Olympians from competing, if they want to take part in a personal capacity," Russian news agencies quoted him as saying during a speech at an automobile plant in Nizhny Novgorod, where he also announced he would run for a fourth term in the 2018 presidential election.