DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Tunisia hit by third night of violent protests Tunisians have taken to the streets of several cities including the capital in a third night of violent protests. The government has vowed to crack down. More than 300 people were arrested and nearly 50 police officers wounded overnight on Wednesday in continued unrest in Tunisia over price hikes and austerity measures, the interior ministry said. In the town of Thala, located near the border with Algeria, protestors torched the regionʼs national security headquarters, prompting police forces to retreat and authorities to deploy soldiers. Peaceful demonstrations erupted last week, but turned violent on Monday and Tuesday as they spread to more than 20 towns including in the suburbs of the capital, Tunis. Fresh clashes were reported across several towns for a third night on Wednesday. Anger has boiled over since the beginning of the year due to a hike in value added tax and social security contributions as part of austerity demanded by international creditors.
YouTube strips back partnership with Logan Paul Youtube has cut projects and lowered the advertising profile of video blogger Logan Paul, after he posted a video of a suicide victim in Japan. Paul apologized last week, calling the videoʼs publication a "huge mistake." YouTube on Wednesday said it would remove American video blogger Logan Paul from its Google Preferred platform and put future projects involving him on hold, after Pauluploaded a video of a suicide victimat a known suicide site in Japan to the platform. "In light of recent events, we have decided to remove Logan Paulʼs channels from Google Preferred. Additionally, we will not feature Logan in season 4 of ʼFoursomeʼ and his new Originals are on hold," YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., said in a statement. In an open letter on Tuesday, YouTube had said Paulʼs video violated its guidelines and it was "looking at further consequences."
10/2018 • 12, JANUARY 2018
Europeans look to EU for protection from globalization Terrorism and migration ranked as the main concerns on Europeansʼ minds
Belgian government embroiled in deportation scandal Belgian immigration minister Theo Francken is under fire for his repatriation of vulnerable migrants to Sudan. Critics are calling on him to resign. Now the government coalition is at risk of collapse over the scandal. It is not often that the trigger for a government crisis is as obvious as it has been in Belgium in recent weeks. The story begins in Brusselsʼ Parc Maximilien, where migrants have been camping out since 2015. At any given time there are usually a few hundred people waiting there in limbo until their paperwork has been processed, or taking a break on their journey to Great Britain. For many Belgians,Parc Maximilien is a symbol of the Belgian stateʼs failureto get a grip on the refugee crisis. The current debate may develop into real government crisis and even cost Charles Michelʼs job as prime minister.
US House passes bill renewing surveillance powers While nearly half of Europeans regard globalization as a threat, the majority also see the EU as part of the answer, according to a new study. Despite personally having good experiences with globalization, itʼs regarded as a threat by 44 percent of Europeans — especially those on the far-right of the political spectrum, according to a study released Thursday by the Bertelsmann Stiftung. Some 66 percent of the 10,755 people polled in July, however, also said their access to affordable goods and services has been "quite good" or better. Support for globalization and international integration, however, split according to party lines. Right-wing and rightwing populist parties "reject any type of political and economic opening up towards both globalization and the EU,"the study found. "Many supporters of left-wing parties see globalization as a threat but still support the further development of the EU. In contrast the right see Europe as the problem rather than part of the solution. For this reason
throughout Europe they consistently reject stronger integration," Isabel Hoffmann, one of the studyʼs coauthors, said in a statement. In Germany, 63 percent of the far-right Alternative for Germany(AfD) members polled said they feared globalization while 73 percent of German Green supporters regarded it as an opportunity. Among Chancellor Angela Merkelʼs conservative Christian Democrats, 71 percent viewed globalization as an opportunity. Coping with the political split will require frank discussions and strong political leadership, according to Aart De Geus, the Bertelsmann Stiftungʼs chairman and CEO. "Those voices that promise a future confrontation between nations instead of international togetherness have to be countered with persuasion, facts and open discussions," he said. "To do that, strong political leadership is also required."
The bill passed with a comfortable majority though representatives from both parties voted against it. President Trump sowed confusion prior to the vote, which is expected to pass the Senate before expiring next week. The US House of Representatives, today, passed a bill to renew sweeping surveillance powers for the governmentʼs intelligence agencies. The vote on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which must be renewed every five years and is set to expire on January 19, passed by a 256 to 164 margin. Notably, 45 Republicans voted against it.
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10/2018 • 12, January 2018
Westjet, Sunwing planes collide on the ground at Toronto airport A Westjet plane arriving from Cancun was hit by a Sunwing aircraft at Toronto airport, prompting the Westjet passengers to evacuate via emergency slides. The other plane was reportedly empty. Two planes collided after landing at Toronto Pearson Airport, starting a small fire and forcing all 168 passengers on one of the planes to leave via the emergency slides. No passengers or crew members were injured, but one member of the emergency services was treated in hospital, officials said late on Friday. The Boeing 737, operated by Westjet, had landed from Cancun, Mexico, and was waiting to approach the gate, when it was "struck" by a Sunwing plane, Westjet said. No crew or passengers were aboard the Sunwing aircraft, as it was hauled away from the terminal by ground crew.
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
British PM Theresa May struggles on amid Brexit uncertainty Although weakened by an inconclusive election result, Theresa May has so far defied her critics
Despite plunging approval ratings and calls from prominent quarters for a second EU referendum, Theresa May appears to be safe in her job for the time being. It may be hard to fathom these days, but there was a time when Theresa May appeared invincible. In the aftermath of Brexit, the MP for Maidenhead and long-time home secretary became prime minister and purged her former cabinet colleagues. She had the backing of Britainʼs powerful right-wing press, and her personal approval ratings were higher than those of former Prime Ministers Tony Blair
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
and Margaret Thatcher at their peak. That all changed during the snap election on June 8, 2017. During the campaign, May came across as awkward and robotic, undermining the strategy to put her personality front and center. Jeremy Corbynʼs Labour Party surged and Mayʼs Conservatives were left with a hung parliament and a greatly diminished mandate for Brexit. 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.
10/2018 • 12, January 2018
Israelʼs Netanyahu urges end to UN Palestinian refugee agency Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuʼs move comes a few days after President Trump threatened to cut off US aid to Palestinians. Experts warn that closing the agency could increase poverty and fuel violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for the closure of a United Nations agency that aids Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza — a move that critics say would lead to a humanitarian crisis. Netanyahuʼs push on Sunday comes just days after US President DonaldTrump threatened to cut off aid to the Palestinians. The Israeli government has long looked at the agency, known as UNRWA, with a jaundiced eye, seeing the agency as biased against Israel. Israel also objects to the agencyʼs method of classifying refugees, with descendants also eligible to register. "UNRWA is an organi-
zation that perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem," Netanyahu said at the start of the governmentʼs weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday. "It also perpetuates the right of return narrative in order to eliminate the state of Israel," he added. "Therefore UNRWA must become a thing of the past." The prime minister said millions of refugees around the world are aided by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), but Netanyahu slammed UNRWA as an exclusive aid agency for the Palestinians that also treats "greatgrandchildren of refugees — who arenʼt refugees." Netanyahu added, "This absurd situation must be ended."
How #MeToo affects the Golden Globes
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange given Ecuadorian citizenship
With sexual harassment cases in the backdrop, the Golden Globes are set to launch Hollywoodʼs annual awards season. A black-dress protest will be held — but "men in black" are accused of slacktivism. Hollywoodʼs biggest pre-Oscars prize-giving ceremony takes place on January 7. It is the first major award ceremony since the start of the #MeToo movement and showcases an industry which, after operating for decades under the motto "sex sells," is having to reinvent itself. Organized by the 90-member Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), a total of 25 prizes are up for grabs on Sunday — 14 in film and 11 in television — at the Golden Globes awards ceremony. But the mood in Los Angeles in the wake of widespread sexual harassment claims is rather heavy. As was the case two years ago with the #Oscarssowhite campaign, social media was a driving force in this new reality check for Hollywood. Even before the launch of Hollywoodʼs annual awards season, the fallout of the scandal has already managed to change the face of the industry in various ways — and appears to be set to do so for the foreseeable future.
Ecuador has granted citizenship to Julian Assange, who has been holed up inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London for over five years. Quito has said naturalization should provide Assange with another layer of protection. Ecuador on Thursday announced it had grantedWikiLeaks founder Julian Assangecitizenship in what appeared to have been an unsuccessful move to usher him out of their London embassy without the risk of arrest. "The
Ecuadoran government is empowered to grant nationality to the protected person and thus facilitate... his inclusion in the host state," Ecuador Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa told reporters on Thursday, adding that Assange had become a citizen on December 12. A day earlier, Assange alluded to the citizenship announcement by posting a photograph on Twitter of him wearing an Ecuadorian football jersey.
Authorities take precautions as rivers across Germany continue to flood Snowmelt in the Alps and volatile weather patterns have caused rivers across Germany to burst their banks. Europeʼs most important shipping routes have been closed off to traffic, with some areas facing evacuation. Days of heavy rain and melting snow have caused water levels of the Rhine, Moselle and Danube rivers in Germany to rise, with authorities warning flooding is likely to continue through the weekend. The Rhine in the countryʼs southwest has witnessed a particular surge in recent days after the Eleanor weather pattern brought rainstorms to the entire continent.
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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 Berlinbased 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 secondhand 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.
US December job creation disappoints The US has added fewer jobs lately than expected by labor market experts, fresh government figures have shown. The overall unemployment rate held steady at a 17-year low in the worldʼs largest economy. The US economyʼs job creation ability decreased in December 2017 despite solid hiring in the manufacturing and construction sectors, government data showed Friday. While theunemployment rate remained unchanged at a 17-year low of 4.1 percent, employers across the nation added just 148,000 jobs in the final month of last year. The figure was far below expectations of 200,000 new positions and even below the sluggish 155,000 jobs reported in December 2016. Economists had been more optimistic especially after payroll services firm ADP said Thursday that private hiring experienced a boost in the final four weeks of December 2017. 4
Easyjet takes off from Berlin Tegel as it joins crowded German market The low-cost airline has launched its first domestic flights in Germany from its new base at Berlinʼs Tegel Airport. The British carrier has added 19 new routes and joins an already crowded domestic market in Germany. Low-cost carrier Easyjet commenced its new domestic German service shortly after 10.30 CET on Friday morning from Berlinʼs Tegel airport, as it seeks to capitalize on Air Berlinʼs demise. Easyjet will add 19 destinations to its schedules from Tegel, with four of those within Germany — Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich and Düsseldorf — and said it aims to fly 40 times a week between Tegel and Düsseldorf. The airlineʼs increased focus on the German market comes after theAir Berlin dealand puts Easyjet in
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 Jochen 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.
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direct competition with Lufthansa and its subsidiary Eurowings, which have been criticized in recent months for inflating its fares amid claims of antitrust. During the period of Air Berlinʼs insolvency, the price of some domestic fares have risen by 30 percent. Easyjet currently has 12 planes stationed at Tegel but plans to increase that figure to 25 within the next six months with aircraft purchased from Air Berlin, making it Easyjetʼs second largest base after London Gatwick, where the company has 37 aircraft.
Toyota and Mazda to build plant in Alabama
Alabama has entered the fast lane in its bid to become a major automaking hub, securing a coveted joint venture plant of Toyota and Mazda. The Japanese manufacturers said it would eventually employ thousands. Japanese carmakers Toyota and Mazda announced their plan to build a new $1.6-billion (€1.34-billion) plant in the southern US state of Alabama. They said the factory would be in the city of Huntsvilleand was expected to be operational in 2021. The plant would produce about 300,000 vehicles per year and would eventually create up to 4,000 jobs, the two companies noted at a press conference with Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. "The partnership between Mazda and Toyota will expand innovative automotive manufacturing in Alabama," Ivey said. "Their decision to locate this new facility in Huntsville is a testament to the talented workforce in our state." Toyota already has a foothold in northern Alabama. It opened a car and truck engine plant there in 2003. Its new joint venture with Mazda shows the southern US states are increasingly competing with the traditional auto heartland of Detroit.
10/2018 • 12, January 2018
Think Donald Trumpʼs physical will offer insight into his health? Think again
President Donald Trump is undergoing his first known physical since taking office last January. But if you hope the exam will shed light on his true state of mental and physical health youʼre bound to be disappointed. Because he chooses to. There is no legal requirement for Trump or any other US president to undergo a physical examination by a medical doctor while in office. Having said that, Trump, in this case, is in keeping with prior precedent, as all presidents since Ronald Reagan have scheduled physicals while in office and released the results to the public. Still, the decision to schedule a physical for this coming
Friday was ultimately up to Trump. What was interesting about the public announcement of the exam by the White House was its timing. It came one day after Trumpʼs speech onrecognizing Jerusalem as Israelʼs capitalin early December. During his remarks Trump appeared to slur his words, promptingquestions about the health statusof the oldest man elected president.
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 selfimage 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.
Worldʼs coolest coffee event is back!
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."
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Germany must allow third gender
Location: Ottakringer Brauerei, Ottakringer Platz 1, 1160 / Wien / Austria, Date: 12-14, January, 2018 The festival will feature the best coffee specialities, gourmet food, tastings and demonstrations from world class baristas, interactive coffee workshops, the SCAE Austria Barista Championship, craftmanship, coffee based cocktails, live music, DJs and much more! http://www.viennacoffeefestival.cc/
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Culture
New Hungarian film Aurora Borealis now screens in Budapest Becoming a mother is a miraculous time in a woman’s life. However, there are certain scenarios when the arrival of a newcomer is not entirely wonderful news. The new motion picture by eminent Hungarian director Márta Mészáros, Aurora Borealis, tells a touching tale, taking viewers back in time in Hungary and leaving them reaching for the Kleenex. The story has two timelines. One transports viewers back to a western Hungarian village in 1953, where a descendant of an aristocratic family, Ákos, falls for a village girl, Mari. They try to escape to Austria together, but unfortunately with no success, and after being harassed by soldiers, Mari has to start a new life alone and pregnant in occupied Vienna. The other storyline is in the present, unfolding the events through the recollections of old Mari, now a pensioner living in her old village. One day she gets a letter from Russia and falls into a coma. Her daughter Olga, a lawyer living alone in Vienna, comes back to care for her. Suspecting something about her mother’s past isn’t quite right, she starts investigating. This is only a fraction of the story, as anything else would be a major spoiler. However, even the trailer foretells that Olga’s dad might not be who she thinks after all.
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10/2018 • 12, January 2018
Dakar Rally: Toyotaʼs AlAttiyah takes first stage
Qatarʼs Nasser Al-Attiyah has won the first stage of the Dakar Rally in the Peruvian town of Pisco. Nine-time rally world champion Sebastian Loeb of France endured a torrid opening day, finishing in 29th place. The opening round of the Dakar Rally saw defending champions Peugeot left stunned, as two-time winner Nasser Al-Attiyah of Toyota swept across the short 31-kilometer (19-mile) stretch of desert between Lima and Pisco in just 21 minutes and 51 seconds. The Qatari finished 25 seconds more quickly than his Toyota teammate, Bernhard ten Brinke of the Netherlands, and with 34 seconds in hand over Peruʼs Nicolas Fuchs, driving for Borgward.
Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery still facing uncertain futures at Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich enter the new Bundesliga year in a familiar position of dominance. Despite a commanding lead, thereʼs a degree of uncertainty at the club thatʼs characterized by the futures of two of their best players. An 11 point lead in the Bundesliga, a German Cup draw against third-division Paderborn, a new backup striker and a Champions League tie against outsiders Besiktas; everything appears pretty rosy for Bayern ahead of their trip to face Bayer Leverkusen on Friday. 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.
Angelique Kerber handed all German opener Australian Open 2018:
Angelique Kerber is the hot favourite to progress after being handed a straightforward tie against a compatriot at the Australian Open. The draw itself was controversial, after Maria Sharapova was chosen to host. Angelique Kerber will face fellow German player Anna-Lena Friedsam in the first round of the Australian Open. The former world number one, andwinner of the 2016 tournament,will fancy her chances of victory when the pair meet on Monday. World number 45 Friedsam reached the fourth round of the competition two years ago. The highest-seeded German in the menʼs draw Alexander Zverev (4) takes on
Italyʼs Thomas Fabbiano in his opening tie. The twenty-year old could meet his brother, Mischa, in the third round. The siblings have never squared-off before. Menʼs number one Rafael Nadal was handed a comfortable opener against thirty-seven year old Dominican Victor Estrella Burgos. It would be a huge upset if the world number 81 were to defeat Nadal, who lost in thefinal last year.
Philippe Coutinhoʼs Barcelona move poses familiar questions for Jürgen Klopp Liverpool may have received an enormous fee, but Philippe Coutinhoʼs exit leaves a huge hole in their squad. Jürgen Kloppʼs time at Borussia Dortmund offers a few hints at how he might cope without the Brazilian. Jürgen Klopp has been here before. In the moments followingPhilippe Coutinhoʼs protracted €160-million ($192 million) move to Barcelona, he admitted that even a club as storied as Liverpool could not compete with the
lure of one of world footballʼs biggest beasts. "It is his [Coutinhoʼs] dream and I am now convinced there is nothing left at our disposal to change his mind," the German coach said in a statement posted on Liverpoolʼs website. Many in England have been startled by such a frank acceptance of the situation. But Kloppʼs time in charge of Borussia Dortmund has prepared him well for the realities of running a club who sit on the level just below the very top of the food chain.