DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Robert De Niro says ʼF*** Trumpʼ twice on live TV Award-winning actor De Niro denounced US President Donald Trump with expletives during the live television broadcast of the Tony Awards Sunday evening. The speech won him a standing ovation. Iʼm gonna say one thing. F*** Trump," actor Robert De Niro said as he took the stage at New Yorkʼs Radio City Music Hall on Sunday night. His task was to introduce musician Bruce Springsteen during the Tony Awards. Instead, he first took to task the US president himself. "Itʼs no longer down with Trump. Itʼs F*** Trump," he said, with the audience of actors, directors and producers shrieking and then offering De Niro a standing ovation. The actor urged the audience to vote during mid-term elections in November. He praised musician Springsteen for his own political activism, saying "Bruce, you can rock the house like nobody else and even more importantly in these perilous times, you rock the vote, always fighting for, in your own words, truth, transparency and integrity in government. Boy, do we need that now."
Lufthansa plane catches fire at Frankfurt Airport The aircraft bound for Philadelphia was empty at the time of the accident. Ten people, including ground staff and firefighters have been taken to a hospital with complaints of irritation in respiratory tracts. A Lufthansa plane was badly damaged in a fire on Monday at the Frankfurt Airport. The incident happened when a tug that was pulling the aircraft to a boarding gate caught fire. The plane bound for Philadelphia later in the day was not carrying passengers at the time of the accident. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Nobody was seriously injured in the incident. Lufthansa said 10 people, including firefighters and ground staff, were treated for respiratory problems. Frankfurt Airport authorities said the fire, which was "immediately" extinguished, did not cause any disruptions at Germanyʼs airport.
131/2018 • 12 JUNE, 2018
Pope accepts resignation of Barros and 2 other bishops Chile sex abuse scandal:
Hong Kong activist Edward Leung jailed for 6 years Hong Kong independence activist Edward Leung has been sent to prison for taking part in a violent clash with police in 2016. He was among a generation of activists supporting full independence from China. Hong Kongʼs High Court on Monday jailed prominent pro-independence activist Edward Leung for six years for his role in an all-night riot two years ago. The 27-year-old was already in custody after pleading guilty in January to a separate charge of assaulting a police officer during the riot. He was sentenced to one year in prison for the assault, with the two terms to be served concurrently. The 2016 protest began as a rally in the cityʼs Mong Kok shopping district to protect unregistered street vendors from health inspectors but quickly escalated into an outpouring of anger against authorities in mainland China. It later became known as the "Fishball Revolution" after one of Hong Kongʼs best-loved street snacks.
French farmers picket Total refineries in palm oil protests Pope Francis has accepted the resignations of three Chilean bishops who offered to step down after an abuse scandal. Among them is Bishop Juan Barros, whom victims have accused of witnessing sex crimes against them. Pope Francis on Monday accepted the resignation of Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno, who was at the center of Chileʼs clerical sex abuse scandal, along with two others in a bid to restore the credibility of the Catholic Church in the country amid accusations of multiple cover-ups. Barros, Bishop Gonzalo Duarte of Valparaiso and Bishop Cristian Caro of Puerto Montt tendered their resignations last monthalong with Chileʼs remaining 31 bishops. Of the three, only one, the 61-year-old Barros, is below the retirement age of 75. It remains unclear whether the pope intends to accept any other departures. Francis named temporary leaders for each of the dioceses. The pontiff has promised Catholics in Chile that the churchwould "never again" ignore themor participate in covering up cases of abuse in their country. A number
of high-ranking Catholic clergy in Chile have been accused by victims of turning a blind eye to or hushing up sex offenses committed by the pedophile priest Fernando Karadima during the 1980s and 1990s. Barros, who was a protege of Karadima, is among those accused of witnessing and ignoring his wrongdoing. He has denied the charges. Pope Francis himself has become mired in the scandal both for having appointed Barros bishop of Osorno in 2015despite objections from several quartersand thendefending him during a trip to Chile in January. However, after having read a 2,300-page report on abuses in Chile, the pope admitted having made "grave mistakes" andapologized to victims. Karadima, who is now 87 and living in a nursing home in Chile, has always denied all charges against him.
French farmers have started a threeday blockade of refineries after a decision by Total to import cheaper palm oil for its biofuel plant. The move has fanned farmer discontent over unfair competition. The Vatry fuel depot in the Marne region of northeastern France was the first to be blocked on Sunday evening as about 100 farmers set up barricades with tractors and mounds of rubble. On Monday, a total of 13 sites were being picketed by members of the French farmersʼ union FNSEA, union boss Christiane Lambert said in an interview with France Info television.
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131/2018 • 12 June, 2018
Lula: Brazilʼs bitter divide personified Despite being in jail, former President Lula remains Brazilʼs most influential — and divisive — politician. DWʼs Rio columnist spoke to opponents and supporters and found a country split irreconcilably down the middle. He has been incarcerated for two months now, serving a12-year sentence for corruption. YetLuiz Inacio Lula da Silvawill still be thecrucial factor in Octoberʼs presidential elections. The latest polls suggest 30 percent of voters will cast their ballot for his candidate. How people view the former president is now a major battlefield in a society that was never cohesive and has been dominated for the better part of 500 years by antagonisms, contradictions and extremes. There has never been a collective idea of a civic and positive nation. When I think about what keeps Brazil united, only the language, the national football team and that peculiar pride of being Brazilian come to mind. Is there anything beyond those that everyone can agree on?
The death of Americaʼs net neutrality and how it affects you The US and EU are changing the internet but — toward polar opposite ends. The United States has buried landmark net neutrality laws. Lindsey Rae Gjording reports from New York. The US stopped its landmark net neutrality rules on June 11.Without net neutrality, internet service providers in the US are free to manipulate or limit internet access to certain websites while favoring others. This can affect anyone who visits American websites. But defenders of net neutrality fear an even worse outcome — censorship. "Itʼs the principal that the companies we pay to get online shouldnʼt be the ones who influence our choices to what we do online," says Ryan Singel, a fellow at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society. Singel notes that ISPs are wanting to "be able go to a website like Yelp and say, nice website, for 50k a month we will keep letting you get to our subscribers, otherwise we will block you." Internet service providers (ISPs) will be free to charge websites for access to reliable streaming and also show preference for their digital content over competitorsʼ content. Who is likely to shoulder these costs? Internet users. 2
Juncker promises Trump ʼfactsʼ as cold trade war threatens to heat up German automakers eye proceedings nervously
After Trump reiterated his anti-free trade rhetoric at the G7, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker hit back with a more traditional weaponry known as "the facts." To put the ongoing noise about possibe trade wars into perspective, EUUS trade in goods was worth about €600 billion ($710 billion) in 2016, while the US imported €5 billion worth of European steel and exported a mere €1 billion. As Bloomberg pointed out, this would then be a trade war whose effects would probably be smaller than statistical anomalies. According to the US Census
Kenya African refugeesʼ success stories Former refugees returned to the Kenyan camp of Kakuma to tell those still living there how they coped with hardship and made a success of their lives. The Kenyan camp of Kakuma houses more than 185,000 people, most of themrefugeesfrom Somalia and South Sudan. Recently, the camp hosted the first worldʼs TEDx conference on such an unusual site. The event, a grassroots initiative which brings together people to talk about a diverse range of subjects, was coorganized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In this instance, the conferenceʼs subject was how refugees can make a success of their lives, in spite of all the difficulties and hardships they face. Among the successful exrefugees invited to speak was Halima
Bureau, the US goods trade deficit with the EU was $146.7 billion in 2016, while the EU puts its surplus with the US at €112.9 billion (at the average exchange rate for 2016, that is $125.3 billion). This $21.4 billion ‘asymmetryʼ would cover the US steel and aluminum trade deficit four times over. The differences are even bigger for services, where both parties claim a surplus. Aden, a supermodel who wears a hijab. Her family fled the civil war in Somalia in 1994. She lived in Kakuma for some years but then moved to Minnesota in the US. She was the first Muslim homecoming queen of her high school. That is, by tradition, an honor that goes to the most popular and beautiful pupil.
Global Media Forum 2018: Pluralist media ʼneeded more than everʼ At the opening of the 11th Global Media Forum, speakers stressed the importance of information and media literacy. EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said she was personally com-
Penka the Bulgarian cow reprieved after EU cross-border adventure After a social media campaign and questions to the EU, the fate of a Bulgarian cross-border wandering cow has been decided in her favor, despite a lack of documents. Animals often wander over borders, rights groups say. Bulgariaʼs Food Safety Agency announced on Monday that after a review and laboratory tests, Penka the red cow should be returned to her herd by the end of the week. "The animal remains at this stage forbidden in the village of Kopilovtsi. It is expected at the end of the week that the animal be returned for cultivation in the site in the village of Mazarachevo," the Agency said in a statement. The story began two weeks agowhen, as many of her kind have done before her, Penka the cow wandered from her herd near the Bulgarian village of Mazarachevo. When the 5-year-old ruminant was discovered by a farmer a few kilometers away in neighboring Serbia, her return was orderly until she reached the border. Despite having been checked over by a Serbian vet, Penka was found to be lacking the necessary paperwork for a stroll beyond the EUʼs borders.
mitted to the fight against disinformation. The opening ceremony of theGlobal Media Forum, an international media conference hosted by Deutsche Welle, included two musical interludes: songs from a young Indian rapper and a meditative jazz performance. But the peak came at the end, with a choir performing "Ode to Joy" from Ludwig van Beethovenʼs Ninth Symphony. It was the moving end to a ceremony that could well have been called "Ode to Press Freedom." The audience in Germanyʼs former parliamentary chamber in Bonn listened to several speakers express their support of a free, pluralist press and its evergrowing role in the face of digitization. Michelle Müntefering, minister of state at Germanyʼs Federal Foreign Office, said that in times of countless online news sources, people needed trustworthy journalists to navigate the flood of information.
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US-German relations: Foreign Minister Heiko Maas ʼplaying with fireʼ As the US pursues an increasingly unilateral course, Heiko Maas has suggested forging alliances with nations favoring a multilateral world order. But Professor Thomas Jäger from Cologne University urges caution. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has suggested forging new international al‐ liances. That would mean Germany distanc‐ ing itself from the US. Is that a sensible idea?Thomas Jäger: No. Currently, the
exact opposite would be needed, namely to bring the US and Europe closer together. That would run somewhat counter to the US administrationʼs stance, which makes it especially difficult.But turning our backs on the USis playing with fire, given all the work the US puts into European affairs.
But how is cooperation with Americaʼs cur‐ rent president even possible? That is the
crux. We have to deal with [US President Donald] Trump. But we were also
Spain will accept migrant ship Aquarius after Italy and Malta refuse entry Spainʼs new prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has said the Aquarius may dock in Valencia. With 629 people on board, it has been waiting for a secure place to dock amid a diplomatic standoff between Italy and Malta. A French NGOʼs rescue ship, the Aquarius, was given the go-ahead to dock in Spainʼs eastern port of Valencia on Monday. "It is our obligation to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and offer a safe port for these people," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchezʼs office said in a statement, adding it wanted to comply with its international responsibilities on humanitarian crises. Sanchez, a socialist, issued the instructions after Italy and Malta refused to let it dock. The French organization SOS Mediterranee said the ship was carrying 629 migrants picked up off the coast of Libya on Saturday, including 123 unaccompanied minors and seven pregnant women.
forced to deal with US President George W. Bush in the past. The transAtlantic relationship was strained then, too. But back then we focused on dialogue, championing our own values. It was similar with Ronald Reagan, who was not popular in Europe either We have experience in dealing with US leaders who oppose European interests and who are unpopular in Europe. These kinds of tensions have become more pronounced under Donald Trumpʼs leadership. And yet, the US is the power that keeps the West united, raising the European Unionʼs international profile. Without the US, the West as we know it would be no more.
Chancellor Angela Merkel: Trumpʼs rejection of G7 communique ʼsoberingʼ and ʼdepressingʼ
Germanyʼs Angela Merkel sharply criticized Donald Trumpʼs decision to retract his endorsement of the G7 communique. The German chancellor said the EU would continue preparing countermeasures to US metal tariffs. Germanyʼs Angela Merkel on Sunday chided US President Donald Trumpʼs decision to retract his endorsement of the G7 communique via Twitter, insisting that Germany is determined to stick to it. In her first interview since the contentious two-day G7 summit in Canada, Merkel told
German broadcaster ARD that Trumpʼs "withdrawal via Twitter is of course sobering and a little depressing." The chancellor also announced that the European Union would forge ahead with countermeasures to Trumpʼs steel and aluminum tariffs. "We wonʼt let ourselves be ripped off again and again," Merkel said, taking on an unusually combative tone. "Instead, we act then too." The bloc is expected to announce its countermeasures to US tariffs on July 1.
Child sex abuse trial begins in one of Germanyʼs worst cases on record For years, a German boy was allegedly abused and sold for sex on the darknet by his mother and her partner. Outrage over the case has also ensnared local authorities whose missteps may have allowed the abuse to continue. In January, it was revealed that police were investigating a pedophile ring in the southwestern German town of Staufen outside of Freiburg, where a 9-year-old boy had been abused for two years by his mother and her partner.
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131/2018 • 12 June, 2018
Are German cars American enough?
The US is the worldʼs largest importer of cars. But recent comments by US President Donald Trump and other administration officials are trying to muddy the waters. What really makes a car ʼMade in the USAʼ? At first there were just hints that Germans export too many cars to the US and thereby destroy jobs. Manufactures countered that many German branded vehicles are actually assembled in American plants. Now even this answer has been swept off the table by Peter Navarro, an assistant to the American president for trade and manufacturing policy, in an opinion piece in The New York Times. In the newspaper he writes: "Even when Germanyʼs automakers build facilities in the United States, these so-called factories are more like assembly plants. SUVs in the BMW X series that are assembled in the United States actually contain only 25 percent to 35 percent American-built content — the high-value engines and transmissions are manufactured in Germany and Austria."
Dieselgate scandal: Audi boss Rupert Stadler comes under investigation German authorities have raided Rupert Stadlerʼs home as part of an investigation into his involvement in Dieselgate. He has denied any involvement in the emissions cheating scandal. Rupert Stadler, the head of German carmaker Audi, has become one of 20 people under investigation for malpractice in the emissions cheating scandal at parent company Volkswagen, state prosecutors in the southern German city of Munich said on Monday. They said another board member at Audi was now also included among the suspects. The homes of both suspects were raided on Monday as part of the investigation, prosecutors said. "Since May 30 the chief executive of Audi Professor Rupert Stadler and another member of the current executive board have been regarded as suspects," they said in a statement. They said another board member at Audi was now also included among the suspects. The homes of both suspects were raided on Monday as part of the investigation, prosecutors said. "Since May 30 the chief executive of Audi Professor Rupert Stadler and another member of the current executive board have been regarded as suspects," they said in a statement. 4
G7 minus two: Leaders agree to ocean plastics charter Five of the G7 nations, without the US and Japan, have agreed to an ocean plastics charter. But will such non-binding measures be enough for the worldʼs industrialized countries to beat plastic pollution together? Hate crimes, discrimination, inequality and nightmare events like the deadly war in Syria can make us feel that our world is upside down. But these werenʼt the only urgent issues world leaders had to address. Climate change andplastic pollution are much quieter threats — but relentless and fierce nonetheless. In the Group of Sevenʼs (G7) closing communique out of Charlevoix, Canada, on Saturday, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom pledged
Gulf states pledge $2.5 billion economic package to crisis-hit Jordan Gulf monarchies have offered Jordan $2.5 billion (€2.1 billion). The aid package is designed to help the strategic Arab state overcome an economic crisis and rare protests. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to provide a $2.5 billion (€2.1 billion) aid package to Jordan to help it weather an economic crisis and anti-austerity protests. The economic package includes a deposit into Jordanʼs central bank, World Bank guarantees, annual support for Jordanʼs budget over five years and financing of development projects. The announcement came after Saudi King Salman called a meeting in Mecca for Sunday bringing together Jordanʼs King Abdullah II, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlSabah and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. Jordan has been hit by mass protests in recent days over price hikes and a tax proposal designed to bring down the countryʼs debt level after securing a $723 million loan from the International Monetary Fund in 2016.
Hotel Parlament H-Budapest 1054, Kálmán Imre utca 19. T.: +36 1 374 6000 reservation@parlament-hotel.hu www.parlament-hotel.hu
Poland: The high price of emigration Thousands of Polish nurses, caregivers and workmen leave the country for employment. That has consequences: Many Polish children grow up without parents, who are gone for months or even years at a time. olish internet sites are full of stories from children who feel abandoned by their parents because they are working abroad. They look for support on internet forums where they write about their fate: "Hi Dad, Iʼm already 16. It has been a year since you left. Every day I smell the shirt you left behind because it didnʼt fit in your suitcase. It reminds me of you," as Maria quotes from a letter she wrote to her father who is in England working as a day laborer. Tomek, an 18-year-old, complains: "My mom went abroad when I was 13. She said she was going to Germany for a couple of months because she made so little in Poland. She couldnʼt even afford to buy clothes here. She is still there. That makes me sad."
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to combat ocean pollution through aG7 Ocean Plastics Charter. The United States and Japan declined to put their names on the resolution. The charter outlines a "resource-efficient lifecycle management approach to plastics in the economy," which includes working toward making all plastics recyclable by 2030, reducing single-use plastics and promoting the use of recycled plastic. It also pledges to build out recycling infrastructure, and innovate around more sustainable technologies.
Angela Merkel on Italy: Solidarity in eurozone should not lead to debt union
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has congratulated Italyʼs new prime minister, Giuseppe Conte. However, she later appeared to dismiss the Italian governmentʼs calls to the European Central Bank for debt forgiveness. German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks with Italyʼs new populist prime minister, Giuseppe Conte,on Saturday and invited him to Berlin for further discussions on the two countriesʼ future relationship. The chancellorʼs office said in a statement that Merkel had congratulated Conte on becoming prime minister. During the phone conversation, the two leaders emphasized the importance of "continued close bilateral cooperation," the statement added. Conte, a little-known Italian law professor, has mostly kept quiet since beingsworn in on Friday, but he announced on Facebook that, along with Merkel, he had also held talks with Franceʼs Emmanuel Macron on Saturday. He said he would meet the two leaders at next weekʼs G7 summit in Canada, where he will be a "spokesman for the interests of Italian citizens."
131/2018 • 12 June, 2018
Green tech: From Africa to Germany Green tech:
Water pollution, deforestation and wasted energy are problems all over the world. African students are working to solve them, and theyʼre exchanging ideas with Germany to do it. Herdsmen shepherd goats, sheep and cattle through the wilds of Ghana, letting them bath in lakes as the fierce sun beats down. Itʼs an image that might sound idyllic in the West, but for many in Ghana itʼs an urgent health threat. Almost 22 percent of Ghanaʼs 28.1 million people rely on water that collects on the ground or in ponds and lakes for their daily needs, according to US-aid organi-
2,000-year-old burial complex discovered near Sea of Galilee Israeli construction workers unearthed a cave in Tiberias which was likely a family burial space from Roman times. Construction workers using a digger exposed what appeared to be an ancient burial site some 10 meters (33 feet) underground while working in Tiberias, a city in northern Israel located on the Sea of Galilee, a spokesperson from Israelʼs Antiquities Authority confirmed on Monday. The space is some two meters high and includes an entranceway as well as the central chamber containing more than 10 grave niches. "The cave must have been a burial space for a family living in Tiberias or a neighboring village," said spokesperson Yair Amitsur, adding that the discovery is "virtually oneof-a-kind" for this area.
Wine tasting from Chile to Australia
zationWater.org. That leaves them vulnerable to waterborne diseases carried by livestock, as well as industrial and domestic waste. Kofi Sarpong Adu-Manu set out to solve the problem. "One of my friends was discussing a problem in his community of herdsmen destroying river resources and then the idea came, why donʼt we monitor the water?" he told DW.
Anna Delvey, fake German heiress, stiffs art world Once an art magazine intern, Anna Delvey, aka Anna Sorokin, created a jet-setting lifestyle for herself on othersʼ dimes. Now the fake heiress has had her scams revealed, and Netflix is to adapt her story into a series. As New York Magazine tells it, Anna Delvey (top photo, at right) lived a life that many young women in Europe could only dream of having: months-long stays at trendy New York hotels, parties where she
rubbed elbows with the jet-setting elite, hops across the Atlantic to attend art openings, strolls through Venice during the Biennale. She once chartered a jet to Omaha for the Berkshire Hathaway annual investment conference to see Warren Buffett, spent a week in a private Moroccan riad on a whim and had dinner at gourmet restaurants with celebrities. And documented it all on Instagram along the way.
he special wine tasting will present five wines from 5 countries, including Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec. Spicy, tropical and fruity aromas will feature, but you can also sample variations with a hint of roast coffee in their flavour.
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Culture
Events Horizon: what’s happening in Budapest – June 2018 There are so many major things going on in June that you shouldn’t miss. In this events round-up, we bring together all of the important happenings taking place in and around Hungary’s capital in the upcoming weeks, so you can plan the month ahead. Get out there and enjoy everything that Budapest has to offer! Brain Bar Generali Childrenʼs Island Lenny Kravitz Downtown Beer Festival Danube Carnival A38 concerts Etyek Summer Picnic Budapest Summer Festival Kolorádó Festival Billy Elliot – The Musical Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Night of the Museums Red Bull Air Race The Red Bull Air Race fills Budapest’s skies with extreme aerobatic stunts performed by some of the world’s most daring pilots right above the river, using the fastest, most agile and lightweight racing planes. This air show generally exceeds any expectations, because in addition to flying between floating checkpoints, the planes pass beneath the Chain Bridge, amazing the crowd of spectators lining the length of the riverside. A combination of high speed and extreme manoeuvres make this race an unparalleled visual spectacle that everyone can enjoy between June 23rd and 24th, over the Danube in the city centre.
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131/2018 • 12 June, 2018
Thomas Delaney signs for Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund have dipped their toe in the summer transfer market again. Defensive midfielder Thomas Delaney joins from Werder Bremen on a four-year deal believed to be worth around €20 million. Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the signing of midfielder Thomas Delaney from Werder Bremen for a fee believed to be around €20 million ($23.6 million). The Dane joins on a four-year deal and becomes Dortmundʼs third signing of the summer after Marius Wolf from Eintracht Frankfurt and Marwin Hitz.
Sebastian Vettel wins the Canadian Grand Prix, his 50th career victory
Sebastian Vettel returned to his winning ways, leading the entire Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The victory has helped the Ferrari driver surpass Lewis Hamilton in the driversʼ standings. Ferrariʼs Sebastian Vettel picked up his 50th career Formula One win in Montreal on Sunday, cruising to victory in the Canadian Grand Prix. It was the Germanʼs first victory since winning the first two races of the season in Australia and Bahrain. The win vaulted Vettel over Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in the driversʼ standings. He now leads the defending Formula One driversʼ champion by one point. 6
Jewish club holds first Junior Games: Sports, integration and antisemitism The Makkabi Junior Games, an event held by Germany’s biggest Jewish sports association, looks to bring communities together through competition. Antisemitism remains rife in sport. It’s a sunny Sunday morning on the outskirts of Munich. A group of young people are walking towards the entrance of a wellguarded compound. Security officials are using their walkie-talkies to make sure everything is safe, and the group walk in after receiving the all clear. This is not a description of a highly-charged political convention, but rather of the first ever Makkabi Junior Games, in which young members of Germany’s biggest network of Jewish sports clubs will compete at football, basketball and other sports. Some 375 athletes between the ages of 13 and 18 took part. Makkabi is an international Jewish sports association active in 50 countries, with more than 400,000 members; 4,500 of which are in Germany. After years of being open exclusively to Jews – including during the Second World War, a time when sportspeople of Jewish descent could only join specific clubs dictated by the Third Reich – Germany’s Makkabi clubs are now open to whoever wants to join, and including non-Jews from all backgrounds.
Joachim Löw and Germanyʼs title defense Russia 2018:
Joachim Löw may have more to lose than gain as he leads Germany into their campaign to become just the third team to defend a World Cup title. The fact that it is such a tall task is precisely what motivates him. These are what Joachim Löw sees as the prime roles of a national team coach. And he should know, heʼs been doing the job for 12 years now. Thatʼs nearly as long as Angela Merkel has been Germanyʼs chancellor, which feels like an eternity. Löw and his V-neck sweater have been around for so long that most Germans probably canʼt imagine an international football tournament without him, nor would they want to. And he has already signed a contract extension, which will keep him in the post
through the end of the 2022 World Cup. Why would he do that? Afterall, his list of achievements and honors is long. Löw is the coach of the World Cup champions, he has been awarded Germanyʼs Federal Cross of Merit, he has been named FIFA Coach of the Year and his hometown (Schönau) has even named the local stadium after him. So what motivates him to carry on as coach of the national team when he has so much more to lose than to gain at the World Cup in Russia?
World Cup 2026: When Donald Trump takes to Twitter FIFA is set to decide which country or countries will host the 2026 World Cup: the United States, Canada and Mexico – or Morocco. Could a tweet by the US president swing the vote in Moroccoʼs favor? A tweet is no longer just a message; a tweet can change global politics and write history. However, the international community knew this long before this past weekend, when US President Donald Trump made a mockery of a statement issued by the worldʼs seven biggest industrialized powers by
informing the rest of the G7 in 280 characters that, he was withdrawing his endorsement of the communiqué after all. And another Trump tweet could play a decisive role in the result of a vote taking place this week, a vote which, like the G7 meeting in Quebec, could take on historical significance. On Wednesday, members of world footballʼs governing body FIFA are to vote on who should host the 2026 World Cup: the United States of America, together with neighbors Canada and Mexico? Or little Morocco?