DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Egg image cracks Kylie Jennerʼs mostliked Instagram post record A stock image of a simple brown egg had gathered more than 30 million likes (as of 17:13 CET on January 14) on the social media platform, surpassing the 18 million generated last year when celebrity model Kylie Jenner posted a photo of her daughter Stormi. The egg was posted on January 4 by Instagram user Egg Gang, under the handle world_record_egg, with the aim of taking over Jennerʼs record and making it the most-liked post on Instagram. Read more: Digital Warriors - Women Changing the World "Letʼs set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram. Beating the current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million)! We got this," the postʼs caption read.
Germany: Hundreds of flights canceled at Frankfurt ahead of strike Hundreds of flightsgoing in and out of Frankfurt Airport on Tuesdayhave already been canceled, airlines said Monday ahead of a security workersʼ strike. Airport operator Fraport said 470 of 1,200 planned flights have been scrapped ahead of the planned walkout. The DBB and Verdi trade unions have announced a walkout from 2 am to 8 pm local time (01:00 - 19:00 UTC) at eight German airports, including Hamburg, Munich, Leipzig, and Hanover in addition to Frankfurt, which is Germanyʼs largest and busiest air hub. Both unions are seeking pay rises for workers not only in security, but also in passenger relations, customs, freight and human resources. The workers are demanding €20 ($22) an hour pay. Currently, airport security workers in Germany make between €11.30 and €17.16 . Smaller employee walkoutshave already been carried out in Berlin, CologneBonn, Düsseldorf, and Stuttgart.
13/2019 • 16 JANUARY, 2019
Macron responds to ʼyellow vestsʼ with call for national ʼdebateʼ French President Emmanuel Macron penned a letter calling on citizens
French President Emmanuel Macron penned a letter calling on citizens to turn "anger into solutions." Far-right politician Marine Le Pen accused Macron of "blindness" in his handling of the "yellow vest" rallies. In a lengthy letter to the nation, French President Emmanuel Macron has asked citizens to give their opinions on government policies as part of a nation-wide debate after months of "yellow vest" protests. Citizens of France would be asked to discuss issues such as cutting taxes and public spending, the use of referendums and immigration quotas. "I intend to transform anger into solutions," Macron said in the letter published late on Sunday. "Your proposals will help build a new contract for the nation, organizing the actions of the government and parliament, but also Franceʼs positions at the European and international levels," he said. Read more:Emmanuel Macron and the ʼyellow vestsʼ: Can they cooperate? The document also says that Macron would attend town hall meetings across the country, with the first one set for Tuesday in the northwest town of Bourgtheroulde. He vowed to report on the results after the consultations end on March
15. While he said that no issues are "forbidden" in the debate, Macron also said he would not backtrack on some of his governmentʼs unpopular measures, such as scrapping a wealth tax. Le Pen: Time to beat MacronFor the last nine weeks,"yellow vest" protesters have rallied against Macronʼs perceived elitism and government policies that they say favor the rich. In response, Macron approved a €10 billion ($11.5 billion) package of welfare increases in an attempt to appease the protesters. On Sunday, Macronʼsfar-right rival, National Rally (RN) leader Marine Le Pen,accused him of "blindness" and "intransigence" in his handling of the unrest. "The moment of the big political changeover has come," Le Pen said while launching her partyʼs campaign for the upcoming European Parliament elections. Speaking at a RN conference in Paris, she urged some 2,000 supporters to seize the chance to "beat" Macron at the May vote.
Chinese court sentences Canadian drug suspect to death A Chinese court on Monday sentenced a Canadian man to death on drug trafficking charges aftera retrial deemed his original 15-year prison sentence to be too lenient. The Dalian court said Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, 36, who was detained in December 2014, played a "key part" in an international drug smuggling operation and was recruited to help smuggle more than 222 kilograms (488 pounds) of methamphetamine from a warehouse in Dalian city to Australia. Read more: Sierenʼs China: Huawei and diplomatic dynamite The ruling has deepened a rift between China and Canada, with the sentence coming on the back of Chinaʼs discontent with Canadaʼsarrest of a top executive from Chinese telecom giant Huaweiin December on a US extradition request related to alleged violations of US sanctions against Iran.
Second German deported from Egypt over suspected ʼISʼ links The Egyptian government announced on Monday that it had deported another man back to Germany, the second suspect deported from Cairo after being detained for terrorist sympathies. Isa El Sabbagh, 18, was allegedly found with several maps of Egyptʼs North Sinai region, a gathering point for terrorist groups. The man was missing for several weeks before Egyptian authorities confirmed that they had detained him on suspicion of supporting the ideology of "Islamic State" (IS). According to German news magazine Der Spiegel, the young man has already arrived at Frankfurt Airport.
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