DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Mexicans battling fuel shortage afraid to ʼend up like Venezuelaʼ It is already two oʼclock in the morning, and Mexico City commuter Athena Silva still canʼt refuel. For over an hour she has been standing with her car in a long line of vehicles formed at a gas station in Mexico City. Other waiting drivers suspect that it will take another hour until itʼs their turn to fill up. "I set the alarm for midnight to find out where there in the city there will be gas, and at what time to avoid endless queues during the day," Silva tells DW. Since the government ofnew President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradordeclared war on organized gasoline theft and closed the power lines of the stateowned petroleum company PEMEX, the countryʼs capital has been suffering from an acute shortage of gasoline. The government has estimated that PEMEX has lost $3 billion (€2.6 billion) annually from fuel theft. In the first 10 months of 2018, thieves drilled 12,581 illegal taps.
Outrage as teens mock Native American at Washington rally A US diocese on Sunday promised to take action after boys from a Catholic private school mocked an elderly Native American man at a Washington rally held by indigenous communities. The footage, which spread on social media over the weekend, shows a student from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky smirking as he stands unusually close to Nathan Phillips, a Native American Vietnam War veteran, who is beating a traditional drum while chanting. Other teens, many also wearing clothing bearing President Donald Trumpʼs political slogan ʼMake America Great Againʼ jeered, jumped and appeared to mock the man.
18/2019 • 22 JANUARY, 2019
Trump hasnʼt been all bad for the EU Trumpʼs tenure has also done Europe some good, writes DWʼs Max Hofmann
For the EU, Donald Trumpʼs election proved a steep learning curve, and the damage caused by the US president will be difficult to repair. Itʼs hard to imagine that just two years ago, life was without Donald Trump. In Brussels, seat of the European Union and NATO, the US presidentʼs role is pivotal. And even from his office on the other side of the Atlantic, Trump has certainly burned himself into the collective memory of Europe. Trumpʼs unforgettable appearances at NATO summits, where various ranting tirades caused considerable commotion and ruffled plenty of feathers. The threats of tariffs on European cars and the announcement of a US withdrawal from the INF treaty on nuclear disarmamentalso sent Brussels into a spin. So, from a European point of view, everything about the US president is abominable? Most people would see it that way, but itʼs not entirely true. In many ways, Trump has actually done the EU good. The benefits of Trump for Europe are clearly unintentional but also rather obvious. "The Donald" has united the EU. Read more:ʼWorld still needs NATO," writes Germanyʼs defense minister in NYT Trumpʼs stances
have ensured European solidarity and progress in many areas. Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) among EU members in foreign and security policy, for example, would not exist as it does now without Trump. Ever since Trumpʼs election, the popularity of the bloc has been on the rise — at least on the continentʼs mainland. In Brussels, some may even say — behind closed doors — that Trump is the best thing that could happen to the EU. Yet Trump does of course also pose a threat to Europe. And thatʼs not just for the obvious reasons: withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Iran nuclear deal, and destabilizing global trade relations. Instead, it is because even within the borders of the EU, Trump is garnering support among the population and politicians. They donʼt necessarily admire the president for his tantrums, insolence and insults, but they appreciate his disregard for political correctness and that he addresses truths often swept under the rug.
Neo-Nazi attack survivor: ʼI wonʼt stay silentʼ Fear should never have the last word. "I feel the vibrations of the explosion and relive the moment when talking about it," says Arif Sagdic, apologizing for his nervousness with a slightly lowered gaze. But Sagdic nevertheless still finds the strength to talk about the attack he survived, which was perpetrated by the National Socialist Underground (NSU), a neoNazi terrorist group. The audience at the commemorative event in Cologne is on the edge of their seats listening to Sagdic speak. "When I heard the explosion, I threw myself on the ground," recalls the Turkish-born Sagdic, the owner of a hardware store on Keupstrasse in Cologne. "The shop window was shattered, just like those at the hairdresserʼs opposite — it was as if there had been an earthquake. People were lying in their own blood. People were screaming. I could pick that up even though I could barely hear from my left ear."
Facebook funds AI ethics center in Munich Facebook announced on Sunday that it will help createan independent ethics research center for artificial intelligence(AI) with the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The technology giant said it will provide $7.5 million over five years as "an initial funding grant." With the AI industry growing at unprecedented levels,its use and impact have come under increased scrutiny, with some experts warning of the potential for unexpected consequences from its application.
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