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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Germany: Brandenburg approves law to get more women in parliament Lawmakers in the eastern German state of Brandenburg passed a law on Thursday that seeksto boost the number of women in politics. The socalled "parity law" mandates that political parties in the state must offer as many female as male candidates for elections, starting in the summer of 2020. Parties will also no longer be allowed to select direct candidates for specific constituencies. The election law revision, which was proposed by the Green party, will not impact Brandenburgʼs upcoming state parliamentary elections, which are due to take place on September 1 this year. Itʼs the first time that a gender parity election law has been passed in Germany, although with possible court challenges on the horizon, its future is uncertain.

INSTEX: Europe sets up transactions channel with Iran Several European countries have set up a new transaction channel that will allow companies to continue trading with Irandespite US sanctions. The announcement was made on Thursday. The channel, set up by Germany, France and the UK, is called INSTEX — short for "Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges." "Weʼre making clear that we didnʼt just talk about keeping the nuclear deal with Iran alive, but now weʼre creating a possibility to conduct business transactions," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters Thursday after a meeting with European counterparts in Bucharest, Romania. "This is a precondition for us to meet the obligations we entered into in order to demand from Iran that it doesnʼt begin military uranium enrichment," Maas said. The payment channel allows for European countries to continue trade with Iran but could put them on a collision course with Washington.

27/2019 • 1 FEBRUARY, 2019

ʼKaczynski tapesʼ reveal murky business dealings of Polandʼs powerful PiS leader The scandal has damaged his reputation as a politician who steers clear of graft

Leaked recordings appear to show the leader of Polandʼs ruling party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, was involved in a lucrative construction deal.

The leader of Polandʼs ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, once famously said that "you donʼt go into politics for the money." Indeed, many of his compatriots appreciated Kaczynski as someone who practices what he preaches by avoiding shady business deals. On Tuesday, however, Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza published recordings of the politician, dubbed the "Kaczynski tapes," apparently discussing a major construction project involving a company with close ties to the PiS. An ambitious project The company in question, Srebrna, was founded in the mid-1990s by the conservative Porozumienie Centrum (PC) party, a forerunner to the PiS. The company is majority-owned by the Lech Kaczynski Institute, which was founded to commemorate the eponymous Polish president who died in a 2010 plane crash. Lech Kaczynskiʼs twin brother Jaroslaw is on the instituteʼs supervisory board. When Srebrna decided to erect two skyscrapers in central Warsaw, Jaroslaw Kaczynski signed off on the project.

The Lech Kaczynski Institute was to move its headquarters to one of the towers and the remaining space was to be rented out. One-third of the an-

nual revenue generated by the buildings would then go to the Lech Kaczynski Institute. A relative of Kaczynskiʼs cousin, Austrian businessman Gerd Birgfellner, was tasked with bringing the €400 million ($460 million) project to fruition. To this end, Polandʼs staterun PKO Bank Polski apparently granted Birgfellner a €15.5 million loan. Without a permit, he then invested €1.5 million into the project, assuming Kaczynski would greenlight it as planned. But when Birgfellner asked to be reimbursed, Srebrna declined to foot the bill, as Jaroslaw Kaczynski had decided to stop the project. In July 2018, Birgfellner and Kaczynski met to discuss the situation. The recordings leaked by Polish daily Gazeta Wybor‐ cza were apparently made during this meeting by Birgfellner himself. He filed a legal complaint against Srebrna with Polandʼs public persecutor on January 25, 2019. The recording reportedly reveals that Kaczynski recommended Birgfellner take legal action and try to blame Warsawʼs opposition city council for the botched construction project.

Kaczynski reportedly believed this to be the only way Birgfellner would be reimbursed.

Elin Ersson and Ismail K. — How an activist tried in vain to rescue an asylum-seeker Early in the evening of July 23, 2018, a video is posted on Facebook. It is a close-up of a young woman with a flushed face, blonde hair and darkgreen glasses. Elin Ersson, 21, is walking up the aisle of a Turkish Airlines jet that is set to fly from Gothenburg to Istanbul. She is speaking English with a Swedish accent into her smartphone camera and livestreaming the scene on Facebook. On this plane, she says, there is a person "who is going to be deported to Afghanistan, where there is war, and he is going to be killed." Then she adds: "I am doing what I can to save a personʼs life." Thousands of people watch the video live online as Ersson refuses to take her seat if the refugee remains on board. The annoyed faces of impatient passengers loom in the background and her eyes periodically fill with tears. At one point, the picture shakes as someone tries to grab her smartphone.

Sea-Watch migrants disembark in Italy Dozens of migrants stranded on a rescue ship off the coast of Sicily have on Friday been allowed to disembark. The Dutch-flagged ship, run byGerman charity Sea-Watch, was carrying 47 migrants andhad spent several days at seawhile Italy demanded other European states take in its passengers. There were cheers and hugs for the crew as the migrants disembarked. They were then shuttled to shelters to make formal asylum requests.

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27/2019 • 1 February, 2019

German teachers fined for treating wasp sting with heated fork Two teachers at a school in the western German state of Hesse were fined for causing bodily harm with their questionable home remedy for a studentʼs wasp sting.

The incident occurred during a school trip to a youth hostel in the neighboring state of RhinelandPalatinate in May 2017, when a 14-year-old student was stung by a wasp. In response, a 39-year-old male teacher heated the handle of a fork with a lighter and pressed it on the boyʼs hand where heʼd been stung. After a blister formed, another 40-year-old female teacher cut it open and treated the wound with cream. The studentʼs lawyer said that as a result of the sting, the boy had to wear a protective glove for a considerable period of time. The German daily Bild newspaper reported that the boyʼs hand became infected and that he wasnʼt able to attend an internship as a result. A district court in Cochem fined the male teacher €2,700 ($3,160) for causing bodily harm.

The female teacher was also fined €2,500 ($2,900) for both assisting and causing bodily harm to the student.

Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege accept Nobel Peace Prize In theirNobel Peace Prize acceptance speeches on Monday,Denis MukwegeandNadia Murad called on the world to protect victims of wartime sexual violence. They also slammed global indifference to the plight of women and children in conflict. In her speech Murad implored the global community to help free hundreds of women and girls still held by jihadists. She also said that the world must protect her people and other vulnerable communities. Speaking at Osloʼs City Hall and seemingly overcome with emotion, Murad said: "It is my view that all victims deserve a safe haven until justice is done for them." Murad survived the horrors of captivity under the "Islamic State" (IS) group in Iraq and Syria where they targeted her Kurdish-speaking community.Older women and men faced summary execution during the IS assault, which the United Nations has described as a possible genocide. Murad was captured in 2014 and suffered beatings and gang-rape before she was able to escape.

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Snowfall causes traffic chaos in western Germany More snow is expected for the weekend

Heavy snow shut down Cologne-Bonn Airport for two hours and motorways were blocked with slow-moving traffic.

Commuters in western Germany were hit by traffic chaos Thursday as heavy snow caused delays and problems throughout the region.

Aircraft were unable to land or take off at Cologne-Bonn Airport for around two hours in the early morning. By the afternoon, a normal service had been resumed after 23 flights were canceled due to the weather. More snow was expected

Syria blames Israel for ʼattack on Damascus airportʼ Israel launched missiles at a target near the Syrian capital of Damascus, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on Sunday. "Our air defenses responded to an Israeli missile attack on Damascus international airport and shot down a number of hostile missiles," said a military source cited by Syriaʼs SANA news agency. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), an independent war monitor that relies on a network of on-the-ground sources, said the missiles had targeted an arms depot near the airport,likely used by Iranian forces or the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

History of attacks An Israeli Defense

overnight. Local public broadcaster WDR reported over 400 kilometers (248 miles) of bumperto-bumper traffic in Germanyʼs most populous state, North RhineWestphalia. Long traffic jams were reported after a pileup on the key A4 highway around Cologne.

"They were driving slowly, but not slowly enough," a police spokesperson said.

Forces (IDF) spokeswoman said Israel does not comment on reports by foreign media. However,it would not be the first time Israel has targeted assets on Syrian soil. Earlier this month, an Israeli official said the IDF has hit more than 200 Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria.

World Bank offers financial assistance to disaster-hit Indonesia The World Bank announced Sunday it would provide up to $1 billion (€860 million) in loans to the Indonesian government to help relief and reconstruction efforts in areas hit

Germany ready to ʼhelp Iraq back on its feetʼ German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Iraq on Saturday to discuss her countryʼs intention to develop its military assistance program in the country. Von der Leyen said that followingthe "Islamic State" militant groupʼs military defeat in Iraq, it is time to move forward with other endeavors, includingstabilization and reconstruction. "Now it is important to shape and protect the reconstruction of the country under a new mandate," said von der Leyen.

"Germany is ready to continue helping Iraq get back on its feet. That is why I am here." ʼOther forms of engagementʼ In February, von der Leyen saidthe role of the Bundeswehr — Germanyʼs armed forces — needed to evolveto meet the "needs of Iraq." At the time, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Baghdad wanted a "commitment from Germany" for "other forms of engagement," including training and logistics. Since 2014, Germany has provided Iraq withmore than €1 billion ($1.16 billion) in humanitarian and development aid, making the Middle Eastern country one of the largest recipients of German foreign assistance.

by recent earthquakes and a tsunami.

Kristalina Georgieva, the bankʼs CEO, unveiled the funds in Bali during its annual meeting. "Disasters will continue to hit, and with climate change there will be more," said Georgieva, who earlier visited Palu City, which was hit by a 7.5magnitude quake and a resulting tsunami last month. "The best memorial we can build for the victims of disaster is to build better, so next time when a disaster hits, fewer people are affected, fewer lives are lost, and there is less damage," she added. Indonesia sits on one of the most tectonically active parts of the world, and is prone to earthquakes as well as occasional tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. On Saturday, torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides on the island of Sumatra, killing 27 people, including a dozen school children.

27/2019 • 1 February, 2019

East or west, which yoga is the best?

From a spiritual practice to a modern way of staying fit, yoga has crossed many boundaries. But critics accuse Westerners of tearing yoga away from its cultural roots and creating something that is not yoga at all.

Theorigins of yoga are not very clear, although many in India believe that the practice began during ancient times under the tutelage of the learned sage, Patanjali. One of Indiaʼs most popular yoga teachers, B.K.S. Iyengar, says in his book Light on Life: "Patanjali...is considered the father of yoga. In reality, as far as we know, he was a yogi and a polymath living around fifth century B.C India, who collated and elaborated existing knowledge of the yogisʼ life and practices. He wrote the Yoga Sutras, literally, a thread of aphorisms about

Luxembourg election presents tough challenge to PM Xavier Bettel The future of Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel hangs in the balance as some 256,000 voters head to the polls in the European land-locked Grand Duchy on Sunday.

Any party or alliance needs to obtain 31 seats to form a government. Opinion polls suggest Bettel could lose the vote due to his unpopular economic policies and declining support within his Democratic Party and coalition partners. A high growth rate under the coalition has put pressure on housing and infrastructure. According to polls, a quarter of voters were undecided in who to vote for. Claude Wiseler, a former literature teacher and the prime minister candidate of the Christian Social Peopleʼs Party (CSV), is expected to pick up seats. Bettel became the countryʼs prime minister in 2013 after a spying scandal toppled the CSV government of Jean-Claude Juncker, who is now president of the European Commission.

yoga, consciousness and the human condition." "Yoga is as old as the universe itself," said Sanjay Singh, a professor at the University of Patanjali in Haridwar, India. "Yoga is a practice taught by god himself. It was not created by human beings and the purpose of yoga is to know the reality of life, to free the self from the cycle of life and death." The word "yoga" means "to be united, to be one with god and to be one with your real self, to know who you are, the purpose of your life and the best way to live your life," Singh added.

Pass the beans, hold the beef to save yourself and the planet

Food production and consumption must change drastically to avoid millions of deaths and "catastrophic" damage to the planet, according to a study published Wednesdayin the scientific journal The Lancet. The key to both goals is a significant shift in the global diet and would mean eating about half as much sugar and red meat and twice as many vegetables,

legumes, fruits and nuts, the study found. Read more: How much meat is healthy? Researchers from the EATLancet Commission said that if people followed the "Planetary Health" diet, more than 11 million premature deaths could be prevented each year, greenhouse gas emissions would be cut and more land, water and biodiversity would be preserved.

Europe-wide Rhine River cleanup draws thousands of volunteers Anke Mielke digs through her orange garbage bag, sifting through numerous plastic bags and other scraps of trash before pulling out the strangest thing sheʼs found so far on the banks of the Rhine River — a pungent pair of jeans. Mielke tells DW that she hopes that by cleaning up the riverbank, others will be reminded to take their rubbish with them next time. "I grew up along the Rhine and I want it to remain beautiful so that others can enjoy it," she says.

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27/2019 • 1 February, 2019

Older German diesels face reckoning German government ministers met at Chancellor Angela Merkelʼs offices on Friday to discuss the vexatious diesel question. After years of wrangling, a solution is dearly sought, but what are the realistic options? Is Germanyʼs seemingly never-ending diesel debate edging towards its endgame? On Friday, German government ministers for transport, finance, the economy and the environment met at the offices of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to try and reach an agreement on the thorny subject of how to reduce pollution from diesel cars as quickly as possible.

Read more: New analysis reveals deadly scale of diesel emissions Last weekend, German government figures and car manufacturers were in talks over potential hardware retrofits for older diesels, but no deal was reached. With diesel bans allowed in Germany since rulings earlier this year, the debate has entered a decisive phase.Hamburg began a partial ban in May, while Stuttgart,Frankfurtand Düsseldorf are among the other cities expected to follow. Car manufacturers are vehemently opposed to such bans, as they have added to uncertainty over dieselʼs future and hit sales. The debate in the Chancellery once more centered on a few key questions around whether older diesels should be banned outright, retrofitted with new hardware or gradually phased out through incentivized buyback schemes. On top of that is the fundamental issue of who pays to make things better.

Sri Lanka seeks investment, but China questions linger You donʼt need to be an expert on international trade routes to look at a map and understandthat Sri Lankaʼs location is one of potentially serious economic advantage. The island nation — population 22 million — sits at the southern tip of India, almost as close to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa as it is to South East Asia. The value of this location has not been lost on its northern neighbor China.Under Xi Jinpingʼs so-called ʼBelt and Road Initiative,ʼ the Chinese government has pumped billions into Sri Lanka in the form of both foreign investment and loans in recent years. This reliance on Chinese money is part of a longstanding Sri Lankan problem. With a major trade deficit, as well as crippling levels of debt, the country needs foreign money. China has rushed to fill the gap more enthusiastically than anyone else. The current Sri Lankan government came to power in 2015, when it replaced former President Mahinda Rajapaksaʼs administration.

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Poland says it exported suspect beef to EU Polish authorities say 2.7 tons of potentially tainted beef was exported to EU countries. The announcement comes after a television report cast light on the sale of meat from sick cows by two companies.

Polish authorities on Thursday announced that 2,700 kilograms of tainted beef were exported to European Union countries. The countryʼs chief veterinary officer, Pawel Niemczuk, said the meat went to Romania, Sweden, Hungary, Estonia, Finland, France, Spain, Lithuania, Portugal and Slovakia. "Our neighbors were asking about details of actions we have taken. I have convinced most of the countries that this situation in

Can the European Union control Chinaʼs connectivity in Europe?

Last week, the EU announced a proposal for a "new and comprehensive strategy to better connect Europe and Asia." As European countries and industry expand infrastructure and network connections with Asia, and China in particular, the EU is seeking to level the playing field and ensure that joint projects develop with Brussels setting the standard. DW spoke with Mathieu Duchâtel, senior policy fellow and deputy director of the Asia and China Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, about the EUʼs strategy on connecting Europe and Asia. Mathieu Duchâtel: This proposal is the EUʼs response mainly to Chinaʼs Belt and Road initiative, with the aim of making European values on connectivity clear. I think itʼs the result of a feeling in the EU that it wasnʼt in the driverʼs seat on the connectivity discussion in Eurasia. This, of course, includes infrastructure because thereʼs no connectivity without infrastructure.

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KnorrBremse set to become German IPO of the year Knorr-Bremse said on Friday that strong investor demand for its 35 million shares to be publicly listed on October 12 could value the stake at up to €4.21 billion ($4.77 billion). The German braking and technology group now hopes to sell its newly-floated shares at a price of between €72 and €87.

Earnings from the 30-percent stake in the company could make the flotation the biggest in Germany this year, overtaking that of Siemens Healthineers — the worldʼs largest maker of medical imaging equipment — which sold for €4.2 billion. The companyʼs chief executive Klaus Deller, said Knorr-Bremse would welcome new investors as it was heading toward further growth. "We have received very positive feedback from investors and other stakeholders...confirming our strong belief that this IPO is the next logical step for us," he said in a statement.

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Poland was an individual case," Niemczuk said. "The produce is being voluntarily withdrawn."

Read more: Meat labels misleading EU consumers, says watchdog report The announcement comes days after an investigative report aired on local broadcaster TVN, with hidden camera footage showing a slaughterhouse butchering sick cows. The abattoir supplies more than 20 meat processing plants.

Germanyʼs 5G: The bidders — and whatʼs involved

Germany desperately needs to modernize its internet. But all four companies bidding to implement so-called 5G internet have some kind of link to Huawei, the Chinese firm at the center of the US-China trade spat.

5G is the fifth generation of the internet revolution. Germany expects it to speed up its current standard speed about 100-fold, enabling industrial applications, such as driverless transport and telemedicine. For anyone downloading a standardlength HD movie, the time would be cut from roughly 10 minutes now on a 4G connection, to just a few seconds on 5G. Read more: Huawei scrambles to untangle crossed lines Germanyʼs federal network regulator, the BNetzA, will auction so-called spectrum (slots) in the 2.0-gigahertz and 3.6-gigahertz bands, which are best suited to dataintensive industrial or urban applications. Also on offer will be frequencies in the 3.7-3.8-gigahertz and 26gigahertz ranges, which are suitable for local applications, for example companies.

27/2019 • 1 February, 2019

Zermatt: Where the Matterhorn towers above it all We visit one of Switzerlandʼs most famous ski resorts

A marriage proposal on the Matterhorn: Itʼs the kind of thing that only happens in Zermatt, playground of the rich and famous.

Perhaps love begins here on the Kirchbrücke bridge, when the sun rises over the Matterhorn, freezing tourists eagerly awaiting the chance to see for themselves. Mathias Imoberdorf from the Zermatt Bergbahnen mountain railway company tells us that sometimes so many people crowd onto it with their cameras that there are now plans to expand the bridge. This winter day

How to deal with money like a German While other European countries make the transition to cashless societies, Germany still has a stubborn affection for a pocket full of loose change.

Rachel Stewart investigates the very specific German attitude to money.

Rachel Stewart is on a mission to investigate the quirks and idiosyncrasies of daily life in Germany. Every two weeks she explores a new topic from beer to nudity to complicated grammar - and heads out to get some tips from the Germans themselves.

Rachel moved from the UK to Germany in 2016. As a relative newcomer she casts a fresh eye over German clichés and shares her experiences of settling into German life.

Youʼll find more fromMeet the Germans on YouTube or atdw.com/MeettheGermans.

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is not an easy one for him. Up on the mountain the wind is blowing, so itʼs not certain how long the new tri-cable car system, the worldʼs highest, can keep running. He says it could get shaky before the trip begins, in one of the new luxury cabins with leather seats and Swarovski crystals that sparkle inside and out. This is more or less the Ferrari of m

Mariah Carey and Saudi Arabiaʼs dismal human rights record Careyʼs concert is planned for Thursday at the King Abdullah Economic City, which is located about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of the port city of Jeddah. On social media, many critics agreed that if Carey goes ahead and performs in the country, it would effectively amount to a betrayal of Saudi women, who suffer tremendously under thecountryʼs repressive gender laws. Moreover, they say the concert

would undermine the work of womenʼs rights activists in Saudi Arabia.

Belgium-based Saudi activist Alia alHathloul took to Twitter to remind Carey that her sister, Loujain, has been locked up in a Saudi jail since May 2018 for demanding women be permitted to drive. While women are now allowed behind the wheel, activists such as Loujain, who fought for this right, still remain imprisoned.

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Culture

Renovated Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest to Open on 31 October AFTER MORE THAN THREE YEARS OF RENOVATION, THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BUDAPEST WILL OPEN ON 31 OCT NOW OPEN TO PUBLIC Thanks to the largest-scale and most comprehensive reconstruction project in the museum’s history, the museum building has been renewed, and, returning to the collection’s first concept, the museum’s permanent exhibitions will also be rearranged. Besides the new permanent exhibitions, the revamped museum will welcome visitors with a chamber exhibition titled Leonardo & the Budapest Horse and Rider. The museum reconstruction, implemented within the framework of the Liget Budapest Project, included the restoration of the Romanesque Hall, which sustained severe damage in World War II and since then had been only partially renovated and used as a storage area, along with the modernisation of the building’s obsolete heating system, the installation of air conditioning in some of the exhibition halls, the renewal of a large part of the roof structure, as well as the addition of new exhibition spaces, visitor areas and modern storage facilities.

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27/2019 • 1 February, 2019

Marouane Fellaini: Manchester United agree deal with Shandong Luneng for Belgium midfielder

Manchester United have reached an agreement with Chinese Super League club Shandong Luneng over the transfer of midfielder Marouane Fellaini. It is understood the Belgium player has already passed his medical and the transfer is close to being completed.

Fellaini, 31, joined United fromEverton for £27m in 2014when he became the first significant signing after Sir Alex Fergusonʼs departure as manager.

He signed anew two-year deallast summer that was due to run until 2020.

However, Fellaini has managed just three minutes of Premier League action in seven top-flight games under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Australian Open: Alexander Zverev scrapes through in five-set thriller

London Broncos have long-term ambition to win Super League title Promoted London Broncos must have the ambition to win Super League in the future, says head coach Danny Ward. The Broncos will be back in the top flight in 2019 afterbeating Toronto Wolfpack 4-2 in the Million Pound Gameon Sunday. "We need to make it work, have a five-year plan of where we want to be," Ward told BBC Radio London.

"Next year is going to be tough but we want a long-term vision to make London the best club in the country." He added: "We donʼt just want to compete in Super League, but win it. We are not there just to survive." Ward, who took charge following the departure of Andrew Henderson at the end of last season, described their victory over the Wolfpack in Canada as "one of the proudest moments" of his career. "What a performance, what a day and what an achievement - I am still on a massive high," he said on their return to England. "To lead the club into the Million Pound Game and win promotion is one of my biggest ever achievements."

Why Germany striker Timo Werner should stay in Leipzig Germanyʼs striker would do well to stay at his current club and continue his development

Timo Werner, 22, has yet to agree a new contract with RB Leipzig and is attracting interest from a number of top European clubs.

Wading through media speculation and agent whispers and ignoring bigmoney offers is not an easy task for young, ambitious footballers. Football careers are short and a transfer to a big club can fly by as quickly as itʼs presented. But for Timo Werner the best course of action would be to stay put at RB Leipzig and sign a new contract. His current deal is due to expire on June 30, 2020 and a number of top clubs are circlingthe talented, pacy, young forward. Leipzig,

are fully aware they risk losing Werner for nothing, something which the club are not about to let happen.

Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff duly handed down an ultimatum to the young forward this week – sign a new deal or leave in the summer. "Of course we have to know by the end of the season, at the latest. Because a club like us cannot afford to keep Timo Werner in the final year of his contract,” CEO Oliver Mintzlaff told German football magazine Kicker.

As horror year continues, what now for Mesut Özil?

Drama is becoming a habit for Alexander Zverev, as Germanyʼs great male hope made hard work of booking a third-round clash with young Australian wildcard Alex Bolt. "What an amazing match," Zverev said. "Jeremy fought so hard.

Heʼs an unbelievable player. Heʼs caused so much damage to all the top guys in the world, and he showed it again today; heʼs a great fighter, great tennis player, great person, as well."

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After the furore surrounding his decision to quit the national team, Mesut Özil sought solace at his club, Arsenal. But right now, he canʼt even get a game. With critics piling on, whatʼs next for the divisive playmaker?

Though it was emphatically not the reason hestepped away from the Germany setup, the boost in freshness and fitness Mesut Özil would get from missing international breaks would surely be a happy sentence to close a sad chapter.

So when Unai Emery benched Özil for the fixture against Bournemouth on

November 25 that followed an international break, eyebrows were raised.

Emery explained his decision by suggesting Özil wasnʼt suited to a "very demanding match with physicality and intensity." It was a familiar charge from an unfamiliar source. The 30-year-old has fair claim to be the most polarizing footballer in the world. Is he the floating, unselfish and incisive menace whose best qualities are those most underappreciated? Or the talented waster prone to hiding at key moments, shirking responsibility and allowing opponents to drift past him.