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German bike helmet ads labeled stupid and sexist German politicians have criticized a Transport Ministry advertising campaign that features scantily clad women and men wearing bike safety helmets. The posters feature the slogan: "Looks like sh*t, but saves lives." The German Transport Ministryʼs provocative marketing campaign to boost the use of helmets while riding bikes has been denounced as sexist by several female politicians. "It is embarrassing, stupid and sexist for the transport minister to be selling his policies using naked skin," said Maria Noichl, the chairperson of the Working Group of Social Democratic Women (ASF), in an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. She said the posters "must come down." The campaign, which was unveiled on Friday, features young scantily clad women and men wearing bike helmets, along with the slogan "ʼLooks like sh*t [the helmet], but saves lives."
Norway cruise ship arrives in port after airlift drama The Viking Sky cruise ship that lost power off the coast of Norway arrived at a nearby port on Sunday after three of the vesselʼs four engines were restarted. Rescuers said two tug boats aided the vessel as it navigated toward the town of Molde, more than 24 hours after an evacuation order was issued when the ship lost engine power in stormy weather. The shipʼs owner reported that 479 of the shipʼs 1,373 passengers and crew had been airlifted to shore before the ship departed Hustadvika Bay. The shipʼs crew had sent anSOS message on Saturday after running into trouble in an area off the Norwegian coastline known for its rough, treacherous waters. Footage showed furniture and other fixtures sliding around the vessel, as parts of the ceiling came down.
69/2019 • 25 MARCH, 2019
Could Kazakhstan be a model for a power transfer in Russia? Will Vladimir Putin follow Nursultan Nazarbayevʼs lead? Juri Rescheto reports from Moscow
The resignation of Kazakhstanʼs president has given rise to speculation over the future transfer of power in Russia. "A free fantasy" is how Dmitry Peskov describes speculation about the future transfer of power in Russia. The Kremlin spokesman is quick to brush off media reports on the subject. But sooner or later the transfer of power will come, no matter what the spokesman says. One possible date might be 2024, when Russia holds its next presidential election. Russiaʼs constitution will prohibit Putin, who has served two consecutive terms, from running again. Moscow political science expert Alexei Kurtov tells DW that this is why there is nothing unusual about the Kremlin being permanently consumed with thoughts about maintaining its grip on power: "No matter who Putin is at that point, whether he stays or leaves: The bread and butter of any ruling system is to ensure that it stays in the driverʼs seat." Read more: Russia and Ukraine in 2019: More conflict ahead? A monarch steps down Why not approach the situation like neighboring Kazakhstan has? A few days ago, a leader who many thought would never step down did just that. After three decades at the helm,Nursultan Nazarbayev voluntarily resigned.Nevertheless, he is not really going anywhere. He will remain the
chairman of the countryʼs allpowerful Security Council for life, as well as the head of the ruling party. That would be possible in Russia, too; the country has a Security Council as well as a single ruling party, United Russia, which Putin has also led in the past. Kazakh political scientist Marat Shibutov told DW, however, that planning for the transfer of power in Kazakhstan, which many saw as a surprise, was likely begun back in 2000. He says the presidentʼs resignation was simply the "last formality," a political step designed to clear the path for the countryʼs opening to Western economic investors. Shibutovʼs colleague Aidos Sarym also believes that although the transfer of power is taking place now, Nazarbayevʼs resignation has been in the works for a long time. "But it will present a major challenge for Putin," says the Kazakh political scientist. He does not believe the Kazakh model would work for Putin: "Power is distributed differently in Russia. The power structure is more complicated. There are more clans than in Kazakhstan, where power is concentrated in the hands of one clan. In Russia, there are a lot of people that are willing to slit each othersʼ throats."
ʼIslamic Stateʼ defeated in Syria: US-backed Syrian forces The US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday declared victory against the "Islamic State" (IS), saying they hadflushed the jihadists from their last remaining strongholdin the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz. The announcement marks the end of the terror groupʼs self-proclaimed caliphate, which at its height in 2014 covered large swathes of Syria and Iraq. Read more: ʼIslamic Stateʼ loses significant camp in final holdout territory Baghouz Victory in Baghouz SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali announced the victory on Twitter: "Baghouz has been liberated. The military victory against Daesh has been accomplished," he said, referring to IS by its acronym in Arabic. The SDF declares "total elimination" of the so-called caliphate and "100 percent territorial defeat of ISIS." "On this unique day, we commemorate thousands of martyrs whose efforts made the victory possible."
Stop Brexit: Millions sign petition to British government A petition asking the British government to reverse its course on Brexit has received more than 4.5 million signatures in only three days. The official parliamentary petitionlaunched on Wednesday is calling for the government to revoke Article 50, the mechanism that governs Britainʼs departure from the European Union. "The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is ʼthe will of the people.ʼ We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU. A Peopleʼs Vote may not happen — so vote now," the petition states.
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