DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
George Weah sworn in as president of Liberia Football legend George Weahʼs inauguration ceremony has marked the countryʼs first democratic transition of power since 1944. Liberians are placing their hopes on him, but he has a daunting task ahead. Thousands of Liberians queued for hours to get into Samuel Kanyon Doe stadium near the capital, Monrovia, whereGeorge Weah was sworn into office. Several African heads of state were in attendance. Referring to his past as an international football star, the 51-yearold newly inaugurated president said: "I have spent many years of my life in stadiums, but today is a feeling like no other." He went on to reiterate that his first priorities as president would be to root out corruption and pay civil servants "a living wage," as well as encourage the private sector.
25/2018 • 30, JANUARY 2018
EU ministers agree on transition period demands Brexit:
Director Dieter Wedel steps down from theater festival after sex assault claims
EU ministers have approved a new set of guidelines for a transition period following Great Britainʼs exit from the bloc. The EU is offering the UK a "status quo" transition, but no decision-making power after it leaves.
Following weeks of sexual assault allegations, award-winning German director Dieter Wedel is leaving the Bad Hersfeld Theater Festival. His departure follows public accusations from several actresses. After repeated allegations of sexual assault from several actresses, Dieter Wedel has announced that he is stepping down as artistic director of the Bad Hersfeld Theater Festival. "Dieter Wedel is currently in hospital," a spokesperson for the 75-year-old said Monday. "After the events of the last two weeks, he is poor health." German tabloid Bild additionally reported that he is being treated after a heart attack. In a recent article in Zeit Magazin, several actresses made serious allegations against the star director, which included non-consensual sex. Patricia Thielemann accused Wedel of forcing himself on her in a hotel room in 1991, and attempting to strangle her when she fought back.
Government ministers from the European Union on Monday agreed to a transition period lasting from March 2019 to December 31, 2020 that will phase out Great Britain from the bloc once it officially leaves next year. Although the ministers agreed to allow Britain access to the EUʼs single market during that time, the UK will have no decision-making power. The negotiating directives, set out the blocʼs requirements for the transition period, including: Free immigration from the EU must continue during the transition. All EU laws — including those passed after the UKʼs exit in 2019 — should continue to apply to Britain during the transition. Certain exceptions can be made in the areas of security and justice laws.Britain will not have a role in the EU decision-making process once it leaves.Any disputes over laws would continue to be handled by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).The transition will be used to strike a deal on the UKʼs future trade relationships — but the UK cannot
formally sign-off on any new trade deals before the transition period expires. "When you have left the European Union you have left, and this is just a transition to a new arrangement," Swedish EU Affairs and Trade Minister Ann Linde told reporters in Brussels following the vote. The EUʼs deputy chief negotiator Sabine Weyand said the European affairs ministers adopted guidelines for Brexit negotiations "within two minutes." She added that the guidelines ensure a "status quo transition without institutional representation." A Downing Street spokesman said that the UK welcomed the EUʼs transition terms, saying that Brussels and Londonʼs positions were well aligned. However, there is still "some distance" between the two sides concerning several transition details. The EUʼs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Britain "must accept" all EU laws during the transition, adding that there is still work to be done on the divorce agreement.
Berlin confirms German national killed in Kabul hotel attack At least one German was killed in Saturdayʼs Taliban attack on a luxury hotel in Kabul, according to the German foreign ministry. The militants gunned down over twenty people, mostly foreigners, in a siege lasting hours. One German national died in the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, a German foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Monday. The ministry said the victim was a woman, but did not provide other details. There are no indications that other German citizens were among the casualities. At least 22 people lost their lives in the Saturday attack, according to the latest death toll provided by the Afghan Health Ministry. The death toll is likely to rise. The militants specifically targeted foreign citizens, according to a survivor quoted by the news agency AFP. "They were saying kill the foreigners," said a 20year-old hotel employee who gave his name as Hasibullah.
US embassy to open in Jerusalem by end of 2019 US Vice President Mike Pence has told Israeli politicians that the US embassy will move to Jerusalem by the end of next year. He also said Washington would withdraw from a nuclear deal with Iran, calling it a "disaster." US Vice President Mike Pence told Israelʼs Knesset on Monday that Washington was intending to bring forward a controversial plan by the Trump administration to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "In the weeks ahead, our administration will advance its plan to open the US Embassy in Jerusalem — and the embassy will open before the end of next year," Pence said.
weather today BUDAPEST
2 / 3 °C Precipitation: 0 mm