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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Syrian army to help Kurdish forces repel Turkish offensive in Afrin

42/2018 • 20, FEBRUARY 2018

Donald Trump backs improved gun background checks The White House has said US President Donald Trump would back efforts to improve gun background check

The Syrian regime and Kurdish forces have reportedly agreed to join forces in Afrin to counter an ongoing Turkish offensive. Syrian state media report that the deployment of proregime troops is imminent. Damascus will deploy pro-government forces to Afrin to back Kurds against theTurkish offensive, Syrian state agency SANA reported on Monday morning.

The move aims to "support the steadfastness of its people in confronting the aggression which Turkish regime forces have launched on the region," SANA said. Syrian state television also announced that the deployment was imminent, without providing details.

Measles cases soaring in Europe, WHO warns Measles infections have skyrocketed in Europe with 15 countries reporting large outbreaks in 2017, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO is concerned by low rates of immunisation against the disease. Measles "rebounded" in Europe during 2017, with 21,315 new cases recorded across the continent, according to findings released by the European branch of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday. The data marks a fourfold rise in infections compared to the previous year. The disease claimed 35 lives in Europe in 2017. "Every new person affected by measles in Europe reminds us that unvaccinated children and adults, regardless of where they live, remain at risk of catching the disease and spreading it to others who may not be able to get vaccinated," said WHO Regional Director for Europe Zsuzsanna Jakab.

Majority of South Koreans favor North Korea ʼfriendshipʼ More than 60 percent of South Koreans believe President Moon should sit down with Kim Jong Un at a summit designed to improve bilateral relations and ease the military tensions that have dogged the region for many years. A poll conducted on February 15 showed that 61.5 percent of South Korean adults nationwide were in favor of Moon travelling to Pyongyang for face-to-face talks with Kim, while 31.2 percent disagreed and expressed the belief that additional pressure – such as international sanctions – is the best way to force North Korea to moderate its behavior. The poll was conducted half-waythrough the Winter Olympic Games, which are being held in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang, and the results underline the surge in friendly feelings that ordinary South Koreans have felt towards their neighbors on the other side of the Demilitarized Zone.

Israel announces major gas deal with Egypt A bi-partisan bill would ensure states and agencies accurately report criminal information to the FBI. US President Donald Trump supports an effort to improve federal background checks for gun purchases, the White House said Monday. "While discussions are ongoing and revisions are being considered, the President is supportive of efforts to improve the Federal background check system," Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. On Friday, Trump spoke with Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, about a bi-partisan bill introduced with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.

The bill aims to ensure federal agencies and states comply with existing laws and accurately report criminal information to the national background check system run by the FBI. The legislation does not add new restrictions on gun purchases. Cornyn and Murphy introduced the legislation after more than two dozen people werekilled by a gunman at a Texas churchlast November. The gunman, Devin Kelly, was able to buy guns despite a domestic violence conviction while in the Air Force that should have prevented him from purchasing

or possessing firearms. Both Congress and the president are under renewed pressure to fix the nationʼs gun system after a former student killed 17 people with an AR-15 style rifle at a Florida school last Wednesday. Survivors of the Parkland shooting and their supporters plan to march in Washington next month to call for stricter gun control. Trump has largely tried to avoid the politically divisive gun debate, instead blaming mass shootings such as the one from last week on mental-health issues. He blamed theFBI for missing "all of the many signalssent out by the Florida school shooter," saying that instead they were too distracted by the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Past efforts to advance comprehensive gun control reform have failed to move anywhere in Congress. However, in a sign the CornynMurphy bill could advance, the powerful NRA gun lobby said last fall that it "has long supported the inclusion of all legitimate records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System."

Past economic agreements with Israel have been controversial in Egypt, where support for the Palestinians runs high. But this major gas deal adds to growing strategic and diplomatic ties between the countries. Israel has struck an "historic" multibillion dollar gas deal with neighboring Egypt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday. It signifies the largest export agreement for Israelʼs natural gas industry. Israeli drilling company Delek Drilling and its US partner Noble Drilling announced Egyptian firm Dolphinus would buy around 64 billion cubic meters (2.26 trillion cubic feet) of gas over a decade.

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42/2018 • 20, February 2018

US Nuclear Posture Review: A bigger bang for the buck?

At the height of the Cold War, the United States and the then-Soviet Union possessed around 70,000 nuclear warheads between them — enough to destroy or poison every square centimeter of inhabited land on Earth several times over. Americas US Nuclear Posture Review: A bigger bang for the buck? The United States has put countering China and Russia, dubbed "revisionist powers," at the center of a new national defense strategy. DW takes a look at what that entails. At the height of the Cold War, the United States and the then-Soviet Union possessed around 70,000 nuclear warheads between them — enough to destroy or poison every square centimeter of inhabited land on Earth several times over. Somewhat ironically, the concept of "mutually assured destruction" (MAD), whereby the full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender, was and is a guarantor of peace.

A record 28 French restaurants get Michelin three-star ratings

Twenty-eight French restaurants have been honored with the gastronomic sectorʼs most coveted rating.

Thatʼs a record number of threestar ratings for any single country in the Michelin Red Guide.

A comeback by La Maison des Bois mastermind Marc Veyrat (pictured) and the emergence of Christophe Bacquieʼs Hotel du Castellet as another culinary force in southern France have given the country a record for most restaurants to hold a vaunted foodie guideʼs coveted three-star maximum. Set for official release on Friday, Michelin France has become the most prestigious of the publicationʼs 31 national editions and the domestic culinary bible. Michelin has faced criticism that its stars reward pomp and presentation rather than the food itself and for the guideʼs putting restaurateurs under unbearable scrutiny. The guide has made many a chefʼs name; others say it has nearly broken their wills. Veyrat — a 67-yearold who quit cooking after a skiing accident nine years ago and faced hardship again when La Maison burned down in 2015 — told The Associated Press that he does not mind the stress. "We need the pressure and adrenaline because we are creatives," he said late Monday.

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Brexit holds ʼmore hope than fearʼ Boris Johnson:

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said he wants to reach out to Remain voters who still have concerns about Brexit. Johnson said a second Brexit vote would result in another year of "wrangling and turmoil."

Indonesia debates bill criminalizing gay sex and any sex outside of marriage Indonesian lawmakers began debating controversial changes to the countryʼs criminal code on Tuesday, which critics warn would violate human rights and undermine the countryʼs democracy.

Indonesiaʼs parliament speaker Bambang Soesatyo opened proceedings by urging lawmakers to consider the legislation that would curb "homosexual excesses." Writing in the Indonesian daily , Soesatyo also said Tuesday that gay lifestyles in the country had spawned "horrifying" excesses, such as murder, HIV/AIDS and pedophilia. "If these people actively promote their lifestyles, it will be very worrying," he said.

"We urge the state to take firm action."

While homosexuality is not illegal in the worldʼs largest Muslim majority country, it has long been viewed as a bugbear to both Indonesiaʼs Islamic and secular political parties. Gay marriage is not permitted. The countryʼs LGBT community has also faced an increasing amount of prosecutionin the past two years, with multiple reports of police raids on gay-friendly establishments. Scores of gay people have also been detained on suspicion of prostitution and pornographic acts.

42/2018 • 20, February 2018

Germanyʼs grand coalition talks enter second period of extra-time Negotiations between Angela Merkelʼs conservatives and the Social Democrats have entered whatʼs being billed, once again, as a decisive day. Labor market and healthcare policy points still divide the two parties.

German officials remained positive on Tuesday morning that Chancellor Angela Merkelʼs conservative bloc and the Social Democrats (SPD) would strike a deal toforge a new coalition governmentby the evening.

As she headed into the final round of talks, Merkel called on all sides to make the necessary concessions and strike a deal that would end months of political limbo. "Each of us will still have to make painful compromises,"

Germany to compensate Algerian Jewish Holocaust survivors Jews who lived in Algeria during the Vichy regime will receive compensation, said the Claims Conference. Algerian Jews were "one of the last" groups to be recognized by Germany, the organizationʼs vice president told DW. The Claims Conference Hardship Fund on Monday announced that a new group ofJewish Holocaust survivorswill be eligible forcompensation from the Germany government. The group consists of Jews who lived in Algeria between July 1940 and November 1942. Those eligible for compensation will receive a one-time payment of €2,556 ($3,180), which the German government will begin paying out in July. "Even at this late stage, itʼs very important both for the individuals, because it acknowledges what they went through, and in general, because it creates a historical record which will stand the test of time," Eric Schneider, who serves as executive vice president of the Claims Conference, told DW. "The further we get away from the events, I think thereʼs the greater possibility of Holocaust revisionism … When the German government takes responsibility and acknowledges the event, then it makes it a lot harder to refute it.

the chancellor said. "I am prepared to do that if we can be sure in the end that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages," she added. "We live in turbulent times. We need a government that offers dependability in the interests of the people." SPD leader Martin Schulz also said todayʼs decisive stalks were "about nothing less than building stable, lasting government in one of the largest industrialized countries in the world."

Amazon in German court battle over search results

Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, is up before the German Federal Court of Justice on Thursday with two small firms taking issue over the way in which the tech giant handles online searches. Kindberg and Heilsbronn donʼt sound like the kind of places from which to start a rebellion against a global empire. Neither are foot reflexology mats nor waterproof bicycle bags the kind of things over which such battles are normally waged. But those who think along those lines probably havenʼt reckoned with the

pluck of German (and Austrian) mittel‐ stand,the small-and-medium-sized enterprises that have come to represent a particularly Teutonic brand of economic ingenuity. Ortlieb Sportartikel, the waterproof bicycle bag maker from the small town of Heilsbronn, Germany, and goFit, the mat-makers from Kindberg, Austria, are taking on Amazon,the worldʼs largest online retailerand source of the fortune of the worldʼs richest person, Jeff Bezos, in two separate cases in Germanyʼs highest court.

European markets plunge at opening bell as stock market dip deepens Global markets continue to wobble precariously. European markets took a big hit as Tuesdayʼs trading began, following major losses across Asia and particularly in Japan. Wall Street fared no better on Monday. European markets opened on Tuesday awash with red, with the main benchmark indices all down around 3 percent followingWall Streetʼs Monday rout. Minutes after the bell to signal the start of trading, Germanyʼs DAX index dropped 3 percent to 12,308 points. It was a similar story in France and the UK, whose indices opened 3 and 2.5 percent lower respectively.

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42/2018 • 20, February 2018

Chinese migration brings social change to Italyʼs Alps Home to the largest concentration of Chinese residents in Europe, two mountain villages have become the unlikely setting of an integration experiment. Giulia Saudelli and Matteo Civillini report from northern Italy.

At midday, the fog is so thick one can barely see the mountainside. From the vast space that opens out below, all one can hear are the Chinese workers busily hitting large slabs of stone with their chisels. The quarryʼs owner paces around them, making sure the precious material is handled with care. A few meters away a truck is ready to load the rough-cut stones, which, after a journey down a steep mountain road, will be delivered to the workshops in the tiny villages of Bagnolo Piemonte and Barge. This is the daily routine in the Infernotto Valley, in northern Italy, home to the largest Chinese community in terms of concentration in Europe. Since the early 1990s more than 1,300 of them have settled in this remote area, making up around 10 percent of the total population. The Chinese presence is so strong that Hu has now become the most common surname in Barge. Their arrival initiated what can be described as a 20-yearlong migration experiment, unintentionally providing a testing ground for integration policies in Italy and beyond. What brought them to this unlikely place is the Luserna stone. A pillar of the local economy, the ʼgrey goldʼ — as it is known locally — is a foliated rock featuring sheet-like layers of varying shades of color.

German metalworkers finally secure wage agreement Following weeks of bitter fighting, a wage agreement for the German metal and electrical industries has finally been struck. Employees were able to secure higher wages and more flexible working hours.

A wage agreement was reached in the early hours on Tuesday in Germanyʼs metal and electrical industries. The powerful IG Metall union announced the deal initially covering workers in the southern German state of BadenWürttemberg, but expected to be eventually implemented for a total of 3.9 million workers in the sector nationwide. According to the deal, employeesare to receive a pay hike of 4.3 percent from April this year. Additionally, monthly one-off payments of €100 ($124) were agreed for January through March. Employers and trade union representatives also agreed on the possibility of workers reducing their hours from 35 to 28 hours per week for two years, should they need to look after children or care for older relatives.

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Prominent ivory trade investigator killed in Nairobi home World-renowned ivory investigator Esmond Bradley-Martin has been found dead in his home with a stab wound to the neck. Martin had spent decades tracing the trade of ivory and rhino horns from Africa to Asian markets.

Kenyan police said on Monday that ivory trade investigator Esmond Bradley-Martin had been found dead in his home by a family member. The relative had gone to check on Martin at his home in the Nairobi suburb of Langat on Sunday afternoon after he did not respond to phone calls. "He was found dead in his house and had stab wounds," said a police officer.

"An investigation has been launched."

The head of the United Nationʼs En-

United Kingdom waits to see how the post-Brexit winds will blow The UK is the current world leader in offshore wind capacity. But with the country heading for the EU exit door, can the renewable energy boom last? Lying unpainted on its side, the greenish curve of a 75meter (246 feet) long wind turbine blade bears a passing resemblance to a whale. Itʼs twice the length of a blue whale but at 25 tons, is much lighter than the earthʼs largest creature. For employees at the state-ofthe-art Siemens Gamesa factory in the port city of Hull in northern England, another comparison is more apt. "Four bull elephants, thatʼs how we equate it," said Alison Maxwell, the head of communications at the facility. Siemensʼ £160 million ($223 million/182 million euros) plant has manufactured these great fiberglass beasts for wind farms in Britain since it opened at the end of 2016 in the economically deprived city. And itʼs a good time to be in business.

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Nissan, Dongfeng to invest heavily in e-cars in China Together with its joint venture on the ground, Japanese automaker Nissan is to make a multi-billiondollar investment in the production of e-cars in China. Beijingʼs e-car quota system goes into effect next year. Japanese carmaker Nissan and its Chinese joint venture partner Dongfeng Motor Company announced Monday they would invest $9.5 billion (€7.6 billion) in China to increase annual sales by 1 million vehicles andboost the production of electric cars. The move came as China was rolling out new regulations to limit gas vehicles in a bid to reduce air pollution across the Asian nation. Authorities in Beijing will implement a complex quota system as of 2019, requiring carmakers to produce a minimum number of electric vehicles. They are also looking at plans to completely ban fossil fuel cars at a date that has yet to be decided.

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vironment Program, Erik Solheim, said he was shocked by Martinʼs murder and described the late investigator as a "global authority" on ivory and rhino horn trafficking. Martin, an American citizen who had lived in Kenya for decades, was a key figure in the global crackdown on illegal ivory supply chains. Much of his research quantified and analyzed the Asian ivory markets in China, Hong Kong,Vietnam and elsewhere.

Galápagos fights temptation of mass tourism

With its iconic giant tortoises, crested black iguanas, huge ocean manta rays and a veritable menagerie of other cool creatures, the Galápagos Islands are one of the most beautiful places you will probably never visit.

Who wouldnʼt want to go to a white sand beach and soak up some sun alongside a lounging iguana, or surf in waters with those lumbering tortoises swimming beside you and a rainbow of tropical fish below? But in order to protect the flora, fauna and ecosystems of this Pacific archipelago that inspired Charles Darwinʼs theory of evolution, Ecuador is in the odd position of having to turn away perhaps millions of wouldbe tourists each year. Keeping a tight lid on tourism is the way the South American country has preserved this volcanic string of 19 large islands, dozens of islets and rocky outcroppings. Authorities wage this fight as world tourism grows and grows - it was up seven percent last year - and they must resist the temptation to let in hordes of visitors, their pockets bulging with dollars. "The Galápagos are the crown jewel, and as such, we have to protect them," Tourism Minister Enrique Ponce de Leon told. "We must be drastic in caring for the environment."

42/2018 • 20, February 2018

Avalanches in Swiss Alps and French Alps leave two dead Two other skiers have been rescued in the Swiss Alps

A father and his daughter were killed when an avalanche swept them away while they were skiing in the French Alps. Two other skiers have been rescued in the Swiss Alps near the French boarder after a different avalanche.

A 43-year-old man and his 11-yearold daughter were found dead in in the French Alps early Sunday afternoon after two people were injured by a separate avalanche in Switzerland. The French pair had been skiing at the Val-dʼIsere ski resort in France near the Italian border. Local newspaper Le Dauphine said they had been skiing in an area closed off due to the avalanche risk. The exact circumstances of the accident were not

yet known, and prosecutors in nearby Albertville have opened an investigation. Two other skiers were rescued on Sunday with minor injuries after an avalanche took place at an altitude of 2,500 meters (8,202 feet) on a mountain ridge called the Col de Fenestral in the Finhaut region of the Canton of Valais, near the Swiss-French border. Police had originally reported 10 skiers to be missing but revised that down to two.

Russian accused of running spam network extradited to US Suspected Russian hacker Pyotr Levashov pleaded not guilty before a US judge after being extradited from Spain. Prosecutors claim he ran a massive computer network that sent out spam and installed malicious software.

Spanish authorities have extradited to the US a Russian man suspected of carrying out cybercrimes using bulk spam emails and malicious software, US officials announced Friday. Pyotr Levashov, a 37-year-old from St. Petersburg, pleaded not guilty to the charges of wire and email fraud, hacking, identity theft and conspiracy after appearing before a federal judge in the US state of Connecticut. He re-

mains in detention. Levashov was arrested in Aprilwhile vacationing with his family in Barcelona. In October, Spainʼs National Court granted the US extradition request, rejecting a counter-extradition request from Russia. US prosecutors say Levashov ran the sprawling Kelihos botnet — a network involving up to 100,000 infected computers that sent spam emails, harvested usersʼ logins and installed malicious software that intercepted bank account passwords. According to the indictment, the network generated and distributed more than 2,500 spam emails a day and allegedly victimized thousands of people in the US.

German university hospital defends auto firmsʼ nitrogen dioxide test ethics No experiments on animals or humans can take place in Germany without a go from an authorized ethics committee. Dr. Thomas Kraus from Aachen University Hospital says this was the case in the most recent NO2 scandal.

The European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) "did not impinge in any way on the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) research it commissioned Aachen University Hospital to do," Professor Thomas Kraus from the hospital told the German press agency DPA on Monday. The EUGT is a now defunct organization that was funded by German carmakers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW plus partsmaker Bosch, thus raising questions of possible conflicts of interest. In 2013, 25 healthy volunteers were exposed to NO2 pollution for three hours, Kraus said.

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Culture

Finnish Film Days 2018

Within the framework of the Finnish Film Days, a selection of prominent Finnish productions screen through five days – between February 7th and 11th – at Budapest’s alluring arthouse cinema, the Művész.

The festival presents some of the major talents of the Nordic country’s film industry, and besides the scheduled screenings, workshops, music events and discussions on scriptwriting and on female roles in the contemporary film industry also feature in the festival.

The opening film, Euthanizer, has won various prizes around the world, while Tom of Finland was the country’s official submission for the Academy Awards last year.

All of the films screen with original Finnish audio and English and Hungarian subtitles, unless indicated otherwise.

Within the framework of the Finnish Film Days, a selection of prominent Finnish productions screen through five days – between February 7th and 11th – at Budapest’s alluring arthouse cinema, the Művész.

The festival presents some of the major talents of the Nordic country’s film industry, and besides the scheduled screenings, workshops, music events and discussions on scriptwriting and on female roles in the contemporary film industry also feature in the festival.

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42/2018 • 20, February 2018

IOC concerned over possible design flaws of doping test bottles

The International Olympic Committee says it is concerned about potential flaws in doping sample bottles.

The organization wants assurances that the bottles cannot be tampered with ahead of the Winter Olympics.

After potential issues with the security of the bottles were aired, the IOC has asked the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to ensure that antidoping tests at the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang "can be conducted credibly and reliably," an International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson said Tuesday.

Formula One to stop using grid girls amid #MeToo movement

Grid girls have long been a staple of Formula One but the sportʼs new owners have decided to end the practice, days after darts did the same with its walk-on girls. The concept has often been labeled as sexist. Formula One will no longer use walk-on grid girls before races this season, after deciding the practice is old-fashioned amid the current debate oversexual harassment. "Over the last year we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport," Sean Bratches, Managing Director of Commercial Operations at Formula One, said in a statement.

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Athletics doping: IOC confident over Russia doping reform plans International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach believes Russia will resolve its doping issues and field athletes at next yearʼs Rio Games.

Russia was provisionally suspendedfrom world athletics after an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report alleged "state-sponsored doping". Bach met with his Russian Olympic Committee counterpart Alexander Zhukov to discuss the report. He said he was "confident" in the measures put forward by the ROC. Council members of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on Friday voted 22-1 in favour of Russia being banned. As it stands, Russian athletes may not enter international competitions, including the World Athletic Series and Rio Olympics, which begin on 5 August next year. Russia will also not be entitled to host the 2016 World Race Walking Cup in Cheboksary and the 2016 World Junior Championships in Kazan. "We are confident that the initiatives being proposed by the ROC, with the responsible international organisations - Wada and the IAAF - will ensure compliance as soon as possible in order to provide participation of the clean Russian athletes at the Olympic Games," said IOC president Bach.

Lindsey Vonn completes Garmisch hattrick with 80th World Cup win Vonnʼs time was just good enough to claim victory by two thousandths of a second

With the winter Olympics just days away, US ski sensation Lindsey Vonn claimed the 80th World Cup win of her career on Saturday as she won the downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the third straight year.

Vonn clocked a time of 1 min 12.84sec, just 0.02 secs faster than overall World Cup downhill leader Sofia Goggia, while Austriaʼs Cornelia Hütter finished third. "Itʼs a big number," said Vonn of her 80th victory. "I remember when I got my 50th win here, I never thought I would get close to Annemarie Moser-Proellʼs record [of 62 wins].

Now I am getting closer to Sten-

markʼs. Itʼs incredible. I am so thankful that I have gotten myself in a position to get these wins coming into the Olympics." The 33-year-old is now just six World Cup wins short of matching Ingemar Stenmarkʼs all-time alpine record and will race again in Sundayʼs downhill race, the final tune-up before the Olympics open in Pyeongchang on Thursday.

IOC rejects request to invite 15 cleared Russians to Pyeongchang The IOC has rejected a request to invite 15 Russians, who have had their doping bans overturned, to compete at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The Kremlin has expressed regret at the decision.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday rejected a request to invite the 15 Russians to the Pyeongchang Winter Games just days after theCourt of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had overturned their lifetime doping bans. A statement posted on the IOCʼs website said that the decision came after a special panel had "unanimously recommended that theIOCnot

extend an invitation to the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 to the 15 individuals."

"The OAR IG (Olympic Athlete from Russia Implementation Group) confirmed that no additional invitations will be extended to these 15 individuals," it added. The 13 active and two retired athletes were among 28 Russians whose bans were overturned by the Swiss-based CAS on Thursday. The IOC bans on 11 other Russian athletes was upheld. The two retired athletes, who had their requests denied, would have worked as coaches for the "Olympic Athlete from Russia" team at the Pyongchang Games.