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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

German spy agency sets sights on Balkans, focuses on Bosnia Germanyʼs foreign intelligence agency BND is increasingly focusing on the Balkans and especially Muslim-majority Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Berliner Zeitung reports. Bosnia faces a growing influence from the Gulf states. The German Intelligence Agency (BND) is increasingly concerned about Islamist tendencies in Bosnia-Herzegovina, theBerliner Zeitung daily newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing sources from the intelligence community. The agency is allegedly also turning its attention to the whole of the volatile Balkan region. For generations, the Muslim population in multi-ethnic Bosnia has adhered to a very liberal interpretation of Islam. This perspective was also reinforced by authorities in secular former Yugoslavia, which included Bosnia along with six other present day Balkan states. However, religious divisions flared up during the break up of the socialist state in the 1990ʼs and the influence of religion has been growing ever since.

281/2017 • 1, DECEMBER 2017

EU and UK ʼclose to financial agreementʼ Brexit:

or without Assad officials

Reports suggest the UK government has made a significantly improved offer to the EU on the terms of its Brexit financial settlement. There’s talk of "sufficient progress" before a December 4 meeting but doubts remain.

The eighth round of UN-sponsored talks on Syria since 2012 is set to get underway in Geneva, though the Assad regime has not yet named a delegation. Talks hosted

by Russia have led to hopes there may be a breakthrough. The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said he would "not accept any preconditions by any party" for the talks set to start in Geneva on Tuesday.

He said the talks would be guided by a 2015 Security Council resolution mandating a political transition for Syria. By Monday evening, the eve of the talks, the Syrian government had not officially named its delegation. The pro-government newspaper AlWatan claimed there was a "hidden condition" for the talks from the Syrian opposition that President Bashar al-Assad step down at the start of any transitional period.

The EU and the UK are close to agreement on the final Brexit ʼdivorce billʼ —the share of EU liabilities the UK will pay upon leaving the bloc— according to several reports in the British media reported late on Tuesday. The BBC, the Financial Times, the Guardian and several other British newspapers and media outlets are reporting that following a UK government cabinet meeting last week, the British significantly upped their offer to Brussels, coming much closer than they previously had to the EUʼs estimate of the UKʼs financial obligations.

According to several EU diplomats and officials, intense negotiations have led to the UK broadly agreeing to the terms of a financial settlement that could see the country paying a net amount of at least €50 billion ($59 billion) over a period of several years after it leaves the EU in March 2019. When asked on

Syria transition talks in Geneva to get underway with

Wednesday about the reports, the EUʼs chief negotiator on Brexit Michel Barnier said: "We are working really, really hard on these subjects. I hope that I can report that we have been able to negotiate a deal."

While nothing official has been announced,the reports suggest the two sides are close enough on the issue for the EU to deem "sufficient progress" has been made on it when a crucial meeting takes place between British prime minister Theresa May and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday, December 4. "I think we can reach sufficient progress, but again we havenʼt seen anything on paper yet, so I am always extremely cautious," said one EU official involved in the talks.

The so-called ʼdivorce billʼ relates to a series of liabilities the UK has in relation to its 44-year membership of the EU.

Senior military official commits suicide amid corruption probe A former member of Chinaʼs Central Military Commission has committed suicide after authorities opened a corruption probe against him. Zhang Yang was being investigated over his ties to two corruption-tainted generals. A top Chinese military official under investigation for corruption has committed suicide, the Defense Ministry and state media said on Tuesday.

Zhang Yang (pictured above), a former member of the powerful Central Military Commission, was "suspected of giving and taking bribes" and the origin of a large amount of his assets was unclear, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the commission. "On the afternoon of November 23, Zhang Yang committed suicide at home," the Xinhua report stated.

Danish teenage convert to Islam given extra jail term for bomb plot Sentenced when she was 15 years old for her plot to attack schools with bombs, the IS sympathizer has stabbed an educator while in jail.

Medical advisors recommended she be incarcerated for the foreseeable future. A high court in Denmark extended to eight years the sentence for the now 17-year-old Muslim convert.

The individual, who cannot be named under Germanyʼs media code, was arrested in her home village 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of the capital, Copenhagen, in January 2016.

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281/2017 • 1, December 2017

Russia vetoes last-ditch bid to save probe into gas attacks in Syria Russia used its veto twice in 24 hours to deny a new mandate to the UN team looking into chemical weapon attacks in Syria. Moscow said it would not extend the mandate of the probe without fixing its "fundamental flaws." Tensions were running high in the UN Security Council on Friday after Russia vetoed a last-ditch motion

by Japan to continue the UN-led investigation into chemical weapons use in Syria. The move comes only a day after Russiavetoed a separate US draft resolutionto extend the probe, and its own draft was in turn rejected by the US, UK, and France. Moscow has repeatedly criticized the findings of the UN-backed investigative body, dubbed Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) as biased and inaccurate. Last week, JIM released a report blaming the Syrian regime for the chemical attack which killed around 100 people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in April. Russia rejected it as "invented" and insisted that the body needed to reform.

Ousted Venezuelan opposition leader escapes house arrest, flees to Spain Ousted Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma has likened his escape to a film. He plans to take the fight against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro abroad.

The ousted opposition mayor of Caracas arrived in Spain on Saturday after orchestrating a daring escape from house arrest in Venezuela. Antonio Ledezma landed in Madrid from Bogota, Colombia, where he arrived a day earlier after slipping across the border. He was greeted by his wife and two daughters who live in Spain.

Ledezma said he planned to organize resistance from abroad to President Nicolas Maduro, under whose rule millions of Venezuelans have suffered from shortages of food and other basic supplies. "I am going to travel the world to spread the hope of all Venezuelans to escape this regime, this dictatorship," Ledezma said. The 62-year-old opposition figure was removed as mayor of Caracas and arrested in 2015 on allegations he sought to topple Maduro. He was later put under house arrest due to health issues. Ledezma was one of the opposition leaders who led protests against the government in 2014, which also resulted in the arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.

He remains under house arrest.

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Migrants ʼneed legal ways to come to Europeʼ Jean-Claude Juncker:

The European Union must not remain silent in the face of slave markets in Libya, says EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.

Speaking with DW, Juncker reiterated his call for more legal migration routes to the EU. Europe cannot be silent in the face of this outrageous problem, which dates back to another century.

Africa is all too familiar with the issue of slavery. Iʼm appalled by the information thatʼs reaching me from Africa. We know about Libyaʼs problems: Libya is not a state like any other. So it is neither conceivable, nor acceptable, for Europe to

Argentina navy loses contact with submarine with 44 crew on board No one has heard from an Argentinian submarine for at least two days. While authorities initially insisted it wasnʼt missing, Argentinaʼs navy has stepped up its search efforts. Argentinaʼs navy lost contact with one of its submarines and its 44 crew members, it announced on Friday. Although the German-built ARA San Juan has been out of contact for two days, the navy initially did not consider it lost. "Itʼs not that itʼs lost, because to be lost, you have to look for it and not find it," the navy told a local broadcaster. However, after an initial search operation in the submarineʼs last known position, around 430 kilometers (267miles) off the southeastern

close its eyes to this tragedy, a daily tragedy for so many people — children, women, men — in Libya. I had already wanted us to address this problem at a previous European Council meeting. I canʼt sleep easy when I think about whatʼs happening to those people who went to Libya to try and improve their lives, only to find themselves in hell.

Valdez peninsula, bore no results, Argentina said it was stepping up its search efforts and calling on allies for help. "We have not been able to find, or have visual or radar communication with the submarine," navy spokesman Enrique Balbi told reporters at a news conference. "I donʼt want to dramatize the issue. Weʼre lacking communication and donʼt know what happened."

The incident has formally been upgraded to a "search and rescue" operation, Balbi added.

Cambodia charges 2 journalists with espionage The arrests are the latest in a widening crackdown on media and the opposition in Cambodia ahead of elections next year. The move further

Australia shutters Papua New Guinea detention center Around 600 asylum seekers have refused to leave the facility, citing fears of attacks from locals. Australian lawmakers have warned of a "humanitarian emergency" when authorities in Papua New Guinea shut off the water.

Private security staff at a controversial Australian detention center in Papua New Guinea left the facility for the first time in years on Tuesday ahead of its expected closure.

The facility formed an integral part ofAustraliaʼs expensive offshore detention programknown as "Sovereign Borders." However, Papua New Guineaʼs Supreme Court ruled that the facility is unconstitutional and needed to be closed. Some 600 asylum seekers residing at the facility have refused to leave, saying the alternatives provided are less secure.

Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the campʼs closure would proceed, and that the asylum seekers have access to temporary residences nearby. "All have been informed for a considerable period of time that there is safe and secure alternate accommodation where health and other services will be maintained," Dutton told Reuters news agency in an emailed statement.

strains ties between the United States and Cambodia. Two Cambodian journalists who worked for a US-funded radio station were charged with espionage on Saturday, the latest move in a widening crackdown on critics of authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Uon Chhin and Yeang Socheameta, former journalists of the Washington-based Radio Free Asia, were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly providing information to a foreign power. The offense carries up to 15-years in prison. Radio Free Asiaʼs Phnom Penh bureau closed its office in September, citing "intimidation" and threats that it was violating tax and registration regulations. The Cambodia Daily newspaper reported the two journalists were accused of setting up broadcasting equipment in the capital and sending news reports to Radio Free Asiaʼs Washington bureau.

281/2017 • 1, December 2017

Bitcoin hits $10,000 In January, one Bitcoin cost about $700 (€589). Now itʼs reached $10,000. We look at what Bitcoin is, why itʼs inflating, and whether itʼs likely to become a common way for people to pay for stuff.

The old saying applies: If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, itʼs probably a duck. Charting Bitcoinʼs price trajectory over the past year, it looks, walks, and quacks like a speculative bubble. Before getting caught up in the frenzy, itʼs worth looking at what exactly Bitcoins are. Are Bitcoins useful for anything beyond financial speculation? Its promoters call Bitcoin an electronic currency — but are Bitcoins really suitable for everyday market transactions, like grocery shopping? Are they a

US and Poland strike $10.5 billion missile defense deal The US has approved the $10.5 billion sale of a Patriot anti-missile system to NATO ally Poland. Eastern European NATO states have been ramping up their military capabilities in the face of perceived Russian aggression.

In a move likely to irk Russia, the US and Poland agreed on Friday a major arms deal that could see the eastern European NATO member soon begin conducting air and missile defense operations. As part of the $10.5 billion (€8.9 billion) sale, Poland is expected to receive 208 Patriot Advanced Capabilty-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement missiles, 16 M903 launching stations, four AN/MPQ-65 radars, four control stations, spares, software and associated equipment. Made by US defense contractor Raytheon, the missiles are reportedly designed to detect, track and engage unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles and shortrange or tactical ballistic missiles. In a statement issued following the sale, the State Department said that: "A secure Europe capable of deterring air and missile threats and other forms of aggression promotes peace and stability within NATO and on the European continent."

good long-term store of value, a sensible choice of financial instrument for people who want to save for retirement, for example?

Nicholas Perrin is a strategist and systems designer on the leadership team atHolochain, a group of software experts designing a rival to the ʼBlockchainʼ technology underlying Bitcoin. According to Perrin, the answer to these questions is: "No." Because of the way it was designed, he told DW, the Bitcoin system isnʼt particularly useful for anything other than financial speculation.

Pope meets military chief on first day in Myanmar

Pope Francis has visited Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing, whose forces deny blame for the Rohingya refugee crisis. The Vatican withheld meeting details, only saying both acknowledged a "great responsibility." Francis began his six-day South Asia touron Monday, closely watched on how he would address the recent mass-flight of 620,000 Ro-

hingya Muslims from Buddhistmajority Myanmarʼs Rakhine state into Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

His trip, which continues in Myanmar until Thursday — to be followed by two nights in Bangladesh — was planned before the United Nations and the US said that Myanmarʼs treatment of the Rohingya bore the hallmarks of "ethnic cleansing."

Austrian full-face veil ban comes into effect Austriaʼs prohibition of full-face coverings has officially come into force. The government said the ban helps uphold Austrian values and promotes integration despite criticism from Muslim and refugee groups. People in Austria are now banned from covering their faces in public.

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281/2017 • 1, December 2017 Can the ad industry become sustainable?

A look at an entrepreneur who wants to revolutionize the ad industry. Andrea Henao is a former advertising executive who left the corporate world to found her own business — a boutique ad agency that vets its clients. ndrea Henao wants to change the ad industry. Two years ago, the Berlin-based French entrepreneur founded an ad agency that only works with sustainable brands. I met Henao in her offices, not too far from the Berlin’s notorious Alexanderplatz. The premises are decorated with second-hand furniture that she bought online, and art pieces collected and made with friends and colleagues. While showing me around, she shared the stories about the furniture and art. Henao understands the importance of stories. And she knows just how brands come up with stories that appeal to customers with certain values.

With rising consumer awareness about environmental issues and labor practices, brands increasingly emphasize ecological footprint and employee working conditions. Unfortunately, ad campaigns do not always tell the truth — they exaggerate, embellish and lie.

And this is something Henau wants to change. "We really believe that we are responsible for the ad that we promote, hence we promote exclusively sustainable brands," she tells me. The ad industry has yet to play a significant role in ensuring brands tell the truth.The onus to reveal false claims has generally fallen on activists, consumer groups and the media. But Henao believes advertisers can play a bigger role.

China sales behind German carmakersʼ rosy third quarter Strong vehicle sales in the wordʼs most important car market have been essential in enabling German carmakers to end their third quarters on a positive note. Their dependence on China is expected to increase further.

Germanyʼs top carmakers would not have been able to present positive third-quarter results without a booming auto market in China, a study by consultancy EY showed Tuesday.

It said China had long become the most important market for Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler, with one in three of their cars sold in the third quarter having gone to the Asian nation. To be more precise, the Chinese market accounted for 34 percent of Germanyʼs overall car sales between July and September, the highest ever rate logged so far.

Back in 2010, only 23 percent of Germanyʼs quarterly car sales ended up in China.

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Uber hits legal roadblock in Israel The bad news continues for Uber. Less than a week after the revelations about a massive data leak the firm tried to cover up, Israel has become the latest country to block some of the firm’s services.

An Israeli court has banned Uberʼs ride-sharing services from operating in the country,following legal challenges from a taxi driversʼ union and a rival ride-sharing app. The beleaguered ride-hailing service has been trying to develop its operations in the Israeli market in recent times, both through its traditional app-based taxi booking model and also through two ride-sharing pilot schemes, UberNIGHT and UberDAY. Mondayʼs injunction targets those ride-

Germany bans sale of childsnooping smartwatches A German regulator has banned the sale of childrenʼs smartwatches that have one-way monitoring functions.

Officials said parents had been using the watches to listen in on teachers while their children were in class.

Certain smartwatches for children can no longer be sold in Germany as some of these models are equipped with a "wiretapping" function, a regulator said on Friday Germanyʼs Federal Network Agency, orBundesnetzagentur, announced the ban saying that these watches can be classed as "unauthorized transmitters." "According to our investigations, parents were using the watches, for example, to listen in on teachers during class," said Bundesnetzagentur President Homann.

Germany Germany bans sale of child-snooping smartwatches A German regulator has banned the sale of childrenʼs smartwatches that have one-way monitoring functions. Officials said parents had been using the watches to listen in on teachers while their children were in class.

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Norwegian wealth fund plans to divest of oil and gas Norwayʼs trillion-dollar sovereign wealth fund is proposing to drop oil and gas companies from its holdings, saying it already has enough exposure to the industry and wants to protect against fluctuating oil prices. Oslo is set to decide in the fall of 2018 on backing a proposal from the countryʼs sovereign wealth fund —the worldʼs biggest— to cut oil and gas companies from its benchmark index. In a letter to the government, the Norwegian central bank, which manages the fund, said on Thursday that the move would make Norway "less vulnerable to a lasting decline in oil prices." "This advice is based exclusively on financial arguments and analyses of the governmentʼs total oil and gas exposure," the bankʼs deputy governor Egil Matsen said in a statement. "It does not reflect any particular view of future movements in oil and gas prices or the profitability or sustainability of the oil and gas sector," he added.

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sharing pilots, which Uber confirmed would no longer operate following the ruling. Uber says its standard app service will continue to operate in the country. "While we are ending our UberNIGHT and UberDAY pilots, we will continue to offer UberTAXI in Israel," a spokeswoman said. "We are committed to working with the Israeli authorities to explore how technology can improve our cities with safe and affordable transportation alternatives."

Congressʼ top Democrats ditch Trump meet after tweet

Top Congress Democrats have pulled out of a meeting with President Donald Trump after he attacked them on Twitter. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi called off the meeting after Trump told followers he didnʼt "see a deal."

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (pictured) on Tuesday canceled a scheduled afternoon White House meeting with Trump and called for immediate talks with top Republican leaders in Congress to avert a government shutdown. "Rather than going to the White House for a show meeting that wonʼt result in an agreement, weʼve asked Leader McConnell and Speaker Ryan to meet this afternoon," Pelosi tweeted later, referring to Speaker Paul Ryan Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell. Trump later said that Schumer and Pelosi had been "all talk" and "no action." This followed a Trump tweet in which he said he would be meeting with "Chuck and Nancy” about keeping the government open and functioning, but simultaneously claimed that they "want illegal immigrants flooding into our Country unchecked, are weak on Crime and want to substantially RAISE Taxes."

"I don’t see a deal!" he concluded.

281/2017 • 1, December 2017

Could we run out of sand?

Germany must allow third gender

What happens when the sand runs out?

An intersex person has won a court case to allow them to enter a third gender into the registry of births.

The case was appealed to the Federal Constitutional Court after failing at lower levels.

Germanyʼs Federal Constitutional Court on Wednesday called for a third gender option in the registry of births.

Intersex people, who are neither male nor female, should be able to register their sexual identity as such, the Karlsruhe court ruled. The court found that the general right to the protection of personality in Germanyʼs Basic Law meant the register had to be altered to allow a third gender. The court ruled seven to one that lawmakers must create new legislation by the end of 2018 to allow for a third sex, providing the examples of "intersex," "diverse" or another "positive designation of sex." Another possibility raised was to scrap gender entries altogether. "Assignment to a gender is of paramount importance for individual identity; it typically plays a key role both in the self-image of a person and in the way in which the person concerned is perceived by others. The gender identity of those persons who are neither male nor female is protected,"the court ruled.

Sand seems to be in limitless supply — but we are going through it faster than almost any other resource on the planet.

On parts of the shoreline in the Moroccan beach town of Tangier, something is amiss. Though the ocean is there — its waves lapping, crashing and roaring as they have since time immemorial — it is not a place for long days of lazing on soft sand. Because there isnʼt any. Instead of a rolling golden strand, there is a rockscape with lunar-like formations. Though spectacular to behold, they arenʼt natural phenomena — but actually just former beaches stripped bare by large-scale theft of sand. But why steal it? "We have a lot of sand, but we also have a lot of demand," Hermann Kessler

from the German Environment Agency (UBA) told DW. It is used in many, many things. From toothpaste and plaster to stone-washed jeans; crockery, kitchen sinks and toilet bowls; from windows and beer bottles to silicon chips that are used in items from smart phones to cars. But by far the biggest consumer is the construction industry, which uses sand to produce bricks, asphalt and concrete. It takes around 200 tons (400,000 pounds) of the stuff to make a mid-sized house; to build a kilometer of highway takes 30,000 tons; and a nuclear power plant around 12 million tons.

Teachers for AI — can robots create more jobs than they retire?

While headway in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry has many worried about potential jobs losses, others see this as a perfect opportunity to nurture an economy that is completely human-based.

Workers can spend anywhere from 5 minutes to 40 hours a week going through simple tasks on a smartphone, making AI all over the world more intelligent and efficient. By building platforms and crowd sourcing a large supply of workers, the companies that train AI were smart to realize the data needed could be processed by anyone with steady access to the internet. From this developed companies like Clickwork, Neurala,

and Alegion Inc., which utilize "human taggers" to push AI education.

With over a million "clickworkers" signed up, thereʼs an estimated 100,000 people logged on at this very moment, sifting through droves of information and lending a human touch to robot training. "Staring at security cameras or an airport scanner, remote-controlling a robot, driving trucks up and down a mine did not exist as jobs until recently," says Massimiliano Versace, CEO of Neurala, "and will probably not exist as jobs occupying a full-time human as they are today. Humans were created to do much more complicated and elevated tasks than watching videos 24/7."

in registry of births, court rules

Advent Feast at the Basilica November 24 - January 1

One of the ‘Best European Christmas Markets’ is a must-see event in the heart of Budapest Discover Hungary’s most acclaimed Christmas market: The Advent Feast at the Basilica is blending Central European traditions and modern attractions, turning the iconic St. Stephenʼs square into 3D cinema. For more details and information about the Advent Feast’s event schedule, check out thewww.adventiunnep.hu/enwebsite. Budapest 1051, Szent István tér Opening hours: MondayFriday: 11 am – 10 pm, SaturdaySunday: 10 am – 10 pm, and 10 am – 2 pm on December 24. Skating class hours: Friday from 2-8 pm, Saturday from 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am -6 pm.

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Culture

New Hungarian film Aurora Borealis now screens in Budapest Becoming a mother is a miraculous time in a woman’s life. However, there are certain scenarios when the arrival of a newcomer is not entirely wonderful news. The new motion picture by eminent Hungarian director Márta Mészáros, Aurora Borealis, tells a touching tale, taking viewers back in time in Hungary and leaving them reaching for the Kleenex.

The story has two timelines. One transports viewers back to a western Hungarian village in 1953, where a descendant of an aristocratic family, Ákos, falls for a village girl, Mari. They try to escape to Austria together, but unfortunately with no success, and after being harassed by soldiers, Mari has to start a new life alone and pregnant in occupied Vienna. The other storyline is in the present, unfolding the events through the recollections of old Mari, now a pensioner living in her old village.

One day she gets a letter from Russia and falls into a coma. Her daughter Olga, a lawyer living alone in Vienna, comes back to care for her. Suspecting something about her mother’s past isn’t quite right, she starts investigating. This is only a fraction of the story, as anything else would be a major spoiler. However, even the trailer foretells that Olga’s dad might not be who she thinks after all.

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281/2017 • 1, December 2017

Bird flu scare latest to rattle South Koreaʼs Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympic Games have been dogged by avian influenza, as well as the concern over the unpredictable regime in North Korea, poor ticket sales, a shortage of accommodation and rising prices. Local governments in South Korea have called on operators of farms close to venues that are to be used in Februaryʼs Winter Olympic Games to slaughter around 6,000 ducks and chickensafter avian influenza was discoveredon a duck farm in North Jeolla Province.

The H5 strain of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus - commonly known as "bird flu" - is common in bird populations but has also made the jump to humans. In July 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it had confirmed 630 cases in humans in the previous decade, resulting in 375 deaths.

Borussia Dortmund’s problem is Hans-Joachim Watzke, not Peter Bosz

Dortmundʼs AGM on Sunday saw CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke, throw his support behind beleaguered coach Peter Bosz. Peter Boszʼs honeymoon period at Signal Iduna Park is well and truly over, with their seven-game unbeaten run at the start of the Bundesliga season all but a distant memory. But while Bosz has struggled to implement his methods on the field in recent weeks, the man ultimately responsible for the clubʼs performance — HansJoachim Watzke — has remained oddly immune to criticism. Watzke may have backed the man he appointed in the summer, but he doesnʼt have another choice right now.

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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.

Former Brazil star Robinho sentenced to nine years in prison for rape The 33-year-old, who currently plays in Brazil, denies the crime and has the right to appeal

Former Brazil football international Robinho faces nine years in prison after being convicted of rape in Italy.

The 33-year-old, who currently plays in Brazil, denies the crime and has the right to appeal. Former Real Madrid, Manchester City and AC Milan striker Robinho was sentenced to nine years in prison in Italy on Thursday after being convicted of gang rape. He was found guilty in absentia by an Italian court for sexually assaulting a 22-year-old Albanian woman. Five others also accused of the same crime, but their sentences are not yet known.

Robinho, who has the right to appeal, pleaded not guilty and has de-

nied the charges against him, which relate to an incident in January 2013, when Robinho was playing for Milan. According to Milan newspaper Corriere della Sera, Robinho and five friends made the young woman drink "to the point of making her unconscious and unable to resist". They were then said to have engaged in "sexual intercourse multiple times in a row" with her.

The 33-year-old is currently playing for Atletico Mineiro in Brazil. He has 100 international caps for his country.

Formula One: Valtteri Bottas leads Mercedes one-two in Abu Dhabi season finale Valtteri Bottas led from pole to flag from Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel finished in third, but ultimately the year ends in disappointment for Ferrari.

Valtteri Bottas won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prixfrom pole on Sunday — but it wasnʼt enough to snatch second place in the final standings. Bottas claimed his third season and career win ahead

of Hamilton and Ferrariʼs Sebastian Vettel, who retained the overall runners-up spot in the dusk race at the Yas Marina Circuit. Hamilton, who hadclinched a fourth career titlewith two races to spare four weeks ago in Mexico, finished the 20-race season with 363 points, with Vettel on 317 and Bottas on 305. Vettelʼs Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen ended the season in fourth place after Red Bullʼs Daniel Ricciardo retired with hydraulic problems.