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52/2019 • 2 MARCH, 2019 WEEKEND ISSUE

DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Israeli attorney general to charge Benjamin Netanyahu for corruption Israelʼs attorney general is seeking graft charges against Netanyahu

Israelʼs attorney general intends to bring charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for corruption, the Justice Ministry said on Thursday.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said he had accepted the police recommendations to file charges against the Israeli prime minister in three different corruption cases. The indictment could deal a major blow to Netanyahuʼs prospects in an upcoming election in April.The Israeli leader is seeking a fourth consecutive term.

The actual filing of the reported charges, which include bribery, fraud and breach of trust, will take place only after a hearing, where Netanyahu would be given a chance to defend himself. The hearing could take place after the April 9 election. Netanyahu would be the first Israeli prime minister to be prosecuted while in office.

Political ʼwitch-huntʼ Netanyahu is suspected of accepting gifts, including cigars and champagne, from wealthy businessmen and dispensing favors worth hundreds of millions of dollars to telecom giant Bezeq in return forpositive press coverage in Bezeqʼs popular subsidiary news site Walla. Netanyahu could face up to 10 years in jail if convicted of bribery and a maximum 3-year term for fraud and breach of trust. The Israeli prime minister has denied any wrongdoing.

Responding to the attorney generalʼs announcement, Netanyahu said he was a victim of political "witch-hunt" aimed at influencing the upcoming

election. He said the charges against him will collapse like "a house of cards." Netanyahuʼs right-wing Likud party described the charges as "political persecution." "Unilateral publication of the attorney generalʼs announcement just a month before the elections, without giving the prime minister an opportunity to refute these false accusations, is a blatant and unprecedented intervention in the elections," Likud said in a statement.

Likud had petitioned the Supreme Court to delay the public release of the indictment until after the election.

But the top court rejected the request on Thursday. The Israeli prime minister has denied any wrongdoing. Responding to the attorney generalʼs announcement, Netanyahu said he was a victim of political "witch-hunt" aimed at influencing the upcoming election.

He said the charges against him will collapse like "a house of cards." Netanyahuʼs right-wing Likud party described the charges as "political persecution." "Unilateral publication of the attorney generalʼs announcement just a month before the elections, without giving the prime minister an opportunity to refute these false accusations, is a blatant and unprecedented intervention in the elections," Likud said in a statement. Likud had petitioned the Supreme Court to delay the public release of the indictment until after the election. But the top court rejected the request on Thursday.

Senegal President Macky Sall wins re-election

Gazaʼs youth stares into the abyss

Flintlock: US Special Forces bolster African armies

Senegalese President Macky Sall has won re-election with 58.27 percent of votes cast in last Sundayʼs poll, according to Judge Demba Kandji, president of Senegalʼs National Census of Votes Commission. The solid majority hands Sall a second term without the need for a second round of voting. According to the results, leading opposition candidate Idrissa Seck took 20.50 percent of the vote while Ousmane Sonko had 15.67 percent.

For the past year, young people on crutches have become a common sight on the streets of Gaza City. And Mahmoud Abu Zer is one of them. He sits on his bed in a sparsely furnished room in the crowded neighborhood of Al Nafaq and can barely move. Metal plates and bandages are strapped around his calves. Two weeks ago, he was shot in both legs by an Israeli sniper while slinging stones at Israeli soldiers across the fence during weekly Friday demonstrations, he says.

The prospect of an indictment could hurt the Israeli prime ministerʼs chances in upcoming election, where he is seeking a fourth consecutive term.

US-Russian cyber war just getting started According to The Washington Post, the recently established US Army Cyber Command completely blocked internet services to the Internet Research Agency in Saint Petersburg — better known as the Kremlinʼs troll factory on the day of the US Midterms in November. The agency is said to be financed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a billionaire businessman believed to be close to Vladimir Putin. He is also thought to be the main backer of Russian mercenaries in eastern Ukraine, Syria and Africa.

At the Zagreb military camp in Burkina Faso, US Special Operations forces are sharpening over 20 African armies in the art of countering extremist organizations. Despite the armies coming from so many diverse countries, they show off cooperation in small unit tactics and intelligence sharing. The Cameroonian assault team, from an elite battalion, uses a drone to track militias.

Their intelligence is then shared with over the 2,000 service members participating in the Flintlock 2019.

52/2019 • 2 March, 2019 Weekend issue

Pakistan to release captured Indian pilot ʼas a peace gestureʼ

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday that his country would release a captured Indian pilot "as a peace gesture."

Speaking to Pakistani lawmakers in parliament, Khan said the pilot, identified as Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, would be released on Friday.

Khan also said that he tried to reach out to his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to de-escalate tensions between the two countries.

"Pakistan wants peace, but it should not be treated as our weakness," Khan said.

"The region will prosper if there is peace and stability. It is good for both sides." Khanʼs comments came after Modi said that "Indiaʼs enemies are conspiring to create instability in the country through terror attacks."

Geely the car industryʼs rising ʼprofitability starʼ

Ferdinand Dudenhöffer from the CAR Center Automotive Research at Germanyʼs Duisburg-Essen University called Chinese auto manufacturer Geely "the profitability star of the worldʼs car industry." A fresh study by the center points out that on average, a Geely car costs just €9,529 ($10,942), but the companysecures a 14.4 percent profit from revenues before tax and interest.

Dudenhöffer says thatʼs a lot more than, say, the profit margins of foreign rivals BMW, Toyota or PSA-Opel. The worldʼs largest carmaker, Wolfsburg-based Volkswagen, logs a profit margin of only 8.2 percent, the survey says.

Geely is part of the Zhejiang Geely Holding,which also owns Volvo Cars, London EV-Taxi and Lotus.The holding has also acquired a 10 percent stake in Daimler.

According to the CAR researchers, Geelyʼs rapid rise is based on its successful compact car platform, which it developed together with Sweden-based Volvo.

"What Ferdinand Piëch managed to implement at VW from 1993 with the help of his platform strategyis in a way being copied now by Geelyʼs main shareholder and founder, Li Shufu," said Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, adding that the Chinese were becoming major players in the global auto market.

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German foreign minister stuck in Mali in latest government plane fiasco Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is the latest to be stranded due to a plane defect

Mexican journalist shot dead at restaurant Sergio Martinez Gonzalez, the editor of a local news outlet in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, was shot dead Wednesday morning, the latest victim in Mexicoʼs wave of journalist murders. Martinez, who owned and ran the publication Enfoque, had just dropped off his daughters at school and was breakfasting with his wife at a local restaurant when two people on a motorcycle stopped in front of the couple and opened fire, local media reported. Martinezʼs wife survived the attack, and was receiving medical attention, Mexican newspaper El Uni‐ versal said. The Chiapas attorney generalʼs office announced on Twitter that it was investigating the murder.

German government planes have had a series of embarrassing problems in the past several months.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has been stranded in Mali after his government airplane was unable to depart due to a problem. The Airbus A319 did not take off Thursday evening as planned from the capital Bamako, where Maas has decided to stay overnight before a replacement aircraft takes him back to Berlin on Friday. Read more: Germany to replace aging fleet of beleaguered government planes It was not immediately clear what mechan-

Confusion over missing Saudi journalist in Turkey who ʼvanishedʼ from consulate Turkish and Saudi officials have given conflicting reports on the whereabouts of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday. Khashoggi, a regular contributor to The Washington Post, has been a fierce critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and has criticized Saudi Arabiaʼs policies toward Qatar and Canada,the war in Yemen and a

ical issues the plane had. Maas has been on five-day tour of West Africa, including Mali, whereGermany supports the UN peacekeeping mission . German government planes have encountered numerous problems in the past months, drawing ridicule and criticism over maintenance of the aging fleet. In response, the defense ministry has announced plans to purchase three new Airbus A350s for long-range flights. crackdown on dissent, the media and activists. Khashoggiʼs personal website bore a banner saying, "Jamal has been arrested at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul!" without elaborating. A Saudi official denied that Khashoggi had been detained inside the consulate. "Mr. Khashoggi visited the consulate to request paperwork related to his marital status and exited shortly thereafter," the official said.

"He is neither in the consulate nor in Saudi custody."

Afghan leader rejects resignation of spy chief, top ministers President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday

urged Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak, Defense Minister Tareq Shah Bahrami, and intelligence chief Masoum Stanekzai to stay in their posts, the Afghan government said.

The three officials submitted resignation letters on Saturday, citing policy differences and a spate of deadly attacks. "President Ghani did not approve their resignations... and gave them the necessary instructions to improve the security situation," a statement from the presidential palace said. The offers to step down followed the resignation of Ghaniʼs national security adviser and close ally, Hanif Atmar, on Friday. Atmar, one of the countryʼs most powerful politicians, has been replaced by former ambassador to the US Hamdullah Mohib.

52/2019 • 2 March, 2019 Weekend issue

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Post Malone, Franz Ferdinand, Son Lux and many more confirmed for Sziget 2019 After Ed Sheeran, the Foo Fighters and Twenty One Pilots, more major stars have been confirmed for the Sziget Festival 2019. Post Malone, Franz Ferdinand, Son Lux, Years&Years and other attractive acts have just been announced to appear at Budapest’s biggest summer extravaganza, taking place between 7-13 August.

Features to look out for at Francophone Film Days Screened at three cinemas, the Széchenyi Baths and the French Institute, Francophone Film Days showcases 15 features made across the French-speaking world from Switzerland to Senegal. Several are English-friendly – starting with tonight’s ‘Alone at My Wedding’, here we recommend five films to go and see. All these subtitled screenings take place at the Toldi cinema downtown.

A 75-year-old Catherine Deneuve plays the eponymous central character who decides, one fine June morning at the start of summer, that this will be the last day of her life. The process begins with Deneuve throwing out all her precious possessions, scattering them around her front lawn and offering them all up for cheap sale. As neighbours and passers-by bicker over each object, the items throw light on aspects of Claire’s colourful past. Old friends then alert Claire’s estranged daughter, Marie, of the bizarre goings-on at the family estate, and mother and child meet for the first time in 20 years. The denouement comes when each delves into the reasons behind their separation. Julie Bertuccelli, daughter of filmmaker JeanLouis, directs this adaption of the debut novel by Texan journalist Lynda Rutledge, Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale. The film is only just released in France. 1 & 6 March, both 9pm, 3 March 4:30pm

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52/2019 • 2 March, 2019 Weekend issue

Study shows how losing sense of smell disrupts digestion The experiment didnʼt involve humans, but thousands of worms

5 things to know about the HIVprevention drug, PrEP US President Donald Trump has announced a plan to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in America.

The drug known as PrEP, which prevents spread of the disease, still faces challenges to widespread adoption around the world.

In his annualState of the Union address, US President Donald Trump announced his administrationʼs plan to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030. The main goal of the plan is to reduce new infections by 75 percent over the next five years

and end the epidemic. Around 40,000 Americans contract the disease each year. Globally, 36.9 million people have HIV and 5,000 more get it every day. One important part of preventing the transmission of HIV is the drug PrEP, which stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. Derived from the antiretroviral drugs that reduce the amount of HIV in infected patients — thus reducing their likelihood of transmitting the virus to others — PrEP is for people who have not yet contracted HIV. Here are five things to know about PrEP.

Our ability to smell gets worse as we age, and a new study from Germany suggests this could have a negative effect on how our bodies process food. One caveat: What did you find out when you looked at these roundworms? Fabian Finger: We

found thatthe sense of smellhas a strong impact on the functionality of the gut. So If I smell food, my body starts to get prepared not just for food generally, but for that specific kind of food? Yes. Read more: 6 reasons to care about your gut flora If I smell a hamburger, then my bodyʼs thinking, "OK, get ready to process a hamburger?" That goes a bit too far.

But there are clear differences in

One night in February brings a dozen choirs together in Budapest Midwinter can be bleak but never dull in Budapest. On 9 February, popular events series The Night of Choirs brings together a dozen groups to sing in several rooms of the MagNet Community House on showcase boulevard Andrássy út. Performances start at 6pm. Next month, 200 singers perform 35 shows after sundown for the winter edition of the popularNight of Choirsfestival. Hosted at theMagNet community hubfor cultural attractions, the event features performances in diverse genres from folk to jazz. Concerts start early evening and community singing will bring the day to a close at 10pm.

Tickets at 1,600 forints are available on the event’s website. Set between the Bajza utca and Kodály körönd stations on the M1 Millennium Underground, MagNet House is a centre for diverse community activities. The building is also home to MagNet Bank, a financial institution focused on ethical commerce.

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terms of what kind of food source youʼre smelling. What did the round‐

worms smell, and how did their bodies re‐ act? They usually eat bacteria. So

what they smell is living bacteria.

And depending on what kind of bacteria you give them to eat, the worms react differently, based on the smell.

So "Bacteria A" smells one way, "Bacteria B" smells the other way, and the wormʼs body is getting ready to digest one of them, based on smell.

Carnival season in Budapest and beyond

Michelangelo, Rubens and Dalí all coming to Budapest in 2019 view for nearly three months until 30 June, The Triumph of the Body exhibition featuring 80 drawings by Michelangelo should draw bumper crowds to Budapest’s revamped Museum of Fine Arts this spring. Later in October, the museum will present Rubens and the Golden Age of Flemish Painting, a total of 120 works of art,

Costume parades and carnival masks denote Budapest’s farewell to winter.

With the onset of ‘farsang’, or carnival season, Hungary’s capital sees colourful crowds flooding to masquerade galas and themed events.

This colourful festive period stretches until Ash Wednesday, this year falling on 6 March, when Lent begins the run-up to Easter. However, in stark contrast to fasting, farsang celebrations see a diet rich in meat and sweets. A staple for the season is the carnival doughnut, a treat of powdered sugar and jam.

Michelangelo, Rubens and Salvador Dalí all feature at the bighitting exhibitions coming to Budapest’s Museum of Fine Arts and the Hungarian National Gallery during 2019.

The season starts on 5 April with a display of 80 drawings by Michelangelo, on loan from the Louvre, the Uffizi and the British Museum. On

ten by Van Dyck and 30 by Rubens himself. Curated from 50 prestigious collections around the world, including the Hermitage, the Prado and London’s National Gallery, the exhibition will run until February 2020.

Over at the National Gallery, The

Surrealist Movement from Magritte to Dalí – Crisis and Rebirth in 1929 will focus on

the leading artists active in this groundbreaking genre during the momentous year of the Wall Street Crash. The exhibition, on show from 27 June until 20 October, is being organised in collaboration with the Pompidou Centre in Paris, which will provide many of the featured pieces.

52/2019 • 2 March, 2019 Weekend issue

Keeping the king alive?

Lion breeding in Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, some conservationists are breeding lions to ensure these vulnerable apex predators donʼt die out. A number of African countries are already reporting that lions are no longer present in their national parks.

As night falls, intruders stalk onto Lorra Sibandaʼs property at the edge of a vast bushland in Zimbabwe. The next day, the 42-yearold wakes to find the savaged caracases of her cattle and goats.

"If I hear them coming, usually at night, I alert the [neighbor] boys to come and kill them," Sibanda told DW. Sibanda is referring to the lions that live in Hwange National Park, which borders her farm.

She could have more than 20 livestock, she says, which would be an impressive holding for the area.

But the voracious lions have whittled her inventory down to just three cattle and six goats. "I now depend on others to help me, when I could have been helping others," she says of the lion attacks, which have damaged her livelihood.

It is exactly this kind of conflict between humans and wildlife that the African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT), which is dedicated to the conservation of the big cat, says has contributed to the collapse of the continentʼs lion populations.

Nets ʼnʼ Lasers: some of our best hopes for mitigating the threat of space debris Space debris is a bit like space itself: We know itʼs up there, but beyond that thereʼs so much we know we donʼt know. The statistics are fun, though, if a little misleading. Itʼs a bit of a safari crunching the numbers, but here goes. Since 1957, the year the Soviet Union sent Sputnik into space, there have been 4,900 space launches.

So far so good. In that time we have put 6,600 satellites in orbit and/or created "an on-orbit population of more than 18,000 tracked objects." Elsewhere, ESA cites "more than 17,000 orbital objects" being tracked and catalogued by the US Space Surveillance Network. And in a third document itʼs 22,000 objects. But you get the idea: Itʼs a lot. Of the 6,600 satellites, 3,600 remain in space, and less than a third (about 1,100) are operational.

Elegant Café Párisi breathes new life into Budapest’s splendid Lotz Hall

Arctic temperatures grip US Midwest Freezing temperatures have gripped the northern United States due to a split in the polar vortex, a mass of cold air that normally stays bottled up in the Arctic. The Wednesday morning temperature in Chicago was -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) which felt like -46 degrees with the wind chill. It was expected to get down to -33 degrees on Thursday. The weather wreaked havoc on airports and train services.

More than 1,800 flights were cancelled at Chicagoʼs two major airports, while rail operator Amtrak

cancelled train services from its hub in the city. At Chicagoʼs OʼHare airport, ground crews were told to avoid spending more than 15 minutes at a time exposed to the freezing air, which delayed the lucky flights that managed to take off.

Commuters heading to work in Chicago had to layer up to fend off the cold. "I have two shirts on... I have a hoodie, I have my big winter coat, I have a face mask and a skullcap and I am still cold," sandwich shop manager Daniel Gonzalez said.

Café Párisi is on the top floor of the building, with theAndrássy Entertainment Centreand, from tomorrow, an Avatar exhibition below. The café is open every day and the Lotz Hall can be rented for special events such as birthday parties, company gatherings or a fairy-tale wedding. Café Párisi Address: District VI. Andrássy út 39 Open: Daily 9am-9pm

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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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52/2019 • 2 March, 2019 Weekend issue

Anthony Joshua v Jarrell Miller: American challenger praises Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury "looks more like a heavyweight champion" than Anthony Joshua, says Joshuaʼs next opponent Jarrell Miller. Unified world heavyweight champion Joshua, 29, will meet New Yorkʼs Miller at Madison Square Garden on 1 June. The Briton is a 1-10 favourite with bookmakers towin on his US debutagainst an opponent who is undefeated. "In my eyes, [Fury] is somebody who has been doing good in and outside the ring," Miller told BBC Sport.

Stuart Bingham says snooker in catch-22 over betting

Snooker "would not be sport" without betting sponsorship, says exworld champion Stuart Bingham but the level of promotion is a "nightmare". Of the 20 ranking events, 11 are sponsored by betting companies, while other invitational events are also financed by them.

Bingham, 42, who serveda threemonth banfor betting breaches last season, won the English Open last month. The situation is a "catch-22", he told BBC Sport. "It is in our faces, it is everywhere," he added.

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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."

Roger Federer to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final Federer will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final

Roger Federer is one win away from a 100th ATP singles title after a semi-final victory over Borna Coric at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Federer, 37, showed his best form of the tournament in easing to a 6-2 6-2 win over the 22-year-old Croat.

He now faces Greeceʼs Stefanos Tsitsipas, who beat Federer in the Australian Open last 16 in January.

A win will make Federer the second male player to win 100 singles titles after American Jimmy Connors, who won 109. "Tsitsipas is tough to play, tough to beat," said Federer.

"He showed me that at the Australian Open, how hard he is. Maybe the final is a little bit of a revenge

match. "Reaching 100 titles - weʼre still far from it. Iʼm just going to try to focus and play good tennis," Tsitsipas recovered from a set and 3-1 down to get past Frenchman Gael Monfils 4-6 7-6(4) 7-6(4), a win which will propel the 20-year-old into the worldʼs top 10 for the first time in his career. "The whole match changed out of nowhere," Tsitsipas said. "Iʼve improved since last year. Beating the big guys, big players, players that have been in the top 10, it means a lot."

Emiliano Sala plane crash: Footballer was ʼlet downʼ by Cardiff, says Willie McKay Emiliano Sala was "abandoned" by Cardiff City and had to arrange his own travel in a £15m transfer from Nantes, says ex-football agent Willie McKay. McKayʼs son Mark was Nantesʼ acting agent in the deal for the footballer, who died in a plane crash last month. Willie McKay arranged the flight that crashed in the English Channel, killing Sala, 28, and pilot David Ibbotson. Cardiff say they

"strongly reject" the claim they neglected to provide Sala with travel arrangements. "He was abandoned in a hotel more or less to do his travel arrangements himself," Willie McKay said. But in a statement, Cardiff said: "Our club was in the process of organising a commercial flight for Mr Sala until this offer was declined owing to separate arrangements being made - the planning and specifics of which Cardiff was not privy to.