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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Analysts see a bleak future for Cameroon The arrest was announced by Kamtoʼs lawyer Agbor Nkongho and seemed to belie the conciliatory note struck byBiyain a speech given after the swearing-in ceremony to a seventh term of office. Biya recognized "the frustrations and aspirations" of the English-speaking North-West and South-West regions, where a deadly conflict has been raging since last year. He promised "a good number of answers" and an acceleration of the "ongoing decentralization project." Is Biya about to change his policies of repression and look for solutions for conflict? "No, this is not a hopeful sign," Cameroonian analyst Tanda Theophilus from the International Crisis Group (ICG) research organization told DW. The president has acknowledged the plight of the people before; but by labelling them separatists ʼterroristsʼ he also makes it clear that he is not willing "to dialogue with them," Theophilus said.

German conservatives against UN migration pact There are growing reservations within Angela Merkelʼs Christian Democratic Union (CDU) about Germany signing onto the United Nationsʼ migration pact. Marian Wendt, a CDU lawmaker and member of the Bundestagʼs home affairs committee, told DW on Tuesday that he was concerned that the compact did not distinguish betweeneconomic migrantsand asylumseekers, and was annoyed with the German Foreign Ministry for failing to communicate the purpose of the agreement properly. The non-legally binding Global Compact for Migration was finalized in July and is set to be adopted by UN member states in December, though eight countries, including the US, Australia, and Italy, have either already withdrawn or have signalled an intention to withdraw.

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Italy must get tax back from Vatican, EU rules Europeʼs top court has told Italy to recoup municipal taxes unpaid by Vatican schools and hostels

Itʼs a win for a Montessori school and a Rome guesthouse owner who asserted unfair taxation in the context of EU law. Appeal judges at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) overruled EU commission and lower chamber rulings Tuesday, telling Italy it must recoup municipal taxes on Vatican-owned non-commercial properties found to be illegal state aid. In January 2012 Italy established a church loophole, exempting "non-commercial" ecclesiastical education and accommodation properties from paying a new single Italian municipal tax known as IMU. In December 2012, the Brussels-based European Commission declared the non-collection as unlawful but let Italy off the hook with its argument that recovery would be impossibly complicated because Italyʼs property title registry and tax database was incomplete. That excuse was adopted by the ECJʼs General Court in September 2016, prompting further appeals by Romeʼs Schuola Elementare Maria Montessori and Pietro Ferraci, a Rome bed-and-breakfast property owner. The Italian news agency ANSA quoted the school appellants as saying: "We are very happy. It was

long battle, but in the end David won over Goliath." The extent of the Vaticanʼs unpaid tax bill is still unclear. ECJ appeal judges in Luxembourgrecognized the Montessori school and Ferraci as complainants under Article 263 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which allows "any natural or legal person" to institute proceedings, saying this was a "first time" on admissibility. Secondly, the appeal judges said Italyʼs non-recovery of its municipal tax (IMU) from church educational and accommodation entities was only justified after "scrupulous" and objective examination, and if "no alternative methods" existed. The Commission had failed to establish that Italyʼs municipal tax recovery was impossible, said the ECJ, and set aside the lower chamberʼs judgement. Rome was where in the late 19th century medical doctor Maria Montessori developed a new, childcentered form of education, now widely practiced around the world. Italy has 137 institutions, according to the movementʼs Italian branch.

Disillusionment overshadows Madagascan elections According to this passerby in the capital Antananarivo, the election should not be happening in the first place. "Itʼs pointless," he told DW, "I have seen different presidents come and go. They make promises which they then never keep." He says he will not vote. "The candidates always have big plans for us, but I never see any evidence that they intend to deliver on them." Many think like him. Citizens lack faith in Madagascarʼs politicians and political system, and the country itself is in a serious plight. Since independence in 1960 Madagascar has struggled to pull itself out of poverty. Despite a relatively peaceful postcolonial history, the countryʼs Gross Domestic Product per capita has consistently fallen. The United Nations Human Development Index ranks Madagascar in the bottom quarter and 90 percent of Madagascans live below the poverty line. The mostly rural population has severely limited job prospects and in desperation many to turn to crime.

Germany sets new restrictions on glyphosate Use of glyphosate and similar herbicides in Germany will face tougher restrictions going forward, the Environment Ministry announced on Tuesday. From 2020, farmers will be required to set aside 10 percent of their farmland to protect biological diversity if they want to use glyphosate and similar herbicides, the ministry said.

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