Skip to main content

title

Page 1

DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Australia halts German ship after crew reports mistreatment and food shortages

72/2019 • 28 MARCH, 2019

India shoots down satellite, becomes ʼspace superpowerʼ Such capabilities raise fears of a weaponization of space at a time of rising tension with Pakistan

AGerman-owned cargo shipcalled the "Anna Elisabeth" was detained off the coast of Australia after the crew complained of poor working conditions, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said on Wednesday. The Liberian-flaggedbulk carrieris owned by the German shipping firm Johann MK Blumenthal, and union inspectors say the reported conditions on the ship are "systemic to this company." The Anna Elisabeth is currently being held at Port Kembla in New South Wales, Australia. Reports of mistreatment The crew — comprised of 17 workers from Sri Lanka and the Philippines — said theyʼd experienced bullying and unsafe conditions on board. They have not been allowed to take shore leave since January 23, when the ship was in South Africa, according to the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF).

Violence and fraud in Nigeriaʼs gubernatorial elections All Rukayya Abba wanted to do on March 23 was cast her vote. But the scene she came across in the village of Bichi quickly made her change her mind. "There were armed thugs everywhere," she said. "We didnʼt vote because we were afraid of getting killed." There were similar stories from other parts of Kano state, from people who had also wanted to take part in the postponed governorship elections. The two-week postponement affected 128,000 people in 28 administrative districts. It appears that many of them were deliberately prevented from taking part, like Rukayya Abba.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed his forces shot down a low-earth satellite in a pre-planned test. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that his countryʼs forces had shot down a low-orbit satellite as part of a test exercise. Modi said he was proud of his scientists and congratulated those behind the mission. He said the exercise proved India had become a "space superpower," bringing it in line with the US, Russia and China. Although Modi said the test exercise, deemed "Mission Shakti" (Hindi for "power"), was not aimed at any one country, the announcement could inflame tensions with Pakistan just days ahead of a crucial election. Read more: India aerospace: ʼNothing can stop usʼ Pakinstan responded by urging international action against military threats in space. "Space is the common heritage of mankind and every nation has the responsibility to avoid actions which can lead to the

militarization of this arena," Pakistanʼs foreign ministry said in a statement. Prime Minister Modi was careful to point out that India opposes the weaponization of space, emphasizing that Wednesdayʼs test did not violate international law. Indian space expert Ajay Lele underscored Modiʼs claim by saying: "India is not placing weapons in space. A ground-based missile defense interceptor system was used to destroy the satellite. If some country or adversary places a satellite for intelligence or for troubling India, India now has the capability to remove such an irritant." Modi praised the effort on Twitter, saying it was important because it was an entirely indigenous effort. India has an ambitious space program, having launched probes to the Moon as Mars, as well as unveiling plans for a manned space mission by 2022.

Nazi-era mass grave site to become luxury homes in Belarus Young soldiers comb through the soil with their gloved hands and with shovels. They pull out blackened bones, skulls, fragments of shoes — and lay them out to be counted. The site opens up like a huge wound in the middle of the city. After around two months of work, the exhumation work here is coming to an end. In total, the special army search battalion has found the remains of 1,190 people, according to authorities in Brest, a Belarusian city on the border to Poland. Builders discovered the first bonesin mid-January, when they began to lay the foundations for an apartment block in the historical center of Brest. From December 1941 until October 1942 this district was a Jewish ghetto. When the site was "cleared," Nazi occupiers shot an estimated 16,000 Jews in a forest to the northeast of the city. Thousands more were executed within the confines of the ghetto.

German government split on Saudi arms ban Germanyʼs government coalition is split on whether to maintain the ban on arms sales to Saudi Arabia in the face of increasing pressure on France. The temporary embargo, imposed in November, is due to expire at the end of this week, but a meeting of the national security council (Chancellor Angela Merkel and her senior ministers) ended inconclusively on Wednesday, according to the DPA news agency.

weather today BUDAPEST

8 / 15 °C Precipitation: 0 mm


72/2019 • 28 March, 2019

Germany speeds up asylum process German authorities took a little over six months on an average to process asylum requests in the third quarter of 2018, according to an Interior Ministry response to a parliamentary question by the Left party. The average processing time was 9.2 months in the first quarter and 7.3 months in the second quarter, newspapers of the Funke Medien‐ gruppe quoted. In 2017, the asylum seekers had to wait an average of 10.7 months for a decision. The time that the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) officials needed to process asylum requests in the third quarter is still way below the target of three months that Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with state premiers in 2015. "Instead of the costly and mostly ineffective process of questioning the protection status that has already been granted, as is currently happening hundreds of thousands of times in the context of the revocation investigations, the BAMF staff should be deployed to examine the asylum applications and gain better qualifications," Left Party domestic policy expert Ulla Jelpke told Funke newspapers. This could effectively shorten the length of procedures "without compromising the quality of the procedures," she said.

Germanyʼs migrants: wooed and discriminated "We are Hamburg. Are you in?" Thatʼs the slogan Hamburg is using to advertise municipal jobs to migrants. From police officers to teachers, doctors, bookkeepers and prison workers — the city is hoping to hire more employees with an migrant background. And itʼs not just Hamburg making this push. All throughout Germany, the business and public sectors alike are focusing on the countryʼs newest residents. Rising education levels Thatʼs because the average education level of migrants in Germany is on the rise. In 2011, one-quarter of young migrants between the ages of 18 and 25 had completed their "Abitur," or high school certificate exam. By 2015, that figure had climbed to 33 percent. During that same period, the percentage of youth without a migrant background who completed high school rose from 32 to 39 percent. 2

The EU is neglecting its humanitarian duty The EU has pulled the plug on its naval involvement in the Mediterranean

The EU has pulled the plug on its naval involvement in the Mediterranean anti-smuggling Operation Sophia. The move shows that the bloc has failed to establish a common policy on refugees, says DWʼs Bernd Riegert. Naval ships will no longer be a part ofthe European Unionʼs Operation Sophia. The mission had sought to curtail Libyan people smugglers on the Mediterranean and simultaneously build up Libyaʼs coast guard. During its four-year duration, tens of thousands of refugees were rescued by EU vessels, with many of them being brought to Italy. Back in 2015, the Italian government said it would take in all those rescued at sea, yet later changed its position, arguing that the number of people arriving was too many to handle.

Germany: Auditors slam pricey naval ship repairs "Severe" mismanagement within the German navyand Defense Ministry led to massive cost overruns in restoration work on a naval training ship, according to a confidential report seen by Der Spiegel magazine. Repair estimates on the Gorch Fock were originally priced at under €10 million ($11.5 million), but skyrocketed to €135 million last year, the 39-page report from the National Audit Office found. The agency blamed military officers for inadequately examining the sailing shipʼs deficiencies, ignoring information vital for the repair work and failing to fully inform Defense

Iraq braces for more unrest as Basra protests gather pace An estimated 200 protesters gathered on Monday morning at the main gate leading to three of Iraqʼs major oil fields in the southern oil-exporting city of Basra. Protests in Basra, Iraqʼs second-largest city, started last Tuesdaywhen security forces opened fire, killing one person and wounding five. They soon spread to other provinces. Read more: Iraq hangs 13 ʼISʼ prisoners as PM Haidar al-Abadi calls for ʼjust retributionʼ The oil hub of Basra and other parts of the Shiʼite south have long been neglected, first by Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein and then by Shiʼite-led governments. But an ongoing political crisis and the recent rhetoric of Grand Ayatollah alSistani, the top Shiʼite cleric in the country have also clearly aggravated the situation.

National interests over human compassion Two years ago, Italyʼs Social Democratic government urged refugees be redistributed throughout the EU. Most member states, not just Hungary and Poland, opposed this. Then, in the summer of 2018, Italyʼs new populist government barred all rescued refugees on EU vessels from disembarking at Italian ports. Italyʼs far-right interior minister,Matteo Salvini, had delivered on his callous agenda and was happy to portray himself as someone who stands up to Brussels. Minister Ursula von der Leyen. Work on the shipʼs hull and renewal of its upper and middle deck began in 2015 without an economic feasibility study, and without considering the case for constructing a new ship, auditors said. A Defense Ministry spokesperson said the ministry would submit a formal reply to the Federal Audit Officeʼs accusations by April.

UK reveals fighter jet ʼTempestʼ for post-Brexit era Williamson said the "world-beating" jet can be used unmanned, as a drone, or with pilots. It is scheduled to be operational by 2035. The UK is to invest 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion, €2.3 billion) to 2025 in the stealth

warplane, which will involve British companies BAE Systems and RollsRoyce as well as Anglo-Italian Leonardo and pan-European MBDA. Aiming to ensure UK leadership in defense Williamson said the program was designed to ensure Britainʼs continued leadership in fighter technology and control of airspace in future conflicts. Last year,France and Germany signed an agreementto develop Europeʼs next-generation fighter jet to replace the aging Rafale and Eurofighter jet by 2040, involving Europeʼs Airbus and Franceʼs Dassault Aviation. Following the 2016 Brexit referendum, Airbus moved to partner with Dassault at the expense of Britainʼs BAE Systems. There are concerns in Britain that its defense industry may be shut out from EU plans for next-generation fighter jets, although, officially, both projects have invited other companies to join.


72/2019 • 28 March, 2019

Facebook bans white nationalist content Facebook is banning white nationalist and separatist content from Facebook and Instagram. The ban comes less than two weeks after a white-supremacist used the platform to show images of killings in New Zealand. Facebook on Wednesday announced it was extending its ban on hate speech to include content related to white nationalism and separatism on both its Facebook and Instagram platforms. It will be enforced as of next week. Facebook said in a statement "white nationalism and separatism cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organized hate groups." While Facebook said it has been working on the change for three months, it comes less than two

Reform Germanyʼs welfare state, urges communal association A simplification of Germanyʼs welfare state is wanted by its Association of Towns and Municipalities (BStGB). Only then, it says, will communities be able to cope with demographic aging and future economic strains. Germanyʼs11,054 communal authoritieswere overburdened with complicated welfare delivery and needed "debureaucratization" to stay within budget in the future, asserted association chief executive Gerd Landsberg on Tuesday. "Every problem is met with the promise that there is more money and naturally more personnel," he said, adding that, long-term, Germanyʼs highly legislated welfare state would not function, given finite taxation revenues, populations withmore elderly, and regions facing loss of industry and jobs. Landsberg told newspapers run by the Funke MedienGruppe (media group) – which is based in Essen in the once coal and steel-dominated Ruhr region – that the reform should start with the reexamination of welfare grants and tax relief for families.

weeks after shootings at two New Zealand mosques, which killed 49 people. The white-supremacist accused was able to broadcast the massacre live on Facebook. The social media giant has already banned white supremacist content but had hesitated to extend that ban to include white nationalism because it linked the term with broader concepts of nationalism and separatism, such as American pride or Basque separatism, which are still allowed.

Germany: First postwar kosher restaurant opens in Leipzig

Hummus, fried fish and matzo ball soup: Those are some of the things you can find on the menu at Cafe Salomon, Leipzigʼs first kosher restaurant since World War II. "We are trying to close a gap in Leipzig," according to Gotthard Dittrich, head of the Rahn school in Leipzig near the restaurant. He spoke with the Leipziger Volkszeitung (LVZ) newspaper at the storeʼs opening ceremony on Tuesday. According to Cafe Salomonʼs owner, Jakob Kerzhner, kosherabiding Jews could only have meals "at home," he told LVZ. Most restau-

rants prepare meat, fish and dairy products in a kitchen, which is prohibited under Kashrut, Judaismʼs dietary laws. The restaurant does not serve meat, because according to Kashrut laws milk and meat products have to be served in separate kitchens — too complicated and expensive a process for Cafe Salomon. However, fish is on the menu, as well as other vegetarian and vegan options. "If we cooked meat in our kitchen, then we wouldnʼt be able to serve coffee with milk," Kerzhner said, who keeps kosher.

ʼMiss Germanyʼ goes to police officer, cyber crime investigator Freshly crowned Nadine Berneis said Saturday she would apply for one yearʼs leave from her Stuttgart police precinct for her new role as German beauty emissary. "My dream has come true," said Berneis, originally from Dresden in Germanyʼs eastern state of Saxony, and an enthusiast of endurance fitness training and cycling. The 28-year-old was picked by a four-member jury, including the British dancer Nikeata Thompson and former German "law-and-order" federal parliamentarian Wolfgang Bosbach.

3


72/2019 • 28 March, 2019

German firms warned about Chinese ʼcloud hopperʼ hackers Germanyʼs BSI information security agency, tipped off by America, has identified small weak-link service firms as the gateways used to hack German industry, Germanyʼs Süddeutsche Zeitung daily newspaper said on Wednesday. Referring to US President Donald Trumpʼs trade row with China and citing the "well-informed"website Axios, the paper said the BSI "acted promptly." Their actions in late November came after the US, via diplomatic channels, named German firms apparently targeted by "cloud hopper" hackers — allegedly from China. German mechanical engineering and material research concerns were targeted in particular, the Munichbased newspaper said. Cyber experts have long warned that Germany, with its high level of manufacturing and engineering expertise, would be keenly targeted for industrial secrets by hackers. The BSI - in a5 December press release — said the worldwide-circulating malware (malicious software) "Emotet," with the potential to paralyze enterprise networks, had led to a "heap" of severe incidents in Germany. Categorized as Advanced Persistent Threats (APT), these were "highly professional" attacks adapted and automated the use of Emotet within infected networks, said BSI president Arne Schönbohm.

Mann+Hummel: Hidden champion fights fine particles It only takes the weather to be unfavorable,and megacities across the world sink into wafts of mist. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 7 million people die every year partly as a result of inhaling polluted air over longer periods. Increasing traffic has no doubt contributed to creating "thick air." Many nations are in the middle of campaigns to reverse the trend by pushing e-mobility, arguing that electric vehicles donʼt have exhaust pipes as sources of poisonous nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. But a closer look reveals that fine particulates cannot be reduced drastically through electric cars. "Irrespective of a carʼs transmission system, it will always produce a lot of particulate matter," says Jan-Eric Raschke, who heads the fine particulates/filtration division at the German company Mann+Hummel. He explains thatroughly 90 percent of all particulate emissions in cars stem from tire wear and the braking system. 4

Ford to cut 5,000 jobs in Germany in savings drive The US carmaker will ditch 5,000 workers in Germany in a bid to boost profitability. Rival firm Volkswagen announced similar cuts earlier this week. US carmaker Ford will shed 5,000 workers in Germany, it announced on Friday. Ford hopes to save at least $500 million (€441 million) with the measures, according to a letter from executives to employees. "This is part of a restructuring operation for Ford in Europe that was already announced in January with the goal of getting back being a profitable business," a spokesman said. The Kölner StadtAnzeiger daily reported that the job cuts were to be achieved through severance payments for employees up to 49 years of age and early retirement German air traffic software glitch one of several problems afflicting sector The headquarters of DFS — the stateowned company in charge of all air traffic control matters in Germany — doesnʼt look all that imposing as you drive toward it through the quiet, tree-lined backstreets of Langen, a small town 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) south of Frankfurt. But this is one of the most important places in the country. In a given week, staff at the DFS (which stands for Deutsche Flugsicherung, or "German air traffic control") manage and handle up to 60,000 flights from four control centers, one of which is in Langen. Its fluent operation is central to aviation in Germany and Europe. But things are far from fluent at the moment. Software problems have affected DFS since Wednesday, with computer glitches impacting air traffic control systems at Langen,forcing the cancellation of several flights, including 46 from Frankfurt Airport on Monday alone. According to DFS, the software malfunction is affecting flight operations at airports in Frankfurt, Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf, four of the eight busiest airports in the country.

Thermal Hotel Visegrád****superior 2025 Visegrád Lepence-völgy, hrsz.: 1213 Phone: +36 26 801 900 Fax: +36 26 801 918 info@thv.hu www.thv.hu

TikTok: Worldʼs most successful video app faces security concerns Fifteen-second videos and an endless stream of music; this, in a nutshell, is what the TikTok app promises its users. You may have heard of it. You may even have downloaded it and probably deleted it quickly because the amount of bizarre content was too terrifying. Thatʼs alright, Some 40 percent of the appʼs users are under the age of 24. TikTok is a social media app for "vertical video" streaming powered byartificial intelligence (AI). Once youʼve downloaded it and even before signing up, you already receive short videos in your feed. Content is sampled automatically and mainly features videos of of people dancing, singing, lip syncing and performing all sorts of stunts. On average, users spend 52 minutes a day using the app, which adds up to roughly 200 videos per day. TikTok is structured around a never-ending video feed.

Published by: Mega Media Kft. 1075 Budapest, Madách I. út 13-14. +36 1 398 0344 www.hotelujsag.hu

for employees over 50 years of age. The job losses will cover all areas from production to management. Read more: Germany: 1 in 3 unemployed canʼt afford a proper meal Streamlining measures The company employs about 24,000 people in Germany, mostly in Cologne. The groupʼs European business is suffering from deep losses and the restructuring process announced in January also envisages potential plant closures. Earlier this week, German carmakerVolkswagen announced 7,000 job cutsdespite operating at a profit.

EU must be united on trade with China

China is trying to divide the European Union on the issue of trade. It must not be allowed to succeed, says DWʼs Christoph Hasselbach. By presenting a united front, the bloc can win far more concessions from Beijing. If he had his way, Chinese President Xi Jinping would prefer to negotiate with each European government individually, to try to get a better deal for his country. But on Tuesday in Paris, he had to settle for dealing with the European Union trioof French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Presenting a united front, they showed Xi that the EU speaks with one voice when it comes to trade. Thatʼs the idea, anyway. Before Paris,Rome rolled out the red carpet for Xi with promises to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinaʼs vast infrastructure project that would link the country with Africa, Europe and beyond. Italy is the first major Western industrialized country to take this step. Italian companies are expecting to benefit, but the real winners will be Chinese firms in Italy.


72/2019 • 28 March, 2019

Diagnosing Alzheimerʼs with peanut butter? An expert explains what really works

Hungary at a Glance (Published by Scolar Publishing Company) It is a unique feature of the Carpathian basin that its relatively small area hosts an unparalleled variety of ethnic groups, religions and civilizations. This cohabitation gave birth to a common culture, while a truly multi-layered nation was also formed. For centuries the descendants of the founding Hungarian tribes lived alongside ancient peoples who preceded them and the people migrating here from neighbouring nations. Hungarians, Slovaks, Romanians, Serbs and Germans shared a common land here, just like the members of the different faiths – Catholics, Calvinists, Lutherans and Jews – did. Our book is a special project, as it tries to convey the colourful nature of Hungary and its people. This unique “guidebook” covers everything from history to cultural heritage, from the achievements of the arts and sciences to the extraordinary music scene. Although these pages will give you only a glance, we do hope that this glimpse will inspire real love for this country in all our readers.

Budapestʼs historic Lotz Hall café reopened as Café Párisi For years there have been reports that Alzheimerʼs can be diagnosed with peanut butter. Diagnosing Alzheimerʼs with peanut butter - researchers caused a sensation with this study in 2013. It has since been regularly quoted by various media, including the Washington Post, which promoted the idea again just last year. But can the diagnosis of a stillincurable disease be so simple? The peanut butter test For the test, the patient has to smell peanut butter alternately with the left and right nostril while the other one is held closed. The patient starts

sniffing at a distance of 30 centimetres. The distance is then reduced in one-centimetre steps until the patient is able to smell the product. According to the 2013 study, Alzheimerʼs patients have a significantly poorer olfactory ability with their left nostril than with their right. The researchers attribute this to the fact that the left half of the frontal lobe of the brain is affected more by Alzheimerʼs disease. This area also contains the sense of smell.

Kaiser Ottó: Sights and Tastes of Hungary This fascinating „chef album” is a special journey in itself. It takes you through the beautiful regions of Hungary and offers the opportunity to explore the flavours of Hungarian cuisine. The landscape and food photos by photographer Ottó Kaiser are accompanied by recipes from interna-

tionally acclaimed master chef Ottó Laczkó – all this complete with a hint of history, culture, geography and even ethnography. Western Transdanubia, Middle Transdanubia, Lake Balaton, Southern Transdanubia, Budapest, Northern Hungary, Northern Great Plain, Southern Great Plain

After two years of undesired silence a new café has opened its gates in Budapest’s neo-renaissance styled jewellery box, the former Paris Deparment Store (Párisi Nagy Áruház). Situated in the heart of the city on Andrássy avenue, Café Párisi is the perfect location for those who wish to enjoy the luxury of early 20th century Budapest. The newly reopened location is already one of Budapest’s hidden gems: set in the Paris Department Store’s mezzanine level just below the iconic frescos created by renowned Hungarian painter Károly Lotz. Párisi Café has everything you could ask for from traditional Hungarian cakes like the Eszterházy or the Gerbaud slide to alternative milk-based cafés. Open everyday from 9:00 - 21:00

Weather

Fri

6 / 14

Sat

Sun

6 / 16

6 / 16

Hungary Budapest: Debrecen: Eger: Hévíz:

6/15 5/14 4/16 5/15

Athens: Berlin: Bratislava: Bucharest: London: Madrid:

4/8 0/13 5/7 6/8 3/17 10/13

Kecskemét: Keszthely: Siófok:

5/15 4/16 6/13

Europe Moscow: Paris: Prague: Rome: Varsaw: Vienna:

0/2 5/10 5/8 10/13 5/8 5/15

Culture

Illés Andrea: World Heritage Sites in Hungary Every country in the world has breathtaking landscapes and imposing monuments of which it can be genuinely proud. This is certainly true of Hungary, where the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has already inscribed several sites as part of the world heritage. In 1987, the Budapest panorama from the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and the village of Hollókő were the first to be included on the World Heritage List, while the most recent additions, in 2002, were Andrássy Avenue and the Tokaj historic wine region. Between these two dates, five Hungarian sites were granted world heritage status: the caves of the Aggtelek karst, the Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonhalma, Hortobágy, the Early Christian necropolis of Pécs and the Fertő Lake area. This impressive, lavishly illustrated book introduces readers to the World Heritage sites of Hungary, along with sites that may be awarded UNESCO protection in the near future. Scolar Kiadó is the first publishing house to have compiled a complete overview of Hungarian World Heritage sites and of the nominated sites on UNESCO’s tentative list, sharing these treasures through the skills of renowned photographers.

5


72/2019 • 28 March, 2019

Two Germans win second gold medals at Nordic World Ski Championships

Germanyʼs Markus Eisenbichler on Sunday helped destroy the opposition to win gold in the large hill skijumping team event — his second world title at this yearʼs FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld, Austria. Eisenbichler and his compatriots Karl Geiger, Richard Freitag, and Stephan Leyhe led from start to finish on Innsbruckʼs Bergisel hill, winning 987.5 points overall, a massive 56.5 points — or 31 meters (101 feet) — ahead of hosts Austria, who took silver, and Japan (bronze). Eisenbichler won individual gold ahead of Geiger on Saturday on the Innsbruck hill and now joins compatriot Nordic combined skier Eric Frenzel and Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo as a two-time Seefeld champion.

Celtic & Scotland striker to return to training after absence

Aleksandar Kolarovʼs free kick stunner secures Serbia win over Costa Rica A brilliant second half free kick from captain Aleksandar Kolarov led Serbia to a deserved win over Costa Rica. Serbia were wasteful in front of goal but did enough to secure three vital points in Group E. Another World Cup day, another sublime freekick. If Cristiano Ronaldo’s ice-cold effort tosnatch a point against arch-rivals Spain on day two was the current goal of the tournament front-runner, the Portuguese may have just met his match. Aleksandar Kolarov, take a bow. A combination of poor finishing and sublime goalkeeping had kept the scores level until Serbia’s no.11 produced his moment of magic. Kolarov’s powerful left foot is no secret, but few inside the stadium would have expected such a thunderous strike when the Roma defender stood over a free kick midway through the second half. His shot was unstoppable; a side-footed missile which screamed into the top corner of the Costa Rica net. Kaylor Navas, who kept his team in the game with several crucial saves either side of half time, was nowhere near it.

Simona Halep through to semis Miami Open 2019:

Simona Halep moved closer to reclaiming the world number one ranking after defeating Chinaʼs Wang Qiang 6-4 7-5 to reach the Miami Open semi-finals. Halep only needs to reach Saturdayʼs final to knock Japanʼs Naomi Osaka off the top womenʼs rankings. The 27-year-old from Romania was 5-1 down in the second set but fought back by winning six consecutive games. "My coach said I was rushing a bit so I managed to calm down," she said. "That was great advice. I started well and played some smart tennis but in the

second set, she started to raise her game." Halep converted seven of eight break points and hit 24 winners compared to 14 from Wang. She will play the winner of an allCzech contest between world number five Karolina Pliskova and Marketa Vondrousova in the next round. The other semi-final will be played between Anett Kontaveit of Estonia and Australiaʼs Ashleigh Barty.

David Moyes keen on Scotland job ʼin timeʼ but would prefer club management Leigh Griffiths will return to training with Celtic this week after being out of football since early December dealing with mental health issues. The Scotland forward, 28, will begin "fitness and performance work" with medical staff with a view to returning to full training "in the future". Celtic manager Neil Lennon said there is "no timescale" on a return to first-team action for the striker. "Iʼd like to thank everyone for showing me such support," Griffiths said. "I am so grateful to the club for everything they have given me and the way in which they have supported me so strongly." 6

Former Manchester United manager David Moyes says he would like to manage Scotland "in time" but his preference is a return to club management. Scotland manager Alex McLeish has come under pressure followingdefeat by Kazakhstanin the Euro 2020 qualifiers. Moyes left West Ham United in 2018 after achieving Premier League safety in his six-month spell in charge. "Club football would be my choice, but Scotlandʼs my country and Iʼm really passionate," Moyes told the BBC. "Iʼve followed Scotland to all the tournaments when I was a young man, I

used to go to Wembley regularly with my dad, so Iʼve got some great memories of being a Scotland supporter." Scotland at ʼrock bottomʼ - captain RobertsonScotland atmosphere ʼtoxic and horribleʼNerves & changes affected display - McLeish McLeishʼs side lost 3-0 in Kazakhstan to kick off their Group I qualifying campaign, and the team was booed off the pitch three days later following anunconvincing 2-0 win over San Marino. Moyes believes that fundamental issues with player development are at the root cause of Scotlandʼs international struggles.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
title by Business Publishing Services Kft. - Issuu