DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Climate negotiations agree on way forward The Paris Agreement remains on track. Talks in Bonn went 12 hours into overtime as participants reached an agreement on climate finance. But now comes the tough part. The bar was low for his yearʼs United Nations climate summit in Bonn — anything keeping the momentum of the Paris process going was to be deemed a success. And after two weeks of steady progress, participants can leave Bonn pleased with the results. Delegates did wrestle with a few sticking points late into the night on the final day of the climate talks. Early morning Saturday, a compromise was reached: Industrialized nations conceded to developing countries that the Adaptation Fund from the Kyoto Protocol would indeed become a part of the Paris Agreement this in exchange for not including "loss and damage," or compensation for the worst impacts of climate change, formally into the accord.
AC/DC cofounder Malcom Young dead at 64 Malcom Young, a co-founder and guitarist with hard-rock band AC/DC, has died. For nearly four decades, the band has been one of the most popular in the world. Legendary AC/DC rockstar Malcom Young has died at the age of 64, the band said on its website on Saturday. "With enormous dedication and commitment, he was the driving force behind the band," his brother Angus and fellow co-founder of AC/DC said on the website. "As a guitarist, songwriter and visionary, he was a perfectionist and a unique man." The Australian rock band was formed in 1973 and by the end of the decade had burst out into the international music scene by making its mark in the United States For nearly four decades, AC/DC topped the charts with hard-hitting albums such as Highway to Hell and For Those About to Rock We Salute You. AC/DC albums have sold more 200 million records, making them one of the worldʼs top-selling artists.
272/2017 • 21, NOVEMBER 2017
Death toll in Greek floods hits 19 Experts say lax zoning regulations meant it was a disaster waiting to happen
Rafah crossing to Egypt opens for (some) Gaza Palestinians For the first time in a decade — and for just three days — the Rafah border crossing is open under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority. Itʼs an important step in the reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah. All eyes in Gaza were on the Rafah crossing this week. It was expected to open on November 15 under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority. But the day came and went and the crossing stayed closed. On Saturday, Egypt announced that it would open for three days, mainly for humanitarian reasons. It is the first time since 2007 that the crossing has been opened with the Palestinian Authority in charge. But many had hoped for a more permanent opening — a sign that things might change after the reconciliation announcement between Hamas and Fatah.
US Navy draws giant penis in the sky Widespread flooding caused by heavy rainfall in the region around the Greek capital has claimed almost 20 lives. The death toll from flooding in and around Athens rose to 19 on Saturday after three more bodies were recovered west of the Greek capital. "The bodies of three men discovered on Saturday, aged 28, 58, and 35, have been identified by their families," said Nikos Papaefstathiou, the head of the National Health Operations Center. "We are still searching for at least three people reported missing," he added. Two of the bodies were found by port police in the Gulf of Eleusis, near the town of Mandra, about 15 miles (25 km) west of Athens. The bodies were those of men aged 35 and 55, according to an unnamed police official. A third body was found buried in the mud in Mandra itself. The unusual flood hit Mandra and other nearby towns early Wednesday. Before Saturdayʼs discoveries,the death toll had been 16. Another three people are still believed to be missing. In addition to
the search for the missing, recovery efforts have focused on clearing roads. The cost of the damage is still unclear, though it is extensive. About 2,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed in Mandra, according to the townʼs mayor, while another 500 homes have been destroyed in nearby Magara, according to an official there. The local cemetery in Mandra was also hit hard, with much of it buried under mud and broken tombstones strewn about the place. Athensʼ officials and aid agencies have been distributing food and water in the town. "For the third day, there isnʼt a single open shop in Mandra; we donʼt have water, (and) we havenʼt washed since Wednesday," local shop owner Evangelos Peppas said Friday. Most of the victims drowned after being either carried away by the floodwaters and mudslides, or trapped in flooded cars or basements.
Residents were variously shocked and entertained to see a navy aircraft drawing a gigantic cloud member. The navy has since apologized for the stunt. The US Navy apologized on Friday after one of its aircraft drew an enormous penis in the sky. Residents of Okanogan, Washington, were alarmed to see a crude phallus drawn in a sky-writing manner on Thursday. People shared images of the penis on social media. One mother reportedly reached out to local broadcaster KREM to complain about the celestial artwork, saying she struggled to explain it to her children.
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272/2017 • 21, November 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. 2
Zimbabweans elated at prospect of Robert Mugabe downfall The streets of Harare have been filled with an emotional outpouring of joy and hope
After years of repression and economic woes, Zimbabweans have seized a moment of freedom. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in the capital, Harare, carrying national flags and dancing in anticipation of Robert Mugabeʼs resignation. Elated crowds gathered in the main streets on Saturday morning, with cars honking and people whistling and cheering. Some carried posters with a picture of the military commander and the slogan, "Go, go our gen-
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
eral!!!!" Other banners included slogans such as "Mugabe must leave Zimbabwe" and "Bobʼs not your uncle." Local resident George Edwards told DW correspondent Privilege Musvanhiri that Mugabe was "a dictator" and that any change was good. "This is a fresh start ... Anything else is a bonus. We just want a change," he said. 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.
272/2017 • 21, November 2017
NATO apologizes to Turkey for targeting Erdogan and Ataturk in training exercise Turkeyʼs founding leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were both listed as enemy targets in a NATO joint military exercise. NATO has apologized for the gaffe and blamed it on an underling. NATO apologized on Friday for naming enemy targets in a military computer training exercise after Turkeyʼs beloved founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and its current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A "chart of enemies" depicted Ataturk and named Erdogan, the president told members of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara. Erdogan said he decided to withdraw all 40 of his
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."
troops involved in the exercise in protest. NATOʼs website describes the Trident Javelin exercise in Stavanger, southern Norway, as a "computer assisted exercise without troops on the ground," meant to improve command structures for large operations. It was organized by the multinational Joint Warfare Centre led by Major General Andrzej Reudowicz of Poland.
Rohingya crisis: Rex Tillerson urges probe into atrocities
The USʼs top diplomat said the scenes of persecution were "just horrific." He has urged the government of Aung San Suu Kyi to permit a credible investigation into what the UN has called "textbook ethnic cleansing." US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called for an independent investigation intoalleged Myanmar atrocities against Rohingya Muslimsduring a joint press conference on Wednesday with the countryʼs civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. "The recent serious allegations of abuses in Rakhine state demand a credible and
impartial investigation and those who commit human rights abuses or violations must be held accountable," he said. "The scenes of what occurred out there are just horrific." Over 600,000 Rohingya civilianshave fled Rakhine state in the northwestern Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country, to neighboring Bangladesh since security forces started a crackdown at the end of August. Rohingya in refugee camps in Bangladesh have reported of Myanmar soldiers committing mass murder and rape against civilians.
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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272/2017 • 21, November 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.
UN: End child labor by 2025 The international community has pledged to accelerate efforts to eradicate child labor by 2025 at a major UN conference in Buenos Aires. Around 10 percent of children have to work, and the problem could get even worse. The fourth annual Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labor ended late Thursday with governments and international organizations adopting theBuenos Aires Declaration. "We know what to do, and there are no excuses not to do so," said Guy Ryder, director-general of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN labor agency. "The future is going to be a world free of forced labor and child labor." The declaration spells out concrete actions aimed at eliminating child labor by 2025 and forced labor by 2030, as well as steps to improve employment opportunities for young people around the world. "We hope that Buenos Aires will be the place where the international community takes measures so as not to tolerate the intolerable," Ryder said. 4
Siemens to cut 6,900 jobs amid union resistance Labor unions have reacted angrily to layoff plans unveiled by the management of the German conglomerate, which aims to cut costs in its energy business to adjust to the disruption sweeping through the industry. Following closed-door talks with workers on Thursday, the Munichbased industrial group announced that it was planning to cut 6,900 jobs globally as part ofa larger restructuring of its power division. About half of the announced job cuts would be in Germany, where the company said it planned to shut down facilities in the cities of Görlitz and Leipzig. A third production site in the town of Erfurt could be sold off, it added. "The power generation industry is experiencing disruption of unprece-
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 Jochen 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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dented scope and speed," managing board member Lisa Davis said in a statement, adding that renewable energy was putting other forms of power generation "under increasing pressure." Siemens said global demand for large gas turbines (generating more than 100 megawatts) had fallen drastically and was expected to level out at around 110 turbines a year. By contrast, the technical manufacturing capacity of all producers worldwide was estimated at around 400 turbines.
Volkswagen Group unveils five-year investment plan
German carmaker Volkswagen has announced it will boost investments in the development of electric cars in the next five years. The company has set out to become a global leader in e-mobility and new-energy vehicles. Following a meeting of its supervisory board, Volkswagen said Friday it planned to invest more than €34 billion ($40 billion) over the next five years in new technologiesto advance its push to become a global leader in electric cars. "We are reinventing the car," Chief Executive Officer Matthias Müller said in a statement, adding that the bulk of the 2018-2022 spending spree would go into developing all-electric and hybrid vehicles. A lot of resources would also be spent on self-driving cars,new mobility services such as car-sharing and digitalization, the company added. The owner of 12 brands including Audi, Porsche and Skoda said it planned to electrify its entire fleet by 2030, promising fully electric or hybrid versions of some 300 models. Müller said VWʼs facility at Zwickau in eastern Germany would only produce electric cars in the future. According to Works Council chief Bernd Osterloh, Zwickauʼs current Passat and Golf production units would move completely to Emden and Wolfsburg respectively.
272/2017 • 21, November 2017
Our addiction to growth is harming the climate But what are the alternatives to growth?
We must wean ourselves off unsustainable economic growth if we are to cut greenhouse gas emissions and avoid catastrophic climate change, say some economists. On the way home from work in your electric car, you stop off at the local discount store and pick up some beef for dinner. The meat was shipped in from Brazil to Germany. The land where the cow grazed was once rainforest. The nickel used in the car made its way from a polluting mine in the Philippines to a European assembly line. Extracting, producing and shipping
both products involved vast amounts of energy, resources, and greenhouse gas emissions. Taken in isolation, thatʼs not a big deal, you might think. But the scale of consumption — particularly in industrialized countries — and the the relentless pursuit of goods and services, is putting a huge strain on the planetʼs ecosystems and atmosphere, say scientists.
Self-driving bus starts first route in Germany Railway company Deutsche Bahn has introduced an autonomous bus to drive passengers along a preprogrammed route in Bavaria. In case of an emergency, a human driver can take control with a joystick. The electric vehicle delivered its first passengers on Wednesday in Bad Birnach, Bavaria, starting on its eightminute route from the townʼs hot springs to the central area and the railway station. The EZ10 bus has six places to sit and can take in a further six standing passengers, and the ride is free of charge. Itʼs the first time a selfdriving bus has been incorporated in Germanyʼs public transport system. Among the first group to ride the selfdriving bus was Richard Lutz, the head of the German railway giant Deutsche Bahn (DB), the company behind the pilot project. "Weʼve just driven, completely autonomously, into a new era of transport," he said in a statement after the first trip. The bus was developed by the French start-up EasyMile. It is equipped with sensors which can detect obstacles and activate brakes.The vehicle moves along a pre-programmed route with its speed initially limited to 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) per hour on a road with a 30 kph speed limit. Also, the bus is not yet capable of avoiding obstacles on its own. Netflix to release Hungary’s Oscar Entry ‘On Body and Soul’
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."
On Body and Soul’ by eminent Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi receives its U.S. premier on November 12th at the prestigious American Film Institute Fest in Los Angeles, before being made available from February on streaming service Netflix. Hungary’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign-Language Film in 2018 will be the first Hungarian feature to be released on Netflix. Budapest-born Enyedi has already been awarded the Berlinale, the FIPRESCI Prize and, a first for a Hungarian and a woman, the Sydney Film Prize.
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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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272/2017 • 21, November 2017
Angelique Kerber changes coaches in a bid to revive her career
Former womenʼs world No. 1 Angelique Kerber has switched coaches at the end of a disappointing season for the German. Kerber is hoping to the move will help her kick-start her career in 2018. Angelique Kerber, who started 2017 as the world No. 1 but has since plunged down the rankings to 21, announced via Twitter on Thursday that she was parting ways with longtime coach Torben Beltz for a second time. Beltz first began working with Kerber when she turned professional in 2003 but the two first went their separate ways following the 2013 season, when she hired Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh as her new coach.
Michael Schumacherʼs Ferrari sells at auction for $7.5 million
Once the face of Formula One, Michael Schumacher drove the F2001 to victory in the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix. At auction, his iconic racing car has set a new record. Michael Schumacherʼs Monaco Grand Prixwinning racing car has sold in New York for $7.5 million (€6.35 million), auction house Sothebyʼs said, setting the world record for a modern-era Formula One car. The Ferrari F2001 racing car went under the hammer on Thursday evening, sparking a bidding war between eight competitors that was over in six minutes. The racing car is still fully functional. 6
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.
Thomas Bachʼs IOC facing difficult decision regarding Russia So will the IOC still allow Russian athletes to compete at the 2018 Winter Games?
Until now, only individual Russians have been sanctioned over doping violations, but WADA was recently presented with new information. Critics of the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, are demanding that all Russian athletes be banned from competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, in light of new information on alleged doping violations in the country, which was passed on to the World AntiDoping Agency (WADA) on November 10. As was the case in the weeks and months leading up to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de
Janeiro, the IOC boss, who is said to have a sympathetic attitude towards Russia and its leader, is in a tight spot. If he takes a clear stand against President Vladimir Putin, who recently reiterated his assertion there is no state involvement in doping, the Russians could boycott the Olympics. "Thatʼs exactly what Bach wants to avoid at all costs," German investigative journalist Hajo Seppelt told public broadcaster ARD.
Italy sack Gian Piero Ventura after World Cup failure, Carlo Ancelotti linked Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura has paid the price for overseeing the countryʼs first failure to reach a World Cup since 1958. Carlo Ancelotti, recently sacked by Bayern Munich, is among the favorites for the job. The Italian football federation (FIGC) confirmed the inevitable on Wednesday after Italyʼs aggregate loss to Sweden ended their World Cup 2018 hopes. "As of today Gian Piero Ventura is no longer the coach of the national team," the
FIGC said in a statement after Ventura, 69, refused to resign. Ventura defended his leadership as having "one of the best records in 40 years" despitefailing to lead the four-time winners to their 19th World Cup. "I lost only two games in two years," he had told Italian television show Le Iene. In fact, Ventura had lost three. He took charge of Italy after Euro 2016, when Antonio Conte - now at Chelsea - took the Azzurri to the quarterfinals, where they lost on penalties to Germany.