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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Zimbabwe president pledges probe into protest crackdown Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday defended the decision to raise fuel prices as the "right thing to do" to stabililze supply. Acrackdown against the proteststhat followed, however, led to the deaths of at least 12 people. The events were "regrettable," Mnangagwa said on Twitter and added that "violence or misconduct by security forces was unacceptable and a betrayal of the new Zimbabwe ... and will be investigated." At least 78 people were treated for gunshot injuries sustained during the crackdown, according to the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, which recorded more than 240 incidents of assault and torture. About 700 people have been arrested.

France summons Italian envoy after deputy PMʼs Africa comments Franceʼs foreign ministry on Monday summoned Italyʼs ambassador after what it called "unacceptable and groundless" comments by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio (pictured) in which he attacked Parisʼ policies in Africa, according to multiple reports. News agencies Reuters and Agence France Presse said that European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau summoned Teresa Castaldo, Italyʼs ambassador to France, on Monday afternoon regarding incendiary remarks by Di Maio on Saturday. Speaking in the Abruzzo region in central Italy, Di Maio, the leader of Italyʼs antiestablishment Five Star Movement, accused France of creating poverty in Africa and fueling mass migration to Europe.

19/2019 • 23 JANUARY, 2019

Merkel and Macron sign Treaty of Aachen to revive EU A follow-up pact to the Elysee Treaty marks the latest gesture of friendship

A follow-up pact to the Elysee Treaty marks the latest gesture of friendship between France and Germany. The new bilateral pact pledges deeper cooperation between the two nations and paves the way for EU reforms. French President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday signed a new friendship treatythat is designed to deepen the Franco-German friendship, bring ties to a "new level" and improve the lives of citizens in both countries. The treaty was signed in the German city of Aachen, as France and Germany marked the 56th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty. The idea isnʼt new. Paris, in particular, has regularly suggested renewing the treaty in the decades since it was first signed, despite the fact that amendments have been added over the years. The Treaty of Aachen will be the "foundation of cooperation between our countries," said Merkel before the signing the new friendship pact. "Seventyfour years, a single human lifetime, after the end of World War II, what seems self-evident is being called into question again," she said. "Thatʼs why, first of all, there needs to be a new commitment toward our responsibility within the European Union, a responsibility held

by Germany and France." French President Emmanuel Macron hit out at those "spreading lies" about the treaty and stressed the importance of French-German reconciliation. "Those who forget the value of French-German reconciliation are making themselves accomplices of the crimes of the past. Those who ... spread lies are hurting the same people they are pretending to defend by seeking to repeat our history," Macron said. The initial treaty dates back to the early 1960s, just 18 years after World War II. On January 22, 1963, French President Charles de Gaulle and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer signed the historic Elysee Treaty that sealed reconciliation between the two former archenemies. With their signatures, the governments agreed on mandatory consultations, close political cooperation and a broad-based youth exchange. Since then,more than 8.4 million young German and French citizenshave taken part in exchange programs in both countries.

ʼEuropeʼs youth are more Europe-minded than the public thinksʼ On the contrary: Europeʼs youth are more Europe-minded than the public likes to think. I have worked with high school and university students over the past few years, and I have met a lot of young people who are keen Europeans, passionately planning their future careers on a pro-European level. Their numbers are on the rise.Without a European vision, young people with a nationalist outlook will miss the opportunities the 21st century has to offer. Read more: Survey: European youth give thumbs up to the EU, dissent on immigration Thatʼs why itʼs so important that we reach those young people who canʼt benefit from Europeʼs advantages in their day-to -day life, due to social or financial difficulties. We should not lose sight of the fact that there are deep rifts between young people, living in both Germany and in France, withsome attracted to nationalist tendencies.

Austrian Good Friday law ʼdiscriminatory,ʼ top EU court rules The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Tuesday ruled thatAustrian law discriminated on grounds of religion and belieffor not giving plaintiff Markus Achatzi holiday pay for working on Good Friday, a holy day for several Christian denominations marking the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Achatzi sued his company for additional pay for working on Good Friday, considered a public holiday for members of select churches. Austriaʼs Supreme Court asked the ECJ to rule whether the national law was discriminatory in nature.

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