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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Ukraine furious after Russia speeds up passport process in eastern Ukraine Ukrainian politicians expressed outrage on Wednesday afterRussian President Vladimir Putinsigned a decree to speed up citizenship applications for people living in areas currently controlled by Russia-backed separatists. According to the Kremlin, the decree affects permanent residents living in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and would shorten the amount of time needed to examine the documents necessary to obtain a Russian passport. The Ukrainian government was swift to condemn the move, with some politicians saying that the timing was aimed at destabilizing the countryas it transitions from one president to a new one. Putin defended the decree, saying it was "purely a humanitarian issue" and that it was not meant to "create problems for the new Ukrainian administration."

France dedicates first Armenian genocide commemorations The first major European country to recognize the 1915 massacres as genocide, France has dedicated its first national day of commemoration. The French prime minister led the ceremonies. The ceremonies organized in France on Wednesday fulfilled a pledge made by French President Emmanuel Macron during his 2017 election campaign, and confirmed to the countryʼs large Armenian community in February. In 2001 France became the first major European country to recognise the massacres as genocide and in February, as he announced the national day of remembrance, Macron said France "knows how to look history in the face." The 1915-1918 killings started on April 24 when thousands of Armenian intellectuals suspected of harboring nationalist sentiments and being hostile to Ottoman rule were rounded up. Memorials have been held around the world to mark the 104th anniversary.

94/2019 • 25 APRIL, 2019

Scotlandʼs First Minister calls for second independence referendum by 2021 She hopes to have legislation agreed by the end of the year

Scotlandʼs First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that her devolved government will take a first step towards holding an independence referendum by May 2021. Scotland will take the first steps towards holding another referendum on independence from the United Kingdom,First Minister Nicola Sturgeonsaid on Wednesday. Sturgeon added that the referendum should be held before May 2021, when the current Scottish parliamentary term ends. "A choice between Brexit and a future for Scotland as an independent European nation should be offered in the lifetime of this parliament," Sturgeon, the head ofthe Scottish National Party (SNP), told lawmakers in Edinburgh. She said that a devolved parliament bill would be drawn up by the end of 2019. Sturgeon added that Scotland currently doesnʼt need to request permission from the UK to hold a binding vote, but that it will need to do so in the future "to put beyond doubt or challenge our ability to apply the bill to an independence referendum." In 2017, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she would not agree to holding the independence referendum while the Brexit process was still going on. A spokesman for May said on Wednesday that the result of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, which saw a majority of voters reject leaving the UK, should be respected.

News Scotlandʼs First Minister calls for second independence referendum by 2021 Scotlandʼs First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that her devolved government will take a first step towards holding an independence referendum by May 2021. She hopes to have legislation agreed by the end of the year. Scotland will take the first steps towards holding another referendum on independence from the United Kingdom,First Minister Nicola Sturgeonsaid on Wednesday.Sturgeon added that the referendum should be held before May 2021, when the current Scottish parliamentary term ends. "A choice between Brexit and a future for Scotland as an independent European nation should be offered in the lifetime of this parliament," Sturgeon, the head ofthe Scottish National Party (SNP), told lawmakers in Edinburgh. She said that a devolved parliament bill would be drawn up by the end of 2019. Sturgeon added that Scotland currently doesnʼt need to request permission from the UK to hold a binding vote, but that it will need to do so in the future "to put beyond doubt or challenge our ability to apply the bill to an independence referendum."

German income inequality a cause for concern as east-west divide deepens A new study released by the Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) in Düsseldorf on Wednesday starkly outlines thedivide between wealthy and poor German communities. Whereas residents in the Bavarian city of Starnberg — near Munich — topped the list of 401 districts and independent towns with an average annual disposable income of €34,987 ($39,150), the North Rhine-Westphalian city of Gelsenkirchen was the countryʼs poorest with an average of €16,203. The WSI, which is associated with German unions and the Hans Böckler Foundation, found that although southern cities such as Munich, Heilbronn and Stuttgart had among the highest levels of disposable income after taxes, the northʼs Ruhrgebiet — a former coal and steel region — andthe formerly communist east lagged far behind.

Lyra McKee: Murdered journalist honored at Northern Ireland funeral Lyra McKee, a 29-year-old journalist who was shot dead by a New IRA gunman in Northern Ireland last week, was honored by hundreds of mourners and political leaders at a funeral in Belfast on Wednesday. The 29-year-old was shot in the head Thursday while reporting on clashes between rioters and police in the city of Londonderry, also known as Derry. A small Irish nationalist group called the New IRA said it was responsible for her death and apologized, adding that they had been targeting police officers at the time.

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