title

DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

German newspaper editor accuses churches of left-wing bias Ulf Poschardt, head of one of Germanyʼs leading newspapers, has sparked a social media row over supposed left-wing bias in church sermons during Christmas. Churches have denied the claim. The editor-inchief of Die Welt, one of Germanyʼs leading right-wing newspapers, triggered a social media meltdown on Christmas by complaining about supposed left-wing bias in Germanyʼs Christmas midnight masses. Ulf Poschardt wondered aloud on Twitter on Christmas Eve: "Who would voluntarily go to a midnight mass if at the end of the sermon he thinks he spent the evening with the Jusos or the Green youth?" — referring to the youth organizations of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green party, who both represent the left wing of their centrist parties.

Germany: Rhine cruise ship hits bridge pylon causing injuries The "Swiss Crystal" passenger cruiser hit a motorway bridge pylon near Duisburg, injuring around 25 people. Another ship helped the passengers to safety.

The accident happened late Tuesday on theRhine River near the north-west German city of Duisburg. There were 129 people on board the ship when the vessel hit a supporting pillar of the A42 motorway. Four people were taken to hospital with serious injuries while 20 others were slightly hurt.

A police spokesperson told the Germanyʼs Deutsche Presse Agen‐ tur that none of the injuries appeared fatal. Another nearby ship helped to take the injured off the "Swiss Crystal." A number of fire department boats were also involved. The A42 is expected to remain closed on Wednesday as structural engineers carry out safety checks.

303/2017 • 29, DECEMBER 2017

Italy prepares for 2018 elections with dissolution of parliament In a move aimed at preparing for 2018 elections, the president is expected to dissolve the legislatu

After several failed governments since the last elections, Italians are hoping for stability and economic growth.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella is expected to dissolve parliament on Thursday, paving the way for elections reportedly slated for March 4, 2018. The elections will mark the first of their kind under thenew Rosatellum electoral law, which has beendecried by the left-of-center populist Five Star Movement (M5S). Under the new law, one third of parliament will be elected under a first-past-the-post system, while two thirds will be voted in on a proportional basis.In order to enter parliament, single parties must receive three percent of the national vote while coalitions need to gather 10 percent. The Rosatellum electoral law ended a period of instability stemming from five different voting systems since 2013 The M5S has criticized the upcoming elections, with Senate floor leader Giovanni Endrizzi saying: "The scam electoral law is like a slot machine.

You press a button, you think youʼre choosing but thereʼs software that decides for you and eats your money. Here, they eat your votes."

The center-right Forza Italia party has vowed to return to power, with

lawmaker Renato Brunetta saying: "We have done something positive for our country in a moment when political clashes – particularly due to the M5S, which is only capable of protesting and not proposing – show no sign of abating. 2018 will be our return to Palazzo Chigi." The ruling center-left Democratic Party has taken credit for steering the country out of political turmoil, with Prime Minister Paolo Gentilonisaying: "The truth is that Italy has restarted after the most serious economic crisis since World War II." What do the polls say: The latest polls show M5S as the party with the most support, hovering around 26 percent, with Democratic Party lagging slightly behind at 25 percent. Polls also show former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconiʼs Forza Italia gaining 15 percent of the vote and the anti-immigrant Lega Nord trailing behind with 14 percent.

What is the likely outcome: Analysts have expressed concerns that the results will give way to a hung parliament and further erode political stability in Europeʼs third-largest economy.

Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels begin landmark prisoner swap The swap comes after a recommitment to a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, where over 10,000 people have been killed. A US decision to provide Ukraine with weapons has seen Russia warn the US is encouraging "new bloodshed." Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels began a landmark prisoner swap on Wednesday, following therecommitment to a ceasefirein the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine last week. It is the first prisoner since September 2016, and comes days before the New Year and Orthodox Christmas holidays.

Russian-backed eastern rebels released some 70 prisoners to Kyiv, while the Ukrainian side handed over about 250 rebels to the other side.

During Russian President Vladimir Putinʼs annual news conference of December 14, he had called on Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to complete a prisoner exchange in war-ravaged eastern Ukraine by New Year’s Eve.

India still missing hundreds of fishermen after Cyclone Orkhi India is still missing 661 fishermen, almost a month after Cyclone Ockhi battered its southern waters, according to Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Most originated from coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala states. Sitharaman, replying in parliament Wednesday after allegations that authorities gave insufficient storm warnings, said 821 other people had been rescued by Indiaʼs navy, coastguard, and merchant vessels.

weather today BUDAPEST

0 / 7 °C Precipitation: 0 mm

303/2017 • 29, December 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

Vladimir Putin calls St. Petersburg supermarket blast a terrorist attack The toll of 13 injured could have been much worse, Putin claims, as another attack was thwarted

The Russian president said a supermarket explosion in the countryʼs second-largest city was an "act of terror."

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said a bomb that went off in aSt. Petersburg supermarket on Wednesdaywas an act of terrorism.

"You know that yesterday in St. Petersburg a terrorist act was carried out," Putin said, referring to the explosion that injured at least 13 shoppers in a branch of the Perekrestok supermarket chain. Putin made the comments at an awards ceremony in the Kremlin for Russian personnel who had served in Syria. He told the audience security forces should take no chances with their own lives if

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

confronted by terrorist suspects.

Putin also said that the security situation in Russia would be much worse if thousands of Russian citizens who fought with "Islamic State" (IS) in Syria had been allowed to return home. Russian intelligence, the Federal Security Service, had "recently thwarted another attempted terror attack," Putin added. He did not provide further details but the Kremlin said earlier this month that a US tipoff had helped thwart a planned attack on St. Petersburgʼs Kazansky Cathedral.

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.

303/2017 • 29, December 2017

Afghanistan suicide attack: Kabul blasts kill dozens near media outlet Suicide bomb attacks in the Afghan capital, Kabul, have killed at least 40 people and injured some 30 others. The attacks were near a media outlet and a Shiite cultural center.

A suicide bomber on Thursday blew himself up near the news agency Afghan Voice Agency, killing at least 40 people and injuring many others, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry said, adding that the toll might rise. The attack occurred at a Shiite cultural center located in the same building as the agency while a panel discussion on the 38th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was being held there, the spokesman, Nasrat Rahimi, said. He said many of the vic-

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."

tims were students who had been attending the event. Two other smaller bombs also went off at the center, though it is not clear whether they claimed any casualties. The Sunni extremist group "Islamic State" (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack in an online statement posted by its propaganda outlet Amaq. The agency, however, offered no evidence for its claim.

In its statement, Amaq alleged that the center was funded by Iran and propagated Shiite beliefs.

Spanish government begins withdrawal of thousands of police from Catalonia

Spain has announced it will begin to pull out police reinforcements sent to Catalonia ahead of the regionʼs contested October independence vote. As many as 10,000 additional officers are thought to have been deployed. The Spanish government on Tuesday announced that it had begun pulling out police reinforcements from Catalonia, almost three months after they weresent to halt an independence ref-

erendumthat the Constitutional Court had declared illegal. Spainʼs Interior Ministry and the Spanish police union said the withdrawal should be completed by Saturday. Madrid deployed thousands of additional officers from Spainʼs National Police and Guardia Civil to Catalonia in September, just as the northeastern region was preparing to vote in a contested independence referendum.

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.

3

303/2017 • 29, December 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.

China sales behind German carmakersʼ rosy third quarter Strong vehicle sales in the wordʼs most important car market have been essential in enabling German carmakers to end their third quarters on a positive note. Their dependence on China is expected to increase further.

Germanyʼs top carmakers would not have been able to present positive third-quarter results without a booming auto market in China, a study by consultancy EY showed Tuesday.

It said China had long become the most important market for Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler, with one in three of their cars sold in the third quarter having gone to the Asian nation. To be more precise, the Chinese market accounted for 34 percent of Germanyʼs overall car sales between July and September, the highest ever rate logged so far.

Back in 2010, only 23 percent of Germanyʼs quarterly car sales ended up in China.

4

How a hard Brexit could hurt Germany: Reckoning with the worst that may befall Despite the endless media coverage and fevered political rhetoric, no one yet knows for sure what is ultimately going to happen with Brexit.

But should Germany really be scared of a messy outcome?

Brexit means Brexit. At least thatʼs what UK Prime Minister Theresa May has told us several times.The problem with that is, 18 months on from the referendum, no-one seems to know what that crucial ʼBrexitʼ bit itself means.

Hard, soft or medium-boiled? Rare or well done? Or, to borrow another impenetrable phrase of Mayʼs — a ʼred, white and blue Brexitʼ? With a year of difficult negotiations past and another one ahead, every outcome is still on the table, including what is surely the nightmare scenario for all parties —

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 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.

H-1056 Budapest, Só u. 6.

Telephone: +36 1 577 0700 Fax: +36 1 577 0710 bhzinfo@zeinahotels.com www.boutiquehotelbudapest.com

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.

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

that in March 2019, the UK leaves the EU, the customs union and the single market without a deal, or with one that significantly changes the status quo.

Were that to happen, what would it mean for Germany? Europeʼs largest economy has been inextricably bound to the continentʼs second largest one for decades. A sundering is inconceivable. Yet out of a clear blue sky, it has emerged as a troubling reality that German business leaders, economists, trade unionist and industry representatives must face.

Kalashnikov stays tight-lipped ahead of new US sanctions

New American sanctions are set to hit the Russian weapons industry.

But during a press tour to the home of the famous AK-47 rifle, questions about sanctions were met with defiance – and silence.

Traditional Urdmurt plaid dresses, a log cabin in the snow, and lots of potatoes. Itʼs not what I had expected of the Russian Foreign Ministryʼs press tour of the Kalashnikov factory. The tour to the industrial city of Izhevsk, the capital of the Urdmurt Republic in the Western Urals, promised a rare glimpse of the company known for its AK-47.

But first, the handful of foreign journalists on the tour was treated to an unexpected lesson about Urdmurt culture — including a performance by former Russian Eurovision contestants Buratovskyie Babushki. They sang renditions of famous pop songs in Urdmurt, the local language of the republic.

303/2017 • 29, December 2017

France faces challenges as it embraces offshore wind power Winds of change:

France has launched its first offshore turbine to curb reliance on nuclear and reach climate goals — France could become Europeʼs second-largest wind energy producer after Germany. But the transition brings problems.

Offshore wind energy produces more — and more reliable — energy than previously thought, a new study shows. Offshore wind facilities in the North and Baltic seas generate energy on 363 days of the year — more than the 340 days previously indicated, says the study commissioned by the BremenbasedFraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology. This amounts to a nearly constant source of energy from offshore wind, the study points out. The wind energy industry sees this as a clear

sign for building out offshore capacities, also to carry forward the ongoing transition to renewable energies to reach climate protection goals.

Conservationists continue to harbor concerns over theimpact of offshore wind development to both birds and marine species. And in the meantime, France is moving forward with building out its offshore wind capacity, having recently launched the Floatgen turbine — a three-year, €25-million ($29-million) pilot supported by a European consortium of businesses and research groups.

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."

Weather

Germany must allow third gender in registry of births, court rules An intersex person has won a court case to allow them to enter a third gender into the registry of births.

The case was appealed to the Federal Constitutional Court after failing at lower levels.

Germanyʼs Federal Constitutional Court on Wednesday called for a third gender option in the registry of births.

Intersex people, who are neither male nor female, should be able to register their sexual identity as such, the Karlsruhe court ruled. The court found that the general right to the protection of personality in Germanyʼs Basic Law meant the register had to be altered to allow a third gender. The court ruled seven to one that lawmakers must create new legislation by the end of 2018 to allow for a third sex, providing the examples of "intersex," "diverse" or another "positive designation of sex." Another possibility raised was to scrap gender entries altogether. "Assignment to a gender is of paramount importance for individual identity; it typically plays a key role both in the self-image of a person and in the way in which the person concerned is perceived by others. The gender identity of those persons who are neither male nor female is protected,"the court ruled.

Advent Feast at the Basilica November 24 - January 1

One of the ‘Best European Christmas Markets’ is a must-see event in the heart of Budapest Discover Hungary’s most acclaimed Christmas market: The Advent Feast at the Basilica is blending Central European traditions and modern attractions, turning the iconic St. Stephenʼs square into 3D cinema. For more details and information about the Advent Feast’s event schedule, check out thewww.adventiunnep.hu/enwebsite. Budapest 1051, Szent István tér Opening hours: MondayFriday: 11 am – 10 pm, SaturdaySunday: 10 am – 10 pm, and 10 am – 2 pm on December 24. Skating class hours: Friday from 2-8 pm, Saturday from 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am -6 pm.

Sat

1/5

Sun

Mon

2/6

0/7

Hungary Budapest: Debrecen: Eger: Hévíz:

1/7 2/6 3/5 3/8

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

5/9 2/4 4/7 2/3 3/6 5/7

Kecskemét: Keszthely: Miskolc:

2/7 1/4 2/8

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

-4/2 4/8 2/8 4/9 2/3 3/7

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.

5

303/2017 • 29, December 2017

Serena Williams to return to tennis in Abu Dhabi

The former world number one will make her comeback this month after birth of her first child. The 36-yearold will take on the reigning French Open champion. American tennis star and former world number one Serena Williams is set to make her comeback on December 30 after birth of her first child. The 36-year-old will play her first competitive match in 11 months in the United Arab Emirates. Serena Williams will play an exhibition match on the final day of the Mubadala event on December 30, tournament organizers announced Sunday. The former world number one will take on reigning French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in Abu Dhabi. Williams has not played since hervictory in the Australian Open11 months ago. She gave birth to her first child, Alexis Olympia, in September.

Eleven Russian athletes banned for life for doping

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said the offences were committed during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Further cases “cannot be excluded,” the IOC said. According to the IOC Disciplinary Commission, the athletes were also stripped of their medals and banned from future Olympic events. The list of banned athletes includes speed skaters Ivan Skobrev, a two-time Olympic medallist, and Tatyana Ivanova, who won a silver medal in Sochi. According to the IOC, the number of cases opened has reached 46. The committee said that it couldnʼt rule out the possibility of "new elements that would justify opening further new cases and holding more hearings."

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.

Sandro Wagner joins Bayern Munich The Hoffenheim striker returns to his boyhood club for a reported fee of 12 million euros

Wagner, whose form under Julian Nagelsmann has put him in with a shot of a World Cup spot, said: "Iʼm coming back home."

After weeks of rumors, Bayern Munich have finally confirmed the signing of Hoffenheim striker Sandro Wagner for a reported fee of €12 million ($14.25 million). The Germany international joins the Bundesliga champions after two successful years at Hoffenheim, in which he scored 18 goals, and played a key part in the team qualifying for Europe last season. Wagner started his professional career at Bayern in the 2007/8 season. He made his Bundesliga debut with the club, before moving elsewhere in

order to secure more game time.

The Munich-born striker then went on to play for Duisburg, Werder Bremen, Hertha Berlin and Darmstadt, before joining Hoffenheim.

"A long journey has come to an end for me, Iʼm coming back home to my club," said Wagner after the deal was confirmed. "Bayern is one of the worldʼs biggest clubs." Wagner is expected to join the clubas a backup for prolific Polish striker Robert Lewandowski; unusually for a front man, he will play with the number 2 on the back of his jersey.

Sports Tattoos: A status symbol among footballers There is something that any selfrespecting footballer canʼt be without these days: a tattoo. The more and the bigger they are, the better.

Whether or not they actually look good is in the eye of the beholder.

Until he became a father, the lower arms of Germany midfielder Toni Kroos were tattoo-free zones. But that changed for the Real Madrid star with the births of Leon and Amelie. He has Leonʼs face – along with his name and birth date on his left arm, while

Amelieʼs name and birthday is on his right – just in case he ever forgets the names of his children… David Beckham also has those nearest and dearest to him under his skin. The former England, Manchester United and Los Angeles Galaxy star has the names of his children as well as a portrait of his wife Victoria tattooed on his body. He also has tattoos of Jesus and angels, as well as a quotation from the bible: "I am my belovedʼs and my beloved is mine." Isnʼt that sweet!