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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Paris police arrest 4 suspects over planned attack The Paris prosecutorʼs office on Monday said three adults and a minor had been arrested over a planned attack on French security forces that was due to be carried out in the coming days.

They were arrested on Friday as part of an investigation into terrorist conspiracy that opened on February 1, which is being handled by Franceʼs General Directorate for Internal Security. "Four people are being held over a plan to carry out an extremely violent terror attack," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters. The minor had previously been arrested in February 2017 at the age of 15 because he was trying to go to Syria to join the self-styled "Islamic State" group. He is serving a three-year sentence with two years suspended at an educational facility.

Mystery whale found near Norway fuels Russian navy speculation Norwegian fishermen found a beluga whale swimming through arctic waters wearing some sort of harness. Scientists linked the equipment to the Russian navy.

Norwegian fisherman found a beluga whale outfitted with a mysterious, seemingly Russianmade harness swimming in arctic waters.

Fishermen saw what seemed to be a tame beluga whale swimming between their boats last week.

It appeared to be rubbing itself against boats in an attempt to remove a harness that was neatly strapped to its body, one of the fishermen told public broadcasterNRK. Eventually, one of the fishermen jumped into the frigid waters to remove the harness from the four-meter (13-foot) mammal.

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Greeceʼs Yanis Varoufakis eyes EU job — sort of Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is running in the EU elections

A Cold War solution for Serbia and Kosovo?

Balkan leaders are in Berlin to "exchange opinions" with Germanyʼs Angela Merkel and Franceʼs Emmanuel Macron. The mini-summit is to focus on the bid to revive the talks between Belgrade and Pristina. Ahead of the Berlin summit, attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and leaders of several countries in southeast Europe, DW learned of a new way for Germany to relaunch stalled talks between Kosovo and Serbia. Sources close to the Berlin government said that a solution for Belgrade and Pristina could be modeled on a 1972 agreement between West and East Germany. West German Chancellor Willy Brandt spearheaded the agreement aspart of his governmentʼs ostpolitik— or detente policy — towards the GDR and the Eastern bloc.

Islamic State leader alBaghdadi appears in new video He wants to shake things up in Brussels with his leftist DiEM25 alliance — with the help of German voters.

Yanis Varoufakishas returned to the political arena– even if right now his stage is a deserted square outside the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. He and around two dozen comrades have gathered here to campaign on a sunny April afternoon. Theyʼre from "Demokratie in Europa," a small German political party which, in turn, is an offshoot of the pan-European Democracy in Europe Movement 2025, or DiEM25 for short. Varoufakis is tired, he says. There are more than four weeks to go before the European elections at the end of May. Heʼs been campaigning for three months already. This morning he arrived by train from Freiburg in southwestern Germany; tomorrow heʼll be in Hamburg in the north.

The 58-year-old economics professor is casually dressed in T-shirt and jeans. When he talks about Europe, his tone is serious. Heʼs worried about the future, about the rise in right-wing populism and the lack of solidarity. "As a staunch European, I protest against what the European

institutions are doing. Theyʼre creating discontent, and that produces political monsters like Matteo Salvini and the Lega in Italy, the AfD in Germany, or Golden Dawn in Greece." If things carry on like this, Varoufakis fears we could end up with a situation in Europe similar to that of the 1930s. In order to prevent this, DiEM25 is calling for radical changes, including an end to austerity measures, an active environmental policy, and more transparency within the EU. Varoufakis himself was once a big cheese in Europe. In 2015, he was asked to join the cabinet of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras as Greeceʼs new finance minister. He was only in office for five months, but achieved a certain prominence in that time, firstly with his rebellious, confident appearances at the height of the Greek debt crisis; secondly because he clashed repeatedly with thenGerman Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, who was pushing for Greece to adopt rigid austerity policies.

The leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appeared in new video published by the Islamist terror group on Monday. In the 18-minute clip, a bearded man is seen sitting in casual conversation with three other people, whose faces are blurred. He discusses recent events, including the battle for Baghouz ending.IS was defeated there last month. He also praises the Sri Lanka attacks earlier this month, although only his audio is heard in that section. The video was published by the networkʼs al-Furqan media group on messaging service Telegram and initially picked up by the SITE intelligence group.

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98/2019 • 30 April, 2019

French retailer Decathlon cancels plan to sell sports hijab French sporting goods chain Decathlon has canceled plans to sell a runnerʼs hijab in France following a public outcry and opposition from some politicians who called for a boycott. Decathlon official Xavier Rivoire told the RTL broadcaster on Tuesday that the Muslim headscarf designed for runners would not be sold at its stores in France for the time being.

Read more: Muslim fashion for women: Modesty meets trendy style Decathlon had initially said it would sell the sports hijab to meet "a requirement of certain runners, and we are therefore responding to this sporting requirement." Several French politicians criticized Decathlon for its plans to sell the product in France, including Health Minister Agnes Buzyn.

Such a product is "not forbidden by law," she said on RTL, but "it is a vision of women that I do not share. I would have preferred that a French brand not promote the veil."

Facebook, Instagram ban British far-right figure Tommy Robinson Facebook has taken harsh measures against British far-right personality Tommy Robinson, banning him from its platforms and closing his Facebook page and Instagram profile.

Robinson is said to have violated Facebookʼs "community standards" by promoting "organized hate" and other prohibited behavior. Specifically, the company noted in a statement that Robinsonʼs pages had repeatedly broken its standards by "posting material that uses dehumanizing language and calls for violence targeted at Muslims." "This is not a decision we take lightly, but individuals and organizations that attack others on the basis of who they are have no place on Facebook or Instagram," the social media giant said. Antifascist and anti-racist organization Hope Not Hate welcomed the decision, referring to Robinson as "a farright thug who uses his platform to bully, abuse and stir up division."

"This is not a decision we take lightly, but individuals and organizations that attack others on the basis of who they are have no place on Facebook or Instagram," the social media giant said.

Anti-fascist and anti-racist organization Hope Not Hate welcomed the decision, referring to Robinson as "a farright thug who uses his platform to bully, abuse and stir up division."

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Sri Lanka bans face veils after Easter terror attacks Sri Lanka issued the ban as part of emergency measures

Sri Lanka issued the ban as part of emergency measures enacted in the wake of the Easter Sunday suicide attacks. There are fears the step could fan tensions between religious groups in the Buddhistmajority country.

Women in Sri Lanka will no longer be able to cover their faces under new emergency regulations that came into force on Monday. Authorities say the ban on all types of face coverings will help police easily identify people as they race to find suspects linked to a series of suicide attacks that killed more than 250 people on Easter Sunday. "It is a presidential order to ban any dress

Berlin AG wants to get rid of fines for fare evaders

Authorities in Berlin view fare dodging as a criminal offense punishable by a €60 ($68.6) fine. Local police filed 12,000 complaints over the issue in 2017 and more than 300 people are imprisoned every year for not being able or willing to pay the fines. The left-leaning mayorand other top officials have recently called for less drastic regulations, with some proposing to downgrade fare dodging to a mere administrative offense. Now, the Berlin attorney general wants to go a step further and "completely abolish" the crime of fare dodging. "We shouldnʼt waste resources for criminal

covering faces with immediate effect," Dharmasri Bandara Ekanayake, a spokesman for President Maithripala Sirisena, told the Reuters news agency. Dozens of people have been arrestedover alleged links to the bombings, which targeted churches and luxury hotels.

But local officialswarn that there are still militants at largewho could be planning another wave of attacks. offenses where criminality is highly questionable," Attorney General Margarete Koppers told Berliner Morgen‐ post. Koppers is one of the most senior judiciary officials in Berlin, a 3.6million-strong city which is also considered one of Germanyʼs 16 federal states. Talking to the local daily, Koppers said downgrading the offense would pose "no relief for the judiciary."

Belgium vows to amplify EU voice on UN Security Council Belgiumʼs foreign minister says his country will use its temporary UN Security Council seat to make the EU

Friend of Berlin truck attacker in France during Nice attack According to a German criminal police document seen by the dpa news agency, Bilal Ben Ammar met with Anis Amri the night before he killed 12 people in a truck attack at Berlinʼs Breitscheidplatz on December 19, 2016. Read more: ʼTerrorist accompliceʼ in Anis Amri Berlin attack deported, according to report Media outlets ARD, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) and the Berliner Mor‐ genpostreported that Ammar may have also been in Nice around the time of the July 14, 2016 truck ramming attack that killed 86 people. RBB presented a screenshot obtained from German police documents that showed Ammar had a boarding pass on his phone for a flight from Berlin to Nice dated July 6, 2016 — eight days before the Nice attack. The name on the boarding pass was an alias. Ammar applied for asylum in Germany under different names and separately claimed to be from Morocco, Egypt and Libya. Investigators found the boarding pass on Ammarʼs confiscated phone after he had already been deported to Tunisia, Amriʼs home country. Other photos on the phone showed Ammar in Paris with friends in the days before and after the Nice attack.

more influential on the global stage.

Belgium and Germany are to scheduled to take up their seats on January 1. Belgium will use its two-year seat on the United Nations Security Council to bolster the European Unionʼs influence within the global body, Belgiumʼs foreign minister has said. Didier Reynders told Germanyʼs Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung news outlet that Belgium aims to help harmonize each EU member stateʼs diplomacy so that they "send the same message with different voices."

Belgium will take up its temporary seat on the Security Council,the UNʼs highest decision-making body, along with Germany on January 1. "We have an important role to play in supporting multilateralism," Reynders said.

"There is no better place for it than in the United Nations Security Council."

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Pope Francis urges hairdressers to stop gossiping The Pope told hairdressers to "avoid succumbing to the temptation of chatter." He said they should take inspiration from a 16th century saint who was known for cutting hair, bloodletting and amputations.

Pope Francis on Monday warned an audience of hairdressers, hairstylists and beauticians that they should avoid gossiping. "Practice your profession in a Christian style, treating customers with kindness and courtesy, offering them a good word and encouragement," he said. "And avoid succumbing to the temptation of chatter which is easily associated with your field of work," he added. During the meeting at the Vatican, he advised the group of 230 pilgrims to follow their patron saint Martino de Porres

EU must curb corporate lobbying power — NGO LobbyControl on Monday accused the European Union of doing too little to combat corporate influence.

Anew report by the German NGO said there are insufficient rules to limit such influence, which takes place through expert groups, meetings between civil servants and lobbyists or informal channels. "Corporations can draw on an incredible lobbying power to push through their interests," said the reportʼs author, Nina Katzemich. The report said EU member governments were some of the main lobbyists in Brussels, with many countries pushing for EU rules and decisions that reflect the interests of their national industries. Germany, it noted, had used its influence to weaken and delay rules on tax evasion and diesel emissions tests. The EU allows "corporations and the rich to move their assets to shadow financial centres and thus evade their tax responsibility," it said.

(1579-1639), canonized in 1966 by his predecessor Paul VI. The barbersurgeon was canonized for his supposed miracles of levitation, being in two places at once, instant cures and communicating with animals. Porres is also the patron saint of mixed-race people. Much like Porres, whose job covered haircuts, amputations and bloodletting, "each of you, in your professional work, can always act with righteousness, thus making a positive contribution to the common good of society," Francis said.

Gunmen kill pastor, worshippers in Burkina Faso church

A group of attackers fired at Christian worshippers in Burkina Faso as the victims were leaving a church service, eyewitnesses have said. Several people have reportedly been killed, including the protestant pastor. An attack on a church in Burkina Faso killed five people on Sunday, local media reported. At least two other people were missing, according to a security source cited by the AFP news agency. The pastor of the church was

also killed in the raid, which targeted the Protestant congregation in the small northern town of Silgadji, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) away from the capital Ouagadougou. "The attackers were on motorbikes," a witness told AFP. "They fired in the air before aiming at the members of the congregation." The attack happened in early afternoon, "just as the faithful were leaving the church at the end of the service," the witness added.

Italy probes death of Silvio Berlusconi ʼbunga bungaʼ sex trial witness Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation into the death of Imane Fadil, a Moroccan-born model who testified in one of the inquiries linked to former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconiʼs "bunga bunga" parties. Fadil, 34, died in Milanʼs Humanitas hospital on March 1. She had been undergoing treatment since January 29 for symptoms of poisoning, Milan prosecutor Francesco Greco said, according to the ANSA news agency.

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98/2019 • 30 April, 2019

Older German diesels face reckoning German government ministers met at Chancellor Angela Merkelʼs offices on Friday to discuss the vexatious diesel question. After years of wrangling, a solution is dearly sought, but what are the realistic options? Is Germanyʼs seemingly never-ending diesel debate edging towards its endgame? On Friday, German government ministers for transport, finance, the economy and the environment met at the offices of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to try and reach an agreement on the thorny subject of how to reduce pollution from diesel cars as quickly as possible. Read more: New analysis reveals deadly scale of diesel emissions Last weekend, German government figures and car manufacturers were in talks over potential hardware retrofits for older diesels, but no deal was reached. With diesel bans allowed in Germany since rulings earlier this year, the debate has entered a decisive phase.Hamburg began a partial ban in May, while Stuttgart,Frankfurtand Düsseldorf are among the other cities expected to follow. Car manufacturers are vehemently opposed to such bans, as they have added to uncertainty over dieselʼs future and hit sales. The debate in the Chancellery once more centered on a few key questions around whether older diesels should be banned outright, retrofitted with new hardware or gradually phased out through incentivized buyback schemes. On top of that is the fundamental issue of who pays to make things better.

Sri Lanka seeks investment, but China questions linger You donʼt need to be an expert on international trade routes to look at a map and understandthat Sri Lankaʼs location is one of potentially serious economic advantage. The island nation — population 22 million — sits at the southern tip of India, almost as close to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa as it is to South East Asia. The value of this location has not been lost on its northern neighbor China.Under Xi Jinpingʼs so-called ʼBelt and Road Initiative,ʼ the Chinese government has pumped billions into Sri Lanka in the form of both foreign investment and loans in recent years. This reliance on Chinese money is part of a longstanding Sri Lankan problem. With a major trade deficit, as well as crippling levels of debt, the country needs foreign money. China has rushed to fill the gap more enthusiastically than anyone else. The current Sri Lankan government came to power in 2015, when it replaced former President Mahinda Rajapaksaʼs administration.

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Facebookʼs numbers donʼt convince everyone Facebookʼs latest financial figures have excited analysts. But cyberactivists like Markus Beckedahl say the company must do much more to combat the spread of fake news.

Facebookʼs latest quarterly figures have business analysts and traders excited. Frank Geilfuss, chief economist at Löbbecke bank, told DW the numbers "they are excellent." Above all, Geilfuss said he was surprised by the reported increase in the number of active Facebook users per month. Over the past three months, about 60 million new users joined the online platform, increasing total membership to 2.38 billion. And when all of Facebookʼs various services and platforms, like messaging

Can the European Union control Chinaʼs connectivity in Europe?

Last week, the EU announced a proposal for a "new and comprehensive strategy to better connect Europe and Asia." As European countries and industry expand infrastructure and network connections with Asia, and China in particular, the EU is seeking to level the playing field and ensure that joint projects develop with Brussels setting the standard. DW spoke with Mathieu Duchâtel, senior policy fellow and deputy director of the Asia and China Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, about the EUʼs strategy on connecting Europe and Asia. Mathieu Duchâtel: This proposal is the EUʼs response mainly to Chinaʼs Belt and Road initiative, with the aim of making European values on connectivity clear. I think itʼs the result of a feeling in the EU that it wasnʼt in the driverʼs seat on the connectivity discussion in Eurasia. This, of course, includes infrastructure because thereʼs no connectivity without infrastructure.

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Knorr-Bremse set to become German IPO of the year Knorr-Bremse said on Friday that strong investor demand for its 35 million shares to be publicly listed on October 12 could value the stake at up to €4.21 billion ($4.77 billion). The German braking and technology group now hopes to sell its newlyfloated shares at a price of between €72 and €87. Earnings from the 30-percent stake in the company could make the flotation the biggest in Germany this year, overtaking that of Siemens Healthineers — the worldʼs largest maker of medical imaging equipment — which sold for €4.2 billion. The companyʼs chief executive Klaus Deller, said KnorrBremse would welcome new investors as it was heading toward further growth. "We have received very positive feedback from investors and other stakeholders...confirming our strong belief that this IPO is the next logical step for us," he said in a statement.

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service WhatsApp and the photo and video sharing platform Instagram, are taken into account, the company has some 2.7 billion open accounts.

Of these, 2.1 billion access Facebookʼs services daily. Geilfuss said he welcomes the companyʼs broad range of products. Thatʼs why he called "Facebook a company with great potential for the future." After all, some 70% of Americans between the age of 15 and 35 use Instagram.

Bayer investors angry over plummeting share price

German chemicals giant Bayer held its first shareholder meeting since it acquired US company Monsanto.

Frustration over the Monsanto deal and Bayerʼs falling share price led shareholders to vote against Bayerʼs board.

Dull moments are rare things before Bayer shareholder meetings, with vociferous protests by environmental pressure groups and associations representing patients being the rule rather than an exception, as DW correspondent Ashutosh Pandey confirmed on Twitter. But this year, things are different in that the companyʼs largest shareholders are angry, too. Inside the Bonn Conference Center, the venue of the Bayer AGM on Friday, investors were fuming.

"Bayer has choked on Monsanto," said Ingo Speich of German lender Deka bank. "The company risks being taken over and dismantled." Mark Tuemmler of investorsʼ federation DSW said 2018 was "a nightmare for shareholders."

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The inexhaustible, always contemporary Shakespeare Researchers from around the world discussed the challenges of translating the literary genius

"Shakespeare and Translation" was the subject of this yearʼs conference of the Weimar-based German Shakespeare Society.

Each year around April 23, the birthday of William Shakespeare, the Shakespeare Society hosts a spring seminar. This yearʼs event, which took place from April 26-28, addressed the challenges of translating the works of the poet and playwright from Stratford-upon-Avon.

At first glance, it may seem surprising that the Shakespeare Society is based in the eastern German city of Weimar, which German poets Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller called home later

in life. "The German Shakespeare Society was founded in 1864 and is, as far as we know, the oldest literary society in the world," explained the societyʼs president, Claudia Olk. "We always look forward to returning to where we were founded since Shakespeare was already one of the great classical writers, along with Goethe and Schiller." A statue commemorating the English poet stands not far from the conference location and is always a magnet for those attending.

Plovdiv 2019: Historic moment for a historic city The ancient city of Plovdiv put on a party on Saturday nightcomplete with fireworks, light shows, concerts and speeches from dignitaries as it took up its mantle as European Capital of Culture. Having been an architectural hot spot during Roman rule, Bulgariaʼs second city has again taken center stage in the region. "This is a unique and historic moment for our city," said Plovdiv Mayor Ivan Totev before the opening ceremony. The artist collective Phase7 staged an impressive light show in front of tens of thousands of visitors as performances by local musicians and dancers gave a foretaste of the European Capital of Culture 2019 motto: "Together." As Plovdiv residents combine to showcase their distinctive city, a number of headline events are planned throughout the year, including the Ayliak Art Parade in May on Europeʼs longest boulevard. The focus will be on slow, sustainable and harmonious living via green, creative products and innovations.

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ʼAnti-deportation industryʼ named Germanyʼs Non-Word of the Year 2018 Nina Janich, a linguistics professor and spokesperson for the independent jury that selects the Unwort des Jahres ("Non-Word of the Year"), has announced the selection of this yearʼs term, "Anti-AbschiebeIndustrie" ("anti-deportation industry"). The term was used by rightwing politicians and commentators in 2018 to refer to "those who legally support rejected asylum seekers and seek judicial review, and those who intend to protect refugees who have become criminals" — es-

sentially, accusing them of making money out of support for deportees, said Janich in Darmstadt on Tuesday. She added that the jury found the descriptor defamatory and discrediting. The term was first used in May 2018 by Alexander Dobrindt, parliamentary group leader of the conservative Christian Social Union — sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkelʼs Christian Democratic Union — who also said in April that "Islam shouldnʼt culturally shape Germany."

Address: 1111 Budapest Bartok Béla út 8 (only 100 metres from Hotel Gellért) Brand new place - just opened end of November! With amazing coffee, breakfast, soups, sandwiches, tortillas, pancake, cookies, etc. even lunch menu! Come and see us for a coffee or more before or after your Gellért Bath visit! :)

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Culture

Renovated Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest to Open on 31 October AFTER MORE THAN THREE YEARS OF RENOVATION, THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BUDAPEST WILL OPEN ON 31 OCT NOW OPEN TO PUBLIC Thanks to the largest-scale and most comprehensive reconstruction project in the museum’s history, the museum building has been renewed, and, returning to the collection’s first concept, the museum’s permanent exhibitions will also be rearranged. Besides the new permanent exhibitions, the revamped museum will welcome visitors with a chamber exhibition titled Leonardo & the Budapest Horse and Rider. The museum reconstruction, implemented within the framework of the Liget Budapest Project, included the restoration of the Romanesque Hall, which sustained severe damage in World War II and since then had been only partially renovated and used as a storage area, along with the modernisation of the building’s obsolete heating system, the installation of air conditioning in some of the exhibition halls, the renewal of a large part of the roof structure, as well as the addition of new exhibition spaces, visitor areas and modern storage facilities.

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98/2019 • 30 April, 2019

Trump quashes Cuba baseball agreement

For decades, players from baseballmad Cuba have defected to the US in the hope of signing professional contracts. Finally, an Obama-era agreement promised an end to the days of risking everything for a baseball career. But then Trump came to town.

Formula One reaches 1,000 races

The Formula One circuit kicked off on May 13,1950 at Silverstone in England.

Italyʼs Giuseppe "Nino" Farina (pictured here) won the first-ever F1 race and would go on to win two more of the total of seven races to win the first driversʼ title. Juan-Manuel Fangio dominated F1 in its its early years, driving for Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes and Ferrari. He won the driversʼ title a total of five times (1951, 1954-1957) - a record he would hold until 2002 when Germanyʼs Michael Schumacher went one better. His ratio of starts to wins is still unparalleled though, having won 24 of the 51 races he competed in.

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Toni Söderholm takes charge of German national ice hockey team Weeks after Marco Sturm left to pursue an opportunity in the NHL, the German ice hockey team have a new coach. Finnish coach Toni Söderholm has signed a contract that will take him through the 2022 Winter Games.

The German Ice Hockey Association (DEB) confirmed on Thursday what had been widely rumored for days;Toni Söderholm is the national teamʼs new head coach. "The decision was an easy one for us," DEB President Franz Reindl told a press conference in Munich. "He knows the system, he is predestined for international ice hockey. I am proud and am 100 percent certain that it will work out well with Toni." For his part, said he was "very happy" to have accepted the post. "The No. 1 job is to make the national team better and better. Söderholm, a former defenseman, is a relatively inexperienced coach, having only retired as a player in 2016 following a season at Red Bull Munich. Before turning professional, Söderholm spent four years playing US college hockey with the University of Massachusetts. As a pro he spent the bulk of his career at the club of his youth, Helsinki IFK, but also had spells in the top leagues in Sweden and Switzerland – where he learned to speak German.

Arjen Robben set to miss Der Klassiker but hopeful of final Bayern Munich appearance Road to redemption

Clashes with Borussia Dortmund have been pivotal in Arjen Robbenʼs long Bayern Munich career, with memories good and bad.

But the Dutchman admits injury is likely to deny him a last chance to face Bayernʼs title rivals.

As the opponent heʼs both faced and lost against most in his career, those with an eye for a narrative arc would have hoped Arjen Robben might have played one last time against Borussia Dortmund, before leaving Bayern Munich and riding off in to the sunset. But the 35-yearold Dutch winger, who will leave the club he joined in 2009 at the end of the season, believes the April 6

meeting will come too soon. "I still donʼt know whether I will be fit, we will have to see, but I think it is probably unrealistic," Robben told Munich newspaper Abendzeitung on Wednesday. "I am on the road to recovery, but I am not yet training with the team," he added. "I think it will take a bit more time. All I can do is keep working hard and fighting to get back on the pitch."

Dirk Nowitzki: Going out with a double-double After 21 seasons in the worldʼs top basketball league, Dirk Nowitzki has left the court for the last time.

He did so with a strong performance in the same city in which he first burst onto the global stage.

Chen Ying is begging for attention.

The Chinese woman is standing with her boyfriend Xu Wei right behind one of the baskets at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Itʼs the basket thatDirk Nowitzkiand his Dallas Mavericks teammates are shooting at during the warmup. Ying is far too polite to scream. Instead, she holds a banner above her head, which reads in Ger-

man: "Lieber Dirk: vielen Dank, dass Sie von 13 bis 30 Jahre bei mir geblieben sind.

Liebe aus China" (Dear Dirk: thank you for staying with me from 13 to 30 years. Love from China). Below that is a short request that Nowitzki had already ruled out fulfilling for her or any of his other fans: "One more year." Itʼs been almost 24 hours since Nowitzki announced at his last home game that he was calling time on his playing career.

Ying and Wei were also in the American Airlines Center in Dallas one night earlier. They flew to Texas for Nowitzkiʼs very last NBA game.