DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
European powers reaffirm support for Iran nuclear deal The leaders of Britain, France and Germany reaffirmed their support for the current nuclear deal with Iran. The issue is due to come to a head, again, in May when President Trump decides whether to maintain the treaty. The leaders of Britain France and Germany reaffirmed their support for the existing nuclear deal with Iran, which is "the best way of neutralizing the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran," according to a statement released Sunday by the prime ministerʼs office in London. Prime Minister Theresa May spoke by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel over the weekend, and the three leaders agreed that the best way forward was to maintain the existing agreement, which was signed in 2015.
Quarter of German longdistance trains late in month of March Deutsche Bahn suffered setbacks as a quarter of all long-distance trains in Germany failed to arrive on time in March, according to a media report. A new task force is to be set up to work on improving performance. German trains arenʼt what they used to be. Once a shining example of German efficiency, accuracy and, above all, punctuality, today there are accusations voiced that Germanyʼs longdistance railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) is a shadow of its former self. A report published in the weekly Der Spiegel news magazine says that a quarter of all long-distance trains suffered delays last month. The official definition of late is six minutes or more behind schedule. DB said that the main reasons for the delays were "large-scale disruptions on mainlines" and "wintry weather conditions in the north and the east" of the country.
97/2018 • 02 MAY, 2018
Donald Trump World Cup tweet targeting bid opponents shows ʼcowboy mentalityʼ Unsurprisingly, his comments didnʼt go over well with Moroccans
Boosting the USʼs bid to host the 2026 football World Cup, President Donald Trump indirectly criticized Morocco for daring to compete.
Google parent firm Alphabet nets big first-quarter profit Alphabet, the parent company for Google, reported better-thanexpected profits in the first quarter. The first-quarter surge came on the back of strong ad sales and an accounting adjustment for investments in startups. On Monday, Alphabet reported a 73 percent surge in net income, to $9.4 billion (€7.7 billion), or $13.33 per share, in the first three months of 2018. Worldwide sales for the Californiabased tech giant, which owns the internet search engine Google, increased to $31.1 billion, up 26 percent from the first quarter last year. Adjusted earnings, excluding the investment-related
gains and other items, were $9.93 per share, and its effective tax rates dropped from 20 percent to 11 percent a year ago. The first quarter jump can be attributed to revenue from advertisements sold by Google, which rose as advertisers pursued slots on its search engine, YouTube video platform and millions of other partner apps and websites. Additionally, about $3.40 of Alphabetʼs earnings per share were attributed to a new accounting method for unrealized gains in Alphabetʼs investments. The rise in value of its stake in ride-sharing app Uber is believed to be one of the main sources of growth in this area.
German university hospital defends auto firmsʼ nitrogen dioxide test ethics No experiments on animals or humans can take place in Germany without a go from an authorized ethics committee. Dr. Thomas Kraus from Aachen University Hospital says this was the case in the most recent NO2 scandal. The European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) "did not impinge in any way on the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) research it commissioned Aachen University Hospital to do," Professor Thomas Kraus from the
hospital told the German press agency DPA on Monday. The EUGT is a now defunct organization that was funded by German carmakers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW plus partsmaker Bosch, thus raising questions of possible conflicts of interest. In 2013, 25 healthy volunteers were exposed to NO2 pollution for three hours, Kraus said. "None of them had any negative health effects," he went on, adding that the tests were meant to measure the impact of pollutants in the workplace.
German military dogs may be equipped with camera systems A German engineering firm is reportedly showing off technology to outfit military dogs with wireless camera systems. A similar system was reportedly used in the killing of Osama Bin Laden. A German engineering firm is hoping to strap advanced camera systems to the Bundeswehrʼs service dogs, according to a report in Die Welt. Aachen-based firm P3 was reportedly marketing its new canine camera system at the Berlin Air Show. The 5-kilogram (11-pound) system features a camera, a power supply, a wireless video transmitter, and a two-way radio system to send commands to the canines. The system displayed at show reportedly featured a 360-degree panoramic camera, but P3ʼs other systems include thermal imaging or infrared sensitive cameras. The system would allow dogs to proceed ahead of soldiers for reconnaissance. "Itʼs about supporting frontline troops," Managing Director of P3 Aviation Kai Rahnenführer told Die Welt.
Boliviaʼs ʼCocaine Coupʼ dictator Luis Garcia Meza dies at 88 Luis Garcia Mezaʼs regime was characterized by mass human rights violations, including genocide and extrajudicial killings. He rose to power in the early 1980s in what was largely described as the "Cocaine Coup." Former Bolivian military dictator Luis Garcia Meza died on Sunday at the age of 88. Garcia Meza, who was serving a 30-year prison sentence, died from "possible respiratory failure," according to a medical report.
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97/2018 • 02 May, 2018
Facebook bans Trump campaign data firm Cambridge Analytica The social media giant has accused the data analysis company of illegally obtaining user data. At the same time, a whistleblower has said that Cambridge Analytica illegally harvested data from 50 million users. Facebook announced on Saturday that it had suspended the data research firm Cambridge Analytica for holding onto dubiously obtained user data after assuring the social media firm that the information had been deleted. Cambridge Analytica has become well-known in political circles for its work on the election campaign of US President Donald Trump and for the pro-Brexit group Leave.eu. Facebook said it was also suspending the firmʼs parent company, Strategic Communications Laboratories (SCL). The incident revolves around an app put on the site in 2015 by Aleksandr Kogan, a professor at the University of Cambridge, that purported to be a personality test and psychological research tool. About 270,000 users downloaded it and shared their information with it, according to Facebook.
Leroy Sané honored in England, now Germany starting berth beckons Manchester City winger Leroy Sané has been named the English Professional Footballersʼ Association Young Player of the Year.
Apple poised to pay Ireland billions in back taxes as appeal looms
German metalworkers finally secure wage agreement
Billions are expected to flow into Irelandʼs coffers through September as the tech giant shells out for 10 years of tax breaks that have been ruled illegal. Yet, Ireland and Apple continue to dispute the EUʼs orders.
Following weeks of bitter fighting, a wage agreement for the German metal and electrical industries has finally been struck. Employees were able to secure higher wages and more flexible working hours. A wage agreement was reached in the early hours on Tuesday in Germanyʼs metal and electrical industries. The powerful IG Metall union announced the deal initially covering workers in the southern German state of BadenWürttemberg, but expected to be eventually implemented for a total of 3.9 million workers in the sector nationwide. According to the deal, employeesare to receive a pay hike of 4.3 percent from April this year. Additionally, monthly one-off payments of €100 ($124) were agreed for January through March. Employers and trade union representatives also agreed on the possibility of workers reducing their hours from 35 to 28 hours per week for two years, should they need to look after children or care for older relatives.
Apple and the Irish finance minister, Paschal Donohoe, were set to sign the formal legal agreement that will allow Ireland to collectsome €13 billion ($16 billion) in back taxesfrom the tech giant following orders from the European Commission, the Irish Finance Ministry announced Tuesday. Though the signing means that Apple can start making a decadeʼs worth of back payments to the EU nation, both parties continue to dispute the fact that Ireland gave Apple preferential tax treatment amounting to illegal state aid. Donohoe said the escrow arrangement for "the recovery of alleged state aid" would be signed sometime on Tuesday. Once the deal
is signed, Apple can begin payments into an escrow fund set up for the explicit collection of Appleʼs back taxes.Apple is expected to pay in multiple installments, with all money transferred by the end of this yearʼs third business quarter. Donohoe said in a statement that the signing of the deal was "a significant milestone" and described the framework as "the largest recovery fund of its kind ever to be established." However, he added that "the [Irish] Government fundamentally disagrees with the ruling of the Commission" in 2016 that ordered the country to collect around €13 billion plus interest from Apple.
How plants survive in the desert Deserts might be renowned for their arid and hostile characteristics, but they are home to some incredible plants that have developed strategies to find and use the very last droplet of water. What is a desert? Per definition, the answer to this question is simple. They are areas of land with little to no flora. Though they are dry, they are not all hot. Take Antarctica, the largest desert in the world. Because itʼs so cold there,
it is just as dry as the Sahara, the biggest hot desert on the planet. Generally speaking, when we think of a desert, we think of inhospitable, sandy and furiously hot regions. We think of towering dunes, sand storms and temperatures that bake by day and chill by night. One thing we are unlikely to think about are the plants that thrive in these unfriendly conditions. But they are out there. In the Sahara alone, there are 1,400 different plant species. Some of them, cacti.
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Publisher slammed as Hitler appears in ʼgreat leadersʼ book The book "would bring tears of joy to neo-Nazis," a Jewish human rights organization has said. Adolf Hitler carries a certain fascination in some parts of the world that is largely untouched by his atrocities. Indian publisher Pegasus landed itself in hot water this week when it emerged that itʼs "Great Leaders" book for children included Adolf Hitler. Pictured alongside freedom fighters Mathama Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, the book chose Hitler as one of the "powerful world leaders who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of their countries and the people living in them." Also included in the book are current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, controversial Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi and former US President Barack Obama. "Dedicated to the betterment of countries and people? Adolf Hitler? This description would bring tears of joy to the Nazis and their racist neo-Nazi heirs," said Abraham Cooper of the Jewish human rights organization the Wiesenthal Center.