DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Leftist Lopez Obrador favorite as Mexico votes for new president Mexicans are lining up to vote for a new president in an election that is expected to hand over power to an anti-establishment outsider. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor, has maintained a commanding lead in opinion polls throughout a campaign marred by more than 100 murders of politicians by suspected drug gangs More than 3,000 offices are up for grabs, including 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, 128 in the Senate and eight governorships.Lopez Obrador faces a challenge from Former Chamber of Deputies president Ricardo Anaya, who is seeking to appeal to young voters — about 40 percent of the electorate.Five-time minister Jose Antonio Meade is the candidate for outgoing President Enrique Pena Nietoʼs Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).Corruption and a steep rise in murders by the countryʼs powerful drug cartels are the main issues among voters.More than 88 million people are eligible to vote in what are Mexicoʼs biggest-ever elections.
Egypt refuses EU call for migrant reception centers Egypt and four other countries have said they will refuse to host migrants aiming for the European Union. The "reception centers" are part a broader plan to more evenly distribute asylum seekers in Europe. Egypt said on Sunday that it will not build refugee camps for migrants deported from the European Union if asked. The announcement came after details ofa new EU-wide migration dealrevealed that bloc leaders will seek to build centers for asylum seekers in "partner countries" in the Middle East and Africa. "EU reception facilities for migrants in Egypt would violate the laws and constitution of our country," Egyptian Speaker of the House of Representatives Ali Abdel Aal, to Germanyʼs Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
148/2018 • 02 JULY, 2018
The EUʼs new power broker? Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz:
Austria takes over the EU Council presidency on July 1. Its conservative new leader Sebastian Kurz sees himself above all as a gatekeeper, with migration at the top of the agenda for his countryʼs mandate.
BMWʼs huge battery order adds to EU controversy Munich-based BMW ordered e-car batteries worth billions of euros from Chinese manufacturer CATL for its planned electric cars, German business daily Handelsblatt reported. In an interview for the newspaper, the carmakerʼs chief executive, Harald Krüger, confirmed the deal, while Reuters reported that in return for the order, CATL had agreed to build a special battery cell factory near the German city of Erfurt to support BMW. Observers remarked the carmakerʼs dealran afoul of European Commission efforts to cultivate an EU producer of battery cells. Krüger for his part argued that a European producer would only make sense if it were
competitive, adding that for now BMW needed a supplier "whoʼs already on the market." His comment followed earlier statements saying that BMWʼs top priority was to have a battery supplier that was nearby. Put off by low margins? EU Energy Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, as well as several heads of government including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have recently thrown their weight behind a European Unionbased producer, warning that it would not be a good idea for automakers inside the bloc to be wholly dependent on predominantly Asian suppliers like China and South Korea.
Cologne breaks ground on new Jewish Museum The cornerstone for Cologneʼs future Jewish Museum was laid Thursday in a ceremony attended by regional politicians and members of the architectural team. The museumwill go by the nickname MiQua, which comes from the word "mikveh," a ritual purification bath in Judaism. It will be built on and underneath the square where the cityʼs historic town hall stands, which is the site of Cologneʼs historic Jewish quarter from the Middle Ages. The museum will highlight Cologneʼs general history from 1424 onwards, with a specific
focus on the cityʼs Jewish history. "No other German city has such long ties to Jewish history as Cologne," Armin Laschet, the conservative premier of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), said at Thursdayʼs ceremony, adding that few people are aware that the roots of Jewish life in the city date back some 1,700 years. Cologneʼs Jewish communityis considered the oldest north of the Alps, according to the present day congregationʼs website. The first mentions of the community go back to 321 A.D.
US-Mexico border scandals sink bilateral ties to historic low "Even for building a wall you need Mexican workers," Mexicoʼs richest man and entrepreneur Carlos Slim said when US President Donald Trump took office in Washington. This seemingly relaxed attitude, the belief that many of Trumpʼs campaign promises wouldnʼt turn out that bad, has completely dissipated in Mexico by now. Trump has ceaselessly humiliated the USʼs southern neighbor not just during his campaign, but also during his first year in office.The building of a wall along the Mexican borderto keep out illegal immigrants and curtail the drug trade is one of Trumpʼs most important campaign promises. "Even before his victory, Trump accused Mexico of sending criminals, rapists and drug dealers to the US, and he has stuck with this position," Washington-based Mexican journalist Gregorio Meraz tells DW.
Iran announces plan to circumvent US oil sanctions Iran announced on Sunday that it would permit private companies to export crude oil as Tehran attempts to thwart US sanctions against the country’s oil industry. Iran also urgedfellow OPEC nations, including rival Saudi Arabia, to stick toan agreement made last monthto collectively boost output. "We want to defeat America’s efforts…to stop Iran’s oil exports," said First Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri in a televised statement. "The Iranian government has a plan."
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148/2018 • 02 July, 2018
Turkish police teargas Istanbul gay pride attendees Police used tear gas, dogs and batons to push back crowds celebrating Istanbulʼs 16th Pride March on Sunday. The people, carrying rainbow flags and banners, had been marching down the cityʼs central Istiklal shopping street as part of the pride celebrations. Police had permitted the organizers to read a statement before being ordered to disperse. "We do not recognize this ban," they said, calling it "comical." "We do not obey, we do not shut up, we are not afraid," many chanted. Some people affected by tear gas washed their faces while some took shelter in the buildings along the side streets of Istiklal. Istanbulʼs governor banned the march "unlawfully" for the fourth consecutive year, according to organizers. "The governor has once again committed a crime by discriminating against a specific part of society." The march was intended to fight "violence and discrimination" against the lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex community (LGBTI).
World Cup 2018: Brazil hitting form in time for Mexico showdown Like many of the favorites, weʼre yet to see the best of Brazil at this World Cup. Two pedestrian performances against Switzerland and Costa Rica were a stark contrast to their qualifying campaign, when they lost only once in 18 games and topped the South American group ahead of Uruguay by 10 points. But Brazil are no strangers to the latter stages of World Cups, having qualified from the group stage of every one since 1970 and thereʼs a sense that they are going through the gears — and thatʼs bad news for Mexico. Their notable victories over Germany and South Korea marked an impressive start in Russia, but some of that momentum has ebbed away after a thoroughly disappointing 3-0 defeat by Sweden, who topped their group.
Purple paradise: check out this lavender field just outside Budapest Forget Provence. A sweeping perfumed purple lavender field awaits just outside of Budapest.
Deutsche Bank fails US Federal Reserve stress test The US Federal Reserve said on Thursday that Deutsche Bank US operations had failed the central bankʼs annual stress test due to "widespread and critical deficiencies" in its risk management. The Fedʼs yearly stress tests are meant to determine if big banks are strong enough to sustain a major economic downturn. Thursdayʼs qualitative test looked at capital planning, including share buybacks and dividend payments. While the bank passed an earlier set of tests, itʼs not the first time that the German banking giant has been unable to pass a US annual stress test, having failed similar tests in 2015 and 2016. Deutscheʼs negative result came after
the Federal Reserve carried out its second round of annual stress tests, where it found that 32 out of the 35 major banks in the US had passed the test. As a result, the banking authority gave the approval for these financial institutions to raise dividends and buy back shares.The US regulator gave conditional approval to Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley whose capital levels were adversely affected during the test by changes to the US tax code.
Monogamy: Not one-size-fits-all One-night-stands and affairs happen in all kinds of relationships. Some people say thatʼs a sign of the failure of monogamy. tʼs late, the booze is flowing, the woman is beautiful. Flirting and kissing are followed by a hook-up. All of that wouldnʼt be a problem if Max wasnʼt married. His wife doesnʼt know about her husband occasionally having sex with other women. The sexual partners donʼt mean anything to Max, he says — heʼs merely letting his sex drive take over every once in a while. "I know itʼs a natural thing," Max said to DW. "But itʼs definitely wrong as well." Gertrud Wolf is a couplesʼ and sex therapist. "Humans arenʼt monog-
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amous by nature," she says. Roughly one third of Wolfʼs clients come to see her because one of the partners cheated. For most couples, sexual fidelity is very important. "I often work with people who had always said that theyʼd never cheat, and that they could never forgive their partners if they would," Wolf told DW. "And then they sit here with hanging heads because they did cheat after all." Many people — especially young ones — wonder whether monogamy really is the only meaningful form of a relationship. Some consider it outdated and predict its imminent demise. "Monogamy is a cultural achievement of man, an invention," Wolf said. "But one that makes sense."
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Why has China invited African army chiefs to Beijing? Chinaʼs economic influence as an investor and trade partner continues to grow in Africa and new strategies are being discussed to ensure the security of Chinese business interests and investments. Emphasizing Beijingʼs strategic interest in Africa, Chinaʼs Ministry of National Defense invited high-ranking military representatives from 50 African countries to the first China-Africa Defense and Security Forum. The forum began on Tuesday in Beijing and is set to run until July 10. Read more: ʼNew Silk Roadʼ and Chinaʼs hegemonic ambitions "Securing trade routes is important for China as Africaʼs northeastern coast up to the Suez Canal is a part of the new maritime silk road, which is also a segment of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)," said Cobus van Staden, a China expert at the South African Institute for International Affairs. BRI is a massive development and trade project launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping to connect China with Eurasian markets. According to van Staden, China has an "increasingly complex relationship with Africa," and has extensive investments in many countries there. Many Chinese live in Africa and China has experience evacuating its nationals from crisis areas.
French prisoner Redoine Faid escapes from Paris prison in helicopter French-Algerian career criminal Redoine Faid broke out of a Paris prison on Sunday in a daring escape. The 46-year-old career thief escaped Reau prison by helicopter in a daylight break, authorities said. "Two men dressed in black, wearing balaclavas and police armbands" showed up at the prison entrance looking for Faid, a union representative at Reau Prison told Franceʼs BFMTV. At the same time, a helicopter landed in the prison courtyard, the only part of the complex not covered by anti-helicopter netting. The men used a grinding machine to open the door leading directly to the visiting room, where Faid had been talking with his brother, and fled in the helicopter. Franceʼs Justice Ministry said Redoine Faidʼs escape only took "a few minutes" and nobody was injured or taken hostage.