DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Dalit caste protests in India hit Mumbai Hundreds were arrested after lowercaste Dalits took to the streets to protest attacks on their communities. Opposition politicians in the state government accused the ruling party of tolerating nationalist violence. Protesters from Indiaʼs lowest castes brought parts of Mumbai to a standstill on Wednesday following violence from Hindu nationalists. One member of the Dalit — formerly known as the "untouchable" — caste, was killed in a Mumbaiʼs Maharashtra state on Monday during a ceremony to commemorate a 200-year-old battle. A group of Dalits had gathered to mark the anniversary of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon in 1818 when they helped the British defeat higher-caste elites. Demonstrators blocked roads and railways in Indiaʼs financial capital, resulting in 100 arrests as many businesses and schools remained shuttered in anticipation of more violence. The government of Maharashtra has called for an official investigation into the violence.
Singapore arrests Vietnamese spy linked to Berlin kidnapping A lawyer has urged Berlin to help a detained intelligence officer, who has "valuable information" and wants to go to Germany. The man has been accused of "revealing state secrets," a crime punishable by death in Vietnam. Lawyers representing fugitive Vietnamese intelligence officer Phan Van Anh Vu confirmed on Tuesday that Singaporean authorities took their client into custody. Vu confirmed that "apart from being a property developer, he was also a senior officer in the Vietnamese intelligence services," Singaporean lawyer Remy Choo told AFP news agency. The fugitive intelligence officer is wanted in Germany for his potential knowledge about thealleged forced disappearance of Vietnamese oil tycoon Trinh Xuan Thanh, according to German lawyer Victor Pfaff. "Vu is a lieutenant colonel of the Vietnamese secret police in division five of the Ministry of Public Security, which is responsible for the abduction of … Trinh," a letter from the German lawyer said.
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Poland, Hungary say EU migration policy has failed Both countries have rejected EUʼs refugee quotas
Hungary and Polandʼs prime ministers have said their antiimmigration stances are gaining support within the EU and that they want a stronger say in the blocʼs future.
BP warns of huge hit from US tax reforms BP has warned that they will suffer a painful blow to its fourth-quarter figures, which are due to be announced on February 6. However the energy giant predicts its longterm earnings will be "positively impacted." British energy giant BP expects a oneoff charge of 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to eat into their fourth-quarter 2017 figures, the company announced on Tuesday. Donald Trump signed into law the mostradical changes to the US tax codein 30 years, and BP is one of several conglomerates to allude to large one-time hits in the fourth quarter. Royal Dutch Shell last week claimed last an expected $2-2.5 billion dent in their fourth-quarter results, and Barclays projected a $1- bil-
lion variation. Goldman Sachs suggested a $- billion hit as a result of the new levy on overseas earnings. "The lowering of the US corporate income tax rate to 21 percent requires revaluation of BPʼs US deferred tax assets and liabilities," the company said in a statement. "The current estimated impact of this will be a one-off non-cash charge to the group income statement of around $1.5 billion that will impact BPʼs fourth-quarter 2017 results." BP admitted that their long-term earnings would be"positively impacted" by the tax reforms, which are expected to boost corporate profits of banks and other companies over the medium and long term by lowering the rate of corporation tax from 35 percent to 21 percent.
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.
Mormon church President Thomas Monson dies aged 90 The leader of the global Mormon Church, Thomas Monson, has died at the age of 90 at his home in Salt Lake City, Utah. He actively served in various top ranking positions of the church for more than half a century. Thomas Monson, leader of the Mormon church, has died at the age of 90 at his home in Salt Lake City, Utah, the church said on Wednesday. Monson was the 16th President of the Mormon Church, which is officially known as "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (LDS) He held the position for 10 years following the death of his predecessor, Gordon Hinckley, who died in late 2007, aged 97. "President Monson had all the hallmarks of an unassuming servant of the Lord," the church said in a statement.
North Korea reopens hotline to South to talk Olympics North Korea has reopened a crossborder communication channel with South Korea despite the spike in animosity between the two countries in 2017. The main topic of conversation is set to be the Winter Olympics. North Korea has restored a crossborder hotline to the South to discuss its participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The hotline, which is situated at the shared border village of Panmunjom, was cut by the North in 2016.
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