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.
3/2018 • 4, JANUARY 2018
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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3/2018 • 4, January 2018
US and Poland strike $10.5 billion missile defense deal
Spotify hit with $1.6 billion copyright lawsuit
China sales behind German carmakersʼ rosy third quarter
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."
Songs by Tom Petty, Neil Young and the Doors are just some of the titles licensed by music publisher Wixen. The company is suing Spotify, claiming it didnʼt obtain the rights to distribute thousands of songs.
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.
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-year-old 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.
Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. holds the rights to songs of major artists including Neil Young, The Doors, Tom Petty, Santana, The Beach Boys, Janis Joplin and Missy Elliott. Those songs are also part of Spotifyʼs 30 millionsong catalog — but Wixen is claiming that the Swedish streaming company has failed to obtain permission to distribute over 10,000 titles it manages. The music publisher is now suing Spotify for alleged copyright violations. Wixen said it is seeking $150,000 in
damages for each song, the maximum allowed for copyright damages — for a total of at least $1.6 billion including lawyersʼ fees. "While Spotify has become a multibillion dollar company, songwriters and their publishers, such as Wixen, have not been able to fairly and rightfully share in Spotifyʼs success, as Spotify has in many cases used their music without a license and without compensation," reads the explanation for the lawsuit filed last week in a federal court in Los Angeles.
Donald Trump calls for ʼgood old global warmingʼ in tweet The US president has taken to social media to make his feelings about global warming clear, confusing weather and climate change. US President Donald Trump took to Twitter Thursday to poke fun at the concept of global warming, writing the East Coast, which is experiencing record cold, could "use a little bit of that good old Global Warming." The comment failed to recognize the difference between shortterm weather phenomena, which can
change by the hour, and long-term atmospheric changes that can develop over decades. Although the eastern US is currently experiencing a cold snap, the UN weather and climate agency has said that 2017 is on track to become the hottest year on record.The previous recordwas set in 2016. Trump has consistently voiced his skepticism about the concept ofclimate change, having previously labelled it a Chinese "hoax" created to harm US industry.
The Sound of Dignity - Boban Markovic Orkestar Müpa Boban Markovic, one of the best known artists of Balkan worldmusic, who collaborated on many of Emil Kusturica’s films, will visit Budapest once again with his orchestra within the frameworks of a charity gala for the benefit of the Hungarian Hospice Foundation at Müpa. This night is for greeting the foundation’s supporters and, of course, the New Year.
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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.