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South African white Solidarity union strikes against Sasol share exclusion The action is being reported as the first ever strike by white employees in South Africa over racial exclusion. Solidarity spokesman Francois Redelinghuys told DW that 4,000 of its members took part in the go slowaction on Monday. "As Solidarity we are pleased with the development of the action and the manner in which it was conducted. The go-slow will continue tomorrow." "On Wednesday we will deliver a Memorandum to Sasol at the Sasolburg plant and on Thursday our members in Secunda will embark on a full scale strike," Redelinghuys said. In its defense of the scheme, petrochemical giant Sasol, which employs 26,000 people in South Africa, said all companies there are obliged to meet quotas as part of the governmentʼs effort to reversedecades of exclusion of black workersfrom company ownership, employment and procurement.
German health minister calls for opt-out organ donation Germany should change its laws on organ donation and adopt an opt-out scheme to increase the number of organs available for transplantation, Health Minister Jens Spahn said in comments published on Monday. "I am in favor of a double opt-out solution," Spahn told the mass-circulation Bild newspaper. "Thatʼs the only way to make organ donation the norm." Spahn admitted that a new law of this kind would represent an intrusion by the state "into the freedom of the individual." But he argued that all previous attempts at a political level to increase the declining number of organ donors had "unfortunately been without success."
202/2018 • 04 SEPTEMBER, 2018
Is the honeymoon over?
Myanmar jails Reuters journalists for seven years
French President Emmanuel Macron:
Two reporters from the global news agency Reuters had pleaded not guilty to violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act while investigating acrackdown on the Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar. On Monday, a court in Yangon sentenced them to seven years in prison. Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were detained as they researched the killing of 10 Rohingya and other abuses involving soldiers and police in Inn Din, a village in western Rakhine state. They argued that they had been framed by police officers who handed them official documents in a Yangon restaurant before arresting them on December 12.
Emmanuel Macron is showing the first signs of wear: Unpopular reforms, a resigned environment minister and a bodyguard embroiled in scandal. Macron is under pressure, and itʼs not doing his European project any good.
Fire at Brazil National Museum
Africaʼs leaders race to China summit to talk cooperation Exalted as a "mega-event," the Africa-China summit is expected to draw nearly all of Africaʼs leaders to Beijing. Barely a squeak of criticism has come out of China or Africa, even though there is plenty to be said. "It will be the biggest summit of all time." Those were the words of Chinaʼs Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a press briefing last week. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is set to take place in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday — "an event of global significance, which Beijing awaits with feverish enthusiasm." China and Africa are in a "win-win
situation," and the cooperation will benefit all countries concerned, according to Chinaʼs chief diplomat. Africa offensive in Chinaʼs media In the run-up to the FOCAC summit, Chinese state media embarked on a propaganda offensive on the topic of Africa. On an almost daily basis, over weeks and on all channels — especially the China Global Television Net‐ work (CNTV) — Chinese Africa experts praised China-Africa cooperation. Shen Xiaolei of the Institute of West Asian and African Studies in Beijing noted that China has been Africaʼs biggest trading partner for past nine years.
Beethovenfest kicks off in Bonn with quietly dramatic opening The notes played by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France right at the beginning seemed as light as leaves scattered by an autumn breeze. In the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB), music director Mikko Franck elicited tender tones in Maurice Ravelʼs Le tombeau de Couperin (Couperinʼs Tomb), transforming each of the three movements to a quiet, melancholy yet precious remembrance of Ravelʼs friends who had fallen in World War I. The words"Beethoven" and "fate" have
more dramatic connotations. The image comes to mind of the deaf musician whose career as a pianist and conductor was curtailed at age 30 and who subsequently defied fate. The opening of this yearʼs Beethovenfest on August 31 was notably lacking in musical ballistics, also in the "Egyptian" piano concerto by Camille Saint-Saens with the elegantlyperforming virtuoso Bertrand Chamayou as soloist — and even in Beethovenʼs "Fate Symphony," the "Fifth."
engulfs 200-year-old building Brazilʼs National Museum in Rio de Janeiro was engulfed by a huge fire on Sunday night, putting in jeopardy millions of the countryʼs most valuable historical treasures. Firefighters in northern Rio de Janeiro battled the blaze into the early hours. After five hours, they had managed to bring the blaze under control, but were still working to extinguish it completely. Spokesman for the fire department, Roberto Robadey, said firefighters were hindered in tackling the fire as two hydrants closest to the museum were not working. Water had to be brought from a nearby lake. Some of the museumʼs artefacts were saved, Robadey told Globo News television: "We were able to remove a lot of things from inside with the help of workers of the museum." Television footage showed the fierce flames light up the night sky, as thick plumes of smoke rose out of the burning building.
weather today BUDAPEST
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202/2018 • 04 September, 2018
Diplomatic Oops! Embarrassing
ʼGoogle took my motherʼs roleʼ
state-visit blunders
Google is arguably one of the greatest inventions of mankind touching almost every aspect of our lives. As the internet giant turns 20, DW asks people from different walks of life how Google has changed their lives.
Politiciansʼ visits abroad are serious business. But very often at these diplomatic affairs, something goes awry — usually in front of the eyes of the world. An (incomplete) list of blunders and awkward moments. Known for her no-nonsense approach, German Chancellor Angela Merkel doesnʼt seem like sheʼd be susceptible to cheap flattery, so the song choice for welcoming her in Senegal was a bit dubious: "Schöne Maid, hast du heutʼ für mich Zeit?" ("beautiful maid, do you have time for me today?"), a cheesy pop hit. Whatever his protocol team was thinking, President Macky Sall got lucky: Merkel indulged him. The list of embarrassments that have occurred during foreign visits is long. US President Donald Trump and the British Royal Family feature often. So what happens when the two collide? Double trouble! In 2018, in a combination of bad manners and a break of protocol, Trump kept the monarch waiting 12 minutes in the sun and then walked faster than her at the parade — not amusing! Theresa May is plagued by Brexit in her home country. So perhaps she could be forgiven for seizing the moment to let loose on the dance floor during a recent visit to South Africa. But perhaps not. The backlash against the prime ministerʼs boogie was brutal: The British tabloid press went to town ridiculing Mayʼs stiff jive, some even nicknaming it the "Maybot."
Growing up as a teenager, one of my motherʼs favorite phrases to me was, "Check your Funk and Wagnalls." She usually told me this when either she didnʼt know the answer to one of my millions of questions or she just wanted me to learn something on my own. So, off Iʼd go to the living room to a set of 26 encyclopedia volumes to find the answer to whatever question I had. With 26 bound books to choose from,
we actually had a piece of furniture dedicated to house them! Today, I "ask the Google," just like the rest of the computer and smart phone-enabled world. Sometimes I feel guilty for using Google, thinking to myself I should somehow work to gain the knowledge. I also feel like itʼs important to use Google wisely, ensuring that I trust the sources, much like I did with my Funk and Wagnalls encyclopedia set!
Budapest Wine Festival - coming weekend! Purchase your tickets with discount, easily online. Drink from limited edition glasses! These exclusive glasses are available to be bought only in advance with Budapest Wine Festival tickets. Visitors to Budapest’s biggest and most scenic wine festival – held on the grounds of Buda Castle – can discover Hungary’s different wine regions and finest glasses of reds, whites and
rosés between September 6th and 9th. But what kind of a wine festival would this be without culinary indulgence? No need to worry, as you will be able to feast on traditional festival dishes, and match gourmet specialities with your mood and wine here, too. The event is also complete with performances by local artists as well as exciting events entertaining crowds and a breathtaking panorama over Pest stretching out below. www.aborfesztival.hu
Schalkeʼs sloppy start is no reason to panic A missed penalty, a late red card,a 2-0 defeat and zero points from their opening two games– itʼs not the start that Schalke were hoping for, and the vultures are already circling in some quarters as we head into the first international break of the season.
Bali takes on plastic pollution With its stunning beaches, the Indonesian island of Bali draws tourists from around the world. But plastics are spoiling the view, spurring locals to take action — from production to disposal. The sun is rising over Baliʼs Saba beach and dozens of people have gathered in yellow t-shits emblazoned with the words, "I am a Trash Hero." Within an hour, they have collected a dumpsterʼs worth of waste.
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Boomtown Berlin: What makes international foundations flock to the German capital The list of foundations based in the German capital is a long one. The Berlin Senate has a register of 939 foundations. Still, in comparison with other cities in Germany, this number is relatively low. Briefly defined, foundations serve the purpose of making private assets available for charitable purposes such as social work, culture or education. According to the Association of German Foundations, the amount of foundations in Berlin has it ranked 51st among German cities. Most of the foundations are located in western Germany, for example in the cities of Hamburg, Munich, and Frankfurt. These cities have strong economies and host industry headquarters, since without funds there are no foundations. But Berlin is catching up on its own terms.
Whatʼs behind Chinaʼs ʼnon-interferenceʼ in Africa? President Xi Jinping told African leaders on Monday that Chinaʼs investments on the continent have "no political strings attached," pledging $60 billion (€51.6 billion) in new development financing, even as Beijing is increasingly criticized over its debt-heavy projects abroad. Xi offered the funding at the start of a two-day China-Africa summit that focused on his cherished Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The money — to be spent over the next three years — comes on top of $60 billion Beijing offered in 2015. Read more: Second-hand clothes, smuggling and the USChina trade war in Africa The massive BRI scheme is aimed at improving Chinese access to foreign markets and resources, and boosting Beijingʼs influence abroad. China has poured billions in loans for roads, railways, ports and other major infrastructure projects in Asia and Africa. But critics warn that the Chinese leaderʼs pet project is burying some countries under massive debt. In a DW interview, Professor Helmut Asche says Chinaʼs development cooperation is overshadowing Western cooperation in terms of the speed of delivery, coverage and scope of infrastructure funding.