DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Journalists go to court over Germanyʼs ʼunrestrictiveʼ surveillance laws Press groups have argued that Germanyʼs surveillance laws are unconstitutional as they allow foreign reporters to be monitored. The case is raising awareness on social media under the slogan "No trust, no news." Germanyʼs Constitutional Court is reviewing the legality of the governmentʼs surveillance capabilities, after several journalists and rights activists lodged a complaint arguing that the law allows for the "virtually unrestricted" monitoring of foreign reporters. The complaint aims to strip the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), the countryʼs intelligence agency, of its powers to mass surveil foreign journalistsʼ communications, said Frank Überall, chairman of theGerman Federation of Journalists (DJV).
Kenya: Huge crowds at opposition leaderʼs ʼswearing inʼ ceremony Kenya opposition leader Raila Odinga has sworn himself in as "president of the people." The government responded by declaring the oppositionʼs ʼNational Resistance Movementʼ a criminal group. Opposition leader Raila Odinga took an oath of office as what Kenyaʼs opposition coalition has named the "president of the people." "I, Raila Omolo Odinga, do swear that I will protect the nation as peopleʼs president, so help me God," he said. His running mate Kalonzo Musyoka who was supposed to be sworn in as his deputy did not appear at Odingaʼs side. Thousands of opposition supporters had gathered in Nairobiʼs Uhuru Park on Tuesday for the staged "inauguration." Authorities had initially warned the opposition to not gather in the park, but security forces remained at a distance and allowed the ceremony to go ahead.
30/2018 • 06, FEBRUARY 2018
Silvio Berlusconi warns of migrants Italyʼs infamous former leader denounced a series of drive-by shootings carried out by a neo-Fascist
He said that "irregular" migrants had to be deported by a new government ahead of March 4 elections.
Turkeyʼs Erdogan criticizes EU leaders for lack of support, especially against terror Turkish President Erdogan has insisted in an interview that Turkey should still join the EU. The comments came despite mounting pressure against the Turkish leaderʼs human rights record and his intervention in Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Italian La Stampa newspaper in an interview that he still expects the European Union to eventually admit Turkey as a full member, stressing that "we wonʼt accept any
other solution." "Turkey has done everything it needed to do to fulfill criteria for entry into the European Union," Erdogan told the newspaper, adding that according to his view, the EU was responsible for blocking Turkeyʼs accession process by blaming the country for a lack of progress. "I call on the EU to remove these artificial obstacles to our membership, and to be more constructive. Internal politics should not stand in the way of the accession process."
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.
India: 63 million women statistically ʼmissing,ʼ 21 million unwanted The Indian government says sexselective abortions and a neglect of girls have resulted in millions of statistically "missing" women. Despite the numbers, some gender equality indicators have improved for women. An Indian government report presented to parliament on Monday has found that about 63 million women are statistically "missing" from Indiaʼs population, due to a preference for male children. The survey, presented with a pink cover, included a chapter on womenʼs issues for the first time - with the slogan #MeToo in recognition of the global campaign against sexual harassment. A sex ratio of 943 females per 1,000 males has led to the identification of some 63 million "missing" women, the annual economic survey found. The survey reported the reason for the figures was largely because of sex-selective abortions, better nutrition and medical care for boys and that "families where a son is born are more likely to stop having children than families where a girl is born."
German authorities carry out massive raid targeting illegal work racket Raids across the populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia have broken up an organized crime network involved in illegal employment at construction sites. Hundreds of construction companies are believed to be involved. Hundreds of German police and agents with a special customs task force took part in early-morning raids on Tuesday to bust the organizers and backers of a massive network of illegal, off-the-books construction jobs.
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30/2018 • 06, February 2018
How #MeToo affects the Golden Globes With sexual harassment cases in the backdrop, the Golden Globes are set to launch Hollywoodʼs annual awards season. A black-dress protest will be held — but "men in black" are accused of slacktivism. Hollywoodʼs biggest pre-Oscars prize-giving ceremony takes place on January 7. It is the first major award ceremony since the start of the #MeToo movement and showcases an industry which, after operating for decades under the motto "sex sells," is having to reinvent itself. Organized by the 90-member Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), a total of 25 prizes are up for grabs on Sunday — 14 in film and 11 in television — at the Golden Globes awards ceremony. But the mood in Los Angeles in the wake of widespread sexual harassment claims is rather heavy. As was the case two years ago with the #Oscarssowhite campaign, social media was a driving force in this new reality check for Hollywood. Even before the launch of Hollywoodʼs annual awards season, the fallout of the scandal has already managed to change the face of the industry in various ways — and appears to be set to do so for the foreseeable future.
IOC concerned over possible design flaws of doping test bottles
ThyssenKrupp steelworkers back merger with Tata Steel Workers at German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp have voted in favor of a labor agreement that will safeguard jobs and plants in the wake of a proposed joint venture with Indiaʼs Tata Steel. A vote among ThyssenKruppʼs 20,500 steelworkers saw 92.2 percent of them accept an agreement — struck just before Christmas — which foresees no forced layoffs or major site closures until September 30, 2026, Germanyʼs metalworkersʼ union IG Metall announced on Monday. In September, ThyssenKrupp and Indiaʼs Tata Steel unveiled plans to merge their European steel operationsand forge Europeʼs second-largest steel group after
ArcelorMittal, a move which has led to fears over significant job cuts. The two companies said the deal would help them to tackle overcapacity in Europeʼs steel market, which faces cheap imports — mainly from China — subdued construction demand and inefficient legacy plants. They have already announced 4,000 job cuts as part of the tie-up, with 2,000 steelworkers planned to be made redundant in Germany.
Car exhaust monkey test backfires on VW, German carmakers Daimler says it too has suspended an official implicated in a 2015 diesel exhaust test on monkeys, following VWʼs suspension of its chief lobbyist. Germanyʼs Bild newspaper cited a 58page US laboratory report and accompanying emails Wednesday indicating that a VW Beetleʼs exhaust fumes piped to monkeys inside cabinets over four hours were worse than exhaust gases from a Ford pickup truck. The result was the opposite, said Bild, of
what the since-disbanded European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) had expected from the testing at Albuquerque in the US state of New Mexico. The newer Beetle, allegedly fitted with "defeat" software to obscure its motorʼs nitrogen oxide output, was supposed to emerge "cleaner" and "healthier." Instead, monkeys who inhaled VW fumes showed a higher degree of bronchial inflammation in blood and endoscope samples.
The International Olympic Committee says it is concerned about potential flaws in doping sample bottles. The organization wants assurances that the bottles cannot be tampered with ahead of the Winter Olympics.
Melinda Dovák: Layers of reality KUBIK Coworking The synthesis that comes from mixing styles can result in endless new meanings, and this is what Melinda Dovák explores through her paintings. Using different techniques, she projects several sides of herself and her state of being on the canvas. This way she aims to depict a more complete, objective reality. This is the young artist’s first independent exhibition, which will also be a sort of summary of her university works showing her experiments and development from step to step.
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US December job creation disappoints The US has added fewer jobs lately than expected by labor market experts, fresh government figures have shown. The overall unemployment rate held steady at a 17-year low in the worldʼs largest economy. The US economyʼs job creation ability decreased in December 2017 despite solid hiring in the manufacturing and construction sectors, government data showed Friday. While theunemployment rate remained unchanged at a 17year low of 4.1 percent, employers across the nation added just 148,000 jobs in the final month of last year. The figure was far below expectations of 200,000 new positions and even below the sluggish 155,000 jobs reported in December 2016. Economists had been more optimistic especially after payroll services firm ADP said Thursday that private hiring experienced a boost in the final four weeks of December 2017. But the slowing reported by the government couldpoint to an economy nearly at full employment that is finding it hard to get workersto fill open positions. Thatʼs a sentiment that had been reflected in reports from companies lately.
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-yearold opposition figure was removed as mayor of Caracas and arrested in 2015 on allegations he sought to topple Maduro.