DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Saudi Arabia introduces law banning sexual harassment The measure has been passed by the Cabinet and an advisory council, and will become law with a royal decree. The country is making some piecemeal reforms, including ending its notorious driving ban on women. Saudi Arabia passed a draft law Wednesday that criminalizes sexual harassment less than a month before the stridently conservative country lifts a decadesold ban against women driving. The measure, which was passed by the Shura Council, carries a maximum 5-year prison term and fine of up to 300,000 riyals ($80,000, or €70,000). "The law is aimed at combating and preventing the crime of harassment, enforcing penalty on perpetrators, protecting victims and safeguarding the individualʼs privacy, dignity and freedom ensured by the Islamic sharia law," the council said in a statement.
Syria recognizes Georgiaʼs breakaway regions in nod to Russia The Georgian government has hit back at Syria by severing diplomatic ties with the Arab republic. Syria is now one of five countries that have recognized the Moscow-backed regions. The Syrian government has recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two Georgian breakaway regions backed by Russia, as independent countries. "A deal has been reached between the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia to exchange recognition and set up diplomatic ties at the embassy level," said a Syrian Foreign Ministry official in comments circulated by the state-run SANA news agency on Tuesday. The move prompted the Georgian government to announce its decision to sever official ties with Syria, blaming Russia for orchestrating the diplomatic stunt.
127/2018 • 07 JUNE, 2018
Czech billionaire Andrej Babis wheels and deals a government Andrej Babis is to be named the Czech Republicʼs prime minister for a second time
The magnateʼs struggle to form a governing coalition is emblematic of the contradictions inherent to populist, dealmaking politics.
Is Trump giving the EU higher drug prices too? Soaring drug prices keep Americans sick. Donald Trumpʼs new plan aims to bring down domestic costs at the expense of Europeans, but is the EU really to blame? Lindsey Rae Gjording reports from New York. Many Americans simply cannot afford the treatments they need. A longtime complaint of the American health care system — overpriced drugs — keeps pharmaceutical investors rich while the sick stay sick. "Weʼre going to end global freeloading," promised Donald Trump while unveiling his American
Patients First plan to tackle the market. It is still not clear just how he plans to do this. On Wednesday, Trump again made big promises while signing the newly passed "Right to Try" law which allows patients with lifethreatening illness to bypass the countryʼs Food and Drug Administration for access to experimental medication. Trump predicted big pharma companies are "going to announce voluntary massive drops in prices" but the Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment or clarify the statement.
German university hospital defends auto firmsʼ nitrogen dioxide test ethics No experiments on animals or humans can take place in Germany without a go from an authorized ethics committee. Dr. Thomas Kraus from Aachen University Hospital says this was the case in the most recent NO2 scandal. The European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) "did not impinge in any way on the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) research it commissioned Aachen University Hospital to do," Professor Thomas Kraus from the
hospital told the German press agency DPA on Monday. The EUGT is a now defunct organization that was funded by German carmakers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW plus partsmaker Bosch, thus raising questions of possible conflicts of interest. In 2013, 25 healthy volunteers were exposed to NO2 pollution for three hours, Kraus said. "None of them had any negative health effects," he went on, adding that the tests were meant to measure the impact of pollutants in the workplace.
Israel launches retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza after Hamas rocket attacks The fighting is the worst episode of violence since Israel and Hamas fought a brief war in 2014. The United States, European Union and United Nations have condemned the rocket and mortar attacks against Israel. Israel has launched airstrikes against targets throughout the Gaza Strip after the armed wing of the ruling group in the Palestinian territory launched dozens of rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel. The confrontation, which continued into Wednesday morning, is the worst episode of violence between Israel and Hamas since they fought a seven-week-long war in 2014. The Israeli military said around 70 rockets and bombs had been fired into Israel by 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday (1700 GMT). One mortar shell landed near a kindergarten.Israeli forces intercepted most of the rockets and mortar shells, the military said, and tanks and bombers responded by targeting 55 militant locations within Gaza.
Saudi Arabia issues first driverʼs licenses to women Ahead of the lift of a decades-old ban on women driving, a group of women have received their driverʼs licenses. The ban is due to be lifted on June 24. Saudi Arabia on Monday issued driverʼs licenses to 10 women on Monday. The announcement comes three weeks before a ban on women driving is set to be lifted followingKing Salamʼs decision last year to allow women to drive . Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are not allowed drive but this will change on June 24.
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127/2018 • 07 June, 2018
Iran tells UN it will boost uranium enrichment capacity
Next time you fly for vacation, buy your right to pollute
Iran has informed the UN it plans to increase uranium enrichment within the limits of the 2015 deal with world powers. The move comes amid a growing uncertainty about the future of the landmark Iran nuclear deal. ehrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, was quoted by state media as saying that a letter had been submitted to the UNʼs International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) detailing Iranʼs move. Ali Akbar Salehi, director of Iranʼs atomic program and a vice president, also confirmed that his country had started working on advanced centrifuges at its Natanz facility. Salehi said the latest nuclear activities would remain within the framework of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and global powers. "If conditions allow, maybe tomorrow night at Natanz, we can announce the opening of the center for production of new centrifuges" for uranium enrichment, Salehi said Tuesday, quoted by conservative news agency Fars.
Tourism has a growing impact on the climate — particularly with regard to flights. Many aviation companies offer an option to offset carbon emissions. But where does that money go, and how effective is this contribution?
Joachim Löw has his reasons for leaving out Manchester City star Leroy Sané The omission of Leroy Sané from Germanyʼs World Cup squad raised eyebrows from Eppan to England. Despite the Manchester City starʼs breakthrough season, Joachim Löw has his reasons for leaving him at home. Breathing in sharply and sipping on his espresso, Joachim Löw was well aware of the impact of the fourth name to cross his lips.While the omissions of goalkeeper Bernd Leno, defender Jonathan Tah and striker Nils Petersen were less surprising, Löwʼs quick, curt pronunciation of the name "Leroy Sané" elicited an audible collective gasp among the journalists present in Eppan, South Tyrol.
With travel by traingetting very expensive in some places, and not an option in others, vacations are being organized ever more over hectic, crowded flights. Although itʼs practically cheaper than going out for dinner, such short hops on planes are very costly for the planet. Aviation worldwide accounts forat least 2 percentof global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, about the same of Germanyʼs total emissions, not to men-
tion harmful further impacts from emissions. But the biggest problem is expected growth of the aviation sector in the decades to come. To limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), as planned through the Paris climate accord, each person on the planet would be allowed to emit some 2 tons of CO2 per year — thatʼs whatʼs known as a personal carbon budget.
Still a long way till ʼpeak plasticʼ 2018 is shaping up to be a breakthrough year in terms of awareness around the plastic pollution problem. But weʼre nowhere near solving it yet, says DWʼs environment team leader. People seem to finally be waking up to the global issue of plastic pollution – it was the focus of this yearʼsEarth Day, and also World Environment Day in 2018 has the theme beating plastic pollution. Theunfortunate recent end of a whale in Thailandprovides a timely illustration of the problem. It died with 80 plastic bags in its stomach, which
prevented it from getting enough nutrition to survive. That whale, like innumerable other marine animals, died a slow and painful death as a result of our consumption habits. But the plastics problem, and its accompanying disturbing images, are not new at all. Already in 2016, scientists warned that if current trends continue,plastic will outweigh fish in our oceans by 2050. Despite bans on plastic bags in some African countries, and aplanned ban on other single-use plastic items in the European Union, the sad truth is that the world is probably still pretty far from "peak plastic."
Cate Blanchett recites manifestos to Budapest audiences at National Gallery
A piercingly provocative multichannel video installation should entice spectators to the Hungarian National Gallery this summer. Starring award-winning Cate Blanchett, the highly immersive Manifesto project by German artist Julian Rosefeldt presents modern-day characters through 12 scenes, all played by the Australian actress and each projected on an individual screen.
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Starbucks head Howard Schultz steps down amid rumors of presidential run Coffee chain Starbucksʼ executive chairman Howard Schultz has become increasingly outspoken on political issues. He stepped down from the CEO job last year to focus on innovation and social impact projects. The Seattle-based international coffee chain announced that its outspoken executive chairman Howard Schultz would leave the company at the end of the month. He will retain the role of chairman emeritus. Last year, Schultz stepped down as chief executive officer and became executive chairman and ran the companyʼs social impact initiatives. The New York Times reported that his decision could increase speculation that the 64-year-old may run as a presidential candidate for the Democratic Party in the 2020 elections. Schultz has been openly critical of US President Donald Trump. Schultz told the newspaper that he was deeply concerned about "the growing division at home and our standing in the world." He said he wanted to "figure out if there is a role I can play in giving back," which could include public service.
Mystery of missing jet remains as fouryear search ends A US company has ended its search of the Indian Ocean for the remains of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. It disappeared in March 2014, with 239 people on board, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Efforts to locate the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 drew to a close in the remote Indian Ocean on Tuesday, after a private company, hired to extend the search, admitted it had found no trace of the aircraft. Texas-based Ocean Infinity said in a statement it had "searched and collected high-quality data from over 112,000 square kilometers of ocean floor ... overcoming both challenging conditions and terrain," but without success. Oliver Plunkett, Ocean Infinityʼs chief executive, said the failure to find any sign of the plane was "extremely disappointing." In January, the firm signed a 90-day "no find, no fee" deal with the Malaysian government to resume the hunt for the missing aircraft, a year after the official search was called off.