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Georgiaʼs frozen conflict takes psychological toll As Ilya Bervashvili walks out onto to his corn fields, the blue circle on the map moves beyond the dotted line with him. But an app clearly shouldnʼt be trusted when it comes to this border. Things are more complicated here than they appear on Google Maps. The farmer points to the green sign just beyond his land. It says it marks a "state border" between Georgian-controlled territory and the breakaway region of South Ossetia, which is onlyrecognized as a stateby five countries worldwide — including Russia, which backs and defends it. Georgia sees this as an "occupation line." In many places, the boundary isnʼt marked at all — and it has been known to move. Here in the Georgian village of Ditsi, there is a small section of green border fencing. On either side of the fence, there is nothing.

Abortion bill galvanizes Argentinaʼs youth to fight Argentinaʼs Senate faces a historic vote to legalize abortion. Its youth have been especially vocal about it, with many young women and girls especially defying Catholic values in Pope Francisʼs home country. Julieta Poo, a 15-year-old secondary school student, is getting her face painted green outside of Argentinaʼs Congress while young women chant "legal abortion in the hospital." Poo wears a symbolic green bandana that reads: "Sexual education to decide, contraceptives to prevent abortion, legal abortion to prevent death." She has come to the march because she wants to make sure that her generationʼs voice is heard ahead of a historic vote on Wednesday in the Senate. "During the abortion debate people have been minimizing students, saying that 15-year-old girls donʼt understand anything about abortion," says Poo. "We actually have opinions, and they are just as important."

181/2018 • 09 AUGUST, 2018

Malaysian ex-PM Najib Razak charged with money-laundering If he is convicted he faces up to 20 years in prison for each charge

The former Malaysian Prime Minister has been hit with new charges related to a huge financial scandal.

string of setbacks in recent years,including a fall in smartphone salesanda corruption scandal that saw its vice chairman, Lee Jae-yong, jailed last year. The planned investments will be primarily led by Samsung Electronics, the biggest maker of memory chips. "Samsung expects innovations powered by AI technology will drive the industryʼs transformation, while the next-generation 5G telecommunications technology will create new opportunities in autonomous driving, the internet of things and robotics," the company said in a statement.

Nicaraguaʼs Gioconda Belli wins prize for free speech activism Nicaraguan author Gioconda Belliwas announced Tuesday as the winner of the Hermann Kesten Prize, a prestigious literary award bestowed every two years by the German chapter of PEN International, a writers association that defends freedom of expression worldwide. The German PEN Center described Belli as one of Latin Americaʼs most important contemporary authors and "a powerful voice for freedom of speech." The centerʼs an-

nouncement also praised Belli for her activism promoting womenʼs rights and social justice over decades. Her poems, semi-autobiographical works and novels celebrate womanhood, feminism, eroticism and political activism. Her debut novel, The Inhabited Woman (1988) is particularly wellknown. Her works have been translated into over 15 languages. Belli is also the president of Nicaraguaʼs PEN chapter.

Purged Turkish NATO officer risks Erdoganʼs retaliation Former Lieutenant Commander Cafer Topkaya (above) said that he is stepping out of the shadows to tell what he experienced "for those who canʼt meet the press, who canʼt meet the journalists, who canʼt even meet their lawyers now that they are in prison and they canʼt prove their innocence." The lifelong naval officer said he is "not afraid of [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan or his partners...or Turkish intelligence" and wants the west to knowwhat is happening inside Turkey. Topkaya is one of thousands of Turkish military officers who were summarily condemned by Erdogan as being supporters of US-based Islamist cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the president blames for instigating the failed 2016 coup from his exile in Pennsylvania. In the massive purges that are still taking place in Turkey, thosemilitary personnel trained and stationed in western countriesbecame particular targets.

Saudi Arabiaʼs row with Canada: Silencing Western criticism? Saudi Arabia gave Canadaʼs ambassador in Riyadh, Dennis Horak, 24 hours on Monday to leave the country, declaring him persona non grata. The country also announced all new economic trade with Canada would be suspended. The move came in reaction to a tweet last week from Ottawaʼs foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, who said that "Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and womenʼs activists in Saudi Arabia including Samar Badawi."

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181/2018 • 09 August, 2018

Germany probes huge Iran cash transfer request The €300 million ($350 million) in question is being held by the European-Iranian Trade Bank, which is majority owned by Iranian stateowned banks, but registered in Hamburg with the German central bank, the Bundesbank. According to a report by Germanyʼs Bild newspaper, Iran wants to fly the money out as soon as possibleto avoid the potential freezing of accounts as a result of reimposed US sanctions coming into effect in August. If the operation goes ahead, it is likely to trigger a strong response from Washington. The US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, already told the newspaper that the government of US President Donald Trump was "very concerned" and called on Berlin "to intervene and stop the plan." Bild reported that the money to be flown out would be passed on to Iranians lacking a valid credit card to use while traveling abroad and in need of cash. Under impending US sanctions, Iranian banks will be excluded from the main credit card networks, including VISA and Mastercard.

German cyclist Stefan Bötticher claims gold in dramatic finish

Germans ʼdonʼt trust the welfare state anymoreʼ

German welfare organization Paritätische Gesamtverband warned in a report released Tuesday that a large section of the population no longer had faith in the welfare state, posing "a threat to social cohesion in Germany." It said turning the situation around would require several key reforms and an investment of some €50 billion ($58 billion). Association chairman Rolf Rosenstock told reporters in Berlin that the government "lacked political

measures aimed specifically at supporting groups of people most at risk," such as the unemployed, those in rural areas, and the increasing number ofelderly living in poverty."The social division that makes people insecure, and which is responsible for therise of far-right parties, must be combated," he said, adding that failure to do so would lead to widespread "separation between the elites and so-called social losers."

Cat cults and cult cats Aloof, independent, hedonistic: The cat is a fascinating creature, from its purrs to its claws. On International Cat Day, DW looks at artists, filmmakers and fashion designers who think felines are the catʼs meow. Fat, lazy and with a philosophical bent Garfieldʼs comic strip dates back to the late 1970s. A bored and cynical creature, he shares the house with Odie, an intellectually disadvantaged dog, and Jon, a human being with a

lonely streak. Itʼs the perfect situation: Should Garfield disapprove of something, he can take it out on Jon and Odie. In 2004 the lasagna addict made the silver screen; two films followed. Resistance is futile He performs the most difficult tasks and nabs the vilest culprits. Of noble Spanish lineage, heʼs swift, and his claws are as sharp as glass cutters. Heʼs the Puss In Boots, unstoppable — unless he has to stop to spit out a fur ball. After brilliant performances in the Shrek films, he was even given his own flick to star in.

Bötticher finished the European Championships with a total of three medals to his name. After winning bronze in the menʼs team sprint and silver in the individual sprint, the 26year-old claimed his sweetest result in the Keirin menʼs final, adding a gold medal to his collection courtesy of a dramatic finish.

The Royal Moscow Ballet brings Swan Lake Get your tickets now! The Royal Moscow Ballet is coming to Budapest this December to give a special oneoff performance of ‘Swan Lake’ at the Erkel Theatre. Co-choreographed by company founder and artistic director Anatoly Emelianov, the Tchaikovsky classic from 1877 will be presented in all its finery for this event on December 3. Formed in 1997, the RMB has since g

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Samsung looking for fresh growth opportunities South Koreaʼs Samsung Group has announced its investment plans for the next three years. As the company has hit a wall in the market for its smartphones, itʼs focusing on areas more likely to create future growth. South Koreaʼs Samsung Group said Wednesday it would invest $22 billion (€18.9 billion) over the next three years in cutting-edge technology including artificial intelligence, selfdriving cars and biopharmaceuticals as it searches for ways to drive future growth. The conglomerate has faced a string of setbacks in recent years,including a fall in smartphone salesanda corruption scandal that saw its vice chairman, Lee Jae-yong, jailed last year. The planned investments will be primarily led by Samsung Electronics, the biggest maker of memory chips.

Spanish NATO jet accidentally fires missile in Estonia A Spanish fighter jet accidentally fired an air-to-air missile overEstoniaon Tuesday during a routineNATO training mission, Spainʼs defense ministry said. The SpanishEurofighter jet, which is part of NATOʼs Baltic air-policing mission, fired the missile while carrying out an exercise with another Spanish Eurofighter and two French Mirage 2000 jets. The air-to-air missile was fired "without causing any harm" and did not hit any aircraft, the Spanish defense ministry said in a statement. Following the accidental fire, the jets returned to an air base in northern Lithuania where they are based. Searching for the missile Estoniaʼs military is now scouring the area around where it was fired, as it is potentially still armed. The AMRAAM-type missile is supposed to self-destruct during such accidents, but the device may have landed on the ground instead. The missile was carrying up to 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of explosives and was last located around 40 kilometers (24 miles) north of the Estonian city of Tartu. Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas wrote on Facebook that there were "thank God no human casualties" and called the incident "extremely regrettable."