DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
German headscarf ban for children met with mixed response One of Germanyʼs states is considering plans to ban girls under the age of 14 from wearing headscarves. The Islamic Council has criticized the proposal, but some teachers say itʼs a good idea. Germanyʼs Teachersʼ Association on Monday welcomed a proposal from the government of the countryʼs most-populous state North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) to prohibit girls under the age of 14 from wearing headscarves to school. "A headscarf ban would help, at least generally speaking, to undermine discrimination on religious grounds and antireligious bullying," the associationʼs president, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, told the mass-circulation daily Bild newspaper. He acknowledged that the reality may be different for older girls, but called for an end to the "deliberate display of religious symbols among children with religious backgrounds."
Münster attacker had ʼsuicidal thoughtsʼ The man behind the van attack in Münster reportedly left behind a letter detailing difficulties with his parents and a desire to take his own life. Several victims remain in critical condition. Police probing what led a man to ram his van into an open-air restaurantin the western city of Münster found an 18-page letter in one of his apartments, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung daily newspaper. In the missive, the suspect — identified as German national Jens R. — referred to "repeated nervous breakdowns" and "outbreaks of aggression," as well as a botched medical operation. He also wrote about humiliating childhood experiences, and anguish caused by serious problems with his parents. Police have not confirmed the discovery of the letter, but they did reveal that an email R. wrote to several people in March contained "vague hints of suicidal thoughts, but no indication he might endanger the lives of others."
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European right greets Viktor Orbanʼs Hungary win Detractors of the European Union see it as a sign that voters are getting behind their cause
Populists in Germany and across Europe were celebrating the landslide re-election of the Hungarian prime minister.
Spotify: Market unicorn prepares to go public The Swedish music-streaming platform Spotify goes public on Tuesday, following in the footsteps of fellow "unicorns" Dropbox and Zscaler. The stock market is healthy and the timing seems good, but what are the risks? Drew Houston and Arash Ferdosi stood in New Yorkʼs Times Square, surrounded by their associates who cheered and threw confetti in celebration. The two Dropbox founders highfived, onlookers clapped, and the cameras flashed. On March 23, theNasdaq stock market welcomed Dropboxwith open arms. Only a few
minutes into trading and stock prices had risen over 50 percent. "A very exciting day for us," said billionaire Houston. "A milestone," said Matt Kennedy of Renaissance Capital, an IPO-focused analyst firm. In the wake of the Dropbox IPO, investors are turning their attention to another major startup about to go public. Spotify,the beloved music-streaming platform based out of Stockholm, opens for public trading on Tuesday. The media is hyping Spotify, the third unicorn to go public this year following Dropbox and the cybersecurity provider Zscaler.
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.
Missiles fired at military airport in Homs: Syrian media Syria and its main ally Russia have accused Israel of carrying out a missile strike on a Syria air base that killed 14 people. It took place amid an international outcry over a suspected poison gas attack two days ago. Russiaʼs military on Monday blamed Israel for an early morning bombing raid on the Syrian governmentʼs T4 air base near the western city of Homs. It said Israeli F-15s had fired eight missiles at the facility. The accusations were echoed by Syrian state media, which reported the weapons were launched from Lebanese territory. At least 14 people were killed, most of them members of Iran-backed groups, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the attack as a "very dangerous development."
French police official held in inquiry into 2016 Islamist killing A policewoman is among six people detained in France over the murder of two police officers by an Islamist extremist, a judicial source says. Her daughter is also being questioned. rench investigators on Monday detained three men and three women, including a police woman and her daughter, for questioning over their possible role in a2016 murder of two police officersclaimed by extremist group "Islamic State" (IS), a judicial source says. The policewoman was already interrogated in 2016 in connection with the killings in Magnanville, west of Paris, but nothing was found against her.
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