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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Ethiopian Airlines plane crashes on takeoff An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed on Sunday, shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa. The airline said 149 passengers and eight crew members were believed to be on board the Nairobi-bound flight. It confirmed there were no survivors.

Flight ET 302 came down near the town of Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Addis Ababa, just minutes after taking off at 8:38 a.m. local time,according to an airline statement. People from 35 countries were on board the flight, the airline said in a statement posted on Twitter. The airline has said that among the dead are 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, and nine Ethiopians, as well as eight passengers each from the United States, China and Italy. There were also seven passengers each from France and the United Kingdom, six from Egypt, five each from Germany and the Netherlands and four each from India and Slovakia.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika returns to Algeria amid protests A government plane believed to be carrying Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika landed at a military airport outside of the capital on Sunday, amid massive protestscalling for an end to Bouteflikaʼs 20-year-rule. The 82year-old president, who has been rarely seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, had spent the past two weeks receiving treatment at a hospital in Geneva, Switzerland. Tens of thousands of Algerians have been peacefully protesting over the past three weeks against Bouteflikaʼs decision to run for a fifth term during the upcoming April 18 election.

The National Liberation Front (FLN), the top Algerian party backing Bouteflika, said on Sunday that it was willing to work with all parties to end the crisis.

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Iranʼs president visits Iraq to strengthen ties amid US pressure Iranʼs president is making a high-profile visit to Iraq focused on trade

The visit sends a signal that Iran has regional options against the United Statesʼ "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran.

Deutsche and Commerzbank: A marriage of convenience that could well happen Reports that Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank are on the brink of merger talks are gathering strength. Should the two lenders come together, it would have major implications for European banking and beyond.

Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, the grandest of the grand old German lenders, will next year both celebrate their 150th birthdays. But it increasingly looks like there might be need for only one birthday party, rather than two. Over the weekend, reports have intensified that the two banks are strongly considering the possibil-

ity of a merger.German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported on Saturday that Deutsche Bank had agreed to start holding talks with Commerzbank on the feasibility of them coming together. The news agency Reuters reported the same over the weekend, citing "a person with knowledge of the matter." While itʼs important to stress that the reports are unconfirmed, with neither bank yet commenting publicly, few who are familiar with the German financial scene could claim to be surprised if an engagement were to be officially announced sometime soon.

Beethoven House closes ahead of composerʼs anniversary year Strolling down the Bonngasse, the street where the Beethoven House is located, one could easily overlook the humble facade were it not for the tourist groups that cluster outside. For many, treading the squeaky wooden floors that were once walked upon by Ludwig van Beethoven himself is an emotional moment, particularly when they gaze into the cordoned-off "birth room,"

empty save for a bust of Beethoven on a pedestal. From February 28, the room where the infant Beethoven is said to have entered the world — probably with a loud cry — and the house his family lived in wonʼt ever be the same.

The Beethoven House is closing for several months, the permanent exhibition being given a thorough workover and the facilities expanded.

Denied accreditation, two German journalists leave Turkey Thomas Seibert, a reporter for the Berlin-based Tagesspiegel daily, and Jörg Brase, a correspondent for public broadcaster ZDF, flew to Germany on Sunday after their accreditation to work in Turkey was not renewed.

They were told by the relevant authorities in Ankara about a week ago that their applications for new press cards had not been approved. "[I] have not been given any reason why my application to extend my press credentials was denied," Brase told DW. "Turkey also has a press law that I have not broken — at least as far as I am aware." Seibert said the decision to force them out of the country may not have even been because of anything they reported. "I donʼt think itʼs about anything I have written," Seibert told DW. "I think itʼs a message to the Western press. They need a scapegoat or two or three, and I was one of the unlucky ones."

Venezuela: Juan Guaido wants state of emergency amid power outage Self-declared interim presidentJuan Guaidosaid on Sunday that he will ask the National Assembly to declare a "state of alarm" in Venezuela. The opposition leader said the declaration of a national emergency was needed to request international aidover the ongoing power outagesin the South American country. The National Assembly, which is controlled by the opposition, will hold an emergency session on Monday over the issue. "We must attend to this catastrophe immediately," Guaido told reporters. "We cannot turn away from it."

weather today BUDAPEST

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59/2019 • 11 March, 2019

S!sters to enter the fray as

ECB holds interest rates steady to curb eurozone slowdown

Surge in German arms sales to

Germanyʼs Eurovision

The ECB has pledged to keep interest rates at their current historic low in a bid to revive the eurozoneʼs weakening economy. The move comes as fears about Brexit and global tensions threaten growth across the bloc.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey

candidate in Tel Aviv "Weʼre going to have to get some rest and have a good cry," said Carlotta of S!sters after their victory was announced on Friday. Both she and her duo partner, Laurita, jumped breathlessly on the stage of the Adlershof television studios in Berlin, holding up an Israeli flag before giving a repeat performance of their song. It was a giggling rendition, but the voices emerged strong and blended well again, both performers exuberant. Carlotta, who has also performed with the German rock band Revolverheld, described the song "Sister" as "a very authentic and powerful kind of pop." Had they thought they would win? "Not in the least," said Laurita, "We wished it of course, but it was really just a dream." Added Carlotta: "You wish it so much that itʼs a fantasy, and then when you actually win, you canʼt realize it because that fantasy is still in your head."

Lionel Messi has scored 650 goals in his career for Barcelona and Argentina Lionel Messi scored the 50th hattrick of his career as Barcelona came from behind to beat Sevilla and go 10 points clear at the top of La Liga.

In a masterclass from the Catalansʼ captain, he first equalised with a brilliant volley from 16 yards. He levelled for a second time with a curling shot from the edge of the box.

Policymakers at the European Central Bank on Thursday announced a new round of cheap loans to banks and said record low interest rates would remain unchanged "at least through the end of 2019." Previously, the bank had indicated that the earliest rate hike would come in the fall. The measures aim toallay fears of a eurozone slowdownspurred by uncertainty over Brexit, aUS-China trade war, and threats by

Washington to impose tariffs on European auto imports. "Weʼre coming out of, and maybe we still are in a period of, continued weakness and pervasive uncertainty," ECB chief Mario Draghi told reporters in Frankfurt. "Our decisions certainly increase the resilience of the eurozone economy," he added.

"But can they address the factors that are weighing on the economy in the rest of the word? They cannot."

A visit to the worldʼs largest Barbie doll collection The first Barbie dolls hit toy store shelves in the US 60 years ago. Today, the largest collection of Barbie dolls is in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Bettina Dorfmann was six years old when her parents gave the little girl her very first Barbie doll back in 1967. "She wasnʼt just a doll, either, but a friend," Dorfmann remembers.

"As it turned out, she was a friend for life," Dorfmann told DW. Today, the Dusseldorf collector who made it to the Guinness Book of World Records owns more Barbies than anyone else in the world — 18,000 dolls! A hobby becomes a profession Even as a child, Dorfmann had almost three

dozen Barbies. When she lost interest and stopped playing with them one day, they ended up in the familyʼs attic. Only when her own daughter began to play with dolls did she pull them out of storage. In the mid-1980s Dorfmann displayed the Barbies in her newly opened womenʼs fashion store. It turned out her customers were more interested in the dolls than in the clothes, so she was forced to shut the store. Some of the dolls were moved to shelves in her living room before they were finally installed in a room set aside just for them. Others, left in their boxes, were stacked and stowed away in a storeroom.

Budapestʼs historic Lotz Hall café reopened as Café Párisi After two years of undesired silence a new café has opened its gates in Budapest’s neo-renaissance styled jewellery box, the former Paris Deparment Store (Párisi Nagy Áruház).

Situated in the heart of the city on Andrássy avenue, Café Párisi is the perfect location for those who wish to enjoy the luxury of early 20th century Budapest. The newly reopened location is already one of Budapest’s hidden gems: set in the Paris Department Store’s mezzanine level just below the iconic frescos created by renowned Hungarian painter Károly Lotz.

Párisi Café has everything you could ask for from traditional Hungarian cakes like the Eszterházy or the Gerbaud slide to alternative milk-based cafés. Open everyday from 9:00 - 21:00

H-1056 Budapest, Só u. 6.

Telephone: +36 1 577 0700 Fax: +36 1 577 0710 bhzinfo@zeinahotels.com www.boutiquehotelbudapest.com

Published by: Mega Media Kft. 1075 Budapest, Madách I. út 13-14. +36 1 398 0344 www.hotelujsag.hu

Germanyʼs Economic Affairs Ministry disclosed Thursday that German firms sent €160 million ($184 million) worth of arms to Saudi Arabia between January and October last year. That was up €50 million on the whole of 2017. Berlin only decided on afull stop in November, prompted by the Saudi murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, amid restrictions already applying over Riyadhʼs role in war-torn Yemen. Read more:Amnesty slams Western arms sales to Saudi Arabia Riyadh leads a nine-country coalition backing a Yemeni government opposed by Iranbacked Houthi rebels, who last month reached a fragile ceasefire arrangementunder UN mediation. German weapons exports to Turkey — mostly naval items — more than tripled to €202 million in the same timeframe, up on €62 million in 2017, the ministry said in its reply to parliament.

Erdogan isunder international scrutinyover his intention to dislodge Kurdish rebel groups in neighboring wartorn Syria.

Syrian girls attacked in Berlin, racism suspected A man spouting racist insults allegedly confronted two Syrian teenagers in northeastern Berlin and punched them in the face, authorities said Saturday. He hit the girls, aged 15 and 16, "with his fist several times ... before fleeing into a shopping arcade," police alleged in a statement. Both girls were taken to hospital for treatment.

Read more: Racist or Islamist — lonewolf attackers show similar patterns Hours later, a woman reportedly attacked a 12-year-old girl in the southeastern district of Neukölln.

Officers alleged the suspect tried to tear off the girlʼs headscarf, pulled her hair and threatened her with pepper spray. The woman also allegedly attempted to stab the child with a syringe filled with what appeared to be blood, police said.

Officers from the state security police are investigating the incidents, which took place late Friday. The suspected hate crimes highlight tensions over migration in Germany. Last month, a 50-year-old German man was charged with attempted murder after he deliberately drove his car into foreigners in the western cities of Bottrop and Essen. Eight people were injured in the New Yearʼs Day attack, including a 4-year-old Afghan boy and a 10year-old Syrian girl.