DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
UN migration compact formally adopted The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration has been formally adopted by UN member states at a conference in the Moroccan capital Marrakech. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the nonbinding accord, which was finalized in July after 18 months of talks, as a "roadmap to prevent suffering and chaos," rejecting claims that it would allow the UN to impose migration policies on member states. German Chancellor Angel Merkel hailed the compact as a "milestone" for the international community and its handling of migrants. She called migration "natural " and "also good, when itʼs legal." The compact states that it is designed to "foster international cooperation among all relevant actors on migration, acknowledging that no state can address migration alone, and upholds the sovereignty of states and their obligations under international law."
Promised EU help for truck drivers is in the wrong lane "Driving a truck used to be fun," says André Bergner. "But nowadays Iʼm only doing it for lack of alternatives; the open borders have wrecked so much," he adds while leaning against his 40-ton vehicle. Heʼs hinting at hisfellow drivers from Eastern Europe who are on the road for wages a lot lower than his. Bergner says he used to tour Scandinavia for weeks on end, or Eastern Europe, plus tours leading him right down to Italy. But now, he notes, heʼs at home on weekends. "Eventually, my wife wouldnʼt accept my old schedule any more," Bergner says while looking bashfully at the ground. A recent proposal by EU transport ministers calls for a 45-hour break outside the trucks after drivers have been on the road for six days. This means drivers would have to return home or stay in a hotel near their current location.
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Venezuelaʼs Nicolas Maduro further consolidates power in municipal vote At the ballot box, President Nicolas Maduro accused the US of seeking to
With opposition parties banned and an ongoing economic crisis, a scant number of Venezuelans cast their votes.
Brexit: Theresa May warns of elections, uncertainty, if deal rejected With a key Parliament vote on her Brexit plan looming, Prime Minister Theresa May has warned that a rejection of the deal could take Britain into "uncharted waters." She also raised the specter of a general election. Theresa May has warned there is a "very real risk of no Brexit" or elections if Parliament rejects her plan for Britain to leave the EU. Mayʼs government is widely expected to lose a Tuesday vote in Parliament onher Brexit plan reached with Brussels last month, with the opposition Labour Party, the prime ministerʼs nominal allies in Northern Irelandʼs Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and some
members of her conservative party saying they will not support the deal. It is unclear what would happen if the deal fails, but it could put Britainʼs Brexit plans in jeopardy and Mayʼs job on the line. May told the Mail on Sunday newspaper that Britain "would truly be in uncharted waters" if the Brexit deal reached after two years of intense negotiations with the EU was rejected less than four months before the country is set to leave the block on March 29. A failure of the Brexit deal to pass would "mean grave uncertainty for the nation with a very real risk of no Brexit or leaving the European Union with no deal," she said.
Berlin shines at Christmas time The Christian Advent season roughly coincides with Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. So why not celebrate together? In front of the Brandenburg Gate, the Jewish Community of Berlin has set up a ten-meter-high Hanukkah candelabra. Along with the huge Christmas tree, Christian and Jewish traditions are united here in a prominent place in the capital. Colourful strolling on the Unter den Linden
While the trees on the boulevard Unter den Linden were uniformly decorated with golden chains of lights in the past years, they now glow in changing colors: Green, blue and red. This new concept had previously been the subject of heated discussion: Preservationists did not consider changing colors on the historic mile appropriate. In the end variety won – fitting in a city as colorful as Berlin.
Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwere acccept Nobel Peace Prize In theirNobel Peace Prize acceptance speeches on Monday,Denis MukwegeandNadia Murad called on the world to protect victims of wartime sexual violence. They also slammed global indifference to the plight of women and children in conflict. In her speech Murad implored the global community to help free hundreds of women and girls still held by jihadists. She also said that the world must protect her people and other vulnerable communities. Speaking in Osloʼs City Hall and seemingly overcome with emotion, Murad said: "It is my view that all victims deserve a safe haven until justice is done for them."
German rail strikes cause widespread delays Long-distance rail travel came to a halt across Germany on Monday morning, with regional trains also heavily affected, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and the southwestern cities of Karlsruhe and Mannheim. There were also cancellations in Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania, Hamburg and Lower Saxony. Services slowly resumed after 9 a.m. but disruptions are set to continue throughout the day, rail operator Deutsche Bahn said.
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