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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thousands petition to move ʼbulliedʼ ape Bili out of Germany

Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have signed two petitions calling on a German zoo to return Bili, a bonobo ape who was being "bullied" by fellow apes, to the United Kingdom.

The petitions, which have gathered more than 400,000 signatures, call on the authorities at the zoo in the western German city of Wuppertal to release Bili to an ape sanctuary in the UK. Bili was born in the UK is 2008 and was brought to the Wuppertal zoo from Frankfurt last November in the hope of finding him a mate. But his integration into his new home has not gone as per plan.

Strike shuts Belgian airspace, paralyzes public transport

All flights in and out of Belgium have been canceled until Wednesday night as public transport workers went on a 24-hour strike.

All sectors, from public transport to rubbish collection, postal services, hospitals and commercial centers have been affected. Belgiumʼs air traffic control authority said on Tuesday it was forced to close the countryʼs airspace between Tuesday 10 p.m. CET (2100 UTC) and the same time on Wednesday.

The strike in the country that hosts many EU institutions and NATO was called by unions seeking higher wages. The strike comes in response to a collapse in wage negotiations.

The trade unions rejected a proposed increase of 0.8 per cent for 2019­2020, arguing that it was too low.

38/2019 • 14 FEBRUARY, 2019

Britainʼs on the highway to Hell Brexit Diaries 52:

Were kicking the can down the road an Olympic sport, Theresa May would have a gold medal. Plus, Captain May aims for the iceberg, Leavers are hurt by Donald Tuskʼs words, and more in this edition of DWʼs Brexit Diaries.

3 examples of German­Indian environmental cooperation y y The German­Indian environment forum opens in New Delhi on Wednesday to tackle environmental issues together. DW looks at several areas where the two countries have already begun working together.

India is changing quickly. Its economy is growing, its industry continues to develop and its need for electricity is increasing, with more and more people wanting to move to cities. This development poses challenges not only to the countryʼs infrastructure, but also to its environmental protection. Indiaʼs environmental to­do list includes battlingair pollution, securing clean water supplies, protecting its soil and fighting noise pollution.

And the country is taking these issues seriously by – among other measures

g – teaming up with international partners like Germany, as well as international organizations in order to find ways to reach its environmental goals. India and Germany have been working together for a long time.

Economically speaking, Germany is Indiaʼs number one trading partner within the EU and its sixth most important trading partner worldwide.

Now, Germany and India are betting on political dialogue when it comes to tackling climate challenges. As part of the new German­Indian environment forum, the two countries have brought to life a range of working groups that are holding meetings about climate protection, sustainable city planning, as well as water and waste management.

Plovdiv 2019: Historic moment for a historic city The ancient city of Plovdiv put on a party on Saturday nightcomplete with fireworks, light shows, concerts and speeches from dignitaries as it took up its mantle as European Capital of Culture. Having been an architectural hot spot during Roman rule, Bulgariaʼs second city has again taken center stage in the region.

"This is a unique and historic moment for our city," said Plovdiv Mayor Ivan Totev before the opening ceremony. The artist collective Phase7 staged an impressive light show in front of tens of thousands of visitors as performances by local musicians and dancers gave a foretaste of the European Capital of Culture 2019 motto: "Together." As Plovdiv residents combine to showcase their distinctive city, a number of headline events are planned throughout the year, including the Ayliak Art Parade in May on Europeʼs longest boulevard. The focus will be on slow, sustainable and harmonious living via green, creative products and innovations.

EU members and leaders agree on compromise for Nord Stream 2 The EU parliament and its Council are set to adopt new regulations on gas pipelines connecting the bloc members with non­EU countries, the EU Commission announced early on Wednesday. The upcoming directive is based on a compromise between EU member states and EU officials in Brussels. The bloc leaders agreed to tighten Brusselsʼ oversight of gas delivery and expand its rules to all pipelines plugging into the EUʼs gas distribution network. "The new rules ensure that… everyone interested in selling gas to Europe must respect European energy law," EU Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said in a statement. Read more:Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline — What is the controversy about?

Nazisploitation or arthouse cinema? Charlotte Ramplingʼs taboo­breaking roles In a career spanning five decades, Charlotte Rampling has performed in more than 110 film and TV roles, working in English, French and Italian. Younger generations might recognize her from popular TV series such as Dexter, while fans of European cinema know sheʼs won different lifetime achievement awards and acting accolades for her recent film roles including 45 Years (2015) and Hannah (2017). The 73-year­old actress will be honored once more for her lifetime of work in cinema on February 14, this time with the Honorary Golden Bear at theBerlin International Film Festival.

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38/2019 • 14 February, 2019

Sweden to end months without a government

How to resolve the Venezuelan debt conundrum

German online shoppers are serial returners

Sweden looked set to finally resolve four months of political deadlock on Wednesday and allow Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to take a second term in office. The Left party said it would abstain in a crucial vote on Friday, clearing the way for Lofven and his patchwork coalition. Lofven, leader of the Social Democrats, has been leading a caretaker government sinceelections on September 9 yielded inconclusive results. Although the Social Democrats won the most votes, their 31.1% support left them grappling to form a coalition in a country with eight mainstream parties and proportional representation. These problems were compounded by the fact that most other parties wanted to govern without the support of the Left andthe far­right Sweden Democrats, who are rooted in Norwegian white supremacist circles. But the Social Democrats have managed to pull together an unusual union of the left and right wing by gaining the support of the Greens, Liberals, and the Center party. In doing so, however, Lofven has had to promise to take his traditional center­left party to the right.

With the US and other countries throwing their weight behind Juan Guaido as Venezuelaʼs legitimate leader, time seems up for the Maduro government. But keeping the debt­ridden country afloat will prove a massive task.

German shoppers return roughly 12 percent of online purchases, a new poll by digital industry association Bitkom shows. Two years ago, the figure was 10 percent. One­third of shoppers said they send back every tenth item, 14 percent admitted to returning a quarter of all purchases.

"The share of returns is extremely high and rising steadily, especially in certain sectors, like the fashion industry," says Julia Miosga, who heads Bitkomʼs trade and logistics department. The 14 to 29-year­olds are the worst offenders, with a hefty 18 percent of purchases being returned.

Overall, women return 15 percent of items bought online, men only make up 9 percent of the total figure. Retailers are increasingly looking for ways to make it easier to buy the right product and size online by giving more detailed information – specifically about clothes – via chats, product descriptions, 360 degree pictures and videos. Some also reward honest feedback with vouchers and discounts.

World Cup 1966 English goalkeeper Gordon Banks dies aged 81 Englandʼs goalkeeper in their successful 1966 World Cup final against West Germany has died aged 81. Gordon Banks is best known for a save against Brazilʼs Pele in the 1970 World Cup. Gordon Banks played in every game of the 1966 World Cup in England which finished with the 4­2 victory over West Germany in the Wembley final. "It is with great sadness that we announce that Gordon passed away peacefully overnight," his family said on Tuesday.

National Assembly leaderJuan Guaido,who declared himself Venezuelaʼs interim president, told the countryʼs creditors in January that he would seek renegotiation of the nationʼs mounting foreign debt if he were recognized as Venezuelaʼs rightful head of state. Immediately after his announcement, Venezuelaʼs sovereign bonds gained amid speculation that the Latin American nationʼs myriad of creditors would finally get their money back. Boasting what is believed to be the worldʼs biggest oil reserves as well as underground re-

g serves of gold, iron ore and other resources, Venezuela could easily obtain financing and cut a deal with its creditors, the 35-year-old Guaido said. "With a new government, the debt will not only be repaid, but we could refinance with the trust of a government that can pay," Guaido announced. Venezuelaʼs outstanding debt is estimated to be around $140 billion (€123.7 billion) at the end of 2018. A major problem for the petrostate is that it owes so much money to so many different parties.

Cologne plans gay and lesbian traffic lights for Pride festival y

Officials in Cologne say the city will introduce traffic lights featuring same­sex couples along the parade route.

Cologne in western Germany plans to temporarily change 20 traffic lights for pedestrians to show images of same­sex couples, city officials told German media. "Symbols of samesex couples are currently being prepared for the period surrounding Christopher Street Day," spokesman Jürgen Müllenberg told the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. The Cologne Pride parade is one of Europeʼs largest Pride festivals and will this year observe 50

years since the Stonewall riots in New Yorkʼs Christopher Street. The riots saw lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people resist police during a raid on June 28, 1969. The city plans to change traffic lights located along the parade route, a spokesman told the DPA news agency. The city did not say when they would revert the same­sex traffic lights to standard ones. Several German cities have unique traffic lights. Berlinʼs lights feature the iconic Ampelmännchen, Bonnʼs feature Beethoven, who was born in the former capital, and Trierʼs feature hometown philosopher Karl Marx.

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Australia to reopen Christmas Island refugee detention camp Australiaʼs Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Wednesday the reopening of the Christmas Island immigration detention center. The center, located on the Indian Ocean, held thousands of migrants and had closed down in 2018. It was the scene of violent protests, with detainees denouncing harsh conditions. Morrison made the decision to reopen Christmas Island just prior to the passing ofnew legislation in Parliamentto give sick asylum seekers easier access to mainland hospitals. The prime minister based his decision on the assessment of the countryʼs security agencies, which had warned in December that like the one approved on Wednesday would result in an increase in asylum seekers heading to Australia.

Read more: Youth in Australiaʼs Nauru detention center suffering severe mental illness "We have approved putting in place the reopening of the Christmas Island detention facilities, both to deal with the prospect of arrivals as well as dealing with the prospect of transfers," Morrison told reporters in Canberra.