DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Togolese asylum-seeker who fought deportation lands in Italy The man has arrived in Milan one day after authorities denied his appeal to stay in Germany. The case sparked major national attention when other migrants prevented authoritiesʼ first attempt to deport him. A 23-year-old refugee from Togo, who made headlines with the attempts to block his deportation order has landed in Italy, authorities confirmed on Tuesday. The news came just one day after Germanyʼs highest courtrejected his final plea not to be removedfrom the country. "The rule of law cannot be stopped," said Thomas Strobl, interior minister of the state of BadenWürttemberg, where the young man lived in a new arrivals home in the village of Ellwangen.
Chinese pilot sucked halfway out of airplane "I saw that the co-pilot was already halfway out of the window," said the pilot who landed the airplane after a cockpit window shattered in mid-flight. The co-pilot suffered scratches and a sprained wrist. A Chinese pilot was hailed a hero on social media on Tuesday for successfully landing a commercial aircraft after his co-pilot was sucked "halfway" out of the cockpit in midflight. The incident occurred while the Sichuan Airlines Airbus A-319 was flying at 800-900 kilometers per hour (500-560 miles) at cruising altitude on its way from the central province of Chongqing to the city of Lhasa in Tibet. "The windshield burst suddenly and a loud noise was heard, and when I looked to the side, I saw that the co-pilot was already halfway out of the window," Liu Chuanjian told Chinese newspaper Chengdu Business Daily. "Luckily his seatbelt was tied."
109/2018 • 16 MAY, 2018
Iran deal: The European Unionʼs ugly options How cozy will Europe get with the Kremlin to save the agreement?
Will keeping the Iran deal on life support kill trans-Atlantic ties and re-energize the EUʼs relationship with Russia?
Times change but German obsession with cash endures "Do you accept cards?" If you’re asking in Germany, there’s a good chance that the answer is no. The country has a curiously low cashless rate. Can the European economic powerhouse’s aversion to plastic payment continue? If there is a place where cash truly ought to be king, itʼs in one of the ubiquitous late night corner shops (known in German as a Späti) seen on practically every street of the German capital Berlin. Yet in recent times, Türkan Dogar brought a card machine into his small shop in the south-east of the city. He has to pay a monthly fee for it, but itʼs negligible enough that he doesnʼt recall exactly how much. "Customers were asking
regularly if we accepted cards, so in the end I got it because itʼs good for business," he says. If people spend less than €10 ($11.89) in his shop, they can still pay with card but then they have to pay a 50-cent surcharge. Yet a stroll around the neighborhood quickly points to Germanyʼs somewhat complicated relationship with plastic payment. Around the corner, at Erolʼs bicycle repair shop, card bearers are given short shrift. "Cash-only here," says Erol as he stands beside an upturned bicycle in his navy overalls. "I like cash. Itʼs warmer. If people donʼt have it, they can go to the cash machine and come back. I donʼt care!" he says with a laugh. "It works for me."
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.
Former Taiwan president gets jail time for information leak Taiwanʼs High Court has overturned a previous not-guilty verdict and charged former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou. Ma plans to appeal his sentence but can also avoid prison by paying a fine of €3,370. Former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou was sentenced to four months in prison on Tuesday for leaking classified information. Taiwanʼs High Court found that "Ma Ying-jeou violated the Communication and Surveillance Act," when he leaked information relating to national security and opposition lawmaker Ker Chien-ming, which should have been confidential. Ma told local media he planned to appeal the High Court sentence, but he could also skip prison if he pays a fine of T$120,000 ($4,020, €3,370), the court said. A former stalwart of major opposition party Kuomintang of China, Ma was Taiwanʼs president from 2008 to 2016 and encouraged closer ties with China. He also served as the justice minister and mayor of Taipei.
Russia-Crimea bridge to be opened by Vladimir Putin The controversial Crimean Bridge has been finished six months early and will link Russiaʼs southern Krasnodar region with the Crimean city of Kerch. The massive bridge will help reduce Crimeaʼs reliance on sea transport. Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to open a 19-kilometer bridge connecting southern Russia to the Crimean peninsula on Tuesday. The controversial Crimean Bridge links the southern Krasnodar region with the Crimean city of Kerch and spans across a stretch of water between the Black Sea and the Azov Sea.
weather today BUDAPEST
15 / 22 °C Precipitation: 0 mm
109/2018 • 16 May, 2018
Merkel hints at increased military spending
Trolley rage: German police called over Ikea shopping cart fight
Germanyʼs chancellor has hinted that defense spending is likely to increase in years ahead, saying reaching NATOʼs target was "not completely beyond the imagination." It comes amid budget talks and pressure from allies. Merkel said on Monday that it was important to stand by Berlinʼs commitments to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and noted that Germany had in the past spent much more than the current 1.24 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) without any difficulty. Reaching NATOʼs target of 2 percent of GDP was "not completely beyond the imagination," Merkel said. She was addressing top military officers in Berlin, alongside her defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, on the eve of the budget debate in Germanyʼs parliament. Von der Leyen told the officers military spending would increase to about 1.3 percent of GDP by 2019, with a goal of 1.5 percent by 2025. US President Donald Trump in March singled out Germany for failing to meet a defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP agreed upon between NATO members.
What began as a normal Saturday at an Ikea in Bavaria ended with an ambulance after a fight broke out between three customers. The angered shoppers reportedly couldnʼt agree whose shopping cart had the right of way.
Mesut Özil and Ilkay Gündogan criticized for Erdogan meeting
When it comes todrinking water, Germans are well known for reaching for plastic bottles instead of turning on the tap. But those who still turn to tap water for their hydration and household needs are now paying more for every drop; the price of tap water in Germany rose on average over 25 percent be-
Germany players Mesut Özil and Ilkay Gündogan have been criticized for meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both are of Turkish heritage, but chose to represent Germany in international football. The Premier League stars, who were joined by a third player, Everton striker Cenk Tosun, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Londonʼs Four Seasons hotel on Sunday. President Erdogan, who is up for re-election on June 24, is in the British capital for a threeday state visit, where he is to be received by Queen Elizabeth II and meet with Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday.
Police and rescue services were called to an Ikea in southeastern Germany after a shopping cart scuffle left one woman with a head injury, according to media reports on Sunday. The fight broke out between three customers on Saturday as they were trying to maneuver their shopping carts at an Ikea in the town of Eching, outside of Munich. A 49-year-old woman and an 18-year-old woman began shouting and shoving each other after they couldnʼt agree on whose cart had the right of way, reported the Müncher Merkurnewspaper. The 18-year-oldʼs father then joined the
fray and pushed the 49-year-old. The woman lost her balance and fell into a metal shelf, sustaining a laceration to her head. The 49-year-old woman was taken in an ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. The angry shoppers didnʼt deny their participation in the fight when giving statements to police, but their stories diverged when it came to who was at fault. "Officers certainly had the impression that both conflicting parties contributed almost equally to the escalation of the dispute," the Echinger Zeitung newspaper quoted local police as saying.
German tap water prices climb with nitrates as culprit German consumers are having to pay more on average for drinking water, an evaulation from the Green party has found.
tween 2005 and 2016, an evaluation from the pro-environment Green party has found. The evaluation, which was reported on by German public broadcaster ARD, attributed the rising prices tonitrate pollution from agricultural production and manure. While the average national price has risen, the evaluation pointed out that the costs for tap water varied across Germanyʼs 16 states. Municipalities within each state set their own base price for water usage per cubic meter (1,000 liters).
Budapest to increase taxi fares from July Budapest’s city authorities have just announced the rise of taxi prices in the city, effective from July 1st. This increase will affect the base fare and the tariff calculated by time and distance. According to József Sipeki, spokesman for the Budapest Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BKIK), the average fare increase per journey will be around 10%.
H-1056 Budapest, Só u. 6. Telephone: +36 1 577 0700 Fax: +36 1 577 0710 bhzinfo@zeinahotels.com www.boutiquehotelbudapest.com
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German metalworkers finally secure wage agreement Following weeks of bitter fighting, a wage agreement for the German metal and electrical industries has finally been struck. Employees were able to secure higher wages and more flexible working hours. A wage agreement was reached in the early hours on Tuesday in Germanyʼs metal and electrical industries. The powerful IG Metall union announced the deal initially covering workers in the southern German state of BadenWürttemberg, but expected to be eventually implemented for a total of 3.9 million workers in the sector nationwide. According to the deal, employeesare to receive a pay hike of 4.3 percent from April this year. Additionally, monthly one-off payments of €100 ($124) were agreed for January through March. Employers and trade union representatives also agreed on the possibility of workers reducing their hours from 35 to 28 hours per week for two years, should they need to look after children or care for older relatives.
Publisher slammed as Hitler appears in ʼgreat leadersʼ book The book "would bring tears of joy to neo-Nazis," a Jewish human rights organization has said. Adolf Hitler carries a certain fascination in some parts of the world that is largely untouched by his atrocities. Indian publisher Pegasus landed itself in hot water this week when it emerged that itʼs "Great Leaders" book for children included Adolf Hitler. Pictured alongside freedom fighters Mathama Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, the book chose Hitler as one of the "powerful world leaders who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of their countries and the people living in them." Also included in the book are current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, controversial Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi and former US President Barack Obama. "Dedicated to the betterment of countries and people? Adolf Hitler? This description would bring tears of joy to the Nazis and their racist neo-Nazi heirs," said Abraham Cooper of the Jewish human rights organization the Wiesenthal Center.
