DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Venezuelaʼs health care crisis: Hospitals have ʼnothing leftʼ The situation has become increasingly dramatic over the past several years. Thousands of Venezuelanscross the border every day, either staying in Colombia or moving on to other Latin American countries. In Colombia alone, at the moment, there are 1.2 million Venezuelans, in Ecuador more than 200,000 people and in Peru more than oneandahalf million — so in these three countries alone there are nearly 2 million Venezuelans who no longer know, how they are going to make ends meet at home. As a first response, we set up two health centers right on the border crossing at Cucuta — one directly behind the border bridge has been in operation since 2017. In the meantime, we also have medical aid stations on the border with Ecuador and along the migration route in Colombia. Many Venezuelans donʼt even have enough money for a simple bus ticket and are just walking to get to destinations hundreds of kilometers away.
Nuns fight sexual abuse in Indiaʼs Catholic Church Last year, Catholic nun Sister Anupama, and four of her companions from the Missionaries of Jesus congregation in Kerala, led protests demanding thearrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal, 54, a senior member of the Roman Catholic clergy and head of its Jalandhar diocese. Mulakkal was accused of raping a Catholic nun 13 times between 2014 and 2016. He is currently out on bail as the case is being heard in court. Last month, Anupama and her companions were supposed to have been transferred from their convent in Kuravilangad, but the transfer order was revoked after a couple of weeks. The transfer order had sparked speculation that they were being punished for complaining. The case has caused a stir all over India.
43/2019 • 20 FEBRUARY, 2019
German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld dies age 85 The Germanborn designer has died at the age of 85
Chanelʼs leading designer for 30 years, Karl Lagerfeld was a brand in his own right with an unmistakable look and outrageous comments.
Huawei vows US ʼcanʼt crush usʼ The founder of Huawei has dismissed claims his company spies for the Chinese government and said that the world cannot do without his companyʼs "more advanced" technology. The founder of Huawei on Monday claimed there were political motivations behind the arrest of his daughter, Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou. "Firstly, I object to what the US has done. This kind of politically motivated act is not acceptable," Ren Zhengfeitold the BBCin his first broadcast interview since the arrest. "The US likes to sanction others, whenever thereʼs an issue, theyʼll use such combative methods." "We object to this. But now that weʼve gone
g down this path, weʼll let the courts settle it." Meng was arrested in Canada in December at the behest of the US, charged with violating US sanctions against Iran throughbank and wire fraud. She is facing trial to determine if she will be extradited. In his Monday interview, Huawei founder Ren went on to deny accusations that his company was involved in espionage for the Chinese government, potentially by installing so-called backdoors that would compromise communications routed through Huawei network hardware. "The Chinese government has already clearly said that it wonʼt install any backdoors. And we wonʼt install backdoors either," Ren told the BBC.
Chinese artist Ai Weiweiʼs segment cut from ʼBerlin, I Love Youʼ p
Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiweiʼs segment in the film "Berlin, I Love You" was cut from the final version due to concerns the artist had become a political liability, the artist and film producers said. "The reason we were given for the episodeʼs removal was that my political status had made it difficult for the production team to secure further funding," Ai told DW reporter Melissa Chan. Read more: Ai
Weiwei: ʼRefugee crisis is a political tool for populistsʼ Ai said he was not aware his contribution was being deleted until after the film was released. The Berlin film is the latest installment in the "Cities in Love" film series, which has already seen films set in New York and Paris. One of the filmʼs executive producers is also making a Shanghai installment of the series, Ai said.
German Health Minister blocks suicide aid to terminally ill Germany has so far not provided any lethal drugs to terminally ill people wanting to put an end to their suffering, despite a2017 verdict allowing such suicide assistancein exceptional cases, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. The Tagesspiegel daily said that 93 of 123 applications for the drugs had so far been rejected by the relevant authority, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). The paper said none had yet been approved and that 22 people had died while waiting for their application to be processed. According to the Tagespiegel Health Minister Jens Spahn has played a considerable role in the rejection of applications, urging the BfArM in June last year not to allow anyone to purchase lethal drugs for the purposes of suicide.
Saudi women refugees in Germany: Still living in fear "Where are you hiding? We know you are not in your apartment." Ayasha* scrolls further. "We will get you. Even if you go to the end of the world, we have people who can track you down." Ayasha sits barefoot in sweatpants and a T-shirt in her kitchen, in front of her a folder. In it, she has collected all the threatening messages she has received, printed and translated into German by an official interpreter. Another message reads: "The embassy has people who can get information about you through the city administration." It was sent from a Saudi number she recognizes: The threats came from her own family. Now in her early thirties, Ayasha lives as a refugee in Germany.
weather today BUDAPEST
4 / 14 °C Precipitation: 0 mm
43/2019 • 20 February, 2019
German police dog sniffs out 17 live hand grenades in car Police in theeastern German city of Dresdenannounced Tuesday that they had arrested two men the previous evening after finding 17 smuggled hand grenades in their car. The vehicle had been parked in the parking lot of the cityʼs main train station, raising the officersʼ suspicion, a police spokesperson said. The officers gave the car an initial search and then used a sniffer dog, which alerted the officers to the live ammunition that had been hidden in the paneling. Read more: Donʼt wait for sniffer dogs to screen you for cancer The two men of Bosnian nationality were suspected of having entered the country illegally. The reason for their possession of the hand grenades remains unclear. The spokesperson said that an investigation was ongoing.
Dirk Nowitzki: A down-to-earth superstar It was exactly 20 years ago, on February 5, 1999, that Dirk Nowitzki played his first game in the National Basketball League. It was a shortened season that started several months late because of the third lockout in NBA history, but the lanky 20yearold from the southern German city of Würzburg played well enough in the 47 of the Mavsʼ 50 games to earn consideration for the rookie of the year award. In his sophomore season, he was in the frame to be named the NBAʼs most improved player. A year later he was the Dallas Mavericksʼ top point scorer, a title he would hold for the next 13 years.
Assessing WhatsAppʼs 5 years with Facebook When Facebook bought messaging app WhatsApp five years ago, it looked like a complete mismatch of values. But recurring frictions havenʼt stopped WhatsApp from securing spectacular growth globally. On February 19, 2014, social media giant Facebook announced it had acquired messaging service WhatsApp for a whopping $19 billion (€16.8 billion). That takeover was viewed as an unholy alliance by many at the time,given the tieup of two companies with misaligned principles, to say the least. Founded in 2009 by former Yahoo employees Jan Koum and Brian Acton, WhatsApp had made a name for itself as a firm whose messaging service paid extra attention to user privacy and was opposed to ads,
p y pp while Facebook wasnʼt quite like that, and still isnʼt. When the marriage happened Corinne Purtill wrote for online portal Quartz that "Facebook was apparently surprised that privacy minded WhatsApp would not renegotiate its pledge to remain adfree; WhatsApp was apparently surprised that Facebook wanted to make money." That sums it up pretty well, and the underlying clash of values led to quite some tension in the process, eventually seeing cofounders Koum and Acton leave the company.
Fed up with fly ash, India villagers fight back against power plants pp g A mix of pulverized coal and toxic gases – known as fly ash – are polluting the air and water near power plants in southeast India. Five long, rusty pipes run parallel to the mud road to Seppakkam, a village of 60 families some 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Chennai on Indiaʼs southeast coast. The pipes carry a sludge of fly ash and water. And theyʼre leaking. The sludgeʼs brown hue adds to Seppakkamʼs dystopian appearance. The ground is coated in
fine ash and dilapidated houses stand empty. Even the hardiest shrubs wilt and thereʼs no sight or sound of birdlife. "During the rains, the dyke overflows and the sludge enters our house," mother of three D Mariammal says ruefully. "Not to mention the rusty old pipes that are constantly leaking. Cold and cough are our constant companions. Our kids are always itchy." At least itʼs winter, she says, otherwise the ash would be driven relentlessly into her home as it is in hotter or wetter weather.
Múzeum+ February at Museum of Fine Arts
The February edition of monthly event series Múzeum+ is being held on the 14th at the Museum of Fine Arts. For each of these events, besides interactive workshops and concerts, an Englishlanguage guided tour also features. This time the theme is German Renaissance Art, starting at 7pm. For the complete schedule, check the museum website.
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
eBay sues Amazon for allegedly poaching its sellers Online retailer eBay filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against its competitor Amazon, accusing the Seattle-based giant of using eBayʼs own messaging system to steal sellers. eBay described Amazonʼs scheme as an "orchestrated, coordinated, worldwide campaign" to "illegally lure eBay sellers." While both eBay and Amazonʼs revenue is boosted by independent sellers, the group has become a greater part of Amazonʼs recent growth. In 2017, more than half the items sold on Amazon came from thirdparty sellers. In eBayʼs lawsuit, Amazon representatives are accused of creating eBay accounts and then messaging sellers to persuade them to take their goods to Amazon.com instead. eBay argues that the move violated its user agreement. The plaintiff claimed that Amazonʼs "abuse" was systematic and had the sole purpose of harming eBay.
Airbnb cuts listings in Israeli West Bank settlements Homerental platform Airbnb announced Monday it would no longer offer its service in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, drawing an angry response from Israel. Israel seized the West Bank in the 1967 SixDay War, but most countries consider the Jewish settlements there to be illegal. The company said in a statement the decision would affect about 200 properties "in the occupied West Bank that are at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians." "Our hope is that someday sooner rather than later, a framework is put in place where the entire global community is aligned so there will be a resolution to this historic conflict and a clear path forward for everybody to follow," it added. Palestinian and human rights groups had long called on Airbnb to remove the settlement listings from its site. Waleed Assraf, head of a Palestinian anti-settlement group welcomed the development, saying if more companies followed it would "contribute to achieving peace." Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin condemned the move as "the most wretched of wretched capitulations to the boycott efforts."