DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
German press review: Maassen promotion a win for the right National weekly paper Die Zeit said the message being sent by theGerman governmentʼs promotion of HansGeorg Maassan— current president of Germanyʼs domestic intelligence agency — to deputy head of the Interior Ministry was "unsettling." It said Maassen, "a man who has triggered a unique crisis of trust, government and credibility should not be given a leadership position" in the Interior Ministry. Maassen "ran the business of right-wing populists," the paper alleged, and with his "unproven accusation ofʼdeliberate misinformationʼ in Chemnitz, he has crossed the line to conspiracy theory" and "scratched the most important currency of democracy: trust." Regional daily Mannheimer Morgen wrote that the whole fiasco "knows only one great profiteer: the Alternative for Germany party (AfD)." The paper said the AfD had turned Maassen into a martyr for its anti-refugee stance. "It is almost inconceivable that the CDU, CSU and SPD have given [Maassen] something of a new beginning," the paper wrote. "
Yemen conflict: 5 million children face famine Disruption to supplies coming through Hodeida could "cause starvation on an unprecedented scale," the UK-based NGO Save the Children has said in a new report. Renewed attacks on the Red Sea city by the Saudi-led coalition could temporarily shut down the key port, putting 5.2 million children at risk of famine as food and fuel prices soar. Read more: Yemenʼs war explained in 4 key points "Even the smallest disruption to food, fuel and aid supplies through its vital port could mean death for hundreds of thousands of malnourished children unable to get the food they need to stay alive," said Yemen representative Tamer Kirolos on Wednesday.
215/2018 • 20 SEPTEMBER, 2018
North Korea just buying time with empty concessions? Kim-Moon summit
North Korea has agreed to take big steps towards denuclearization and rapprochement with the South, but experts remain skeptical if these lofty promises will result in any real change on the ground.
Coming together against cybercrime The risk of becoming a cybercrime victim is growing. Command Control, a summit in Munich, is bringing together security experts from around the world to show companies how to better protect themselves. The numbers are alarming. According to a study by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), almost 70 percent of all companies and institutions in Germany have been victims of cybercriminals since the beginning of 2016. In just under half of the cases, the attackers were successful and able to gain access to IT systems. Every second a successful attack led to production or
operational interruptions. In addition to costs for the investigation of the incidents and the restoration of IT systems the companies involved also suffer reputational damage. The industry association Bitkom puts the resulting losses for the German economy alone at €55 billion ($64 billion) per year. This number includes losses to counterfeit sales, patent infringement, lost IT and production interruptions. And the risk is growing, because in almost all industries the degree of digitization is increasing. The more devices that are networked via the internet of things, the more new entry points for hackers, malware and phishing programs.
Ig Nobel Prize winners: Self-colonoscopy, roller-coaster kidney stones The comfort of a home colonoscopy, the benefits of taking out anger aimed at a boss on a voodoo doll and cannibalismʼs lack of nutritional benefits were all scientific discoveries that received Ig Nobel Prizes on Thursday in a laughter and music-filled ceremonyat Harvard University. The annual prize serieshonors 10 comical but practical scientific studies "that
first make people laugh, and then make them think." The prize is run by Annals of Improbable Research (AIR), an international scientific humor magazine that satirizes traditional academic journals, and seeks to raise public attention about science. The event was broadcast live on YouTube and will later air on American National Public Radio.
Climate change prompts Berlin to rethink water strategy Jens Feddern picks up a longstemmed glass of sparkling liquid, looks at it and tastes. The water from this part of Berlin has a distinct character. Crisp and fresh. In other districts, it has an earthier quality, he explains with the expertise of a sommelier. And he should know. The engineer has been working with the cityʼs water utility Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB) since 1987 and is now director of the supply division. That supply comes from underground. The water Feddern has just been sipping was pumped from about 40 meters (131 feet) down through a well in Wuhlheide, one of the cityʼs nine waterworks. Read more: German astronaut Alexander Gerst shocked by parched Earth images from space The BWB supplies some 3.7 million Berliners with around 550,000 cubic meters (the equivalent of 220 Olympic-sized swimming pools) of water daily. On hot summer days, when people are showering more and watering their gardens, it soars past 1 million.
Disruption to supplies coming through Hodeida could "cause starvation on an unprecedented scale" The International Criminal Court (ICC) has launched a preliminary probe into the mass deportation of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh. The Hague-based courtʼs preliminary examination will gather more evidence before deciding whether to launch a full investigation. Read more: Will Myanmar generals face ICC justice?
weather today BUDAPEST
16 / 28 °C Precipitation: 0 mm
215/2018 • 20 September, 2018
German minister pushes for free trade deal ahead of Africa trip Germany’s development minister Gerd Müller is promoting a "customs-free trade deal in Africa" ahead of his seven-nation Africa visit. Experts say the real issues are being ignored. When it comes to the economic relationship between Germany and Africa, the issue of customs exemption is no longer an important topic. At least thatʼs what renowned development economist Robert Kappel from the University of Leipzig thinks. Instead, agricultural subsidies and trade barriers should be the main topic of discussion. However, Kappel blames Europe for pursuing neocolonialism in its monetary policy. Yet, Müller avoided these issues before his trip to Africa this week. According to Kappel, he has failed to recognize that a trade imbalance has only increased in recent years — despite a customs exemption. "The minister is not well informed, therefore itʼs right to criticize him," Kappel told DW.
Lionel Messi has scored eight freekicks in 2018 Lionel Messi scored his 48th career hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven in their opening Champions League group game. Barcaʼs captain curled home a stunning free-kick to open the scoring before Luis Suarezʼs clever 20-yard lob hit the crossbar. The impressive Ousmane Dembele spun to lose two defenders and blasted home Barcelonaʼs second from outside the box.
Large German wine harvest expected in 2018 The unusually hot German summer was a hindrance to many farmers, but Germanyʼs winemakers arenʼt complaining. Estimates show thereʼll be no shortage of German wine next year — cheers to that! Germanyʼs winegrowers can expect an above-average harvest this year, the government statistics office Destatis predicted on Wednesday. A 9.75-million-hectoliter (one hectolitre equals 100 liters) total harvest is expected this year — 1 million hectoliters higher than the five-year average between 2012 and 2017, and 2 million more than last yearʼs unusually low yield. The crop for Germanyʼs most popular wine variety, Riesling, is ex-
pected to almost quadruple in size, going from 557,000 hectoliters last year to an expected 2.08 million. The German Wine Institute (DWI) is optimistic not only about the extent of 2018ʼs harvest, but also about the quality of the vintage. "We will have very good yields and also very good quality," the DWIʼs Ernst Büscher said. "The condition of the grapes is abnormally good because of the very sunny and dry weather thatʼs persisting."
Good bees, bad wasps? Wasps are aggressive and useless, people believe. But wasps are just as important as bees for pollinating our crops, say scientists. Wasps are the natural enemy of every picnicker. Forget a peaceful meal amidst nature in the last days of summer. As soon as you unpack your delicious food and well-deserved drink, wasps will close in with their swaying and aggressive flight. Instead of taking a tiny taste and then moving along, they will feast on your food with a scavengerʼs sense of entitlement. Bzzz. Thanks for the picnic, buddy! Bees, on the other hand, are too busy pollinating flowers and produc-
ing honey to even notice your alfresco lunch. The universally disliked wasp, compared to the cute and friendly bee — this is how most people regard the yellowjackets, researchers have found. For the study Why we love bees and hate wasps, scientists at the University College of London asked more than 750 members of the public from 46 countries to describe in three words how they feel about wasps, bees, butterflies and flies. Wasps triggered the most negative emotions. "Sting", "annoying" and "dangerous" were the most common words that came to the participantsʼ minds. Butterflies received the highest level of positive emotions, closely followed by bees.
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Can Europe defeat a palm oil ʼmonsterʼ of its own making? Alongside record heat waves, trade wars have also been grabbing global headlines recently, whether itʼs the United States versus Turkey, the US versus China — or the European Union versus Indonesia and Malaysia. Rumblings of the latter followed the European Parliamentʼs January 2018 vote to ban the use of palm oil as a biofuel by 2020. Malaysia and Indonesia — both major producers — threatened retaliation, but backed down after the EU opted for a slower phase-out of palm oil as biofuel. Now, under the EUʼs updated Renewable Energy Directive (finalized in June), palm oil imports should peak around 2019, then begin to drop in 2023 before being phased out entirely by 2030. The EUʼs move came amidst growing recognition that the consumption of palm oil in Europecontributes to deforestation, destruction of wildlife habitat and — when industrial palm oil growers clear rainforests — greenhouse gas emissions. Venezuela hit by magnitude 7.3 earthquake, buildings evacuated A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit the coast of Venezuela on Tuesday, forcing people to evacuate their homes and offices as far away as the capital, Caracas. The US Geological Survey reported that Tuesdayʼs quake had a depth of 76 miles (123 kilometers) and its epicenter was about 12 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of the Venezuelan city of Yaguaraparo. The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that the deep earthquake could lead to small tsunami waves along the countryʼs coastline. It remains unclear just how much damage was caused by the earthquake. A witness inCumana, one of the biggest cities near the quakeʼs epicenter, said several people were injured in a shopping center when an escalator collapsed, although there appeared to be no immediate signs of further damage in the vicinity. It is thought that the quake occurred deep enough below ground to have dampened most of the shaking. Nevertheless, reports suggest that the rumbles were also felt as far away as the Colombian capital, Bogota, in the east and the nearby islands of Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lucia to the northwest.