DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Israeli leaders back death penalty for ʼterroristsʼ The right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu has received backing for a controversial bill targeting convicted "terrorists." The proposal to change how the death penalty can be applied has divided lawmakers in Israelʼs parliament. Middle East Israeli leaders back death penalty for ʼterroristsʼ The right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu has received backing for a controversial bill targeting convicted "terrorists." The proposal to change how the death penalty can be applied has divided lawmakers in Israelʼs parliament. Political leaders of Israelʼs ruling coalition on Sunday evening backed a legislative proposal to allow capital punishment for convicted terrorists. While Israel allows for the death penalty under domestic law and in the occupied West Bank under military law, it has not carried out capital punishment since 1961, whenconvicted Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was hanged.
UN to vote on resolution rejecting US Jerusalem decision The UN Security Council is set to vote on a draft resolution nullifying any changes to Jerusalemʼs status, after the US policy change on the holy city. Protest against the US decision broke out in Jakarta on Sunday. The United Nations Security Council will on Monday vote on a draft resolution earlier next week that would consider any changes to the status of Jerusalem legally invalid and call on any such changes to be reversed,. While not naming the US specifically, the Egyptian-drafted text, seen by AFP and Reuters news agencies, isa significant repudiation from the international communityof US PresidentDonald Trumpʼs decision earlier this monthto recognize the holy city as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.
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Serbia balances between Russia and the West But will the country eventually have to choose one path?
As Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, his country is keeping both Russia and the West at bay.
Brexit: Hard-liners angered by Royal Mailʼs refusal to release Brexit stamp British advocates of Brexit have slammed the UKʼs postal service following reports that it will not produce a stamp marking the countryʼs exit from the EU. Some MPs said theyʼd push Royal Mail to reverse its decision. Conservative Brexiteers attacked Britainʼs Royal Mail postal service on Monday following reports in the press that it would not release a stamp commemorating thecountryʼs departure from the European Union, scheduled for March 2019. Pro-Brexit Conser-
vative ministers were quick to accuse the postal service of hypocrisy, saying that it had released a series of stamps celebrating Britainʼs accession to the European Community back in 1973. Speaking to the British press, David Jones, a former minister in Britainʼs Exiting the EU Department and a Conservative for Clwyd West, described the Royal Mailʼs decision as "outrageous," and said that he would write to the UK Business Secretary Sajid Javid, whohas oversight over the postal service, to complain.
Germany must allow third gender in registry of births, court rules An intersex person has won a court case to allow them to enter a third gender into the registry of births. The case was appealed to the Federal Constitutional Court after failing at lower levels. Germanyʼs Federal Constitutional Court on Wednesday called for a third gender option in the registry of births. Intersex people, who are neither male nor female, should be able to register their sexual identity as such, the Karlsruhe court ruled. The court found that the general right to the protection of personality in Germanyʼs Basic Law meant the register had to be altered to al-
low a third gender. The court ruled seven to one that lawmakers must create new legislation by the end of 2018 to allow for a third sex, providing the examples of "intersex," "diverse" or another "positive designation of sex." Another possibility raised was to scrap gender entries altogether. "Assignment to a gender is of paramount importance for individual identity; it typically plays a key role both in the self-image of a person and in the way in which the person concerned is perceived by others. The gender identity of those persons who are neither male nor female is protected,"the court ruled.
Polish terror victimʼs parents disappointed with Germany The grieving family of the first victim killed in last yearʼs Berlin Christmas market attack is still waiting for Chancellor Angela Merkel to send her condolences. Frank Hofmann met the truck driverʼs parents in Poland. Janina Urban has set the table in the living room and placed a plate full of Christmas cookies on it, along with Berlin-style iced doughnuts filled with red jam. Her son, Lukasz Urban, was the first victim of last yearʼs Berlin terror attack. The cheerful Polish truck driver was shot by the attacker Anis Amri, who stole the truck and later drove it into a Christmas market, killing 11 more people and injuring 70. Ever since then, Janina Urban and her husband Henryk have tried daily to come to terms with the heinous crime.
Chile election: Billionaire Sebastian Pinera wins presidential vote Conservative former President Sebastian Pinera has won Chileʼs presidential runoff election. Initial results placed him well ahead of his centerleft opponent Alejandro Guillier, who subsequently conceded defeat. Conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera looked set for a return to office after he secured a comfortable lead over his opponent in Chileʼs presidential runoff vote on Sunday. The electoral results push Chile politically towards the right, following other South American nations who have experienced similar electoral outcomes.
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US and Poland EU launches investigation into IKEA strike $10.5 billion tax deals The European Commission is invesmissile defense tigating IKEAʼs tax benefits in the deal Netherlands, which have helped the The US has approved the $10.5 billion sale of a Patriot anti-missile system to NATO ally Poland. Eastern European NATO states have been ramping up their military capabilities in the face of perceived Russian aggression. In a move likely to irk Russia, the US and Poland agreed on Friday a major arms deal that could see the eastern European NATO member soon begin conducting air and missile defense operations. As part of the $10.5 billion (€8.9 billion) sale, Poland is expected to receive 208 Patriot Advanced Capabilty-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement missiles, 16 M903 launching stations, four AN/MPQ-65 radars, four control stations, spares, software and associated equipment. Made by US defense contractor Raytheon, the missiles are reportedly designed to detect, track and engage unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles and shortrange or tactical ballistic missiles. In a statement issued following the sale, the State Department said that: "A secure Europe capable of deterring air and missile threats and other forms of aggression promotes peace and stability within NATO and on the European continent."
flat-pack furniture retailer avoid paying taxes of close to €1 billion between 2009 and 2014.
The European Commission said on Monday that it was looking into two tax rulings issued to Inter Ikea, which operates Ikeaʼs franchise business and collects a franchise fee of 3 percent of turnover from all Ikea shops via its subsidiary Inter Ikea Systems in the Netherlands. According to a report published by the Greens in the European Parliament in February 2016, the com-
panyʼs"sweetheart tax deals"allegedly allowed IKEA to avoid nearly €1 billion ($1.17 billion) in EU taxes. "All companies, big or small, multinational or not, should pay their fair share of tax. Member states cannot let selected companies pay less tax by allowing them to artificially shift their profits elsewhere," European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.
Sleeping giants — when whales nap Falling asleep in a bathtub appears to be a very bad idea for humans. Simply, because we canʼt breathe under water. It must be a slightly surreal sight. Imagine being a diver and coming across a group of sperm whales, not swimming but floating upright and motionless in the open sea. If you ever see such a scene, congrats, you have found cetaceans sleeping. Itʼs a rare occurrence, but occasionally pictures of such discoveries are published (see above). There are even researchers working on the subject on different
species of marine mammals - both in the wild or in captivity. The results of both approaches allow an impression of how sleep works in a whaleʼs world. Back in 2008, a team of scientists from Scotland and Japan literally bumped into a group of sperm whales drifting vertically close to the surface of the water. The mammals were so immersed in a state called "drift diving" that they didnʼt even respond to the presence of the passing boat. By observing the whales, the researchers onboard found they spend just seven percent of their day napping, for bursts of around 10 to 15 minutes each time.
Tour de France winner Chris Froome fails doping test Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome has failed a doping test. The British rider said that he took an increased dosage of asthma medication during another race on the advice of a doctor. The UCI, cyclingʼs world governing body, announced in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday that it had notified Chris Froome of an "Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF)" in excess of 1000ng/mg (*) in a sample collected during theVuelta a Espana," which he wonin September.
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China sales behind German carmakersʼ rosy third quarter Strong vehicle sales in the wordʼs most important car market have been essential in enabling German carmakers to end their third quarters on a positive note. Their dependence on China is expected to increase further. Germanyʼs top carmakers would not have been able to present positive third-quarter results without a booming auto market in China, a study by consultancy EY showed Tuesday. It said China had long become the most important market for Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler, with one in three of their cars sold in the third quarter having gone to the Asian nation. To be more precise, the Chinese market accounted for 34 percent of Germanyʼs overall car sales between July and September, the highest ever rate logged so far. Back in 2010, only 23 percent of Germanyʼs quarterly car sales ended up in China.
Ousted Venezuelan opposition leader escapes house arrest, flees to Spain Ousted Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma has likened his escape to a film. He plans to take the fight against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro abroad. The ousted opposition mayor of Caracas arrived in Spain on Saturday after orchestrating a daring escape from house arrest in Venezuela. Antonio Ledezma landed in Madrid from Bogota, Colombia, where he arrived a day earlier after slipping across the border. He was greeted by his wife and two daughters who live in Spain. Ledezma said he planned to organize resistance from abroad to President Nicolas Maduro, under whose rule millions of Venezuelans have suffered from shortages of food and other basic supplies. "I am going to travel the world to spread the hope of all Venezuelans to escape this regime, this dictatorship," Ledezma said. The 62-year-old opposition figure was removed as mayor of Caracas and arrested in 2015 on allegations he sought to topple Maduro. He was later put under house arrest due to health issues. Ledezma was one of the opposition leaders who led protests against the government in 2014, which also resulted in the arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. He remains under house arrest.