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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Zimbabwe president pledges probe into protest crackdown Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday defended the decision to raise fuel prices as the "right thing to do" to stabililze supply.

Acrackdown against the proteststhat followed, however, led to the deaths of at least 12 people. The events were "regrettable," Mnangagwa said on Twitter and added that "violence or misconduct by security forces was unacceptable and a betrayal of the new Zimbabwe ... and will be investigated." At least 78 people were treated for gunshot injuries sustained during the crackdown, according to the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, which recorded more than 240 incidents of assault and torture. About 700 people have been arrested.

France summons Italian envoy after deputy PMʼs Africa comments Franceʼs foreign ministry on Monday summoned Italyʼs ambassador after what it called "unacceptable and groundless" comments by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio (pictured) in which he attacked Parisʼ policies in Africa, according to multiple reports. News agencies Reuters and Agence France Presse said that European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau summoned Teresa Castaldo, Italyʼs ambassador to France, on Monday afternoon regarding incendiary remarks by Di Maio on Saturday. Speaking in the Abruzzo region in central Italy, Di Maio, the leader of Italyʼs antiestablishment Five Star Movement, accused France of creating poverty in Africa and fueling mass migration to Europe.

19/2019 • 23 JANUARY, 2019

Merkel and Macron sign Treaty of Aachen to revive EU A follow-up pact to the Elysee Treaty marks the latest gesture of friendship

A follow-up pact to the Elysee Treaty marks the latest gesture of friendship between France and Germany. The new bilateral pact pledges deeper cooperation between the two nations and paves the way for EU reforms.

Cristiano Ronaldo accepts plea deal in tax fraud case Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo faces a multimillion dollar fine and a suspended jail term after pleading guilty to tax fraud in Spain. However, the Juventus forward is not expected to spend any time in prison.

Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday accepted a deal with Spanish prosecutors ina tax fraud case which will see him receive a suspended 23-month jail term and a fine of €18.8 million ($21.4 million). Ronaldo is one of several sports stars to come under scrutiny fortax evasion in Europe. Details of the case:Ronaldo was accused of four counts of tax fraud, worth a total of €14.7 million.Prosecutors say the footballer used shell companies in low-tax countries such as the British Virgin Is-

lands and Ireland to hide income generated from his image rights.The plea deal has allowed Ronaldo to avoid a long trial and avoid damaging his brand.He received a suspended sentence, meaning no prison time. When questioned at the start of the probe in mid-2017, Ronaldo denied hiding anything. "I have never hidden anything, nor have I had the intention of evading taxes,” he told the court at the time.

The case relates to his time at Real Madrid, though the footballer has sincemoved to Italian club Juventus.

The deal, struck with Spanish prosecutors and tax authorities last year, consists of the fine and a suspended sentence. In Spain, judges can suspend sentences of up to two years for first time offenders.

Kenya: Solar motorcycles take on Nairobi smog Kenya has a motorcycle problem. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, more than 190,000 new motorcycles and three-wheeled vehicles were registered in 2017, compared to approximately 66,000 cars.

This trend has continued into 2018, with 108,000 motorcycles and threewheelers registered since January against just 38,000 cars. Whatʼs worrying is the fact that these motorcycles — which are increasing in demand thanks toa growing young populationin search of employment — produce more carbon emissions than cars. A baseline survey on electric mobility in Kenya conducted by the

University of Nairobi reveals a steep rise in cumulative emissions from two and three-wheeled vehicles between 2005 and 2017. Clean energy technology for motorcycles is simplynot developing at the same rate as cars.

"Cars are getting more efficient because of vehicle emission technologies, while motorcycles are not," David Rubia, an air quality and mobility program officer at the United Nations Environment Program (UN Environment), told DW. "One motorcycle can have up to 300 times more hydrocarbon emissions, and 10 to 50 times more for particulate matter [compared to] an average petrol car."

ʼEuropeʼs youth are more Europe-minded than the public thinksʼ On the contrary: Europeʼs youth are more Europe-minded than the public likes to think. I have worked with high school and university students over the past few years, and I have met a lot of young people who are keen Europeans, passionately planning their future careers on a proEuropean level. Their numbers are on the rise.Without a European vision, young people with a nationalist outlook will miss the opportunities the 21st century has to offer. Read more: Survey: European youth give thumbs up to the EU, dissent on immigration Thatʼs why itʼs so important that we reach those young people who canʼt benefit from Europeʼs advantages in their day-to -day life, due to social or financial difficulties. We should not lose sight of the fact that there are deep rifts between young people, living in both Germany and in France, withsome attracted to nationalist tendencies.

Austrian Good Friday law ʼdiscriminatory,ʼ top EU court rules The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Tuesday ruled thatAustrian law discriminated on grounds of religion and belieffor not giving plaintiff Markus Achatzi holiday pay for working on Good Friday, a holy day for several Christian denominations marking the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Achatzi sued his company for additional pay for working on Good Friday, considered a public holiday for members of select churches. Austriaʼs Supreme Court asked the ECJ to rule whether the national law was discriminatory in nature.

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19/2019 • 23 January, 2019

German intelligence foiled 2016 Islamic State terror attack Three teams of "Islamic State" (IS) terrorists were to have traveled to Germany in 2016 to prepare for and carry out a devastating attack — with the target possibly a music festival. A man, Oguz G., and woman, Marcia M., who traveled to Syria in autumn 2015 to join IS were to have played a central role in the attack. From ISʼ then-de facto capital of Raqqa, Marcia M. — who was herself a convert to Islam — tried to recruit women in northern Germany to marry IS members so that they could be granted permission to enter Germany. However, one of the women who was contacted was an informant for Germanyʼsdomestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), who alerted authorities. Details of the case emerged after an investigation by the German broadcasters ARD and WDR, as well as the Süddeutsche Zeitung and Zeit newspapers. The case was confirmed by the German Federal Prosecutorʼs Office.

Andy Murrayʼs expectations ʼtemperedʼ before Australian Open

Global debt levels surging, but keep your calm In most countries, the global financial crisis has led to a ballooning of sovereign debt levels. Large-scale economic stimulus programs and bank bailouts have been a costly affair, a fresh study bears out.

Some 10 years ago, at the height of the global financial crisis, many economists warned against forthcoming state bankruptcies, hyperinflation and the need for crisis-mode currency reforms. And who would have argued with them that the dangers of that happening were very real? "We now know that these doomsday prophecies did not come true — there was no need for

currency reforms,"says a study by Berenberg and the Hamburg Institute of International Economics HWWI).

"Even the euro, which suffered a severe loss of trust in the interim, did not implode, and there has still not been any significant consumer price inflation in the major industrial countries — and with the exception of Greece, there were no state bankruptcies."

Super blood wolf moon wows stargazers Sky watchers have been making the most of a chance to see a total lunar eclipse with a difference. The phenomenon could be seen in North and South America, and across the Atlantic in western and northern Europe.

In 2018 "Mondfinsternis," orlunar eclipse,was the top term among Google searches in German-speaking countries. According to Google trends, the Earth satellite was also at the top of the

list. The question most people asked was: "Where is the moon?" The reason for this enormous interest was the "Super Blood Moon", which thousands could marvel at on a warm July 2018 evening in the southeastern sky. Half a year later, on January 21, there was a chance to see the natural spectacle again. The best views were to be seen from Europe, North and South America and West Africa. Central and East Africa as well as Asia experienced only a partial lunar eclipse.

A year on from hip surgery, and with just eight wins to show for his trouble, Andy Murray has definitely not lost his sense of humour. On New Yearʼs Eve, he posted a picture of himself drinking from an (empty?) bottle of champagne. Six other unopened bottles of booze were in front of the teetotaller as he "celebrated" the end of a miserable 2018.

Sting to return to Budapest for summer 2019 Sting is head over heels for Budapest.

After a successful free show with Shaggy a month ago on Heroes’ Square, the former Police frontman has just announced another Budapest concert for next summer. On 2 July, the Grammy-winning singer brings his My Songs tour to the Papp László Aréna, where he will be taking the stage with his own band. From “Englishman In New York” to “Every Breath You Take”, the set should include Sting’s biggest hits. Tickets are on sale now.

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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 third-party 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.

Nigerian army targets newspaper for ʼundermining securityʼ Nigeriaʼs military has been accused ofundermining press freedomafter soldiers raided a newspaper for publishing a front-page story about a planned operation against the Boko Haram insurgency. Two reporters at the Daily Trustnewspaper in the northeast city of Maiduguri were arrested on Sunday, including regional editor Uthman Abubakar and reporter Ibrahim Sawab, and dozens of computers were seized. The military claims it was forced to take action because the newspaper had published "classified security information." However, human rights activists and journalists have condemned the militaryʼs actions, describing as a blatant attack on freedom of speech. The newspaper reported that the Nigerian military was assembling thousands of troops and equipment in preparation for a large-scale operation in the northern part of Borno State – the latest attempt to retake Baga and five other towns from extremist group Boko Haram. More than 27,000 people have been killed since the violence broke out in 2009 and approximately 1.8 million are homeless.

Army spokesman BrigadierGeneral Sani Usman alleged the report provided the insurgents with "early warning" and ultimately "sabotaged the planned operations…putting the lives of troops and imminent and clear danger."