DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Armenia Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigns after antigovernment protests The move follows days of protests against him, who protesters accuse of clinging to power. Earlier on Monday, opposition leader Nikol Pashinian, who was detained for his role in the protests, was released. Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan stepped down on Monday amid widespread protests over his tenure, according to his official website. Protesters in the capital, Yerevan, accused him of holding on to power and demanded his resignation. "I got it wrong," Sargsyan said in a statement issued by his office. "In the current situation there are several solutions, but I wonʼt choose any of them. Itʼs not my style. I am quitting the countryʼs leadership and the post of prime minister of Armenia." Yerevan residents took to the streets to celebrate Sargsyanʼs departure. People hugged and kissed each other, and motorists honked their horns.
Yemen war: Houthi political leader killed in coalition air raid Saleh al-Samad, the acting head of the Houthi administration in northern Yemen, was killed last week in a Saudi-led coalition air raid. A rebel-run TV channel confirmed his death on Monday. The political leader of Yemenʼs Houthi rebel group, Saleh al-Samad, was killed last week in an air strike carried out by Saudi Arabia-led coalition, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported. Samad was second on the coalitionʼs most wanted list of Houthi leaders. His death is a major victory for the coalition forces, who have been fighting the Houthis since March 2015 to restore the internationally-recognized government to power.
93/2018 • 25 APRIL, 2018
Toronto van carnage suspect charged with 10 counts of murder Police have remanded him to custody pending the start of his trial
A man who killed 10 people on a Toronto sidewalk with a van has been charged with 10 counts of murder and 13 counts of attempted murder.
Google parent firm Alphabet nets big first-quarter profit Alphabet, the parent company for Google, reported better-thanexpected profits in the first quarter. The first-quarter surge came on the back of strong ad sales and an accounting adjustment for investments in startups. On Monday, Alphabet reported a 73 percent surge in net income, to $9.4 billion (€7.7 billion), or $13.33 per share, in the first three months of 2018. Worldwide sales for the Californiabased tech giant, which owns the internet search engine Google, increased to $31.1 billion, up 26 percent from the first quarter last year. Adjusted earnings, excluding the investment-related
gains and other items, were $9.93 per share, and its effective tax rates dropped from 20 percent to 11 percent a year ago. The first quarter jump can be attributed to revenue from advertisements sold by Google, which rose as advertisers pursued slots on its search engine, YouTube video platform and millions of other partner apps and websites. Additionally, about $3.40 of Alphabetʼs earnings per share were attributed to a new accounting method for unrealized gains in Alphabetʼs investments. The rise in value of its stake in ride-sharing app Uber is believed to be one of the main sources of growth in this area.
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.
Lesbos: Farright attack on migrants leaves several injured Police on Lesbos cleared the main port area on Monday following a clash between far-right extremists and migrants. While no longer a key transit point for entering Europe, the Greek island suffers severe over-crowding. A dozen people were injured and 100 arrested in skirmishes after members of a farright group attacked Afghan migrants staging a sit-in protest in Lesbosʼ main town of Mytilene overnight, police said on Monday. Lesbos was a key gateway into Europe for almost a million migrants in 2015 and still suffers from severe overcrowding as the Greek government continues to grapple with solutions to the refugee influx.
Toronto: Truck runs over pedestrians
Toronto police say at least 8 people are believed to have been struck by a white van in the North York district. Police have detained the driver of a van that ran over up to a dozen pedestrians in Canadaʼs largest city, Toronto, at 13.30 local time (19.30 UTC), local police said. No details of the personʼs gender, age or motive were given. The incident happened at the corner of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue East in the North York area some 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) north of the city center.
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93/2018 • 25 April, 2018
Facebook bans Trump campaign data firm Cambridge Analytica The social media giant has accused the data analysis company of illegally obtaining user data. At the same time, a whistleblower has said that Cambridge Analytica illegally harvested data from 50 million users. Facebook announced on Saturday that it had suspended the data research firm Cambridge Analytica for holding onto dubiously obtained user data after assuring the social media firm that the information had been deleted. Cambridge Analytica has become well-known in political circles for its work on the election campaign of US President Donald Trump and for the pro-Brexit group Leave.eu. Facebook said it was also suspending the firmʼs parent company, Strategic Communications Laboratories (SCL). The incident revolves around an app put on the site in 2015 by Aleksandr Kogan, a professor at the University of Cambridge, that purported to be a personality test and psychological research tool. About 270,000 users downloaded it and shared their information with it, according to Facebook.
Klose the latest addition to Bayern Munichʼs old boys club Niko Kovac wonʼt be the only former Bayern Munich player returning to the club in the off season. According to reports in Germany, Miroslav Klose will leave Germanyʼs national team set up to coach Bayernʼs under 17s. Klose, the all-time top scorer at World Cup finals with 16 goals, retired from playing in 2016 and joined Joachim Löwʼs coaching staff with the national team almost immediately after. According to several sources in Germany, the 39-year-old will now take on Bayern under-17s after the World Cup. Bayernʼs sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic is confident the deal is done.
IMF seeks to crack down on corruption, World Bank boosts lending capacity The IMF is calling on wealthier countries to limit potential safe havens for dirty money. Meanwhile, the World Bank has approved a large increase in lending capacity.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced new guidelines Sunday aimed at systematically addressing corruption and its impact on economic growth in all 189 of its member states. The announcement came at the IMFʼs and World Bankʼs spring meeting in Washington. The new policy also addresses how wealthy countries contribute to corruption in developing nations by failing to prevent bribery and money laundering and by allowing anonymous corporate ownership. "We know that corruption hurts the poor, hinders economic opportunity and social mobility, undermines trust in institutions
and causes social cohesion to unravel," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde wrote in a lengthy statement. "We have now adopted a framework for enhanced engagement on governance and corruption that aims for a more systematic, evenhanded, effective and candid engagement with member countries," she continued. Corruption and poor governance diminishes economic growth and worsens inequality, according to the IMF. The new policy framework aims to ensure that the institution will hold all members to the same standards — something it has sometimes failed to do in the past.
Space exploration fights climate change Climate change is a global threat. So where to get the best perspective on the problem? Space! Scientists are monitoring Earth with satellites and running experiments in zero gravity to help save our fragile planet. When Yuri Gagarin, the first human being to leave the confines of Earth, looked back and saw it from outside, his worldview changed forever. "I saw for the first time how beautiful our planet is," Gagarin said on his return. "Mankind, let us preserve and increase this beauty, and not destroy it." Since then, numerous astronauts have re-
ported similar feelings of protectiveness toward a planet that suddenly appeared tiny, fragile and alone in the universe. Most recently, US astronaut Scott Kelly said looking down at our planet from space makes you "more of an environmentalist." Kelly saw something that wouldnʼt have been as visible in Gagarinʼs day. He reported that from the vantage point of the International Space Station (ISS), he was viewing some parts of the world through a thick veil of pollution. But these days, that extraterrestrial perspective isnʼt just changing our relationship with the planet on a conceptual level. Itʼs helping us develop solutions to protect it.
Sakura celebrations paint Budapest pink Spring is now in full swing and Budapest is swathed in pink with all the lovely cherry trees in bloom. At this time of the year, the sprawling 200year-old ELTE Botanical Garden attracts crowds for picnics. People gather on the grass with blankets to celebrate the Hanami, a traditional Japanese custom when the flowering cherry trees create colorful scenery.
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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.