DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Germanyʼs Schlecker bankruptcy children facing jail Meike and Lars Schlecker were each sentenced to jail terms of two years and seven months Thursday over breach of trust and insolvency delay and abetting charges upheld by the Karlsruhe-based court. The terms are slightly less than the sentences of 31 and 33 months imposed respectively on Schleckerʼs adult children in November 2017 by the Stuttgart regional court. At the 2017 trial judges found that in January 2012, just days before one of Germanyʼs most well-known chemist chains filed for insolvency, Anton Schlecker steered millions of euros away from creditors to his children, notably a personnel service subsidiary they ran, LDG. Stuttgartʼs regional prosecutions office said the pair, now in their mid-40s, would begin their prison terms in the coming months, once court sentencing files were delivered.
China tries to allay fears over Belt and Road policy Chinaʼs finance minister defended Beijingʼs Belt and Road initiative on Thursday, pledging to create a sustainable financing system to pay for infrastructure projects. Critics say the project — which aims to connect Asia to Europe and Africa through huge maritime, road and rail projects — could mire poorer countries in debt. Finance Minister Liu Kun was speaking at the start of the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. Whatʼs happening at the summit? The weeklong forum brings together leaders or representatives of 37 countries seeking to benefit from the projects.Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte are among the headline guests.EU powers Germany and France are sending ministers, but the US has dispatched only a low-level delegation.The leaders of Asian and African countries are expected to urge Beijing to reduce financing costs for Belt and Road projects.
95/2019 • 26 APRIL, 2019
Ex-Vice President Joe Biden launches 2020 presidential campaign Biden served as vice president under Barack Obama from 2008 to 2016
The veteran politician joins a crowded field of candidates vying to win the Democratic Partyʼs presidential nomination and defeat Donald Trump in 2020.
After the tragedy, Sri Lankan tourism braces for impact More than 350 people lost their lives in terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka on Sunday. The attacks struck at the heart of the countryʼs vibrant tourism industry, a sector of importance to the country’s fragile economy. This week, Sri Lankans are trying to come to terms with the appalling tragedy that struck their country on Easter Sunday. At least 359 lives were lost in a series of terrorist attacks that took place across the island nation.Tuesday was declared a day of national mourning and already, communities and families have begun burying their dead. As many as 45 of the dead
were children. As the nation grieves, the Sri Lankan government must now grapple with several troubling questions relating to Sundayʼs events. One concerns how the attacks might affect the countryʼs fragile economy, which has seen steady progress since the end of the countryʼs long civil war in 2009. Tourism has been a central driver of Sri Lankaʼs rising GDP growth figures over the last decade. Since the end of the civil war, the number of tourists visiting the country has gone from less than 500,000 in 2009 to just under 2.5 million in 2019, according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.
Beethoven House closes ahead of composerʼs anniversary year Strolling down the Bonngasse, the street where the Beethoven House is located, one could easily overlook the humble facade were it not for the tourist groups that cluster outside. For many, treading the squeaky wooden floors that were once walked upon by Ludwig van Beethoven himself is an emotional moment, particularly when they gaze into the cordoned-off "birth room,"
empty save for a bust of Beethoven on a pedestal. From February 28, the room where the infant Beethoven is said to have entered the world — probably with a loud cry — and the house his family lived in wonʼt ever be the same. The Beethoven House is closing for several months, the permanent exhibition being given a thorough workover and the facilities expanded.
Syria: 1,600 civilian deaths in US-led strikes on Raqqa, says Amnesty A two-year investigation into US-led coalition air and artillery strikes has revealed more than 1,600 civilian deaths inthe campaign for Islamic State (IS)-held Raqqaover a period of only three months, according to Amnesty International. The joint investigation with Airwars has been collated into an interactivewebsiterecreating what authors call a "brutally vivid account" of the shelling of populated areas where IS used human shields. Amnesty and Airwars said it hoped to draw attention to what the coalition had claimed to be "the most precise air campaign in history." "Coalition forces razed Raqqa, but they cannot erase the truth. The Coalition needs to fully investigate what went wrong at Raqqa and learn from those lessons, to prevent inflicting such tremendous suffering on civilians caught in future military operations," said Chris Woods, director of Airwars.
Germans increasingly hostile towards asylum-seekers Right-wing populist attitudes have become "normal" in Germanyʼs mainstream, said authors of a new study presented by the left-wing Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Berlin on Thursday. "The center is losing its footing and its democratic orientation," researchers said. The foundation has released reports on right-wing extremism since 2002. The latest study, conducted by a group of researchers from Bielefeld University, shows that a record 54.1% of the respondents across Germany now hold a negative view of asylum-seekers.
weather today BUDAPEST
8 / 26 °C Precipitation: 0 mm