DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Israeli health minister steps down over Sabbath railway work Israelʼs health minister, who is also head of an ultra-orthodox Jewish party, has resigned from his post in protest at rail work carried out on the Sabbath. PM Netanyahuʼs government, however, is not in immediate danger. Yaakov Litzman, a rabbi from the United Torah Judaism party, followed through with a resignation threat he made on Friday and stepped down from his ministerial position Sunday over rail work on the Jewish Sabbath. Litzman said he refused to remain in a government that allowed the "desecration" of the Sabbath with Saturdayʼs maintenance work on a public train line. Work on the Sabbath, which lasts from Friday evening until Saturday evening, is prohibited under Jewish law. Although no bus or train services are permitted in Jewish cities and towns on Saturdays, maintenance work is usually allowed by the government.
Egypt targets militants following Sinai attack The Egyptian military has carried out airstrikes and raids against militants reportedly linked to Fridayʼs Sinai attack that killed at least 305 people. President el-Sissi promised the attack would "not go unpunished." World leaders condemned Fridayʼs deadly assault on a Sinai mosque, as Egypt hit back with airstrikes on suspected Islamist targets. The United Nations also condemned the attack in "the strongest terms" and expressed its condolences for the victimsʼ families and the people of Egypt. Egypt received messages of solidarity and condolence from Israel, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Vatican. On Friday,militants set off bombs and opened fire on worshippersat a mosque in Sinai, killing at least 305 people and injuring some 109 others, according to state TV reports, citing prosecutors.
279/2017 • 29, NOVEMBER 2017
South Africaʼs Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters takes the crown Miss Universe winner:
Beating out contestants from across the world, Demi-Leigh NelPeters has won the Miss Universe crown in the US city of Las Vegas. It is the first time since 1978 that South Africa has claimed the title.
Brexit divorce bill: Britain prepares to pay more to EU as negotiations falter British Prime Minister Theresa May could bulk up the amount that Britain pays as it leaves the EU, in a bid to move talks on to trade. But senior leave campaigners have attached a condition to the money. Britainʼs Brexit bill offer to the EU is set to swell, national media reports, as senior lawmakers attempt to kick-start stalled negotiations with the European Union. No new figure has been confirmed on the size of the so-called divorce bill, which in recent weeks has become a major source of contention in Brexit talks, but there is a growing acceptance among Conservative Party members to increase it. Online newspa-
pers iNews reported on Tuesday that "May will offer 40 billion pounds to get Brexit moving." The pro-Brexit Daily Telegraph newspaper ran a front-page splash on Tuesday that read "Johnson and Gove back a bigger Brexit divorce bill offer." Cabinet ministers Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are two of the most senior faces of Brexit. They command a large following within their deeply-divided party. Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly signaled her willingness to pay more to the EU than initially suggested. But she has avoided publicly discussing figures out of fear that hardline elements within the party will not tolerate a large payout.
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.
Scientists look at Frederic Chopinʼs alcohol-pickled heart to determine death from TB The famous Polish composer has been dead for nearly 170 years. His body is in Paris, but his heart is in a glass jar encased in stone in Warsaw. Now scientists believe they can dispel doubts about the cause of his death. Perhaps Polandʼs most famous classical composer, Frederic Chopin put his heart into his compositions, many of which were based on Polish folk melodiesand helped give voice to the countryʼs blossoming nationalism in the early 19th century. But he also put his heart into what appears to be cognac — and now Polish scientists believe that they have been able to conclude from the pickled organ that Chopin died of tuberculosis (TB), countering a 10-year-old theory that his death at 39 was due to cystic fibrosis.
China: Deadly blast hits Ningbo port city, near Shanghai A major explosion in a Chinese port city south of Shanghai has killed at least two people and injured more than 30 others. Authorities say they are investigating the cause of the incident. The blast ripped through a factory site in the eastern harbor city of Ningbo early Sunday, filling the sky with gray smoke, Chinese state media reported. Local officials said at least two people died and more than 30 others were taken to hospital for treatment.
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279/2017 • 29, November 2017
US and Poland strike $10.5 billion missile defense deal
Carmaker BMW to invest heavily in battery cell center
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."
German premium car manufacturer BMW has announced it will spend hundreds of millions of euros on a new battery cell competence center. The company wants to have more options should e-cars hit the mass market.
Oscar Pistoriusʼ prison sentence more than doubled South Africaʼs Supreme Court of Appeal has increased the Paralympianʼs jail term for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp to more than 13 years. Prosecutors had argued that the original sentence was "far too lenient." South Africaʼs Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein increased the prison sentence of formerParalympic champion Oscar Pistoriusto 13 years and five months on Friday. The athlete had previously been sentenced to six years for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius shot Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentineʼs Day 2013, and has since maintained that he mistook her for an intruder.
BMW will bundle its battery cell expertise in a new competence center in Munich. At a ground-breaking ceremony Friday, the carmaker said it would invest €200 million ($237 million) in the site over the next four years. "By producing battery-cell prototypes, we can analyze and fully understand the valuecreation process behind it," BMW board member Oliver Zipse said in a statement. "With this built-to-print ex-
pertise, we can enable potential suppliers to produce cells according to our specifications." "The knowledge we gain is very important to us, regardless of whether we produce the battery cells ourselves or not," Zipse added. Right now, German carmakers buy battery cells abroad. BMW for instance gets them from South Koreaʼs Samsung conglomerate for its plug-in hybrid vehicles and its all-electric i3.
UK: Prince Harry gets engaged to actress Meghan Markle The wedding is due to take place in the spring of 2018 and the couple are to live in Kensington Palace. Clarence House — the residence of Prince Harryʼs father Prince Charles — released a statement on Monday announcing the engagement. "His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle," the statement read. It said the couple had become engaged earlier this month. The wedding will take place next spring, and the couple are to live in Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace. Speculation had been rife that 33-year-old Harry
would propose to 36-year-old Markle, who is from the US and best known for her role in the legal drama series "Suits." The couple have been together since June 2016. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton and Harryʼs older brother Prince William, congratulated the couple. "We are very excited for Harry and Meghan. It has been wonderful getting to know Meghan and to see how happy she and Harry are together," Clarence House said in a tweet. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip,who recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, also said theyʼre "delighted" for the couple.
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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 thirdquarter 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.