DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Saudi Arabia introduces law banning sexual harassment The measure has been passed by the Cabinet and an advisory council, and will become law with a royal decree. The country is making some piecemeal reforms, including ending its notorious driving ban on women. Saudi Arabia passed a draft law Wednesday that criminalizes sexual harassment less than a month before the stridently conservative country lifts a decadesold ban against women driving. The measure, which was passed by the Shura Council, carries a maximum 5-year prison term and fine of up to 300,000 riyals ($80,000, or €70,000). "The law is aimed at combating and preventing the crime of harassment, enforcing penalty on perpetrators, protecting victims and safeguarding the individualʼs privacy, dignity and freedom ensured by the Islamic sharia law," the council said in a statement.
Syria recognizes Georgiaʼs breakaway regions in nod to Russia The Georgian government has hit back at Syria by severing diplomatic ties with the Arab republic. Syria is now one of five countries that have recognized the Moscowbacked regions. The Syrian government has recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two Georgian breakaway regions backed by Russia, as independent countries. "A deal has been reached between the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia to exchange recognition and set up diplomatic ties at the embassy level," said a Syrian Foreign Ministry official in comments circulated by the staterun SANA news agency on Tuesday. The move prompted the Georgian government to announce its decision to sever official ties with Syria, blaming Russia for orchestrating the diplomatic stunt.
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Liege assailant killed fourth person day before, minister says Belgium attack:
The gunman later killed two police officers and a bystander in Liege on Tuesday. Prosecutors say they were treating the attacks as "terrorist murder" and were trying to ascertain whether the attacker acted alone.
Bayer wins US government approval for Monsanto takeover German pharma giant Bayer has won approval from the US Justice Department for its planned $62.5 billion takeover of Monsanto. Under the deal, Bayer will be required to carry out largest divestiture in US history. German pharmaceutical giant Bayer cleared a major hurdle in its planned $62.5 billion (€54 billion) takeover ofUS agrochemical company Monsanto after the US Justice Department on Tuesday approved the deal, albeit under very strict conditions. As part of Bayerʼs agreement with US antitrust enforcers, the German firm
will be required to divest some $9 billion in assets. Regulators said they directed Bayer to sell off its entire cotton, canola, soybean and vegetable seeds businesses, as well as its digital farming business. It will also sell its Liberty herbicide, which competes directly with Monsantoʼs product RoundUp. Those assets are set to be sold toBayerʼs German chemical rival BASF. Makan Delrahim, who heads the Justice Departmentʼs Antitrust Division, said that Bayerʼs asset sales were the "largest ever divestiture ever required by the United States."
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.
Israel launches retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza after Hamas rocket attacks The fighting is the worst episode of violence since Israel and Hamas fought a brief war in 2014. The United States, European Union and United Nations have condemned the rocket and mortar attacks against Israel. Israel has launched airstrikes against targets throughout the Gaza Strip after the armed wing of the ruling group in the Palestinian territory launched dozens of rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel. The confrontation, which continued into Wednesday morning, is the worst episode of violence between Israel and Hamas since they fought a sevenweek-long war in 2014. The Israeli military said around 70 rockets and bombs had been fired into Israel by 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday (1700 GMT). One mortar shell landed near a kindergarten.Israeli forces intercepted most of the rockets and mortar shells, the military said, and tanks and bombers responded by targeting 55 militant locations within Gaza.
Paris police clear 1,700strong Millenaire migrant camp The dawn operation was the 35th camp clearance undertaken in the French capital over the past three years. Those living at the "Millenaire" camp in the northeast the city are being moved to temporary accomodation. French security forces began the evacuation of the largest migrant camp in Paris on Wednesday morning, where up to 1,700 people, mostly from Africa, were living in makeshift conditions.
weather today BUDAPEST
15 / 29 °C Precipitation: 0 mm
121/2018 • 31 May, 2018
Helmut Kohl widow denied inheritance of posthumous compensation The former German chancellor had won a lawsuit against his ghostwriter, but passed away before the payments were settled. A court has now ruled that Maike Kohl-Richter may not inherit her husbandʼs compensation. The high regional court in Cologne ruled Tuesday that Maike KohlRichter was not entitled to receive €1 million ($1.1 million) in damages awarded to her husband, the lateformer German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, shortly before his death. The compensation, which was not settled until after Kohlʼs passing, represented the largest sum ever won in a private lawsuit in Germany. The court concluded that damages-related compensation cannot be inherited. Such payments can only be awarded to the plaintiff directly, while that person is alive. Kohlʼs widow will now have the opportunity to appeal the decision. The compensationwas awardedto Helmut Kohl in April 2017, following alawsuit against his former ghostwriter, Heribert Schwan. The focus of the suit was Schwanʼsunauthorized biographytitled "Vermächtnis - die Kohl-Protokolle" (Legacy - The Kohl Transcripts).
French Open: Stan Wawrinka out after five-set marathon, rains halts Rafael Nadal
Starbucks stores closing for anti-bias training
OECD: Trade war risks imperil economic upswing
Coffee chain Starbucks is closing 8,000 stores in the US for an antibias training session. The measure is meant to address the issue of unconscious racism in the workplace after the recent arrests of two black men.
The prospect of increasing trade frictions is threatening the global growth outlook, the OECD has said in its latest biannual forecast. Nonetheless, it expects unemployment to hit a 40-year low in 2019. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Wednesday it expected global growth to reach 3.8 percent this year and 3.9 percent in 2019. The eurozone economywas forecast to grow by 2.9 percent this year and 2.8 percent in 2019. The Paris-based policy organization made up mainly of developed nations noted in its biannual outlook that budgetary easing had taken over from central bank stimulus as the main engine of economic expansion, with three-fourths of OECD member countries now likely to loosen their purse strings. The overall OECD unemployment rate was seen falling to 5 percent by the end of next year, which would mark the lowest level since 1980 and set the stage for higher growth in workersʼ wages.
Starbucks is closing 8,000 stores in the US for several hours on Tuesday to conduct anti-bias training in a bid to try to restore its tarnished image as a hangout where all are welcome. Following the arrests of two black men in a store in Philadelphia last month, the coffee chainʼs leaders apologized, with the two men in question later settling with Starbucks for an undisclosed sum. In the incident in April, an employee called the
police, because the men, who had not made a purchase, refused to leave after they were denied use of the toilet. The company has since announced that anyone can use its restrooms, even if theyʼre not buying anything. The training for Starbuck store workers on Tuesday isdesigned to get people to open up about implicit biases and stereotypes in encountering people of another color, gender or identity.
Five ways to improve air quality in our cities Air pollution poses a serious health risk in many European cities. But specific solutions are within reach. Around 3 million deaths worldwide were linked to outdoor air pollution in 2016, according to theWorld Health Organization(WHO). The European Environment Agency (EEA) says air pollution is the singlelargest environmental health hazard in Europe, causing around 467,000 premature deaths in Europe in 2013.The largest contributor to air pollution in European urban
areas is traffic. Vehicular particulate matter poses a health risk to about 85 percent of people living in European cities, according to the EEA. Automobiles, in particular diesel cars, are the primary source for particulate pollution. Tire particles, stirred up from the streets, also enter our lungs as we breathe. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emitted from cars harms our respiratory systems, and may cause asthma. Diesel cars emit NOx - on average, even new models release six times as much NOx as gasoline engines.
Rain eventually dampened the mood at Roland Garros but there was still plenty of action on day two in Paris. Last yearʼs beaten finalist Stan Wawrinka slumped to defeat, while there were no surprises on the womenʼs side.
English-Language Daytime Science Camps Center of Scientific Wonders (Csopa) 6/12/2018 - 8/31/2018 The fascinating Center of Scientific Wonders in Budapest now awaits children aged between 8 and 12 with exciting English-language daytime science camps. Kids who wish to dig deeper into the nature of sciences and art can get an insight into what it is like working in a laboratory, at an interactive exhibition, or at a scientific auditorium while they also get a chance to spread the wings of their creativity.
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MH370: Mystery of missing jet remains as four-year search ends A US company has ended its search of the Indian Ocean for the remains of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. It disappeared in March 2014, with 239 people on board, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Efforts to locate the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 drew to a close in the remote Indian Ocean on Tuesday, after a private company, hired to extend the search, admitted it had found no trace of the aircraft. Texas-based Ocean Infinity said in a statement it had "searched and collected high-quality data from over 112,000 square kilometers of ocean floor ... overcoming both challenging conditions and terrain," but without success. Oliver Plunkett, Ocean Infinityʼs chief executive, said the failure to find any sign of the plane was "extremely disappointing." In January, the firm signed a 90-day "no find, no fee" deal with the Malaysian government to resume the hunt for the missing aircraft, a year after the official search was called off. The contract, whichguaranteed Ocean Infinity $70 million (€61 million) if it found the wreckage or the black boxes, was extended twice. Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 during a routine flight between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.