DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
France and Rwanda: Reexamining France’s role in the genocide A French commission of experts is taking a fresh look at France’s role in the Rwandan genocide twenty five years ago. To come up with a fair assessment of the mutual recriminations will be no easy task. The times in which France and Rwanda were on the best of terms are long gone. There have been too many accusations since France sent its troops to Rwanda during the genocide. France had close ties to the old Habyarimana regime, led by the Hutu political elite of the time. Many of the main orchestrators of the genocide fled Rwanda to neighboring Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) by crossing French protection zones. For years relations between France and President Paul Kagameʼs government have been cool at best and often kept to a minimum. The past two years have, however, seen a relaxation of tensions between the two countries.
Will IS fighters face an international court in Iraq? Swedish politicians are some of the most vocal supporters of a special tribunal to try individuals who have committed crimes as members of the so-called Islamic State (IS). Swedenʼs interior minister, Mikael Damberg, recommends the quick creation of such a court. "There should not be impunity for murder, terrorist crimes, war crimes or crimes against humanity," Damberg said in Stockholm at a conference for experts from various European countries. He included other war criminals in Syria and Iraq in this category: "This applies to all parties in the conflict," he said. Damberg did not specify the location of the potential court but said it would be in the region of Syria and Iraq. The interior ministers from EU nations are set to meet Friday in Luxembourg to further discuss the issue.
130/2019 • 7 JUNE, 2019
German foreign minister headed to Iran to save nuclear deal Heiko Maas has announced he will travel to Tehran next week
Heiko Maas has announced he will travel to Tehran next week in an effort to salvage the Iran nuclear deal. Maas, the first German diplomat to visit Iran in over two years, will meet counterpart Mohammad Zarif on Monday.
The fine art of defusing Italyʼs budget row The European Commission has once again said that Italyʼs fiscal policies lack prudence and violate the blocʼs budget rules. I could just say that the European Union has every right to launchdisciplinary procedures against Italyover the eurozone nationʼs swelling budget deficit and the many fiscal rules it has violated. I would also have to add that these disciplinary procedures will not result in anything that might really hurt Rome. Everyone knows that Italy is "too big to fail" to be punished, let alone be kicked out of the bloc. And
yet, Brussels will have to deal with the hard slog since Italy is a truly explosive substance for the EU that can only be defused with political means. Everything else will fail. Italyʼs plight by the numbers Hereʼs what the dilemma is all about: Last year, Italyʼs public debt amounted to 132.2% of gross domestic product (GDP), or €2.3 trillion ($2.6 trillion). For next year, the European Commission has penciled in 135% of GDP, while a 60% debt load would be the maximum allowed under eurozone fiscal rules.
As Germany phases out coal, villages still forced to make way for mining This end of thevillage of Immerathis peaceful, with birds chirping in the gables of empty houses. But off in the distance, the sound of excavators tearing down walls and smashing stones betray that calm. The open-pit lignite mine Garzweiler II is just a stoneʼs throw away from Immerath, and soon the village will be no more. Im-
merath was once a lively community with a sports club, church and several kindergartens. Today, the homes have been barricaded or bricked up. Down one abandoned street, a gutted car sits in the open garage of a family home covered in ivy. At the other end of the road, demolition work has already begun.
Last WWII D-Day witnesses relive painful memories On Omaha Beach in Normandy, a solitary crag of concrete sits in the sand. The town of Colleville-sur-Mer, just above the beach, recently gave it the name Rayʼs Rock, after US Army WWII veteran Ray Lambert. The medic used the boulder to cover his wounded men from German gunfire 75 years ago during the onslaught of the D-Day landings that liberated Normandy and turned the tide of the war. Last year, the town, which is home to the American cemetery,put a plaque on the rock with Lambertʼs name and those of his fellow medics."I can come here and see my men and I know that they are being remembered. Their names are here permanently now," Lambert said standing in front of the monument (pictured above). "Those guys my age today, so many of them are gone."
Allies mark 75th anniversary of D-Day French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated the strength and endurance of the multilateral bonds forged between WWII allies, in two speeches marking the 75th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy. Speaking at a ceremony honoring the contribution of Allied soldiers during the D-Day landing and the battle to liberate France, Macron thanked allies for their wartime efforts and focused on the importance of the international alliances that arose from the horrors of war.
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130/2019 • 7 June, 2019
German export policies threaten European defense projects: French ambassador Franceʼs ambassador to Germany, Anne-Marie Descotes, warned on Monday that German arms export policies and licensing rules threatened future Franco-German defense projects. The remarks come as the two European nations are seeking to form closer defense cooperationand deepen ties between their parliaments. In anessay published by the German militaryʼs Federal Academy for Security Policy, she said Germany had a tendency to see arms exports as a domestic political issue, but that its policies still "have serious consequences for our bilateral cooperation in the defense sector and the strengthening of European sovereignty." An ʼuntenableʼ situation Germanyʼs unpredictable arms export policies and long waiting times for export licenses are a particular problem, Descotes said. This has an impact on major Franco-German projects to develop new tanks, combat jets and drones. "This situation is untenable," she wrote. "Realistic export possibilities on the basis of clear and predictable rules are an essential prerequisite for the survival of our European defense industry."
Luka Jovic: The man to restore faith at Real Madrid
Bosch pays 90-million-euro fine over diesel scandal The penalty may be significantly less than the ones handed out to Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche, but auto parts supplier Bosch has become the latest big-name casualty of the "Dieselgate" scandal. German auto parts supplier Bosch was on Thursday ordered by prosecutors to pay a fine of €90 million ($100 million) over its role supplying components in the "Dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal. Stuttgart investigators "levied a fine against Robert Bosch GmbH for negligently infringing its quality control obligations," they said in a statement, adding that
the company had agreed not to contest the fine. Beginning in 2008, Bosch "delivered around 17 million motor control and mixture control devices to various domestic and foreign manufacturers, some of whose software contained illegal strategies," the prosecutors found. "Cars fitted with the devices emitted more nitrogen oxides than allowed under regulations."
Smoking or vaping: e-cigarettes as a lesser evil Smokingʼs out, steamingʼs in. Both are indisputably unhealthy, but is one better than the other? Supporters of smoke alternatives say they arenʼt as bad as traditional tobacco cigarettes. Itʼs best not to inhale any tobacco whatsoever. Thatʼs what most people agree on. But some smokers of electronic cigarettes say there are advantages to vaping over traditional tobacco smoking. What are they? Hereʼs nine potential advantages (with caveats, of course). 1. E-cigarettes can help people to stop smoking While the World Health
Organization outrightly rejects the use e-cigarettes, the switch from tobacco to e-cigarettes is actively promoted by the UK government as a means of smoking cessation. British physicians of theRoyal College of Physician and Public Health England outlined the positive effects of e-cigarettes, as opposed to tobacco consumption, in their 2016 article "Nicotine without smoke: tobacco harm reduction." And although this assessment was initially viewed critically in many EU countries because there was a lack of valid data from long-term studies, some have since changed their stance.
In Luka Jovicʼs deal to join Real Madrid from Eintracht Frankfurt, everyone is a winner. Irrespective of their fairytale season and the resulting financial windfall, Frankfurt knew they werenʼt going to be able to turn down a big-money offer.
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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Malta in the eye of a financial tempest A recent European Commission report on Malta warned that the country had made "limited progress in addressing the 2018 Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) concerning money laundering, corruption and financial supervision." A European Parliament report meanwhile described "systemized and serious deficiencies" in the rule of law in Malta, while a police investigation in Italy has alleged that theSicilian Mafiainfiltrated companies in the online-gaming sector some based in Malta to launder money. Read more: Opinion: Golden visas and passport trade undermine EU As if that werenʼt bad enough for the Mediterranean investorsʼ paradise, the EUʼs parliament recently voted to adopt a "tax harmonization” scheme that would create one common corporate tax rate throughout the EU, a move that could halve Maltaʼs tax base.
Vietnamʼs dog meat culture clashes with modern tastes Hoang has been eating dog meat since he was young. He canʼt imagine there will be a time that he wonʼt be eating it at least twice a month. However, Vietnamese officials announced in September that dog and cat meat should no longer be served in the inner districts of the capital city Hanoi because itʼs offensive to tourists and can spread diseases like rabies. Read more: Illegal dog meat trade raises moral questions Dog meat lovers and restaurant owners fear that the government will try to expand the ban and decide to officially forbid eating dog and cat meat entirely. "I donʼt see how they can ban it. The demand is just too high," Hoang said at a restaurant in Vietnamʼs largest metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City. In a small alley in Ho Chi Minh City, at least four restaurants serve dog meat, or Thịt chó. People gather around small tables to dine on the canine meat, complementing it with rice wine or beer. Hoang, who declined to give his full name, is sitting at a table with three good friends. "For us itʼs a tradition to eat dog meat. Itʼs just as normal as eating seafood or chicken," he told DW.