DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Russian police arrest Navalny ally Leonid Volkov over protest rally Police in Moscow on Tuesday arrested a key ally of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Leonid Volkov tweeted that he had been detained "according to Article 20.2.8 over the rally on September 9, 2018 against raising the pension age." Article 20.2.8 allows for administrative detention for the "repeated violation of the established procedure of organizing or holding meetings, rallies, demonstrations, marches or picketing." The 38-year-old faces up to 30 days in jail. Navalny also said on Twitter that police had "detained him with the words ʼweʼve been waiting for you for a long time.ʼ" Last September, thousands of Russians took to the streets protesting the governmentʼs attempt to increase the retirement age. Authorities detained hundreds of demonstrators. Navalny also served two stints in jailfor violating protest laws last year.
Hunting Bashar Assadʼs henchmen in Syria Western nongovernmental organizations have their hands on more than 1.2 million files that once belonged to the Syrian intelligence apparatus. They were taken from regime facilities during a time when opposition forces had the upper handin some parts of the country. They were then smuggled out of the country by NGOs. The Washington-based Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) has now published an analysis of the documents which shows that the upper echelons of Syriaʼs leadership carry direct responsibly for Syrians who were tortured after anti-regime protests began in 2011. "This is the first time in Syriaʼs history that evidence concerning the highest level of the Syrian government has been unveiled," said SJAC Director Mohammad Al Abdallah.
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Argentinaʼs ex-President Cristina Fernandez on trial ahead of election bid She can be prosecuted but, as a senator, not imprisoned
Former President Cristina Fernandez has accused her rivals of orchestrating a corruption trial to thwart her October election bid.
Will faltering EU growth play a role in the European elections? Economic growth is still weak and unevenly spread across the 28nation European Union, while job creation is only just beginning to improve. Will Europeʼs lackluster economy have an impact on the upcoming elections? Ahead ofelections for the European Parliament this week, Europeans have much to worry about. Thereʼs a persistent threat by US President Donald Trump to impose punitive tariffs on EU countries, the ongoing trade dispute between Washington and Beijing, and a series of uncertainties accompanyingBritainʼs exit from the 28-nation
bloc. Moreover, the EUʼs sovereign debt crisis of 2012 is still casting a long shadow, notably over the 19 states that share the euro. The cocktail of economic woes has held the EU economy down for the past six months, with the blocʼs strongest economy, Germany, just avoiding slipping into recession. With just a few days to go until the elections, the European statistics office, Eurostat, is seeing at least a haze of a silver lining in all the clouds, reporting an acceleration of economic activity. Growth in the first three months of the year came in at 0.5% for the EU, and 0.4% for Germany.
A world breaks apart: When parents split up Developmental psychologistHarald Werneckvividly remembers the 12year-old who wouldnʼt eat the school lunch his dad had packed for him. The childʼs father, as a result, got so furious at the boy that he then divorced the boyʼs mother and moved out — or at least, thatʼs how the boy had worked it all out in his head. Children have their own perspective on their parentsʼ separation. They draw conclusions that
may seem absurd to an adult mind, and yet they make perfect sense in the childʼs eyes. And these misinterpretations stick. So what can parents do to make separation easier for their kids? And what are the things they should not do, no matter how angry, sad or hurt they may be, if their relationship implodes? To try to answer those questions I spoke to children as well as psychologists.
Fire department tops German survey; football and cigarettes lag Germans consider the fire department, police, constitutional court and large aid organizations as institutions contributing the most to the public good. That is according to the 2019 Public Value Atlas released on Tuesday by the Leipzig HHL Graduate School of Management in cooperation with the Center of Leadership and Values in Society at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. In the fourth study since the first was published in 2015, around 12,000 people were asked about the contribution of 137 companies and organizations for the common good. Ranking number one was the fire department, followed by the civil protection force ʼTechnisches Hilfswerkʼ (BTH) and the German Red Cross. The federal government controls the BTH, 99% of whose 79,514 members are volunteers. Police and the constitutional court were also ranked in the top ten, suggesting Germans maintain trust in institutions supporting the rule of law.
Storm ʼAxelʼ causes travel disruption, flooding in Germany, Austria Heavy rain and thunderstorms, mainly in the south and center of Germany, have left rivers and streets flooded. The worst affected areas were on the southern border with Austria, which was also badly affected, along with eastern Switzerland.
weather today BUDAPEST
10 / 21 °C Precipitation: 0 mm
116/2019 • 22 May, 2019
Chinese investments in EU in a downward spin Chinese investments in the European Union fell sharply for the second consecutive year in 2018, a report by the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) and US consulting firm Rhodium Group showed. Chinese companies completed FDI deals worth €17.3 billion ($19.6 billion) last year, down 40 percent from 2017 levels and way below the record €37.2 billion investment seen in 2016. The decline is part of a trend that has seen Chinese investments fall in most regions of the world over the past two years as Beijing continues to maintain a tight grip on outward investment by its residents amid slowing economic growth and atrade war with the United States. Chinese investors have also been forced to back away by "growing political and regulatory backlash against Chinese capital around the globe,"the authors of the report,Thilo Hanemann, Agatha Kratz and Mikko Huotari, wrote. "This shift in attitudes has been remarkably rapid in Europe," they said.
Toni Kroos: Real Madrid midfielder signs new fouryear deal Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has signed a four-year contract extension with the club. The new deal ties the Germany international to Madrid until 30 June, 2023. Kroos, 29, has made 233 appearances for Real Madrid, including 28 in La Liga and eight in the Champions League this season. The 2014 World Cup winner joined from Bayern Munich in 2014 and has won 11 trophies during a five-year spell. He is due to appear in front of supporters at the Bernabeu Stadium at 12:00 BST on Monday.
Jamie Oliver restaurants close
British celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver, has announced the collapse of his restaurant group. Over a thousand jobs are at risk. Oliver says heʼs sad about the expected closure of 25 sites. He blames
ITB Berlin tourism partner Malaysia claims it has ʼno gaysʼ
stiff competition. Last year, he named Brexit as the reason for closing six of them - saying rising food and staffing costs, as well as a weakening pound, were adding to difficulties.
Tiger sharks feast on songbirds Tiger sharks are among the most dangerous shark species for us humans. A new study shows that songbirds are far more likely to fall victim to the predators. When it comes tounprovoked attackson humans, tiger sharks are in the same class as great whites and bull sharks. Still, the statistical likelihood of a swimmer, surfer or diver actually getting bitten by one is rather low. Just over a hundred tiger shark attacks have been recorded since the late 16th century. Less than a third ended fatally. That equates to one
deadly attack roughly every 20 years. Now, a study has shown that songbirds have it far worse. To reach this conclusion, a team of reseachers aroundMarcus Drymondat Mississippi State University caught 105 juvenile sharks by boat in the Gulf of Mexico. The animals were less than a meter long (three feet), meaning they had not reached adulthood. The scientists pumped the sharksʼ stomachs and found that 41 of them had bird remains inside, including bones and feathers. After taking the samples, the researchers released the predators back into the water unharmed.
Sandy Lupa Beach reopens for summer This weekend, for the third year running, Lupa Beach opens on the waterfront near Budakalász, just north of Budapest. And even if it isn’t quite swimsuit weather just yet, there are plenty of sports and other attractions to entertain the whole family. The sun might still be looking for his hat, but Lupa Beach is all ready for summer. This waterside leisure park and sports centre is one of the best features of Budapest from May to September.
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Malaysia faces a potential backlash from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights groups after claiming that the Muslim-majority country doesnʼt have gays. On Tuesday, Tourism Minister Datuk Mohammaddin bin Ketapi was asked by reporters ahead of the opening of the ITB Berlin tourism fair whether the country was safe for gay and Jewish visitors. After initially sidestepping the question, the minister was asked again whether gays were welcome and he replied: "I donʼt think we have anything like that in our country." Denial could hurt bookings Despite efforts by Malaysian officials to downplay the incident, Ketapiʼs comments could derail attempts to entice more tourists to visit Malaysia. The remarks came after he spoke for several minutes about the countryʼs natural beauty and welcoming culture. The country has set itself a target of receiving 30 million visitors in 2019.
Germany extends ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia Germany announced Wednesday it would extend a temporary ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia until the end of the month. The ban, which Germany instituted followed the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and applies to countries involved in the Yemen war, has led to both domestic and international tension, with Chancellor Angela Merkelʼs government facing pressure from theGerman arms industryand some EU neighbors angered over the export freeze. The ban was originally set to last until March 9. "We decided this [extension] with a view to developments in Yemen," Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said following a meeting of Merkelʼs cabinet. "We believe that the Yemen war must end as soon as possible." "Not only will there not be any permits issued until the end of this month, but products with permits already granted will also not be delivered," Maas added. The minister said that the German government would evaluate the arms export situation with respect to developments in Yemen over the course of the month.