DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Romaniaʼs ruling party leader to serve prison sentence for corruption Romaniaʼs Supreme Court on Monday upheld a corruption conviction and a three-and-half-year prison sentence against ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea. Dragnea, 56, had appealed the2018 guilty verdict handed down for using his influence to procure fake public jobs for two women, who were actually working for the PSD at the time. He was expected to be imprisoned within 24 hours of the Supreme Court ruling. According to prosecutors, Dragnea intervened from 2008 to 2010, when he was a government official, to keep the women emplyed by his party on the payroll of the family welfare agency. The women admitted working for the party while they received wages from the public agency. He has already been blocked from serving as prime minster because of a prior conviction for vote-rigging, he is considered the countryʼs de facto leader and the true power behind Prime Minister Viorica Dancila.
Attacks on Afghan schools nearly triple, warns UNICEF A sharp rise in attacks on schools in Afghanistan is preventing a generation of children from getting an education, UNICEF reports. Threats from the Taliban and "Islamic State" mean hundreds of schools remain shuttered. Attacks on schools in Afghanistan almost tripled in 2018, the United Nations childrenʼs fund UNICEF warned Tuesday. The number of incidents rose from 68 in 2017 to 192 last year — the first time an increase has been recorded since 2015. "Education is under fire in Afghanistan," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. "The senseless attacks on schools; the killing, injury and abduction of teachers; and the threats against education are destroying the hopes and dreams of an entire generation of children."
122/2019 • 29 MAY, 2019
Austrian parliament backs no-confidence vote against Chancellor Sebastian Kurz The vote was called by parties on the left
Fiat Chrysler proposes 50-50 merger with Renault Fiat Chrysler on Monday confirmed it washolding merger talkswith French carmaker Renault, saying it had made a "transformative" proposal to combine the two companies. The proposed deal, which would create the third-largest automotive group, comes as carmakers the world over face pressure to consolidate in the face of challenges posed by electrification, tougher regulations on emissions and the drive to make connected and autonomous vehicles. In a statement, the Italian auto manufacturer said the merged company would be 50% owned by FCA shareholders and 50% by Renault shareholders. The group would be listed in Paris, New York and Milan, it said. The "broad and complementary brand portfolio would provide full market coverage, from luxury to mainstream", the statement said, adding that the deal would save the two carmakers €5 billion ($5.6 billion) a year.
100-year-old German woman elected to town council Austrian lawmakers have voted for a motion of no confidence in the government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The vote was called by parties on the left, and supported by Kurz’s former far-right coalition partners. Austrian lawmakers voted for a noconfidence motion against Chancellor Sebastian Kurzʼs government, marking the end of his Peopleʼs Partyʼs hold on power. The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) — Kurzʼs former coalition ally — joined centerleft Social Democrats and the leftist environmentalist Jetzt (Now) party in themotion against both Kurz and his government. Kurzʼscaretaker minority government, including experts and senior public servants, was sworn into office last week. The liberal NEOS party voted against the motion, saying it preferred to avoid further political instability. Kurz had earlier defended his governmentʼs track record and explained his decision to end a coalition partnership with the FPÖ. TheFPÖ was embroiled in a scandalearlier this month when its leaderHeinzChristian Strache appeared in a video footageappearing to offer favors to a purported Russian investor.
"It was clear for me that it meant the end of the coalition," Kurz told lawmakers, lamenting the fact that the no-confidence motion, initially against him personally, had been widened to the entire government. "Only a few days ago the goal was to remove me as chancellor" said Kurz. "Thatʼs maybe understandable as a tactic. But the wish to topple the entire government a few months before an election — this is something that I think nobody in this country can comprehend." Opposition parties accused Kurz of being partly to blame for the crisis because of his choice of the FPÖ as coalition partner in the first place. They also said he failed to seek a viable crossparty solution to the situation. Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen will now be expected a appoint a chancellor to form a government capable of garnering parliamentʼs support until the nextnational election, slated for September.
Centenarian Lisel Heise has secured a spot on the town council in a small village in western Germany. A passionate swimmer, she decided to stand for election in part to reopen the local swimming pool. Lisel Heise, a 100-year-old former teacher, has been elected to the town council in Kirchheimbolanden, a town of 8,000 residents in the western German state of Rhineland Palatinate. Heise, part of a local grassroots group called Wir für Kibo (roughly, We for Kirchheimbolanden), got the most votes in Sundayʼs local election. She will serve as the groupʼs faction spokeswoman in parliament.
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