DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Syriaʼs sexual violence survivors seek justice An analysis of Syrian survivorsʼ interviews from 2012 to date details new accusations of what authors call systematic sexual and gendered violence at state-controlled detention facilities, government checkpoints and house raids by the Syrian army. The report, entitled "Do you know what happens here?," was named after testimony from one witness who, during interrogation, was said to have been asked the question before being led into a room where a detainee was being sexually assaulted by a guard.
Snapshot of the black hole Here it is! The very first picture of a black hole. At six press conferences simultaneously — in Brussels, Washington, Taipei, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Santiago, Chile — researchers presented the remarkable photo: a dark circle with a flaming orange ring of light. The researchers couldnʼt do this with a telescope. A telescope of this size would have to be as large as Earth. Because this is impossible, the researchers came up with a trick. They connected eight strong radio telescopes around the globe to simulate a giant telescope. Since 2017, they have collected data on data, packed it together, and proved with a picture whatAlbert Einsteinhad already calculated 100 years ago: that there must be something with such a mass that it attracts, swallows and distracts from its orbit anything close to it. They connected eight strong radio telescopes around the globe to simulate a giant telescope. Since 2017, they have collected data on data, packed it together, and proved with a picture whatAlbert Einsteinhad already calculated 100 years ago: that there must be something with such a mass that it attracts, swallows and distracts from its orbit anything close to it.
84/2019 • 11 APRIL, 2019
Israel faces old reality of Benjamin Netanyahu victory anew The vote reflects a deep societal divide. Dana Regev reports from Haifa
Israelʼs general election has put Prime Minister Netanyahu on track for a record fifth term in office, but not everybody is celebrating.
CEP study: Germany gains most from euro introduction A new study from the Centre for European Policy in Freiburg has shown Germany to have gained "by far the most" from the introduction of the euro. Italy and France saw a drop in prosperity over the last 20 years. Germany gained almost €1.9 trillion ($2.1 trillion) between 1999 and 2017 as a result of the euroʼs introduction, according to a report by the Centre for European Policy (CEP). The Freiburgbased think tank is part of the Stiftung Ordnungspolitik, and examines and
evaluates EU policy. Researchers Alessandro Gasparotti and Matthias Kullas on Monday published their study "20 Years of the Euro: Winners and Losers," which uses a "synthetic control method" to analyze which countries have gained from the euro and which ones have lost out. They found Germany and the Netherlands to be the only countries to have gained substantial benefits from the euro. In Germany during this two-decade time frame, the new currency created an additional €23,000 per inhabitant.
Hungary at a Glance (Published by Scolar Publishing Company) It is a unique feature of the Carpathian basin that its relatively small area hosts an unparalleled variety of ethnic groups, religions and civilizations. This cohabitation gave birth to a common culture, while a truly multi-layered nation was also formed. For centuries the descendants of the founding Hungarian tribes lived alongside ancient peoples who preceded them and the people migrating here from neighbouring nations. Hungarians, Slovaks, Romanians, Serbs and Germans shared a common
land here, just like the members of the different faiths – Catholics, Calvinists, Lutherans and Jews – did. Our book is a special project, as it tries to convey the colourful nature of Hungary and its people. This unique “guidebook” covers everything from history to cultural heritage, from the achievements of the arts and sciences to the extraordinary music scene. Although these pages will give you only a glance, we do hope that this glimpse will inspire real love for this country in all our readers.
Could Libya be Russiaʼs new Syria? As the conflict in Libya heat up, the words out of Moscow have remained cool and rational. During a recent visit to Egypt, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia′s "task is to help the Libyan people overcome their current differences of opinion, and come up with a stable agreement" to reconcile the sides. And at the beginning of the week Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia will use every possible opportunity to call on all sides to avoid causing bloodshed and the "deaths in the civilian population." Since early April, the forces of military strongman Khalifa Haftar (above) have been pushing towards the Libyan capital Tripoli. That is where the internationally recognized government of Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj is based, which has accused Haftar of attempting a coup. Haftar heads the self-titled Libyan National Army, which is backed by a rival government in the east of the country.
USʼ Mike Pence urges UN to recognize Venezuelaʼs Guaido The UN should admit a representative ofJuan Guaidoʼs Venezuela governmentin place of the envoy appointed by Nicolas Maduro, US Vice President Mike Pence told international representatives on Wednesday. "The time has come for the United Nations to recognize interim president Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela and seat his representative in this body," Pence added. Venezuelaʼs parliamentary speaker Juan Guaido declared himself interim president in January, claiming thathis rival Nicolas Maduro had lost legitimacy.
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84/2019 • 11 April, 2019
Reform Germanyʼs welfare state, urges communal association A simplification of Germanyʼs welfare state is wanted by its Association of Towns and Municipalities (BStGB). Only then, it says, will communities be able to cope with demographic aging and future economic strains. Germanyʼs11,054 communal authoritieswere overburdened with complicated welfare delivery and needed "de-bureaucratization" to stay within budget in the future, asserted association chief executive Gerd Landsberg on Tuesday. "Every problem is met with the promise that there is more money and naturally more personnel," he said, adding that, longterm, Germanyʼs highly legislated welfare state would not function, given finite taxation revenues, populations withmore elderly, and regions facing loss of industry and jobs. Landsberg told newspapers run by the Funke MedienGruppe (media group) – which is based in Essen in the once coal and steel-dominated Ruhr region – that the reform should start with the reexamination of welfare grants and tax relief for families.
Two Germans win second gold medals at Nordic World Ski Championships Germanyʼs Markus Eisenbichler on Sunday helped destroy the opposition to win gold in the large hill skijumping team event — his second world title at this yearʼs FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld, Austria. Eisenbichler and his compatriots Karl Geiger, Richard Freitag, and Stephan Leyhe led from start to finish on Innsbruckʼs Bergisel hill, winning 987.5 points overall, a massive 56.5 points — or 31 meters (101 feet) — ahead of hosts Austria, who took silver, and Japan (bronze).
European Commission finds German automakers illegally colluded on emissions technology German car giants VW, Daimler and BMW colluded to restrict the development of technology to clean emissions from passenger cars, the European Commission said in preliminary findings from its antitrust probe. German car manufacturing giants Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW illegally colluded to hinder competition on emission cleaning technology, the European Commission said on Friday. The initial findings froman investigation by the EUʼs antitrust regulatorscame nearly two years after authoritiescarried out raids on their headquarters. What the Commission found: From 2006 to 2014, the three German automakers conspired to limit the development and rollout of
emission cleaning technology for passenger cars sold in Europe.The talks were aimed at restricting competition and "breached EU antitrust rules."Two types of technology, specifically, were restricted: one to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel cars and another to reduce harmful particulate matter from petrol engine cars.The companies "denied consumers the opportunity to buy less polluting cars" despite the technology being available.
The Germansʼ annual obsession with asparagus Springtime in Germany means the countdown is on for the countryʼs brief feast on a vegetable known as "white gold." The Germansʼ passion for white asparagus is celebrated in museums — and even by queens. The harvest in Germany has only just begun but as always, the end is already in sight for this seasonal vegetable: an old farmerʼs saying has it that when the cherries turn red, the time for harvesting asparagus is over. More specifically, the season ends on June 24, the feast day of St. John. "Until St Johnʼs, donʼt forget this, you
have seven weeks to eat asparagus," according to yet another old proverb. The plant simply needs to recover for the next year and a new cycle of pleasing Germans with nutrient-rich spears low in calories — as long as you donʼt smother the vegetables in melted butter or Hollandaise sauce! The southwestern city of Schwetzingen, which presents itself as Germanyʼs "Asparagus Town," offers a host of asparagus-related events in April and May, including art projects, photo exhibits, tours, workshops on how to cut the vegetable and the traditional Schwetzingen Asparagus Run over five and 10 kilometers.
Budapestʼs historic Lotz Hall café reopened as Café Párisi After two years of undesired silence a new café has opened its gates in Budapest’s neo-renaissance styled jewellery box, the former Paris Deparment Store (Párisi Nagy Áruház). Situated in the heart of the city on Andrássy avenue, Café Párisi is the perfect location for those who wish to enjoy the luxury of early 20th century Budapest.
H-1056 Budapest, Só u. 6. Telephone: +36 1 577 0700 Fax: +36 1 577 0710 bhzinfo@zeinahotels.com www.boutiquehotelbudapest.com
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Mann+Hummel: Hidden champion fights fine particles It only takes the weather to be unfavorable,and megacities across the world sink into wafts of mist. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 7 million people die every year partly as a result of inhaling polluted air over longer periods. Increasing traffic has no doubt contributed to creating "thick air." Many nations are in the middle of campaigns to reverse the trend by pushing e-mobility, arguing that electric vehicles donʼt have exhaust pipes as sources of poisonous nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. But a closer look reveals that fine particulates cannot be reduced drastically through electric cars. "Irrespective of a carʼs transmission system, it will always produce a lot of particulate matter," says Jan-Eric Raschke, who heads the fine particulates/filtration division at the German company Mann+Hummel. He explains thatroughly 90 percent of all particulate emissions in cars stem from tire wear and the braking system.
Germanyʼs migrants: wooed and discriminated "We are Hamburg. Are you in?" Thatʼs the slogan Hamburg is using to advertise municipal jobs to migrants. From police officers to teachers, doctors, bookkeepers and prison workers — the city is hoping to hire more employees with an migrant background. And itʼs not just Hamburg making this push. All throughout Germany, the business and public sectors alike are focusing on the countryʼs newest residents. Rising education levels Thatʼs because the average education level of migrants in Germany is on the rise. In 2011, one-quarter of young migrants between the ages of 18 and 25 had completed their "Abitur," or high school certificate exam. By 2015, that figure had climbed to 33 percent. During that same period, the percentage of youth without a migrant background who completed high school rose from 32 to 39 percent.