DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
WHO urges exercise and nonsmoking in first advice on dementia In the report issued on Tuesday, the UNʼs World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of people with dementia is expected to triple over the next 30 years. He highlighted the condition as a global health priority. While age is the strongest known factor for decline, it is not an inevitable consequence of aging, the report found. "We need to do everything we can to reduce our risk of dementia," Ghebreyesus said. "The scientific evidence gathered for these Guidelines confirm what we have suspected for some time, that what is good for our heart, is also good for our brain."
US jury orders Bayer to pay $2 billion in Roundup cancer case A California jury has ordered Monsanto to pay $2 billion (€1.78 billion) to a couple who claimed the agribusiness giantʼs Roundup weed killer caused their cancer. Mondayʼs verdict is the third consecutive one in a California court against Monsanto, which was bought last year by German chemical company Bayer. Two previous jury rulingsawarded $80 million to a manand $289 million to a former groundskeeper, though a judge later reduced the latter ruling to $89 million. The state court jury in Oakland found that Alva and Alberta Pilliodʼs use of the weed killer for over 30 years at their home and other properties caused them to contract non-Hodgkinʼs lymphoma. Lawyers for the couple called the $2.05 billion in punitive and compensatory damages a "historic" ruling. Legal experts said a judge would likely significantly lower the payout.
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US, Russia seek better ties after years of diplomatic crises Senior officials have called for an overhaul of US-Russia ties
Senior officials have called for an overhaul of US-Russia ties, saying a more "constructive model" is necessary. Experts say attempts to normalize the often tense relationship will prove difficult, if itʼs even possible.
Vodafone announces mammoth losses British mobile telecoms organization has released figures that include huge losses, largely due to a merger with Indiaʼs Idea Cellular. Vodafoneʼs rivals in Italy and Spain were also cited as reasons for the losses. Vodafone on Tuesday announced losses of €7.6 billion ($8.5 billion), causing the British mobile operator to slash its shareholder dividend in an effort to reduce debt. The telecoms giant announced the losses in the 2018/19 financial year were in relation to the sale of Indian assets due to the merger with Idea Cellular. "The loss for the financial year... was primarily
due to a loss on disposal of Vodafone India and impairments." The venture with Idea Cellular in August 2018 enabled it to becomeIndiaʼs largest mobile telecoms organization. Despite the financial turmoil, chief executive Nick Read was keen to stress there was no need to panic. "We are executing our strategy at pace and have achieved our guidance for the year, with good growth in most markets." Vodafoneʼs rivals in Italy and Spain were also cited as reasons for the losses. "These challenges weighed on our service revenue growth during the year, and together with high spectrum auction costs have reduced our financial headroom."
We need men to talk about periods: Oscar winner Guneet Monga Period. End of Sentence is a documentary
about the deep-rooted stigma attached to menstruation in the village of Hapur in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. For generations, women here did not have access to sanitary pads, leading to health issues and girls dropping out from schools. Directed by award-winning Iranian-American filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi, the film is created by The Pad Project, an organization established by a group of students at the Oakwood School in Los Angeles and their teacher, Melissa Berton. The movie has been produced
by 34-year-old Guneet Monga (pictured above), who was born in Delhi and heads the production company, Sikhya Entertainment. She has been involved in several critically acclaimed Indian movies, including Lunchbox, Gangs of Wasseypur and Masaan, which won the International Jury of Film Critics Prize at Cannes in 2015. Monga is brimming with ambition and confidence after her Oscar victory and hopes the movie will help change mindsets and hardwired attitudes, especially among males, towards menstruation.
Violent earthquake hits Papua New Guinea A powerful earthquake has struck an island chain off Papua New Guineaʼs north coast. A tsunami warning was briefly issued but later lifted. The extent of any damage was expected to become clear after sunrise. A shallow, violent offshore quake hitPapua New Guineaʼsremote New Britain island late on Tuesday. The 7.5 magnitude quake initially triggered a tsunami warning. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre warned that unusually large waves could reach Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia, however it later said the tsunami threat had passed. The quake hit around 50 kilometers (30 miles) off the islandʼs north coast at a depth of around 10 km just before 11 p.m. on Tuesday (1300 UTC), the United States Geological Survey said. Papua New Guineaʼs Disaster Management Office said villagers on islands closer to the epicenter and on the west coast of neighboring New Ireland island reported the ocean receding, but no damaging waves or casualties.
Houthi rebels attack Saudi oil pipeline A Saudi minister says that a crude oil pipeline in Riyadh province has been attacked by Yemeni drones. The attack follows Saudi claims of sabotage attempts on two of its oil tankers off the United Arab Emirates. Two oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia were the target of "terrorism and sabotage" on Tuesday, according to the countryʼs minister of energy.
weather today BUDAPEST
8 / 13 °C Precipitation: 0 mm
110/2019 • 15 May, 2019
Merkel kicks off West Africa tour pledging support in fight against terrorism German Chancellor Angela Merkel started her tour of West Africa on Wednesday, a trip that will see her visit Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger for key talks over the next three days. The bulk of Merkelʼs visit will focus on security andsupporting counterterrorism efforts in the restive Sahel region. "In the last few years, this region has become the main focus of Germanyʼs Africa policy," Merkelʼs spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a video prior to departure. "The number of terror attacks, the number of Islamist terror attacks, is increasing," he added. Burkina Fasoʼs President Roch Marc Christian Kabore will greet the chancellor when she arrives in the capital, Ouagadougou, on Wednesday evening. She will then attend a regional meeting with the leaders of the so-called G5 Sahel countries — which include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Chad.
EU: Neymar right in trademark battle The EU upholds a ruling in favor of the Paris St Germain forward. A businessman had registered Neymarʼs name as a trademark, claiming he didnʼt know the Brazilian was set for stardom. Judges found this "inconceivable." The European Union has supported Neymarʼs demand for a declaration of invalidity against a trademark registration trying to exploit his international appeal. At the end of 2012, Carlos Moreira, from Portugal, filed an application with the EUʼs Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to register the word sign ʼNEYMARʼ as a trademark. It was subsequently approved in April 2013. This meant Moreira was free to use the name emblazoned across products such as t-shirts, hats and sports shoes.
Honda confirms UK car factory closure in 2021 Thousands of workers at the Japanese car manufacturerʼs plant in Swindon are set to lose their jobs. Hondaʼs president previously said the move had nothing to do with the United Kingdomʼs exit from the EU. Honda confirmed on Monday that it would close its Swindon car factory in 2021, with some 3,500 workers expected to lose their jobs. "It is with a heavy heart that today we confirm the closure of Hondaʼs factory in Swindon," said Hondaʼs UK chief, Jason Smith. The company first announced its intention to close the plant in February. The Japanese car manufacturer
said the move was part of its plans to electrify its fleet, which will involve focusing production in areas of the world where there is a higher demand for electric vehicles. In February, Honda President Takahiro Hachigo said the Swindon closure was "not related" to the UKʼs planned exit from the European Union.
Measles hot spot pediatricianʼs office? The more parents don’t vaccinate their kids, the higher the health risk for those who are too young to be immunized. When Jessica was visiting the pediatrician with her nine-month-old daughter, they were suddenly asked to leave the general waiting room and hurried into another room. The reason: A child with ameasles infectionhad come to the practice. "We were not allowed to leave the room until everything was well ventilated and disinfected," Jessica said. That experience impressed on the young mother: "The feeling of knowing an infected child is close
and my child still has no protection, thatʼs terrible. After the visit I searched my daughter for signs of measles every day, for fear she could have been infected." Fortunately that didnʼt happen. Today the little girl is 18 months old, has been vaccinated for a long time and is old enough for kindergarten — but Jessica wants to wait, because she will soon have her second child. Until the new baby is vaccinated, she doesnʼt want to take any risks. "The baby could get infected anywhere, I am aware of that. But the risk that wecome into contact with measles in kindergartenis simply too great for me".
Spring festivals shake things up in Újbuda Life in District XI, Újbuda, has been busy recently: new places have opened, festivals staged and literary brunches now await hungry bookworms. In May, Budapest100, B32 Gallery and the Association of Young Writers will be catering to aficionados of culture. Then in June, the popular mini-festival series Gárdonyi Picnics is taking place for another year.
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Sri Lanka seeks investment, but China questions linger You donʼt need to be an expert on international trade routes to look at a map and understandthat Sri Lankaʼs location is one of potentially serious economic advantage. The island nation — population 22 million — sits at the southern tip of India, almost as close to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa as it is to South East Asia. The value of this location has not been lost on its northern neighbor China.Under Xi Jinpingʼs so-called ʼBelt and Road Initiative,ʼ the Chinese government has pumped billions into Sri Lanka in the form of both foreign investment and loans in recent years. This reliance on Chinese money is part of a long-standing Sri Lankan problem. With a major trade deficit, as well as crippling levels of debt, the country needs foreign money. China has rushed to fill the gap more enthusiastically than anyone else. The current Sri Lankan government came to power in 2015, when it replaced former President Mahinda Rajapaksaʼs administration. His government had been unabashedly eager to seek Chinese money, regardless of the costs, and it left the incoming government with a major web of deals — and debt — to untangle.
Facebook, Instagram ban British farright figure Tommy Robinson Facebook has taken harsh measures against British far-right personality Tommy Robinson, banning him from its platforms and closing his Facebook page and Instagram profile. Robinson is said to have violated Facebookʼs "community standards" by promoting "organized hate" and other prohibited behavior. Specifically, the company noted in a statement that Robinsonʼs pages had repeatedly broken its standards by "posting material that uses dehumanizing language and calls for violence targeted at Muslims." "This is not a decision we take lightly, but individuals and organizations that attack others on the basis of who they are have no place on Facebook or Instagram," the social media giant said.