DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
ʼIRAʼ claims bombing in Northern Irelandʼs Derry A group calling itself the "IRA" claimed credit for placing thecar bombwhich detonated in front of a courthouse in Northern Irelandʼs Derry (Londonderry) earlier this month. In a statementsent to the Derry Journal on Tuesday, the group said it would "continue to strike at crown forces and personnel and their imperial establishment." The town of Derry was once a flashpoint in fighting between Irish nationalists, who want to unite Ireland, and Unionists, who want to keep Northern Ireland within the UK. The nationalist fight was spearheaded by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which ended its armed campaign against Britain in the 1998 Good Friday peace accord. Small splinter paramilitary groups are still active. Northern Irish police said following the January 19 explosion that the focus of their investigation centered on a militant group known as the New IRA.
Poland: Miner missing after copper mine earthquake The seven hospitalized miners do not have life-threatening injuries, Polandʼs PAP news agency reported. Eight miners were rescued after they were reported missing. A total of thirty-two miners had been at the Rudna site when the quake occurred at a depth of 770 meters (2,520 feet) shortly before 2 p.m. local time (1300 UTC). The Helmholtz Center in the German city of Potsdam said it recorded a 4.6-magnitude earthquake in the vicinity. Rudna began operations in 1974 and is one of the largest copper mines in Europe, extracting an average of 12 million tonnes of cooper ore a year. A 4.4-magnitude quake in 2016 killed eight Rudna miners.
25/2019 • 30 JANUARY, 2019
Manfred Weber: EU response to Venezuela ʼa tragedyʼ Manfred Weber is the favorite to become the next president of the European Commission
The German conservative told DW about his disappointment with the blocʼs response to the Venezuelan political crisis.
Facebook unveils new tools to fight EU election interference With European Union elections months away, Facebook has announced new measures to stop election meddling across the bloc. The measures include bolstering ad transparency and establishing regional defense centers. Facebook on Monday unveiled tools aimed atclamping down on political interferenceahead of key 2019 elections, including the European Parliament vote slated for May. TheUS technology giant has come under immense pressuretotighten ad rules and
counter disinformation campaignson its platform, most notably after Russian actors were linked to a successful campaign to sway the 2016 US presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. Starting in late March, political ads will have a "paid for by" disclaimer, which will link to a public searchable database that shows who paid for the ad, how was much paid and who viewed the ad according to age, gender and location. The information will be stored for seven years.
As Game of Thrones teaser drops, ʼUnseen Westerosʼ revealed in Berlin Another dark, somewhat foreboding teaser trailer for the delayed final‐ Game of Thrones installment wowed expectant fans early Monday. But some will be able to get their fix a few months early at the "Unseen Westeros" show in Berlin. Showcasing never-before-seen places from the world of ice and fire originally conceived by George R.R. Martin in his
best-selling book series, the exhibition of artwork is a rare collaboration between Game of Thrones artists, and others not directly associated with the series. Running January 23-27 at the Umspannwerk, a vast former factory in Reinickendorf, Berlin, the exhibition and book of the same name was created with the permission and cooperation of Martin and his publisher.
German military lacks equipment and recruits, says damning report German soldiers sometimes have to rely on civilian helicopters to transport them around in Afghanistan, while vital equipment such as body armor has to be borrowed, according to the parliamentʼs new Bundeswehr report presented to the government on Tuesday. The annual study also detailed a rise in reports of sexual harassment and some instances of farright extremism among soldiers. "Iʼd like to report: Itʼs spring, everything will be new. But the truth is: Itʼs still winter," the reportʼs author, Bundestag military commissioner HansPeter Bartels, said as he presented the document at a press conference in Berlin. The biggest problem that Bundeswehr soldiers complained about was the lack of equipment, despite repeated government promises, dating back to a 2014 NATO summit, of a change in direction.
Germany: 38,000 illegal immigrants caught by Federal Police More than 38,000 people were caught entering Germany illegally between January and November 2018, German Federal Police have told DW. Over 28,000 people entered Germany by land, with most — some 10,300 — entering from Austria. By comparison, some 9,270 people arrived illegally at airports and more than 1,120 people at sea ports. Read more: How do refugees in Germany view Seehoferʼs tougher migration plan?
weather today BUDAPEST
1 / 3 °C Precipitation: 0 mm
25/2019 • 30 January, 2019
German train-delay scarf sells for thousands at auction A scarf knitted by a German woman to represent how long she was delayed on trains run by German rail company Deutsche Bahn sold for €7,550 ($8,660) on eBay on Monday. There were 134 bids from 45 bidders for the 1.5-meter (5 foot) scarf, which was knitted over the course of 2018 and features stripes in different colors, to represent different-length delays. Read more: Deutsche Bahn flaws prompt calls for basic railway reform Journalist Sara Weber, the scarf makerʼs daughter, said her mother was a commuter in the Munich area and had knitted two rows per day: Gray for under five minutes, pink for 5-30 minutes, and red for delays of more than 30 minutes or when both of her trains were running late. Weber posted a photo of the scarf on Twitter and the response was so enthusiastic that she and her mother decided to auction it and give the proceeds to the charity Bahnhofsmission, which assists people in need at railway stations across Germany. On Monday, Weber tweeted that the scarf had been sold for €7,550. "My mum is very happy — and so am I. We never would have expected that would happen," Weber wrote.
Bayern Munich coach Kovac deserves a fresh start
US charges Chinaʼs Huawei with fraud, theft The charges against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei and its CFO, Meng Wanzhou, have been unveiled in two unsealed indictments. China has urged the US to "stop the unreasonable crackdown" on its companies. The US Justice Department unsealed two indictments against Chinaʼs Huawei Technologies Co Ltd., several of its subsidiaries, and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on Monday. Meng was arrested in Vancouver and released on bail in December. She faces extradition to the United States. The case has strained Chinese relations with both the US and Canada. In a 13-count indictment from prose-
cutors in the Eastern District of New York, Huawei has been accused of misleading banks and US authorities about the relationship between Hong Kongbased shell corporation Skycom Tech and Huawei Device USA Inc. to sell equipment in Iran, a violation of US sanctions.Prosecutors also accused Meng of committing fraud and misleading banks into believing Skycom and Huawei were separate.
What too much traffic does to our environment Traffic jams are bad for the environment, the economy and our health. Here are the worst consequences due to traffic congestion — and the places where people suffer the most. Getting into a traffic jam is every driverʼs nightmare. Endless minutes (or worse: hours) in which nothingʼs moving forward can turn what should be a short car-ride into a seemingly never-ending odyssey. But congested
streets arenʼt just annoying for commuters — they have far-reaching consequences. Turn off your engine when you get into a traffic jam! Youʼll save fuel after 20 seconds of standing still already. Letting your engine run while your carʼs idling burns one liter of fuel an hour, according to Germanyʼs technical inspection agency TÜV Süd. A higher fuel consumption rate means that more CO2 is blasted into the atmosphere, which we should avoid if we want to fight global warming.
Bayern Munich are not used to being in the Bundesligaʼs second spot going into the leagueʼs midseason break. They had been Herbstmeister (the term given to the Bundesliga leader after the first half of the season) for the previous seven seasons, a title whichBorussia Dortmund stole this year. It is perhaps not a coincidence that Bayernʼs fall from grace this term has come with Niko Kovac at the helm. The former Bayern star has had difficulties getting the best out of his players this season.
Hungary’s best craft beers created for the winter season Budapest’s booming craft-beer industry has long gone seasonal, but this particular winter sees a rare crop of quite excellent brews. From Russian imperial stout to barley wine matured in Tokaji wine barrels, we sip and assess our favourites.
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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US sanctions Venezuela state oil firm PDVSA The US said on Monday that it would impose sanctions on Venezuelaʼs state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), as it ramps up pressure on the countryʼs president, Nicolas Maduro. The move followsWashingtonʼs public backing of National Assembly leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim president last week. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the sanctions were meant to prevent Maduro from diverting more resources from the crisis-hit country, until control in Caracas could be transferred toGuaidoʼs interim governmentora new democratically elected government. Mnuchin specified that PDVSAʼs US-based subsidiary Citgo could continue operations, so long as its earnings are deposited into a blocked account in the US. Maduro accused the US of attempting to steal Citgo, saying the state oil firm will seek legal action against the US. Washington was "holding accountable those responsible for Venezuelaʼs tragic decline," Mnuchin told reporters. US and Turkish presidents discuss safe zone in northern Syria Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, took to the telephone to discuss the situation in northern Syria on Monday. "The president expressed the desire to work together to address Turkeyʼs security concerns in northeast Syria while stressing the importance to the United States that Turkey does not mistreat the Kurds and other Syrian Democratic Forces with whom we have fought to defeat ISIS," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement, referring to the "Islamic State" (IS) extremist group. The Turkish presidency said the two men discussed the creation of a safe zone in northern Syria cleared of militia groups. It did not provide any other details. Thedisagreement between the NATO alliesis the latest consequence of Trumpʼs December 19 decision to withdraw US military personnel from Syria. This could leave the Kurdish militia under threat should Turkey start a new offensive. Over the weekend, Trump had taken to Twitter to threaten he would"devastate" the Turkish economyif Ankara sent its forces to attack the Kurds in northern Syria.