Fire extinguished at French chemical plant
The large fire at a chemical plant in the northern French city of Rouen, considered particularly dangerous, has been extinguished. This was announced by the Normandy Prefecture on Friday. The fire broke out on Thursday night. No one was injured in the incident. The fire brigade was in operation with around 200 fire engines.
The fire was stopped
Residents were urged not to leave their homes. Buildings within 500 meters were evacuated, and schools and kindergartens remained closed on Thursday. The chemical plant on the banks of the Seine river manufactures additives for lubricants. The factory is owned by US billionaire Warren Buffett's Lubrizol and is subject to the EU's so-called Seveso Directive, which imposes particularly strict safety requirements.
Around 400 people work at the plant. The chemical factory has made headlines in the past - for example, when a leak in 2013 caused the gas methanethiol to escape and the surrounding area smelled of rotten eggs. In 2015, after an industrial accident, around 2,000 litres of mineral oil flowed into the city's sewage system.
Woman quits her job to search for her missing dog 57 days
For two months, a woman from Washington searched for her missing dog - and quit her job. Seven-year-old Border Collie had walked out of his hotel room during a short vacation in Montana. 57 days of missing from the - but Carole King did not give up.
'It was awful. I got sick," Carole King told the Daily Inter Lake. She and her husband had left Katie in the hotel room while they went to dinner. When they returned to the hotel, Katie was gone. They searched for the animal, but to no avail.
Thunder had panicked dog
Hoping Katie could still be in the hotel, Carole King went to the reception. "The employee says, "She left about four, four and a half hours ago,"" Carole King told Daily Inter Lake. When the automatic front door opened, Katie immediately ran out. Presumably a loud thunder had panicked the dog.
With flyers and calls in Facebook groups, the Kings searched for their beloved dog. But days became weeks. "I never gave up. I've never lost hope," Carole King told the Daily Inter Lake, who quit her job as a postal worker to continue her search for Katie.
"The tears flowed"
Fifty-seven days after Katie's disappearance, Carole King got a call: a man came forward and said Katie was in his yard. But by the time King got there, Katie had already disappeared. She searched the neighborhood and suddenly her stood under a tree. 'I just hugged her. I didn't want to let her go," King recalled, according to Daily Inter Lake. "The tears flowed. People stopped in their vehicles, got out and hugged us. I think the whole neighborhood knew we had found them."
Losses in the Bundeswehr: Machine guns disappear without a trace
Friday, September 27, 2019
Six MG3 machine guns are still missing.
In recent years, the Bundeswehr has lost numerous weapons and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition. Among them are three machine guns. The whereabouts are unclear in most cases. The opposition speaks of a "frightening" scale.
In the Bundeswehr, weapons and ammunition keep disappearing - many of them so far without a trace. Since the beginning of 2014, the force has recorded the loss of 39 weapons, 39 weapons parts and nearly 20,000 rounds of ammunition. This is clear from a classified list of the Federal Ministry of Defence, which is reported by the editorial network Germany.
According to the paper from the office of Defense Secretary Peter Tauber of the CDU, two weapons, a weapon part and 3474 rounds of ammunition have resurfaced so far. The weapons and parts still missing include six MG3 machine guns, 11 G3 rifles, four G36 rifles, six signal pistols and two P8 pistols. In addition, 30 weapons tubes for machine guns of type MG3 are missing.
The extent of weapons and ammunition losses in the Bundeswehr is "frightening," said Left-wing federal MP Martina Renner. This was all the more true since hardly anything had been found in the course of investigations. The left-wing politician spoke of a "poor record". Renner criticized that it was not clear from the list whether the missing ammunition included the one found in connection with the investigation into the Bundeswehr officer Franco A., who was suspected of terrorism. "This is despite the fact that a supporter of Franco A. was recently convicted of possessing these ammunition," Renner said.
Oil tanker "Stena Impero" left Iranian port
More than two months after it was set down by the Iranian authorities, the British oil tanker "Stena Impero" left the port of the city of Bandar Abbas on Friday. As ship observation data from Refinitiv showed, the tanker set in motion and left the Iranian port. Port Rashid was designated as the destination port in the United Arab Emirates.
The tanker had been released by the Iranian government on Monday, but it remained in Iranian waters for the time being. The shipping company said it wanted to wait for an official decision from Tehran.
The "Stena Impero" was brought up on 19 July by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Maritime Strait of Hormuz on charges of violating safety regulations. However, it was suspected that Iran was reacting to the controversial temporary detention of an Iranian oil tanker off Gibraltar, which is part of the United Kingdom.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important sea routes in the world. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. Much of the global oil export is shipped through the strait. Tensions in the region had escalated immensely in recent months. Trade shipping has been drawn into the conflict between the US and Iran. There have been several incidents involving tankers and drones.
Merkel pays tribute to the courage of the people in the Peaceful Revolution
German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid tribute to the commitment of the people of the GDR who took to the streets 30 years ago in the Peaceful Revolution. In the autumn of 1989, courageous citizens had shaken up the then GDR regime, Merkel said at a ceremony of the Thuringian CDU group for the upcoming Day of German Unity in Erfurt. The chancellor recalled, among other things, the occupation of the Stasi headquarters. "State security has been taken away from the horror," she said.
Musk aims for delivery record
Tesla's quarter may set a record. Despite the delivery boom, there have been recent losses at the electric car company.
New York.Tesla CEO Elon Musk has given his electric car company a strong boost on the stock market with the prospect of new record numbers. "We have a chance to reach our first quarter with 100,000 deliveries," Musk wrote in an email to Tesla employees published by the industry blog "Electrek."
Demand is strong, allowing Tesla to place 110,000 orders, Musk's circular continued. The challenge, he said, is to get the cars to customers quickly. To do so, Tesla must provide as many resources as possible at the end of the quarter.
Investors liked this: Tesla's shares were trading at more than 6 percent. The share price has not risen so much in almost four months. In the second quarter, Tesla delivered more than 95,000 cars, reaching its previous record.
Musk needs records to achieve his lofty goals. In 2019, he plans to deliver a total of 360,000 to 400,000 cars. For this, six-figure figures will have to be produced in the current and coming quarters. Especially the cheapest Tesla Model 3 is in demand, but here the profit margins are low. Despite the boom, there have been recent losses.
Mystery solved: That's why we can't tickle ourselves
A kind of brake in the cerebrum prevents people from tickling themselves. Scientists at Humboldt University in Berlin found this out with the help of experiments on rats, as they announced on Thursday evening. Progress has also been made on why children are so fiercely resisting tickling, only to demand more.
After all, it also became apparent why only approaching a tickling hand triggers laughter even before touching. This is due to a low-lying layer in the cerebrum, which triggers laughter even when the expectation of tickling.
According to the data, previous research showed that rats react with "laughter" in the ultrasound range when tickled by humans. This "laughter" is conveyed by the part of the cerebral cortex that serves the central processing of haptic perception.
Laughter is suppressed during self-touching
Until now, it had been assumed that the brain could distinguish between self-touching and touching by others - so people cannot tickle themselves. However, the Berlin researchers found in the experiments on the rats that laughter as well as the activity of the relevant area of the cerebral cortex are suppressed during a self-touch. This is also the case when living beings clean themselves. During the external touching and tickling by the scientists, however, the activity in the brain and the impulse to laugh were intensified.
But if the self-touching and the touch by others passes at the same time, the laughter is also suppressed. This suggests that the rat's brain cannot distinguish between self-touching and touching by others. The new findings suggested that people can't tickle themselves because self-touching activates a brake in the cerebrum.
The rats were also trained to tickle themselves. In the experiment, they sometimes abated this initiation prematurely, showing flight behavior or frightening rigidity. This ambivalence is similar to the behavior of children. The ambivalence of tickling is a behavioural reaction that is the same in rats and humans.
Disaster averted: Major fire extinguished at French chemical plant
The large fire at a chemical plant in the northern French city of Rouen, considered particularly dangerous, has been extinguished. The Normandy prefecture told the AFP news agency on Friday. The fire broke out on Thursday night.
According to the authorities, no hazardous substances have leaked. The samples taken do not give cause for concern, as Prefect Pierre-André Durand said at a press conference on Friday morning. No one was injured in the incident. The fire brigade was in operation with around 200 fire engines.
Schools and kindergartens closed
Residents were urged not to leave their homes. Buildings within 500 meters were evacuated, and schools and kindergartens remained closed on Thursday.
Factory is owned by US billionaire Warren Buffett's Lubrizol
The chemical plant on the banks of the Seine river manufactures additives for lubricants. The factory is owned by US billionaire Warren Buffett's Lubrizol and is subject to the EU's so-called Seveso Directive, which imposes particularly strict safety requirements. Around 400 people work at the plant.
The chemical factory has made headlines in the past - for example, when a leak in 2013 caused the gas methanethiol to escape and the surrounding area smelled of rotten eggs. In 2015, after an industrial accident, around 2000 litres of mineral oil flowed into the city's sewage system.
Brexit: Johnson criticised by his own sister
The Prime Minister's sister made the comments on Boris Johnson's speech at the first session of Parliament after the mandatory suspension was lifted on Wednesday night. The prime minister is threatening to leave the EU on October 31 without a deal if Brussels does not agree to its demands for changes to the Brexit deal. How he intends to achieve this, however, is unclear.
Of Cox, who campaigned for Britain to remain in the European Union, the Prime Minister said: "The best way to honour the memory of Jo Cox and reunite this country would be to leave the EU." Cox was assassinated by a right-wing extremist during the 2016 referendum campaign.
Memorial to Oslo and Utöya attacks unveiled
More than eight years after the attacks in Oslo and Utöya that left 77 dead, a memorial in honour of the victims will be unveiled in Norway on Saturday. The monument "Jernrosene" (german: the iron roses) consists of about 1,000 iron rose replicas. They are reminiscent of the roses that thousands of people laid in front of Oslo Cathedral in the days and weeks after the attacks.
The project by the artists Tobbe Malm and Tone Karlsrud is to be unveiled in the same place - the roses were forged by people from all over the world, including survivors and relatives of the victims. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit are expected to attend the opening.
Right-wing terrorist Anders Behring Breivik first detonated a car bomb in oslo's government district on July 22, 2011, and then shot dozens of participants in a holiday camp of the social democratic workers' party on the island of Utöya. A total of 77 people were killed in the attacks.
Iran releases British tanker
The UN general debate did not bring a solution to the Iran conflict. But now there is one problem less. The British oil tanker "Stena Impero" detained in Iran was able to set sail again. It could be a piece of the puzzle in Iranian President Ruhani's peace plan.
The British oil tanker "Stena Impero", which has been detained in the Strait of Hormuz in Iran since mid-July, is back in international waters. After being cleared by Iranian authorities, the ship is on its way to Dubai, according to the shipping company Stena Bulk.
The "Stena Impero" had left the port of Bandar Abbas and the crew is now going to Dubai for medical examinations, said shipping company chief Erik Honell. By midday, the ship had left Iranian waters. "It's nice that it's over," he told Swedish television station SVT.
The Foreign Office in London described the detention of the vessel as illegal. "This is part of a pattern of attempts to impair the freedom of the seas. We are working with our international partners to maintain shipping and international law," it said in a statement on Friday.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards had arrested the tanker on July 19 on charges of violating rules of the law of the sea in the Persian Gulf. Seven of the 23 crew members had already been released at the beginning of September. The remaining 16 crew members are doing well according to the circumstances, said Mr. Hénell. They would have behaved professionally in the face of the difficult and stressful situation over the past ten weeks. The shipping company is now working to reunite them with their families as soon as possible.
The British government suspected behind the fixing of the "Stena Impero" a reaction to a similar incident in the British Gibraltar: there, in early July, a supertanker with oil from Iran, which was supposed to have been destined for Syria, had been chained. According to the authorities, the delivery violated EU sanctions against the war-torn country of Syria. The British had received the reference to the ship from the United States.
Iran spoke of "piracy" and threatened consequences. In mid-August, the "Adrian Darya-1" was finally released. London vehemently rejected allegations that it was a barter deal to free the "Stena Impero".
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important sea routes in the world. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. Much of the world's oil exports are shipped through the strait. Tensions in the region had escalated immensely in recent months. Trade shipping has been drawn into the conflict between the US and Iran. There have been several incidents involving tankers and drones.
Behind the tensions between Tehran and Washington is the nuclear dispute between the two countries. The Americans accuse the Iranian leadership of wanting to build nuclear weapons. Iran rejects this. The US single-handedly pulled out of the international nuclear deal in 2018, which was supposed to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb while ending its political and economic isolation. Since then, the US government has been pressuring Tehran's leaders with massive economic sanctions against the country to force a stricter and extended agreement to other areas. Iran has so far resisted the pressure.
Because of the dispute over the "Stena Impero" and other incidents involving tankers in the Persian Gulf and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the US is working on a coalition for the military protection of merchant ships in the region.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani presented a plan for security and peace in the Strait of Hormuz at the UN General Assembly in New York. With the "Coalition of Hope" initiative for the Persian Gulf, Iran, together with the Gulf Arab states and without foreign protection powers, wants to ensure the security of navigation in the Persian Gulf.
India is building a better future with its protectionist economic policies.
India would actually be predestined to be a "war-winner." With US President Donald Trump imposing punitive tariffs on Chinese producers, foreign producers in the People's Republic are being forced to reschedule. Finance chiefs of Asian firms considering moving production from China to another country cite India as one of the preferred alternatives in a UBS survey. Of course, this has to do not only with the uncertainties of the Sino-American trade war. With a huge pool of young workers and a single market of 1.3 billion consumers, India seems to have created a more important role in the globally sprawling production chain.
But now India itself has come under Trump's focus. Derially dubbed the "Kingdom of Customs" by the White House, America withdrew the trade benefits for 2,000 products from the emerging country in early June. The US accuses India of imposing high tariffs and calls for better market access for agricultural goods, mobile phones, spirits, motorcycles, and more.
On the world map of trade wars, however, the frictions with India are merely a sideshow. Moreover, America also sees the world's largest democracy through security-political glasses. Delhi and Washington share concerns about China's claims to power in the South Indian Ocean. Against this background, a salvo of American punitive tariffs against India seems unlikely. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has just served a second five-year term, is likely to weigh in on security.
The problem, however, lies in a different place: the empirically substantiated thesis that open markets are accelerating economic development is having a difficult time in the socialist Republic of India. Even under Modi. His zeal for reform is mainly aimed at the bureaucratic madness that for too long stifling any entrepreneurial spirit in the multi-ethnic state. Companies are now getting building permits for buildings more quickly. They benefit from better energy and transport infrastructure, and a more grippy insolvency and bankruptcy law creates the conditions for faster liquidation of sham-dead companies with large debts.
The success of these efforts can be seen and measured in the relevant rankings. From an economic point of view, much has changed for the better in India in the first five years of Modi. But this is not the case in trade policy. Inspired by the protection of internationally uncompetitive companies from foreign suppliers, the national conservative government even erected new barriers.
In the West, Modi hangs on to the nimbus of the energetic reformer who radically renews his country economically. This impression is due in no go to the fact that the charismatic prime minister knows all too well what vocabulary Western managers like. At its core, however, the "India First" advocate never backed away from a protectionist economic policy, which prevents Indian companies from being forced to get rid of anachronistic processes and thus become fit for global competition. Businessmen who survive thanks to the isolation of their industries are among the core voters of Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and applaud this short-sighted policy.
Funeral of Jacques Chirac in Paris on Monday
Former French President Jacques Chirac is due to be buried in Paris next week, according to a report. The former head of state will be buried on Monday at the Montparnasse cemetery in the south of the French capital, the AFP news agency reported, citing Chirac's family. The funeral will take place in a close family circle. A public funeral was scheduled for Sunday in Paris' Invalides Cathedral, media reported.
The competitor is carried to the finish: Dabo is the first secret hero of the World Championships in Athletics
The world number one had long since been targeted when heartwarming scenes took place at the down-to-earth Khalifa International Stadium. In the men's first run over 5000 meters, Jonathan Busby from Aruba started to sway dangerously. He could barely hold on to his feet 300 meters from the finish, ran in an unhealthy bent posture when Braima Suncar Dabo from the West African country Guinea-Bissau suddenly hooked him and supported him the last half of the stadium round to the finish. However, the forces were still sufficient for both to stop the wristwatch running along after the finish. As if the scene hadn't been weird enough.
"I just wanted to help him. Everyone in this situation would have done the same," Dabo said after the mixed zone race, when he unexpectedly caught the attention of the assembled journalists. Shyly, he dodged, didn't want to talk about his heroics at all. After all, he wanted to set his personal best, and when he realized that this was going to be difficult, he only wanted to help one fellow sufferer. And anyway, he would only be proud to represent his country, which was invited to the World Cup by the World Federation. Under normal circumstances, he should not even have started. "That's why I'm proud to run here for my country," he said.
He did so emphatically that evening - and much more intensely than he would have imagined. For this feat of heroism will be remembered. Especially since Dabo even let his competitor Busby take the lead in the finish and voluntarily took the last place - by the way, a good five minutes after the Ethiopian Selemon Barega, who won this preliminary. In the end, it was all of a good thing, because the Busby, who only came to the finish with a lot of help, was disqualified by the World Athletics Federation at the very end.
Dabo, who lives in Portugal and studies there in Lisbon, had set a personal best at the World Cup in Doha. According to official data, this was achieved with 18:10.87 minutes, but he himself was disappointed: "I wanted to run 17:55 minutes. I've been under 18 minutes before.' However, only in training, best times do not count.
Millions of mash-up: Egyptians gear up for wild day of protest
In Egypt, security measures have been stepped up in the run-up to possible anti-government protests. An increased police presence was observed in central Cairo on Friday. Several metro stations remained closed and roads around the central Tahrir Square were closed.
In recent days, police had stepped up their roadside checks and searched the mobile phones of pedestrians in part for messages and photos related to the protests. Hundreds had been arrested, according to two non-governmental organizations.
Opponents of Al-Sisi
Last weekend, protests with hundreds of participants took place in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Mansura. They targeted the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, which critics accuse of corruption and mismanagement. There had not been such an open protest against the political leadership in Egypt for years. Egyptian contractor and actor Mohammed Ali, who lives in exile in Spain and started the demonstrations with video messages on Facebook, has called for a "million march" in central squares in the country this Friday. Ali calls for a "people's revolution." The man is not a "good man" for most young Egyptians either, because as a subcontractor for the army he made millions, but his messages arrive.
The number of arrests in connection with the protests continued to rise, according to two observer groups. The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) counted more than 1,570 arrests as of Friday. The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) and the human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) said more than 2,000 arrests were made. These figures could not be independently confirmed at first. The government also did not confirm or comment on the figures.
Arbitrary arrests
Many people were "arbitrarily detained" "just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time," HRW said, citing lawyers for those arrested. According to their lawyers, the charges against the detainees range from "spreading misinformation" to membership in a "terrorist group." In Cairo, Alexandria and other cities, security forces in uniform, but also civilian clothing, also randomly interviewed and searched passers-by, according to HRW.
HRW also criticized the censorship in the North African country. The government in Cairo is blocking websites and online services to prevent further protests against Sisi.
Online retailer: Mail order companies should be able to donate returns more easily
For online retailers, many returned packages are lost goods. Around 20 million returns end up in the garbage. But there is an alternative.
The Treasury has shown online retailers such as Amazon and Zalando a way to donate returned products rather than destroy them.
Companies cannot be exempted from the sales tax on donations in kind, the ministry said in response to a question from the Green Bundestag group, which was reported by the newspapers of the Funke media group on Friday. However, traders could set the market value of unsaleable returns so low that they would have to pay little or no VAT.
Scientists from the University of Bamberg had found that German citizens return one in six parcels when ordering on the Internet. Around four percent of the goods - around 20 million products - ended up in the garbage. Donating them would cost companies additional money under current law, because the tax authorities rate donations in kind as a turnover, which is then subject to VAT.
Green Group leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt called on Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) to clarify with a decree that companies can evaluate non-saleable products accordingly and donate them free of charge to non-profit organisations. Companies should be able to rely on not being penalised for donations. This applies not only to online retail, but also to other businesses from the fashion store to the diy store.
Banksy art at auction: There was never a better time to sell this painting
The well-known work of street art star Banksy, "Devolved Parliament", is to be auctioned soon.
For Branczik, Banksy's work underscores "the regression of the world's oldest parliamentary democracy into the basic attitude of animals and tribes." The painting is due to be exhibited at Sotheby's in the British capital from Saturday until it is due to be auctioned on 3 October. It is estimated at 1.5 to 2 million euros.
The work was first exhibited in 2009 at the Museum of Bristol in the south-west of the UK, where Banksy lives. This year, the artist had exhibited the painting again - coinciding with the original Brexit date of 29 March. On this occasion, the work, formerly known as Question Time, was renamed "Devolved Parliament".
The image could change hands for a million dollars.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson last met with the opposition on Wednesday in the first session of the House of Commons following the Supreme Court's lifting of a mandatory break imposed by Johnson. Johnson wants to complete the twice-delayed Brexit on 31 October, even without a deal with the EU if necessary.
It is not the first time Banksy, whose identity is still unknown, has intervened in the Brexit debate. In Dover, south-east England, he painted a picture depicting a man smashing a star of the European flag with a chisel. The plant is seen every day by thousands of lorry drivers and other visitors entering the UK.
Brexit debate is like a 'walk in the park'
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's violent verbal attacks on Brexit opponents in Parliament do not contribute to a climate of hatred, according to his top adviser. Compared to the campaign before the 2016 Brexit referendum, the current controversy is a "walk in the park," Dominic Cummings said at a book launch on Friday. "We enjoy it. We will leave (the EU) and we will win".
Johnson had harshly attacked Brexiteers in parliament in recent days, accusing them of "betrayal" of the people, among other things. He dismissed accusations that he could put MPs at risk because they could be the target of death threats.
Cummings said the only way to restore calm would be if MPs finally respected the British decision to leave the EU. He said it was not surprising that people were upset that Britain had still not left the EU three years after the referendum.
In view of the charged atmosphere, even the bishops of the Anglican Church called for restraint on Friday. "We should speak with respect to each other," it said in a statement. "And we should also listen".
Pakistan's Prime Minister Khan calls for UN intervention in Kashmir
In an emotional appeal, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his first appearance before the UN General Assembly, has again called on the United Nations to intervene in the Kashmir conflict.
Otherwise, another war between the nuclear powers Pakistan and India is likely, Khan said Friday at the UN General Debate in New York. "If it goes badly, you hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst". The United Nations would have a responsibility for Kashmir. "You should have prevented this."
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence from British colonial rule in 1947, two of them around the divided Kashmir region. Both nuclear powers each control part of Kashmir, and another part belongs to China. At the beginning of August, India had stripped the Indian Kashmir region of its autonomy, abruptly increasing tensions with Pakistan.
Not even a bottle of water
Protesters in Cairo demand the overthrow of Egyptian President al-Sisi.
The government is reacting hard to the current protests in Egypt. It shoots at the population with live ammunition, and more than 2,000 detainees are among the 60,000 political prisoners already held there. Protesting has never been safe in Egypt. But since General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power in 2013, the state apparatus has done everything it can to avoid a scenario similar to the Arab Spring.
But one of the triggers for the 2011 protests was the poor economic situation. Poverty, lack of prospects and the feeling of being suffocated by one's own government drove millions onto the streets. And this is a problem that the regime of el-Sisi does not get to grips with, no matter how hard it is against adversaries. The situation has even deteriorated.
Today, one in three people in Egypt live below the poverty line. Since 2016, the currency has lost more than half its value, with inflation at 10%. If you want to buy a bottle of water in the supermarket, you have to decide who to finance: Nestlé, Coca-Cola or the military. The latter is not only responsible for repression, but also the largest economic actor. The military builds roads, houses, football stadiums, produces food and much more. That was the case before el-Sisi. The Egyptian people have a lot of experience with authoritarian regimes, and the dilemma in the supermarket is also an old one. It becomes critical whenever large sections of the population have difficulty affording a bottle of water at all.
Tüv tests in the terminal: BER boss: No more "showstoppers" for capital airport
For two months, it was checked whether the complicated system network of BER fire protection works together. The operators are satisfied with the progress. But the Tüv is not finished on BER yet.
After large-scale Tüv tests in the terminal of the future capital airport, the operators have confirmed the planned opening in October next year. This is certain, said Supervisory Board Chairman Rainer Bretschneider after a meeting of the Supervisory Board.
Airport chief Engelbert Lütke Daldrup spoke of a successful audit, but also said there were still defects in the terminal to be addressed. "We have a lot of detailed topics, but we don't have a real showstopper." He assured that the timetable for commissioning still contained buffers.
However, there are indications that the time reserve should not be too large any more. The construction completion notice is now to be submitted to the Building Authority in the course of the first quarter of 2020, which was planned for this autumn at the beginning of the year.
Hundreds of defects in power cables still to be rectified; the Tüv wants to check them until February. "In order to create the conditions for the start of flight operations, intensive work must continue to be carried out to address the deficiencies," it said in a written statement.
Lütke Daldrup said that in many cases it is about a lack of evidence, less about new cables. There is also no release for all the plugs on which the cable trays hang. The airport chief expects this to be available by the end of the year.
In addition, fire protection at the crossing to the station under the terminal is not yet working satisfactorily. The problems had already led the project into another crisis three years ago. This time it is about smoke aprons, which shut down like a canvas in the event of a fire, so that the smoke does not spread. They go too far down. 36 motors must therefore be replaced. Then, at the beginning of the year, there will be new tests on hot gas smoke.
Problems with fire protection and other tree defects as well as planning errors have been delaying the opening of the airport for years. It was originally scheduled to go into operation in 2011. Since construction began in 2006, costs have risen from two billion euros to an estimated 6.5 billion euros when it opens next year.
Since the number of passengers in Berlin has increased significantly since then, the managers are planning to expand the airport. This is what the Chairman Bretschneider announced at a special meeting of the Supervisory Board on 18 October.
The airport company is now looking for two new managing directors. Chief Financial Officer Heike Fölster will join Deutsche Bahn at the end of the year, and Chief Human Resources Officer Manfred Bobke-von Camen will retire next year, Bretschneider said. He thanked Fölster. It had put airport finances on firm footing.
Chemnitz: Vending machines for drugs blown up - police arrest man
He needed money for drugs - and for this he blew up several vending machines in the Chemnitz city area! Now the perpetrator is finally in custody!
In the past two years, the number of cigarette and parking ticket machines blown up in Chemnitz and the region had risen sharply. Millions of dollars were damaged!
After two detonations at the end of May, the police apprehended a 33-year-old German man on Bürgerstraße and Further Straße in Chemnitz.
Police spokesman Andrzej Rydzik: "In the course of the investigation into the cause of explosives explosions in a crime unit with a particularly serious case of theft, which was led by the Chemnitz criminal police, not only this suspicion against the 33-year-old was confirmed."
Confronted with the new evidence, the 33-year-old Chemnitzer now confessed to a total of eight acts.
The police spokesman said: "He apparently used the loot to fund his addiction to narcotics." The bomber had blown up parking ticket machines on Bürgerstraße four times between 20 August 2018 and 31 May 2019.
The total damage incurred amounts to at least EUR 60 000!
The vending machine bomber is now in custody. The police investigation against him continues.
It is conceivable that he was also responsible for further automaton explosions in Chemnitz and neighbouring counties.
AUA acquires Eurowings flights from Vienna
The Lufthansa Group is reshaping its strategy for Vienna Airport. Amid the price war with low-cost airlines such as Lauda, Wizz Air, EasyJet and Level, Lufthansa subsidiary AUA is "taking over the commercial control of all Eurowings flights from Vienna," a spokesman for Austrian Airlines confirmed to APA on Friday. "AviationNetOnline" had previously reported on this.
The Vienna base of Lufthansa's low-cost airline Eurowings will thus be de facto dissolved. Of the current seven Eurowings aircraft, four remain in Vienna. From January 2020, THE AUA will take over this in the "Wetlease", i.e. including Eurowings personnel. In future, three Eurowings jets will be stationed in Salzburg, which will fly from Salzburg and Innsbruck as charter aircraft to holiday destinations. Routes from Vienna to Germany are taken over by Eurowings Germany.
The Eurowings base in Vienna will be integrated into the AUA hub and network planning, the spokesman said. Flight times are to be adjusted to connecting flights. The aim is, on the one hand, to strengthen the Vienna hub and, on the other hand, to expand decentralized traffic from the federal states.
As AviationNetOnline writes, Eurowings in Vienna only serves as a "production company" for the group's sister COMPANY AUA. For example, Barcelona and Rome would be served with AUA flight numbers, but primarily with Eurowings equipment. Although the on-board product should be adapted to that of Austrian Airlines, the pilots and flight attendants come from Eurowings. According to the report, Eurowings flights departing under AUA flight number will no longer be handled in Terminal 1, but in the same way as the AUA in Terminal 3.
A price war has broken out at Vienna Airport after the Niki bankruptcy. Ryanair subsidiary Laudamotion only announced on Thursday that it would increase its fleet in Vienna to 16 aircraft next summer. The Irish low-cost airline is sending four Ryanair aircraft and crews to Vienna, also in the so-called "wetlease," which the union criticised as a circumvention of the collective agreement.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said on Friday that Lauda will overtake AUA in five years: "We will remain number one at the site, in five, six or ten years."
Queen's granddaughter Princess Beatrice is engaged
Beatrice, Eugenie, William and Harry: As children, the cousins were best friends. Now the last of the four is getting married. Beatrice is engaged!
Wonderful news from the British royals: During the Italian holidays earlier this month, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (34) is said to have stopped around the hand of his girlfriend Princess Beatrice (31). The palace announced this on Thursday.
"We are extremely pleased to announce our engagement. We are both so excited to start this adventure together and can't wait to actually be married," the couple, who have been together since October 2018, said in the official statement.
He added: "We share so many similar interests and values and we know that this will help us a lot in the years to come with love and happiness."
Sister Eugenie snapped the pictures
The official engagement photos were taken by her sister, Princess Eugenie, 29 - and also posted them on her Instagram account.
A royal feast
The wedding is scheduled to take place in 2020. More information about the date, location and everything else will be announced by the palace in the coming months.
What is certain, however, is that the marriage of number nine to the British heir to the throne and the real estate mogul will be a celebration as big as Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank(33) on 12 October 2018.
Study on causes of heart disease
Smoking, obesity, unhealthy diet - there are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. But what really triggers a heart failure or an infarction? Hamburg researchers now want to take a close look at the genetic material of 9,000 healthy and sick people.
Through the analysis of the genetic material of 9000 people, Hamburg and Swiss scientists want to investigate the causes of cardiovascular diseases in more detail.
The research project is the largest of its kind in the German-speaking world, the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) announced on Friday. The Kühne Foundation is funding the project with 12.5 million euros. From Switzerland, the Davos High Mountain Hospital, which is owned by the Foundation, and the University Hospital Zurich are involved.
Obesity, smoking and unhealthy diet are among the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Genetic factors determine the risk. However, the interaction between genes and external influences is not sufficiently known, it was said. Now the scientists want to compare the complete genetic material of 8000 healthy people with that of 1000 former patients of the University Cardiovascular Centre at the UKE.
Currently, more than 4,000 of the approximately 20,000 relevant human genes are aware of possible disease-causing changes in DNA - so-called mutations, the hospital said. About 200 would be added each year.
According to the initiators, the aim of the five-year project is to develop new options for the prevention, detection and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure and heart attacks. The data could also be useful in research into other common diseases, according to Stefan Blankenberg, head of the University Cardiovascular Center. New insights into the interaction between the heart and brain, the heart and kidney as well as cancers are possible.
The chairman of the Kühne Foundation, Klaus-Michael Kühne (82), also stressed that there is a firm will to use the data to research other diseases. The foundation's clinic in Davos has so far mainly treated allergies. Now a Center for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine should be established on the medical campus there and a professorship for bioinformatics should be created. In support of his commitment, the logistics entrepreneur, who lives in Switzerland, said that he had open heart surgery in Hamburg three years ago and was very grateful.
The biosamples of the healthy participants come from hamburgers, who also participate in the "Hamburg City Health Study". With 45,000 volunteers, this is the largest local health study in the world, according to the hospital. The scientists assured that strict attention was paid to the protection of anonymised data when it was used to encrypt the genetic classification. It is about a petabyte (1000 terabytes) of data, said Holger Moch of the University Hospital Zurich.
According to the UKE, a person's genetic material can now be deciphered within 24 hours. The pure material costs for this would be 1300 euros. The first gene sequencing worldwide, the results of which were published in 2001, still cost several hundred million euros. The study is scheduled to start on 1 October and all 9000 samples are expected to be analysed by the end of 2020. Initial results are expected the following year.
Nigerian police free hundreds of abused boys
In Nigeria, police have freed more than 300 tortured and abused boys from a Koranic school. According to local residents, security forces searched the school in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna and discovered the victims, some of them minors, according to police spokesman Yakubu Sabo. "The victims were mistreated. Some of them claimed to have been raped by their teachers," Sabo said.
The boys were detained on the pretext of being taught and "improved" in the Koran. In fact, the protégés were held by their teachers in "the most degrading and inhumane conditions," Sabo said. About a hundred students, including children as young as nine, were chained up in a small room.
The Koranic school had been in existence for about ten years. Residents had alerted the authorities to repeated irregularities in the facility. The parents were shocked when they were informed about the conditions in the Koranic school, Sabo said. They would have had no idea of the suffering of their children. The operator and six employees were arrested, according to police.
In Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north, there are many private Koranic schools. They replace the often deficient state institutions. People in the region suffer frequent attacks by armed gangs. According to the UN refugee agency, more than 40,000 people have fled across the border to the neighboring state of Niger in the past ten months.
Chained and tortured: Nigeria police free 400 children from school
Police have freed nearly 400 students from appalling conditions at a school in northern Nigeria. "Many of them were chained and some had visible injuries indicating torture," said police spokesman Yakubu Sabo in the city of Kaduna.
The children were discovered there on Thursday after a tip-in at an Islamic school. The conditions there were "inhumane." Officers detained the headmaster and six teachers after the liberation action.
The children, all boys, were kept like slaves at their school and laid on chains. Some were sexually abused. Television images showed emaciated and injured students in a visibly poor state of health.
World footballer's choice: More allegations after Messi and Klopp's selection
Football "Signature not valid"
Jurgen Klopp, Lionel Messi and Megan Rapinoe honoured
World football's governing body Fifa is honouring the best player, the best player and the best coach of the year with a gala in Milan. For Lionel Messi, it is the sixth honour and thus record.
After Nicaragua's captain said he had never voted in the world footballer's election, accusations from other countries have come to Fifa. Egypt was not judged at all - with a curious justification.
Much of Fifa has proved offensive in recent years: the World Cup awards, dubious plans of its president Gianni Infantino, the general behaviour of various corrupt officials. However, the Fifa world footballer election has not yet been suspected of going unclean - apart from the fact that the national coaches and national team captains of the member federations who are entitled to vote often vote for sympathy rather than objective assessment.
But after Nicaragua's captain complained that he had not voted at all, further inconsistencies are now emerging: Egypt complains that the votes of national coach Hossam El-Badry and captain Mohamed Salah have not been taken into account. In fact, they do not appear in the official and publicly available voting table.
Fifa apologises for the fact that "the signatures on the election forms were in capital letters and therefore not valid". The Egyptian federation had been contacted several times to clarify the situation - without replying.
Sudan's coach also stunned
There is also an outcry from Sudan over the election. While the situation in the case of Egypt is understandable, the Sudanese federation states that coach Zdravko Lugarisic did not vote as it was finally ranked: with Lionel Messi in first place, Virgil van Dijk on two and Sadio Mané on three. According to Fifa, however, the vote was the same, with signatures and official stamps from the Sudanese federation.
Nicaragua's captain Juan Barrera had also made accusations: "Didn't vote for the #TheBest2019 Awards. All the information about my vote is false, thank you," he wrote. In his case, it was suspected that the Nicaraguan Football Association simply voted on his behalf.
On Friday, the association announced: True, but was of course not intentional. The completed election documents were "mistakenly" marked with the name and signature of Juan Barrera, the captain of the Nicaraguan selection, the association said in a statement. But the second captain, Manuel Rosas, actually voted. "We accept responsibility for the administrative error," the statement said. However, both Rosas and team coach Henry Duarte would have voted for Messi "as it is on FIFA's official list."
Fifa is now investigating the other cases, but insists the election process was overseen externally by the consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers. As long as Lionel Messi remains the undisputed winner of the world footballer's choice - and Jürgen Klopp's world coach of the year.
Ukraine affair: Senior Republicans call for official investigation
Two senior Republicans have openly called for an official investigation into US President and party friend Donald Trump. "I think the investigation is important," said Vermont Republican Governor Phil Scott. "Where this leads from here is determined by the facts that are established". He said he wanted to know more about the whistleblower affair before action was taken. Impeachment proceedings can lead to the removal of the President.
Scott said he was not surprised by the revelations. These had shown that Trump had repeatedly called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyy in a phone call to investigate the activities of Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden in Ukraine. Scott said Trump has been watching Biden "for years."
Republicans have so far held back with criticism of Trump over the whistleblower affair, but few have been uneasy about it. Scott's comments are now a first sign of this in Trump's party. The moderate Virginia governor had repeatedly opposed Trump's policies, such as loosening environmental regulations and tightening immigration rules.
Another senior Republican, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, also called for the investigation. "It's a deeply disturbing situation," Baker said. "The right course of action and the responsibility for Congress now is to investigate the matter and get to the bottom of it," he said.
As governor of the Us states, Scott and Baker have no formal say in the case against Trump, which is decided in Congress. Your statements are therefore particularly important symbolically. Still, first Republican senators have also been critical of the situation. Mitt Romney, for example, who represents the state of Utah in the second chamber of parliament, said the case was "extremely disturbing, deeply disturbing." Us media also report that the first cracks are emerging internally among Republicans.
The affair could result in the impeachment of Trump, and House Democrats have announced an investigation into it. They accuse him of abuse of power for the purpose of foreign influence for his own political gain.
There is no precise timetable for impeachment. With their majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats could seek a so-called impeachment. But the decision on actual impeachment would be made in the Senate, where Trump's Republicans have a majority. The chances of success of such a procedure are therefore slim. So far, no U.S. president has been removed from office by impeachment proceedings.
Were torturers on board Rackete's "Sea Watch"?
Three men have been arrested in Sicily for allegedly raping and murdering in Libyan refugee camps.
German captain Carola Rackete, 31, was arrested in June after illegally sailing to the port of Lampedusa with the rescue ship "Sea Watch 3" and 53 Libyan refugees on board. After violent protests and international criticism - including from Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen - her house arrest was lifted after a few days by an Italian judge.
Now new serious allegations are being made against Rackete. For example, three men accused of torture in Libyan refugee camps may have arrived in Italy with the "Sea-Watch 3". The suspects were apprehended at a reception centre in Messina, Sicily, after migrants recognised their tormentors in Italy. "We cannot rule this out, but we do not have any reliable information on it," Sea Watch spokesman Ruben Neugebauer told the German Press Agency.
Police said in mid-September that the suspects had been raped, tortured and even murdered in the North African country. They were Mohammed C. (27) from Guinea, and the two Egyptians Hameda A. (26) and Mahmoud A (24). "The migrants were systematically harassed and subjected to atrocities - through repeated and constant physical violence," the statement said at the time.
NGOs and aid organisations are now pointing out that they cannot know exactly who is coming on to the ships. 'We can't scan who the people are. They come without passports," Neugebauer said. Torture is one of the main reasons why people are fleeing Libya. It is therefore quite probable that there are also perpetrators on the ships. "It is therefore very important that this is investigated".
Italy's right-hand-back former interior minister Matteo Salvini immediately demanded an apology from Rackete, who is still under investigation in Italy for aiding illegal immigration.
Musk aims for delivery record at Tesla
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has given his electric car company a strong boost on the stock market with the prospect of new record numbers.
"We have a chance to reach our first quarter with 100,000 deliveries," Musk wrote in an email to Tesla employees published by the industry blog "Electrek."
Demand is strong, allowing Tesla to place 110,000 orders, Musk's circular continued. The challenge, he said, is to get the cars to customers quickly. To do so, Tesla must provide as many resources as possible at the end of the quarter.
Investors liked this: Tesla's shares were trading at more than 6 percent. The share price has not risen so much in almost four months. In the second quarter, Tesla delivered more than 95,000 cars, reaching its previous record.
Musk needs records to achieve his lofty goals. In 2019, he plans to deliver a total of 360,000 to 400,000 cars. For this, six-figure figures will have to be produced in the current and coming quarters. Especially the cheapest Tesla Model 3 is in demand, but here the profit margins are low. Despite the boom, there have been recent losses.
U.S. budget dispute: Once again, only bridge financing
The new financial year will begin in the United States on 1 October without a proper budget. The Senate passed the House of Representatives on Thursday and passed transitional funding until November 21.
Although the US Congress and President Donald Trump agreed in August to increase spending caps for the 2020 and 2021 financial years, the United States is once again without spending plans before the new fiscal year begins on October 1. The Senate passed the House of Representatives on Thursday and passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) until November 21. Without such a decision, there would have been a shutdown at midnight on Monday, a partial closure of the federal administration. President Trump has yet to enforce the decision.
Shutdown averted
For the time being, the Federal Administration will now be financed at the level and in accordance with the priorities of the spending plans for the 2019 financial year, which ends on Monday. This is because Congress has not been able to agree on the 12 spending bills that allocate the funds to the various departments and agencies. For the time being, therefore, the Federal Administration cannot take the 1.3 bio for the new financial year. to 1.4 organic. • benefit from extended spending frameworks.
Democrats have passed 10 of the 12 bills in the House of Representatives, where they have a majority. But the spending bills reflect priorities for Democrats who have little chance in the Republican-dominated Senate. Conversely, the Senate also has ten of the twelve spending plans more or less ready, which are hardly capable of winning a majority.
The ghosts differ mainly on the issue of resource allocation for the area of domestic security and border security. In the Senate, Republicans appear to be trying to force a total of 12 billion dollars to build the wall, one of President Trump's big priorities. Democrats are bothered by the wall-building plans and their funding, which is actually intended for other military constructions and projects. The dispute over the construction of the wall had already escalated in December 2018 and had led to a 35-day shutdown.
At the construction of the wall, the spirits diverge
It is currently unclear how the parties intend to move closer on this issue. More likely than an agreement on all 12 spending bills over the next seven weeks is an extension of transitional funding beyond 21 November. Even a shutdown is not excluded.
Against the backdrop of Congress's continuing inability to agree on the 12 spending bills in time, and the associated risk of a shutdown, ideas to automate the process are gaining popularity. Submission p. 1877 on the avoidance of shutdowns would automatically continue the financing of the federal administration at the previous year's level, stop the travel activities of parliamentarians and withhold their wages until the new annual expenditure plans were available.
France allows artificial insemination for lesbians and singles
In France, artificial insemination will in future also be open to women and lesbians living alone: the Paris National Assembly voted by a large majority in favour of a government bill that would allow all women to benefit from in vitro insemination. As a result, the demand for anonymous sperm donations is likely to increase significantly.
The bill still needs Senate approval. In the three-day emotional debate, critics in the right-wing camp had warned that many "children without a father" could grow up in the future. The French Episcopal Conference is also opposed to the innovation.
The new regulation is the core component of a bioethics law, which Health Minister Agn's Buzyn defended as an "opportunity" for society. It shows the modern family, in which there are children with only one parent or with homosexual parents. According to her, the costs of artificial insemination for all women should be borne by social security.
Insemination with sperm from dead husband still banned
By a narrow majority, however, the National Assembly rejected an amendment to give widows access to their dead husband's sperm for artificial insemination. Artificial insemination is permitted in Belgium, Spain and the United Kingdom. In Germany, there have been cases in the past in which women have pleaded in vain for the release of the sperm of a deceased person. Opponents of the Paris attack argued that such a begotten child would then carry a "particularly difficult fate."
Many members of President Emmanuel Macron's ruling Party La République en Marche (LREM) and opposition mps had opposed artificial insemination with the deceased partner's sperm. They stressed that a widow would be subjected to a "double grief" if her husband's death left her wish to have a child unfulfilled.
The initiators of the now-failed amendment consider it unfair that a widow should be able to be fertilized with the sperm of an unknown person in the future, but not with that of her own partner.
Until now, artificial insemination in France is only allowed for heterosexual couples who cannot have children. They must be married or live together for at least two years. Buzyn had already announced in the summer that surrogacy would remain banned.
In Germany, artificial insemination is theoretically open to all women - but it is often difficult for single or lesbian couples.
Climate compensation: Calls for air tax for universities grow louder
There is a lot of flying at the universities. That is why the country wants to have a climate levy payable there in the future as well. The rectors say they have no money for it. But now they are also coming under internal pressure.
Universities should also be restricted to flying. Photo: dpa/Julian Stratenschulte
The discussion on a climate levy on flights from universities and colleges, which was postponed before the summer recess, is gaining momentum again. After the State Rectors' Conference reacted sceptically to a corresponding move from the Green-Black coalition, the plans now receive support from the universities. In a joint statement, the doctoral students from six universities in Baden-Württemberg and one of the universities of education plead for compensation for service flights. This is "urgently necessary" as a first step, but at the same time there must be a broad debate on the avoidability of flights, it says in its opinion. Meanwhile, the cabinet decision originally planned in July is still on hold because the CDU has still not approved the Greens' proposal.
Russia detains North Korean fishermen again
According to the FSB, the detainees are said to have illegally fished in Russian waters. Ten days earlier, 161 fishermen from North Korea had already been arrested. At that time there was an exchange of gunfire between the border guards and the boat crew. Three Russians and a North Korean were injured, and the fisherman later succumbed to his serious injuries. This time, however, there were no casualties, it was said.
Communist North Korea suffers from chronic food shortages. The North Korean fishermen were therefore on their way to Russian territorial waters. Russia's coast guard says it is patrolling to protect its marine biological resources.
30,000 squid seized
During the re-checks, 30,000 squid were discovered and seized on the boats. In addition, according to the information, three fishing boats and two motor boats were confiscated and taken to Nachodka and Posjet near Vladivostok.
Russia's fisheries authority had not issued fishing licenses to the North Koreans this year, even after complaints from local entrepreneurs. Thousands of fishermen from North Korea have been temporarily detained there this year, according to media.
The head of the Association of Russian Fishing Companies in the Far Eastern region of Primorye, Georgi Martynov, also recently complained of severe ecological damage from North Korean fishermen. They fished with tight-meshed synthetic nets banned in Russia. These would also take small creatures out of the sea. In addition, the nets would simply be disposed of in the sea, where they would take 200 years to decompose.
Only 18,000 left: US lowers asylum cap
The "most generous nation in history": Donald Trump, here at a meeting with elected police officers at the White House.
The world's richest country is closing itself off against those seeking protection: As the State Department in Washington confirms, the cap on the legal influx of refugees will be further lowered. In future, especially threatened believers and Iraqis will be granted asylum.
The US government wants to lower the already historically low limit for the reception of new refugees once again. A maximum of 18,000 people will be allowed into the country in the 2020 fiscal year, which runs in the United States from October 2019 to September 2020, the State Department said. In the financial year that has now almost expired, the limit is still 30,000 people.
President Donald Trump's administration has drastically reduced the willingness to accept protection seekers from around the world in recent years. Under The previous administration of Barack Obama, far higher admission limits had applied.
The target cap of 18,000 refugees would be the lowest since the U.S. refugee program was introduced in 1980. The State Department, however, called the U.S. "the most mercurable and generous nation in history," a phrase that is strongly reminiscent of the president-elect's language.
A "responsible approach" to refugees is aimed at allowing refugees to return to their home countries to help rebuild, Trump said. He has received a lot of support from supporters for his hard line on migration policy, but there is also massive criticism.
A major point of contention is the border with Mexico, which Trump wants to seal off. To finance the construction of a border wall, Trump had declared a national emergency. Whether there is a temporal link between the current measure and current domestic developments in the US capital is unclear. Trump is currently under pressure over the Selenskyj affair and a possible imminent impeachment.
According to the Foreign Office, the U.S. government wants to focus on accepting two refugee groups in the future: people persecuted for their faith - and Iraqis who have helped the U.S. military in the country and are at risk, according to the State Department statement. On the other hand, a maximum of 1,500 refugees from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are to be accepted.
The US wants people from this "northern triangle" of Central America in particular to apply for asylum in other countries. Against this background, the United States has concluded migration agreements with Guatemala and now also with El Salvador and Honduras in order to curb immigration on the US southern border with Mexico.
Court orders release of orangutan from zoo
An orangutan female has been moved from the former Buenos Aires Zoo to a star-ball reception centre in the UNITED States at the request of the Argentine justice system. "Sandra", who was born in 1986 at Rostock Zoo, was granted the rights of a "non-human person", so her release was mandatory. The animal was taken by direct flight to Dallas on Thursday evening - not as a passenger, but in the hold, as lawyer Andrés Gil Doménguez explained.
Since the 53 kilogram human monkey is unable to adapt to life in the wild, she is to live in the open-air enclosure of the Center for Great Apes in Florida in the future. It already houses 21 other orangutans and 31 chimpanzees, including "Bubbles," formerly a pet of pop star Michael Jackson. Before moving to Florida, however, "Sandra" will have to endure a 40-day quarantine at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas.
After her birth in Rostock, "Sandra" spent several years in the former Ruhr Zoo in Gelsenkirchen before she was transferred to Buenos Aires in 1995. The "Sandras" fundamental rights lawsuit brought by animal rights activists in 2014 helped transform the Buenos Aires Zoo into an eco-park. By 2023, a research and educational centre for the conservation of biodiversity is to be established there.
Record for Swiss extreme mountaineers: 550 meters in 46 minutes
The extreme mountaineer Dani Arnold has succeeded in a new Hussar ride at the almost 3000 meter high Großer Zinne in the Italian Alps.
Without a net, double floor or other aids, the Swiss conquered the 550-metre-high north face of the Großer Zinne in a new record time.
Dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and only supported by absolute vertigo, Arnold needed 46 minutes and 30 seconds to climb. In doing so, he undercut the old record by almost 19 minutes.
Arnold is now a record holder in Free Solo Speed on four of Europe's six most important northern walls.
Nike benefits from new online marketing strategy
Despite the trade dispute with China, the US sportswear manufacturer Nike has posted a significant increase in profits. Net profit rose to 1.4 billion dollars (just under 1.3 billion euros) in the quarter ended March 1. That's 25 percent more than in the same period last year, the company said on Tuesday. The main reason for this is the new marketing strategy "Nike Direct", with which the Adidas competitor addresses its customers directly online.
Revenues rose to 10.7 billion dollars in the three-month period to the end of August. Nike sales were the strongest, with sales up 22 percent in China. The Beaverton, Oregon-based group also benefited from its approach of addressing consumers directly via the Internet or smartphone apps.
Chief Financial Officer Andy Campion announced that Nike will continue to drive the "digital transformation" of the sporting goods manufacturer with strategic investments, thereby expanding its competitive advantage. Investors reacted with delight to the quarterly figures, with shares in the sporting goods maker rising more than five per cent.
Lifetime stadium ban over racism in Italy
The club from the Italian capital has imposed a lifetime stadium ban on a fan for racist comments about football pro Juan Jesus of AS Rome. The Brazilian defender Jesus had been insulted by the fan on Instagram. Jesus then published the private messages and asked his club to take action. "@officialasroma you already know what to do with such a fan. #NoToRacism. Proud to be who I am," wrote the 28-year-old, who has played for AS Rome since 2016.
The club responded late Thursday. He reported the fan's account to Instagram and police. The Roma supporter will also never be allowed to attend a club game again, the club wrote on Twitter.
Racism is a problem in Italian football. Italian fans regularly chanted racist insults against black players from rival teams. "We cannot have racism in society or in sport. In Italy, the situation has not improved, and this is very serious. You have to identify those responsible and throw them out of the stadiums," Fifa president Gianni Infantino said at the weekend. The statement was prompted by racist chants during the first league match between Atalanta Bergamo and AC Florence last Sunday.
But there had also been discussions about the supporters of Juventus Turin recently. Italian authorities have now banned 38 rioting fans of record-breaking champions Juventus Turin from stadiums. Four of them are not allowed to enter the stadium for a period of ten years, police said. The rest are therefore subject to bans of four to seven years.
The fans are linked to ongoing investigations into 12 leaders of ultra-fan groups around Juventus. The twelve are accused of serious extortion, money laundering and private violence, among other charges. The club launched the investigation with an advert last year.
According to Italian media reports, the ultra-leaders are said to be behind the black market in tickets. They would have "militarily controlled" ticket sales for the fan curve and allegedly blackmailed Juventus staff to get cheaper tickets.
Generation Z: Are they really different from Generation Y?
Millennials are narcissistic, Generation Z is political - whole vintages are considered with catchy names. If you take a closer look, the awards are full of contradictions. So how well do these labels describe young people's lifestyles?
"The crabs are coming!" With this call, the crab fishing at Lake Gucheng in Gaochun officially started on September 21, thus also heralding the opening event of the 19th China Gaochun Gucheng Lake Crab Festival, as announced by the Public Relations Department of the Nanjing-Gaochun District Committee.
Gaochun, which forms the southern foothills of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, is one of the national environmental zones. The city is the first international "slow city" in China and is also the Chinese headquarters of the international "Slow City" movement. From an ecological point of view, the city has ideal conditions with a mixture of "30 percent mountains, 20 percent water areas and 50 percent fields". The great natural environment of Gaochun offers its inhabitants all the conditions to get rich.
The people of Gaochun started breeding crabs in the early 1990s. Over time, the crab industry has developed into a formative industry that has generated high incomes and become an important part of Gaochun's economic development. In recent years, Gaochun has actively sought a large-scale, ecological and scientific development of crab breeding as well as technology-based crab breeding. And the city has taken care of promoting greater efficiency in agriculture and farmers' incomes.
In recent years, Gaochun has advanced a reform to "distribute power, optimize administration, and government services," and has carefully built the "one-roof permits, law enforcement team, services network, lending platform. In doing so, the city wants to fully optimise the environment for permits, services and development.
Gaochun makes full use of the local benefits through its connection to southern Jiangsu and southern Anhui, using the development zone and its position as an international "slow city" as flagships to create intelligent high-end production companies, biomedical and medical technology companies, energy storage and environmental protection, the cultural and health sectors, and organic farming companies that are leading the 3+2 sector. to settle here. At the same time, Gaochun has promoted the development of a national tourism zone and tourist resorts of national importance. The ecological and cultural resources of the Gaochun countryside have been integrated, the state of the buildings for civic services and the public service have been extensively improved, the areas of "tourism +" and "+ tourism" have been vigorously developed and the development of cultural tourism at a high level of quality has been promoted. It's worth looking forward to the future of Gaochun.
Iran-U.S. conflict: Ruhani talks about end to sanctions - Trump contradicts
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has spoken of an alleged US offer to lift sanctions after returning from the UN General Assembly. The United States has promised an end to all sanctions in exchange for talks with the Tehran leadership, Ruhani said on his official website.
However, US President Donald Trump contradicted his Iranian counterpart via Twitter: "Iran wanted me to lift the sanctions imposed on him so that there would be a meeting. I said, of course, no."
Ruhani describes the events in this way: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron were present in New York and had insisted on a meeting. "And America says I am lifting the sanctions," Ruhani added. The nature of the punitive measures that were to be brought to an end was up for debate. "And they have clearly said that we will lift all sanctions," he said.
However, this move was not made in an acceptable manner, Ruhani criticized. In view of the punitive measures in force and "the poisoned atmosphere of maximum pressure", no one could predict the outcome of negotiations.
Earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Ruhani in New York. The background was the hope of Europeans to salvage the nuclear agreement with Iran negotiated with Russia and China. This is intended to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons. French President Emmanuel Macron, like Merkel, had expressed hope that Ruhani would meet with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Severe earthquake near Istanbul - Nearly 200 aftershocks
After two earthquakes struck western Turkey in a very short space of time, fears of disaster are growing. Thirty-four people were injured in Tuesday's earthquake. There have been nearly 200 aftershocks since the quake the day before, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Friday. This increases the fear of disaster.
Fourteen schools in Istanbul were closed for security reasons. Hundreds of buildings were damaged. The 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the Marmara region off Istanbul on Thursday, causing panic in the metropolis of millions. Now the government wants to set up a commission to better prepare the country for earthquakes in the future, Oktay announced.
Over the past 20 years, Turkey has not been sufficiently prepared for quakes, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said. In the city itself, the latent danger is repeatedly ignored. Every year, poorly built homes collapse - among other things, caused by the many smaller earthquakes that regularly shake Istanbul.
Urban planners such as the well-known architect Mücella Yapici have been warning for years that large open spaces registered as refuges in the centre have long since been built up. It was not until the 20th anniversary of the Gölcük quake in August that the Istanbul Chamber of Civil Engineers warned that an estimated one million buildings in Istanbul were not earthquake-proof.
The epicentre of Thursday's quake was in the Marmara Sea off the Silivri district and at a depth of about seven kilometres, the afad civil protection agency said. A smaller aftershock caused even greater panic on the streets a few minutes later.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on Twitter that no casualties or damage had been reported at first. State broadcaster TRT showed people running out of their homes in panic. Students were taken from the buildings in the Silivri district for safety reasons. Some students cried, as can be seen in pictures.
Istanbul is considered to be particularly at risk of earthquakes. Beneath the Marmara Sea lies a section of the so-called North Anatolian disturbance, which marks the boundary between the Eurasian and Anatolian plates. Turkey is repeatedly shaken by earthquakes. One of the deadliest was the 1999 quake near Istanbul. At that time, more than 17,000 people were killed.
Researchers fear that a 7.1-magnitude earthquake could threaten to take place. But it is unclear when the earthquake will occur. Thursday's earthquake hit the west of the country and Istanbul again.
Companies are designing contingency plans, private individuals have packed so-called go-bags with everything they need to stand next to front doors, and schools teach children how to behave when the earth is shaking. It is unclear when the next major quake will come.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said eight people had been injured after returning from New York. Some buildings had suffered minor damage. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu followed developments from the Istanbul Disaster Coordination Centre (Akom). According to him, two minarets of mosques collapsed in the districts of Avcilar and Sariyer.
Warning of aftershocks in Istanbul
On social media, many users report panic. Buildings wobbled. Schools and hospitals were evacuated. Telephone lines were interrupted. It was more violent than Tuesday's, writes one user. The head of Turkey's Red Crescent, Kerem Klinik, warned of aftershocks via Twitter. He called on people to stay away from buildings that had suffered visible damage.
The time of the quake is reported at 1:59 p.m. (local time), according to officials. Just minutes after the first quake, there was an aftershock with a magnitude of 4.0 on the Richter scale, according to CNN Turkey.
As recently as Tuesday, a 4.6 magnitude earthquake had shaken Turkey's Marmara region - it was felt as far as Istanbul. Its epicentre was also located in the Marmara Sea west of the metropolis of millions, the afad civil protection agency announced on Tuesday.
It wasn't the only earthquake that made headlines on Tuesday: Pakistan was also hit by a major earthquake.
Researchers believe that sooner or later there could be a catastrophic earthquake in Istanbul - the tension between the tectonic plates is extremely high. Scientists believe it will eventually unload - and cause massive damage.
Earthquake researcher Sükrü Ersoy reckons that the earthquake is now a warning. It became more likely, he told CNN Türk. "These could be the signs of a major earthquake," Ersoy told the station. "Sooner or later the big quake will come,"" he said.
There had already been an incident a few weeks ago - the quake also caused great concern in Istanbul. In Albania, there had also been a severe earthquake just a few days ago - there were 68 injured. This year, too, the earth had shook on Lake Constance.
Parliament: New fuel in Ukraine affair
Two explosive documents provide new fuel in the Ukraine affair over possible abuses of power by US President Donald Trump. On the way to a possible impeachment trial, US Democrats are encouraged: The complaint filed by an anonymous whistleblower about Trump and his controversial phone call with the Ukrainian president provides important clues to the president's investigation. Trump himself once again sees himself as the victim of a "witch hunt." He also questioned the whistleblower's credibility.
USA: United Airlines passenger locked in toilet - plane diverted
A United Airlines flight has been diverted because a passenger was locked in the board toilet. The toilet door was blocked during flight 1554 from Washington to San Francisco, the airline said, according to US media.
The woman was eventually freed from the narrow cabin during an unscheduled stopover in Denver on Wednesday night (local time). She was locked in for about an hour, US media wrote, citing other passengers. Passengers had to change the aircraft to continue their flight to San Francisco.
A video circulated online, which us media say is believed to have been taken from Flight 1554, shows several people trying to free the woman. "We're working to open the door right now, Ma'am. We'll get you out soon, OK?" a man says. The airline has apologised to all passengers. It was initially unclear whether the woman would receive compensation.
The cockroach: Inspired by Kafka: Ian McEwan writes Brexit novel
How does a writer like Ian McEwan deal with all the Brexit chaos? He writes a book about it - and his protagonist is unmistakable.
Inspired by Franz Kafka's famous story "The Transformation," the British author Ian McEwan, 71, has written a book about the Brexit chaos in Britain.
The novel "Die Cockroach" (originally "The Cockroach") will be published on German on 27 November, the Diogenes Verlag (Zurich) announced. It is about the transformation of a man named "Jim Sams", who was ignored or hated in his previous life, but is now suddenly the most powerful man in Britain. He sees it as his mission to put the will of the people into action, and is determined to be held back by nothing and no one.
McEwan was quoted as saying: "If Parliament is closed so that the government cannot be challenged at a critical moment, when ministers shamelessly lie like Soviet leaders once did, when Brexiteers in high positions are begging the disaster of a no-deal - then a writer must ask himself what he can do. There is only one answer: write". McEwan's novel "Machines Like Me" about artificial intelligence was only published in the spring.
Kafka's 1915 first-published story is about Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one morning and sees himself "transformed into a tremendous vermin," is gradually excluded from family and society and eventually perishes. "Ian McEwan bows to Kafka to describe a world that stands head to head," diogenes publisher said.
EU invests €9.5 million in Austria's rail infrastructure
11,200 wagons in Austria and Hungary are given whisper brakes to reduce noise pollution from freight trains. In addition, sections of the railway connections between Graz and Györ and Wiener Neustadt and Sopron will be modernised and electrified.
According to the EU authority, this should make travel more convenient and reduce CO2 emissions. The funds come from the EU's Connecting Europe Facility infrastructure pot.
Thomas Cook: All trips cancelled until October 31
The German tour operator Thomas Cook has cancelled all trips up to and including 31 October 2019 one day after its insolvency application. Travel "cannot be started for insolvency reasons," the company announced on Thursday night.
This also affects bookings of the brands Thomas Cook Signature, Thomas Cook Signature Finest Selection, Neckermann Reisen, ÖGER TOURS, Bucher Reisen and Air Marin, which have already been paid or paid in full. The company left open the question of travel with a start from 1 November 2019. In coordination with the insolvency insurance, the further course of action will be examined, it was said.
Thomas Cook in Germany had fallen into the grip of the bankruptcy of the British parent company and filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday. The company, which includes Neckermann Reisen, Öger Tours and Bucher Reisen, employs around 2,000 people in Germany.
Insurer wants to transfer money to hotels from now on
On the other hand, from this Friday, hotels abroad that currently still host Thomas Cook holidaymakers are to receive money from Zurich insurance. According to Zurich, payments to hotels are conditional on holidaymakers no longer being asked to make extra payments.
Based on booking information and without presenting separate invoices, hotels in the resorts will now receive 50 percent of the outstanding payments, a Zurich spokesman told the German Press Agency. "This applies immediately and on condition that Thomas Cook travelers are not immediately required by these hotels to pay individual hotel bills or otherwise be forced," spokesman Bernd Engelien added.
The insurance company responded to reports from hotel guests who said they had been forced to pay for their accommodation on site themselves. Some therefore had to put more than 1000 euros on the table. The German Travel Association (DRV) and the Federal Association of Consumer Centres had strongly criticised this.
How many hotels are affected will be agreed with the insolvent travel provider on Friday, the insurance spokesman said. According to Data on Thursday, 70,000 Thomas Cook package holidaymakers from Germany were still on the way. Zurich Germany has secured the holidays and return journeys of Thomas Cook customers.
Insolvency administrators want to try to continue the three Thomas Cook companies in Germany and find a solution for the future.
However, the now announced payouts to hotels by Zurich Insurance only help travellers who are currently on the road. For Thomas Cook customers who are yet to go on holiday, things are looking bad. Late Thursday night, the company announced that all trips up to and including October 31 would be cancelled. This also applies to bookings that have already been paid for.
The company left open the question of travel with a start from 1 November 2019. In coordination with the insolvency insurance, the further course of action will be examined, it was said. In principle, insurance zurich is also responsible for these cases. The sale of new trips has stopped. Dpa
The company refers to the insurer Zurich, which can be represented by the company Kaera. Customers can find out about the possibilities of refunding the travel price on the Kaera website and make their claims via a web form.
Prince Harry destroys explosive mine in Angola
Prince Harry has long continued Lady Diana's engagement. In Africa, he now walks directly in the footsteps of his mother.
Dressed in a blue splinter vest, Britain's Prince Harry detonated and destroyed an explosive mine in Angola.
Near a camp of the British Halo Trust near the village of Dirico, he set up the ignition circle in front of running TV cameras on Friday morning. At a safe distance, the explosive device exploded in the savannah landscape without causing any damage. Although the Halo Trust alone has destroyed more than 100,000 relics of the decades-long bloody conflict in the African country, there are still more than 1,000 minefields threatening the population.
On the fifth day of his trip to Africa, Harry wanted to follow in the footsteps of his mother Diana (1961-1997) in the city of Huambo. With the same explosive master who once accompanied his mother, he wanted to travel the way she was then. The pictures of Princess Diana walking through a cleared minefield in 1997 had gone around the world. She, too, had demonstrated support for the Halo Trust.
Harry, 35, and his wife Meghan, 38, have been on a 10-day trip to Africa since Monday, which began in the South African tourist city of Cape Town.
Stagnant Brexit negotiations: The risk of a no-deal remains acute
In fact, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had made it clear that there would be no third postponement of the Brexit negotiations. But what are the statements of the polarizing Briton for ever lasting. Britain's supreme court's latest ruling hovers over the blond head like a sword of Damocles. His suspension from Parliament to stubbornly implement his Brexit course until the exit date was annulled earlier this week. And a law passed by parliament obliges Johnson to extend bilateral talks until October 31 if negotiations with the EU fail. But Johnson had categorically ruled that out.
Boris Johnson still thinks deal is still possible
But the pressure doesn't seem to pass johnson noticeably either. Meanwhile, when visiting a hospital, he made suggestions that, if he did not agree, he would support an extension of the negotiations until the end of October:
You know, we're going to stick to the law.
At the same time, however, we are confident that we will leave the EU on 31 October.
And best with a deal. I am cautiously optimistic that this will work.
And time is beginning to run out for Brexit negotiators in Brussels. The EU and British negotiators still have about six weeks to prevent Britain from leaving the European Union without a deal. But even the latest talks have failed to make a breakthrough. An agreement by the end of October seems rather difficult to imagine at the moment. If the British Prime Minister does not break the law, a further postponement of the withdrawal date is in force. But the opposition does not trust the Prime Minister's words. She fears that if Johnson does, he could somehow push through Brexit.
U.S. authorities: More e-cigarette deaths
The number of deaths related to the use of e-cigarettes in the US has risen to 12. In addition, there are now 805 confirmed and probable injuries in this context, the US health agency CDC announced. According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, there have already been more than 900 people affected, about 500 of whom have been confirmed. The cause of the lung damage is still completely unclear. No similar increase in lung damage has been reported in Europe. Complaints appear to be limited to users in the US.
Fears of new protests in Egypt grow
The videos of Mohammed Ali have been shared millions of times on online networks. The spanish-based builder and actor calls for a "people's revolution." On Friday, he called for further protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the Egyptian military, which critics accuse of corruption and mismanagement. Ali is hoping for mass rallies with a million attendees in central squares across the country.
In any case, the security authorities are alarmed. There has already been an increased police presence in central Cairo. Several metro stations remained closed and roads around the central Tahrir Square were closed. In recent days, police had stepped up their roadside checks and searched the mobile phones of pedestrians in part for messages and photos related to the protests.
On September 20, the demonstrators also gathered around Tahrir Square.
Last weekend, protests with hundreds of participants took place in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Mansura. There had not been such an open protest in Egypt for years. The security forces reacted accordingly harshly. According to the human rights organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW), almost 2,000 people have been arrested since last week. Many of them were arbitrarily arrested - only because they were "in the wrong place at the wrong time," HRW said, citing lawyers for those arrested.
The organization also criticized censorship in the North African country. The government in Cairo is blocking websites and online services to prevent further protests against al-Sisi. The general has ruled the country since 2013 after overthrowing democratically elected Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. Thousands of Islamists, anti-government activists, bloggers and activists have been imprisoned and partially convicted in recent years.
"Ocean Change": Arved Fuchs back from Greenland expedition
Polar explorer Arved Fuchs returned from his Greenland expedition on Friday. On his arrival at the Port of Hamburg, he was greeted by, among others, the skipper Boris Herrmann, who had brought climate activist Greta Thunberg across the Atlantic with the race yacht "Malizia".
In recent months, Fuchs and a team of scientists have studied and documented the effects of global warming on his sailing ship "Dagmar Aaen" on the coasts of Iceland and Greenland.
The Fridays for Future movement is a boon, the polar explorer said. He had waited years for the younger generation to speak up. We have known for decades that the earth is warming up. Nevertheless, many acted as if there was a Planet B.
"What happens at sea often takes place in private," Fuchs said. He and his team wanted to educate people about the effects of global warming and marine litter. During the expedition, among other things, Greenlandic glacial ice was measured with a drone and fished for microplastics with nets, it was said.
The polar explorer from Bad Bramstedt was awarded the "Seadevcon Maritime Award" during the Hamburg Climate Week for his "fight for a sustainable and respectful use of the world's oceans". "Arved Fuchs is a great role model for all of us who care about the survival of the oceans," said skipper Boris Herrmann at the award ceremony. "He is a witness to the changes that have taken place in the Arctic in recent decades," he said.
Expensive spaghetti in Rome: Tourists paid 430 euros for noodles
430 euros for two plates of spaghetti with fish in a simple restaurant not far from The Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome: that seemed too much for two Japanese tourists. The bill, which included a tip of 80 euros, was paid for by the two women, but they posted the receipt on Facebook, prompting heated reactions.
"Such cases damage the reputation of Rome. We call on the police to investigate whether this is a fraud," a spokesman for Federagit, the association of travel guides in Rome, said in a statement, according to the Roman daily Il Messaggero (Friday's edition).
Promptly came the reaction of the owners of the restaurant. The Japanese women had ordered not only spaghetti, but also fresh fish, the local owner justified himself. However, this cannot be inferred from the invoice. A tip of up to 20 percent of the bill is also normal, the innkeeper said.
A call in Ukraine, and everything is broken? US President Donald Trump may indeed face impeachment proceedings after the tumultuous revelations of the past few days, and Democrats now want to examine this as soon as possible with their House investigation - weeks to go before a decision is made.
At the beginning of the scandal is supposedly the phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky. The whistleblower's accusation, which ultimately brought the conversation to the public out of concern for national security and US democracy, is monstrous: the president abused the power of his office to use the government of another country to influence the 2020 election. In doing so, he had used Ukraine's dependence to blackmail, thereby forcing it to take action against a political opponent.
The essence of this project can also be understood in the transcript of the conversation with Selenskyj, which has since been published, although it does not reflect the full text. But the July 25 phone call is just one episode of a much larger story centered alongside Trump, his personal lawyer: Rudy Giuliani.
The story begins in May 2019, when The New York Times reports on Rudy Giuliani's travel plans to Ukraine. He wants to meet with the newly elected President Selensky in Kiev, and the lawyer himself knows very well that his intentions are delicate. "We don't interfere in an election, we interfere in an investigation, which we have the right to do," he told the newspaper. One might think it is inappropriate, but "nothing is illegal about it." Giuliani wants investigations to be pursued in Ukraine, for which there is little basis - "because this information will be very, very helpful to my client and could prove helpful to my government."
The lawyer and former New York mayor appears to have become infected with right-wing conspiracy fantasies tied to Trump's opponent in the 2016 election: Hillary Clinton conspired with actors in Ukraine, critics said at the time, to construct a reason for the Russia investigation in the UNITED States. However, this accusation was never to be taken seriously.
This is precisely the investigation that Trump will talk so prominently about on the phone with Selensky in July. The version of Giuliani and the president is that former vice president and current democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, as the Obama administration's Ukraine envoy, had pushed for the dismissal of then-Ukrainian Attorney General Viktor Shokin. That was to stop the investigation he was overlooking of the gas company on whose board his son Hunter Biden served. Biden Senior had financially blackmailed Ukraine to cover up his family's corrupt activities.
In fact, the process was a little different. When Joe Biden demanded that the Ukrainian attorney general go, the investigation into the gas company was already complete, and Hunter Biden was never directly affected. Schokin himself has also been accused of deeply corrupt conduct, and the US government was far from the only Western partner to press for his dismissal. Moreover, the Obama administration even explicitly supported the investigation into the company.
Instagram Facebook and Whatsapp disruptions: Social media is down
Users worldwide report massive disruptions to Instagram and Facebook. Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain are therefore particularly affected. On the website allestörungen.de, users report that Facebook has been repeatedly not charging since about 3:30 p.m. Instagram also issues the error message that content could not be loaded. Whatsapp also appears to be affected by the disruption, although not to the same extent so far.
Instagram and Co. more often affected by disturbances
It is not the first massive incident this year. Already in March and July the services had been cancelled for several hours. And as in previous cases, users are turning to Twitter to vent their anger.
Polish scientists rescued in Antarctica
Three Polish scientists have been rescued from the ice of Antarctica by the Chilean Air Force. They were travelling in an inflatable boat and several miles from their base when their engine failed. They were lucky in the accident - it took the Chilean rescue helicopter less than an hour to recover.
Eduardo Mosquera, Commander of the 4th Chilean Air Brigade:
"At 9:30 a.m. we received the message, at just before ten we started, and we were over the inflatable for a good 20 minutes."
Poland has operated the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station on King George Island since 1977, with 19 scientists working there. The frozen researchers were safely returned to their research station.
Attention: Never charge your smartphone wirelessly
Practical but harmful
Inductive technology via Qi standard is extremely practical, but should not be used.
Since several new smartphones have recently been launched that support wireless charging and sell very well - especially the new iPhone 11 models, we would like to recall a study from the beginning of July. Wireless charging of mobile devices is extremely convenient, but not necessarily recommended.
Higher temperature adds battery
Researchers warn against wireless charging of smartphones. According to the findings of the Univerity of Warwick, this is extremely harmful to the devices. The reason for this is the significantly greater heat generation. If a mobile phone is normally loaded by cable, the battery heats up to 27 degrees within three hours. When charging wirelessly, however, the researchers always measured above 30 degrees, even when the smartphone was perfectly aligned on the charging pad. If the phone is slightly next to the coil, the temperature rises even higher. In addition, the wattage of the charging pad also increases, which in turn drives up the power consumption.
Capacity and lifetime
According to the researchers, temperature is a crucial factor in battery life. Every single degree plays a role. When charging at higher temperatures, the battery not only recedes capacity, but it also does not last as long as it does. The service life is therefore shorter. The researchers therefore advise that the smartphone should always be charged by cable. Since a battery replacement on modern smartphones is always associated with high costs, this should be a helpful tip. Apple has recently even increased the cost of a battery replacement - for all iPhones.
Virtually
The technology is extremely convenient: Simply place the device on a suitable charging pad - these are already installed in many restaurants, airports, hotels and cars - and the battery is charged without annoying cable clutter and tedious plug-fumes. Since Qi (which stands for inductive energy transmission) is a global standard that, for once, even Apple participates in, there are few restrictions. However, according to the researchers, the technology should only be used in exceptional cases.
Everest Jam Photographer: 13 Eight Thousandins in Six Months
A Nepalese climber says he has climbed 13 of the world's 14 highest mountains in just six months. Nirmal Purja, 36, has reached the top of the Manaslu in Nepal, setting a record, his expedition organiser said.
The former soldier wants to climb all 14 eight-thousanders in seven months. Purja calls his project "Mission Possible". He has already made international headlines: a photo of climbers queuing on Mount Everest that went viral in the spring comes from him.
The image of the mass rush sparked a debate about stronger security measures on the 8848-metre-high mountain and the highest peak on Earth. In May, eleven climbers had died in a matter of days during the ascent.
One problem for Purja could be the ascent of the 14th eight-thousander: Chinese authorities are currently blocking the Xixabangma mountain in Tibet. The reason for this is, among other things, bad weather. Earlier this week, Purja wrote on Twitter that Nepal's government wanted to talk to China to allow it to ascend.
Four dead elephants discovered in Sri Lanka
Among the dead animals was a pregnant elephant cow, a police spokesman said on Friday. "We suspect that the elephants were poisoned," he said.
The four carcasses were found in a protected area near the famous former rock fortress sigiriya, visited by many tourists. The animals were believed to be between 15 and 25 years old, according to the police spokesman. An autopsy was ordered to determine the cause of death.
Nearly 200 elephants are killed in Sri Lanka every year. The perpetrators are often farmers on whose land the animals had previously kept themselves harmless. At the same time, elephants kill around 50 people a year. This usually happens when the animals move through villages built near their habitat.
It is estimated that only about 7,000 elephants still live in Sri Lanka. Their killing is theoretically the death penalty.
Detained British oil tanker leaves Iran
The British oil tanker "Stena Impero" leaves the port city of Bandar Abbas more than two months after it was captured by Iran. This was announced by the Maritime Office Bandar Abbas, according to the IRNA news agency. Iran's Revolutionary Guards had arrested the British-flagged tanker on July 19 on charges of violating maritime law rules in the Persian Gulf.
Thomas Cook's management criticised
The House of Commons economics committee wants to fully investigate the bankruptcy of travel giant Thomas Cook. This will be about the board's pay packets as well as the question of why the British government did not want to financially help the struggling company to survive. "Our interest is in the supervision of the company as well as the control by external auditors," said committee chairwoman Rachel Reeves in London. "Apparently we are dealing with a bad example of management greed."
Genes are overestimated in bowel cancer risk, experts say
The role of genes in the family-enhanced risk of colorectal cancer appears to have been overestimated so far. This is the conclusion of researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg in a recent study. Other risk factors, such as familial dietary habits, are therefore likely to outweigh previously thought. This has consequences for calculations of the individual risk of colorectal cancer, the DKFZ scientists emphasize.
Elon Musk lets Tesla shares rise
Musk wrote this in an email to Tesla employees published Thursday (local time) by the industry blog "Electrek." Demand is strong, so Tesla could book 110,000 orders, Musk's circular continued.
The challenge, he said, is to get the cars to customers quickly. To do so, Tesla must provide as many resources as possible at the end of the quarter.
Investors liked the information: Tesla's shares were trading at more than 6 percent. The share price has not risen so much in almost four months. In the second quarter, Tesla delivered more than 95,000 cars, reaching its previous record.
Musk needs records to achieve his lofty goals. In 2019, he plans to deliver a total of 360,000 to 400,000 cars. For this, six-figure figures will have to be produced in the current and coming quarters. Especially the cheapest Tesla Model 3 is in demand, but here the profit margins are low. Despite the boom, there have been recent losses.
Does UK government want to bypass Brexit law? Johnson restrained
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is keeping a low profile on whether he is looking for ways to circumvent the last-seen bill passed by Parliament against an unregulated Brexit. In response to a question, he told reporters on Friday only that his government would comply with current law.
The law stipulates that the government must request a postponement of the withdrawal date if no agreement is reached with the EU by mid-October. Johnson criticizes this as a "capitulation law" that makes negotiations with the EU more difficult.
Former British Prime Minister John Major suggested on Thursday that Johnson could try to use "political harassment" to circumvent the law. Johnson could use a procedural trick that would postpone the law's entry into force until after the EU exit.
Johnson said he was seeking a deal with the European Union. "We are confident of leaving the EU on 31 October and the best way is to reach an agreement."
Iran appears to be ramping up uranium enrichment
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has stepped up pressure on European contractors in a dispute over the bailout of the historic nuclear deal. "Unfortunately, European states are showing incompetence or unwillingness when it comes to concrete actions," Rouhani said Thursday at a news conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. If they did not deliver on their promises, he promised "further steps" away from the agreements of the laboriously negotiated 2015 agreement.
The background is the conflict over the international agreement to prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb, which in return included a commitment to Tehran to normalize economic relations. The US single-handedly pulled out of the agreement in 2018 to force Iran to change course in Middle East policy deemed aggressive with "maximum pressure." President Donald Trump's administration wants to negotiate a new agreement with tougher conditions and is now again relying on tough sanctions against Tehran. Iran recently responded by restarting the treaty's limited uranium enrichment.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed in a report that the Islamic Republic now also uses the centrifuges installed at the beginning of September with uranium, or at least prepared them for use. According to the IAEA, Iran is also preparing to build more than 300 additional centrifuges.
Perhaps the Europeans are not willing to bear their share of the deal, leaving the Iranians alone with the cost and burden of depressing US sanctions, Rouhani speculated. However, there will still be further talks which, I hope, would bring about a solution.
Rouhani continues to deny Iran's involvement in attacks in Saudi Arabia
However, the situation changed after an attack on a major oil facility in Saudi Arabia in mid-September, with Germany, France and Britain following the US assessment on Monday that Tehran was responsible for the attack. Initially, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen had pledged allegiance to the attack, but what the US deemed a false confession. "We have nothing to do with it," Rouhani reiterated his position on Wednesday.
"Those who make such accusations must provide evidence of this," Rouhani said. However, european leaders would not have been able to do so in the talks with him during the UN general debate. Instead, they said, they were merely claiming that the rebels in Yemen could not carry out an attack like this. Rouhani had met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in recent days.
Before possible talks with US President Trump, the US administration's far-reaching sanctions must first be lifted, Rouhani demanded. He called on the government in Washington to move to a policy of "dialogue and reason."
Comet from another star crosses solar system
Astronomers are currently observing a comet from the depths of space. This was achieved before. The comet allows conclusions to be drawn about other solar systems.
What was initially only a guess is now confirmed: an interstellar guest crosses through our solar system. The comet from the depths of space was christened 2I/Borisov after its discovery and has aroused the interest of astronomers around the world.
The well-travelled comet was discovered on August 30 by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov at the Margo Observatory in Crimea - with a self-built telescope 65 centimetres in diameter. After-observation by various observatories not only confirmed that it was an unknown comet, but also showed that it did not originate from our solar system.
2I/Borisov is only the second interstellar object to be spotted during a flight through our solar system after 1I/'Oumuamua of 2017.
2I/Borisov offers astronomers a rare chance to get close-up glimpses of a foreign solar system before disappearing. Initial observations show that the interstellar comet resembles those of our own system, as reported by the Astrophysical Institute of the Canary Islands. "The comet's current speed is high, about 150,000 kilometers per hour, which is well above the typical speeds of objects orbiting the sun," Davide Farnocchia of the US space agency Nasa said in a statement.
According to the analyses, the comet is travelling on a so-called hyperbolic orbit, which takes it out of our system - and clearly of interstellar origin, as reported by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It is also responsible for the naming and categorization of celestial bodies. In honor of its discoverer, the interstellar tail star, which had initially been listed under the catalog number C/2019 Q4, was named 2I/Borisov by it, with the first part of the name indicating that it is the second interstellar object discovered in our solar system.
The astronomers are lucky: In contrast to 1I/'Oumuamua, 2I/Borisov has already been spotted in approach. This leaves researchers with many months to study. "The object will reach the highest brightness in mid-December and will then be visible with medium-sized telescopes until April 2020," Farnocchia explained. "After that, it will only be possible to observe with larger, professional telescopes until October 2020."
Several observatories have already targeted the visitor. For example, a team led by Karen Meech of the University of Hawaii, who had already led the characterization of 1I/'Oumuamua, determined the diameter of the celestial object to 2 to 16 kilometers in an initial study. Footage from the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii shows a distinct tail of the comet.
Researchers from the Astrophysical Institute of the Canary Islands (IAC) have already obtained a first so-called spectrum of the interstellar tail star, which offers a kind of fingerprint of its chemical composition. "The spectrum of this object is similar to that of comets in our solar system, and this indicates that their composition must be similar," said IAC researcher Julia de Leon. This observation suggests that comets in other solar systems could form through processes similar to ours, added de Leon's colleague Javier Licandro.
According to the IAU, the discovery of two interstellar visitors in just two years suggests that these objects could open up a new way of exploring certain processes in other solar systems. However, it is still difficult to estimate how frequent such trip visits are. One of the next interstellar visitors could potentially be intercepted by a planned satellite mission from the European Space Agency Esa.
The agency plans to deploy the three-part "Comet Interceptor" (german comet interceptor) spacecraft at a waiting position 1.5 million kilometers from Earth by 2028. According to Esa science director Günther Hasinger, it should either be waiting for a still untouched, fresh comet from our own solar system, or for an interstellar visitor like 1I/'Oumuamua.
First landing at Beijing's new mega-airport Daxing
Just in time for the 70th birthday of the People's Republic, a first Passenger Plane of China United Airlines has landed at the new mega-airport in the south of the Chinese capital, a special honour for the captain and crew.
By 2022, the new airport is expected to deal with around 45 million passengers a year, and by 2025 it will be 72 million. China's President Xi Jinping personally announced the opening of the 450 billion-dollar project. China's latest prestige project is also known as the "Starfish" because of its six-armed building structure.
The complex has four runways, which will later be expanded to seven, and is equipped with the world's largest automatic air traffic management system. A new subway will transport passengers to downtown Beijing in just 20 minutes.
Already during the construction, the Chinese had repeatedly stated that Berlin could learn from Beijing. The opening of the capital airport in Germany, which has been under construction since 2006 - has been postponed time and again. In Beijing, on the other hand, a first passenger plane landed in just four years.
New supersonic plane to fly in 2030: From London to Sydney in four and a half hours
From London to Sydney in just four and a half hours - that's what the UK Space Agency dreams of. A special propulsion system (Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine, Sabre), which the company Reaction Engines from Oxfordshire is developing, which is planned for the 2030s, is to be made possible by a special propulsion system (Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine, Sabre), which the company Reaction Engines from Oxfordshire is developing, the US broadcaster CNN quoted the agency as saying. "That's the technology that could definitely do it," agency chief Graham Turnock told the station. "We are talking about the 2030s for commissioning, and the work is already very advanced".
To push the project forward, the UK space agency wants to work more closely with the Australian. A flight from the British capital to the Australian metropolis currently takes about 20 hours. The Concorde was the only supersonic aircraft for passenger transport to date, covering the New York-Paris route from 1976 until its closure in 2003 and took three to three and a half hours to complete. In 2000, a Concorde crash edits at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, killing all 109 occupants. Last year, US aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin announced plans to work with THE US space agency Nasa to develop a supersonic aircraft, the "X-Plane". Virgin Galactic also has such developments in its programme.
"Sabre will make the world smaller with its high-speed point-to-point transport," Reaction Engines writes on its website. The Sabre drive could be used for efficient travel at a speed of Mach 5 - that means five times as fast as the sound. In addition, such aircraft can also be used outside the Earth's atmosphere, enabling the "next generation of truly reusable cream-driving equipment."
Washington turmoil: Trump seeks to track down anonymous tipsters in Ukraine affair
In the Ukraine affair over possible abuses of power by the US President, Donald Trump wants to find possible leaks in the White House.
"I want to know who gave the whistleblower the information," Trump told u.S. embassy staff at the United Nations in New York on Thursday. The person concerned was almost "a spy" and had been dealt with in the past "a little differently" than today.
This was seen as an attempt to intimidate tipsters. The event was not actually public. Several US media outlets, however, circulated audio recordings of the speech on Friday. Democrats reacted angrily to the president's statement.
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives announced preparations for impeachment proceedings against Trump on Tuesday. Their allegations are based primarily on the written complaint of an anonymous intelligence official making serious allegations against Trump and his administration headquarters. Under heavy public pressure, the whistleblower's account was made public on Thursday.
As part of his work, the whistleblower claims to have received information from several government employees that the US president is "using the power of his office" to get another country to interfere in his favor in the 2020 US election.
At the center of the allegations is a controversial phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky in late July, in which Trump encouraged his counterpart to investigate that could harm his political rival Joe Biden. This involves past business dealings of Biden's son Hunter in Ukraine and alleged efforts to protect his offspring from Ukrainian justice. Biden is ahead in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2020 election.
The whistleblower also accused the White House of a cover-up with regard to the Ukraine phone call: Senior government officials had tried to keep the exact wording of the conversation under wraps. As usual, an electronic text protocol was drawn up. However, this was removed from a database usually provided for after the interview on the instructions of White House lawyers and instead stored in a specially protected system. So far, only a rough transcript of the conversation has been published.
The identity of the whistleblower is not publicly known. The New York Times reported that it was an employee of the CIA foreign intelligence service.
Trump again questioned the source's credibility on Friday. In a series of tweets on the subject, the president wrote, among other things, that the "so-called whistleblower" had disseminated second-hand information that turned out to be inaccurate. Therefore, there may be no tipsters or spies at all.
But how Trump spoke in New York about those who allegedly leaked information to the whistleblower sparked outrage. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reacted with concern, complaining that Trump's statement was once again undermining the integrity of the administration.
In the House of Representatives, various committees have been investigating Trump and his entourage for months. In the face of the Ukraine allegations, Democrats are now pushing ahead with new charges to launch a possible impeachment case against Trump.
"The whistleblower has given us a roadmap for our investigation," said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff. Trump sharply attacked Schiff, accusing him of misrepresenting things and again calling for the resignation of the committee chairman. Trump regularly insults Schiff and had called for His withdrawal months ago.
More than 300 former U.S. security and foreign policy officials, mostly serving democratic but also Republican presidents, backed the Democrats' investigation into possible impeachment in a statement released Friday. If the allegations prove true, it would be "a ruthless abuse of power" by Trump, it said.
There is no precise timetable for the further procedure. With their majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats could pursue a so-called impeachment process. But the decision on actual impeachment would be made in the Senate, where Trump's Republicans have a majority. The chances of success of such a procedure are therefore slim. So far, no U.S. president has been removed from office by impeachment proceedings.
VW works council: Jobs 'sneaking'
The VW brand's plans to further reduce production costs could come at the expense of manufacturing in Germany and Europe. This concern is driving the carmaker's works council. The brand aims to reduce its annual factory costs of ten billion euros by two billion euros by 2023. Of this, EUR 500 million is to be saved as early as this year.
One key to this is personnel costs. The "Future Pact" negotiated between the company and the works council in 2016 already provides for the reduction of 14,000 jobs in Germany alone by 2020. As a general rule, a job can only be cut at the car manufacturer if it is virtually proven that the associated activities are no longer necessary. In addition, employment protection is in effect until 2029.
However, as our newspaper has now learned from works council circles, jobs in production that are not actually available are being "slowly" cut down by another means - i.e. bypassing the official course. For example, regular vacancies would often not be filled again.
In such cases, the works council has no possibility of forcing the re-occupation. In the meantime, there are many shortages of staff, the concentration of work is increasing, and the fears of a gradual bleeding of the vehicle plants are growing. This also increases fears that vehicle production could gradually be withdrawn from Germany and Europe, because it is cheaper in other parts of the world. VW said only: "An adjustment of the employment volume will be carried out as agreed in a socially acceptable manner along the demographic curve".
The VW brand wants to standardize production even more worldwide and centrally manage new projects. This, too, is intended to reduce costs and also speed up decisions - the aim is to increase productivity and thus competitiveness. Production Board member Andreas Tostmann said at a manager's conference in Berlin: "Especially in uncertain times from Brexit to the impending trade war between the US and China, we are well advised to make ourselves resilient to the crisis."
There have already been successes along this path: this year, for example, for the first time since 2013, production costs per vehicle will fall compared to the previous year. In front of journalists, Tostmann said that the production time for the Golf 8, which is to be presented in Wolfsburg on 24 October, is reduced by 1.1 hours. VW does not give exact figures on the production time, according to our newspaper, it is around
20 hours.
In our region, the main plant in Wolfsburg is the only VW factory where vehicles are produced. The Braunschweig and Salzgitter plants manufacture components. For Wolfsburg, the rule of thumb applies to VW internally that 800,000 cars have to be built there every year in order for the plant to be satisfactory profitable. In 2018, however, the capacity utilization in Wolfsburg was only around 700,000 vehicles - due to the falling diesel demand and the problems in the conversion to the new consumption and exhaust gas testing method WLTP.
As Production Board Member Tostmann announced last year, one million cars are to roll off the production line in Wolfsburg "perspectively". This should make it possible to bundle the golf production at the main plant - because the Zwickau plant is giving up Golf production by converting it to the location for e-car production.
In addition, the Tiguan and Tarraco (Seat) SUVs are produced in Wolfsburg. However, sales of golf and Tiguan have recently declined. As a result, expectations are now resting on golf 8. Despite all efforts to build up e-mobility, it is to remain the bread-and-butter car of the Wolfsburgs for the time being.
Forced into prostitution with voodoo: traffickers convicted
Young women from Nigeria have been swearing, smuggled into the Ruhr area and forced into prostitution. Six suspected traffickers have been jailed for this.
Six suspected traffickers from Nigeria were sentenced on Friday in Bochum to probation and imprisonment of up to eight years and three months. The defendants had smuggled young women from Nigeria into the Ruhr area and forced them into prostitution. In order to force their obedience, the Nigerians who wanted to leave had to take a ritual oath in their homeland in front of a voodoo priest.
The victims were aged between 17 and 22. They were brought across the Mediterranean in rubber dinghies with the help of Libyan smugglers. However, the dream of a better future was not fulfilled. Once in Germany, they were distributed among various brothels in order to cover the alleged smuggling costs of an average of EUR 25 000. The wages were therefore completely taken away from them.
The defendants - four men and two women - had admitted smuggling and then distributing the young Nigerian women to brothels during the trial. "The work made it physically and psychologically difficult for women," Judge Isabel Hoffmann said at the sentencing. "Some were really disgusted."
The sentences are for commercial and gang-related smuggling of foreigners, trafficking in human beings, pimping and serious forced prostitution.
Ufo calls for negotiations with Lufthansa
In the ongoing dispute with the Lufthansa Group, the cabin crew union Ufo has again threatened strikes.
If the company does not return to the negotiating table, the union will "inform on 14 October of the industrial action in the LH Group," UFO Chief Executive Daniel Flohr announced on Friday. Lufthansa and its subsidiary Eurowings have been refusing to negotiate collective bargaining with UFO for months. It is also a question of whether the trade union has lawfully terminated collective agreements with Lufthansa.
On this point, Ufo now sees itself strengthened after a decision of the Frankfurt Labour Court. Lufthansa wanted to state that the collective agreements had not been terminated. The court dismissed the applications. The company confirmed the decision and is considering appealing against it. "I think it is unlikely that a second court will take a completely different view of the matter," ufo board member Flohr said.
In August, Lufthansa also filed an application with the Frankfurt Regional Labour Court to have ufo status as a union reviewed by the courts. The company argues that the union has not appointed a board of directors for months and is therefore unable to fill its role as a collective bargaining partner.
This was preceded by a fierce leadership dispute in the divisional union, during which many members of the board and the advisory board resigned, including the long-time union boss Nicoley Baublies. The UFO had suspended a primary vote on cabin crew strikes at Eurowings at the end of July due to doubts about its leadership.
Facilitated entry: Saudi Arabia announces new visa system
Until now, Saudi Arabia was not exactly known as an international tourist magnet. But that is about to change. The Persian Gulf country wants to introduce new visa rules.
With a new visa system, Saudi Arabia wants to attract more international tourists in the future. By 2030, the aim is to increase the number of international and domestic visitors to 100 million per year, the Tourism Commission announced.
"The opening of Saudi Arabia to international tourists is a historic moment for our country," said Ahmad Al-Khatib, chairman of the Tourism Commission.
Saudi Arabia has so far been difficult for tourists to access. Visas are usually issued only for short business trips, religious pilgrimages or visitors with relatives in the desert state. With the new rules, the arch-conservative kingdom hopes to generate more revenue from the tourism business. Riyadh says it wants to reduce its dependence on oil trade.
By mid-September, several missiles and drones hit two of the country's most important oil facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia: the country's largest oil refinery in Abkaik and the Churais oil field. As a result, national oil production plummeted, and oil prices soared. It is likely to take several weeks for the kingdom's oil production to return to its old level.
Justin and Hailey Bieber stuck in preparation for wedding party
Singer Justin Bieber, 25, and his wife Hailey, 22, are preparing for their wedding party. The model posted several party photos on her Instagram Stories on Thursday (local time) showing her in a white wedding look. Reality star Kendall Jenner, 23, and others had organised a bachelor party in Los Angeles, according to People magazine.
Justin posted several colorful suits, including banana-printed suits, on Instagram, asking his followers: 'Help me choose my tuxedo for the wedding.' According to media reports, the celebrity couple plans to get married next weekend.
The Biebers gave themselves the yes-word at a New York registry office a year ago. There had been no major celebration at the time.
In a recent interview with Australian Vogue, Hailey explained that the two had found common ground after initial problems: "If you don't want to compromise, you can't have a relationship."
Two dead in plane crash in Czech Republic
Two people have died in the crash of a small plane in the western Part of the Czech Republic. The wreckage was discovered on Friday in a wooded area near the town of Mecin, Metshin, police said. The dead were a 38-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man.
Authorities had been searching for the plane since Thursday evening after the crew issued an emergency signal via GPS. A military helicopter was also used in the search. The cause of the accident has yet to be determined. The crash site is located about 30 kilometers south of Pilsen (Plzen) and 100 kilometers northeast of Regensburg.
Half of Europe's tree species are threatened with extinction
In addition to pests, diseases, alien species, unsustainable logging and the growth of cities are also causes of the threat, the International Union for conservation (IUCN) reported in Brussels on Friday. It has examined the stocks of all 454 tree species known in Europe. Of these, 265 do not occur on any other continent. Of these 265, 58 percent are threatened. 66 were already at the highest level of danger and thus on the verge of extinction.
The IUCN divides endangered species into six categories: from "potentially endangered" to "highly endangered," "highly endangered," "threatened with extinction" and "extinct in nature" to "extinct." In total, it lists more than 28,000 animal and plant species worldwide as endangered.
Boar ash and wild horse chestnut threatened
In Germany, Ebereschen (Sorbus) are particularly threatened, one of the authors, David Allen, told the German Press Agency. "Most are threatened because the populations are small anyway or due to the transformation or weakening of their habitats."
It also looks bad for the wild ordinary horse chestnuts. They have been considered "endangered" since 2017, level two of the IUCN scale. The biggest threat, besides a fungus, is the Balkan mini-moth. It has been spreading from south-eastern Europe across the continent since the 1980s and has few natural enemies. IUCN estimates the number of wild horse chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum) in Europe at less than 10,000 specimens. This assessment does not take into account the trees in cities, parks and avenues.
Shrub species and moss also in danger
At the same time, the IUCN scientists created new European red lists for molluscs, shrubs and moss. More than a fifth of molluscs and moss and almost half of all shrub species are threatened, according to the IUCN. This is mainly due to the destruction of the wilderness, introduced species, agricultural practices and climate change. Molluscs such as snails played a key role in recycling nutrients in the soil and were an important source of food for birds and other animals.
"This report shows that the situation is precarious for many overlooked and underestimated species, species that form the backbone of the European ecosystem and contribute to a healthy planet," said Luc Bas, IUCN Director of the European Bureau. "We need to limit the impact of humans on our ecosystems and make protecting these species a priority."
Istanbul earthquake: 34 injured reported
Thirty-four people were injured in the recent earthquake in Turkey. There were no fatalities, according to the statement. Dozens of people have had to leave their homes and 14 schools in Istanbul have been closed for security reasons, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Friday.
Hundreds of buildings were damaged. Since the quake the previous day, there have been nearly 200 aftershocks. The 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the Marmara region off Istanbul on Thursday, causing panic in the metropolis of millions.
Now the government wants to set up a commission to better prepare the country for earthquakes in the future, Oktay announced. Over the past 20 years, Turkey has not been sufficiently prepared for quakes, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said.
Istanbul is considered to be particularly at risk of earthquakes. Beneath the Marmara Sea lies a section of the so-called North Anatolian disturbance, which marks the boundary between the Eurasian and Anatolian plates.
One of the heaviest quakes was one of the magnitude 7.6 magnitude in 1999 near Istanbul. The epicenter was in Gölcük, southeast of Istanbul. More than 17,000 people were killed.
A 4.6 magnitude quake struck the region around Istanbul on Tuesday. Authorities urged residents to stay away from damaged buildings.
Super Bowl 2020: Jennifer Lopez (JLo) and Shakira perform at halftime show
Latin pop singers Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will lead the halftime show of the next American football final Super Bowl. The singers announced this on Twitter. "It's not going to get any bigger," Shakira wrote in a photo of herself and Lopez. She was insanely excited to be on the Super Bowl stage. On February 2, 2020, it will be in Miami.
Jennifer Lopez said she had dreamed of performing at the Super Bowl since 1996 - when she saw Diana Ross flying to the sky at the halftime show. "Now it's even special because the NFL has been around for 100 years and I'm going to perform with another Latina," he said. She couldn't wait to "show what we girls can do on the biggest stage in the world."
Shakira said in a statement that she feels honored to be on one of the world's largest stages alongside another artist, representing Latinos and Latinas from the United States and around the world. "And then also on my birthday!" The main sponsor of the event wrote on Twitter that it was the first time the two "queens" had been on stage together.
Shakira is from Colombia. Jennifer Lopez was born in New York, her parents are from Puerto Rico.
Fighting declining viewership
The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of the American football season. The game and halftime show are among the most watched TV broadcasts in the United States. Even if you've seen the last drop in viewership, this February the spectacle in the U attracted the fewest viewers in more than a decade. Nevertheless, it was still almost a hundred million people on average.
There had been uproar around the halftime show of the last Super Bowl: Last February, top stars such as Rihanna, Pink and Cardi B did not want to appear in the dispute over how to deal with quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Eventually, the pop group Maroon 5 led the halftime show - the reviews were nuptled.
Kaepernick, then quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, had kneeled during the national anthem during the 2016-17 nfl season in protest of police violence and racism. With his protest, Kaepernick sparked a movement, with many players taking over the gesture. This caused a great deal of excitement, with US President Donald Trump sharply attacking the mostly African-American football stars. Kaepernick himself has been without a club since March 2017 and has not played an NFL game. He accuses the clubs of not wanting to hire him for political reasons.
Cook bankruptcy: Hotels get money from insurance
Some banks are likely to face a costly default on travel provider Thomas Cook, according to a press report. There is a risk of high write-downs on outstanding bonds and loans. Credit Suisse is also affected, writes the Financial Times in its Friday edition.
Banks such as Barclays, Morgan Stanley, UniCredit and Credit Suisse are likely to have to write down up to 1.8 billion pounds (about 2 billion euros) on their books, the report said. This was shown by estimates by the consulting firm AlixPartners.
Bond creditors would have to accept write-downs of between 900 million and 1 billion pounds and lenders between 550 and 825 million pounds. The amounts actually to be written off are more likely to be at the upper end of the range, one expert told the paper.
How large the losses of creditors will actually be in the end will become apparent after the insolvency proceedings have expired. A person close to this procedure did not exude too much hope. For example, Thomas Cook's 40 or so aircraft in the UK are "old" and many of the properties are in poor locations. The most money can probably be made by selling the airport slots as well as the Thomas Cook brand, it added.
Rackete allegedly brought alleged killers to Italy
Sea Watch captain Carola Rackete may have brought men to Italy who allegedly tortured and killed people in Libya. "We cannot rule this out, but we have no reliable information on it ourselves," Ruben Neugebauer, a spokesman for the refugee organization Sea-Watch, told the dpa news agency.
Other migrants had recognised the three men in Italy. They are accused of raping, torturing and killing people in Libya. The alleged perpetrators were arrested at the reception centre in Messina, Italy. Neugebauer stressed that refugee organizations cannot verify who they left on their ships. "They come without passports".
Carola Rackete had illegally brought migrants to the port of Lampedusa on 29 June, ramming a ship of the Italian financial police. The three suspects are also said to have arrived there that day. The captain is under investigation for aiding and abetting illegal immigration.
U.S. warns federal government against Huawei
The head of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Ajit Pai, has warned the federal government against trusting Chinese network equipment supplier Huawei.
We believe that the risks are too great," Pai told Handelsblatt, referring to the construction of the new 5G mobile network.
China has a "national security law" that requires any company "under Chinese jurisdiction" to follow the instructions of the security agencies.
Current law also prohibits companies from informing third parties of such requests," the FCC chief added. This makes it very difficult to have confidence in the integrity of technical equipment and services.
The Federal Government has now agreed to require suppliers to make a "declaration of trustworthiness".
Berlin wants to try to control the risks first, for example with technical solutions, reports the Handelsblatt, citing its own information.
Pai doubts that this is possible. 5G technology is not just hardware:
The software in particular is important to keep the devices up to date. This software consists of billions of lines of code that change over time," Pai said.
It is "very difficult to imagine" that a government agency, "no matter where, would be able to review every single update in real time to detect security risks," the FCC chief added.
He accuses the Chinese company Huawei of close contacts with the Chinese state apparatus:
Ownership is opaque. The employee company that allegedly owns the company is not necessarily independent of the government," Pai told Handelsblatt.
The US has evidence that government employees are placed within the company. Pai recently was in Berlin for talks to promote the US position.
Chemical plant in northern France on fire: schools closed
At night, residents hear explosions. A gigantic wall of fire illuminates the sky above a northern French chemical factory. The fire was extinguished after hours - but the clean-up could now take days.
Schools and nurseries in the region remain closed after a fire at a chemical plant in the northern French city of Rouen on Thursday.
Twelve municipalities would not open facilities on Friday as a precautionary measure, the prefecture in charge said. The Home Office had urged citizens to stay indoors as much as possible and not expose themselves to the smoke. There were no casualties. Farmers and breeders were called upon to bring their animals indoors, protect their feed and stop harvesting for the time being.
The fire was fully extinguished on Thursday evening, the prefecture said. There is still a risk that odour will spread after the deletion, the prefecture said on Twitter. According to the prefecture, 240 firefighters and 90 police officers and gendarmes were on duty at the scene of the fire.
A gigantic black column of smoke had risen from the chemical factory. French media reported huge flames and explosions at the factory of Lubrizol, which makes additives for oils. The production plant is located a few kilometres from the city centre.
According to the authorities, the factory in Normandy belongs to the so-called Seveso category of dangerous sites, which are particularly monitored. In 1976, a devastating chemical accident occurred in Seveso, Italy, near Milan.
The prefect of the Normandy region, Pierre-André Durand, told the news channel BFMTV that no "high toxicity" had initially been detected in samples. However, pollution of the nearby Seine cannot be ruled out. Dams have been built in the river to combat pollution, the prefecture said.
The fire broke out in the early morning around 2:40 a.m., authorities said. The cause remained unclear at first. Rouen is a regional metropolis located on the Seine river between Paris and the port city of Le Havre.
French finance minister: "Germany must invest now"
French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has called on Germany to invest more in boosting economic growth in the eurozone.
Germany needs to invest now, the sooner the better," Le Maire said on Thursday evening at the presentation of the French budget for next year.
The eurozone economy is weakening, the minister warned.
We must not wait for the economic situation to get worse in order to take the necessary decisions".
Action must be taken by those states that have budgetary room for more investment, Le Maire said, among other things, with regard to Germany.
France does not have these margins, the minister added, pointing to his country's high national debt. This amounts to more than 98 percent of gross domestic product. France's public debt must be "stabilized" and "reduced," Le Maire said.
In recent years, there have been repeated appeals from France to Germany to make more public investment in order to stimulate the European economy. In return, German politicians have repeatedly called on France to get its budget deficit under control.
The French budget for 2020, unveiled on Thursday, provides for tax breaks of more than nine billion euros for households.
In doing so, the French government is responding, among other things, to the protests of the Yellow Vest movement. New debt is expected to fall to 2.2 percent, up from an expected 3.1 percent this year.
Is he still trying to trick?: Johnson dodges question on Brexit tactics
British Prime Minister Johnson strongly criticises the "capitulation law" passed by Parliament.
Parliament is back, with a law requiring the British prime minister to avoid a chaos Brexit. But critics fear Boris Johnson could still use a loophole. Asked about this possibility, however, the Tory politician is evasive.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is keeping a low profile on whether he wants to push through an unregulated Brexit - despite the recent bill passed by Parliament, which is exactly what to prevent. In response to a question, Johnson told reporters only that his government would comply with current law.
The law stipulates that the government must request a postponement of the withdrawal date if no agreement is reached with the EU by mid-October. Johnson criticizes this as a "capitulation law" that makes negotiations with the EU more difficult.
Former British Prime Minister John Major suggested on Thursday that Johnson could try to use "political harassment" to circumvent the law. The prime minister could use a procedural trick that would postpone the entry into force of the law until after leaving the EU. Johnson said he was seeking a deal with the European Union. "We are confident of leaving the EU on 31 October and the best way is to reach an agreement."
Meanwhile, Johnson's chief adviser Dominic Cummings said he felt the political battles over Brexit was a "walk in the park" and expressed confidence that the desired EU exit would still be achieved: "We enjoy that, we will win, we will (note). "Don't worry," Cummings told britain's Telegraph newspaper at a book launch.
Cummings, who led the Vote Leave Brexit campaign during the 2016 EU referendum campaign, now serves as chief strategist in Downing Street. He is said to be behind the uncompromising policy that has led the Prime Minister into an almost impasse.
"The Polaroid Diaries" by Linda McCartney
Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan or Janis Joplin - they all stood in front of the camera of Linda McCartney, who has become one of the great rock photographers. But it doesn't always have to be the big glamour. The photo book "The Polaroid Diaries" (bags) delves deep into the very private world of the McCartney family.
Paul McCartney, who was married to her from 1969 until Linda's death in 1998, was visibly proud and moved when he presented the illustrated book "The Polaroid Diaries" at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in mid-September. Among the illustrious guests were Ringo Starr, Stella McCartney, Olivia Harrison and Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde.
After the launch event, McCartney wrote on Instagram: "#ThePolaroidDiaries is a glimpse into the life of an extraordinary pre-Instagram family, a celebration of the legacy of LindaMcCartney as a dedicated artist and the instant magic of Polaroid film."
Linda McCartney, who had studied art history at the University of Aizona until she found photography, was always there. Thousands of Polaroids have made them, several hundred of which are now published for the first time in "The Polaroid Diaries".
They are portraits, still lifes, landscapes, several hamsters, a sheep in the kitchen and other interiors from the early 70s to the late 90s. "She wanted real moments," the art critic Ekow Eshun writes in his foreword. And of course there is always one thing at the centre: her husband Paul - as you may never have seen him before.
He dances with his daughter Mary on his shoulders, calls in a bathrobe with a bag on his head or wears unshaped moonboots. Sure, the McCartneys were an extraordinary family, but beyond the spotlight, they lived a normal life on their farm in southern England or in Scotland. According to the BBC, Mary McCartney said she slept as a baby in a bed her father had made from old potato boxes. And it hasn't always been tidy with the McCartneys.
The Poloraid camera captures the immediate moment like hardly any other medium. The shots of Linda McCartney are certainly a kind of family diary, but they are much more than mere snapshots.
It's all about the deciding click: you have to recognize when a great photo happens in front of you. And then you have to snap it at the right moment," Paul McCartney said. "If you snap two seconds later or two seconds earlier, it can be a completely different photo." And Linda would have had the gift of always capturing just the right moment. "She just knew she had it," Paul said in the Eshun essay.
The light, the composition, the cut-out and the colours are right, which makes "The Polaroid Diaries" not only an entertaining picture book for Beatles fans, but is not only an ecdotic but also a great aesthetic pleasure, where landscapes also sometimes seem like abstract paintings. The perfect addition to the newly released Beatles album "Abbey Road", which was released exactly 50 years ago.
"We will continue to buy oil and gas from Iran"
Turkey wants to continue importing oil and gas from the neighboring country, despite the US sanctions imposed on Iran. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview published on Friday that Turkey could not stop oil and gas imports from Iran.
We will continue to buy our natural gas from there," Erdogan said in New York, where he attended the UN General Assembly.
But Erdogan admitted that Turkey had problems importing Iranian oil, as some companies had "withdrawn because of the US threats."
Nevertheless, Turkey will "continue our relations with Iran, especially on this issue and on many other issues," said the Turkish president, who has repeatedly criticized U.S. sanctions against Iran in the past.
The US has pursued a policy of "maximum pressure" on the Islamic Republic since it pulled out of the international nuclear deal with Iran. According to the US, Iran is secretly pursuing a nuclear program and is not complying with the agreement.
Their sanctions have led to a slump in Iranian oil exports and a severe economic crisis in Iran. Tensions in the Gulf region have escalated significantly in recent months.
U.S. government wants to restrict refugee admissions
The US government wants to drastically restrict the admission of refugees. The U.S. State Department said Thursday that the annual cap on a resettlement program should be lowered from the current 30,000 to 18,000 refugees. This corresponds to a cut of 40 percent.
The State Department said the U.S. would continue to be committed to supporting refugees. But the most important task is to protect and serve US citizens. At present, the US immigration system is overburdened.
In the future, the U.S. government wants to focus on accepting two refugee groups: people persecuted for their faith - and Iraqis who have helped the U.S. military in the country and are at risk, according to the State Department statement. On the other hand, a maximum of 1,500 refugees from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are to be accepted.
Launched in 1980, the program selects refugees from UN camps around the world and resettled them in the United States. The cap of 18,000 refugees for the 2020 budget year would be the lowest in the program's history. The current ceiling of 30,000 is already a low. When US President Donald Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, left the White House, the figure was just under 85,000.
Aid agencies reacted with horror to the announced reduction of the ceiling. "This is a very sad day for America," said David Miliband, head of the International Rescue Committee. The US would thus further damage its leadership in protecting the world's most vulnerable people.
Trump is trying to strictly limit immigration to the Us, both legal and illegal. The U.S. government says it expects 350,000 asylum applications for the coming budget year. These figures are separate from the resettlement programme.
Donald Trump - "Come close to a spy"
US President Donald Trump has accused whistleblowers in the whistleblower affair of espionage. Whoever has given evidence to the whistleblower who accuses him of abuse of power "comes close to a spy," Trump said, according to a recording of a private event in New York on Thursday. Several US media outlets report this in agreement.
Trump then addressed staff at the U.N. mission. When asked about the person who briefed the whistleblower on controversial white house events, he replied, "That comes close to a spy." Then Trump added, "Do you know what we did in the old days when we were smart? Right. The spies and betrayal, we used to deal with it a little differently than we do now".
Observers viewed the latter remark as a possible allusion to the death penalty. Democrats sharply criticized Trump's remarks, accusing him of intimidating witnesses. It was also an attempt to obstruct a congressional investigation into possible impeachment proceedings against him, the chairmen of the House Foreign, Intelligence and Oversight Committees wrote.
In a now-published complaint, the whistleblower accuses the president of abusing his office to seek interference from another country in the 2020 US election. Specifically, his controversial phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Selensky in the summer is a question of how Trump urged him to launch an investigation into his potential Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter, in Ukraine. Trump denies any wrongdoing.
It is still unclear who both the whistleblower himself and his informants are. However, as The New York Times reports, the whistleblower is said to be an analyst with the CIA.
Refugee boat capsized: Baby and toddlers drown in Aegean Sea
Time and again people try to cross the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece. The often far too small boats regularly capsize. Seven migrants - including five children - have now died in the sinking of an inflatable boat.
Seven migrants have died in the sinking of an inflatable boat off the Greek island of Chios. Among the dead were a baby and four other children, the Greek coast guard reported. Four children, three women and five men were rescued from the floods by the crew of a passing ferry.
Among the victims is a smuggler, the local news portal of Chios, Alithia.gr. The migrants had left Turkey in the morning. They had tried to reach the small archipelago of Inousses in the northeast of the island of Chios. Inousses is located between Chios and the Turkish mainland.
It is not yet known from which countries the migrants originated. Hundreds of migrants are currently crossing from Turkey to the Greek islands in the east of the Aegean Sea, mostly in far too small boats. Last year, 174 people were killed on this route, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The Who cancel concert
A US concert by the rock band The Who has come to an abrupt end due to an inconvenience of lead singer Roger Daltrey. In the middle of wednesday night's performance (local time) in Houston, his voice failed the service. On the eighth song, Daltrey told the audience, "I think I should leave it while it's still running."
Lead guitarist Pete Townsend apologized, adding that Daltrey "couldn't really speak now." Townsend promised the audience that he would get his money's worth at a reparations concert. However, a date has not yet been set.
The Who canceled performances scheduled for Friday in Dallas and Sunday in Denver. They will be made up at a later date. The 75-year-old Daltrey and his 74-year-old bandmate Townsend are the only remaining founding members. The British cult band formed 55 years ago.
Rental suddenly stopped: WeWork makes real estate markets tremble
In New York, WeWork has become the largest office tenant.
Within a few years, WeWork is rising from a small startup to a driving force in the world's most expensive real estate markets. But now the company is in crisis. Landlords must fear billions in revenue.
The crisis of the office rental company WeWork threatens to upset the balance in the world's largest real estate markets. A few days ago, the company had removed founder Adam Neumann as chief executive, postponed the planned IPO and started selling subsidiaries and assets such as the private jet to executives in order to gain financial leeway for the coming weeks and months. In addition, the British Financial Times reports that WeWork has stopped the conclusion of new leases with immediate effect. This means that the largest tenant of office space in New York and London, among others, is suddenly off the market.
WeWork rents large office space on a long-term basis and rents it out to members at short notice in sometimes small units. These can be individual freelancers, small startups or entire departments of large corporations. So far, WeWork is burning money at breathtaking speed with this business. Last year, the company posted a loss of 1.6 billion dollars, with sales of 1.8 billion dollars. This year alone, the cost of renting new large areas is expected to have risen to an estimated USD 2.5 billion. In order to limit the loss, the new management is now said to have pulled the emergency brake and stopped the rental of new land with immediate effect.
According to the Financial Times, WeWork has now signed leases with maturities of up to 15 years, resulting in commitments of more than 40 billion dollars. These huge liabilities could become a problem not only for the company itself and its investors, but for entire real estate markets.
According to calculations by economist Dan Alpert of Cornell Law School in New York, WeWork has leased nearly 300,000 square feet of office space in Manhatten, one of the world's most expensive real estate markets, in the past 24 months. WeWorks's new contracts alone ensured that the demand for offices in New York was greater than the new space that was on the market at that time. Without WeWork's expansion, office vacancy in the U.S. metropolis would have increased during that time, as Alpert wrote in Business Insider. The situation is similar in London, where WeWork now operates several dozen office locations in a prime location.
In the British capital, too, the balance in the real estate market could shift noticeably without a further expansion of the aggressive start-up. Among other things, WeWork is the main tenant, in an office building in the centre of the financial metropolis bought last year by the savings bank fund provider Deka for almost 100 million euros.
Many landlords have converted their properties to meet WeWork's needs with high investment. If WeWork fails to make its business model profitable soon, the property owners would probably have to write off some of the expected billions in revenue. Despite the long-term leases, they do not have access to WeWork's reserves, which are already scarce. The rental of the individual locations of WeWork is usually carried out by specially established subsidiaries, so-called Special Purpose Vehicles, for which the parent company is only liable within narrow limits.
Russia again detains numerous North Korean fishermen
The Russian coast guard has again taken action against North Korean fishermen. A total of 262 poachers have been arrested in recent days for illegal fishing in the waters, Russia's domestic intelligence service FSB told Interfax news agency on Friday.
Just ten days ago, 161 fishermen from North Korea were arrested. Earlier, border guards had been shelled and three of them wounded. There were no casualties this time, it said. Communist North Korea suffers from chronic food shortages.
The North Korean fishermen were therefore on their way to Russian territorial waters. Russia's coast guard says it is patrolling to protect its marine biological resources. During the re-checks, 30,000 squid were discovered. In addition, according to the information, three fishing boats and two motor boats were confiscated and taken to Nachodka and Posjet near Vladivostok. According to the agency Ria Novosti, the Coast Guard found a total of more than 8,000 violations in 2018
The Russian Fisheries Agency had not issued fishing licenses to the North Koreans this year, even after complaints from local entrepreneurs. Thousands of fishermen from North Korea have already been temporarily detained there in 2019, according to media reports.
The head of the Association of Russian Fishing Companies in the Far Eastern region of Primorye, Georgi Martynov, also recently complained of severe ecological damage from North Korean fishermen. They fished with tight-meshed synthetic nets banned in Russia. These would also take small creatures out of the sea. In addition, the nets would simply be disposed of in the sea, where they would take 200 years to decompose. The ships themselves also do not comply with hygienic and technical regulations.
Three members of the Russian coast guard were injured in the arrests the previous week, according to Moscow. A North Korean who was also wounded later died of his injuries, according to the FSB. On that September 17, Russian border guards first detained a North Korean boat and then a second after it opened fire.
U.S. imposes travel ban on ex-President Castro
The United States has imposed entry bans on former Cuban President Raul Castro and his children. The U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Thursday that Castro's involvement in "gross human rights violations." As head of the Communist Party of the Caribbean state, he is in charge of a system in which thousands of Cubans are arbitrarily detained and there are more than 100 political prisoners.
As chairman of the armed forces, the brother of the deceased revolutionary leader Fidel Castro is also complicit in human rights violations there through the support of the President of Venezuela, Nicole Maduro. "The Cuban regime's disregard for human rights and the use of force to prop up the former Maduro regime is responsible for the ongoing crises in Cuba and Venezuela," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued travel bans against members of the Venezuelan government and military, among others. A bitter power struggle between the government and the opposition has been raging in Venezuela for months. The US has imposed a series of sanctions on Maduro's government to bring him to his knees and bring the opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaida to power.
Cuba is considered one of Maduro's closest allies. The socialist Caribbean island receives oil from Venezuela in exchange for the services of seconded doctors. According to the US and the Venezuelan opposition, Cuba has also sent numerous intelligence agents to Venezuela to help the government suppress government opponents.
New climate protests from Fridays for Future
A week after the biggest international climate protests to date, thousands of people want to take to the streets again today for more climate protection.
At the end of an international climate strike week, the Fridays for Future movement is planning to resume actions and rallies in dozens of countries around the world. New Zealand and Australia are expected to start because of the time difference, before the protests spread across Europe to North America. There, climate activist Greta Thunberg wanted to attend a large rally in Montreal, Canada. Protesters also gathered outside the White House in Washington.
It is relatively unclear how much global support will be this Friday after the record turnout of the previous week. Thunberg himself was good. "Last Friday, more than four million people went on strike for the climate. We'll do it again this Friday!" she wrote on Twitter. So far, there have been 6,383 actions in 170 countries as part of the strike week, she added.
In Germany in particular, the influx last Friday was very large. A good third of all global demonstrators - around 1.4 million - had taken part in the protests in 575 German cities, according to estimates by Fridays for Future. This time, according to a list of the movement, rallies are planned in at least 65 cities. Among them in metropolises such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne, but also in smaller communities and cities such as Jüchen in North Rhine-Westphalia or Westerland on Sylt, people want to take to the streets for the climate.
At the age of 15, Thunberg had sat down before the Swedish parliament in August 2018 to call on her country's politicians to do more to combat climate change. This has led to the Fridays-for-Future movement. The climate protests are mainly attended by pupils and students, but increasingly also by scientists and other adults.
Together, they demand more ambition from politicians in the fight against global warming and the impending climate catastrophe. Above all, according to the Paris climate agreement, global warming must be reduced to below 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times.
Thunberg had arrived in New York less than a month ago after a two-week transatlantic trip with a deep-sea racing yacht. There, she had recently participated in climate protests and United Nations summits. On Monday, she delivered an emotional speech at the UN in which she spoke forcefully to the world's leaders. In her native Stockholm, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Foundation's Alternative Nobel Prize on Wednesday for her commitment to more climate protection.
Russia bans smoking on balcony
People in Russia will no longer be allowed to smoke on the balcony. This provides for a change in fire protection. "This also applies to smoking," an emergency ministry spokesman told Tass news agency in Moscow on Thursday. The ban is due to come into force on 1 October.
Those who smoke, however, face a fine of 3,000 rubles (42.46 euros). If the cigarette should ignite a fire, the penalty will be higher. According to the ministry, the ban also includes burning candles. Grilling meat skewers on the balcony is no longer allowed.
Strike against cybercriminals - investigators unraise servers
In the fight against crimes on the Internet, German investigators have for the first time unearthed a large server provider for illegal transactions on the darknet.
A total of 13 perpetrators are suspected of having hosted numerous websites, through which international criminals operated their activities, as the operator of a data center in a former NATO bunker in Traben-Trarbach an der Mosel.
This was announced by the Prosecutor General's Office in Koblenz. Seven suspects were arrested in a major operation on Thursday night. The darknet is a screened part of the Internet.
Customers of the suspects are said to have been, among others, the operators of the world's second-largest darknet marketplace for drugs, "Wall Street Market" - which investigators had smashed in the spring. The attack on 1.25 million telecom routers at the end of November 2016 was also controlled via a server in the cyber bunker, according to the Prosecutor General's Office.
Such a hoster was excavated for the first time in Germany, it was said. A web hoster provides the infrastructure for an Internet presence.
During the access operation with the support of special forces such as the GSG9, there were searches in Germany and in neighbouring countries. It was the result of almost five years of investigations. By midday, investigators want to provide further details.
New Global Climate Protests from Fridays for Future
A week after the biggest international climate protests to date, thousands of people want to take to the streets again today for more climate protection.
At the end of an international climate strike week, the Fridays for Future movement again planned actions and rallies in dozens of countries around the world.
In Germany, protests are planned in at least 65 cities, including metropolises such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne, but also in smaller municipalities and cities such as Jüchen in North Rhine-Westphalia or Westerland on Sylt. Climate activist Greta Thunberg plans to attend a major rally in Montreal, Canada.
Climate protests - Who are Thunberg's backers?
A sense of justice and courage are high virtues, even in the 21st century, in a world full of war and smoking factories that warm the climate. All the more astonishing that a 16-year-old girl of all people holds the mirror in front of the power people of this time. But what is behind it? Is it helpfulness or clever marketing of a climate activist? Historical feat or manipulative tactics for his own sake?
On the one hand, Greta Thunberg sets the masses in motion and gets young people to rise up for a better climate-friendly world. Historically, this is not the first time in Europe that a young person has managed to attract a collection of children and young people. Already in 1212 a child named Nikolaus from Cologne felt chosen to work for a fairer world. At that time, he was also able to win over a host of young people and persuaded them to cross the sea to enter the promised land, much like Greta Thunberg recently set out on a trip to America with a sailboat.
But is there a downside to this? Why does it take a stock called "We don't have time" to save the world? In addition, Greta Thunberg has rich PR managers at her side. By the way, her mother has published a book that has sold extensively, thanks to her daughter in the spotlight. Even well-tried followers of Greta Thunberg were a little indignant about the last PR show, or the trip by boat was probably too thick ly put on some successors. This is also not unfounded, because the action was very well appreciated in the media worldwide and a lot of money flows thanks to the impressive action.
This is where the spirits diverge: Is it morally right to enrich yourself financially in saving the world? Is it still authentic for certain groups of people to work with stockbrokers during the world rescue campaign? No matter what position is ultimately taken, a critical and reflective point of view is increasingly important in a democratically shaped society, because democracy thrives on different opinions and discussions. Therefore, it may make sense to critically question even seemingly pious projects by certain trendsetters.
Comet discovered: Interstellar guest crosses through our solar system
A strange comet is currently crisscrossing our solar system.
The astronomers' assumptions have been confirmed: a strange comet is currently crisscrossing our solar system - it is only the second of its kind.
Garching/Washington - For a long time, the researchers only suspected it, but now they have certainty: A comet from another star is currently crisscrossing our solar system. It was christened after its discoverer 2I/Borisov and currently employs astronomers worldwide.
2I/Borisov: Comet discovered by amateur astronomers in Crimea
The body in question was discovered by an amateur astronomer named Gennady Borisov in Crimea. He looked to the sky with a self-built telescope and further follow-up confirmed his first suspicion. It is actually an unknown comet that does not originate from our solar system. It is only the second of its kind to be spotted during the flight.
The great opportunity for astronomers now is to catch a glimpse of a foreign solar system up close. Apparently, the comet is similar to that of our own system, as reported by the Astrophysical Institute of the Canary Islands. According to the International Astronomical Union (IAC), the comet is clearly of interstellar origin and is currently moving on a so-called hyperbolic orbit that takes it out of our system.
Comet has been spotted before approach - and can be observed for several months
But before that is done, astronomers can observe it in detail. Unlike its predecessor, 2I/Borisov has already been spotted in its approach, which means that it can be examined from Earth for many months. "The object will reach the highest brightness in mid-December and will then be visible with medium-sized telescopes until April 2020," explains Davide Farnocchia of the US space agency Nasa. "After that, it will only be possible to observe with larger, professional telescopes until October 2020."
The predecessor of the new visitor: 1I/2017 U1 "Oumuamua".
First findings on Comet 2I/Borisov raise hopes in science
According to the first findings, the comet is estimated to be 2 to 16 kilometers in diameter. At the same time, the celestial body seems to be similar to our comet - because, as the IAC researcher Julia de Leon puts it, the spectrum of the tail star is similar to ours. This observation suggests that comets in other solar systems could form through processes similar to ours, added de Leon's colleague Javier Licandro.
The observation, however, goes beyond individual findings. The fact that two such objects have already been discovered in just two years may allow a new way to explore certain processes in other solar systems.
Asteroids keep occupying the researchers. Only recently, a giant asteroid raced past Earth and came dangerously close to it.
'Absolutely reprehensible': Rachel Johnson horrified by brother
It's getting more lonely around Boris Johnson. First his younger brother leaves the cabinet, now his sister castigates the belligerent language of the prime minister as "tasteless". It is not the brother she knows.
"Capitulation," "fraud," contract: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under pressure and continues to arm - at least verbally. At Question Time in the House of Commons this Wednesday, this met with massive outrage from the opposition, and now other critics have come forward: dozens of bishops and his own sister Rachel Johnson.
The well-known journalist and author told Sky News that her brother used words such as capitulation, as if opponents of leaving the EU should be "hanged, drawn, quartered, tarred and feathered." She thinks that is extremely reprehensible. She doesn't recognise her brother's version, said Rachel Johnsons, who ran for the anti-Brexit Change UK party in the EU parliament elections.
She was particularly struck by the fact that her brother, Jo Cox, a pro-EU Member of the House of Commons who had been murdered by a neo-Nazi just days before the 2016 exit referendum, was mentioned. Their memory can best be honoured by pulling through Brexit, Boris Johnson had said in the House of Commons. "It is very distasteful to refer to an MP who was murdered by someone shouting 'Britain first'," Johnson's sister criticised. The perpetrator apparently came from the far-right camp, which felt "encouraged by this kind of language." For all those who mourned for her, it was very tasteless.
Cox's widower also sharply criticized the Prime Minister. "It makes me sick when Jo's name is used like this," he tweeted. The best way to honor them is to be passionate and determined in your commitment to what you believe in, no matter what your view is. But one should never "demonize the other side". He also lamented the result of an atmosphere in which attacks were more likely.
Just a few weeks ago, Boris Johnson's younger brother Jo resigned as Secretary of State and his mandate as a Tory MP. "I've been torn between family loyalty and the national interest over the past few months - it's an indissoluble tension," Jo Johnson said.
Johnson's language was also met with sharp criticism in the Church. As the Times reports, all 118 bishops and archbishops of the Church of England criticize the language, which is "not worthy of this country." In a joint statement, they said: "In recent days, the language has been unacceptable, both in debates and outside Parliament. We should talk to each other with respect."
Shakira and Jennifer Lopez Perform at the Super Bowl
The NFL is sending a strong signal in the year of its 100th anniversary: Two women with Latino roots will appear in the halftime show of the upcoming Super Bowl. They promise "an explosion of fun and energy".
Latina power at the Super Bowl: Superstars Shakira (42) and Jennifer Lopez (50) will deliver the halftime show at the upcoming NFL Finals. This was announced by the organizers on Thursday (local time).
"I feel incredibly honored and humbled to represent the Latino community alongside JLo. Because she has incredible strength in the U,"" Shakira said in a video.
The final of the American Football League, which celebrates its 100th birthday next year, will take place on February 2 in Miami. The metropolis on the southern tip of Florida is home to many people with Latin American roots. Shakira ("Waka Waka") is from Colombia, Lopez ("On the Floor") is of Puerto Rican origin.
"I love that this time the Super Bowl puts two women on stage - and two Latinas," Lopez said. This send an important message to all Americans and the world. She promises "an explosion of fun and energy" for the show.
The 50-year-old was born in New York after her parents emigrated from Puerto Rico. In the 2000s she landed big hits with songs like "Waiting For Tonight" or "Let's Get Loud" and later released songs in Spanish. Lopez also works as an actress and will appear in the drama "Hustlers" in German cinemas from Nov.
Shakira became known in Colombia as the star of a telenovela and singer. She made her worldwide breakthrough in 2001 with her first bilingual album and the single "Whenever, Whereever".
The announcement of the half-time guests is eagerly awaited in the USA every time. This year, many also see the selection as a political gesture. After all, the country is deeply divided, not least because of President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
The Super Bowl is the biggest U.S. sporting event and a gigantic advertising spectacle at the same time. Musicians such as Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Madonna, Bruno Mars and the Rolling Stones caused a sensation there. As a rule, well over 100 million tv viewers watch the NFL finals, and it is now extremely popular in Germany as well.
Last year, political controversy emanated in the run-up to the event. The reason was the controversy over quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who had refused to stand during the playing of the national anthem in protest of police violence against blacks and had been harshly attacked by US President Donald Trump, among others. In solidarity with Kaepernick, some musicians had turned down a Super Bowl performance - including Rihanna and Pink. The fact that the rock group Maroon 5 performed was ultimately criticized by many.
An actor and Youtuber is egypt's ruler: for the time being, Mohamed Ali prefers to stay abroad.
The two men, who have influence on whether blood flows back on the streets of Egypt, have both spent the past week abroad. One of them returned to Cairo airport on Friday. President Abdelfattah al-Sisi returned from the UN General Assembly. The ex-general, who ousted Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi, the country's first freely elected head of state, in 2013, had spent a pleasant time in New York: US President Donald Trump had praised Sisi's crackdown on political Islam and had not lost a syllable on human rights abuses on the Nile - in a week in which Egypt's security forces arrested hundreds of people for daring to protest against the president. He had "no cause for concern," Sisi said into the microphones of state television at the airport. "The Egyptians will not be misled."
In the opinion of the President, this is what the other man, who is currently determining what is happening on the streets, is trying to do as tray. Mohamed Ali, of course, stayed abroad, where he evades the access of the security forces, who would immediately arrest him if he tried to enter Egyptian soil. Weeks ago, the 45-year-old was known as an actor only to a minority of Egyptians. Today, he is the leading voice who dominates the political discourse in the country's cafés, living rooms and tea rooms: with his Youtube channel "Mohamed's Secrets", Ali calls on his compatriots to rise up against Sisi.
He takes a direct approach to the Head of State and in a very rustic language. As the people hunger, the president revels in luxury and builds magnificent new palaces, it is said. The army leadership on which Sisi bases his rule accuses Ali of corruption and enrichment. Because he did business with these very gentlemen in his second job as a contractor for 15 years, he seems to know quite well what he is talking about - at least that is the impression of many Egyptians, as the almost exploding click numbers show.
After thousands demonstrated against his rule last week for the first time since Sisi's grip on power and nearly 2,000 citizens, including prominent civil society figures, human rights lawyers and opposition politicians, were arrested, Ali called for a "million march" this Friday. It was unlikely that so many people would venture onto the streets. But there were isolated smaller protests, for example in Giseh near Cairo and in the village of Kina near Luxor. Videos on social media showed protests accusing Al-Sisi of corruption and calling for his departure. During these protests, the police also used tear gas and rubber bullets. These videos could not be independently verified at first. Security sources said the police had ended the protests.
Massive police presence was reported on Friday from the city of Mansura in the Nile Delta, where demonstrators tore down banners depicting the president last week. Security forces set up checkpoints in the city and on the highways. In Cairo, several metro stations in the city center were closed for "maintenance work," and most streets around Tahrir Square, the heart of the 2011 revolution, were blocked. And in Rabaa Square, where supporters of the ousted Muslim brother Morsi entrenched themselves in 2013 until the army took them under fire and killed up to 800 people, another measure was intended to prevent disaffected people from gathering: Sisi's future party wanted to hold a major rally for the president here.
Mohamed Ali made these arrangements a change of tactics: "Our goal does not have to be Tahrir Square," Ali said on his video camera in Barcelona. "Let's not clash with police officers. But this is not to be understood as a retreat: "All of Egypt is tahrir square".
If the provider promises too much performance
If the Internet connection always seems much slower than advertised by the provider, there are various testing options.
Those who conclude an Internet contract do not have to blindly trust the speed specifications of the providers. Customers can check for themselves how much of this is actually achieved in case of abnormalities.
After all, the pre-promised transfer rates are a contractual component and should therefore be achieved, explains the Bavarian Consumer Centre.
If the connection always seems much slower than advertised by the provider, there are various testing options. For example, the measurement tools of the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) measure the actual data transmission rates and compare them with the rate agreed in the contract.
"However, the tests carried out by the suppliers are carried out according to vendor-specific specifications and are therefore not uniformly and objectively calculated," the Bavarian Consumer Centre states on its website.
If the connection is much slower than announced, customers can set the provider a reasonable period of 14 days to produce the promised service. This is best done by registered mail in writing.
If this does not work even after repeated requests, customers can cancel and possibly also claim damages. But in the absence of success, only the legal action will help.
First senior Republican to investigate
The Vermont governor has become the first senior Republican to call for an impeachment investigation against Us President Donald Trump. "I think the investigation is important, yes, and where that leads from here is determined by the facts that are established," Phil Scott said at a news conference Thursday. He wants to know more about the whistleblower affair before action is taken - impeachment proceedings can lead to the removal of the president.
Scott said he was not surprised by revelations that Trump repeatedly called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky in a phone call to investigate interventions by Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden in Ukraine. Because Trump has been watching Biden "for years."
Republicans have so far held back with criticism of Trump over the whistleblower affair; few have indicated discomfort. Scott's comments are a first sign of this in Trump's party. Scott, a moderate Republican, has repeatedly opposed Trump's policies, including loosening environmental regulations and tightening immigration rules.
Spider-Man stays in MCU: Another Marvel movie planned
It was a shock to all Spider-Man fans: at the end of August, it was announced that Sony and Marvel would go their separate ways in the future. Tom Holland's Spider-Man would no longer be part of the "Avengers" universe. It was completely unclear what would happen to the films about Tom Holland.
Now the surprise: Spider-Man gets another final third film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) after "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Spider-Man: Far From Home." Several US media outlets report this in agreement. According to this, the cinema release is already scheduled: The film is scheduled to start in the USA from July 16, 2021.
"Screenrant" quotes Marvel boos Kevin Feige as saying: "I'm delighted that Spidey's path continues in the MCU. I and everyone at the Marvel studios are delighted that we can continue to work on this ... He's the only superhero with the ability to play in different universes as Sony continues to work on its Spidey verse. You never know what the future will bring".
But how does the sudden good news come about? Sony is said to have made an offer to Marvel. According to industry magazines, Disney, which includes Marvel, would account for 30 percent of the proceeds of upcoming Spider-Man films. However, the message is not confirmed.
Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry appear in 'Suits' finale
After nine seasons, the series "Suits" has reached the grand finale in the USA. In the last episode there were many happy endings and as many cameo appearances. Royal couple Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, who have been on the show for many years, were also paid a charming tribute. Attention, the following sections contain spoilers for the series finale.
First of all, Duchess Meghan didn't return for a final farewell as Rachel Zane in the finale, at least not for new scenes. Instead, some retrospectives showed the most memorable scenes with the current Duchess. For example, the moments of the failed and successful marriage to Mike or how she greets him after his prison sentence.
But her real husband, Prince Harry, was also mentioned casually in the "Suits" finale, of course in a wedding scene. As Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman, 49) walks straight towards the altar to marry his fiancée Sheila (Rachael Harris, 51), Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht, 47) makes a telling remark about his suit. The dodgy Harvey wants to know from the groom whether he actually threw himself a frock, only to then snipate: "Louis, you're not the Prince of England."
Aegean Sea: Baby and four other children drown in boat crash
A baby and four other children have drowned while a refugee boat capsized in the Aegean Sea. A total of seven people died in the accident, the Greek coast guard said on Friday. The nationalities are still unclear.
The boat sank near the Greek island of Inousses, which lies between the island of Chios and the Turkish mainland. Four children, three women and five men were rescued.
Hundreds of migrants are currently crossing from Turkey to the Greek islands in the east of the Aegean Sea. Last year, 174 people were killed on this route, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer has now announced that he intends to visit both countries.
Together with his French colleague and the responsible EU commissioner, he wants to "inform himself about the situation with the refugee situation" in Turkey, Seehofer said on Friday. He then wanted to learn more about the "administrative problems of the Greeks" in Athens in order to be able to help with the problem.
An EU Commission spokeswoman on Friday confirmed Seehofer's planned trip with EU Interior Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and France's Interior Minister Christophe Castaner.
An unusually large number of migrants continue to arrive in Greece from Turkey. On Tuesday alone, 654 people crossed into the Greek islands, the Greek Civil Protection Ministry said on Wednesday.
Is the Turkey deal still working?
The increased figures recently raised doubts about the functioning of the EU-Turkey agreement concluded in 2016. This provides for the EU to be able to send back all refugees and migrants who arrive illegally on the Greek islands via Turkey. In return, the EU wanted to take in one Syrian refugee from Turkey for every Syrian deported.
However, the processing of asylum applications is difficult on the Greek side due to staff shortages. Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos are home to nearly 29,400 people, according to the Ministry of Civil Protection. The situation on is worst: 5,200 migrants are currently housed in a camp with capacity for 650 people.
Never since the entry into force of the EU-Turkey refugee pact in March 2016 have there been so many, the state broadcaster reported.
Climate change: Heat leads to more heart attacks
According to doctors, climate change will put the health system to the test in the future. Climate change is "certainly" one of the biggest challenges facing the health system in the next 20 to 50 years, said Andreas Zeiher, president of the German Society of Cardiology. Especially the cardiovascular system caused high temperatures and large temperature jumps within a short time and led to more and more heart attacks. People with cardiovascular diseases, the elderly and diabetics are particularly affected.
Greens politician faces charges over embarrassing photo glitch
The leader of the Canadian Greens, Elizabeth May, in the election campaign - was the cup rigged for this reason?
The Canadian Green Leader holds a reusable mug in one photo. But now it turned out that the cup was tampered with.
Ottawa/Canada - It went unnoticed for quite a long time - and finally caught the eye. Elizabeth May, the leader of the Canadian Greens, never held the reusable coffee cup with metal straw in her hand. On the party's website, she was seen in a photo with the mug, talking to citizens. However, the photo had been published before and also distributed to the media - and there the mug was still a sleek (papp) mug, as reported by the Canadian National Post.
Greens leader faces charges over photo glitch
The National Post then accused May of manipulation and that the party was producing fake news to make it more credible on the subject of "environmental protection." And that's in the midst of a campaign for the House of Commons election, in which Trudeau, too, is finding it increasingly difficult because of a bribery scandal.
The photo went viral on social media, fueling the discussion about fake news. One user shared a juxtaposition of the photos, writing: 'The Greens are manipulating a photo of their chairmen to hide their disposable cup.'
May expressed shock and claimed on her blog that she was unaware of the action. To underline this, she immediately posted the original: she, talking to citizens, a mug in her hand. But he, she corrected, was made of bamboo. She always had him with her. A spokeswoman for the party said it was just a matter of putting the party logo in the picture, not covering up anything. Only a section of the photo can be seen on the website.
May writes that she is sorry for the employee who did so. "I don't want to call him stupid, but there was nothing to hide," she told the Guardian, while also asking for something from her over-committed team: "If they want to edit a picture again, couldn't they do anything with my face so I look younger?"
The German Greens have also come into shitstorms because of their use of disposable plastic or because of air travel - but their pictures were not photoshopped. The leader of the Bavarian Greens, Katharina Schulze, ate ice cream with plastic spoons on holiday, as merkur.de* reported.
Influencer wants free upgrade: Lifetime flight ban at Cathay
Jaqueline Ng was reportedly promised an upgrade by email from Cathay Pacific. But when she asked for it at check-in, she wasn't allowed on board - and she should never be allowed to fly with Cathay again.
Getting an upgrade for Business Class spontaneously - that's what many passengers dream of. Sometimes they are lucky, and the staff at check-in offer a change from Economy Class for free.
However, this case shows how not to do it: a self-declared influencer has actively asked the airline Cathay Pacific for a free upgrade. On Instagram, Jaqueline Ng has more than 65,000 users. She flew from Taiwan to New York on May 30 and back on June 7.
On the out-of-flight, employees refused to upgrade Jaqueline, although she showed an email purporting to give Her Cathay Pacific an upgrade. The letter is said to have been received by the influencer from a marketing employee of the airline. The airline, on the other hand, accuses Jaqueline of falsifying the mail.
On the return flight, Jaqueline tried again to get an upgrade for the long-haul flight. This time, the woman is said to have shown the same mail, but with a different reference number. The staff at JFK airport were sceptical: they checked at the headquarters. In fact, the employee from whom the mail allegedly originated is said to have denied contact with Jaqueline. This was also confirmed by the mail system in which the messages did not appear.
Airline staff at the airport canceled Jaqueline's ticket and imposed a lifetime ban on Flights with Cathay Pacific. For 1,400 US dollars (about 1,280 euros) she had to buy a new flight to Taiwan.
In her case, the influencer turned to Elliot Advocacy, a company that represents consumer interests. Cathay had refunded her the price for her original ticket, but Jaqueline also claimed back the cost of the new ticket.
But until Jaqueline submits the mail's metadata, the case remains clear: Cathay has committed fraud and will remain barred from future flights. The airline's terms and conditions also state that it will not have to pay for the new flight. Jaqueline doesn't want to be satisfied with that - and now hires a lawyer.
Oil prices fall after report on ceasefire in Yemen
Oil prices fell by more than a dollar at midday on Friday. Most recently, a barrel (159 litres) of the North Sea variety Brent was priced at US61.83 US dollars - about 1.4 per cent lower than the previous day. The price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 1.3 percent to 55.77 dollars.
The reason for the slide was a Wall Street Journal report on a ceasefire in Yemen. Saudi Arabia is said to have agreed to a ceasefire in four areas.
A drone strike on Oil facilities in Saudi Arabia in mid-September brought five percent of global oil production to a standstill. The Houthi rebels allied with Iran in Yemen's civil war-torn country had claimed the attacks. Saudi Arabia, like the US government, blames Iran. A ceasefire would defuse political tension in the region.
If an agreement is reached, it will be possible to focus on growth and demand concerns, Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, told Bloomberg news agency.
Oil prices are thus continuing their downward movement of the past few days. A week ago, a barrel of WTI oil had cost as much as 59 dollars, While Brent had cost nearly 65 dollars.
Most recently, Bloomberg, citing insiders, reported that repairs to oil facilities in Saudi Arabia are progressing faster than expected after the attack in mid-September. According to this, the production volume has again reached a volume of eight million barrels per day and is moving back towards the original quantity.
Most recently, there have been several press reports, citing insiders, who report rapid progress by the state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco in the repair work. Commodity experts, however, pointed out that Saudi Aramco is currently planning an IPO and wants to avoid negative headlines.
At the same time, there was some easing in the conflict between Iran and Western countries: the British oil tanker "Stena Impero" is on its way to leaving the port more than two months after iran's arrest and the recent release. The crew is now preparing to leave while the ship is still anchored, shipping company chief Erik Honell told Swedish radio in a text message on Friday morning.
However, the US announced that it would deploy defensive missiles and soldiers to Saudi Arabia to iran's arch-enemy. Fears of an escalation between the Islamic Republic and countries such as the US and Britain had at times pushed up oil prices significantly in recent weeks.
Accusations against Trump intensify
Allegations of cover-up against the White House have been made in the affair over possible abuse of power by US President Donald Trump. Several senior administration officials had worked hard to prevent access to the text of the conversation after a contentious phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky in late July. An anonymous whistleblower explained this. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat, explicitly accused the White House of "cover-up." Trump called it a "witch hunt."
North Korea considers third summit of Trump and Kim questionable
North Korea has raised doubts that a third summit of leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump will soon take place in the nuclear dispute. The meaning and prospects of success of such a meeting are questionable because of a lack of progress in implementing agreements at the first summit in Singapore, top diplomat Kim Kye-gwan said on Friday, according to the KCNA agency.
The US has so far done nothing to implement last year's summit decisions, the North Korean Foreign Ministry's adviser said. He also criticized tougher U.S. sanctions and joint U.S.-South Korean military maneuvers. But he said he hoped for a "wise" and "courageous" decision by Trump to bring about a rapprochement.
Trump had said Monday that he would first know what a third summit with Kim should bring before he agreed. Negotiations to disarm North Korea's nuclear and missile programs have stalled since the failed second summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi in February. In June, the two met in the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. In doing so, they agreed to revive the deliberations, but so far without much success.
Prince Harry: Weapons manufacturers should help with mine clearance
Dressed in a blue splinter vest, Britain's Prince Harry symbolically detonated and destroyed an explosive mine in Angola. He made the ignition circle near a camp of the British Halo Trust near the village of Dirico. The explosive device exploded at a safe distance. With a view to the goal of making Angola mine-free by 2025, he later demanded in front of running TV cameras: "I call on all the countries whose names are on these weapons, but which have not helped to clear away to commit to help."
Pound under pressure - interest rate cut expected
British pound under pressure
In the face of an imminent interest rate cut, the pound is devalued against the euro.
Frankfurt speculation of an imminent interest rate cut by the Bank of England (BoE) is putting the pound on the back of sterling. The British currency fell as low as 0.4 per cent to €1.2269 on Friday.
The sales were triggered by comments by central banker Michael Saunders. He said a rate cut could be averted even if a chaotic Brexit could be averted, as uncertainty would affect the UK economy for the foreseeable future. This statement is surprising because Saunders is seen as a proponent of restrictive monetary policy, said analyst Ricardo Evangelista of brokerage ActivTrades.
Last week, the Bank of England had already pointed to the burden on the economy of the Brexit hack, without directly signalling a rate cut. Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to leave the EU on 31 October without a divorce agreement.
More: With his provocations, the British Prime Minister has taken a high risk. But it could pay off for him, writes Handelsblatt editor Kerstin Leitel.
Doping: More Russian manipulations proven
Material from the Moscow analysis laboratory is being manipulated , confirmed by David Howman, former director of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and now head of integrity of the World Athletics Federation.
At the start of the World Athletics Championships, new details about the doping scandal in Russia come to light - and they destroy the little credibility that Russian sport had regained at the beginning of the year and even only to some extent. In January 2019, the Moscow Doping Laboratory finally delivered the required samples from 2012 to 2015 to the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). Now it turned out that they were forged.
In December 2014, systematic fraud in Russian sport was revealed. Wada then banned the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) for three years. During this time, Russian athletes were not completely banished from the world stage. After individual testing at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, the International Olympic Committee had some 270 athletes from the country compete under a neutral flag, while 168 Russian athletes competed at the Winter Games in February 2018. They were also allowed to participate in the World Cups in the various sports, in the summer the World Cup took place in Russia with the host as participant.
Positive findings are missing
The following September, the Wada lifted the Rusada ban, but demanded access to the laboratory and the samples in question. The data should shed light on the extent of the cover-up of state doping cases. They should help to punish athletes retrospectively. Three months later, they were finally delivered.
However, the chairman of the World Athletics Association 'AIU' Independent Integrity Commission (AIU) has now confirmed that the doping data from the Moscow analysis laboratory has been manipulated. "Yes. We received the data nine months ago. We should check whether the task force has received the right data," David Howman said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Friday. "We have identified numerous discrepancies between the data that Wada received from a whistleblower and the data it received from the Russians in January," he said. Many positive findings were missing, which were mentioned in the McLaren report.
The World Cup not affected
This confirms the IAAF's position: the Athletics Federation is the only organisation to maintain Russia's ban. At the World Championships in Doha, 30 Russian athletes will compete under a neutral flag. They had to prove that they train outside the Russian system and undergo tests.
Earlier this week, the Wada had already called for manipulation and called on Russia to respond to the allegations within three weeks. Russia now threatens to re-ban the Rusada and, in the worst case, to be excluded from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.