Trend

Germany's government and chancellor are "elected for a full term" and should take that responsibility seriously, CDU party chief Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told the conservative Die Welt newspaper. Kramp-Karrenbauer, formerly the premier of the small German state of Saarland, took over as CDU leader after Merkel announced she was stepping down from the job last year. Merkel is set to serve as chancellor of Germany until the end of her term in 2021, and she has signaled she would like to see Kramp-Karrenbauer take over that job. Addressing speculation that Merkel might leave earlier than planned, Kramp-Karrenbauer said she was not working to push the chancellor out. "When it comes to me, I can rule out that I am scheming for a change," the CDU head told Die Welt. Watch video 02:49 Share Merkel's emotional farewell Send Facebook Twitter google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/39heM Merkel … [Read more...] about Merkel should serve full term, says heir Kramp-Karrenbauer

EU negotiators in Strasbourg on Tuesday passed a law that protects European whistleblowers who report breaches of EU law, including fraud, tax evasion or data breaches. The EU Commission proposed a "whistleblower protection directive" in April 2018, citing scandals like Dieselgate, the Panama Papers or the Cambridge Analytica data breach, which were uncovered by whistleblowers. Read more: MEPs launch “EULeaks”, a platform for whistleblowers within the EU "Whistleblowers deserve support and protection from the moment they decide to blow the whistle," said the Commission's Justice department. "Great news that we have approval for EU-wide rules on whistleblower protection." Legal issues involving whistleblowers in the EU are currently handled through the judicial system of individual countries. By creating an EU-wide standard the Commission said that "safe channels for reporting both within organizations and to public authorities" will be established. Watch … [Read more...] about EU protects whistleblowers with new directive

When Pete Buttigieg burst onto the political scene, I fell in love.During his first appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” he sounded right at home chatting with host Charlamagne tha God. Buttigieg told the multimedia show’s black listeners, “Let’s honor teachers like soldiers and pay them like doctors.” Months later, when Buttigieg answered a reporter’s question in Norwegian, it practically closed the sale. As a voter who studied abroad and is white collar, bilingual, and gay, just like Buttigieg, how could I not warm to the man? Our life stories had so much in common.Now, however, my attraction to Buttigieg reminds me of “The Snowman,” a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. In the story, a snowman falls in love with a glowing stove he sees through a kitchen window. The household dog warns the snowman that his love for the stove is doomed, that he will melt if he gets too close to the object of his affection. Not only is “The … [Read more...] about Opinion: I fell for Pete Buttigieg at first. But he keeps screwing things up with black voters

  A section of the La Sơn-Túy Loan Highway, part of the North-South Expressway, crossing the central province of Thừa Thiên-Huế. — VNA/VNS Photo  HÀ NỘI — The management boards of the North-South Expressway’s sub-projects have received applications from 32 domestic investors and joint ventures. There are eight public-private partnership (PPP) sub-projects seeking domestic investors. The list of investors has not been revealed. A decision on the pre-qualification round is expected in February next year. The Ministry of Transport has set criteria to mark potential investors with a maximum score of 100. Financial capacity accounts for 60 points, while 30 scores points will be awarded for experience and 10 points for planning. Each project will select five investors to bid. According to Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thể, it would take 30 days to evaluate the pre-qualification … [Read more...] about North-South Expressway projects draw 32 investors

Eighteen years after his KBO debut, pitcher Ko Hyo-jun has finally earned his free agent status for the first time.Pitcher Ko Hyo-jun throws a pitch during a Lotte Giants’ game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on May 19. [YONHAP]In the KBO, high school graduates earn their free agent status after playing nine seasons and college graduates earn it after eight seasons. A player must be on the 40-man roster at a KBO club for more than 145 days of a season for that to count as one of their years.Due to this, a player can earn their eligibility in their late-20s at the earliest, assuming they play full time from their rookie season. Some players earn their status even earlier if they appear for the national team, as playing for Korea normally comes with a reward in the form of a deduction in the number of days until free agent eligibility.At the same time, it could also mean that a player never earns free agency.Since the free agent policy was first … [Read more...] about Ko Hyo-jun earns free agency after 18 years