Âu

[Triển]

Hm, tin này mà phát ra là món khoái khẩu của người Việt lục tỉnh phá sản ngay từ vòng gởi xe: Chuột đồng rô-ti!

[Triển]

Migrants stuck on EU doorstep: What is Germany doing?

Turkish President Erdogan has effectively scrapped the refugee accord with the EU, threatening that millions will come. Refugees are appealing to Merkel for help, but Berlin remains firm that the EU's borders are closed.

(more)

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Refugee crisis in Greece: Anger and foreboding grow on Lesbos

Turkey is letting refugees leave the country for the EU. Many travel via the Greek island of Lesbos, where some locals are up in arms: They do not want more asylum seekers. DW's Florian Schmitz reports from the island.

(more)

[Triển]

Germany: Police bust Vietnamese people-smuggling ring

The smugglers allegedly charged up to $20,000 to smuggle Vietnamese people into Europe. Raids took place across several states, with six arrests. Berlin was an important center for the human-trafficking network.



(more)

[Triển]

"Hamsterkauf"

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Coronavirus scare: When will 'hamsterkauf' become an English word?



Supermarkets in Germany have witnessed signs of panic buying as the new coronavirus spreads. Some English-language media are in love with the special word the Germans use for hoarding stuff, as Hardy Graupner found out.

The coronavirus scare has seen quite a number of Germans resorting to panic buying, although the chances of them really needing a lot of stuff at home over a longer period are rather slim. But that's a different story.

The point is that the Germans have a rather nice and descriptive word for hoarding stuff. They call the activity of panic buying hamsterkauf, with the corresponding verb being hamstern.

It's not too hard for people from the English-speaking world to guess its meaning. After all, they share the same word for the rodent that's used as a descriptive term in German to indicate that if you do a hamsterkauf, you want a lot of stuff — just as hamsters are eager to store as much food as they can in their cheeks. You never know, it could come in handy.

Soon an English (borrowed) word?

Panic buying is perhaps part of the German angst that crops up once in a while. The question is: If angst made it into the English language long ago, isn't it time for hamsterkauf to follow suit and join the likes of dachshund, blitzkrieg, kindergarten, realpolitik and hinterland? Probably not, as compound words stand a far lower chance of ever being incorporated, but never say die in this crazy lexiconic world.

Be that as it may, there's no denying the fact that a number of English-language publications have explicitly mentioned and explained the German expression for hoarding as they seem to like it quite a bit.

In a daily email newsletter called Morning Brew, which says it covers the latest news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley and beyond, hamsterkauf made into the "beyond" section this week.

"They say there's a German word for everything, so obviously, there's one for hoarding during times of widespread panic," the newsletter points out. "Hamsterkauf has a connection to hamsters, which store food in their cheeks," it continues. It even suggests using the German word in sentences such as "German grocery stores have been experiencing a wave of hamsterkauf during the coronavirus scare."

Let's not be wonkish here and ignore the fact that hamsterkauf is a countable noun and would require the plural form in that headline.

Trending on social media

Quartz, an online guide to the new global economy, put the German word right in a headline reading "Germans taking part in coronavirus panic hoarding are doing a hamsterkauf."

After explaining the word and its origin, the web portal notes that hamsterkauf has been trending on social media "as people share photos of store shelves cleared out of food and other household items." It notes that a standard hamsterkauf involves the purchase of canned goods, pasta, mineral water, disinfectants and toilet paper.

"Austria [another German-speaking nation]," it continues, "is also seeing instances of hamsterkauf after it reported two cases of coronavirus in its southern Tyrol region."

Quartz also mentioned the so-called hamsterkauf list, a compilation of items that authorities say should be in every household to fall back on in times of emergency.


Panic buying has led to half-empty shelves in this grocery store in Hamburg

The fancy German word also featured in the English-language edition of Arab news website Sada Elbalad SEE egy. Its article titled "Germany sees hamsterkauf, what is it?" explains why shelves can sometimes be empty in Germany these days because of the coronavirus threat. Importantly, it also adds that it doesn't take an epidemic to see people engaged in hamsterkauf activities in Germany.

"This word has also been used to describe the rush on supermarkets that occurs before long holiday weekends when markets will be closed."

And indeed the word is used in a much wider context. Right now, though, hamsterkauf and coronavirus tend to be glued together.

Don't panic; it's just a suggestion

"German [word] of the day: Hamsterkauf" is the headline for a story I spotted on a website called Observing Hermann.

The author explains that the word means panic buying, adding "you know, like in 'oh my God, are we all gonna die?'"

Most likely not. In my humble opinion, there's a far greater chance of hamsterkauf becoming a standard English word. Quite frankly, such a development would truly reflect the current zeitgeist and wouldn't be the worst borrowed word in a language that has tons of them already.


/* src.: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-sc...ord/a-52635400

[Triển]

Seven German mayors: Allow us to accept underage refugees



Mayor in seven German cities pled with the government for the right to welcome underage refugees from Greece. The move comes after the federal parliament rejected a motion to accept minors from Greek refugee camps.


"...
According to the statement, the alliance Cities of Safe Havens, a network of 130 cities and communities in Germany, as well as other German municipalities have already declared their readiness "to immediately accept up to 500 unaccompanied minors under the age of 14 years within the framework of an emergency program, who are accommodated in unacceptable conditions on the Greek islands."

It added that the reception capacities in the cities concerned have been examined, and they are "available for the accommodation and educational care of the children."

The cities would prioritize "children whose parents are in many cases no longer alive and who are alone in the refugee camps."
..."



/* src.: https://www.dw.com/en/seven-german-m...ees/a-52657792

[ốc]

Dịch vô kiềm tỏa năng lưu khách
Cúm bất ba đào dị nịch nhân

Lufthansa plans to cancel half its flights and may ground all superjumbos
https://www.theguardian.com/business...-travel-sector

The company, which includes Swiss International Air Lines and Austrian Airlines, said it was considering temporarily grounding its entire fleet of 14 Airbus A380 superjumbos in Frankfurt and Munich.

It will cut up to half its flights from April in response to a drastic decline in air travel bookings as the number of coronavirus cases around the world grows daily.

Earlier on Friday shares in rival airline Norwegian fell by more than a quarter amid investor fears over the airline’s resilience amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The selloff came as analysts warned that the airline’s cash reserves were slim. On Thursday, shares had already tumbled as the budget carrier withdrew its profits forecasts from last month and cancelled 22 transatlantic flights in the spring due to reduced passenger demand.

[XXG]

Dịch vô kiềm tỏa năng lưu khách
Cúm bất ba đào dị nịch nhân

Sợ ông thần Ốckipedia này thiệt! Vậy mà cũng nghĩ ra được, I phục you.

[ốc]

Hai câu đó là câu nói cửa miệng của dân nhậu sảy một ly đi một lèo (tới sáng).

Tửu vô kiềm tỏa năng lưu khách
Túy bất U bờ ngủ sô pha

[ốc]

Hm, tin này mà phát ra là món khoái khẩu của người Việt lục tỉnh phá sản ngay từ vòng gởi xe: Chuột đồng rô-ti!

Tin con heo:

pig starts farm fire by excreting pedometer
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ting-pedometer

Firefighters in North Yorkshire have tackled a blaze that broke out after a pig swallowed a pedometer which then combusted in its pen after excretion.

The fire crews were called to a blaze covering 75 square metres at four pigpens in Bramham, near Leeds, on Saturday afternoon.

The North Yorkshire fire and rescue service said the fire was caused by “nature taking its course” and copper from the pedometer battery reacting with dry hay and the pigpen’s contents.

The pedometer was being used to prove the animal was free range and had been taken off one of its fellow pigs.

No animals were harmed as a result of the fire.

“Should be an oink not a tweet,” said the fire service on social media. “A hosereel was used to extinguish the fire and save the bacon.”

Một con lợn đau (bụng) cả chuồng cháy đỏ.

[Triển]

Tin con heo:

the fire was caused by “nature taking its course” and copper from the pedometer battery reacting with dry hay and the pigpen’s contents.

[/I]

Mình cũng đeo fitness tracker nè. May mắn là nhà mình không có rơm rạ.