A little less hot in Belgrade, said the weather forecast. Only 31 degree Celsius, said the weather forecast. Must have felt like a fresh breeze after 40 degrees the day before. At least, today no one complained about the Serbian heat on Twitter. Rather, some obviously ate ice cream in between rounds for reasons of refreshment. Apart from the weather, there's more exciting news from the Serbian capital: Again, Willy Witthaut helped us gather the results for VDCH club - thank you! (Again, of some teams we only have the data after previous rounds. We're trying to collect more data.) Results after ...

Debaters from all over the world are flocking in to Manila, Philippines. From 27 December 2011 to 4 January 2012, they assemble at De La Salle University (DLSU) to compete for the title of the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds). From under the roof of VDCH there will be the following debating society competing with around 400 teams from about 70 countries - all in a peaceful competition, the WUDC 2012 or DLSU Worlds: Berlin Debating Union: John Eltringham, Narendran Ramasendaran, Dessislava Kirova, Juliane Mendelsohn, Kai Dittmann, Matthias Winkelmann S.A.E.C.L.O. Greifswald: Rafael Heinisch, Ida Heidecker Debattierclub Mannheim: Jana Gilke, Katrin Sadroschinski Debattierclub Johannes ...

Today starts in Bremen this year's Jacobs Open. Please read our article in german language.

Team Stuttgart A made it to ESL semis at World Universities Debating Championships in Botsuana. Congratulations to Michael Saliba and Andreas Lazar. Please read more on this in the German version of this article! apf / glx ...

Six preliminary rounds are over, night has fallen over Botswana. Tomorrow will bring three more pre-rounds at Worlds 2011. These are going to be closed rounds – no feedback and no info on the ranking will leak from the judges. Socials tonight feature a “culture night”. No more complaints about waiting and queuing are to be heard in Gaborone, but speculations on the ranking of teams and institutions. The teams of Debattierclub Stuttgart feel fine with their performance, Andreas C. Lazar reported this morning: “Gaborone, 32 degrees Celsius. Both Michael [Saliba] and I (Stuttgart A) as well as Jana [Gilke] and ...

And the evening and the morning were the fourth day of Botswana Worlds 2011. Participants in Gaborone had just registered when the motion of round four was announced: “This house believes that independent central banks should set limits on government spending.“ Is the org comm in better control of the schedule today? Last night’s talent show must have been great – our correspondent Henrik Maedler seems to have liked it a lot: “Last night was ‘Recreation/Talent Night‘. Never thought I'd get to see Jamaican song, Jewish rap, and Botswanan dance in one evening ... good fun!” And always an issue ...

And the evening and the morning were the third day of Botswana Worlds 2011. A delay usual for events of this size collided with today’s schedule. But after all, today brought on what all those hundreds of debaters came to Botswana for: The first three of a total of nine preliminary rounds were held today. But most of the day meant waiting for speakers as well as for judges – waiting for registration, waiting for debates to commence, waiting for meals. However, the atmosphere is still great, thanks to good weather and friendly supporters. Even those at home had to wait. ...

And the evening and the morning were the third day of Botswana Worlds 2011. People have just recovered from the ice breaking party when there are complaints about paranoia, the African heat and a belated adjudicators’ briefing – still more surprises for the international debating community from Worlds in Gaborone. However, the atmosphere is great thanks to good weather and friendly people all around, everybody appreciates. Henrik Maedler (Jacobs University Bremen Debating Society), being on his annual leave now in Botswana, felt followed around by his employer as a picture on “Your German Correspondent” proves. The Achte Minute editorial team sincerely ...

No water, no bread! A team from Serbia who wanted to immigrate fromSouth Africa to Botswana was - despite valid visas - defeated late last night by African bureaucracy, as Manos Moschopolous from Greece reported to Achte Minute. No drinks and food available at first for the Serbs around Milan Vignjevic, ESL quarterfinalist at the previous Worlds and co-convenor of the Belgrade Open 2011. Meanwhile, the OrgComm of Botswana Worlds talked to the Serbs, made food and drinks available and will help with all obstacles on early Tuesday morning, Manos released. Isabelle Loewe, Jens Henning Fischer and Henrik Maedler faced similar ...

Fairy-tale romantic, business-like activity and ambitious ideas: all of this and even more offers the Hanseatic City of Bremen. If you want to experience more of this city, you are invited to participate in the Jacobs Open of Jacobs University Bremen Debating Society (JUB Debating Society). The tournament in English takes place from 28 to 30 January 2011 and will be held in British Parliamentary Style (BPS). Chief Adjudicator (CA) is Jens Fischer (Berlin Debating Union), who won the Jacobs Open 2010 together with Henrik Maedler (JUB Debating Society). Jens already served as CA at the European Championships 2006 in Berlin, ...

"Was ist eigentlich Bremen?" fragte sich Oisin Collins, als er gebeten wurde als Chefjuror (Deputy Chief Adjucator) an der Seite von Isabelle Loewe als hauptverantwortliche Chefjurorin (Chief Adjucator) die Jacobs Open 2010 zu jurieren. Doch nicht nur er sollte von diesem Turnier positiv überrascht werden: 24 Teams (darunter Teams aus Lettland, den Niederlanden und der Ukraine) traten drei Tage lang in hochwertigen Debatten gegeneinander an. Dabei reichte das Spektrum der Themen von "This House believes that Google should stay in China" bis zu "This House would ban the Burka". Im Finale setzten sich Jens Fischer und Henrik Maedler als Eröffnende Regierung zum Thema "This House would ...

Henrik Maedler (Jacobs University Bremen Debating Society) und Jens Fischer (Berlin Debating Union) haben das Jacobs Open 2010 gewonnen. ...