A well-known politician from Berlin was attacked and hurt in the head and neck, on Wednesday according to police. This is part of a series of attacks on politicians, which is worrying and shows that political violence is increasing in Germany.
Franziska Giffey, a former mayor and ex-federal minister, who is now a top economic official in the city, was attacked at a library event in Berlin on Tuesday. A man came up from behind and hit her with a bag that had something hard inside, according to the police.
Giffey went to the hospital because his head and neck hurt, and the police said he got medical help there. The police took a 74-year-old man into custody and searched his house. They said the police knew who the suspect was, but they didn’t say why the suspect did it.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner expressed strong disapproval of the attack.
“Wegner said that if someone attacks politicians, they are also attacking our democracy,” according to the German news agency dpa. “We won’t put up with this. ” We will not support violence, hate, or stirring up trouble, and we will keep our democracy safe.
Giffey said on Instagram that we live in a country where everyone can say what they think because it’s free and democratic. But there is a definite boundary. And that is hurting people who have a different opinion, for any reason, in any way.
“She said we need to stand against them breaking the rules that society has set. ”
Later on Wednesday, Giffey, with bodyguards, talked to reporters in Berlin and said she was feeling okay. She also said that it’s important for leaders to be able to move around freely in the country.
The party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s candidate got hurt while campaigning in Dresden last week. They had to have surgery.
The police arrested four people, who are 17 to 18 years old. They believe this group also attacked a Greens party worker before attacking Matthias Ecke. Officials said that at least one of the teenagers is connected to far-right organizations.
On Tuesday, a 47-year-old Green Party member was attacked by two people while hanging election posters in Dresden.
The events have made politicians in Germany very tense.
Both the ruling and opposing political parties are saying that their members and supporters have been experiencing a lot of physical and verbal attacks lately. They want the police to increase their protection for politicians and election rallies.
In February, the German Parliament reported that there were 2,790 attacks on elected officials in 2023. Members of The Greens were affected more than others in 1,219 cases, followed by the far-right AfD in 478 cases and the SPD in 420 cases.
In January, angry farmers stopped the vice chancellor, Robert Habeck, from getting off a ferry for hours. And last week, an angry crowd blocked the car of the vice president of the German Parliament, Katrin Goering-Eckardt, from leaving an event in Brandenburg. Both Habeck and Goering-Eckardt are members of The Greens party.
Nancy Faeser, Germany’s federal interior minister, said that they had a meeting with the country’s 16 state interior ministers to talk about violence. They are thinking about making the laws stricter to punish people who do things that go against democracy.
A lot of bad things have happened in the eastern part of the country, where Scholz’s government is not liked by many people. The Interior Ministry in Saxony has reported 112 crimes related to the election, including 30 against elected officials.
Major political parties have said that AfD is connected to violent neo-Nazi groups and is creating a scary political atmosphere. One of its leaders, Bjoern Hoecke, is currently in trouble for using a Nazi slogan that is not allowed.
The political party Alternative for Germany, which is against immigration and European unity, is likely to win more votes in the European elections and also in the elections in Saxony and two other eastern German states in the fall.
Tag: German
-
German politician attacked prior to EU elections
-
German parliament decides to celebrate military service with an annual Veterans’ Day
The German government has decided to make a special day every year to honor people who have been in the military. Many people in the country have not given much attention to them, so this is a way to recognize their service.
The plan was created by three groups in the government and the main opposing group, and almost all groups in the lower house of parliament approved it.
It says we should have a special day to honor veterans on June 15. It also means that injured German soldiers should get better medical care after they leave the military.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told lawmakers that the motion is a strong and important signal of recognition and appreciation, and it is overdue.
After World War II, Germany did not like the idea of having a strong military or being involved in wars. It took a long time for the country to become more open to the idea of having a military after it reunited in 1990. The former leader Helmut Kohl did something that was not allowed by sending German medics to help the UN in Cambodia.
The German military started sending more soldiers to different countries, like Kosovo, Afghanistan and Mali, and this became a regular part of their activities.
In 2008, Germany made a new medal for bravery in the military. This allowed soldiers to earn the honor for the first time since World War II. A monument was made at the Defense Ministry in Berlin to remember soldiers who died while serving in the Bundeswehr. It was opened in 2009.
“But right now, not many people use the word ‘veteran’ in our society, and this needs to change,” said Johannes Arlt, a politician from Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats who was in the air force. “We want more people to see and appreciate our soldiers and veterans, so we want to have a veterans’ day in Germany. ”
The Bundeswehr started in 1955 as the military for West Germany. After 1990, it became the military for all of Germany. Over the years, more than 10 million people have worked in it.
Germany decided to update its army and spend more money on the military after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. -
German parliament decides to celebrate military service with annual Veterans’ Day
The German government decided to make a special day to honor people who have served in the military. This is important because military service is not always appreciated in Germany.
The plan was made by different groups in the government and the opposition. Almost all the parties in the parliament liked the plan.
It says we should celebrate “veterans’ day” in a public way every June 15. It also asks for better medical care for people who were hurt during their service in the German military, the Bundeswehr.
“The motion is a very important and long overdue show of recognition and appreciation,” said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to the lawmakers.
After World War II, Germany didn’t like war and using military force. It took a long time for the country to become less focused on its military after it reunited in 1990. The former leader Helmut Kohl did something that Germans didn’t usually do by sending military medics to help the U. Nin another country. In 1992, a project was started in Cambodia.
The German military started sending more soldiers to other countries like Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Mali. This became a regular part of their activities.
In 2008, Germany made a new award for bravery in the military. This was the first time since World War II that soldiers could earn this honor. A memorial for soldiers who died serving in the German military was created at the Defense Ministry in Berlin and opened in 2009.
But even now, “the word ‘veteran’ is not used much in our society, and this needs to change,” said Johannes Arlt, a politician with Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats who has been in the air force. “We want to honor and acknowledge our soldiers and veterans by having a veterans’ day in Germany so that they can be seen and appreciated more. ”
The Bundeswehr started in 1955 as the military for West Germany. After 1990, it became the military for all of Germany when the country reunited. Over 10 million people have worked in it for many years.
Germany started to update its army, called the Bundeswehr, and spend more money on its military after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. -
German, Ghanaian doctors never named food poison as cause of my husband’s illness – John Kumah’s wife
Widow of the late Deputy Minister of Finance, John Kumah, has dismissed claims that her husband’s demise was due to food poisoning.
She clarified that John Kumah had fought a severe illness for more than a year.
As General Overseer of Disciples of Christ Ministries, Apostle Lilian Kumah voiced her anguish over the rumors surrounding her husband’s passing, urging people to refrain from spreading baseless allegations.
She revealed that John Kumah had battled a terminal illness for nearly a year, a condition first diagnosed by doctors in Germany.
“My husband went through pain but he never showed that he was in pain. He went through all the pain to do everything he needed to do during the period of his ill-health.
“He was motivated by a particular motto that he always operated by, which is, we don’t do what is convenient, we do what we are commanded to do.
“Right from day one since he was diagnosed in Germany, I have been part of the medical processes my husband went through, and no one, none of the doctors ever told me that my husband’s medical situation was because of poisoning.
“I have all the medical reports both from Germany and Ghana and food poisoning has never been mentioned in any of the reports,” citinewsroom.com quoted her to have said in an Interview with Asaase FM.
John Kumah, the Member of Parliament for Ejisu under the New Patriotic Party (NPP), passed away on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the Suhum Government Hospital. -
Leaked audio is part of Russia’s “information war” against West – German Defence Minister
Germany’s defense minister has said that Russia leaked a conversation between German military officers as part of Russia’s “information war” against the West. The goal was to cause disagreement within Germany.
A leaked audio recording from Russian state media on Friday shows German military officers talking about helping Ukraine, possibly by using Taurus missiles.
The sound recording was made public on the same day that the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny was buried, after he died under mysterious circumstances two weeks ago in a prison in the Arctic.
The Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, said that the timing was not just a random event.
“It’s a part of a war of information that Putin is fighting. ” “He said there is no doubt about it. ” “It’s an attack that mixes lies with truth to mislead people. ” It’s about splitting things up. “It’s about weakening our determination. ”
Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Pistorius said that we should stay calm and think carefully, but still take strong action.
In a 38-minute video, army leaders talk about how Ukraine could use the Taurus long-range cruise missiles. The sound recording was shared because people in Germany are discussing whether to give the missiles or not.
Pistorius said that this is clearly about breaking our unity.
Ukraine needs help because it’s having problems in the war and the United States hasn’t given them military aid yet. Earlier this week, Scholz said he doesn’t want to send the Taurus missiles to Ukraine because he’s worried Germany might end up in the war. His indecision causes tension in his three-party group and also angers Germany’s conservative opposition.
However, in the supposed audio recording, German officers talk about the idea that the missiles could be used in Ukraine.
Pistorius said that in the recording, the officers clearly mentioned that they were involved in a war. The line would not be crossed. -
30-year-old alleged Red Army Faction member apprehended
Suspected member of the Red Army Faction (RAF) Daniela Klette has been caught by German police after hiding for more than 30 years.
The 65-year-old person was found on Monday evening in the Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg, which is known for being left-wing.
Ms Klette is known for being in the far-left armed group that caused fear in Germany for many years.
She is charged with trying to kill someone and committing several serious robberies.
Newspaper headlines about “RAF Rentner” or “Red Army Faction pensioners” make the robberies from 1999 to 2016 seem like a funny TV show about an old grandma running away. The RAF, also called the Baader-Meinhof Gang, was violent before it was disbanded.
Between 1971 and 1993, 34 people died. The group went after important people in politics and business, and they’ve attacked an attorney general and the chairman of Deutsche Bank.
More than 200 people got hurt.
Officials say that Ms Klette was part of the RAF’s third generation, which was active in the 1980s and 1990s.
It’s said that it killed the head of Deutsche Bank with a bomb on the side of the road, and also shot and killed a politician from the centre-left party in his home. He was given the job of selling off businesses in the East Germany that used to be communist.
In 1991, the group attacked the US embassy in the city of Bonn with guns. No one got hurt, but they found Ms Klette’s DNA at the site later.
Two years later, the group attacked and damaged a new prison that was recently built.
The Red Army Faction started from the radical student movement in the 1960s. It wanted to weaken the economy of West Germany, and the group had connections to fighters in the Middle East.
Even now, some people on the far left still admire the RAF. The gang’s logos appear on clothes sometimes, which causes upset arguments in Germany about whether people think left-wing violence is exciting rather than serious.
The RAF ended in 1998 and some members, like Daniela Klette, went into hiding. Since then, she and two other ex-RAF members are said to have made money by robbing supermarkets and cash transport vehicles. It is believed that they made millions of euros altogether.
The police put up posters with old, blurry photos of three young people, with the message that they could live near you. They’re trying to find these people.
New pictures from the police show that Ms Klette’s two partners are older men with grey hair. But it seems like she managed to not be seen or have her picture taken. The police only have a drawing of what she might look like at 65 years old.
On 14 February, a lawyer from the government asked people to share information on TV about a crime. Many people called in with clues.
For a long time, no one could find Daniela Klette, and she was able to stay hidden. -
3 suspects to face court over killing of German tourist in South Africa
Three suspects are set to appear in court in South Africa facing multiple charges, including murder, linked to the death of a 74-year-old German tourist on Saturday.
According to South African police, the trio is accused of brutally assaulting the tourist, resulting in his death, and then abandoning his body in the town of Northam in Limpopo province.
The tourist had offered a lift to a hitchhiker while driving from Botswana. The hitchhiker subsequently contacted two others, who joined the tourist in his vehicle and proceeded to his accommodation. There, they tied him up, assaulted him, and stole his money and other belongings, as reported by the police.
The suspects, identified as foreign nationals, allegedly disposed of the body in a bush near a farm, the South African Police Service (SAPS) stated.
“We are committed to building a strong case that will lead to significant convictions for these individuals,” stated Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, the police commissioner of Limpopo province.
-
Wuppertal suspect detained following injuries to pupils at German school
Five students were hurt in a stabbing at a school in Wuppertal, Germany.
The police have caught someone they think did something wrong, and they might also be injured.
According to a report from Bild newspaper, students were attacked by a classmate, but we don’t have all the details yet.
A woman teacher told the news that students were attacked with a knife and scissors.
The students at Wilhelm-Dörpfeld secondary school locked themselves in their classrooms.
A big police operation started just before 10:00 (09:00 GMT) on Thursday.
“Students got hurt,” said the police on social media. Later, they said the school was safe and all the students were okay and taken care of.
Police spokesman Stefan Weiand said to the Westdeutsche newspaper that the students were understandably scared.More update on this story soon.
-
Berlinale: German film festival sees Lupita Nyong’o make history
Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o has become the first black person to lead the Berlin International Film Festival jury.
The yearly film event, called the Berlinale, is one of the top five film festivals in the world.
The event has never had a black person leading the jury in its 74-year history, organizers told AFP news agency last year.
Nyong’o will choose the best films in the Golden and Silver Bears categories.
At the start of the event in Germany’s capital on Thursday, Nyong’o said she felt very honored to take on the position.
She said having different kinds of people on the jury would make the decision-making about which films to give awards to better.
“The amazing thing about bringing people from different backgrounds together is that we all have different reactions and responses,” said the actress, who won an Oscar for her role in 12 Years A Slave in 2014.
We have a lot of experience from around the world and we have some interesting opinions. It might also be hot and spicy.
When Berlinale chose Nyong’o as jury president in December, the festival’s directors, Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, said Nyong’o was picked because she represents what we admire in movies, with her ability to act in different ways and appeal to different audiences.
The event will continue until February 25th, when the judges will announce the winning movies in the main categories.
Three African entries are part of 20 entries competing for the top prize, and they all tell stories from Africa.
They are showing movies like Black Tea, Who Do I Belong To, and the documentary Dahomey at the film festival. -
Watch white woman in Germany speak fluent Twi, ‘mep3 fufuo ne abenkwan paa’ she says
A video of a German woman impressively speaking Twi has surfaced on social media, showcasing her remarkable linguistic skills.
The woman, whose identity remains unknown, was captured in the video confidently conversing in fluent Twi, a language widely spoken in Ghana, with a Ghanaian lady, Mame Sika.
In the video, the Ghanaian inquired about her journey to Ghana, and the German lady revealed that she has been to the Ashanti Region of Ghana, specifically Asuabua Kwadaso in Kumasi.
The German lady then revealed that she enjoys beans and plantains, known in the local parlance as “Gobe”, as well as fufu, and palm nut soup.
“Wow, I am proud. You speak good Twi,” Maame Sika remarked. She then encouraged Ghanaians to take pride in learning their indigenous languages.
@mamesika10 🤣🤣🤣#fyp ♬ original sound – Mame sika Recently, X users were shell-shocked over a video capturing an Asian man working as a driver’s conductor, in the local parlance known as ‘trotro mate’.
He was working on transporting commuters to Bantama and Kejetia in Kumasi.
-
US Senator Chris Coons discovers German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as his look alike
What do a US Senator from Delaware and the Chancellor of Germany have in common. It turns out, they have a lot in common.
Chris Coons and Olaf Scholz met in Washington DC on Thursday. Chris Coons and Olaf Scholz saw each other in Washington DC on Thursday. Then they took a picture together and posted it online with the same question.
“Who is who? ” Sen Coons made a joke, which is in German for “Wer ist wer. ”
At first look, it was tough to tell them apart because they had similar grey hair, were starting to go bald, and had big smiles.
Mr Scholz is the leader of Germany’s three-party government that started in 2021. He is not known for being funny. The experienced left-wing politician quickly joined in the fun.
“Chancellor Scholz said he was happy to see someone who looks just like him again. He posted a picture on X, which used to be called Twitter. ”
They are both around the same age, 60 and 65, and are both about 5ft 7in tall. They both like politics and want to send more military help to Ukraine as soon as possible.
Mr Scholz came to Washington DC for a planned meeting with President Joe Biden. He wanted to ask for help for Ukraine and talk about the consequences if more aid is not given.
He talked to Sen Coons and other lawmakers on Thursday to tell them the same thing.
MrScholz is visiting while Congress is trying to find a way to give more help to Ukraine and Israel. It’s difficult because Republicans are against it.
The German leader wrote in an article on the Wall Street Journal that people in other countries are watching to see if our disagreements can be used against us.
We need to show that they are wrong by telling people on both sides of the ocean that if Russia wins, the world will be much more dangerous. -
22-year-old Ghanaian woman amongst finalists for Miss Germany contest
Ghanaian born German, Adwoa Tima Awuah, aged 22, has reached the finals of the esteemed Miss Germany awards, showcasing her commitment to social impact.
The Miss Germany pageant, having transitioned from a traditional beauty contest to recognizing women dedicated to social responsibility and community enhancement, has brought Adwoa’s efforts to the forefront.
At the helm of the Yemiyiefo Foundation (YFM Ghana), Adwoa is actively involved in a social project in Ghana, aiming to assist young girls in rural areas to complete their Junior High School (JHS) education and seamlessly transition to Senior High School (SHS).
Since its inception in 2021, the Yemiyiefo Foundation has granted 15 full scholarships to girls in underprivileged communities, facilitating their educational journey through JHS.In addition to the scholarship programs, the foundation has orchestrated workshops featuring diverse life skills programs, impacting over 1000 Junior High School students in the Eastern and Central Regions of Ghana.
Currently, Adwoa is on a mission to uplift the lives of African immigrants in Germany. Her focus lies in providing psychosocial services to aid their integration into German society.
This impactful initiative has earned her a coveted spot among the final 10 candidates in the Miss Germany competition, distinguishing her as the youngest and sole black participant. The grand finale is scheduled to take place on February 24 at Europapark, Germany.Sharing her aspirations, Adwoa expressed, “As a former migrant from Ghana to Germany, I know how challenging migration and integration can be, especially without sufficient support.
“My mission at Miss Germany is to create more empathy for migration and integration with a documentary. I also work at a psychosocial center to support migrants, especially the African community.
-
German train drivers go on longest walkout in history
Train drivers all over Germany have started a strike. It will go on for six days, which is the longest strike they have ever had.
The GDL rail drivers’ union went on strike, which affected passenger trains starting at 02:00 on Wednesday. Goods-train drivers also took part in the strike.
Many Germans were involved in the situation when the union made a long-standing disagreement with state-owned Deutsche Bahn worse.
The most recent attack is the fourth time they have taken action since November.
The union wants to get paid more because the cost of things is going up. They also want to work fewer hours each week without getting less money.
Deutsche Bahn (DB) has changed their train schedule because of the strike. They will go back to the normal schedule at 6:00 PM on Monday.
Germany’s trains are not running, and it’s never happened before. Passenger trains have been stopped for 136 hours. Train services will be affected by the strike on a weekend for the first time.
There were really bad traffic jams in cities like Hamburg because of a farmers’ protest with 100 tractors. Drivers were getting ready to deal with it.
Local and suburban train services were significantly impacted, and 80% of long-distance trains were cancelled.
The company that runs the trains and government leaders are unhappy about the long strikes because they are causing problems for the German economy and people who need to travel.
Tanja Gönner, who is in charge of a group of German businesses, said that a six-day strike could cost the economy up to €1bn. Germany is an important place for moving goods around Europe.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing asked the union to try to work things out with the help of a mediator. He said that right now, it’s unlikely that a solution will be found.
“Passengers are really worried right now, and no one is talking about a solution,” he told Deutschlandfunk radio.
“If people can’t talk to each other, we really need someone to help them figure things out. ”
A survey by YouGov asked over 4,000 adults in Germany about a strike. They found that only 34% understood why the strike was happening, while 59% said they didn’t understand it at all.
Discussions between the union and DB have been going on since November, but the company said no to the request for a three-hour shorter work week. Instead, they suggested an optional plan where employees could work one hour less without a pay cut or choose to get a 2. 7% pay raise
The GDL said no to the offer. -
Drones and missiles fired from Yemen strike cargo ships in Red Sea
The United States says that two cargo ships in the Red Sea were attacked by missiles from Yemen.
One person was attacked by a drone and another by missiles from a region in Yemen controlled by the Houthis, a rebel group supported by Iran.
They were attacked in a narrow strait of water called Bab El Mandab, which is very important for world trade.
There was another attack on foreign ships in the area during the Israel-Hamas war.
The Houthis, who took control nine years ago, have said they back Hamas and are attacking ships heading to Israel.
A person from the US military said that they know something from an area in Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels hit a ship and caused damage, and there was also a fire reported.
The large ship, named Al Jasrah, is owned by a German company called Hapag-Lloyd and registered in Liberia.
A Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson told AFP that the ship was traveling to Singapore from a port in Greece called Piraeus. No one got hurt and the ship is moving towards where it needs to go.
Second boat was attacked.
On Friday, a US defense official said a ballistic missile hit another ship flying the flag of Liberia in the Bab El Mandab. The missile started a fire and a US Navy ship was on the way to stop it.
Israel wants the US to take action against the attacks, but the US is worried that doing so could make the situation with Israel and Hamas worse and lead to Iran fighting back.
Instead, there would probably be a group of different countries’ ships working together to protect ships and take down any missiles or drones that come their way.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who is visiting the Middle East, said the Houthis are a big threat to shipping and trade in the area.
He said Iran is mostly to blame for the attacks. He said that even though the Houthis are carrying out the attacks, Iran is the one giving them the weapons to do it.
“Iran needs to stop these attacks on its own because they are a big problem for international law and peace. ”
More things happened in the area on Friday. There was a report about another ship being taken over in a different place.
The UK’s maritime trade agency got a report that a ship’s crew lost control of the ship and it’s now going towards Somalia in the Arabian Sea.
“At the moment, the UKMTO said that all crew members are safe. ”
On Friday, Ambrey, a company that protects ships at sea, said that a ship called MSC ALANYA, registered in Liberia, was approached by a small boat with Houthi members who told the ship to go in a different direction.
No one has admitted to causing the incidents.
The recent attacks are happening after a few attacks in the southern Red Sea. This is making insurance more expensive for ships and some might have to take a longer route around South Africa to avoid the Red Sea.
The Houthis are in a war with the government of Yemen that is supported by Saudi Arabia. They say they are part of a group of countries that oppose Israel, the US, and the West, and are connected to Iran.
This month, they attacked many commercial ships. A US warship had to step in. In November, they stole a cargo ship.
Warships from the US, France, and Britain are watching over the Red Sea and have used missiles to shoot down several flying objects.
The Bab El Mandeb Strait is a 20-mile wide pathway that divides Eritrea and Djibouti from Yemen.
Around 17,000 boats and 10% of all the world’s trading pass through it each year. Every ship that goes to or from the Indian Ocean has to pass through the Suez Canal. -
First image of German tourist stabbed to death close to Eiffel Tower in Paris
The first picture of the 24-year-old German man who was stabbed near the Eiffel Tower on Saturday has been released.
Collin was attacked by a person who says they are part of ISIS named Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab.
Both Collin and his wife worked as nurses in a retirement home in Germany since January, according to an investigator.
He said: “The person who got killed really liked helping others. ”
‘While on vacation in Paris, he went to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Disneyland. ’
Rajabpour-Miyandoab, who had serious mental health issues and was supposed to be watched by France’s intelligence services, attacked Collin in front of his wife and another female friend.
Later, he focused on a British person named Melvyn.
The 66-year-old person was in Paris for vacation and is now in a hospital in central Paris, recovering from an injury to their right eye.
Rajabpour-Miyandoab was expected to be accused of many crimes, including terrorist murder, today.
France’s Minister for the Inside, Gérald Darmanin, said the person being investigated was on a list for surveillance.
Rajabpour-Miyandoab was really mad about many Muslims being killed in Gaza by the Israeli military. He said that France was involved in it, according to Mr. Darmanin -
Germany seeks forgiveness for its colonial transgressions in Tanzania
The German president vented “shame” over Tanzania’s colonial atrocities committed by his nation.
One of the bloodiest anti-colonial uprisings occurred in the early 1900s when German forces put nearly 300,000 people to death during the Maji Maji rebellion.
Speaking in Songea, the site of the rebellion, at a museum was President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
“I would like to ask for forgiveness for what Germans did to your ancestors here,” he said.
“What happened here is our shared history, the history of your ancestors, and the history of our ancestors in Germany.”
The Maji Maji rebellion was incited by a German policy aimed at coercing the native population into cultivating cotton for export. At the time, Tanzania was a part of German East Africa, encompassing present-day Rwanda, Burundi, and sections of Mozambique.
During a visit to the Tanzanian city of Songea, President Steinmeier conveyed his hope that Tanzania and Germany could collaboratively confront the historical legacy of this period. He pledged to bring these narratives back to Germany to raise awareness among his fellow countrymen.
Germany, until recently, has grappled with a form of “colonial amnesia,” as noted by Jürgen Zimmerer, a history professor at the University of Hamburg. However, it seems the visit and acknowledgment of these events by President Steinmeier signify a step toward addressing this historical amnesia.
“The brutality and the racism of this colonial empire was not understood by the German public.”
During his three-day visit, the President met the descendants of Chief Songea Mbano, one of the leaders of the Maji Maji rebellion who was executed in 1906. Chief Songea Mbano is now regarded as a national hero in Tanzania, and President Steinmeier assured the family that German authorities would make efforts to locate his remains.
Thousands of human remains were brought from German colonies, partly as “trophies” and also for racist research. Jürgen Zimmerer, a history professor, pointed out the lack of substantial funding available to identify the origins of these bones and skulls, which are dispersed in various museums and institutions. Some descendants of the victims have managed to trace their ancestors’ remains through DNA tests.
In a meeting with President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dar es Salaam, President Steinmeier pledged Germany’s cooperation with Tanzania for the repatriation of cultural property. While Tanzania historian Mohamed Said appreciated the president’s apology, he also expressed the view that it fell short of addressing the full extent of the historical issues.
“They decided to set farms on fire so people would run out of food and be unable to fight. This is unacceptable, in today’s world they would be taken to court,” he said.
Germany formally admitted to committing genocide in Namibia during its occupation in 2021 and announced financial assistance totaling more than €1.1 billion (£940 million; $1.34 billion).
The statements from Germany’s president come after King Charles acknowledged the “abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans” during their independence struggle, while on a visit to Nairobi.
However, the British monarch did not deliver a formal apology which would have to be decided by government ministers.
-
German migrant car crashes resulted in seven fatalities
German police say that seven people have died when a crowded minivan, driven by someone suspected of smuggling people, flipped over.
Over 20 people who were trying to migrate, including children, are believed to have been in the van.
The driver tried to escape from the police at a road check, but then crashed near Ampfing in Bavaria, according to authorities.
The accident occurred during an increase in the act of smuggling people. Because of this increase, several countries in Central and Eastern Europe have started checking their borders.
The police tried to stop a Mercedes Vito van at about 03:00 (01:00 GMT) on Friday.
The driver of the car with an Austrian license plate sped up and then crashed multiple times at a junction on the A94 motorway, between Austria and Munich.
There have been a few accidents with people-smugglers in European countries lately.
On Thursday in Hungary, a car with French license plates that was believed to be secretly transporting migrants crashed, causing the death of two people and injuring six others.
A car crashed in the town of Burghausen, near the German-Austrian border. Four people got hurt. This happened about 50km away from the place where the accident occurred on Friday.
Some countries in the EU, like Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic, have started checking their borders again because there has been more smuggling happening.
The increased checks done by Polish authorities have helped to decrease the number of migrants crossing the borders.
The A94 motorway in south-eastern Germany is a common path for people-smugglers who illegally cross the border from Austria.
The Interior Minister of Bavaria, Joachim Herrmann, said that the sad accident showed that border controls in Germany should be improved to prevent smugglers from coming in.
The number of people asking for asylum for the first time in Germany increased by 78% in the first seven months of 2023. The police say that about one-fourth of the immigrants who come to Germany are helped by people who smuggle them into the country.
A map is a visual representation of an area, showing various features such as continents, countries, and cities. It helps people to understand the layout and geography of a place. -
The German Corperation partners jobberman to support women in tech
Jobberman Ghana, the foremost company specializing in career development, job placement, and recruitment solutions in the country, is delighted to announce its collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to introduce the “M-Fit Project – Matchmaking of Females in Tech.”
With the goal of narrowing the gender gap in the technology sector, this project aims to empower and equip young women possessing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) backgrounds with crucial soft skills, thereby enhancing their employability in the tech industry.
Hilda Nimo-Tieku, the CEO of Jobberman Ghana, explained that the “M-Fit Project” represents a comprehensive initiative designed to provide training to a minimum of 100 young women aged 18 to 35 with STEM backgrounds in employability soft skills.
Subsequently, these women will be placed in suitable tech-related positions within Ghana.
In today’s rapidly evolving world, the technology sector offers promises of innovation, growth, and boundless opportunities. Nonetheless, women continue to be significantly underrepresented in this field.
Recognizing this disparity, Invest for Jobs, an initiative backed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and executed by GIZ, among others, has chosen to collaborate with Jobberman Ghana to address this gap and foster a more inclusive tech landscape.
“My team is currently undertaking field research to identify the primary reasons for the low participation of women in the tech sector and the specific soft skills that females with a STEM background need to excel in the world of work. The outcome of this research will inform us of the training programmes these 100 women will receive over four weeks. As a recruitment and talent management company, the M-Fit Project aligns perfectly with our mission to connect qualified job seekers with opportunities and transform lives”, Hilda Nimo-Tieku explained.
By placing 60 women with STEM-related backgrounds in relevant IT professions until the start of 2024, this project aims to take a first step toward improving female employability in STEM.
Through GIZ, Jobberman Ghana and BMZ have the potential to have a revolutionary effect on the tech sector that will empower young women and move them toward a better future.
-
German Ambassador clarifies Ghana’s expenditure reduction reports during World Bank Loan request
In an article that was published on February 25, 2023, the German ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, clarified any misunderstandings over stories that indicated his position on Ghana’s expenditure reduction during the World Bank loan application process.
The initial piece, which was distributed across a number of media outlets, quoted Ambassador Krull as saying that Ghana’s government could not request aid from outside while also refusing to reduce spending.
The ambassador, however, claimed that his viewpoint had been misrepresented.
Ambassador Krull addressed the discrepancy between his actual words and how they were reported by the press and social media exclusively with Doreen Abanema Abayaa on GhanaWeb Special.
“There was what I said, and that was what was reported, reportedly. Social media is a very huge difference between the two, and I never advised to cut down on parliamentarians,” he stated.
Ambassador Krull made a point of emphasizing that his comments were consistent with the fiscal approach Ghana and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had jointly agreed upon.
He emphasized that his remarks were entirely consistent with the framework established during talks.
“I think what I reflected in that interview was precisely what Ghana agreed with the IMF. Not more, not less, and I think it’s by now in a way, common sense,” he added.
The ambassador also placed his remarks within a broader global context, discussing collaborative efforts aimed at assisting Ghana through its fiscal challenges.
“I think I clearly flagged that Germany is willing to help, and we do that in a certain context, and the context that all the other countries are also willing to help, especially all the other creditors, especially the big ones, especially China,” he stressed.
He added another level of complexity to the situation by highlighting the ongoing difficulties in the creditor’s committee negotiations.
The ambassador emphasized the importance of Ghana’s commitment to upholding its financial obligations.
“And I added also, the obvious fact that, of course, Ghana has to do its homework,” he stated.
He reemphasized that the Ghanaian government had communicated its intentions to the IMF, aligning with his original remarks.
This approach entails a concerted effort to curtail expenditures and bolster revenue sources, aligning with the consensus reached between the IMF and the Ghanaian government.
Watch the full interview with Doreen Abanema Abayaa on GhanaWeb TV below:
-
Germany issues warning about possible lioness on loose in Berlin
A wild animal, said to be a lioness, is believed to be on the loose in the southwestern section of the German capital on Thursday morning, and Berlin police have advised residents in several areas of the city to stay inside.
Due to an escaped wild animal in the Kleinmachnow, Teltow, and Stahnsdorf (PM) area, kindly stay inside and bring your dogs inside. Local police posted on Twitter early on Thursday that our colleagues were on the scene and were assessing the situation.
According to their most recent report, which was published at 6 a.m. local time, police stated that the wild animal has not yet been spotted and advised residents to phone emergency services if they saw it.
-
Body of alleged child sex offender discovered ‘mutilated with a chainsaw in a freezer’
German businessman who was allegedly running a child sex ring in Thailand was discovered dead in a freezer after being chainsaw-mutilated.
Police in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, made the grisly discovery of Hans Peter Walter Mack, 62,’s body on Monday evening after a hurried search of a housing development.
The real estate broker’s head, torso and limbs were cut and left in plastic bags in a chest freezer, according to police, who also discovered a chainsaw, ropes and a vacuum sealer nearby.
Mr Mack, 62, was arrested in 2019 for allegedly running an underage trafficking ring which provided children to foreign men for sex, although he managed to avoid prison for the charges and later started a business and property empire.
Mr Mack’s family had posted a hefty fee for information on his wherabouts (Picture: Viral Press) He had since been living in Pattaya with his wife Piraya Boonmak, 24, who he started a relationship with five years ago.
Mack went missing on July 4 following a meeting with a German realtor to discuss the sale of a pool villa and a boxing stadium, prompting a frantic search in which his family appeared to offer a three million Baht reward (£66,000) for information on his whereabouts.
The gruesome discovery was eventually made at around 11pm on Monday night, when police found the dismembered corpse concealed in a freezer in the Chokchai Garden Home 1 Village- around 400 metres away from where his grey Mercedes-Benz coupe was found in a car park several days earlier
Officers said the German’s head, torso, and limbs had been severed and stuffed in plastic bags inside the 1.5m-long freezer which was plugged inside the house.
The discovery comes following a tip from a Thai couple, who claimed they had been hired to transport the freezer to the pool villa house.
Detectives reviewed CCTV footage and identified a pick-up truck driven by a foreigner transporting the appliance secured with plastic sheets and black tape.
It had driven some 90 miles across Chonburi province before dropping off the freezer at the home where it was found.
Police said the interior of Mr Mack’s car had also been wiped with cleaning solvent ‘to destroy evidence’ and have arrested a person known as Petra G, 54, who was the last person Mack is known to have met in Thailand, Bild reported.
The corpse has been taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Police General Hospital for a post-mortem examination, while the freezer is being kept at the Nong Prue Police Station.
Investigators believe there was extortion involved, as Hans was found to have wired two million THB (£44,567) from his bank account before his death.
Deputy National Police Chief Police General Surachate Hakparn said: ‘The case concerns assets. The offender seemed to know that Mr Mack had assets. Detectives must find out if the perpetrator knew Mr Mack personally.’
Police are yet to comment on the German’s shady background.
In February 2018, Hans was arrested in Pattaya along with a Thai woman Amornrat Kateuy on charges of allegedly prostituting girls under the age of 18.
The ex-pat was allegedly put under surveillance by police and seen with Amornrat taking a 17-year-old girl to a house.
Officers raided the home where they allegedly found the German sitting with the teenager while a shirtless foreigner emerged from a bedroom where the 15-year-old was wrapped only in a towel.
The girl told police that the foreigner had paid for sexual services from her and that Amornrat and Hans had taken her there to perform the service.
Police investigated Hans and Amornrat for human trafficking and procuring a sex service provided by an underage girl. The alleged foreign child sex offender was charged with sexual activities with a minor.
It is not known how Hans avoided further police action and what came of the case.
-
Arsenal vying for Jeremie Frimpong
Jeremie Frimpong is attracting interest from Arsenal, Manchester United, and other clubs, according to German outlet Bild.
Bayer Leverkusen is preparing for the possibility of the young player’s departure this summer.
Frimpong, who previously played for Celtic, has been making a strong impression since joining Bayer Leverkusen.
The 22-year-old’s performances in the Bundesliga have caught attention, showcasing his dynamic style of play.
Last season, the Dutch-born Ghanaian contributed eight goals and seven assists from the right wing-back position in the German top-flight.
Overall, he had an impressive tally of 20 goal involvements across all competitions.
Sources indicate that Mikel Arteta is keen on securing Frimpong’s services for Arsenal.
However, they face competition from Manchester United, who have been in contact regarding a potential transfer for several months, as per the report from Bild.
-
Russian leadership change is not our goal – German chancellor
Germany is not seeking a change of government in Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said, stressing his support for Baltic countries and Poland.
Scholz spoke after arriving at a two-day European Union summit in Brussels.
“Our goal here is not a change of government, a regime change in Russia,” Scholz said, adding that Germany is not party to what is happening in Russia.
“Every attack on NATO territory is a matter to which we have to respond collectively,” Scholz said, stressing his support for the countries concerned.
-
Surgeon’s remains discovered in woodland after going missing for six months
In a German woodland, body parts of a surgeon who vanished six months ago have been found.
On New Year’s Eve, 52-year-old Steffen Braun was last observed alive.
Three days later, the orthopaedic surgeon’s superiors at the Maria Hilf hospital in Daun, Rhineland-Palatinate State, reported him missing.
The burnt-out Ford Fiesta that belonged to Mr. Braun was discovered by police on a road approximately 28 miles from his house in Gerolstein, but the surgeon was nowhere to be located.
A dog walker has now discovered his remains in a wooded area less than four miles from his home.
The rest of his body was recovered after being ‘scattered’ around the undergrowth following a police search, reports local media.
A spokesperson forTrier Police said, in a statement obtained by the agency Newsflash,: ‘Late Tuesday afternoon, 13th June, a walker in a wooded area near Rockeskyll found part of a human body and informed the police.
‘The immediate search of the adjacent forest led the officers to the site where the entire body was found, which was in the vicinity of the search area designated by the police.’
Public prosecutor Eric Samel said Mr Braun’s death ‘was a deliberate and brutal homicide.’
Detectives suspect that the murder weapon ma have been thrown away along the A1 motorway between Wittlich and Gerolstein.
Detectives believe that Mr Braun’s killer was well known to him but have not yet idenified a suspect, local media reports.
The police statement continued: ‘According to the investigations so far, the crime may have occurred on Friday, 30th December, or Saturday, 31st December, 2022.’
Prosecutors have offered a £4,300 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Braun’s killer.
-
Adidas to donate proceeds from Yeezy shoes to be sold
Adidas has announced that it will sell some of the sneakers and other products it produced with rapper Kanye West alongside donate a portion of its earnings to charity.
The German sportswear giant cut ties with the celebrity, now known as Ye, last year after he made anti-Semitic comments.
The decision has cost the firm millions in sales and has it facing its first annual loss in more than three decades.
Shoes from the collaboration remain wildly popular in the resale market.
Chief executive Bjoern Gulden said the company was still working out how the sales would happen.
“What we are trying to do now over time is to sell some of this merchandise… burning the goods would not be a solution,” he said at the company’s annual shareholder meeting.
Adidas has about 1.2bn euros (£1bn; $1.3bn) worth of Yeezy shoes sitting in storage.
Mr Gulden said the firm had decided to sell some of the merchandise, instead of donating it, because it did not want to see the products reach the market indirectly.
Last week, Adidas said that if it decided not to “repurpose” its remaining unsold Yeezy stock, it would hurt its operating profit by €500m this year.
A sale could help reduce some of those losses. Ye will also be entitled to some of the money, under the terms of the partnership.
Shares in Adidas were up 2% following the meeting.
The company is being sued by investors who claim Adidas knew about Kanye West’s problematic behaviour years before it ended their partnership.
Investors allege Adidas failed to limit financial losses and take precautionary measures to minimise their exposure.
Mr Gulden defended Adidas’ years-long collaboration with the designer and musician, saying that “as difficult as he was, he is perhaps the most creative mind in our industry”.
The company said it had concluded an internal investigation into reports that the artist had created a “toxic” environment.
It said the review had not substantiated all allegations of misconduct but that “erratic” behaviour had created challenges. It said that the firm was putting in place changes to prevent such problems from happening in the future.
Related article Adidas ends massive deal with Kanye West after antisemitism controversy.
-
German Leopard tanks arrives in Ukraine
German defense minister has stated that the first cargo of German Leopard-2 tanks has been shipped to Ukraine.
Olaf Scholz, chancellor, stated in Rotterdam, “Yeah, we delivered Leopard tanks as we announced.”
We are offering highly contemporary [tanks], and we have already delivered them.After receiving training to operate them, 18 state-of-the-art main battle tanks were sent to Ukraine.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius confirmed the tanks ‘have made it into the hands of our Ukrainian friends as promised and on time,’ and tweeted that he was sure they could ‘make a decisive contribution’ on the frontlines of the war.
The German army trained Ukrainian tank crews how to operate the vehicles (Picture: Reuters) Germany agreed to supply the tanks in January, regarded as among the best in the West’s arsenal, despite being initially reluctant to send heavy weaponry that Kyiv says is crucial to defeat Russia’s invasion.
The Leopards have been specifically designed to compete with the Russian T-90 main battle tank, and are considered to be easier to maintain and more fuel-efficient than most other Western tanks.
Around 2,000 Leopard 2s are in use by European countries, although under German law, Berlin must approve Leopard 2s being re-exported by any country.
Besides the 18 tanks, 40 German Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and two armoured recovery vehicles have also reached Ukraine, a security source said.
The German army trained the Ukrainian tank crews as well as the troops assigned to operate the Marder vehicles for several weeks in Muenster and Bergen in northern Germany.
As well as the German vehicles, three Leopard tanks donated by Portugal also reached Ukraine, the security source confirmed.
At least two British Challenger 2 tanks have also reportedly arrived in Ukraine, with the country’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov comparing their quality to that of a Rolls Royce and labelling the vehicles a work of military art.
In a video posted on his Facebook page, Mr Reznikov posed with a variety of western tanks including Challengers from Britain, Strykers & Cougars from USA and Marders from Germany.
‘A year ago, no one would have thought that supporting partners would be so powerful,’ he said. ‘That the whole civilised world will reboot and finally resist the bloody aggressor, the Russian terrorist country.’
He added: ‘A year has made a difference. Ukraine has changed the world.’
‘The resilience of the Ukrainian people and the craftsmanship of our army convinced the world that Ukraine will win.’
-
Which areas should govt cut down expenditure?- Pius to German Ambassador
The Akufo-Addo administration was recommended to slash expenditures and the size of the government by the German ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull.
But, Daniel Krull has been instructed to be more explicit about the areas in which he wants the government to cut spending.
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA) Pius Enam Hadzide indicated that the easiest thing to do is to just call for cuts in government spending and not give specifics.
The German Ambassador while addressing the press on Friday, wondered why Ghana has been crying to the international community for help when the country continues to operate a large size government bigger than that of Germany.
“I only can compare with other countries like my own and I can just come to the conclusion that the number is much higher than in my country. So that might bring me to the conclusion that maybe there’s room for improvement.”
“Well, of course, it depends very much on what kind of expenditures you’re looking at… I’m convinced this is true for if I look at the budget of the German Foreign Ministry of the German government, I’m convinced there are important tasks that can be cut without hurting economic development. And I’m convinced without going into details this also is true for Ghana. There are certain expenditures that can be lowered substantially and make an important impact, and it has to be part of the package.
“I mean, I cannot go out to the international community and say I need help, but I’m not willing to cut my own budget expenditures. I have to be careful not to cut the social expenditures that are destroying lives and families. I have to be very careful not to take measures that might negatively impact economic growth.
“But I’m convinced there are many expenditures that could be looked at very carefully and can be lowered substantially,” he said.
But speaking on the Big Issue, on TV3 Tuesday February 28, Mr Hadzide said “First of all, I think that we must understand that there are rules that govern international diplomacy, and as much as Ambassadors and representatives of sovereigns are allowed certain levels of laxity, there are rules within the Vienna Convention that must guide our narrative.
“I have listened to the Ambassador, he said a lot of good things and he had a lot of vote of confidence for what is happening within our jurisdictions.
“It is reported that he said something about the size of the government, I heard him say that we need to cut public expenditure. If it is about cutting public expenditure, we are aligned with that one. Mr President himself has said, members of the government have said and I have said that we need to find the balance for public expenditure and public government revenue. So yes, it is easy to say we should cut our expenditure but expenditure in what [areas]? We should cut expenditure in the road sector because that is public expenditure or expenditure in education or we should cut our expenditure in the health areas?
“So our development partners must appreciate the severity of our problems and the need for us to jump-start if we have to compete on equal terms. It is easy for them to say cut expenditure here, cut expenditure there.
“I hold the view that these our development partners or bilateral partners and so on, they are not really and truly out there in our best interest. If they had their way, Africa would be a production force for them to be feeding their economies, that was the intention that even drove them to come in the first place to colonize us.”
Mr Hadzide further indicated that it is not automatic that the country should implement whatever demands that are made by the partners.
“When they make their subscriptions, we must look at it in our own context and take our own decisions.”
-
You must meet certain conditions before we interact with China – German Ambassador to govt
The German ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, has stated that his government is eager to help Ghana communicate to its creditors outside of Germany, particularly China, but only if certain requirements are met.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday, February 3, urged Germany to “encourage” China, an ad hoc member of the Paris Club, to support Ghana’s debt restructuring efforts.
The President made the call when the visiting German Finance Minister, Christian Lindner called on him at the Jubilee House, Accra.
In an interview with Joy News, Mr Krull said it is important that Ghana gets certain important measures in place before any help is extended from his government.
“First of all, we insist that those measures that can be taken here in this country have to be taken. The second condition is that, yes, we are willing to take our share of responsibility as one of the major bilateral donors to Ghana.
“Let me point to three elements. The biggest loss maker in Ghana is the energy sector. In this sector alone, each year, $1.5 billion in new debt is piled up. So if that is not solved, and you ask the IMF for $10 billion, you still will not solve the problem in the medium term.
“So there has to be an answer in Ghana to the 50% technical and non-technical losses in the energy sector. If that is not resolved, I don’t see how we can help find a sustainable solution for the financial problems of the country.”
Mr Krull added “the second part is on the other side of the budget and that is the revenues. Ghana has the lowest one of the lowest tax to GDP ratios, not even 13%. So we have been cooperating with the local authorities and setting up a very smart system of property tax collection. So I think that is an important way forward and this has to be done and processes and decision-making have to be faster to meet the goals, to be able to meet the targets that have been agreed with the IMF”.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, on Thursday, disclosed that the government’s planned high-level meeting with Chinese creditors over Ghana’s debt restructuring has been postponed to late March 2023.
According to him, this is due to the upcoming National People’s Congress of China which is scheduled for early March.
However, bilateral talks will continue ahead of this important mission, Citi News sources have gathered.
China and its agencies hold about $1.7 billion of Ghana’s $5.5 billion bilateral debt and the specialised nature of their lending windows means that Ghana cannot add them to the model used to negotiate with the G20 and the Paris Club members.
-
Boris Becker now out of jail, soon to be deported from UK
PA news agency has reported that, former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker was just let out of jail and will now be removed from the UK.
In order to avoid paying his debts when he declared bankruptcy, he concealed £2.5 million in assets and loans, serving just eight months of a two-and-a-half-year sentence.
The German has been residing in the UK since 2012, but he is now in danger of being expelled.
Given that Becker received a sentence of 12 months or more and is not believed to be a British citizen, he is believed to be eligible for automatic deportation.
The 55-year-old spoke about the turmoil of the case in a clip released this week for an Apple TV+ documentary.
Showing him before the sentencing in April, he says: “I’ve hit my (rock) bottom, I don’t know what to make of it.
“I (will) face (my sentence), I’m not going to hide or run away. (I will) accept whatever sentence I’m going to get.
“It’s Wednesday afternoon and (on) Friday I know the rest of my life.”
His fall from grace is documented in the two-part programme that also looks at Becker’s turbulent personal life and his tennis career, which included three Wimbledon titles.
Becker’s family as well as players past and present such as Novak Djokovic and John McEnroe, also appear.
-
Ukraine war: Germany wary of new influx of refugees
On an old airfield, on the outskirts of Berlin, almost 1,000 people sleep in giant heated tents. The German capital is struggling to properly house Ukraine’s refugees.
And, as winter deepens and Russia continues to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, authorities here are hastily preparing more emergency shelters in anticipation of the arrival of what they estimate could be up to 10,000 more people.
A million Ukrainians have fled to Germany since the start of the war, according to latest figures.
That has awakened memories of 2015 and 2016 when a comparable number of people sought asylum here.
As then, Germany initially extended a warm welcome. But there are now growing concerns about how best to accommodate such a large number of people.
In Berlin, around 100 Ukrainians arrive every day at the city’s main reception centre for refugees which is sited in a terminal at a converted former airport.
Workers in brightly coloured tabards lead them past defunct baggage carousels to the old departure halls which are now filled with crowded trestle tables.
There’s food here, medical aid and a bed for a few nights.
It’s designed to be temporary; strangers sleep in bunks in shared cubicles or tents.
But many of the people here will stay longer; it’s getting harder to find permanent accommodation in a city where the rental market is under pressure, and sending people on to other parts of Germany is getting harder too.
Operations manager Kleo Tümmler admits it’s a challenge: “We are built to take care of people for a few days. Sometimes they have to stay here for two weeks, maybe three weeks.”
Despite the logistical difficulties, there’s a relaxed atmosphere in the centre.
Ms Tümmler and her colleagues appear committed to making life as easy and comfortable as possible for the people here.
They’re trying to adapt to the needs of longer-term guests. They’ve bought washing machines, they’re trying to provide some entertainment, and they’re extending the educational facilities for the 300 children on site, some of whom are home-schooling via video link to their Ukrainian schools.
They have learnt, they say here, from the experience of 2015.
But their positivity is not mirrored elsewhere.
One politician from northwest Germany recently used an editorial in a national newspaper to warn that communities like his were “massively challenged” by numerous Ukrainian refugees as well as a growing influx of asylum seekers.
The number of people seeking asylum has indeed risen, fuelled largely by people from Syria and Afghanistan.
Frederik Paul said he was reminded of the atmosphere during the migrant crisis when an initially warm welcome gave way to a bitter national debate over how much support Germans could and should offer to those seeking asylum.
He echoed comments made earlier in the year by Martina Schweinsburg, a district councillor from Thuringia, who said her area had relied on private landlords to house Ukrainians – mainly women, children and elderly people at first – but were now reluctant to do so.
Turning over school gyms for emergency accommodation was, she said, something the public increasingly considered unacceptable.
“Our capacities are exhausted,” she said. “Our backs are against the wall.”
The mood is darkening; the authorities recorded 65 attacks on refugee accommodation so far this year, a significant increase on 2021.
And a recent survey for the national broadcaster found that concerns about immigration had increased in the last year: 53% of those asked were concerned that too many people were coming to Germany, up by 11% from September 2021.
Those fears and that social division are exactly what Russia’s Vladimir Putin has sought to exploit in his latest campaign to render Ukraine uninhabitable and drive yet more of its citizens into Europe.
That will test the tolerance of this German government, which came to power with a far more liberal attitude towards refugees than its predecessor.
How this country, itself much changed by the experience of the migrant crisis.
Source: BBC
-
Meet Adolf Hitler’s top personal pilot who was also Nkrumah’s pilot
In Ghana, the name Hanna Reitsch may not readily mean much to most people, but it is a name that has relevance because of her direct link to Kwame Nkrumah.
The German pilot is considered one of the few people to have seen Adolf Hitler, the German dictator who ruled with iron hands, alive.
But more relevant to Ghana is that while Hanna Reitsch was Hitler’s pilot, she also served as Ghana’s presidential pilot, flying the country’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, until his government was toppled.
Hanna Reitsch’s link to Ghana:
The first time Hanna came to Ghana was in the 1960s.
This was after she was sponsored by the West German foreign office as a technical adviser in Ghana and elsewhere, according to wikipedia.com.
Other details shared by the Daily Graphic showed that Hanna Reitsch, described as a “mysterious” woman, arrived in the country during the 1962 independence celebration.
In its caption on her arrival, the newspaper captioned it as, “The Lady Who Dares the Heaven,” with the general assumption that she was in for a visit and would leave after the anniversary.
However, it emerged that Kwame Nkrumah had other plans. The details showed that Nkrumah had sold the idea of relocating to Ghana and overseeing the country’s aviation development to Hanna Reitsch.
As a German war hero, she is reported to have agreed and went on to pitch camp in Ghana for the rest of Nkrumah’s government.
With Reitsch in the saddle, Nkrumah is said to have set in motion his plans for Ghana’s aviation. Historical records also show that Reitsch founded the first African national gliding school at Afienya.
While overseeing her training of male and female pilots at the school, Hanna Reitsch also worked with the Ghana Armed Forces as an instructor and imparted her knowledge.
Reitsch’s operation in Ghana had the approval of the then-West German government.
Reitsch’s official role was as a technical advisor, but she went beyond that. History indicates that she became Nkrumah’s most preferred and trusted pilot.
Between 1962 and 1666, when the Kwame Nkrumah government was toppled, Reitsch lived in Ghana and flew with Kwame Nkrumah.
Who was Hanna Reitsch?
Born in Hirschberg, Silesia, of the German Empire, on March 29, 1912, to an upper-middle-class family, Hanna Reitsch, was the daughter of Dr. Wilhelm (Willy) Reitsch, who was an ophthalmology clinic manager, and his wife, Emy Helff-Hibler von Alpenheim, who was a member of the Austrian nobility.
Details on wikipedia.com show that her mother was a devout Catholic, and so she was raised as a protestant. She had two siblings, her brother Kurt, a frigate captain, and her younger sister Heidi. Reitsch began flight training in 1932 at the School of Gliding in Grunau.
While a medical student in Berlin, she enrolled in a German Air Mail amateur flying school for powered aircraft at Staaken, training in a Klemm Kl 25.
Along with Melitta von Stauffenberg, she flight tested many of Germany’s new aircraft during World War II and received many honours. Reitsch was among the very last people to meet Adolf Hitler alive in the Führerbunker in late April 1945.
Reitsch set more than 40 flight altitude records and women’s endurance records in gliding and unpowered flight, before and after World War II.
-
South African police probe German tourist’s killing
Police in South Africa are investigating the killing of a German tourist during an attempted carjacking in the eastern Mpumalanga province.
The victim was part of a group of four German tourists who were waylaid on Monday evening while travelling towards a safari lodge at the Kruger National Park.
The gang is said to have ordered the tourists to open the doors of their vehicle, but when the driver reportedly locked all the doors, one of the suspects shot him through the window, police said.
Local police said the tourist died on the spot and the suspects sped off without taking anything.
“This is really cruel and uncalled for given the economic challenges that our country is facing,” police boss Semakaleng Daphney Manamela said.
Source: BBC
-
Germany’s Olaf Scholz heads to Canada for energy talks
During the visit, the chancellor is set to sign a long-term deal to receive green hydrogen from Canada. German carmakers are keen to source minerals for electric vehicle batteries from the North American country.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday left for a three-day visit to Canada focused on boosting energy security in Europe’s largest economy.
Faced with the possibility of reduced or zero gas imports from Russia — in retaliation for Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine —  the chancellor is stepping up efforts to secure alternatives.
Scholz and his deputy and energy minister, Robert Habeck of the Greens, landed in Montreal late on Sunday local time and were greeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy, Chrystia Freeland.
Scholz praised Canada on arrival, calling it one of Germany’s closest friends outside the EU and saying that it was a country rich in natural resources like Russia, but by contrast was also a reliable democracy.
LNG and hydrogen deals planned
Up for discussion will be the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG), although it was unclear whether this would meet Germany’s short-term needs.
Canada currently has no LNG terminals for export and new facilities would take years to build.
Germany’s gas requirements are limited due to plans to phase out fossil fuels by 2035.
A longer-term deal on closer cooperation on renewable energies like green hydrogen is expected to be signed.
Canada is planning to build a hydrogen plant in Newfoundland that will use wind energy to produce the fuel, the Globe & Mail reported.
Germany is also keen to source minerals available in Canada — nickel, cobalt, lithium and graphite — which are important for the production of batteries for electric vehicles.
Scholz, who is joined on the trip by Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, will hold talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Support for Ukraine likely to dominate talks
The leaders are due to discuss the need for political, economic and military support for Ukraine’s battles against Russia, and on dealings with China.
The two German politicians will first meet Trudeau in his Montreal constituency on Monday.
The trio will then attend a German-Canadian economic conference in Toronto.
A delegation of more than a dozen business leaders is accompanying Scholz and Habeck, including the CEOs of Volkswagen and Siemens.
Before they leave, the German leaders will visit the remote town of Stephenville in Newfoundland, to spotlight the development of hydrogen technologies and hydrogen supply chains.
As Germany scrambles to wean itself off Russian gas, Habeck has already visited countries like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Norway on missions to diversify energy imports.
Scholz interrupted by topless protest
Earlier Sunday, Scholz found himself suddenly flanked by topless women during a press event, as part of a protest calling for an embargo on Germany’s import of Russian gas.
A dpa photographer at the scene reported that security guards immediately intervened and led the two women away.
Habeck, meanwhile, said Sunday that Germans shouldn’t panic about a shortage of gas this winter.
He said the government was helping to secure additional gas supplies, including LNG from the United States, but stressed that the country would still need to cut gas usage by 15-20%.
Source; DW
-
Cold showers as the German city of Hanover reacts to Russian gas crisis
The German city of Hanover has turned off the heating and switched to cold showers in all public buildings because of the Russian gas crisis.It’s the first big city to turn off the hot water after Russia dramatically reduced Germany‘s gas supply.
Germans have been told to expect sweeping gas reduction measures and extra charges on their energy bills.
And the EU has agreed to lower the demand for Russian gas this winter by 15%.
In a bid to save energy, Germany’s northern city of Hanover has decided hot water will no longer be available for hand washing in public buildings, or in showers at swimming pools, sports halls, and gyms.
Public fountains are also being switched off to save energy, and there will be no night-time lights on major buildings such as the town hall and museums.
Mayor Belit Onay said the goal was to reduce the city’s energy consumption by 15% in reaction to an “imminent gas shortage” which posed a significant challenge for big cities.
The rules apply to heating, too. Public buildings will not have any heating from April to the end of September each year, with room temperatures limited to a maximum of 20C for the rest of the year – with some exemptions.
The city is also banning portable air conditioners, heaters, and radiators.
The policy is in line with announcements from Berlin last week, as Germany races to build up its reserves ahead of the winter. Other cities - such as Augsburg in Bavaria – have already introduced their own measures such as turning off public fountains.
The 15% reduction target in Hanover matches the EU-wide goal to reduce reliance on Russian gas.
And on Thursday, Germany confirmed that a planned gas surcharge on customers could be much higher than previously expected, to try to ensure energy companies do not go bankrupt in the coming months. “We can’t say yet how much gas will cost in November, but the bitter news is it’s definitely a few hundred euros per household,” said Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
Some reports said the levy could cost families an extra €500 (£420) a year.Germany has long relied on Russian gas for its energy needs but has recently accused Russia of restricting the flow in retaliation for EU sanctions over the war in Ukraine – something Russia denies.
Russian gas supplies now account for about a quarter of the nation’s needs, compared with more than half before the war.
-
Namibia turns down German genocide reparations offer
Namibia’s President Hage Geingob has said the offer for reparations made by Germany for mass killings in its then colony was “not acceptable”.
German troops killed tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people between 1904 to 1908 in response to an anti-colonial uprising.
It is thought that 75% of the Herero population and half of the Nama population died.
The two countries started negotiations over reparations in 2015 and have so far held eight rounds of talks.
President Geingob was on Tuesday briefed about the negotiations by the Namibian negotiating team led by special envoy Zed Ngavirue.
“The current offer for reparations made by the German Government remains an outstanding issue and is not acceptable to the Namibian Government,” the president said in a statement.
No details of the offer was given.
Germany has agreed to apologise in principle but declines to accept the term “reparationsâ€, while Namibia finds the terminology “healing the wounds†inadequate, the statement added.
The president’s office tweeted photos of the meeting between President Geingob and Mr Ngavirue.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today, I received a briefing from Amb. Zed Ngavirue on negotiations with Germany about Genocide, Apology and Reparations. Diplomacy is about compromise and I commend Amb. Ngavirue on progress regarding the task assigned to him. We remain resolute in completing this key mission. <a href="https://t.co/UZzxsjsr8u">pic.twitter.com/UZzxsjsr8u</a></p>— Hage G. Geingob (@hagegeingob) <a href="https://twitter.com/hagegeingob/status/1293264256302043138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Source: bbc.com
-
German army elite company dismantled due to extremism concerns
A company belonging to the German army’s elite Special Commando Forces (KSK) has been dismantled following allegations of right-wing extremism, a Defence Ministry spokesperson told dpa on Thursday.
The second company of the Bunsdeswehr’s KSK was dismantled following an appeal at the KSK barracks located in Calw in Baden-Wuerttemberg, with some soldiers transferred to other KSK companies, the spokesperson said.
Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had announced the step four weeks earlier as part of wider measures to halt right-wing extremism within the KSK forces, which are trained for special operations such as freeing hostages, after several incidents had caused a scandal.
Out of the four KSK companies, the second had come under fire for organizing a party in April 2017 during which soldiers threw around a pig’s heads while listening to extreme-right rock music and making the Hitler salute, which is banned in Germany.
In May 2020, police found explosives and ammunition stashed on the property of a soldier of the second company.
Following the incidents, Kramp-Karrenbauer elaborated a wider plan comprising 60 measures to tackle right-wing extremism within the KSK, which has around 300 soldiers and several hundred additional staff, though official figures are not known.
The remaining KSK soldiers have been given until October 31 to prove themselves. If allegations resurface, Kramp-Karrenbauer has threatened a complete dissolution of the KSK.
Source:Â GNA
-
German court convicts 93-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard
Bruno D., who had been an SS guard in the Stutthof concentration camp near Gdansk in what is today Poland, was guilty of being involved in killings between August 1944 and April 1945, the Hamburg court said on Thursday.
He had acknowledged his presence at the camp but argued that did not amount to guilt.
About 65,000 people, including many Jews, were murdered or died at Stutthof, according to the museum’s website. Prosecutors have argued that many were shot in the back of the head or gassed with As he was only 17 or 18 years old at the time of the crimes, he was subject to youth sentencing guidelines. Prosecutors had called for a three-year prison sentence.
In his final testimony to the court earlier this week, Bruno D. apologized for the suffering victims went through but stopped short of taking responsibility, German media reported.
“I would like to apologize to all the people who have gone through this hell of insanity and to their relatives and survivors,” he told the court this week, broadcaster NDR and many other media outlets reported.
The defendant’s frail health has meant that court sessions were limited to two to three hours per day.
Although the number of suspects is dwindling due to old age, prosecutors are still trying to bring individuals to justice. A landmark conviction in 2011 opened the way to more prosecutions as it was the first time that working in a camp was sufficient grounds for culpability, with no proof of a specific crime.
Source:Â france24.com
-
German third-tier side VfB Lübeck extend trial period of Lenny Sowah
German third division side VfB Lübeck has extended the trial of German-born Ghanaian Lennard Sowah as he pushes for a permanent contract.
The 27-year-old has been given more time to convince the technical team alongside another trialist Justin Eilers formerly of Dynamo Dresden.
Sowah has been without a club since leaving Scottish side Hamilton Academical after the 2018/2019 season.
The former Hamburger SV player joined the club’s training ahead of the start of the 2020/2021 season.
VfB Lübeck head coach Rolf Landerl confirmed: ” “They will stay with us until further notice, train with the team.
“It was clear from the start that both of them could show themselves longer, that they would give us a lot of time.”
Source:Â Ghana Soccernet
-
German doctor warns footballers of ‘irreversible’ damage from coronavirus
Despite rigid hygiene guidelines for the restart of the Bundesliga this weekend, a leading German sports doctor has warned footballers are still at risk of suffering “irreversible” and potentially career-ending lung damage from the coronavirus.
With Europe’s other top leagues at least a month away from resuming, the German Football League (DFL) has drawn up strict rules for when games restart this Saturday.
Matches will be played behind closed doors, with only a limited number of media and officials allowed to attend.
The key games see second-placed Borussia Dortmund at home to Schalke in Saturday’s derby and leaders Bayern Munich, who are four points clear, visiting Union Berlin on Sunday.
Players have been told to limit contact, even on the pitch, and must avoid pre-match handshakes and hugs to celebrate goals.
The DFL says while no plan could ever be “100 percent safe”, the guidelines aim to create a playing environment with a low, “medically-justifiable risk”.
However, professor Wilhelm Bloch, from the German Sports University in Cologne, warns that contracting the coronavirus has the potential to end a player’s career.
“There is a risk that top athletes may lose their level of performance and never regain it,” Bloch told AFP in a phone interview.
“Generally, the physical makeup, immune system and cardiovascular system of elite athletes means that the risk to them is low.
“However, we do not know at this time whether even minor infections, or even mild symptoms, do not cause damage, such as minor scarring of the lungs after an inflammation.
“This damage may be irreversible, or may last a very long time before the body repairs it.
“We’ve already had players infected in Europe and we’ll soon know if they recover their full potential.”
– Increased injury risk –
Bloch said it is near impossible to estimate what the risk is to footballers in Germany, which currently has 172,239 recorded cases of the virus and over 7,700 deaths.
“Players are not in total quarantine, they are with their families, even if they have been instructed to limit contact,” he said.
“And there are also risks during matches.
“They will all be tested, but not all the coronavirus tests work perfectly. There is a relatively large margin of error.”
The sports doctor says another concern is injuries to players, given their lack of match fitness since the league stopped in mid-March.
“Obviously, the players are not optimally prepared,” Bloch said, with clubs only resuming full team training last week.
“Depending on the degree of preparation, the risk of injury increases.
“We can expect that the players will be more prone to injuries.
“We will see muscle injuries, but also injuries to the musculoskeletal system and tendons.
“You can’t compare it with the start of the season.
“At the beginning of the season they normally have a very intensive training period, then a short break so that the body can regenerate, and then they attack the season.
“Now, that hasn’t been possible for all the teams.”
Bloch also wonders how players can be expected to throw themselves into tackles after weeks of being told to observe social distancing.
“I’m not a psychologist, it’s difficult to assess, but I think it’s going to be a difficult transition and it won’t necessarily be good for their performance,” said Bloch.
“It’s also going to be one of those factors that you have to consider and one of the risk factors for injury.”
Source:Â france24.com
-
Coronavirus: German plan to restart shops, schools and football
Chancellor Angela Merkel is holding a video summit with the leaders of Germany’s 16 states to agree on how to move to a wider reopening of society.
According to a leaked draft of the deal, shops, schools and Bundesliga football will all be part of an extensive plan to emerge from the coronavirus lockdown.
The states have reportedly agreed to take control of timing the reopening.
They will also have to react fast to any new surge in infections.
A limited resumption has already begun, but this would be far more widespread.
Germany has seen fewer than 7,000 deaths in the coronavirus pandemic – a much lower figure than seen in other Western European countries including the UK, Italy, France and Spain.
The RKI public health institute reported 165 deaths in the past 24 hours on Wednesday and some 947 new infections. Significantly the rate of infection has been consistently low for some time.
What will Merkel decide?
Popular Bild daily newspaper announced on Wednesday that Germany was opening up again. And broadly that is what the draft deal proposes.
Schools have already begun opening for older children; the plan is now for all pupils to return to school gradually during the summer term.
During Wednesday’s talks, state leaders reportedly agreed to take responsibility for the consequences of lifting the lockdown, which came into force on 17 March.
Germany, in common with other countries, is wary of a second surge in infections. If new infections rise to above 50 people in every 100,000 over a seven-day period, then in the affected areas the reopening has to be reversed, news agency DPA reports.
Shops of all sizes will also be allowed to reopen under the draft deal; restaurants, hotels and gyms too. But as a number of the 16 states have been less affected by the crisis than others, some are more eager to reopen than others.
Media captionProtesters say their constitutional rights are being eroded Bavaria in the south plans to reopen restaurants on 18 May while Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the north plans to do that this Saturday.
Reopening restaurants and hotels is seen as a particular risk because it will heighten the number of people travelling across Germany and raising infection rates.
A return to football?
The German football league, the Bundesliga is also likely to get the green light to resume.
Image copyrightEPAImage captionBayern Munich are among a number of Bundesliga clubs to have returned to training So-called ghost games without spectators could start again as early as 15 or 21 May as long as a two-week quarantine is put in place for the players, in the form of a type of training camp.
It would be the first big European football league to resume after the pandemic. However, it is not without risk. Ten positive cases were revealed this week by the German football league out of 1,724 tests across the top two divisions.
Not everyone has been happy with the speed of reopening. Baden-Württemberg state premier Winfried Kretschmann accused “a whole row of colleagues of rushing ahead with their own openings”.
Meanwhile, tourism commissioner Thomas Bareiss has held out the hope that Germans will be able to go on holiday this summer.
If the outbreak remained under control, he suggested they could go away in Germany and in neighbouring countries that had seen a similar drop in infections.
Source: bbc.com
-
Bayern Munich want Thomas Partey as long term replacement for Javi Martinez
German giants Bayern Munich are set to make a move for in-demand Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey as a long term replacement for Javi Martinez.
Partey, who is also a target of Premier League side Arsenal, popped up on the radar of the Bavarians as an ideal option for the club’s veteran Spanish midfielder Martinez.
The 31-year old Martinez is believed to have reached a point where he might not be able to play with the same energy he used to and it is time to bring in a long term replacement.
The German champions have identified Thomas Partey as one of the few players with the quality to replace Javi Martinez.
Bayern are believed to be preparing a bid for Partey in the summer transfer window, despite huge interest from clubs in England and France.
Partey is under contract until 2023 and his release clause is €50 million, but Atletico would like him to sign an extension that would double it.
Source:Â Ghana Soccernet
-
Coronavirus: Germans don compulsory masks as lockdown eases
Germans have started wearing facemasks outside the home as new rules come into force to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The use of cloth masks is now mandatory on public transport and, in most regions, within shops.
The rules vary among the 16 German states – Bavaria being the strictest, while in Berlin shoppers do not have to wear masks.
But the authorities are moving very cautiously in easing the lockdown.
Across the world countries are coming up with their own guidance on mask-wearing. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) advice suggests people should wear protective masks only if they are sick and showing symptoms, or if they are caring for people suspected to have Covid-19.
It says masks are not recommended for the general public because they can be contaminated by coughs and sneezes, and might offer a false sense of security.
German media report that mask-wearing is now required in school corridors and when children go on breaks, but not in the classroom. Students sit in class spaced apart and there is more frequent cleaning with disinfectant.
Students preparing for their school leaving exams are also back in class. Most German schoolchildren are still at home under lockdown.
The German authorities require mask-wearing at stations and on buses and trains, but not yet on long-distance trains.
Home-made cloth masks are acceptable; people are not expected to wear hospital-style intensive care masks. These are now on sale in station vending machines and at markets.
Monday also saw some further easing of the lockdowns in the Czech Republic and Switzerland, while Italy has set out a detailed plan for easing its lockdown which remains one of the strictest in Europe.
Source:Â bbc.com
-
Merkel faces growing criticism over German virus strategy
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been praised at home and abroad for her reaction to the coronavirus crisis, but as voices of discontent grow louder, support for the government’s strategy could be on the wane.
Though Germany began to lift lockdown measures last week, Merkel has urged caution and slammed growing impatience to shake off the curbs on public life introduced a month ago to slow contagion.
The measures have proved successful so far, with Germany maintaining a mortality rate of just 3.7 percent in the pandemic, far lower than major European neighbours.
The restrictions have also met with public approval. Almost three quarters of the population said they supported them in a Kantar poll published Friday.
In full-blown crisis just a few months ago, Merkel’s CDU/CSU conservative alliance has meanwhile rebounded in the polls, jumping ten points in the last two weeks to 38 percent.
‘Life and death’
Yet the mood could be about to change.
Wolfgang Schaeuble, an elder statesman of German politics and current president of the Bundestag lower house, warned that extended restrictions would impinge on fundamental citizens’ rights.
“When I hear that protecting lives should come above everything else, I don’t think that is absolutely true,” he told Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel on Sunday.
Merkel also provoked the ire of regional leaders when she suggested last week that they had been too eager to relax restrictions.
Armin Laschet, state premier for Germany’s most populous region North-Rhine Westphalia and a candidate to succeed Merkel as CDU leader, protested that the discussion over how to lift lockdown measures was “appropriate”.
“It is of course still a question of life and death,” he told public broadcaster ARD on Sunday night.
Yet he insisted that the negative effects of lockdown must also be “weighed up”, pointing in particular to children “who have had to stay at home for the last six weeks”.
He also attacked what he saw as the pessimistic predictions of some medical experts, pointing out that “40 percent of intensive care beds are empty” in his state.
Germany’s most popular newspaper Bild echoed Laschet’s words in a scathing editorial on Monday, accusing Merkel of being “stubborn, pig-headed and bossy”.
‘End of national unity’
Largely muted in the crisis until now, Germany’s opposition parties are also beginning to grow more critical of the government’s course.
The Greens, still the highest polling opposition party despite a recent slump, have urged more caution. On Sunday, co-leader Annalena Baerbock slammed plans to allow Bundesliga football to resume without spectators from next month.
The leader of the liberal FDP Christian Lindner warned that consensus over coronavirus measures was breaking down, declaring the “end of national unity”.
His party’s concern over both the fate of small and medium-sized businesses, as well as the erosion of civil liberties, is also shared by more extreme groups.
Far left and far right protesters have assembled in Berlin every Saturday in recent weeks, calling for “democratic resistance” against what they claim are authoritarian and unconstitutional coronavirus restrictions.
Police arrested around 100 of an estimated 1,000 protesters last Saturday and a further demonstration is planned for May 1.
The far-right AfD, Germany’s largest opposition party by number of MPs, has also declared its opposition to lockdown.
“The absolute shutdown was avoidable and (the government) is now missing a chance to end it,” claimed AfD lawmaker Sebastian Muenzenmaier, adding that “all shops must be opened: give the people back their liberty!”.
Weekly newspaper Die Zeit warned the AfD could “profit from the long term consequences” of the virus such as mass unemployment.
Source:Â france24.com
-
Merkel warns coronavirus crisis ‘still just the beginning’
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said her country must remain “clever and cautious” in handling the coronavirus crisis, as it is “not the end phase but still just the beginning”.
“We’ll have to live with this virus for a long time,” Ms Merkel told parliament ahead of an EU summit, via videolink.
She said Germany should be ready to “make very different, meaning much higher contributions to the EU budget”.
The video summit – the EU’s fourth on coronavirus – is now under way.
EU leaders are expected to sign off on a new €540bn (£470bn; $575bn) emergency fund to protect European workers, businesses and countries worst affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The details are yet to be worked out.
The €540bn would be released through EU institutions that already exist, including the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the main bailout fund set up in response to the 2008 financial crisis.
European Council President Charles Michel told leaders they should aim to start releasing the funds by 1 June.
But a thornier issue is how much extra to commit to the EU budget to deal with this crisis, and how much the 27 member states will spend jointly. There are plans for a special recovery fund, like the post-1945 Marshall Plan.
Italy and some other states want EU help in aid grants, not loans. The scale of the crisis is such, they argue, that at least €1.5 trillion will be needed.
Mrs. Merkel said extra EU budget funds should be provided “in a spirit of solidarity” and for a limited time.
Italy, at the epicenter of the pandemic in Europe, has been especially vocal in urging its EU partners to jointly guarantee debt.
But Germany, the Netherlands and Austria oppose any mutualization of debt, in the form of so-called “coronabonds”. Under current EU rules countries cannot be made liable for each other’s debts.
Source:Â bbc.com
-
Ozil’s wage cut refusal a huge PR own goal Carragher
Mesut Ozil has come in for fierce criticism from Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher after reports the German was one of three Arsenal players to refuse to take a pay cut.
The Premier League club confirmed on Monday that a 12.5 per cent overall reduction in wages had been agreed by the first-team squad , along with head coach Mikel Arteta and his staff, in a move aimed at mitigating the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, widespread reports later emerged suggesting Ozil was one of a trio of Gunners stars to reject the proposal.
Ozil is the club’s highest-paid player and Carragher believes the 31-year-old has scored “a huge PR own goal”.
“The fact the highest-paid player and possibly the biggest name at Arsenal has not gone with the rest of his team-mates and stuck together [is bad],” Carragher told The Football Show on Sky Sports News.
“Even if I was in Ozil’s position and I did not agree with that, I think the fact the rest of the team, your manager and people at the club have decided to be as one and make this decision, you have to go with it as a team.
“Football is a team game, it’s not an individual sport, and for someone like Ozil in that situation I think he’s got to go with what the rest of the players are doing. It’s a massive PR own goal.
“I’m not going to have a go at Mesut Ozil for the wages he’s earned. If you want to have a go at Mesut Ozil for the wages he’s got, blame the people who gave him the contract. We’re all in every walk of life trying to earn as much money as we possibly can.
“But when a situation like this comes in and you’re together as a team in a dressing room, I think the highest-paid member and the biggest name in that dressing room should be the one who almost sets the example really.”
Mesut Ozil Arsenal
Ozil has previously been heavily involved in charitable work.
Upon marrying his wife Amine he promised to pay for 1,000 children to have life-changing surgery, while he also donated food to 100,000 homeless people across Turkey and Syria.
His agent, Dr Erkut Sogut, has always been quick to leap to the defence of his client with transfer talk and criticism of performances having never been far away and he says players at any level are free to question decisions being forced on them .
Sogut told The Athletic: “If a club is asking players to take a material pay reduction, a cut, or a deferment then the club is likely to need to really be transparent about its financial circumstances in order for players to make an informed choice about the extent they should be expected to assist the club through the coming months.
“It is not enough for a club to present a proposal to one member of the first-team squad and then ask them to go to the rest of the squad and get their consent to do it. That is not how individual contract negotiations should take place.
“A club may even ask a first-team manager to negotiate with players and this may influence some, particularly younger players or those on the fringe who fear there might be personal repercussions for him if he does not agree.
“In those circumstances it could be questionable that any consent from the players would be legally binding anyway as some players are not in a position to give true consent if they are under pressure to do so.
“You might hear 20 per cent, 30 per cent. It’s not enough to say a percentage. It’s more the club really needs to explain why this percentage. What other measures have the club considered and implemented? Will the club reduce or increase its transfer budget?
If so, by how much? Will the clubs be capping the salaries of new signings? Will the directors or senior management also be taking pay reductions during the period? If so, in what way? Will the club be ceasing all dividend payments to shareholders and if so, for what period? The players need to know about that.
“The players are entitled to know what will happen if they don’t agree. What will happen if I say no? Is this a genuine choice for the player or is there sanctions?”
Source:Â happyghana.com
-
Germany and US wrestle over coronavirus vaccine
cor
The governments of Germany and the United States are wrestling over the German-based company CureVac, which is working on a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, reported German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
The prominent German media outlet reported, citing unnamed sources, that US President Donald Trump was offering large sums of money to German scientists working on a vaccine. He wanted to secure exclusive rights to their work, the newspaper reported.
However, in a news release, the company on Sunday rejected “any claims on a possible sale of the company or its technology.”
The Welt am Sonntag had quoted an anonymous German government source as saying that Trump was doing everything he could to secure a vaccine for the United States, “but only for the US.”
On Sunday, the head of CureVac’s biggest investor said that an exclusive contract with the US was out of the question.
“We want to develop a vaccine for the whole world and not individual countries,” the chief executive of dievini Hopp Bio Tech Holding, Christof Hettich, told the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper, echoing a similar statement in the company’s press statement.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn told German public television that a takeover was not on the cards and that the ministry “has been in good talks with the company for the last two weeks.”
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said the matter would be discussed in the government’s newly created crisis committee on Monday, while Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told German public TV that “Germany is nor for sale.”
The company is based in the southwestern German city of Tübingen and works with the Paul Ehrlich Institute, linked with the German Health Ministry. It also has sites in Frankfurt and the US city of Boston.
The company hopes to have an experimental vaccine developed by June or July, and then to get approval for testing on people. The research into several possible vaccines had begun and the two most promising would be chosen for clinical tests, CureVac co-founder and chief production officer Florian von der Mülbe told Reuters on Friday.
Meeting with Trump
Trump on Saturdaytested negative for the coronavirus after potentially being exposed to several cases.
The COVID-19 outbreak, which started in China, has spread across the globe with more than 156,000 confirmed cases and 5,800 deaths. More than 70,000 people have recovered from the virus, which presents for most people as a mild to moderate illness, but can become a serious condition in others.
On March 2, CureVac’s then-CEO Daniel Menichella attended a meeting at the White House to discuss coronavirus vaccine development with Trump and members of his coronavirus taskforce.
On March 11, the company announced Menichella would be replaced by company founder Ingmar Hoerr, without giving a reason why.
Source: dw.com
-
Dozens injured as man intentionally ploughs car into carnival crowd in Germany
A man intentionally rammed a car into a crowd at a carnival procession in the German town of Volkmarsen, injuring dozens of people including children, police said.
The suspect, a 29-year-old German citizen, was arrested but could not be immediately questioned because he was injured in the incident and being treated by doctors.
He is being investigated on suspicion of attempted homicide.
Police spokesman Henning Hinn confirmed that Monday’s crash was deliberate, adding: “There were several dozen injured, among them some seriously and sadly also children.”
Volkmarsen, a town of about 7,000 people, is in Hesse, a central German state; all carnival parades across the state were cancelled as a precaution.
However, state police said they had no indication of a threat anywhere else in Germany.
Hesse Interior Minister Peter Beuth said of the roughly 30 people injured, about 10 were children.
“As far as I know, there are still no indications for the motive for the deed. This is also a subject of the investigations which are now being carried out with high pressure,” said Beuth.
Seven victims were in serious condition, Frankfurt police chief Gerhard Bereswill told local media.
The incident took place on the south side of Volkmarsen, outside a supermarket.
Video footage showed a silver Mercedes station wagon with local licence plates and its hazard lights blinking on the pavement while emergency crews walked by.
The carnival is popular in parts of Germany, especially in Rhineland cities such as Cologne and Duesseldorf, where festivities peaked on “Rose Monday” (February 24) with tens of thousands attending street parades featuring comical or satirical floats.
Monday’s attack came less than a week after a far-right gunman killed at least nine people in a city called Hanau, which is also in Hesse – an assault which sent shock waves through Europe.
Source: aljazeera.com
-
Suspect on the run after shooting rampage near German synagogue kills two people
Two people have been killed in a shooting rampage near a synagogue in the eastern German town of Halle, according to local police.
One woman was killed close to the town’s synagogue around midday local time on Wednesday, before a gunman opened fire at a kebab shop roughly 600 meters away, fatally wounding a man. A 35-minute video has been posted online that appears to have been filmed by the gunman.
A police search for the perpetrators is now underway. At least one person is on the run and local residents were urged to seek safety, as the attack may have involved as many as three suspects, according to the Federal Criminal Office.
One suspect has been arrested. A spokesman for the German federal prosecutor identified the suspect as “Stephan B.” and said he is 27 years old.
Read:Zebra shot dead after causing accident on German autobahn
By Wednesday afternoon, a police operation was underway in the small village of Wiedersdorf, around 14 kilometers (8.6 miles) east of Halle, according to CNN’s German affiliate, n-tv.
Irre! #Halle via @MDR_aktuell pic.twitter.com/0SLLBaGF5O
— Michael Ziesmann (@M_Ziesmann) October 9, 2019
Several people were also injured in what local authorities described as a “rampage.” The incident near the synagogue comes on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
A German security official told CNN that “investigators believe the shootings in Halle were motivated by far-right ideology” based on what they have learned so far.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her “deep condolences to the family of the victims,” government spokesperson Stephen Siebert tweeted.
“Our solidarity to all Jews on the holy day of Yom Kippur. Our thanks to the security forces who are still on the case,” Siebert said.The attack had hit Germans “in the heart,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, said on Twitter. He added: “We all have to fight against anti-Semitism in our country.”
Video appears to show attack
The video appears to have been filmed with a camera mounted on the helmet of the attacker.The video, which was filmed from the shooter’s perspective, bears striking resemblance to the video filmed by the suspect in the Christchurch attack in New Zealand in March.
Read:German state proposes smoking ban in vehicles with children
The suspected gunman in the German attack launched into a brief anti-Semitic rant in the video, claiming the Holocaust “never happened” and saying that the root of some of the world’s problems are the Jews.
The 35-minute video shows the suspected gunman shooting multiple individuals and driving in a car to multiple locations, including a synagogue and a kebab shop.
The video was posted on Twitch, an online video streaming platform that is most commonly used to live stream video games.
A spokesperson for Twitch confirmed to CNN that the apparent video of the attack was livestreamed on its platform.
“We are shocked and saddened by the tragedy that took place in Germany today, and our deepest condolences go out to all those affected,” Twitch said in a statement.
Read:Prevent human rights violation German envoy
“Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy against hateful conduct, and any act of violence is taken extremely seriously. We are working with urgency to remove this content and permanently suspend any accounts found to be posting or reposting content of this abhorrent act.”Halle police referred CNN to the federal prosecutor’s office.
Annette Hechler, a spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor, said they are investigating the video.She declined to comment on the identity of the suspect who is in police custody or on the weapon that was used in the attack.
Source:Â cnn.com