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☆ German Court Fines Far-Right Leader for Using Nazi Phrase
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A German court on Tuesday found a prominent far-right politician from the Alternative for Germany party guilty of using a banned Nazi slogan during a campaign speech in 2021. A panel of four judges sentenced the politician, Björn Höcke, head of the Alternative for Germany party in the eastern state of Thuringia, to a fine of 13,000 euros, roughly $14,000. The trial, in the city of Halle, has been closely watched in Germany as the far-right nationalist party, known as the AfD, stands to make major gains in state elections in September. During the trial, which began last month, Mr. Höcke admitted to using the phrase “Everything for Germany” but claimed that he had not known about its Nazi origin. The slogan was used by the paramilitary wing of the Nazi party, which engraved it on their knives.

Persons: Björn Höcke, Höcke, Germany ” Organizations: Germany, Nazi Locations: Germany, Nazi, Thuringia, Halle

☆ Germany Arrests Lawmaker’s Aide on Suspicion of Spying for China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An aide to a German lawmaker in the European Parliament has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office said Tuesday. It came just hours after the German authorities arrested three people in the west of the country on suspicion of leaking technological data used in maritime propulsion and exporting a high-powered laser to China. Prosecutors said that Jiang G., as he was identified in keeping with German privacy rules, had worked for a German member of the European Parliament since 2019. Calling him an “employee of a Chinese secret service,” prosecutors accused Mr. G. of repeatedly passing along information about parliamentary deliberations and decisions to Chinese intelligence in January. Mr. G., a German citizen, also was accused of spying on Chinese opposition groups in Germany, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.

Persons: Jiang G Organizations: Prosecutors, Mr Locations: China, Dresden, German, Germany

☆ Iran Seizes Commercial Ship Linked to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tehran has vowed a retaliatory strike after blaming Israel for an attack on an Iranian embassy building in Syria that killed 12 people, among them top military generals. Iran is a backer of Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, but has so far stayed clear of direct involvement. On Friday, President Biden said that he expected Iran to launch a retaliatory attack “sooner than later,” and reiterated that the United States remained committed to the defense of Israel. It was not immediately clear if the seizure of the ship was part of Iran’s promised response to the attack in Syria, but it was not the first time Iran had directly seized a commercial vessel. Before the war in Gaza, the United States said that Iran had “harassed, attacked or interfered” with more than a dozen internationally flagged merchant ships in recent years.

Persons: Eyal Ofer, Israel, Israel Katz, Biden, ”, Iran’s Organizations: MSC, Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac Group, ”, Iran’s Locations: Israel, Tehran, Iranian, Syria, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, United States, Oman

☆ A Reverse Art Heist? Museum Finds Employee’s Painting on Its Wall
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Unfortunately for the worker’s burgeoning art career, the ruse was discovered and the painting was removed from the wall. The museum and the worker agreed to part ways, the museum said. The man, a well-respected employee that the museum did not identify, was also banned from visiting his old workplace, the museum added. Adding to the aspiring artist’s troubles, the police said on Wednesday that they were investigating him for property damage — for drilling two small holes in the museum wall to hang his painting. The Pinakothek der Moderne has one of Germany’s largest art collections, with more than 20,000 pieces of art, including works by prominent artists like Max Beckmann and Pablo Picasso.

Persons: Ms, Nehler, Max Beckmann, Pablo Picasso

☆ German Airport Security Screeners’ Walkout Grounds Flights
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Security screeners began a one-day walkout on Thursday at 11 of Germany’s busiest airports, bringing departures to a virtual standstill, scuttling travel plans for an expected 200,000 people and adding to the chaos caused by public sector strikes. Airports serving Berlin, Hamburg, and Stuttgart canceled all of their departures in anticipation of the work stoppage, while others — including Frankfurt’s airport, the biggest in Germany — were trying to keep some flights in the air but warned of significant delays and cancellations. “The work of airport security staff must remain financially attractive so that the urgently needed skilled workers can be recruited and retained,” said Wolfgang Pieper, a lead negotiator for Verdi, the public sector union behind the strike. Screeners are demanding an hourly raise of 2.80 euros, or roughly $3, a 14 percent increase for a starting salary. The federal association of aviation security businesses, the B.D.L.S., which represents employers, called the demands “utopian.” It has offered a 4 percent increase this year, followed by a 3 percent rise next year.

Persons: screeners, Germany —, ”, Wolfgang Pieper, Verdi Organizations: Airports Locations: Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt’s, Germany

☆ Germany’s Much-Vaunted Strategic Pivot Stalls
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Just days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to revitalize a German military that had fallen into disrepair since the end of the Cold War. The centerpiece of that plan was a promise for an injection of 100 billion euros, or nearly $110 billion, and to raise military spending in a shift that amounted to an earthquake for a country that had developed an almost pacifist ethos since its terrible history in World War II. But nearly two years later, experts and military officers say the “Zeitenwende,” or “change of era,” Mr. Scholz promised with such fanfare is barely visible to rank-and-file soldiers who still lack even the most ordinary infrastructure, ammunition and equipment. Much of the money has either not yet materialized or is going to weapons that will not be in the hands of soldiers for years because of procurement delays and the need to ramp up long-dormant production lines.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Mr, Scholz Locations: Ukraine

☆ Donors Give Over €300,000 for Immigrant Who Intervened in Dublin Stabbing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“It was everything by instinct — I remember I took off my helmet, to protect myself and use it as a weapon,” he said. And he fell down.”Image Caio Benicio in Dublin on Saturday. Credit... Peter Murphy/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesThe police confirmed on Saturday that a 5-year-old girl and a woman in her 30s were being treated for serious injuries and were still in the hospital; two other children were treated for less serious injuries, the police said. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said that those behind the violence had brought shame to Ireland. It was not lost on many of those who rushed to buy Mr. Benicio a proverbial beer that an immigrant had intervened in an attack that then inflamed anti-immigrant sentiment.

Persons: —, ”, “, Caio, Peter Murphy, Leo Varadkar, Benicio Organizations: ., Agence France Locations: Dublin, Ireland, GoFundMe

It won five cabinet positions in the three-party coalition, including the powerful economy and foreign ministries. And a host of missteps that some even within the party concede has stalled the Greens’ momentum. Today the Greens are widely viewed as a drag on the government of the Social Democratic chancellor, Olaf Scholz, which one poll gave a mere 19 percent approval rating. The Greens have drawn withering attacks from even their own coalition partners. To their opponents, the Greens have overreached on their agenda and become the face of an out-of-touch environmental elitism that has alienated many voters, sending droves to the far right.

Persons: Olaf Scholz Organizations: Germany’s Green Party, Greens, Social Democratic Locations: Ukraine

☆ Iranian Teenager Dies Weeks After Mysterious Collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Armita Geravand, a 16-year-old Iranian high school student, has died weeks after she collapsed and fell into a coma following what many believe was an encounter over not covering her hair in public. That report repeated the government line that Ms. Geravand’s coma had been caused by hitting her head after a fainting spell. Ms. Geravand’s case has fueled outrage among many Iranians because of her young age and because of previous cases in which hundreds of women have been brutalized by the morality police for not wearing head scarves. In Ms. Geravand’s case, the Iranian authorities released only limited footage of the incident. Ms. Amini’s death touched off widespread, monthslong demonstrations in which Iranian women publicly violated dress codes, mostly by eschewing head scarves, in huge protests that rattled the country.

Persons: Armita, Geravand’s, IRNA, Mahsa Amini Locations: Tehran

☆ British Freighter Is Believed Lost in Fatal North Sea Collision
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Two cargo ships collided in the North Sea in the early hours of Tuesday morning, sinking one vessel and leaving at least one mariner dead, the authorities said. Two crew members from British cargo vessel Verity were rescued during an extensive operation that included German Maritime Search and Rescue Service and police vessels, aircraft and a cruise ship. Teams were still searching for four people presumed to have been in the 60-degree water since early Tuesday. The collision occurred at around 5 a.m. 14 miles southwest of Heligoland, a tiny rocky island situated north of Germany and west of Denmark. The site of the incident is one of the busiest stretches of water in the world, according to the German authorities.

Persons: Verity Organizations: Rescue Service Locations: Heligoland, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Bahamas, Europe

☆ Leftist Upstart Threatens to Shake Up German Politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A significant new fissure opened on Monday, when one of the country’s most prominent leftist politicians, Sahra Wagenknecht, announced that she would form her own party, throwing up yet another wild card and challenging the political mainstream. Few Germans do not know Ms. Wagenknecht. A gifted orator, she has made something of a brand for herself with her biting criticism of the government and over-the-top political rhetoric. True to form, the association she founded with four others to build the party is named after herself: the Sahra Wagenknecht Coalition, or BSW in the German acronym, making it the first party in postwar Germany built entirely around one figurehead. Ms. Wagenknecht said the party would be a home for those who feel abandoned by mainstream politics, and stand for “reason and fairness.”

Persons: Sahra Wagenknecht, Wagenknecht, Die Linke, ” Organizations: Left, Die, Wagenknecht Coalition Locations: Germany

☆ Europe’s Boars Still Hold Radioactivity. What Surprised Scientists Is Why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The peer-reviewed study, published this past week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, found in the boars high levels of radiation that the researchers believe come from nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere carried out long before the Chernobyl meltdown. It also answers a question that has stumped researchers and hunters: Why is the radiation in the wild boar population relatively high, when most other wildlife are uncontaminated, many generations after the accident? (Spoiler: It’s because they eat deer truffles.) The findings were so unexpected that when Georg Steinhauser, the paper’s lead researcher, and a colleague first saw the results, they thought there had been a mistake. “That can’t be right — that’s not possible,” Professor Steinhauser recalled his colleague exclaiming.

Persons: Georg Steinhauser, Steinhauser, Martin Steiner Organizations: Science & Technology, German Federal Office for Radiation Locations: Central Europe, Ukraine, Bavaria, Germany, Belarus, Russia

☆ An Obsolete German Tank Seeks a Second Life on Ukraine’s Front Lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Their old diesel engines roaring, the Cold War-era battle tanks bobbed through the verdant Germany countryside as the Ukrainian commander radioed an order to his unit to fire. The gunners’ task was to aim and shoot the 105-millimeter cannon at green pop-up targets as far as 1,500 yards away. “Fifteen of 17 is a very good result,” said Lt. Col. Marco Maulbecker, who oversees the tank training, referring to the number of targets hit by the crews on the first attempt. At the time, Germany was criticized for its dithering when it came to sending German-made tanks to Ukraine. The reluctance reflected Germany’s ambivalence about taking a military leadership role in Europe after World War II, but also the burdens on a German military that was chronically underfunded.

Persons: ”, Marco Maulbecker, — Organizations: NATO Locations: Ukrainian, Germany, Kyiv, Ukraine, Europe

☆ Rammstein Singer Till Lindemann Is Cleared of Sexual Assault Allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Berlin’s public prosecutor’s office on Tuesday said it had dropped its sexual assault investigation into Till Lindemann, the frontman for the rock band Rammstein, citing a lack of evidence. The investigation began in June after several women said that Mr. Lindemann had plied young people with alcohol and drugs before, during and after concerts in order to have sex with them. Lawyers for Mr. Lindemann denied those claims in a statement and threatened legal action against those making the claims and news outlets reporting on them. “I thank all those who have waited impartially for the end of the investigation,” Mr. Lindemann, 60, posted to Instagram on Tuesday. When the German news media reported on the allegations of impropriety against the leader of one of the country’s most successful modern music groups, commercial partners ended their ties with Mr. Lindemann.

Persons: Till Lindemann, Lindemann, ” Mr

☆ Hailstorm in Germany Rips Through a Town, Damaging Buildings and Cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

An estimated 80 percent of buildings were damaged during a hailstorm in a town in southern Germany on Saturday, according to local authorities, leading officials to declare a state of emergency. The storm was part of a weather system that caused injuries and damage across the southern part of the country over the weekend during one of the most turbulent summers Europe has faced in years. Hailstones, some of which measured three inches wide, damaged cars, roofs and windows during a 15-minute storm in Bad Bayersoien, a small town of 1,300 people in Bavaria. Video footage from Bad Bayersoien shows entire roofs destroyed by hail. Roof-mounted solar panels were pierced by hailstones and car windows were smashed, according to news reports.

Locations: Germany, Europe, Bavaria

☆ Swiss Museum Cashier Pockets Over $1 Million in Yearslong Scam
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For this museum heist, every little bit counted. A court in Switzerland convicted a museum cashier on Friday of stealing almost a million Swiss francs by pocketing entry fees paid by visitors at the Beyeler Foundation, a prestigious art museum outside Basel. “Most likely, you would have continued like this if you hadn’t been found out,” the presiding judge, Marcia Stucki, said when announcing the verdict on Friday, according to the Basler Zeitung, a local newspaper. The court sentenced the woman to three years and seven months in prison and a $3,600 fine. She is also responsible for repaying the museum what she stole, although it is unclear to what extent that money can be recuperated.

Persons: —, Switzerland —, Marcia Stucki Organizations: Beyeler Foundation Locations: Switzerland, Basel

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