Germany
German President ready to stand for 2nd term in office
A former ForeignMinister and senior adviser to former Social Democrat (SPD) Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the 65-year-old Steinmeier has occupied the President's office since 2017, reports dpa news agency. A trained lawyer, Steinmeier's term is due to expire in 2022, which is after the next election in September, when a new national parliament will to be voted in.
EU UNSC members slam forced landing of plane in Belarus
The above mentioned nations were also on Wednesday joined by the current council members of the UK, Norway and the US in condemning Sunday's incident, reports Xinhua news agency. "The airplane, owned by a EU company, carrying more than 100 passengers from one EU member state's capital to another, was forced to land based on false grounds by a Belarusian military aircraft," a joint statement issued by the countries said.
Berlin police on alert for anti-Semitic acts at rallies
Around 2,000 people are expected to attend the larger of the two protests, dpa news agency reported. Organisers of the Potsdamer Platz event describe it as a "rally against Israeli aggression in Palestine". Some 3,000 police officers will be on duty at the weekend to ensure public safety and crowd control, including monitoring a major demonstration on Sunday against rent prices in the German capital.
German Chancellor candidates hold 1st TV debate
In the debate on Thursday, Annalena Baerbock, the candidate of the Green Party, who is currently leading the polls with around 26 per cent backing ahead of the governing Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU), emphasized environmental issues and recalled that a recent ruling by Germany's Constitutional Court was necessary for the country to take immediate climate action
France, Germany, Spain conclude deal over new fighter jet to replace Rafael, Eurofighter aircraft
"A demonstrator of the future fighter aircraft will fly in 2027, paving the way for an operational aircraft in 2040," Xinhua news agency quoted French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly as saying here on Monday. The Next Generation Weapon System (NGWS) is the innovative core of the Future Combat Air System, which will replace the French Rafale and the German-Spanish Eurofighter jets.
German government vows not to tolerate anti-Semitic rallies
Government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Friday that peaceful demonstrations against Israel's policies were allowed in Germany, "but anyone who uses such protests to shout out their hatred of Jews is abusing the right to protest", DPA news agency reported. "Anti-Semitic rallies will not be tolerated by our democracy," he added.
Germany bans Islamic group over suspected terror financing
The ban was enforced in 10 of Germany's federal states in the early hours of Wednesday, with around 1,000 officers conducting searches, according to the Ministry of the Interior (BMI). Around 150,000 euros ($180,000) in cash have been seized so far, reports Xinhua news agency. The Dusseldorf-based Islamist association stands accused of sending funds to terrorist groups abroad including the Al-Nusra Front in Syria
Germany limits general use of AstraZeneca jabs to people over 60
People under 60 should be able to receive the shot but only "at the discretion of doctors, and after individual risk analysis and thorough explanation," according to the decision by the health ministers accessed by the DPA news agency on Tuesday.
Angela Merkel cancels hard Easter Covid-19 lockdown in Germany
Although a complete shutdown in Germany next week was originally announced with "the best of intentions" in order to slow down and reverse the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the idea was a "mistake", Merkel said on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.
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