Tag: Germany

Macron promises to send first Western tanks to Ukraine

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PARIS — France will deliver “light” battle tanks to Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced Wednesday, adding that France would be the first country to send such Western-designed armored fighting vehicles to the war.

The Elysée said after a phone call between Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy that France will send AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles, which Paris has been gradually replacing with new Jaguar battle tanks.

Several countries have already sent Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine. Both France and Germany have been under pressure to supply tanks to Ukraine, but had refused Kyiv’s requests, until now.

An adviser to France’s Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Wednesday’s decision was made to help Ukraine prepare for “a possible Russian offensive” in the spring.

“Ukraine is at a tipping point now at the frontline … Russia is trying to terrorize the population with its drone attacks that sometimes reach as far as Kyiv, but Ukraine could also start a counter-offensive,” he said.

Zelenskyy thanked Macron on Twitter, saying the two leaders had “a long and detailed conversation” and that the French president’s “leadership brings our victory closer.”

However, Ukraine’s requests for more arms from allies have still not been fully satisfied: In December, Kyiv formally asked for another model of tank, the Leclerc — France’s main battle tank — rather than AMX-10 vehicles, which are being phased out. The AMX-10 is lighter, less protected and has a shorter range than the Leclerc.

However the delivery of French armoured vehicles, though not fully-fledged battle tanks, might encourage others to follow suit, argued retired French colonel and military consultant Michel Goya.

“We’ve made a gesture … we can now boast that we were the first to send tanks, even though they are not the same class as the battle tanks used in Ukraine. But the move can also have an incitement effect on others,” said Goya.

On Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz faced renewed calls to send Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine.

“The argument constantly advanced by the chancellery that Germany must not go it alone is absolutely out of date,” said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who heads Germany’s parliamentary defence committee in an interview with AFP.

“France is once again taking on the role that was expected of Germany, and is going ahead alone,” she said.

Macron’s government did not specify how many vehicles it will send. The French and Ukrainian defense ministries are expected to discuss the details of the equipment delivery soon.

For retired general Jérôme Pellistrandi, director of National Defense magazine, the rate of replacement of the AMX-10s by new generation vehicles within the French army gives an indication of the potential scale of the supplies.

“The land forces have received 38 Jaguar vehicles, that means that the same number of AMX-10s have been removed from service, so thirty thereabouts should be available to be transferred to Ukraine,” Pellistrandi said.

Built for Soviet times

The AMX-10 is a light, highly mobile, armoured vehicle equipped with a 105mm cannon. It has been used in reconnaissance missions for the French army and was deployed as recently as the Barkhane mission in Africa, which formally ended in November.

“It’s a vehicle that was designed in the 70s and 80s to track the advance of Soviet armed land forces. The paradox is that it will be used today for the purpose it was built for … because the Russians have shown their doctrine hasn’t shifted much since the Soviet times,” Pellistrandi said.

The light tanks are useful in operations and can be deployed ahead of Ukrainian battle tanks in the event of a renewed Russian offensive in the spring, according to Pellistrandi.

However, Goya argued that the delivery of several dozen French AMX-10s to the warzone is unlikely to change the dynamic on the Ukrainian battlefield.

“It can help, but in terms of numbers it’s not much given that there are hundreds of thousands of armoured vehicles in Ukraine. The Ukrainians will use them well, but they don’t fire as far as Russian tanks,” he said.

It’s likely that the Ukrainians will keep up the pressure on France and Germany to send battle tanks, alongside other high tech military equipment. But according to a French Armed Forces ministry adviser, the upkeep of France’s defense capacities has remained “a red line” for Macron, which limits the scope for deliveries.

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Clea Caulcutt

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December 19, 2022
German police arrest Iranian man suspected of planning chemical terror attack

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German police arrested a 32-year-old Iranian man suspected of plotting a chemical attack.

The Iranian national was arrested in the town of Castrop-Rauxel, near Dortmund, on suspicion of procuring toxins including cyanide and ricin in order to commit a terror attack inspired by Islamic extremism, German authorities said on Sunday. Another person was detained during the operation, they said.

The Iranian’s house was cordoned off and searched in order to secure further evidence, with German media reporting that several officers and emergency workers in full protective suits were present at the scene.

A joint statement by Düsseldorf’s public prosecutor and the police forces of the cities of Recklinghausen and Münster said that the arrest was the result of an investigation by the region of North Rhine-Westphalia’s anti-terrorism office. German tabloid Bild reported that Germany’s law enforcement was tipped off by a foreign intelligence agency about the man’s plan.

Preparing a serious act of violence is punishable with a prison sentence of six months to 10 years under German law, according to the police statement.

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Gian Volpicelli

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December 19, 2022
Germany is (still) a Huawei hotspot in Europe

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Europe’s largest economy Germany hasn’t kicked its habit of using Chinese kit for its 5G telecoms networks yet.

A new study analyzing Huawei’s market share in Europe estimates that Germany relies on Chinese technology for 59 percent of its 5G networks. Other key markets including Italy and the Netherlands are also among eight countries where over half of 5G networks run on Chinese equipment.

The study, by Copenhagen-based telecoms consultancy Strand Consult, offers a rare glimpse of how some telecoms operators have relied on Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE in the early stage of Europe’s 5G rollout. The figures also underline one of Western officials’ fears: that Europe’s pushback against Chinese technology for communications networks was slow to wean operators off Huawei.

“It’s easier to preach than to practice,” said John Strand, founder of the consultancy, of EU governments’ hesitance to throw up clear barriers to using Chinese telecoms equipment.

“It is more dangerous to be dependent on Chinese telecoms networks than to be dependent on Russian gas. Digital infrastructure is the fundament of society,” Strand said.

The study matches a warning by the European Commission’s digital chief Margrethe Vestager, who said last month that “a number of countries have passed legislation but they have not put it into effect … Making it work is even better.”

“It is not only Germany, but it is also Germany,” Vestager said in November.

Germany’s ministries of digital affairs, interior and economic affairs didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Huawei also didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Clinging to Huawei kit

European governments in the past two years have imposed security policies on the telecoms industry to cut down on Chinese kit.

In some countries, this has led to a full stop on using Huawei and its smaller Chinese rival ZTE. Strand’s study estimates that nine EU countries, as well as Norway and the Faroe Islands, have no Chinese equipment in new 5G networks at all. France (17 percent) and Belgium (30 percent) have a much lower presence of Chinese kit in 5G than was the case in their 4G and 3G networks.

But the EU regime on using Chinese technology in 5G is a patchwork. In other EU countries those policies either allow for operators to still rely on Huawei for parts of their networks or require the government to actively step in to stop deals.

The Berlin government in the past two years was criticized for being slow in setting up the legal framework that now allows it to intervene on contracts between operators and vendors if ministers choose to do so. Olaf Scholz’s government has taken a more critical stance on Chinese technology and just last month blocked Chinese investors from buying a German chip plant over potential security threats.

But Germany’s largest operator Deutsche Telekom has also maintained a strategic partnership with Huawei for years and it and others have worked with Huawei on the early stages of rolling out 5G, Strand’s report suggests.

In Italy, the government has “golden powers” to stop contracts with Huawei. The former government led by Mario Draghi, seen as close to the U.S., intervened on a couple of deals but it is still unclear how the current government led by far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will position itself.

In other, smaller countries like the Netherlands, operators were quick to launch 5G networks and some did so using Huawei, especially in “radio access network” (RAN) parts — effectively preempting EU and national decisions to cut down on Chinese kit.

The EU in the past few months repeatedly slammed countries’ slow pace in adopting its common “5G security toolbox” guidelines to mitigate security risks in networks, according to several legislative texts.

Huawei’s headwinds

Strand’s data, gathered from European industry players in the past months, show Huawei was quick to provide operators with 5G gear in the first stages of Europe’s rollout.

But another boutique telecoms consultancy, Dell’Oro, compiled data recently that showed the firm in the past year started running into serious obstacles in selling its kit.

As of early last year — right as European officials were changing direction on 5G security — Sweden’s Ericsson overtook Huawei in market share of new European sales of radio access network (RAN) equipment for 3G, 4G and 5G equipment, according to updated figures Dell’Oro compiled this summer, shared with POLITICO by an industry official. Radio access networks make up the largest chunk of network investment and include base stations and antennas.

For 5G RAN specifically, Huawei lost its initial position as a market leader at the start of the rollout; it now provides 22 percent of sales, with Ericsson at 42 percent and Nokia at 32 percent in Europe, Dell’Oro estimated.

A POLITICO investigation last month revealed how the Chinese tech giant was consolidating its operations in Europe and scaling down its lobbying and branding operations across a series of important markets, including France, the United Kingdom and its European representation in Brussels.

Pressed by the United States and increasingly shunned on a continent it once considered its most strategic overseas market, Huawei is pivoting back toward the Chinese market, focusing its remaining European attention on just a few countries, among them Germany.

China hawks, however, fear that Huawei could continue to supply 5G equipment because of the loopholes and political considerations of national governments.

The new figures could serve as “an eye opener for a lot of governments and regulators in Europe,” Strand said.

Sarah Wheaton contributed reporting.

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Laurens Cerulus

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December 19, 2022
Scholz inaugurates 1st liquefied gas terminal in Germany

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BERLIN — Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday inaugurated Germany’s first liquefied natural gas terminal, declaring that the speed with which it was put into service is a signal that Europe’s biggest economy will remain strong.

The top three officials in the government — Scholz, Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner — attended the inauguration in the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven in a sign of the importance that Germany attaches to several new LNG terminals that it is scrambling to build following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The terminals are part of a drive to prevent an energy crunch that also includes temporarily reactivating old oil- and coal-fired power stations and extending the life of Germany’s last three nuclear power plants, which were supposed to be switched off at the end of this year, until mid-April.

Scholz announced days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February that the government had decided to build the first two LNG terminals quickly.

“When we said that, for example, such a terminal should be built here in Wilhelmshaven this year already, many said that’s never possible, that would never succeed,” the chancellor said at Saturday’s ceremony. “And the opposite is true.”

Port facilities were completed a month ago and a specially equipped ship, a so-called “floating storage and regasification unit,” docked on Thursday with 165,000 cubic meters of LNG. The Economy Ministry said that regasification is expected to start in the coming days and “regular service” in January.

Two more terminals are slated to open this winter, with another three expected to be available next winter. Scholz said their total capacity will be well over half the amount of Russian pipeline gas that was supplied last winter.

Sluggish planning processes have long been a concern in Germany. Scholz proclaimed on Saturday that “this is now the new German speed with which we are moving infrastructure forward.”

“This is a good day for our country and a good signal to the whole world that the German economy will be in a position to continue being strong, to produce and to deal with this challenge,” he said.

Efforts to make Germany independent of Russian gas were well underway before Russia started reducing supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was its main supply route, in mid-June. Russia, which used to account for more than half of the country’s natural gas supply, hasn’t delivered any gas to Germany since the end of August.

Scholz underlined the importance of pursuing Germany’s transition to renewable energy sources, and stressed that a new pipeline to Wilhelmshaven was planned in such a way that it can in the future be adapted to transport hydrogen.

Still, the new gas terminals have drawn criticism from environmental groups.

And while they have broad mainstream political support, a leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, Tino Chrupalla, argued on Saturday that the Wilhelmshaven facility wouldn’t solve the energy crisis and called for the government to drop sanctions against Russia.

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December 17, 2022
Twitter suspensions raise alarm in and outside media circles

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Elon Musk’s abrupt suspension of several journalists who cover Twitter is adding to a growing rift between the social media site and media organizations that have used the platform to build their audiences.

Accounts of reporters with The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America and other publications, went dark Thursday.

The suspension of journalists continued Friday with the account of a Business Insider columnist who published a series of articles between 2018 and 2021 highlighting what she called dangerous Tesla manufacturing shortcomings.

There was an exodus of advertisers shortly after the billionaire’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October over content moderation and Musk now risks a rupture with media organizations, among the most active on the platform.

The company hasn’t explained to the journalists why it took down the accounts and made their profiles and past tweets disappear. But Musk took to Twitter on Thursday night to accuse journalists of sharing private information about his whereabouts that he described as “basically assassination coordinates.” He provided no evidence for that claim.

Business Insider’s Linette Lopez told The Associated Press that she was given no explanation for the suspension. Shortly before being suspended, she said she had posted court-related documents to Twitter that included a 2018 Musk email address. That address is not current, said Lopez, because “he changes his email ever few weeks. If he wants to call that doxxing, fine.”

On Tuesday, she posted a 2019 story about Tesla troubles, commenting “Now, just like then, most of @elonmusk’s wounds are self inflicted.” The same day, she called reports of Musk reneging on severance for laid off Twitter employees, threatening workers who talk to the press and refusing rent payments “classic Elon-going-for-broke behavior.”

Alarm over the suspensions extended beyond media circles, however.

“From our standpoint, the move sets a dangerous precedent at a time when journalists all over the world are facing censorship, physical threats and even worse, and we are remaining in touch with officials,” said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

The sudden suspension of news reporters followed Musk’s decision Wednesday to permanently ban an account that automatically tracked the flights of his private jet using publicly available data. That also led Twitter to change its rules for all users to prohibit the sharing of another person’s current location without their consent.

Several of the reporters suspended Thursday night had been writing about the new policy and Musk’s rationale for imposing it, which involved his allegations about a stalking incident he said affected his family on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

The official account for Mastodon, a decentralized social network billed as an alternative to Twitter, was also banned. The reason was unclear, though it had tweeted about the jet tracking account.

“Same doxxing rules apply to ‘journalists’ as to everyone else,” Musk tweeted Thursday. He later added: “Criticizing me all day long is totally fine, but doxxing my real-time location and endangering my family is not.”

“Doxxing” refers to disclosing online someone’s identity, address, or other personal details.

The Washington Post’s executive editor, Sally Buzbee, called for technology reporter Drew Harwell’s Twitter account to be reinstated immediately. The suspension “directly undermines Elon Musk’s claim that he intends to run Twitter as a platform dedicated to free speech,” Buzbee wrote. “Harwell was banished without warning, process or explanation, following the publication of his accurate reporting about Musk.”

CNN said in a statement that “the impulsive and unjustified suspension of a number of reporters, including CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, is concerning but not surprising.”

“Twitter’s increasing instability and volatility should be of incredible concern for everyone who uses Twitter,” CNN’s statement added. “We have asked Twitter for an explanation, and we will reevaluate our relationship based on that response.”

The U.N. is also reconsidering its involvement in Twitter, according Dujarric.

Another suspended journalist, Matt Binder of the technology news outlet Mashable, said he was banned Thursday night immediately after sharing a screenshot that O’Sullivan had posted before his own suspension.

The screenshot showed a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department sent earlier Thursday to multiple media outlets, including The Associated Press, about how it was in touch with Musk’s representatives about the alleged stalking incident.

“I did not share any location data, as per Twitter’s new terms. Nor did I share any links to ElonJet or other location tracking accounts,” Binder said in an email. “I have been highly critical of Musk but never broke any of Twitter’s listed policies.”

Late Thursday, Musk briefly joined a Twitter Spaces chat hosted by journalist Kate Notopoulos of Buzzfeed. Musk stood by the suspensions saying, “You doxx, you get suspended, end of story.”

He abruptly left the conversation and a short time later, all of Twitter Spaces went offline.

Some of the journalists who had been suspended, and also the creator of the Elon Jet Twitter account, were on the Spaces chat with Musk despite the suspension of their Twitter accounts due to what appears to be a technical quirk.

Musk later tweeted that “We’re fixing a Legacy Bug” and that the service should be up and running again Friday. It remained dormant Friday afternoon.

The suspensions come as Musk makes major changes to content moderation on Twitter. He has tried, through the release of selected company documents dubbed as “The Twitter Files,” to claim the platform suppressed right-wing voices under its previous leaders.

He has promised to let free speech reign and has reinstated high-profile accounts that previously broke Twitter’s rules against hateful conduct or harmful misinformation, but also has said he would suppress negativity and hate by depriving some accounts of “freedom of reach.”

The nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists, which defends journalists around the world, voiced concern.

“If confirmed as retaliation for their work, this would be a serious violation of journalists’ right to report the news without fear of reprisal,” the group said.

If suspensions lead to the exodus of media organizations that are highly active on Twitter, the platform would be changed at the fundamental level, said Lou Paskalis, longtime marketing and media executive and former Bank of America head of global media.

CBS briefly shut down its activity on Twitter in November due to “uncertainty” about new management, but media organizations have largely remained on the platform.

“We all know news breaks on Twitter, it has been stock and trade since I’ve been using Twitter, and to now go after journalists really saws at the main foundational tentpole of Twitter,” Paskalis said. “Driving journalists off Twitter is the biggest self-inflicted wound I can think of.”

The suspensions may be the biggest red flag yet for advertisers, Paskalis said, some of which had already cut their spending on Twitter over uncertainty about the direction Musk is taking the platform.

“It is an overt demonstration of what advertisers fear the most,” Paskalis said. “Retribution for an action that Elon doesn’t agree with. That would be the No. 1 reason to pause advertising on Twitter if I haven’t done so already.”

Advertisers are also monitoring the potential loss of Twitter users. Twitter is projected to lose 32 million of its users over the next two years, according to a forecast by Insider Intelligence.

They’re projecting a nearly 4% drop in 2023 and another 5% drop in 2024, as technical issues and the return of accounts banned for offensive posts return under new Twitter rules.

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Associated Press writers Kelvin Chan in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Frank Bajak in Boston and Hillel Italie and Edith Lederer in New York, contributed to this report.

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December 16, 2022
Twitter suspends journalists who wrote about owner Elon Musk

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Twitter suspended the accounts of several journalists who cover the social media platform, the latest battle over what can and cannot be said on the site since billionaire Elon Musk took control of it.

Accounts of reporters with The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America and other publications, went dark Thursday.

The company hasn’t explained to the journalists why it took down the accounts and made their profiles and past tweets disappear. But Musk took to Twitter on Thursday night to accuse journalists of sharing private information about his whereabouts that he described as “basically assassination coordinates.” He provided no evidence for that claim.

The sudden suspension of news reporters followed Musk’s decision Wednesday to permanently ban an account that automatically tracked the flights of his private jet using publicly available data. That also led Twitter to change its rules for all users to prohibit the sharing of another person’s current location without their consent.

Several of the reporters suspended Thursday night had been writing about the new policy and Musk’s rationale for imposing it, which involved his allegations about a stalking incident he said affected his family on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

The official account for Mastodon, a decentralized social network billed as an alternative to Twitter, was also banned. The reason was unclear, though it had tweeted about the jet tracking account.

“Same doxxing rules apply to ‘journalists’ as to everyone else,” Musk tweeted Thursday. He later added: “Criticizing me all day long is totally fine, but doxxing my real-time location and endangering my family is not.”

“Doxxing” refers to disclosing online someone’s identity, address, or other personal details.

The Washington Post’s executive editor, Sally Buzbee, called for technology reporter Drew Harwell’s Twitter account to be reinstated immediately. The suspension “directly undermines Elon Musk’s claim that he intends to run Twitter as a platform dedicated to free speech,” Buzbee wrote. “Harwell was banished without warning, process or explanation, following the publication of his accurate reporting about Musk.”

CNN said in a statement that “the impulsive and unjustified suspension of a number of reporters, including CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, is concerning but not surprising.”

“Twitter’s increasing instability and volatility should be of incredible concern for everyone who uses Twitter,” CNN’s statement added. “We have asked Twitter for an explanation, and we will reevaluate our relationship based on that response.”

Another suspended journalist, Matt Binder of the technology news outlet Mashable, said he was banned Thursday night immediately after sharing a screenshot that O’Sullivan had posted before his own suspension.

The screenshot showed a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department sent earlier Thursday to multiple media outlets, including The Associated Press, about how it was in touch with Musk’s representatives about the alleged stalking incident, but that no crime report had yet been filed.

“I did not share any location data, as per Twitter’s new terms. Nor did I share any links to ElonJet or other location tracking accounts,” Binder said in an email. “I have been highly critical of Musk but never broke any of Twitter’s listed policies.”

Binder said a message he received while trying to access his Twitter account showed that his suspension was permanent. But Musk later suggested the penalty would last a week in response to a question about his suspension of former ESPN and MSNBC host Keith Olbermann.

Late Thursday, Musk briefly joined a Twitter Spaces conference chat hosted by journalist Kate Notopoulos of Buzzfeed. He reiterated his claims that the journalists Twitter banned were “doxxing” him when they were reporting on the jet tracking accounts being banned.

“There is not special treatment for journalists,” Musk said, after being asked by the Post’s Drew Harwell if he had a connection between the stalking incident and posting of real-time information.

“You dox, you get suspended, end of story,” he added, before abruptly signing out. The Spaces ended abruptly shortly after 9 p.m. Pacific time.

“Sorry it appears the Space cut out, screen went suddenly blank on my end and everyone got booted,” host Notopoulos tweeted at 9:14 p.m. Pacific.

Another suspended reporter, Steve Herman of Voice of America, said he assumes he was banned “because I was tweeting about other journalists being suspended for tweeting about accounts being booted that had linked to the Elon Jet feed.”

The suspensions come as Musk makes major changes to content moderation on Twitter. He has tried, through the release of selected company documents dubbed as “The Twitter Files,” to claim the platform suppressed right-wing voices under its previous leaders.

He has promised to let free speech reign and has reinstated high-profile accounts that previously broke Twitter’s rules against hateful conduct or harmful misinformation, but also has said he would suppress negativity and hate by depriving some accounts of “freedom of reach.”

The nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists, which defends journalists around the world, said Thursday night it was concerned about the suspensions.

“If confirmed as retaliation for their work, this would be a serious violation of journalists’ right to report the news without fear of reprisal,” the group said.

European Union Commissioner Vera Jourova, who heads up the 27-nation bloc’s work on values and transparency, also weighed in.

“News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying,” she tweeted. Existing EU media rules and new digital regulations taking effect next year require “respect of media freedom and fundamental rights.”

Jourova said, “@elonmusk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon.”

The Germany government added more criticism. The Foreign Ministry tweeted that it’s “got a problem” with not being able to follow the suspended accounts and added that “press freedom must not be switched on and off at will.”

Spokesman Christofer Burger said the ministry opened an account on Mastodon “to ensure we remain reachable.”

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Associated Press writers Kelvin Chan in London and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

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December 16, 2022
Messi, Mbappe, other leading storylines for World Cup Final

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DOHA, Qatar — Lionel Messi’s last chance. Kylian Mbappé’s shot at emulating Pelé. A third World Cup title for either Argentina or France.

Sunday’s final is rich with storylines as the 22nd edition of the World Cup ends with a title match fit for the occasion.

Here are five things to know about the final:

MESSI’S MOMENT

Is Lionel Messi the greatest soccer player of all time? The debate will rage forever because there can never be a definitive answer. Some — especially younger soccer fans — think so, while others will point to Pelé and Diego Maradona, particularly because they won the World Cup — the sport’s ultimate prize. It is why, to many, Messi needs to win the World Cup to join Pelé and Maradona in the pantheon of the greatest ever players, even if deciding who is No. 1, 2 and 3 comes down to individual choice. Argentines would still be split between Maradona and Messi. And there have been striking similarities between them as Messi displays the kind of relentless brilliance and fighting spirit shown by Maradona when leading the team to the title in 1986. Messi is heading into his second World Cup final, having been on the losing team in 2014 when he was contained well by Germany except for one chance that he dragged wide in the second half. Can he seize his chance this time in likely his final appearance on soccer’s biggest stage?

MBAPPE’S DOUBLE?

Mbappé might not have won the biggest prize in club soccer — the Champions League — but he is taking the international game by storm and is one victory away from winning back-to-back World Cups by the age of 23. He can emulate Pelé’s achievement in winning his first two World Cups — not just that but leading the team as its star player. Mbappé is soccer’s latest superstar, leading the new wave of talent in the game after 15 years of domination from Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. It will be regarded as a real baton-passing moment if Mbappé wins the World Cup at the expense of the 35-year-old Messi.

THIRD TITLE

Both Argentina and France are looking to win the World Cup for the third time. It would leave the winning team in outright fourth place on the all-time list, behind Brazil (five), Germany and Italy (both four). Three of Germany’s titles were won by West Germany (1954, 1974 and 1990). A victory for France would rubber-stamp its status as the dominant national team of this generation, with its previous titles coming in 1998 and 2018. Argentina won its titles in 1978 and 1986. Both of the countries won their first World Cup title when hosting the tournament.

DESCHAMPS’ TREBLE

Deschamps has already won the World Cup as a player (1998) and a coach (2018), like Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer. Neither Zagallo nor Beckenbauer won it twice as a coach, though Zagallo did achieve that feat twice as a player to make him a three-time career champion. History beckons, then, for Deschamps, who was an industrious, deep-lying midfielder as a player — once referred to as “The Water Carrier” by French player Eric Cantona because of his ability to stifle attacks from opponents and then pass the ball simply to more creative players around him. Pragmatism is the key to his coaching style as well, with France renowned at both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups for defending compactly, hitting teams on the break and being clinical with its finishing. In Russia four years ago, France averaged 48% possession in matches and averaged six shots on goal per match — the second lowest at the tournament. In Qatar, France — hurt by injuries to key players — might not have been the best team but it is the most efficient. “I’m not the most important person,” Deschamps said. “It’s the French team.”

GOLDEN BOOT

Four players are in realistic contention to win the Golden Boot, the award given to the top scorer at the World Cup. Of course, Messi and Mbappé are among them. They each have five goals so far, one more than Argentina striker Julián Álvarez and France center forward Olivier Giroud. According to tournament regulations, if two or more players are tied on goals and have played the same number of games, the one with the most assists takes the prize. FIFA’s technical study group will decide what counts as an assist. Of the four players in contention, Messi currently leads the way with three assists, one more than Mbappé. No player has scored more than six goals at a World Cup since Brazil striker Ronaldo had eight in 2002.

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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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December 16, 2022
Tennis legend Becker freed from prison, returns to Germany

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LONDON (AP) — German tennis legend Boris Becker has returned to Germany after serving eight months in prison in Britain, his lawyer said Thursday.

The 55-year-old German, who has lived in Britain since 2012, was released on Thursday morning and traveled back to Germany shortly thereafter.

Becker “has thus served his sentence and is not subject to any penal restrictions in Germany,” his lawyer, Christian-Oliver Moser, said in a statement. He did not give additional details about Becker’s location in Germany.

The three-time Wimbledon champion had been sentenced to 30 months in prison in April for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt. He would normally have had to serve half of his sentence before being eligible for release, but was released early under a fast-track deportation program for foreign nationals.

He had been convicted by London’s Southwark Crown Court on four charges under the Insolvency Act, including removal of property, concealing debt and two counts of failing to disclose estate.

Becker rose to stardom in 1985 at the age of 17 when he became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon singles title.

The former world number one was declared bankrupt in June 2017.

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December 16, 2022
Aquarium in lobby of Berlin Radisson Blu hotel building bursts, forcing evacuation of guests

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A firefighter walks through debris in front of a hotel where a huge aquarium has burst in Berlin, Germany, December 16, 2022.

Markus Schreiber/AP

Berlin — The huge saltwater aquarium burst open Friday morning without any immediate explanation, spilling almost 265,000 gallons of water and 1,500 fish onto the floor of a business and leisure complex in a busy district of Germany’s capital. Police and fire department officials said two people were injured by shards of glass and the explosive force of the aquarium’s failure sent parts of the building’s facade flying onto the street outside.

Police said they were alerted to a loud noise in Berlin’s Mitte district at around 5:45 a.m. local time (11:45 p.m. Eastern on Thursday). The fire department was alerted by an automatic alarm in the DomAquarée complex, which houses various businesses including a Radisson Blu hotel, at the same time.

The huge volume of water in the “Aqua-Dom,” the enormous, cylindrical tank situated directly over a bar in the lobby, put sufficient force behind the tank’s failure to send debris flying “abruptly” in all directions, police said.

The “Aqua-Dom” saltwater aquarium is seen in the lobby of a business and leisure complex in Berlin, Germany, in a file image taken from video shot in 2003.

Reuters

“The water of the aquarium leaked almost completely, both in the building and onto the streets,” they said, adding that there was no indication of sabotage or any attack on the aquarium, and the cause of the failure remained unclear.

The fire department deployed about 100 personnel to the scene, along with about as many police officers, to establish a cordon and keep people away as water swamped the area. Much of the water flowed into street drains quickly, however.

All guests from the Radission Blu hotel, which sits in the floors above the DomAquarée lobby, were eventually evacuated.

Update- being evacuated from #radissonblu and #aquadome now. Here’s my view as we left pic.twitter.com/vCjXjZde40

— Larissa (@lararimmer) December 16, 2022

Officials were assessing the stability and safety of the building, which sustained significant damage on the ground floor.

The large aquarium has long been a tourist attraction in Berlin, billed by the operators as the “largest cylindrical free-standing aquarium in the world.”

The tank itself was 52 feet high and almost 38 feet in diameter, made of acrylic glass. Visitors could ride an elevator right up through the middle of the aquarium.

An image taken from video shot in 2003 shows people riding a two-level elevator through the middle of the Aqua-Dom aquarium, in the lobby of the DomAquarée business and leisure complex in Berlin, Germany.

Reuters

Around 1,500 saltwater fish of more than 100 different species lived in the tank. The aquarium was reportedly extensively modernized in the summer of 2020.

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December 16, 2022
Weird Facts

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There is a species of deer in Germany that won’t cross the border where the Iron Curtain once stood, even though that border has been physically gone for 20+ years.

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December 15, 2022
Europe troubled but powerless over Twitter’s journalist ban

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European politicians said they were troubled by Twitter’s suspension of U.S. journalists from its platform but the move shows the limits of their planned new rules for online content and media freedom online.

France’s digital affairs minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he was “dismayed” about the direction Twitter was taking under Elon Musk after the platform removed nine U.S. journalists and other high-profile accounts in a seemingly arbitrary decision.

“Freedom of the press is the very foundation of democracy. To attack one is to attack the other,” Barrot tweeted.

European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová called the “arbitrary” removal of journalists worrying. French industry minister Roland Lescure announced he was temporarily quitting the platform in protest.

The Twitter ban for tech journalists from media organizations such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and CNN appeared to come after they criticized the tech billionaire and self-proclaimed free speech advocate and wrote about the suspension of more than 20 accounts for sharing publicly available information about Musk’s private jet location.

“Talking a lot about #FreeSpeech, but stopping it as soon as one is criticized oneself: that’s a strange understanding of #FreedomOfExpression,” said Germany’s Justice Minister Marc Buschmann.

The German Foreign Affairs Ministry’s own Twitter account said press freedom should not “be switched on and off arbitrarily.”

Twitter has been mired in controversy since it was acquired by Musk in October and shed staff that worked on content moderation and policy affairs. The platform is now struggling to stem disinformation, potentially falling foul of commitments it took in June 2022. This week the company disbanded its board of experts advising the company on its content policy.

But restricting journalists’ access to a platform loved by the press risks a serious blow to media freedom and free speech. None of the banned journalists received an explanation of the social media platform’s decision. It was unclear if and when they would be allowed back on the platform. There had been calls to join alternatives such as Mastodon but links to it have reportedly been blocked on Twitter. The account for the open-source platform was also blocked.

Flying by EU rules?

In Brussels, politicians have pointed to the European Union’s legislative arsenal as a powerful tool to curb platforms’ power, with Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton insisting in October that Twitter’s bird logo “will fly by our rules” in the region.

Those laws or proposals aren’t yet ready for use and can’t yet counter Musk’s unilateral decisions for the platform he owns. The Commission is preparing to enforce the EU’s content law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), from summer 2023. The new Media Freedom Act is also being negotiated and may not become law until at least late 2024.

The DSA — and its ability to levy hefty fines — would require lengthy investigations by a Commission team that isn’t yet fully in place. The Media Freedom Act doesn’t specifically tackle an issue such as “deplatforming” or removing a person from a social network like Twitter.

The Commission’s Jourová warned Twitter about the possibility of future penalties under the DSA — up to 6 percent of a company’s global revenue if they restrict EU-based users and content in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner.

Twitter could also be sanctioned in the future if it doesn’t tell users why they have been sanctioned. Large online platforms with over 45 million users in the EU will have to assess and limit potential harms to freedom of expression and information as well as media freedom and pluralism.

“EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. This is reinforced under our #MediaFreedomAct,” she tweeted. “@elonmusk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon.”

Politicians’ threats don’t reassure media and journalists’ organizations.

“The European legal arsenal is not sufficient to oppose acts of arbitrary censorship,” said Ricardo Gutierrez, general secretary of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ).

The draft Media Freedom Act largely aims at how Big Tech might treat news organizations. Very large online platforms would have to inform news outlets before they take down their content. It also foresees talks between media organizations and big social media to discuss content moderation problems.

Wouter Gekiere from the European Broadcasting Union in Brussels echoed similar worries saying public media services couldn’t see how the DSA could prevent takedowns of journalists’ accounts.

“The European Media Freedom Act would not do much more to protect the media online,” he said.” Journalists and editors need to have the ability to report on stories without fear of arbitrary platform controls.”

Laura Kayali and Mark Scott contributed reporting.

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December 15, 2022
EU reaches deal on critical climate policy after marathon talks

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A major overhaul of the bloc’s flagship carbon market and a brand new fund to protect vulnerable people from rising CO2 costs were agreed on by EU negotiators in the early hours of Sunday as part of a “jumbo” trilogue that started on Friday morning.

“After 30 hours of (net!) negotiation time we have an agreement about a new ETS and the creation of a social climate fund (SCF),” tweeted Esther de Lange, vice chair of the European People’s Party and a key climate lawmaker.

Touted as the cornerstone of Europe’s climate efforts, reforming the Emissions Trading System (ETS) is key to achieving the goal of slashing 55 percent of CO2 emissions by 2030 from 1990 levels.

“We just found an agreement on the biggest climate law ever negotiated in Europe,” said German MEP Peter Liese, who steered the negotiations on the bill.

As part of the hard-fought compromise, EU brokers stipulated that power generators and heavy polluters covered by the ETS will have to curb their pollution by 62 percent by the end of the decade, 1 percent more than what the European Commission had initially proposed.

Waste will be covered by the scheme from 2028, with potential derogations until 2030.

The deal also mandates that all the revenues generated by the carbon market “shall” be spent on climate action.

“That’s one of the biggest wins of the Parliament,” Liese told a briefing held shortly after the end of the talks.

Free CO2 certificates, given to industry to remain competitive against rivals from outside the bloc, will be phased out entirely by 2034 as a planned Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is due to enter into force from 2026 at the end of a three-year transition period. The Commission and the Council sought an end-date of 2036, while the Parliament fought for a speedier phaseout by 2032.

The border tax covers cement, aluminum, fertilizers, electric energy production, hydrogen, iron and steel.

However, negotiators stopped short of introducing rebates to protect exports, arguing they would have proven incompatible with World Trade Organization rules. Instead, the EU’s 27 nations will be granted the right to ring-fence revenues to support companies at risk of being harmed by the phaseout of free permits.

The deal also calls for a parallel carbon market to cover fossil fuels used to power cars and heat buildings from 2027 — easily one of the most controversial elements due to worries that it could increase energy poverty and unleash political turmoil if not designed in a just way.

“Germany desperately wanted the second carbon market and the inclusion of other fuels. They got it and they should celebrate,” said German MEP Peter Liese | John Thys/AFP via Getty images

To reach a deal, Parliament dropped its call for a split between commercial users and private owners — something the Commission and Council had called unworkable.

But to make it more palatable, policymakers agreed the so-called ETS2 would come with an emergency brake to be triggered in the event carbon prices per ton exceed €90 — which would cause the start to be delayed by one year. The pact also foresees that prices will be capped at €45 at least until 2030.

To help low-income households swiftly shift to cleaner forms of transport and heating so that they won’t be unfairly hit by the measure, EU policymakers signed off on a Social Climate Fund worth €86.7 billion running from 2026 until 2032.

That’s much larger than the €59 billion fund supported by the Council; 25 percent will be raised through co-financing by EU governments while a so-called “all fuels approach” covering process emissions means more CO2 permits will be sold under the scheme.

Several negotiators said the talks were made particularly tough by Germany’s foot-dragging.

“Germany desperately wanted the second carbon market and the inclusion of other fuels. They got it and they should celebrate,” said Liese, adding that, “instead of celebrating, they created problems until the last minute.”

The agreement also confirmed that the ETS will be extended to the shipping sector.

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December 15, 2022
Qatar slams EU corruption accusations, puts energy cooperation in doubt

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Qatar criticized the European Parliament for banning the Gulf state’s representatives at the institution, warning that this “discriminatory” move could harm broader EU-Qatari cooperation where the bloc is dependent on Doha, including with energy.

The Parliament last week barred Qatari representatives from entering the premises and suspended legislation related to the country that include visa liberalization and planned visits. The moves followed allegations of corruption involving attempts to influence officials at the Parliament.

“The decision to impose such a discriminatory restriction … will negatively affect regional and global security cooperation, as well as ongoing discussions around global energy poverty and security,” a Qatari diplomat said in a statement on Sunday reported by media. The statement added that the decision “demonstrates that MEPs have been significantly misled.”

“It is unfortunate that some acted on preconceived prejudices against Qatar and made their judgments based on the inaccurate information in the leaks rather than waiting for the investigation to conclude,” the statement said. The World Cup host “firmly” rejects the allegations “associating our government with misconduct,” it said.

EU countries have increasingly turned to Qatar in a bid to diversify energy supplies and make up for shortfalls amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Germany last month signing a 15-year contract for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. Doha provided a quarter of the EU’s LNG imports last year.

Belgian authorities have charged four people with links to the Parliament — including one of the institution’s vice presidents, Eva Kaili — with “criminal organization, corruption and money laundering” over allegations they accepted payments in exchange for doing the bidding of Qatar in Parliament. Kaili has since been stripped of her duties, while authorities have carried out raids on at least 20 homes and offices in Belgium, Greece and Italy in recent days.

Qatar also criticized Belgium for keeping the Gulf state in the dark about the investigation, which Belgian authorities said had taken more than a year before they made the first arrest this month.

“It is deeply disappointing that the Belgian government made no effort to engage with our government to establish the facts once they became aware of the allegations,” the diplomat said in the statement.

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December 15, 2022
German lawmakers OK defense purchases including F-35 jets

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German lawmakers have given the go-ahead for a series of defense procurement projects, including the purchase of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, as Berlin begins to spend a huge fund to strengthen the country’s military

BERLIN — German lawmakers on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for a series of defense procurement projects, including the purchase of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, as Berlin begins to spend a huge fund to strengthen the country’s military.

Germany in mid-March announced plans to replace aging Tornado bomber jets with 35 F-35A Lightning II aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons. That was one of a series of projects worth a total of nearly 13 billion euros (nearly $13.8 billion) that have now been approved by parliament’s budget committee.

Air force commander Ingo Gerhartz said that pilot training on the F-35s will start in 2026 and the first planes should come to Germany in 2027.

The German military has no nuclear weapons of its own, but as part of the system of nuclear deterrence developed during the Cold War it maintained bombers capable of carrying U.S. atomic bombs, some of which are stationed in Germany.

The budget committee, which has to approve any military procurement project larger than 25 million euros, gave the green light for eight projects in total on Wednesday. They also included the purchase of new assault rifles and radio systems and an upgrade to Puma armored personnel carriers.

Much of the funding comes from the 100 billion-euro fund to upgrade the military that Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February and that parliament approved in June.

Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht dismissed suggestions that the government had been too slow to get going on its defense spending drive. She said officials have moved fast but that “such projects must be carefully negotiated — this is tax money.”

Officials acknowledge that the German military, the Bundeswehr, has for years suffered from neglect and in particular from aging, poorly functioning equipment. Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats and the main center-right opposition party, which led the government for 16 years under ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel, have blamed each other for that.

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December 14, 2022
Could far-right AfD weaponise Germany’s cost-of-living crisis?

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Concerns are being raised in Germany about how far Russian sanctions and the subsequent cost of living crisis are creating fertile ground for the country’s populist far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), to regain lost political ground.

After low poll ratings at the beginning of the year, recent developments and polling data show that the AfD party could be re-galvanised amidst the crisis.

In October’s regional elections in the eastern state of Lower Saxony, the AfD gained nearly 12 percent of the votes, an increase compared with previous elections.

Polls, including one by the strategic research company Pollytix, show overall support for the party has gone up from about 11 percent across Germany to nearly 15 percent nationally since July.

The fears come as authorities last week arrested 25 suspected members of the far-right so-called Reich Citizens (Reichsbuerger) movement who were allegedly plotting to overthrow the German government and install a leader who had reportedly sought support from Russia.

Russian gas

As the western European nation most reliant on Russian gas, with more than half of its gas coming from Russia prior to the Ukraine war, Germany has been hit particularly hard since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Citizens have seen gas prices surge to more than 40 percent, which has come alongside an increase in rising living costs.

The country’s inflation rate peaked in October at 10 percent – its highest in 70 years.

Analysts say they are worried about how the crisis could be weaponised by the AfD, which came to prominence amidst Europe’s refugee crisis from 2015 onwards.

Peddling an anti-immigration, anti-Islam narrative, it became the third-largest party in the German parliament in the 2017 federal election.

Amid the current cost-of-living crisis, the party has been positioning itself as the party of the people, protesting against the government’s decision to fight the economic war against Russia.

In October, it organised a huge rally in the capital that, according to police estimates, attracted nearly 10,000 people.

During the rally outside the German Reichstag (parliament), AfD politicians accused the government of waging an economic war against its own people by sanctioning Russia and ignoring the needs of German citizens.

Effective strategy

Wolfgang Schroeder, a political scientist and far-right expert at the University of Kassel, told Al Jazeera that positioning itself as the pro-citizen party that is critical of the government is an effective AfD strategy.

“If you only go by this increase in the polls, it shows that the AfD has done well since the summer to remobilize its party base,” he said.

“The AfD’s message has been that it is not the task of the government to fight for peace and better living conditions for people in other countries, the only real task of this government is to support its own society.”

“The government backing the war against Russia is disappointing people across the country.”

“There is a chance for the AfD to take advantage of that disappointment and further push the message that it is the party advocating for the people and fighting against this government, which is not able to do a good job,” he said.

East-West divide

The crisis has also led to concerns about what it could mean for people living in former East Germany (the German Democratic Republic or GDR), the AfD’s political heartland.

Economic differences continue between the two formerly divided parts of Germany, in areas such as wealth accumulation, wages and pension funds.

Official government data shows that while the economic gap between the two sides has decreased within the last few years, there is still a difference of 18 percent between the two.

The last few months have seen leaders of former eastern states express worries about what the impact the current situation will mean for the economic progress made by the five eastern states – Brandenburg, Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia – since reunification 30 or so years ago.

Protesters from across the political divide, including the far right, have been taking to the streets every Monday in the east, a tradition in the GDR days, to protest against the crisis, in what has been dubbed in mainstream media and political circles as an “angry winter”.

‘Democratic distance’

David Begrich works at the anti-racism campaign group Miteinander (Together) based in Magdeburg in the former east.

The group works with people on both sides of the former divide to tackle and raise awareness of hard-line far-right thought through workshops, advice, support and intervention programmes.

“The financial reserves and capital accumulation in eastern Germany are lower than in the west, and the contemporary historical experience is also different,” Begrich told Al Jazeera.

“Crises are interpreted against the background of the experience of the systemic upheaval of the 1990s, which West Germans did not experience,” he said. “There is also a measurable mistrust towards the mechanisms of representative democracy in East Germany, in other words, a democratic distance.”

A protester in Berlin holds up a sign, reading: ‘No to retirement at 70’, left, during a rally of far-right groups including the AfD against rising prices [File: John MacDougall/AFP]

Meanwhile, Jannes Jacobsen, the head of the research cluster data methods monitoring at the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research, told Al Jazeera that the current problem extends beyond historical context.

“It is more about the individual circumstances than the East-West divide. Because what affects people is their individual circumstances and how resilient they are to such external economic shocks,” he said.

“We need to look at factors like their income, net worth, and whether they have to provide for their family or for the elderly to identify whether social structures differ in the east than in the west.”

Schroeder said that while it was a dangerous situation, “whereby more people in the east have more fear about their living conditions and what this could mean for the east-west economic divide”, it was not certain if it would go backwards.

“In recent years, there has been a lot of new investment from industries such as the chemical and tech industries, and if you compare today to how things were 10 years ago, there is a big difference,” he said. “So, I’m not convinced that the economic distance between east and west will deepen amidst this crisis.”

Main issue

With energy and living costs set to remain high in the coming months, analysts agree that the main issue is ensuring stability in the country so the AfD does not regain power.

“The AfD can capitalise on situations and it emotionalises situations. This is not good for our society, but this kind of polarisation has in the past made the AfD strong. But the question remains as to whether they will be able to galvanise support outside of its main base within parts of the east,” Schroeder said.

“The AfD very skillfully exploits people’s fears and prejudices,” Begrich added. “It speaks to the already disenfranchised and stirs up resentment against politics in Berlin in a very sweeping and emotional way.”

“People need a perspective of stability to help them get through the crisis. This is where the government needs to implement a strategic communication policy,” he said.

A protester holds up a sign, reading: ‘I’d rather have cheap Russian gas and nuclear energy than completely stupid politicians’ [File: John MacDougall/AFP]

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December 13, 2022
Ex-Wirecard boss on trial in fraud case that shamed Germany

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BERLIN — The former chief executive of financial services company Wirecard and two other ex-managers went on trial Thursday over the firm’s collapse in what has been described as the biggest case of fraud in post-war Germany.

Wirecard was long the darling of Germany’s fintech scene until it filed insolvency proceedings in 2020, saying 1.9 billion euros that had been on its balance sheet could not be found.

The case exposed flaws in Germany’s financial oversight bodies and embarrassed then-Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had lobbied on behalf of the company during a visit to China.

Prosecutors in Munich allege that ex-CEO Markus Braun signed off on financial reports he knew were false. The firm allegedly booked nonexistent revenue it attributed to multiple partnerships in other countries and used fake documents to show it had funds that it did not, they said.

The firm’s former head of accounting and the managing director of a Dubai-based subsidiary are also on trial.

The fraud cost banks 3.1 billion euros in loans and writedowns, according to prosecutors.

One of the central figures in the case, the company’s former chief operating officer Jan Marsalek, remains on the run.

Braun’s lawyers has said the charges against his client are “seriously flawed” and “assumed a false picture of the facts.” They claim Braun was unaware of machinations by others.

The complex trial is expected to run for more than a year.

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December 8, 2022
Today in History: December 8, U.S. enters World War II

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Today in History

Today is Thursday, Dec. 8, the 342nd day of 2022. There are 23 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Dec. 8, 1941, the United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Imperial Japan, a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

On this date:

In 1765, Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin, was born in Westborough, Massachusetts.

In 1886, the American Federation of Labor was founded in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1949, the Chinese Nationalist government moved from the Chinese mainland to Formosa as the Communists pressed their attacks.

In 1980, rock star and former Beatle John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building by Mark David Chapman.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed a treaty at the White House calling for destruction of intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

In 1991, AIDS patient Kimberly Bergalis, who had contracted the disease from her dentist, died in Fort Pierce, Florida, at age 23.

In 2001, the U.S. Capitol was reopened to tourists after a two-month security shutdown.

In 2008, in a startling about-face, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told the Guantanamo war crimes tribunal he would confess to masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks; four other men also abandoned their defenses.

In 2011, the 161-day NBA lockout ended when owners and players ratified the new collective bargaining agreement.

In 2014, the U.S. and NATO ceremonially ended their combat mission in Afghanistan, 13 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks sparked their invasion of the country to topple the Taliban-led government.

In 2016, John Glenn, whose 1962 flight as the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth made him an all-American hero and propelled him to a long career in the U.S. Senate, died in Columbus, Ohio, at age 95.

In 2020, the Supreme Court rejected Republicans’ last-gasp bid to reverse Pennsylvania’s certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the electoral battleground; the court refused to call into question the certification process in the state.

Ten years ago: Police charged Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent with intoxication manslaughter after he flipped his car in a pre-dawn accident that killed teammate Jerry Brown. (Brent was convicted in Jan. 2014 and sentenced to 180 days in jail; he was reinstated by the NFL in Sept. 2014.) Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.

Five years ago: Japanese pitching and hitting star Shohei Ohtani announced that he would sign with the Los Angeles Angels.

One year ago: With more than two dozen states poised to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court were to give them the OK, California clinics and their allies in the state Legislature revealed a plan to make the state a “sanctuary” for those seeking reproductive care. President Joe Biden signed an executive order to make the federal government carbon-neutral by 2050, aiming for a 65% reduction in planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and an all-electric fleet of car and trucks five years later. The number of Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 reached 200 million. Nearly 17 years after being sentenced to die, Scott Peterson was resentenced in California to life without parole for the Christmas Eve killing of his pregnant wife, Laci, in 2002. (The state Supreme Court found that Peterson’s jury was improperly screened for bias against the death penalty.) Center-left leader Olaf Scholz became Germany’s ninth post-World War II chancellor.

Today’s Birthdays: Flutist James Galway is 83. Singer Jerry Butler is 83. Pop musician Bobby Elliott (The Hollies) is 81. Actor Mary Woronov is 79. Actor John Rubinstein is 76. Actor Kim Basinger (BAY’-sing-ur) is 69. Rock musician Warren Cuccurullo is 66. Rock musician Phil Collen (Def Leppard) is 65. Country singer Marty Raybon is 63. Political commentator Ann Coulter is 61. Rock musician Marty Friedman is 60. Actor Wendell Pierce is 59. Actor Teri Hatcher is 58. Actor David Harewood is 57. Singer Sinead (shih-NAYD’) O’Connor (AKA Shuhada’ Davitt) is 56. Actor Matthew Laborteaux is 56. Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Mussina is 54. Rock musician Ryan Newell (Sister Hazel) is 50. Actor Dominic Monaghan is 46. Actor Ian Somerhalder is 44. Rock singer Ingrid Michaelson is 43. R&B singer Chrisette Michele is 40. Actor Hannah Ware is 40. Country singer Sam Hunt is 38. MLB All-Star infielder Josh Donaldson is 37. Rock singer-actor Kate Voegele (VOH’-gehl) is 36. Christian rock musician Jen Ledger (Skillet) is 33. NHL defenseman Drew Doughty is 33. Actor Wallis Currie-Wood is 31. Actor AnnaSophia Robb is 29.

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December 7, 2022
Germany arrests dozens as group accused of plotting to overthrow government

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Germany arrests dozens as group accused of plotting to overthrow government – CBS News

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In nationwide raids, German authorities arrested more than 20 people accused of plotting to overthrow the government. As CBS News’ Charlie D’Agata reports, thousands of officers responded to the threat.

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December 7, 2022
Police thwart alleged plot to overthrow German government

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Police thwart alleged plot to overthrow German government – CBS News

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Authorities arrested more than two dozen people in connection with an alleged plot to overthrow the German government. CBS News reporter Anna Noryskiewicz joined Vladimir Duthiers and Lana Zak from Berlin to discuss.

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December 7, 2022
Report: 25 people detained in far-right raids across Germany

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BERLIN — German news agency dpa reports that 25 people have been detained as part of a series of raids against suspected far-right extremists across the country early Wednesday.

Dpa cited federal prosecutors as saying officers conducted searches in 11 of Germany’s 16 states against members of the so-called Reich Citizens movement. Some members of the grouping reject Germany’s postwar constitution and have called for the overthrow of the government.

Weekly Der Spiegel reported that locations searched include the barracks of Germany’s special forces unit KSK in the southwestern town of Calw. The unit has in the past been scrutinized over alleged far-right involvement by some soldiers.

Federal prosecutors didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

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December 6, 2022