Author: Deutsche Presse-Agentur - Dpa
A 7-year-old girl was killed in an attack at a school in the Croatian capital Zagreb by a 19-year-old psychiatric patient, investigators said on Friday. The first-grader died at the scene. Three other children and one teacher were injured in the attack and brought to hospital, Croatian Interior Minister Davor Božinović was quoted as saying in media reports. Their condition was stable, Božinović added. It was reported that the alleged perpetrator, a former student of the school, was arrested and hospitalized after injuring himself following the attack. The police investigation remains ongoing. Media reports indicate that the weapon used was…
Marathon talks between Volkswagen and labour representatives about cost-cuttings measures at the carmaker ended in a breakthrough on Friday, with both sides portraying the deal as a win even though tens of thousands of jobs will eventually be shed. While the IG Metall union said that the mass involuntary lay-offs and plant closures feared by employees have been averted, Volkswagen said its still plans to eliminate more than 35,000 jobs in a “socially responsible” manner by 2030 in order to regain its edge. “We had three priorities in the negotiations: reducing excess capacity at the German sites, reducing labour costs…
Elon Musk caused a political storm in Germany on Friday after saying only the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party can “save” the country. “Only the AfD can save Germany,” Musk wrote on the social media platform X, which he acquired in 2022. The AfD is in second place in German polls at around 19%, two months before early elections expected to be held on February 23. However, Germany’s established parties have ruled out cooperating with the party, which is under investigation as a suspected right-wing extremist group by domestic intelligence services. The AfD’s candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, responded…
A clear majority of German residents believe Syrian refugees should be allowed to remain in the country until conditions in their homeland are peaceful and stable enough to return, according to a new survey. The survey for German public broadcaster ZDF, released on Friday, showed 64% of respondents in favour of granting Syrian refugees time to assess developments in the Middle Eastern country after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Germany is home to around 975,000 Syrians, according to Interior Ministry figures, with most arriving since 2015 as a result of the civil war that broke out in 2011. Since…
Wimbledon is taking legal action to protect its ambitious expansion plans. The All England Club (AELTC) received planning approval from the Greater London Authority in September to build 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat show court, on the site of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club, located just across the road from its current grounds. The expansion would nearly triple the size of the venue but has sparked significant opposition from local residents. An issue raised at the planning hearing was whether a statutory trust for recreational use on the land would restrict development. The AELTC is adamant there is…
Pep Guardiola admitted he is grappling with self-doubt as Manchester City’s struggles deepen, with their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread after a 2-0 loss to Juventus on Wednesday. Second-half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie at the Allianz Stadium condemned City to their seventh defeat in 10 matches across all competitions, leaving them in a dismal 22nd place in the standings. With only two games left in the group phase, automatic last-16 qualification seems out of reach. Guardiola’s men now face a fierce battle to remain in the top 24 and secure a playoff spot. “Of course,…
The head of the Syrian anti-regime alliance led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) said on Tuesday he plans to publicly name the ex-officers involved in state torture in Syria and hold them accountable as war criminals. “We will offer rewards to anyone who provides information about high-ranking officers of the army and security authorities who were involved in war crimes,” said HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who previously went by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Joulani. The anti-regime alliance led by HTS seized power in Syria at the weekend and ended decades of rule by the al-Assad family. “We…
The long-time Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad personally and independently decided to resign, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. “Withdrawing from the process of performing the duties of head of state was al-Assad’s personal decision,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media agencies. Peskov refused to comment further on Moscow’s role following the dramatic end to the regime of al-Assad. The former president and his family fled to Russia, where they were granted asylum, after a coalition of rebel groups swept through formerly government-held areas of Syria in a rapid offensive, seizing control of the capital Damascus on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir…
A day after Syrian rebel groups seized control of the capital Damascus, senior leaders of Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc suggested encouraging refugees to return to the country. Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s strongman president, fled to Russia after a coalition of anti-regime groups swept through formerly government-held areas of the country in a rapid offensive. Germany should now charter aircraft to send Syrians who had fled from al-Assad’s regime back to their home country, and offer cash incentives to encourage people to take the flight, a deputy leader of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc said on Monday. “As a first step, I would…
Syrian opposition members entered the presidential palace in Damascus early Sunday while chanting “God is most great,” eyewitnesses told dpa. A resident in the area told dpa, “We saw armed fighters entering the gates of the palace while chanting ‘God is most great.'” The palace is called The People’s Palace, and is located in the Mezzeh district in the west of the city. Videos circulating on social media also showed the rebels in the courtyard of the palace and at its entrance gates. Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad had fled Damascus shortly before. The rebels entered the grounds of the…