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Germany Tag

German authorities are seeking the extradition of Iraqi asylum seeker Ali Bahar, 20, suspected of raping and murdering a 14-year-old Jewish girl. Bahar, who allegedly committed the crime with another refugee, was arrested by the Kurdish security forces in northern Iraq after he fled the country, Germany's Ministry of Interior disclosed. Susanna, a resident of Mainz, near Frankfurt, went missing two weeks ago and was found buried near a refugee shelter, German police revealed Wednesday.

The European Union has called on the U.S. not to punish European firms that trade with Iran, German daily Die Welt reported Thursday. In a letter to the U.S. officials, the EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini "appealed to the U.S. not to undertake any action" against European companies likely hit by U.S. sanctions following President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal last month. The letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was also signed by foreign and finance ministers from Germany, France, and Britain, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle disclosed. According to media reports, President Trump is considering imposing secondary sanctions against foreign companies which continue doing business with Iran.

Islamist groups have adopted new strategies to gain influence in Germany, a report by the intelligence agency of the German state of Baden-Württemberg disclosed. Instead of taking on the powerful government establishment or law enforcement head on, they have adopted a 'legalistic strategy' to achieve their political objectives.

President Donald Trump's move to impose tariff on steel and aluminum imports from Europe has triggered sharp response from the EU, Germany and France. President Trump's decision to apply the duties of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum was in response to long-standing European customs duties on U.S. imports.

Iran has been trying to acquire foreign technology to build nuclear weapons, German intelligence reveals. Tehran has been targeting Germany's technology sector to get hold of tech in order to upgrade its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program, a report published by the intelligence agency of the German state of Baden-Württemberg indicates. The southwestern German state is home to several leading global technology and engineering companies.

The Islamic fasting month of Ramadan triggered a migrant riot in the German city of Dresden over the weekend, the local newspapers report. "Around 50 refugees attacked police after they attempted to stop a fight at a migrant center," German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle confirmed. These people "gathered and attacked officers by throwing lit cigarettes, then kicking and beating them," Dresden police said. The fight took place in the courtyard of a refugee shelter with asylum seekers using "knifes, chairs and fire extinguishers" as weapons, a German newspaper reported. Two police officers and a security guard were injured during the riot. Additional police units were called to defuse the situation.

The European Union is considering laws to protect European companies trading with Iran in the wake of new U.S. sanctions. The EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced plans to enact a set of laws that "seek to prevent European companies from complying with any sanctions the US may reintroduce against Iran," Germany's state-run broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported on Friday.

The European Union's deal with Turkey is failing to stop migrants from crossing into Europe, German media reports suggest. "The number of refugees coming into Europe through Turkey has risen sharply," writes the German weekly Der Spiegel citing EU officials. In the early months of 2018 over 15,000 migrant crossed over from Turkey into Greece--a "nine-fold increase compared to last year's figures," Austrian newspaper Heute reported.

The Student Council at Germany's prestigious Heidelberg University has passed a resolution rejecting the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement for being antisemitic. Last Tuesday, the student body voted in favor of severing ties with groups engaged in anti-Israel boycott campaign, barring them for getting university funding and venues for staging events.

Days after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to walk away from the Iran nuclear deal, Germany has joined hands with its arch-rival Russia in order to rescue the troubled agreement. As part of a diplomatic campaign to rally support for the agreement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel dispatched Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to Moscow on Tuesday. "Iran deal crisis triggers rare show of unity between Moscow and Berlin," commented Germany's state-run DW News. "Both Germany and Russia believe the deal should remain in force," the broadcaster added.

Following President Donald Trump's decision to no longer abide by the Iran nuclear deal, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, has urged the German businesses to stop trading with the Islamic Republic of Iran. "US sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran’s economy. German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately," Grenell tweeted on Tuesday.

Germany condemned remarks on the Holocaust made by President of Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas. In a televised speech on Monday, Abbas claimed that the Holocaust was not caused by antisemitism, but by Jews' "social role related to usury and banks." The Palestinian Authority chief said he was referring to the writings of Karl Marx and other authors.

According to German media reports, Osama bin Laden's former bodyguard has been drawing huge welfare payments for the past several years after the 42-year-old Tunisian man and his family received permanent asylum in the country. German authorities made these revelations following a formal request for information submitted by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. German immigration authorities are refusing to deport the former Al Qaeda henchman, identified as Sami A., back to Tunisia, citing "the considerable likelihood" of "torture and inhumane or degrading treatment," German newspaper BILD reported. German security services classify Sami A. as a "security risk" due to his past links and current activities, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle revealed. Another German newspaper described him as a "key figure in German Islamist scene."

Ahead of Chancellor Angela Merkel's one-day visit to Washington scheduled for Friday, German media have complained about the lack of ceremonial pomp accorded to the visiting leader. German media outlets were incensed by the fact that French President Emmanuel Macron, who is also touring the US this week, was receiving an preferential treatment from the White House. Germany, given its economic strength, considers itself a bigger player in Europe than France.

German police launched an investigation into an antisemitic attack after a video of the incident surfaced on the internet today. On Monday evening, a group of Arabic speaking men verbally insulted two youth wearing kippa, the traditional Jewish skullcap. One of the attackers can be seen using a belt to attack the victim while screaming insults in Arabic. Media reports later identified at least one of the victims as an Israeli Arab "who didn't believe Germany was antisemitic." He told German broadcaster DW News that it was a gift from a Jewis friend who warned him against wearing it in Germany out of safety concerns. "It was an experience for me to wear the kippa yesterday and go out," he added.

Despite German mainstream media and TV channels cheerleading Chancellor Angela Merkel's open door migrant policy, a new survey shows that the majority of Germans are aware of the deteriorating law and order situation across the country. According to a poll commissioned by Germany's largest circulation newspaper BILD, 51 percent of the Germans agreed that "there are places in the country so lawless, even police won't venture there." The nationwide opinion poll once again highlighted the role of Arab and Turkish crime gangs operating in German inner cities. According to German media reports, several large-scale clashes and turf wars took place between Iraqi, Turkish, and Lebanese gangs in various cities in past weeks alone. Some 77 percent of the respondents wanted police to "crack down harder" on these foreign crime gangs, the BILD survey revealed.

The debate over surging Islamization in Germany has created a serious rift within Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian-Conservative alliance. Merkel's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), launched scathing attack on the growing influence of Islam in German society Islam "doesn't culturally shape our country" and "it should not" be culturally influential in Germany, Alexander Dobrindt, the head of the CSU parliamentary party, said in a newspaper interview. In a rare display of backbone by a leading German politician, Dobrindt asserted the superiority of West's "Judeo-Christian heritage," saying "[N]o Islamic country on earth has developed a comparable democratic culture like the ones we know in Christian countries."