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Germany Tag

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on February 08, 2018 16 Comments
Chancellor Angela Merkel has finally reached a coalition deal with the Social Democrats (SPD) four months after her conservative bloc failed to win a majority in German elections. The deal forced Merkel to hand over key ministries and make painful concessions to her left-wing coalition partner. The details of the final agreement triggered criticism from both the media and the conservative bloc -- made up of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on January 31, 2018 15 Comments
With the Islamic State (ISIS) heading for collapse, Belgium is bracing for the return of hundreds of jihadi fighters deserting the ranks of the Islamic Caliphate in Syria and Iraq. The western European country, which pursued a liberal immigration policy in recent decades, produced the highest number of foreign ISIS fighters per capita of EU countries -- up to 700 in total.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on January 24, 2018 8 Comments
With the oil-rich Arab states too distracted with their feuds and infighting to champion the 'Palestinian cause', and the Trump administration turning up the heat with its Jerusalem move and cuts to Palestinians aid, the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has launched a diplomatic offensive to secure the EU backing.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on January 16, 2018 19 Comments
German authorities allowed a top Iranian cleric accused of mass murder to flee the country on Thursday. The decision came despite formal requests from leading exiled Iranian groups calling for the cleric to face justice. Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi, the 69-year-old Mullah touted as the successor to Iran's all-powerful theocratic dictator Ali Khamenei, came to Germany for treatment at the clinic of an Iranian-German neurosurgeon when exiled Iranian dissidents referred him to German prosecutors, citing his record of running Islamic courts, where he presided over the killing of thousands of Iranians. The leading German tabloid Bild Zeitung ran the headline "Death Judge In Iran, Luxury Patient In Germany,"  covering Shahroudi's stay in the country.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on January 09, 2018 7 Comments
Three months after Germans went to the polls, Chancellor Angela Merkel is making a last ditch effort to form an alliance with the left-wing Social Democrats (SPD), a move that could secure her a fourth term in office. Last month, Merkel's traditional ally, the center-right Free Democrats (FDP), abruptly walked out of the talks, citing irreconcilable differences over refugee policy and other key issues -- leaving a so-called 'grand coalition' with the SPD her only path to power.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on January 04, 2018 21 Comments
Unregulated migration may be responsible for the rise in violent crimes in Germany, a study commissioned by the German government claims. The researchers used the state of Lower Saxony to examine the correlation between the refugee arrivals and violent crimes between 2014 and 2016, a period during which such crimes surged by 10.4 percent. More than 90 percent of these additional crimes were attributed to the newly arrived refugees.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on December 27, 2017 4 Comments
A week after voting against Israel at the United Nations, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel is proposing an ambitious plan to strengthen relations with the Erdogan regime in Turkey. Gabriel, who also serves as Germany's Vice Chancellor, wants an EU-wide customs union with Turkey, a move aimed at bringing the Muslim-majority country 'as close as possible to the bloc', media reports claim. The German proposal will treat Turkey, presently run by the Islamist strongman Recep Erdoğan, at par with Britain after it leaves the EU at the end of the ongoing Brexit negotiations.  President Erdogan, who took office in 2003, has assumed authoritarian powers by amending the country's constitution following a controversial referendum in April this year.  Since then, Erdogan has been busy purging the opponents of his regime from the military, judiciary and civil services.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on December 21, 2017 41 Comments
The European Union has launched disciplinary proceedings against Poland, accusing the county of breaching the EU's "core values" over a series of judicial reforms passed by the Polish parliament. The European Commission, the EU's executive body, triggered Article 7, also dubbed as the "Nuclear Option." The process could lead to economic sanctions and suspension of the country's voting rights within the EU's decision making bodies.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on December 14, 2017 18 Comments
The city of Mülheim in northwestern Germany cancelled its official Hanukkah festivities, citing 'security concerns,' German newspaper Bild Zeitung reported. All the outdoor Hanukkah events due to take place in Mülheim and the adjoining region have also been cancelled, the head of the local Jewish community confirmed. The German state of North-Rhine Westphalia, where Mülheim is located, has seen an upsurge of antisemitic attacks in the recent years. In the nearby city of Bochum, the Jewish community leaders have urged Jews to stop wearing kippah, the traditional Jewish skullcap that identifies them as Jews, in public. Last month, the local broadcaster Radio Bochum reported that Jews “routinely faced with insults on public streets when they are recognized as Jews.” The broadcaster identified the perpetrators as “Muslim youths.”

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on December 10, 2017 24 Comments
Antisemitic demonstrations erupted over the weekend in major European cities, with Muslim groups staging violent and angry protests under the pretext of the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A gang of 20 masked-men fire-bombed a synagogue late Saturday in the Swedish city of Goteborg. The assailants threw several molotov cocktails at the synagogue while a youth event was underway. Jewish children were forced to take shelter in a cellar during the attack, German broadcaster DW News reported.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on December 05, 2017 4 Comments
Two weeks ago, Angela Merkel’s attempt to form a three-way coalition came to an abrupt end after her traditional ally, pro-Business Free Democrats (FDP), unexpectedly walked out of the talks, citing irreconcilable differences over immigration and other key issues. After failing to form the government in the first round, Merkel will hold a second round of talks -- this time with the left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on December 01, 2017 11 Comments
German Intelligence Agency (BND) is concerned about the Islamist ideology increasing its influence in the Balkan region, German newspapers report. The main focus of Germany's foreign intelligence agency is the Muslim-majority country of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The agency has been alarmed by massive investments being made by Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries in the religious and Islamist infrastructure of the country.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on November 27, 2017 11 Comments
German public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) withdrew its sponsorship of a Roger Waters concert in Cologne, after local activists objected to the allocation of public funds to former Pink Floyd frontman known for his support for the anti-Israel boycott campaign, German newspapers report.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on November 23, 2017 8 Comments
Berlin wants to bring back the children of German Islamic State terrorists currently being held under Iraqi detention, German newspapers report. German Foreign Office has asked the Iraqi government to grant exit permits to the children of captive Islamic State members. Many of these children hold "ISIS birth certificates," a German broadcaster reported. So far, Iraqi and Kurdish authorities have not given any assurances to the German negotiators in this regard.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on November 20, 2017 9 Comments
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's hope of securing a fourth term possibly came to an end last night after the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) unexpectedly pulled out after four weeks of coalition talks. The collapse of the three-way talks between the Christian Conservatives, the leftist Greens, and the Free Democrats could bring the Merkel era to an abrupt end after 12 years of reign.
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