Several monuments in Germany were plunged into darkness in a protest against extremism on Monday evening (Jan 5th).
Several such events were orchestrated by opponents of a group campaigning against the “Islamisation ” of Europe. That group is called PEGIDA.
Critics accuse the group of being led by racists and the far-right, although many PEGIDA members claim they are just expressing concern against the rise in Muslim asylum seekers.
Euronews video.
Consumers in Germany are putting the country’s economic troubles behind them and looking to the new year with renewed optimism.
Consumer confidence in Europe’s largest economy improved this month, having stabilized in November after several months of decline, according to GfK. In fact, German consumer sentiment hit its highest level in eight years as shoppers felt more upbeat about Europe’s largest economy going into 2015.
Market research group GfK said its forward-looking consumer sentiment indicator rose to 9.0 going into January from 8.7 in December, the highest reading since December 2006.
“Consumers apparently now assume that the period of economic weakness in Germany will pass and the domestic economy will return to growth in the coming months,” GfK said in a statement.
The reading is based on a survey of around 2,000 Germans, who give their expectations about pay and the economy in the coming months, as well as their willingness to spend money.
However, the research group warned that concerns about instability in Ukraine, Syria and Iraq and the Ebola outbreak continued to drag on the economy.
According to the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel, Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency has concluded that pro-Russian rebels are to blame for the downing of Malaysia Airline MH17 in Ukraine in July.
Gerhard Schindler, president of the BND, told a secret parliamentary committee on security affairs earlier this month that separatists had used a Russian Buk missile defense system from a Ukrainian base to fire a rocket that exploded directly next to the Malyasia Air jet.
According to ABC News, Germany will send high-end rifles, tank-busting weapons and armored vehicles to aid Kurdish fighters battling Islamic extremists in Iraq, officials said Sunday.
Germany’s defense minister said the arms would be sent in three shipments, starting next month, and would initially be enough to equip a brigade of 4,000 Peshmerga fighters.
Deutsche Welle states that Germany has shipped more than 100 tons of aid deliveries to help refugees in the country. In addition to humanitarian aid, Germany is also going to send military equipment to help support Kurdish fighters. The first package has already been put together. It contains defensive equipment such as helmets, body armor and walkie-talkies but not weapons.
There are six soldiers based at the German consulate general in Erbil that have been tasked with delivering military equipment. If needed, they will also coordinate instructions on site, according to the website of the German armed forces.
There are some critics in Merkel’s government coalition. Opposition Left party is critical of arms transfers to crisis areas; the Green opposition party has not yet expressed a party view on the issue.
The German government has announced that they will let parliamentarians vote Monday on sending weapons to Kurds in Iraq, even though the government doesn’t have to follow this procedure from a formal point of view. It’s widely expected to achieve a majority in parliament.
However, according to a recent poll, two thirds of Germans are against weapons deliveries.
Since the beginning of June, the United States has helped peshmerga fighters and the Iraqi army by carrying out air strikes and supplying military equipment. Other countries have said they intend to send weapons and ammunition as well, including Albania, France, the UK, Canada and Croatia. Denmark wants to provide a cargo plane. Iran delivered weapons last Tuesday.
Update: German intelligence estimates at least 400 Germans have joined the ISIS.
According to the publications The Independent and Zero Hedge, Germany and Russia have worked on a “stabilization plan” to create more peace and stability in Ukraine.
According to the sources, the talks with Putin occurred on July 20th.
Sources claim the deal includes the following:
Russia must withdraw its financial and military support for the various pro-separatist groups operating in eastern Ukraine. As part of any such agreement, the region would be allowed some devolved powers.
The Ukrainian President would agree not to apply to join Nato. In return, President Putin would not seek to block or interfere with the Ukraine’s new trade relations with the European Union under a pact signed a few weeks ago.
The Ukraine would be offered a new long-term agreement with Russia’s Gazprom. They would be offered a new deal with the giant gas supplier for future gas supplies and pricing. At present, there is no gas deal in place.
As part of the deal, Russia would compensate Ukraine with a billion-dollar financial package for the loss of the rent it used to pay for stationing its fleets in the Crimea and at the port of Sevastopol on the Black Sea until Crimea voted for independence in March.
Germany wins the World Cup 1 – 0 vs. Argentina in overtime. Mario Goetze (below) scored the winning goal.
OK, Fine. 