Zelenskiy in Berlin: we can make Russia’s defeat “irreversible”
Kyiv, Ukraine/Berlin, GermanyReuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday Kyiv and its allies could make a Russian defeat “irreversible” as early as this year as he secured a bumper new military package on a trip to Germany. The visit formed part of a whirlwind weekend tour of several key European allies to drum up […]
Retired German archbishop gives up honour after abuse report
Berlin, GermanyAP A former head of the Catholic German Bishops’ Conference is giving up the country’s highest honour following scathing criticism this week of his handling of clergy abuse cases during his tenure as archbishop of Freiburg and as a personnel officer in the diocese. Robert Zollitsch has informed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a […]
At World Council of Churches gathering, Russian church keeps its membership
RNS After a sometimes tense week that included passionate exchanges, the 11th assembly of the World Council of Churches approved a statement on Thursday regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that denounces the war but does not single out the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, who has been widely criticised for supporting the […]
Israeli President evokes horrors, ties at German parliament
Berlin, Germany AP Israel’s President addressed Germany’s parliament on Tuesday about atrocities committed during the Third Reich, while at the same time praising the close and friendly relations that have emerged between the two countries since the end of the Holocaust. Six million European Jews were murdered by Germany’s Nazis and their henchmen during World […]
Fifty years on, Germany asks for forgiveness over 1972 Munich Games attacks
Fuerstenfeldbruck, Germany Reuters Germany’s President asked for forgiveness on Monday for his country’s failure to protect Israeli athletes and team members who were murdered 50 years ago at the 1972 Munich Olympics. “We cannot make right what happened,” Frank-Walter Steinmeier told a gathering including relatives of the dead and Israeli officials during commemorations at the […]
Memorial for Babi Yar victims inaugurated in Ukraine
Kyiv, Ukraine AP The presidents of Ukraine, Israel and Germany on Wednesday inaugurated a memorial centre for the victims of the Babi Yar massacre in Ukraine eight decades after one of the most infamous Nazi mass slaughters of the Holocaust. Nearly 34,000 Jews were killed within 48 hours in Babi Yar, a ravine in the […]
Making elephants dance: a guide to Germany’s electoral system
Berlin, GermanyReuters Sixty million voters, casting twice as many votes for 47 parties, leading to a parliament that could have anywhere from 700 to as much as 1,000 legislators – the German electoral system is baffling even to Germans. Here are its key features. How it works?Germany’s electoral system was designed in reaction to the […]
Germany: Survivors, leaders remember victims of July floods
Berlin, Germany AP More than a month after extreme flooding killed more than 180 people in western Germany, survivors of the disaster, first responders, religious leaders and government officials came together Saturday to remember the victims who died and to express hope for the future. Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Bundestag President Wolfgang […]