Mountain View
DPA
Munich police say officers shot person after spotting firearm
Munich police said officers shot and injured a person near the Israeli Consulate General early on Thursday after spotting a firearm. Officers intervened after the person was seen "apparently carrying a gun," police in the southern German city said on the social media platform X. They also confirmed that the person was "hit and injured" in the incident. At a press conference in Berlin, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser described the shooting in Munich as a "serious incident." "I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Munich police, who, in my view, are doing a good job," said Faeser. "The protection of Jewish and Israeli institutions, as you know, has the highest priority." The incident took place on the anniversary of the Munich massacre, a terrorist attack which claimed the lives of 11 Israelis during the 1972 Olympic Games in the city.
Xi pledges $50 billion in support for Africa over next three years
Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday criticized the role of Western powers in Africa's development as he addressed leaders and representatives from some 50 African nations at a forum that aims to bolster Beijing's relationships on the continent. "The Western modernization process has brought deep suffering to many developing countries," Xi said in the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of Forum on China–Africa Cooperation in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi painted China as the preferred development partner of choice for Africa, pledging 360 billion yuan ($50 billion) in loans and investments on the continent over the next...
Infinite Icon: Paris Hilton's second album comes 18 years after debut
US media personality Paris Hilton has kept fans of her music waiting for a long time: 18 years after her debut album "Paris" was released, the former it girl is bringing out her second album. She's feeling ready to take over the world, the 43-year-old recenly wrote on her Facebook page ahead of the release of "Infinite Icon" on Friday (September 6). The queen of self-promotion has been pulling out all the stops for her musical comeback, which she announced on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in October 2023. The cover art, which was revealed in July of this year, is...
Xi pledges $50 billion in support for Africa over next three years
Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday criticized the role of Western powers in Africa's development as he addressed leaders and representatives from some 50 African nations at a forum that aims to bolster Beijing's relationships on the continent. "The Western modernization process has brought deep suffering to many developing countries," Xi said in the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of Forum on China–Africa Cooperation in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi painted China as the preferred development partner of choice for Africa, pledging 360 billion yuan ($50 billion) in loans and investments on the continent over the next three years. The major boost in financing from the world's second-largest economy comes after Beijing slowed its investments in Africa during the coronavirus pandemic. Xi said that China is ready to work with Africa to foster 10 partnership areas, including military, education and training, trade, agricultural development and renewable energies. He said all African states that have diplomatic ties with Beijing should have their relationship elevated to "a comprehensive strategic partnership."
Munich police shoot 'suspicious person' amid major operation
A major police operation is under way in central Munich near the Israeli Consulate General, as police in the southern German city confirmed on the social media platform X that officers shot a "suspicious person." A police spokesman said officers fired several shots. There are currently no indications of further suspects, and it remains unclear whether any other people were injured. Munich police called on residents to avoid the area around Karolinenplatz, near the Israeli consulate and the Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism. Roadblocks have been set up, while a police helicopter was also deployed at the scene. The incident took place on the anniversary of the Munich massacre, a terrorist attack which claimed the lives of 11 Israelis during the 1972 Olympic Games in the city.
IAEA: Zaporizhzhya plant cooling tower requires demolition after fire
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that a cooling tower damaged in a fire at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant will likely require demolition. "This big structure is not usable in the future, so it will probably be demolished at some point in the future," IAEA director Rafael Grossi said during a visit to the nuclear power plant on Wednesday. The cooling tower at Europe's largest nuclear plant was damaged during a fire in August. Ukraine has accused the Russian occupiers of causing the fire, while the plant management appointed by Russia, and the administration for the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhya region, on the other hand, blamed a Ukrainian drone attack. Grossi had previously said that the damage to the cooling tower did not compromise the safety of the six reactors currently inactive at the plant. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which Russia has occupied for almost two and a half years following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has repeatedly been the target of attacks or acts of sabotage, for which Moscow and Kiev blame each other.
Report: Zelensky to visit US base in Germany for military aid talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to visit a US air base in Germany on Friday for talks on further Western support for Kiev in its war against Russia. The Spiegel news magazine reported that Zelensky intends to call for fresh arms deliveries, including long-range missiles and anti-aircraft systems, at a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group, an informal alliance of some 50 countries supporting Ukraine. The meeting, convened by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, is due to be held at the Ramstein Air Base in western Germany. The talks will be the 24th meeting of the group, which formed shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The German government has not confirmed that Zelensky will be attending.
'Blessing for everyone' - Rolfes on a shorter transfer window
Bayer Leverkusen managing director for sport Simon Rolfes has joined calls for an end of the summer transfer window before the start of the season. "That would be a blessing for everyone," Rolfes said in the Spielmacher podcast. ‘This rush of the last two weeks, this unrest that is always present in a team or among players, I think it would be good if it was over sooner. That it's clear earlier, before the first matchday, that this is the team we're going into the season with." The transfer window in the major leagues including the Bundesliga closed last Friday, two weeks after the start of the season. Rolfes from the German league and cup champions Leverkusen said that most transfers would also take place in a shorter transfer window, and would be completed quicker. Other Germans have also called for an end of transfers before the season kicks off, including Wolfsburg coach Ralph Hasenhüttl. "I don't think it would change anything if we ended the whole story a month earlier. Then you might have a few weeks in which you can work with your team and know on the first match day: this is your squad," Hasenhüttl said.
Rarely seen works by Germany's most famous living painter on display
For a rare public show, beloved but privately owned works by Germany's most celebrated living painter are being released from their homes hanging in dining rooms, bedrooms and even bathrooms for a short time only. The public can now see these works by star painter Gerhard Richter, seldom-viewed in public, together for the first time thanks to an exhibition in the western German city of Dusseldorf in one of the city's most important galleries. In a show called "Gerhard Richter. Hidden Treasures," the Museum Kunstpalast is exhibiting more than 120 works by Richter from private collections starting from Thursday. The works were painstakingly...
Major police operation under way in Munich after shots fired
A major police operation is under way in central Munich near the Israeli Consulate General and a Nazi documentation centre, with shots fired in the area. One "suspicious person" was shot, police in the southern German city wrote on X. Police have called on residents to avoid the area and have set up traffic barriers.
Tim Burton's 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' is rich in nostalgia
Few directors have actually created a genre of their own but Tim Burton is one of them - and "Beetlejuice" is one of his most famous films. A popular mixture of gothic visuals, macabre humour and dark, fairytale-like stories, this horror comedy about a rebellious poltergeist sums up Burton's style. Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder return Viewers and fans can look forward to more of this in "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," which is coming to the silver screen 36 years after the original. Michael Keaton is back as the titular tormentor. Winona Ryder has returned to her role of Lydia Deetz - the woman who Beetlejuice...
'Concord' grounded: Sony axes shooter game two weeks after launch
Sony is shutting down its newly launched "Concord" game on Friday, two weeks and a day after its inauspicious debut in a crowded shooter game field. Sales will "cease immediately" and full refunds will be issued to those who purchased the team-based sci-fi game on PlayStation 5 and PC, said Ryan Ellis, game director at Firewalk Studios, a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment. In a statement addressing fans Tuesday on the PlayStation blog, Ellis said his team "been listening closely to your feedback since the launch" of the team-based first-person shooter game on Aug. 23. He thanked those who "joined the journey...
One dead, two injured after shots fired in Berlin
A man was killed and two others were injured in a shooting in Berlin in the early hours of Thursday, according to police reports. The shooting occurred at around 1 am (2300 GMT Wednesday) in the district of Schöneberg, prompting a major response from emergency services. A 42-year-old man could not be resuscitated at the scene and was declared dead on the way to hospital. One of the injured men sustained serious injuries, while the other had minor wounds, the fire brigade said. Both men were taken to hospital for surgery. The motive behind the shooting remains unclear.
Pope Francis calls for solidarity against religious extremism
Pope Francis on Thursday called for solidarity against religious extremism during his visit to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. The 87-year-old head of the Catholic Church highlighted the importance of unity to "defeat the culture of violence and indifference," during his visit to the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in South-East Asia. Pope Francis met with Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar and signed a joint declaration which underscored values common across different religions to promote reconciliation and peace. He and the grand imam stood at the entrance to the "Tunnel of Friendship," an underpass which connects the mosque compound with the neighbouring Catholic cathedral, Our Lady of the Assumption. It was an "eloquent sign," Pope Francis said as the two places not only faced each other but were linked, allowing for "encounter, dialogue ... a genuine experience of fraternity." Pope Francis arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday, kicking off the longest foreign trip of his tenure so far, due to take him to four countries in South-East Asia and Oceania over the next 12 days. With more than 240 million Muslims, Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world. On Friday, he will continue his journey to Papua New Guinea, before visiting East Timor and Singapore.
'Slow Horses' season 4: What happens when an old spy gets confused?
“Slow Horses” returns on Apple TV+ and the misfits and losers of Britain’s MI5 domestic counterintelligence agency — collectively known as the slow horses, a sneering nickname that speaks to their perceived uselessness — find themselves working a case yet again. This time it involves their fellow reject River Cartwright and his far more respected grandfather, the former head of MI5. Once sharp, the old man has become disoriented lately, and when a visitor arrives at his quiet rural home, he greets them with the business end of a shotgun. Blood is spilled and the cavalry is called. Was it all a...
Belarusian leader Lukashenko frees 30 political prisoners
Belarus' authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has ordered the release of 30 political prisoners, the presidential office said in the capital Minsk on Wednesday. It was the second such pardon in just a few weeks. The presidential office said that seven women and 23 men had been released in the latest amnesty. No names were given. Most of those released were parents of minors, it said. According to the information provided, all of them had "applied for a pardon, admitted their guilt, sincerely repented and promised to lead a law-abiding life." The Interior Ministry appears set to monitor those who have been released. The information...
Baerbock advocates for two-state solution ahead of Mideast visit
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called on the Israeli government in unusually clear terms to no longer refuse to negotiate a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict. "Those members of the Israeli government who question the two-state solution in word and deed are endangering Israel's long-term security," Baerbock warned before her departure for crisis talks in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. "Negotiations on a two-state solution are the only option for lasting peace. This is the only way to combat terrorism in the long term," Germany's top diplomat said. The term two-state solution envisions an independent Palestinian state that exists peacefully side-by-side...
Former VW boss denies all charges on second day of 'Dieselgate' trial
The former boss of German carmaker Volkswagen denied all charges relating to the diesel emissions scandal on the second day of his high-profile trial in the northern city of Braunschweig. Formerly known as "Mr. Volkswagen," Martin Winterkorn faces fraud and other charges linked to the scheme by Volkswagen to use software to deceive environmental regulators in the United States over emissions from the company's diesel engines. "The public prosecutor's accusation that I failed to take action that was required of me in my role as [chief executive], deceived and harmed customers and shareholders, and thus made myself liable to prosecution, hits me...
New car sales decline in Germany as demand for electric cars drops
Sales of new cars in Germany declined sharply in August compared to the same month last year, largely as a result of weak demand for electric vehicles, figures released by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) showed on Wednesday. Overall registrations of new vehicles declined by 27.8%, with electric car licensing down by a staggering 69%, caused partly by a statistical effect. Diesel licensing was down 24.4% and petrol-powered cars were down 7.4%. "The collapse in the German new car market is not yet a sign of a negative trend, but can be attributed primarily to special effects from the previous year,"...
Lawyers of Solingen suspect threatened by far-right group, police say
A far-right group is suspected of having threatened attorneys who represented the alleged perpetrator in the Solingen stabbing when he applied for asylum in Germany, police in the city of Dresden said on Wednesday. Several suspects put up three wooden crosses in front of the Dresden law firm which represented the alleged perpetrator, a 26-year-old Syrian national, in his asylum proceedings, police said. The man identified as Issa Al H in line with Germany's strict privacy laws is accused to have killed three people and injured eight more in the stabbing in the western city of Solingen on August 23. He has been placed in custody. The state security service launched an investigation after a group of people put up the crosses as well as posters accusing the firm of being partially responsible for the deaths in the Solingen attack in front of the company's driveway on Saturday, police said. The anti-immigrant, anti-Islam Identitarian Movement has claimed responsibility for the action in Dresden on Telegram, according to police. Among the suspects is a 25-year-old from the eastern city of Chemnitz, it said. The Identitarian Movement campaigns against multicultural societies and spreads far-right conspiracy myths. In Germany, it is monitored by Germany's domestic intelligence agency.
DPA
6K+
Posts
18M+
Views
The German Press Agency (dpa) is one of the world’s leading independent news agencies. As a joint venture of the German media, we have successfully reported on national and international events since 1949. We are convinced that an enlightened democratic society needs verified information in order to make good, fact-based decisions. This requires an independent news agency and independent journalists. DPA is committed to the facts, but not to any political party, government, religion, culture, company, or other group. This is guaranteed by the DPA statute.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.