German Easter Bunny gets 70,000 letters from children

The Easter Bunny in Ostereistedt, northern Germany, once again received tens of thousands of requests from children hoping to have their wishes realized.

The meaning of Ostereistedt loosely translates to "Easter egg town" in English, and children have been sending their letters there for the past four decades.

Where did the letters come from?

According to Deutsche Post, some 70,000 letters were received at the post office in the village some 30 kilometers (19 miles) northeast of Bremen.

A person dressed as an Easter Bunny was seen delivering the last of the children's requests.

More than a thousand letters came from abroad, from a total of 40 different countries, including Australia and Brazil. Ukrainian children living in Germany because of the conflict back home also wrote to the Easter Bunny.

The total is actually down 10,000 on last year's figure — and well short of a peak of 100,000 in 2021, when the coronavirus pandemic was at its height.

What did the letters say?

The tradition aims to encourage children to write letters. In response, Deutsche Post's Easter Post Office sends back colorful Easter-themed letters written by a team of volunteers.

Whether it was peace on earth, cinema tickets or more chocolate, the children were keen to let the bunny know what they wanted this year.

Some of the Ukrainian children who wrote said they were grateful to live in Germany and had already made friends. Some also mentioned that they wanted to learn German.

One letter writer, Lola from the southern state of Baden-Württemberg, asked what the Easter Bunny's favorite food was. Another, Fynn from the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, wanted to go to the movies with him.

"With every letter, I see the children's eyes light up when they find the answer in the letterbox," said Doris Kröger, head of the Easter Post Office.

-Deutsche Welle

Football: Italy set new unbeaten record as Germany thump Armenia

PARIS, France -- Italy broke the world record for the longest unbeaten run in international football with a goalless draw at Switzerland on Sunday, while Germany got their World Cup qualifying campaign back on track by thrashing Armenia 6-0.

European champions Italy should have taken all three points, but Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer saved Jorginho's second-half penalty.

"The ball didn't want to go into the goal," Italian coach Roberto Mancini told RAI.

"We had too many chances today not to win the match... We have to be more clinical and more precise."

The draw, however, extended Mancini's side's unbeaten run to 36 matches, breaking the previous mark they shared with Brazil and Spain.

The Azzurri remain top of Group C, four points above Switzerland who have two games in hand.

Italy are bidding to banish the memories of their shock failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

The group winners automatically reach next year's finals in Qatar, with the runners-up heading into the play-offs.

The Germans brushed off the cobwebs of their underwhelming 2-0 win over Liechtenstein in Hansi Flick's first match in charge by thrashing previous leaders Armenia to go top of Group J.

Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry scored twice in the first 15 minutes.

Timo Werner set up Marco Reus, who was recalled by Flick, to put the result beyond doubt before netting himself to complete a dominant opening 45 minutes.

The home crowd in Stuttgart were given a fifth goal to cheer by Jonas Hofmann early in the second period, before the four-time world champions added further gloss in added time through 19-year-old debutant Karim Adeyemi.

They now lead Armenia by two points, with Romania a point further back after beating Liechtenstein 2-0.

A shock home loss to North Macedonia earlier this year had put Germany's qualification in danger.

- England cruise at Wembley -

A much-changed England labored for long periods before seeing off Andorra 4-0 in their first match at Wembley since their Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy on penalties.

Jesse Lingard, who missed out on Gareth Southgate's Euro squad, put the hosts ahead in the 18th minute, but a second goal did not arrive until substitute Harry Kane's penalty 18 minutes from time.

England, for whom Southgate made 11 changes, did enjoy a late goal spree as Lingard netted a second and Bukayo Saka marked his birthday by finding the net.

That goal brought loud cheers from the crowd at Wembley -- where Saka missed the decisive penalty in the shootout against the Italians in July.

"He (Saka) got a fabulous reception, before and during the game," Southgate told ITV. "You can see how popular he is with the rest of the team as well."

England have won all five of their matches in Group I and visit Poland, who they lead by five points, on Wednesday.

Robert Lewandowski scored twice and Adam Buksa grabbed a hat-trick as the second-placed Poles hammered San Marino 7-1.

Spain, who are in danger of not qualifying automatically, thrashed Georgia 4-0 in Badajoz.

First-half goals from Jose Gaya, Carlos Soler and Ferran Torres ensured they would bounce back from their loss to Sweden with a win.

Pablo Sarabia also netted after half-time, but although the 2010 World Cup winners move top of Group B, they are only one point ahead of Sweden who have two games in hand.

Belgium put one foot in Qatar with an impressive 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic which saw Romelu Lukaku mark his 100th cap with a goal.

The Chelsea striker has now scored 67 goals for his country and 50 in his last 50 appearances.

Eden Hazard and Alexis Saelemaekers also got on the scoresheet as Roberto Martinez's Belgium stretched six points clear of the Czechs at the top of Group E.

"I know that if I continue and my body follows, it will get better and better," said Hazard following his first international goal since 2019 after suffering several injuries.

Wales are only a single point further back, having played two fewer matches, after Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick, including an injury-time winner, in a dramatic 3-2 success over Belarus in Kazan.

Agence France-Presse

German floods kill at least 133; search for survivors continues

FRANKFURT - Rescue workers searched flood-ravaged parts of western Germany for survivors on Saturday as water levels remained high in many towns and houses continued to collapse in the country's worst natural disaster in half a century.

At least 133 people have died in the flooding, including some 90 people in the Ahrweiler district south of Cologne, according to police estimates on Saturday. Hundreds of people are still missing.

Around 700 residents were evacuated late on Friday after a dam broke in the town of Wassenberg near Cologne, authorities said.

Over the past several days the floods, which have mostly hit the states of Rhineland Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, have cut off entire communities from power and communications.

The flooding has also hit parts of Belgium and the Netherlands. At least 20 people have died in Belgium.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Armin Laschet, state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, were scheduled to visit Erftstadt, one of the hardest hit towns, on Saturday.

Laschet is ruling CDU party's candidate in September's general election. The devastation of the floods could intensify the debate over climate change ahead of the vote.

Scientists have long said that climate change will lead to heavier downpours. But determining its role in these relentless downpours will take at least several weeks to research, scientists said on Friday.

-reuters 

Berlin police brace for virus protest as court overturns ban

BERLIN (AP) — Police in Berlin on Friday requested thousands of reinforcements from other parts of Germany to cope with planned protests over the weekend by people opposed to the country’s coronavirus restrictions.

Authorities in the German capital had banned the protests earlier this week, citing demonstrations a few weeks ago during which participants flouted rules on social distancing and mask-wearing.

Germany has seen a rise in the number of virus infections in recent weeks and officials had expressed concern that protesters might contribute to the spread of coronavirus during their rallies and while traveling to and from Berlin.

Germany has been widely praised for its handling of the pandemic through robust testing and contact tracing and has seen far less drastic pandemic-related restrictions than other European countries such as France, Italy or Spain. Its confirmed virus-related death toll of 9,291 is one-fourth of Britain’s toll, although experts say all numbers understate the true impact of the pandemic due to various factors.

Protest organizers had appealed the ban and a regional administrative court ruled Friday that the rallies could go ahead, saying there was no immediate threat to public safety. The court ordered organizers to ensure social distancing. It didn’t impose a requirement for participants to wear masks, which aren’t mandatory outdoors in Germany but encouraged when social distancing can’t be maintained.

Angered by the looming ban, several groups had threatened to travel to Berlin regardless. The presence of far-right groups among the protesters had further raised police concerns about the possibility of unrest.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday, ahead of the court ruling, that the right to appeal bans was part of the freedom of assembly.

Asked whether she would meet with protesters, as she has done in the past with climate activists and others, Merkel said: “I always decide when people approach me whether I will seek to have talks with them.”

So far, she was unaware of any such request, Merkel added.

Associated Press

Boar that stole German nudist’s laptop ‘may be culled’

Berlin, Germany — A wild boar that went viral after stealing a nudist’s laptop by a lake in German capital Berlin last week could be caught up in a local cull, an official said Friday.

Photos of the female boar and her two young were shared thousands of times on social media after a naked sunbather was snapped unashamedly chasing after them to retrieve his laptop bag.


But a spokesman for the Berlin state forestry office told news agency DPA the boar and her babies could be culled when the hunting season begins in October.

They would not be shot immediately because it is the wrong time of the year and also because the piglets are still too small, the spokesman said – but the agency will be keeping an eye on them.

The area around the lake is popular with hunters and it is possible they could be targeted later in the year, he added.

Wild boars are regularly culled by licensed hunters in Berlin and the rest of Germany to keep numbers down and to fend off diseases such as African swine fever.


Every year, 1,000 to 2,000 wild boars are shot in Berlin.

They often venture into residential areas looking for food, as appeared to be the case during the incident last week, and have been known to attack humans.

“Many of us were scared but the wild boars seemed to be peaceful,” Adele Landauer, the Berlin-based life coach who took the pictures, wrote as she shared them on Instagram last week.

“After they ate a pizza from a backpack of a man who was taking a swim in the lake they were looking for a dessert. They found this yellow bag and decided to take it away.”

Agence France-Presse

Beatles photographer Astrid Kirchherr dies aged 81

BERLIN — German photographer Astrid Kirchherr, whose striking images of The Beatles in the early 1960s helped turn them into cultural icons, has died aged 81, German media reported Saturday.

Kirchherr passed away in Hamburg following a serious illness, those close to her told several media outlets, including the weekly Die Zeit and NDR public television.


She met and befriended The Beatles in 1960 during a tour in Hamburg before they achieved worldwide fame.

At the time, the group was made up of five members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, as well as bassist Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best, who was later replaced by Ringo Starr.

Sutcliffe fell in love with Kirchherr and stayed on in Hamburg but died from a brain hemorrhage in 1962.

Kirchherr took numerous photos of the group, showing them both as rebels and romantics. She later lived mainly off the reproduction rights of the pictures, NDR said.


She was also behind the group’s so-called mop-top hairstyles of the early 1960s.

The photographer later kept in touch with The Beatles, Harrison in particular.

Agence France-Presse

Germany gears up for virus tracing app

In early April, the German government announced that it was working on a voluntary smartphone app using Bluetooth to trace possible chains of COVID-19 contagion.

The project has led to some lively discussions in a country where personal privacy is fiercely guarded, thanks to the scars of two 20th-century dictatorships.


Chris Boos, the founder of Frankfurt-based artificial intelligence company Arago and a member of the German government’s Digital Council, has been helping to develop a software platform for the app.

Q: When will the COVID-19 contact tracing app be available in Germany?

“We will see it launched at the end of April, that seems realistic to me. Everyone wants it as soon as possible, but it has to be tested and certified for security first.”

Q: What are some of the key characteristics of the platform?


“Firstly, the system has to be based on the right variable (contact between mobile phone users) to avoid comparing apples with oranges. Secondly, privacy must be protected. No location data is used, nor any data that would identify the phone, such as the SIM card number. And finally, the system has to work internationally, so I can travel freely to countries that use the same platform.”

Q: What about privacy concerns?

“From the beginning, we were clear that we did not want to recreate the situation in some Asian countries where people are completely exposed. I don’t see a problem as long as we offer a secure alternative that respects data protection laws.”

Q: The technology relies on Bluetooth. How can you guarantee its reliability?

“Bluetooth technology can measure the distance between two phones very accurately using radio waves. We can then determine very quickly whether this measurement is epidemiologically relevant; in the simplest case, if the two phones were less than 2 meters apart for more than 15 minutes.”


Q: How can you avoid people declaring themselves sick on the app when they are not actually sick?

“Before the process begins, you must always have voluntary confirmation from the user themselves that they are sick, but also from a doctor treating them or another healthcare provider.”

Q: Why are Germany, France and other countries each working on their own apps rather than focusing on a communal project?

“The important thing with these various apps is that they will eventually be able to work together. Because if that’s not the case, borders will remain shut.”

Q: How many people will have to use the app for it to have the desired effect?

“An Oxford University study has indicated that 60% of the population would have to use this app if there are no other measures to control the spread of the coronavirus. The fewer people use the app, the more stringent measures will be needed.”

Q: How will the app be delivered to the public?

A: “The Robert-Koch Institute (Germany’s public healthy agency) seems to me to be the natural place to deliver it and it is no secret that they are working on the project. But we will see who can provide the best solution. I am sure the government will make its recommendation.”

Agence France-Presse

Stock market rally fades ahead of US holiday

BEIJING  — The rally in global stock markets, which saw the Dow close above 19,000 for the first time, petered out on Wednesday as investors prepared for a holiday in the U.S.

KEEPING SCORE: Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.3 percent to 6,636 while Germany’s DAX shed 0.6 percent to 10,655. France’s CAC 40 dropped 0.4 percent to 4,529. On Wall Street, the futures for the Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index were both unchanged, a day after the Dow closed above the 19,000 mark for the first time. The U. S. markets will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving holiday.

WALL STREET: U.S. markets have been the focus since the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president, which many investors bet will be positive for companies. They expect less regulation of financial services and possibly tax cuts as well as spending on infrastructure. He has affirmed plans to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership but avoided mentioning his campaign pledge to build a wall along the Mexican border. “As Trump has rowed back and not mentioned some of his more extreme policy sound bites, some worries about the nature of his presidency may have begun to abate,” Alex Furber of CMC Markets said in a report. That has helped U.S. indexes hit record highs, with the Dow surpassing 19,000 for the first time and closing at a record high six times in the two weeks.

ANALYST’S TAKE: “The bulls have got control here,” Chris Weston of IG said in a report. “U.S. equity and many other developed markets are going higher, at least in the short-term.” Weston noted investors assume the U.S. Federal Reserve will go ahead with an interest rate hike in December. “Emerging markets have found support and are even attracting buyers,” said Weston. “If the Fed were to assess financial conditions in the wake of a potential rate hike they would be wholly enthused.”

ASIA’S DAY: Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 rose 1.3 percent to 5,484.40 and Seoul’s Kospi advanced 0.2 percent to 1,987.95. India’s Sensex gained 0.5 percent to 26,081.22 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended unchanged at 22,676.69. The Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.2 percent to 3,241.14. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. Benchmarks in New Zealand and Taiwan gained while Indonesia retreated.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude fell 16 cents to $47.87 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract lost 21 cents on Tuesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, shed 12 cents to $49.00 in London. The contract added 22 cents the previous session.

CURRENCY: The dollar was roughly steady at 111.21 yen while the euro fell to $1.0615 from Tuesday’s $1.0630. TVJ

source: business.inquirer.net

Germany eyes free wi-fi in public spaces, finally

BERLIN, Germany — Try looking for a free wi-fi connection in the cafe down the street in Germany and, more likely than not, there isn’t one.

Forget about looking for open connections in parks or at key monuments. They just don’t exist.

In an age when almost everyone carries a smartphone, the absence of such free hotspots can appear to be an aberration in a country that is known for its technological prowess.

But a new government deal may change all that, as it aims to tackle the root of the problem — by exonerating the connection’s provider of fraudulent usage by others.

The snag has been Germany’s tough rules to crack down on online piracy, with high fines for illegally downloading music and films.

No one wants to run the risk of exposing their wi-fi connection to possible misuse, a fear that has turned Germany into a hotspot desert.

A 2014 study by Eco, a federation of Internet professionals, found that there are only two open hotspots for every 100,000 residents in Germany, compared to 10 in Sweden and 29 in Britain.

For many, that is a stumbling block in the development of the Internet, an obstacle Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government wants to mow down.

But seeking an agreement took months of tough negotiations.

“A late but important step,” said Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Twitter.

‘Liberation’

According to the agreement reached this week within Merkel’s left-right ‘grand coalition’ government, the law will be amended so that “wi-fi providers would be considered like access providers” — that is to say, they are waived from all responsibility of users, and “will not be subject to any required checks”.

That is valid for anyone who offers their wi-fi access to others for free — be it a restaurant owner who allows clients to connect online or the friendly guy who gives his neighbor the password to get on his Internet access.

Only 39 percent of Internet users in Germany go online using wi-fi outside of their homes, according to a survey in 2015 by Bitkom, the German high-technology federation.

Plans by the government to amend the rule “will facilitate things for both operators and users,” said Bernhard Rohleder, who heads Bitkom.

For the federation Eco, it spells the end of the “great wall” to the development of hotspots in Germany, while hotels describe the move as an act of liberation.

But not all are happy.

The music industry federation fears that it could hurt creators and artists, and warned that it has “opened the doors and windows to illegal usage”.

A draft law prepared in September by Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel had required users to confirm that they are not doing anything illegal online, as well as for access providers to secure the network with passwords.

But that was deemed too restrictive, leading to the current agreement which scraps these conditions.

The proposal is due to be examined by cabinet before it is put to parliament, it is therefore not expected to come in force before the autumn.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Germany beats Argentina 1-0 to win World Cup

RIO DE JANEIRO — Mario Goetze produced the piece of individual skill that Lionel Messi couldn’t muster.

With two quick, deft touches, Goetze ended Germany’s 24-year wait for another World Cup title with an extra-time winner against Argentina on Sunday — denying Messi the one title he needs to forever take his place among the game’s all-time greats.

It was the moment of brilliance that ensured Germany’s 1-0 victory in a tight and tense final.

Goetze, who wasn’t born when West Germany beat Argentina in the 1990 final, controlled a cross with his chest in the 113th minute and in one fluid motion volleyed the ball past goalkeeper Sergio Romero and inside the far post from five yards out.

It delivered Germany its fourth World Cup title, equal second with Italy on the list of all-time champions and just behind Brazil’s five.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling. I don’t know how to describe it. You just shoot that goal in, you don’t really know what’s happening,” Goetze said. “And then at the end of the match, having a party with the team, the whole country … it is for us, a dream come true.”

At the final whistle, German players fell into a pile in a mid-pitch celebration. Messi walked past them with his hands on his hips — still in the shadow of his compatriot Diego Maradona, who led his country to the 1986 title.

The 22-year-old Goetze went on as a substitute for Miroslav Klose near the end of regulation time and his fresh legs made the difference.

Andre Schuerrle broke down the left flank, sending his cross into the area, and the Bayern Munich midfielder did the rest with a clinical finish. The goal echoed that of Andres Iniesta four years ago, when the midfielder scored in similar fashion but from the other side of the area to give Spain a 1-0 extra-time win over the Netherlands.

It went entirely to script, according to Germany coach Joachim Loew.

“I said to Mario Goetze, ‘OK, show to the world that you’re better than Messi and you can decide the World Cup. You have all the possibilities to do that,’” Loew said. “I had a good feeling with him.”

Germany became the first European team to win a World Cup in the Americas, and the victory ends a string of near misses since winning its last major title at the 1996 European Championship. The team lost the 2002 World Cup final to Brazil, the Euro 2008 final to Spain and was eliminated in the semifinals in both 2006 and 2010.

Argentina had not been back in the final since that 1990 loss, and has now been beaten by Germany in the last three World Cups.

“This was our chance, and we felt that way. We couldn’t do it. We have to lift our heads and suffer the pain,” Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano said. “Obviously, the pain is tremendous.”

It is Germany’s first World Cup title as a unified nation, having won as West Germany in 1954, 1974 and 1990.

The Germans faced Argentina in both the 1986 and 1990 finals, during Maradona’s heyday. This time, they were up against Messi, the four-time world player of the year who has set a slew of scoring records in leading Barcelona to every major club title and is widely considered the best player since Maradona.

But in the biggest game of his career, Messi came up short.

He had one good chance to score when he was sent free in the area just after the halftime break, but sent his shot wide. It was a difficult angle, but still the type of chance he so often converts for Barcelona.

Messi threatened intermittently throughout the match, but was effectively smothered by the German defense. His free kick in the 120th minute went well high.

Messi, who scored four goals in the group stage but none in the knockout rounds, then had to trudge alone up the stairs of the Maracana Stadium to accept the Golden Ball award for the tournament’s best player, shaking hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel along the way.

“At this moment I don’t care about this prize — only lifting the trophy matters,” Messi said. “I’m hurt for losing the way we did. … I think we deserved a little better, we had chances. As well as they controlled the ball, we still had the clearest chances.” After Messi received his award, the German team made its way up the stairs for captain Philipp Lahm to raise the hallowed 18-carat gold trophy.

Until Goetze’s winning goal, the game was more notable for top-class defending than creative attacking, but both teams had their share of chances.

Gonzalo Higuain fired wide when gifted a chance in a one-on-one with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, and later had a goal ruled out for offside.

Germany defender Benedikt Hoewedes hit the post just before halftime with a header.

Germany had entered the game as the favorite after its 7-1 semifinal drubbing of Brazil. But Argentina proved to be an entirely different proposition.

“I’m very proud of the team. They played a great game against a great team,” Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said. “I salute the players, they made the country proud.”

After Germany’s last win in 1990, then-coach Franz Beckenbauer predicted that a unified Germany would be “unbeatable” in the future. It took 24 years to prove him right but with young players like Goetze, the next wait may not be as long.

“We, I think, deserve this trophy,” Goetze said.

___

Lineups:

Germany: Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng, Benedikt Hoewedes; Christoph Kramer (Andre Schuerrle, 31), Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil (Per Mertesacker, 120), Thomas Mueller; Miroslav Klose (Mario Goetze, 88).

Argentina: Sergio Romero; Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis, Ezequiel Garay, Marcos Rojo; Lucas Biglia, Javier Mascherano, Enzo Perez (Fernando Gago, 86); Ezequiel Lavezzi (Sergio Aguero, 46), Gonzalo Higuain (Rodrigo Palacio, 78), Lionel Messi.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Mercedes-Benz launches all-new C-Class: bigger, lighter

Mercedes-Benz has launched the all-new C-Class sedan in Stuttgart, Germany. The car debuts with what Mercedes calls “sensuous and clear design,” several new engines, and a larger interior. The C has grown by 80mm in wheelbase, is 95mm longer, and 40mm wider. The increase benefits rear-seat legroom. Trunk capacity is also bigger, at 480 liters.

The new C looks decidedly sleeker than its predecessor, taking styling cues from the new S-Class as well as the CLA compact sedan. LED lighting is standard for the taillights and available for the headlamps. The interior follows the sporty styling theme seen in the new A-Class and sports cars, with a large center console flowing up into the instrument panel.

Engine choices at launch are the C220 Bluetec diesel with 170 hp and 400 Nm, the C180 1.6 liter gasoline with 156hp and 250Nm, and the C200 2.0 liter gasoline with 184hp and 300Nm. These are mated to the 7Gtronic seven-speed automatic.

A first for the C-Class and in this car category is the available air suspension. Variable damping allows switching between “Comfort” all the way to “Sport+” mode.

Mercedes says that the C is lighter by 100kg from its predecessor.


If CATS Motors follows previous launch schedules, watch out for the C-Class to land in the Philippines in the first half of 2014.

source: motioncars.inquirer.net

U.S. weighs end to spying on allied leaders, source says

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is considering ending spying on allied heads of state, a senior administration official said, as the White House grappled with the fallout from revelations that the U.S. has eavesdropped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel.


The official said late Monday that a final decision had not been made and an internal review was still underway.

The revelations about National Security Agency monitoring of Merkel were the latest in a months-long spying scandal that has strained longstanding alliances with some of America's closest partners. Earlier Monday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for a "total review of all intelligence programs."

Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a statement that the White House had informed her that "collection on our allies will not continue." The administration official said that statement was not accurate, but added that some unspecified changes already had been made and more were being considered, including terminating the collection of communications from friendly heads of state.

The official was not authorized to discuss the review by name and insisted on anonymity.

As a result of the spying allegations, German officials said Monday that the U.S. could lose access to an important law enforcement tool used to track terrorist money flows. As possible leverage, German authorities cited last week's nonbinding resolution by the European Parliament to suspend a post-9/11 agreement allowing the Americans access to bank transfer data to track the flow of terrorist money.

A top German official said she believed the Americans were using the information obtained from Merkel to gather economic intelligence apart from terrorism and that the agreement known as SWIFT should be suspended.

Feinstein said while the intelligence community has kept her apprised of other issues, like the court orders on telephone record collection, intelligence officials failed to brief her on how they followed foreign leaders.

Her statement follows reports based on new leaks from former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden indicating that the NSA listened to Merkel and 34 other foreign leaders.

"With respect to NSA collection of intelligence on leaders of U.S. allies — including France, Spain, Mexico and Germany — let me state unequivocally: I am totally opposed," Feinstein said. She added that the U.S. should not be "collecting phone calls or emails of friendly presidents and prime ministers" unless in an emergency with approval of the president.

European Union officials who are in Washington to meet with lawmakers ahead of White House talks said U.S. surveillance of their people could affect negotiations over a U.S.-Europe trade agreement. They said European privacy must be better protected.

Many officials in Germany and other European governments have made clear, however, that they don't favor suspending the U.S.-EU trade talks which began last summer because both sides stand to gain so much through the proposed deal, especially against competition from China and other emerging markets.

As tensions with European allies escalate, the top U.S. intelligence official declassified dozens of pages of top secret documents in an apparent bid to show the NSA was acting legally when it gathered millions of Americans' phone records.

Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper said he was following the president's direction to make public as much information as possible about how U.S. intelligence agencies spy under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Monday's release of documents focused on Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which allows the bulk collection of U.S. phone records.

The document release is part of an administration-wide effort to preserve the NSA's ability to collect bulk data, which it says is key to tracking key terror suspects, but which privacy activists say is a breach of the Constitution's ban on unreasonable search and seizure of evidence from innocent Americans.

The release of the documents comes ahead of a House Intelligence Committee hearing Tuesday on FISA reform.

The documents support administration testimony that the NSA worked to operate within the law and fix errors when they or their systems overreached. One of the documents shows the NSA admitting to the House Intelligence Committee that one of its automated systems picked up too much telephone metadata. The February 2009 document indicates the problem was fixed.

Another set of documents shows the judges of the FISA court seemed satisfied with the NSA's cooperation. It says that in September 2009, the NSA advised the Senate Intelligence Committee about its continuing collection of Americans' phone records and described a series of demonstrations and briefings it conducted for three judges on the secretive U.S. spy court. The memorandum said the judges were "engaged throughout and asked questions, which were answered by the briefers and other subject matter experts," and said the judges appreciated the amount and quality of information the NSA provided.

It said that two days later, one of the judges, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, renewed the court's permission to resume collecting phone records.

The documents also included previously classified testimony from 2009 for the House Intelligence Committee by Michael Leiter, then head of the National Counterterrorism Center. He and other officials said collecting Americans' phone records helped indict Najibullah Zazi, who was accused in a previously disclosed 2009 terror plot to bomb the New York City subways.

The documents also show the NSA considered tracking targets using cellphone location data, and according to an April 2011 memo consulted the Justice Department first, which said such collection was legal. Only later did the NSA inform the FISA court of the testing.

NSA commander Gen. Keith Alexander revealed the testing earlier this month to Congress but said the agency did not use the capability to track Americans' cellphone locations nor deem it necessary right now.

Asked Monday if the NSA intelligence gathering had been used not only to protect national security but American economic interests as well, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "We do not use our intelligence capabilities for that purpose. We use it for security purposes."

But National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden later clarified that: "We do not use our intelligence capabilities to give U.S. companies an advantage, not ruling out that we are interested in economic information."

Carney acknowledged the tensions with allies over the eavesdropping disclosures and said the White House was "working to allay those concerns," though he refused to discuss any specific reports or provide details of internal White House discussions.

source: lasvegassun.com

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Google Doodle 2012

Internet Search Giant Google commemorates the 126th Birthday of German Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with a cool Doodle on it’s home page that shows a building similar to the designs made by the great awesome architect.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe born as Maria Ludwig Michael Mies on March 27, 1886 in Aachen, Germany. He died on August 17, 1969 at the age of 83.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is a great architech without any formal academic architectural training. Together with Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, they are very well known as the pioneering masters of Modern Architecture.

EU 'open' to talks on airlines tax, but won't change law

BRUSSELS — EU officials said Sunday they will negotiate with international partners angry at what they see as a climate tax on airlines, but refused to change hotly disputed legislation despite fears in Germany.

“We have always been open to continuing discussions on the possibility of equivalent measures” outside Europe, Isaac Valero, spokesman for European Union climate action commissioner Connie Hedegaard, told AFP.

“This way we hope to reach a global agreement,” he said, referring to a longstanding failure to bring industrialised and emerging powers onto the same page over environmental objectives for big industry.

“But awaiting this global agreement, we are not going to change our legislation,” he underlined.

Hedegaard has insisted that equivalent measures by other countries would lead to like-for-like exemptions from the annual tax bill.

The charges imposed on airlines taking off or landing in Europe entered into force on Jan 1, designed to help the EU achieve its goal of cutting emissions by 20 percent by 2020.

Airlines backed by overseas governments have challenged the scheme’s legality in court, but for the first time Germany has expressed concerns mainly over Chinese threats that it could cancel orders for EU-built Airbus planes.

The growing tensions, with airlines having long warned of an inevitable protectionist backlash from Asia and the Americas in particular, will be debated when EU environment ministers meet on Friday in Brussels.

The German government urged the European Commission on Friday to negotiate with countries opposed to the EU’s airlines carbon emissions fee to “de-escalate” opposition and avoid trade disputes.

Germany’s economics ministry “is viewing the international development at the moment with the EU emissions trade with concern,” spokeswoman Tanja Kraus told reporters, adding that international trade conflicts should be avoided.

According to a report on Thursday, Hong Kong Airlines may cancel a $3.8 billion order for 10 Airbus superjumbo A380 jets after Beijing banned its airlines from paying the EU tax.

Germany anticipates raising $256 million from the tax in 2012, according to Commission figures.

China is among more than two dozen countries including India, Russia and the United States, strongly opposed to the tax.

source: japantoday.com

Twitter able to now selectively block tweets

SAN FRANCISCO - Twitter said Thursday that it now has the ability to block tweets from appearing in a specific country if legally required to do so.

"As we continue to grow internationally, we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression," Twitter said in a blog post.

"Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there," the San Francisco-based company said.

"Others are similar but, for historical or cultural reasons, restrict certain types of content, such as France or Germany, which ban pro-Nazi content," Twitter said.

Twitter said that previously, if it was required to remove messages, it could only remove them globally.

"Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country -- while keeping it available in the rest of the world," Twitter said.

"We haven't yet used this ability, but if and when we are required to withhold a tweet in a specific country, we will attempt to let the user know, and we will clearly mark when the content has been withheld," it said.

Twitter said it would post details of any incidents involving the removal of content to ChillingEffects.org, a public database of takedown requests.

"One of our core values as a company is to defend and respect each user’s voice," Twitter said. "We try to keep content up wherever and whenever we can, and we will be transparent with users when we can't."

China, notably, blocks Twitter, a situation which Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey described recently as "unfortunate and disappointing." — AFP

source: gmanetwork.com