Russia's VE Day claims ring more hollow than ever
Five days after the historic link-up between American and Soviet forces in east Germany, Hitler shot himself in the bunker of the Reich Chancellery. The war in Europe ended on May 8, 1945. Scenes of jubilation erupted across the globe. The struggle to defeat Nazi Germany had taken five years, eight months and eight days.
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BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance to undergo an inspection in Germany
An air ambulance that covers the East Midlands is to be sent to Germany for a major service, the charity that operates it has said. Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance said a black AW109 Grand New helicopter would provide cover for the iconic yellow AW169 aircraft as it undergoes work in pilot Llewis Ingamells said: "The service includes a complete strip-down of the aircraft to ensure every component is thoroughly inspected, operational and safe."The charity said the relief helicopter, though slightly smaller than the AW169, was considered a "capable and reliable" aircraft. Mr Ingamells said: "This work ensures that the aircraft continues to meet the highest standards of safety and performance."The yellow aircraft will return to the skies "in the coming months", the charity said. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Germany's Merz slips behind far right in poll after angering friends and foes
BERLIN, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives slipped into second place behind Germany's far right in a poll marking his hundredth day in office after a tough summer in which a botched judicial appointment and a reversal on supplying Israel with arms alienated foes and allies alike. The Forsa poll, which put the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on 26%, two points higher than the conservatives, comes ahead of a political season that will be dominated by tough decisions on revitalising a flagging economy and allocating painful spending cuts. Merz's decision last week to suspend arms shipments to Israel after it announced plans to fully occupy Gaza was popular among voters but angered conservative allies who saw it as a betrayal of Germany's historical obligations. Merz's two-way coalition with the Social Democrats has scored some big wins: Even before taking office it managed to break with a long tradition of fiscal tight-fistedness by passing an almost trillion-euro debt package to boost the economy and finance support for Ukraine. The chancellor has cut a more assured figure on the international stage than his Social Democrat predecessor Olaf Scholz, playing a central role in efforts to rally European countries to form a united front in defence of Ukraine as U.S. President Donald Trump wavers in his support. In domestic policy, Merz's government has been vocal about its desire to reduce immigration, planning cuts to benefits available to Ukrainian war refugees, for example. "The far right is now ahead of the conservatives thanks to their migration and economic policies," left-wing activist Christoph Bautz wrote on social media. "Now would be a good time for the government to drop their course of culture war and conceding ground to the far right." It is not the first time the AfD have been ahead of the conservatives in the polls, having also come out top in Forsa's poll in April. Germany's next big electoral test is a regional vote in the south-western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg in March 2026, the first of five of Germany's 16 states to go to the polls next year. Even though Merz took office promising to hew closer to doctrinaire conservative instincts than Angela Merkel, Germany's last centre-right chancellor, the debt move was the first of many to sow doubts in the minds of right-wing backers. Just 29% of respondents to a weekend DeutschlandTrend poll for ARD television thought him a good crisis manager. His personal popularity was measured at 32%, well behind Scholz or Merkel on their 100th day, when they scored 56% and 74% respectively. While Merz's moves on debt and arming Israel were a bitter pill for many conservative allies, his ideological opponents were angered when he failed to deliver the votes to appoint the Social Democrats' candidate for a constitutional court judgeship. Law professor Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, who last week withdrew her name from consideration after a lengthy campaign in right-wing news websites had portrayed her as dangerously radical in her support for abortion rights. Merz faced criticism for first agreeing to back her candidacy and then changing his mind when it turned out he was unable to persuade enough of his own legislators to back her. The Social Democrats were on 13% in the latest Forsa poll, down three points from their score in February's election, while the number of undecideds was at a seven-month high. Another poll by Insa for Bild still had the conservatives in the lead.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Mould, vermin and ceiling leaks: German police say they work in ‘embarrassing' conditions
Germany's biggest police union has complained about the dilapidated state of hundreds of police stations across the country and a fleet of aged vehicles, saying conditions are a threat to officers' health and an insult to their dignity. 'Decades-old toilet bowls, mould in the offices, vermin, broken heating units and holes in the ceiling that let the rain in,' said Hagen Husgen of the GdP union, citing just a few of the complaints his organisation had received from members. 'Some of the conditions our people have to endure there are hazardous to their health,' he told the regional daily Münchner Merkur. Husgen said police cruisers in Europe's top economy, which prides itself on its automotive prowess, were often so old and beat-up that they were 'shameful' and 'embarrassing' to officers on their patrols. 'Vehicles with torn seats and half a million kilometres [on the odometer], broken gear sticks. When citizens see this, it does not reflect well on the police,' he said, blaming the problem in part on privatisation of police car maintenance. 'It's a job that's fun when the conditions are right. But when you take a closer look at the circumstances, sometimes I just want to throw my hands up in despair.' Husgen said the dismal conditions in many police stations were compounding 'big problems' recruiting young officers. The trade union supplied Merkur with a series of photos showing what it said were ramshackle police buildings with gaping holes in the ceiling and a mouse under a desk as well as cars with foam spilling out of the seats. The GdP said Germany's 16 federal states needed more support from Berlin to improve conditions for police officers and enable them to carry out their duties. The German parliament in March approved plans spearheaded by the then chancellor elect, Friedrich Merz, to relax the country's strict debt brake, allowing an increase in defence spending and creating a €500bn 'special fund' or Sondervermögen for the next decade dedicated to infrastructure overhauls, including increased financing for the federal police. The GdP has said this spending will be 'far from sufficient' to address the dramatic shortfalls at the state level and indicated a separate Sondervermögen would be required for domestic security. 'In Germany, we in the police forces have an investment backlog in the double-digit billion (euro) range for our property alone,' Husgen said. Asked about the GdP's complaints, a spokesperson for the federal interior ministry said police matters including police stations and the vehicle fleet 'are constitutionally within the jurisdiction of the regional states'. The ministry said the federal government assisted regional police forces in a range of areas including through special programmes for equipment, digital communications and IT infrastructure. The federal government, whose term is due to run until 2029, has also promised to increase financing for special police forces as part of plans to strengthen the domestic security authorities, the spokesperson added. The GdP, founded in 1950, calls itself the 'world's largest police trade union', with more than 200,000 members across Germany.
