Over 300 charges levelled at alleged German Christmas market attacker
Saudi-born psychiatrist Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen, 50, is accused of driving a rented SUV at high speed into the crowded market in the city of Magdeburg.
Mr Abdulmohsen was arrested near the scene shortly after the attack, which left six people dead and hundreds wounded.
According to a statement from prosecutors, Mr Abdulmohsen, who has been living in Germany since 2006, acted alone with the intention of killing "as many people as possible".
He will face six charges of murder and 338 of attempted murder in relation to the alleged attack, which prosecutors allege he carried out because of "unhappiness and frustration" over the outcome of several legal proceedings.
In January, the then interior minister Nancy Faeser said that Mr Abdulmohsen's erratic behaviour had come to the attention of law enforcement on at least 105 occasions before the attack.
She described him as "massively Islamophobic and close to right-wing extremist ideologies" and under the influence of "incoherent conspiracy theories".
The attack in Magdeburg was one of a string of similar incidents in the run-up to February's general election in which the prime suspects were foreign nationals.
The attacks put immigration at the top of the political agenda and helped propel the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to its best-ever result of over 20 per cent.
Conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office in May, has made a tougher immigration policy one of his top priorities.
AFP
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SBS Australia
5 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Key obstacles still leave peace in Ukraine out of reach
The diplomatic process pushing for an end to Europe's bloodiest war since World War Two is picking up steam after talks between United States President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But with key obstacles - including the control of Ukraine's eastern territories and post-war security guarantees - left up in the air, the path towards a peace deal remains unclear. Associate Professor Matthew Sussex, of ANU's Centre for European Studies, says the meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was a marked improvement over their stand-off in the White House back in February. "It was very, very different to what happened when Zelenskyy was effectively ambushed by Trump and by Vance, and told that he wasn't grateful enough and effectively that he was a dictator. This time you had a phalanx of Europe's most powerful leaders ringed around Trump's desk to show that Ukraine this time was bringing friends and has lots of them. Whether or not this amounts to something that advances the peace process is something we're really going to have to wait and see." President Zelenskyy says he was told during the meetings that the United States will be part of a post-war peacekeeping effort to deter further Russian attacks. "We spoke about security guarantees, this is a key topic, as we start to end the war. That is, about what defence has to be there in the end, and we have begun to work on the issue. It is important that the United States make a clear signal, namely that they will be among the countries that will help to coordinate and also will participate in security guarantees for Ukraine. I believe this is a big step forward. I cannot say yet how it will go or disclose all the details, but it is important that there is a political will and there are political decisions." In an effort to sweeten the deal, the Ukrainian leader has offered to commit to purchase almost AU$140 billion in US weapons in exchange for help with deterring further Russian aggression. The Trump administration says the President has directed his national security team to work with European allies on these security guarantees. The President says the US may offer air support but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the US has ruled out sending troops to Ukraine. "The president has definitively stated US boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies. The president understands security guarantees are crucially important to ensure a lasting peace, and he has directed his national security team to coordinate with our friends in Europe and also to continue to cooperate and discuss these matters with Ukraine and Russia as well." This effort forms part of a new so-called 'Coalition of the Willing' which is expected to be a combined peace-keeping force negotiated in an upcoming peace deal. But Dr Sussex says this is likely to be something Russia won't consider during negotiations. "Zelenskyy has said that there are 30 countries participating. Some would provide troops, some would provide materiel assistance, some would provide intelligence sharing. But the bigger question there, of course, is whether Vladimir Putin goes for it, because a very consistent line from the Kremlin has been that there should be absolutely no European forces on the ground in Ukraine. And without that, that reminds us of the very flimsy assurances that were given to Ukraine in 1994 when Ukraine was persuaded to give up its nuclear weapons. And of course, that's something that they regret to this day." The other key issue that remains to be addressed is the possibility of a land swap, or the ceding of Ukraine's eastern regions to Russian control. Ukraine has firmly rejected surrendering any of their territory to Russia and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says they cannot be forced to make such a concession. "The Russian demand that Kyiv should give up the free parts of the Donbas is comparable, to put it in perspective, to a proposal that the US should have to give up Florida. A sovereign state cannot simply make such a decision. This is a decision that Ukraine must make itself during the course of negotiations." Dr Jessica Genauer, a foreign affairs expert at Flinders University, says it is incredibly unlikely that President Putin will budge on handing back territory captured throughout the war. "They've managed to take military control over up to about 20 per cent of Ukrainian land and they've actually passed something into Russian law. The territory that they've captured, and even beyond the territories that have actually been captured by Russia, they've put into Russian law that certain provinces in Ukraine are actually legally now part of Russia. Of course that's not internationally recognised. For President Putin, he's not going to withdraw Russian troops from territory that they've already captured unless it's very small parts and it would only be in exchange for additional territory in, for example, Luhansk and Donetsk." Another major obstacle is Mr Zelenskyy's call for Russia to return tens of thousands of children that have been abducted from Ukraine by Russian forces. "The second point is returning the children. The first lady of the United States, as well as the team of the US, understand that they will participate in such an important, painful, and very complicated task of how to return Ukrainian children. There are different situations, different cases, that's why there are different approaches." Experts at Yale University have estimated as many as 35,000 Ukrainian children may be held in Russia and its occupied territories. Matthew Sussex says Russia is unlikely to return the children as part of a peace deal. "It certainly will be a key demand of Ukraine. I certainly don't think the Russians will go for it. I mean, this is effectively a stolen generation of Ukrainians that have been taken away from their families, away from their parents, and are literally being advertised in magazines for adoption in Russia. It's an absolute humanitarian outrage. But the question unfortunately with these types of things is, well, what ultimately are you going to do about it? How do you force the powers that be to change course? And to be honest, at the moment, I don't really see a solution to it which is just further example of how hideous this war is." While questions remain, US President Trump says he is now working to set up a bi- or trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war as quickly as possible. "I'll set up a meeting with President Putin. And if you'd like, I will go to that meeting. And not that I want to do that, but I will do that because we want to save a lot people from dying. A lot of people are dying and we've got to save them."
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Vienna chosen to host Eurovision 2026
Vienna was chosen on Wednesday to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, the world's biggest live televised music event, Austria's public broadcaster announced, with the final set for May 16. Austria's JJ won this year's competition, held in Basel in Switzerland, with his hit "Wasted Love", which blends techno beats with operatic vocals -- making his home country the 2026 host. Vienna, which previously hosted the glitzy TV extravaganza in 1967 and 2015, edged out its competitor Innsbruck, the capital of western Tyrol province, to stage next year's contest, public broadcaster ORF announced. The final of Eurovision's 70th edition will be held on May 16, 2026 at the Wiener Stadthalle, Austria's largest indoor arena, with semi-finals set for May 12 and 14, Eurovision said. - Israel controversy - Since its launch in 1955, Eurovision has become the ultimate pop platform, catapulting Swedish icons ABBA to worldwide fame, as well as boosting the likes of Celine Dion, Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John. Some 166 million viewers in 37 countries watched this year's contest, with a record 60 percent of viewers aged 15 to 24 tuning in. The competition got even more views on Instagram and TikTok. The show has often drawn controversy, with pro-Palestinian activists staging protests during the extravaganza in Switzerland in May after Eurovision allowed Israel -- who came runner-up -- to participate in the contest despite the devastating Gaza war. Just after his win, JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, in an interview called for Israel to be excluded from next year's competition, sparking a storm of criticism in Austria, a staunch supporter of Israel. JJ, 24, has since sought to defuse the controversy, saying via his record label Warner that he was "sorry if his comments had been misinterpreted". Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), which topped elections for the first time ever last year but failed to form a government, has described Eurovision as a "queer, left-wing, woke spectacle" and criticised Vienna for wanting to stage it despite the high costs. Basel put up nearly $40 million to host the contest. - 'Europe, shall we dance?' - Under the slogan "Europe, shall we dance?", Vienna -- more commonly known for classical music and the baroque splendour of its architecture -- pushed to host the contest, citing its experience with big events. It also touted its "enormous" accommodation capacities, its "excellent" transport links, and its "cosmopolitanism", with two million people living in the Austrian capital. The chosen venue, the Wiener Stadthalle, also hosted Eurovision in 2015, after the previous year's edition was won by bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst. Located in central Vienna, it opened in 1958 and seats 16,000 people in its main hall. When Vienna hosted the Eurovision contest last time, the city installed traffic lights showing same-sex and heterosexual couples instead of a single figure -- which proved so popular that authorities decided to keep them for good. jza/jhb
ABC News
7 hours ago
- ABC News
First ladies have used soft power for years. Melania Trump and Olena Zelenska's peace letters are exactly that
This week, US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and seven other European leaders arrived at the White House to discuss a possible peace deal for Ukraine, following a meeting between Mr Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday. Outside official peace talks, however, the spotlight shifted to the first ladies of the United States and Ukraine, with each penning a letter pleading for empathy and an end to the conflict. Here's what we know about the letters and how first ladies in the past have used soft power to speak out. While meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Donald Trump handed him a letter from the first lady. Melania Trump's "peace letter" highlighted the impact of war on children. The letter did not specifically name Ukraine, which Putin's forces invaded in 2022. But it did implore him to think of children and "an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology". The gesture apparently inspired Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, to do something similar. In the Oval Office, Zelenskyy delivered a letter written from his wife to Mr Trump. "It's not to you, it's to your wife," Mr Zelenskyy told the US president. We don't know word for word what Ms Zelenska's letter said as it wasn't made public. However, we do know that it expressed gratitude to Melania for her own letter to Mr Putin calling for the protection of children. Jessica Genauer, a senior lecturer in international relations at Flinders University, says Ms Zelenska's objective was most likely to keep Ukraine in the focus and to create a connection with the US first lady. "Ukraine understands that developing god-friendly relations with President Trump will be critical to ensuring an outcome in the war with Russia that meets some of Ukraine's interests," Dr Genauer told ABC News. "Trump has mentioned in the past that Melania has influenced his perspective on the war in Ukraine." Mr Zelenskyy praised Melania "for her attention to one of the most painful and difficult issues of this war", adding "we deeply appreciate her compassion". He continued: "Her voice matters, and her care gives strength to this cause". The Ukrainian government says around 19,500 children have been deported and/or forcibly removed from their homes to Russia or Russia-occupied territories. Off the back of Melania's letter, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer both raised the issue of stolen children during the summit. "As a mother and grandmother, every single child has to go back to their family," Ms von der Leyen said. "This should be one of our main priorities also in this negotiation, to make sure the children come back to Ukraine, to their families." Throughout history, first ladies have been designated with traditional female roles, from planning the menu at state dinners to discussing family-friendly issues like literacy. But they also have a long tradition of speaking out on humanitarian and political issues, Dr Genauer said. "A first lady taking a role in humanitarian issues is not unprecedented," she said. During her first year in the White House in 1989, Barbara Bush visited babies with AIDS. In 2018, former first lady Laura Bush wrote an opinion piece in The Washington Post that expressed her sadness and disappointment that children were being separated from their parents at the Mexican border. The next day, Michelle Obama backed her up on Twitter. Rosalynn Carter also chimed in, releasing a statement against the "practice and policy" of "removing children from their parents' care". During the Russia-Ukraine war, Ms Zelenska used her new-found platform as first lady to drum up support for Ukrainians fleeing the war. "Most Ukrainians saw Olena Zelenska just as the wife of the comedian who was their president. But now they are comparing her with (former US first lady) Michelle Obama," close friend Ievgen Klopotenko told The Telegraph in 2022. She shared almost daily posts with her 2.7 million Instagram followers, detailing the realities of war and calling for help on the humanitarian front from diplomats and world leaders. France's first lady Brigitte Macron was among the first to respond, helping to secure the safe passage of 20 children out of Ukraine to France in order to safely continue their cancer treatment. However, Dr Genauer says a first lady sending a letter to a president of another country currently at war is unusual. While she believes Melania's objective was to influence Mr Putin to return Ukrainian children or agree to a ceasefire, it's unlikely the letter will have a "significant impact on Putin and his approach to the war in Ukraine". Here's the definition of soft power, according to an Australian Government foreign policy white paper: The ability to influence the behaviour or thinking of others through the power of attraction and ideas rather than coerce. Dr Genauer says Ms Zelenska's letter to Melania represents an attempt to draw on the levers of soft power to increase the chance that the current US administration will support Ukraine in any future peace deal with Russia. "Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy has also focused on consolidating Ukraine's soft power by strengthening his countries relationships and shared values with partners around the world. "However, it remains to be seen whether Melania Trump will respond to Olena Zelenska's letter with one of her own." Without ever running for office, first ladies wield a soft power that can make them even more popular than their husbands. In August 1979, Rosalynn Carter's approval rating stood at 59 per cent compared to her husband's 32 per cent rating. A CNN poll taken in May 2018, during Donald Trump's first term as president, found 57 per cent of Americans approved of Melania, compared to her husband's 43 per cent.
