Latest news with #WestGerman
DW
4 days ago
- Politics
- DW
US-German relations – DW – 06/06/2025
Donald Trump's presidency is testing the bond between Germany and the US, which have been close allies for decades. After the end of World War II, the West German government aligned itself with the United States during the Cold War, joining NATO in 1955. Since then, Germany has been among Washington's closest diplomatic allies. Donald Trump's first term as president led to then-Chancellor Angela Merkel expressing doubts about the future of this transatlantic relationship. Trump's election to a second term has driven even more of a wedge between the two countries, and current Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that he wishes to make Germany 'independent' from the US.
UPI
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
On This Day, May 28: Rebels storm palace ending Ethiopian civil war
1 of 8 | A local resident walks past a battle tank stranded outside the Ethiopian Presidential Palace in Addis Ababa on June 9, 1991, following a battle between rebel forces and the government. On May 28, 1991, Ethiopian rebels seized the presidential palace and tightened their control of the capital of Addis Ababa, effectively ending a 16-year civil war. File Photo by Master Sgt. Ed Boyce/U.S. Department of Defense On this date in history: In 1892, the Sierra Club was founded by naturalist John Muir. In 1934, the Dionne sisters, Emilie, Yvonne, Cecile, Marie and Annette, first documented set of quintuplets to survive, were born near Callander, Ontario, and soon became world-famous. Emilie died in 1954, Marie in 1970 and Yvonne in 2001. File Photo courtesy of Library and Archives Canada In 1961, lawyer Peter Berenson published an article in The Observer about political and religious prisoners, forming the basis for what would become Amnesty International two months later in London. The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize for its work supporting people imprisoned because of their race, religion or political views. In 1977, a flash fire swept through a nightclub in Southgate, Ky., -- called the Beverly Hills Supper Club -- killing 162 people and injuring 30. In 1987, West German Mathias Rust, 19, flew a single-engine plane from Finland through Soviet radar and landed beside the Kremlin in Moscow. Three days later, the Soviet defense minister and his deputy were fired. In 1991, Ethiopian rebels seized the presidential palace and tightened their control of the capital of Addis Ababa, effectively ending a 16-year civil war and wresting power from a crumbling Marxist government that ruled the country with an iron hand for 17 years. In 1998, actor and comedian Phil Hartman, known for his roles on Saturday Night Live and News Radio, was killed by his wife, Brynn Hartman. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office determined Brynn Hartman had cocaine, alcohol and an anti-depressant drug in her system at the time of the murder-suicide. In 1998, Pakistan conducted an underground nuclear test despite condemnation from many countries and the imposition of U.S. economic sanctions. In 2000, Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori easily won a runoff election but nationwide demonstrations against him continued. He resigned in September. File Photo by Ricardo Watson/UPI In 2002, NASA said the Mars Odyssey found evidence of ice on Mars. "We were hopeful that we could find evidence of ice, but what we have found is much more ice than we ever expected," a scientist said. In 2008, Nepal's newly elected Constituent Assembly voted to dissolve the 239-year-old monarchy and form a republic, officially ending the reign of King Gyanendra. In 2014, author-poet-activist Maya Angelou (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings) died in Winston-Salem, N.C. U.S. President Barack Obama called Angelou, who was 86, "one of the brightest lights of our time." In 2023, doctors at NYU Langone Health completed the first whole eyeball transplant in a man who sustained devastating injuries to his face in an electrical shock. The lineman, Aaron James, also received a partial face transplant. In 2024, the Vatican issued an apology on behalf of Pope Francis after he used a homophobic slur during a meeting with the Italian Bishops Conference about admitting gay men into the seminary. File Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI
NDTV
22-05-2025
- NDTV
Sleeping With The Enemy: East German Honeypot Network That Seduced The West
New Delhi: Not all secrets were heard on wiretaps or caught on hidden cameras during the Cold War. Some were whispered in bedrooms, between lovers who didn't know they were pawns in a much bigger game. Markus Wolf, East Germany's elusive spymaster, built an army of heartbreakers, and some women willingly crossed the line for love. Markus Wolf: The Spymaster Markus Wolf wasn't your typical spy chief. He was known as the "man without a face" because Western intelligence couldn't get a photo of him for decades. At 30, he was heading the foreign intelligence division of the Stasi - East Germany's feared state security service. While most people associate espionage with gadgets and car chases, the Stasi realised something else could be just as effective. Love. Or at least, the illusion of it. The Romeo Spies So Wolf created a unit of attractive, charming, and emotionally intelligent men. Each "Romeo" had a target, a "Juliet", usually a woman working as secretaries, assistants, or clerks in West German ministries, NATO offices, and other high-value organisations. The Romeos were trained in psychology, romance, and even literature to better connect with their targets. Their mission was to seduce, earn trust, and steal secrets. Romeos studied their targets thoroughly before staging "accidental" meetings. Once they built trust and emotional intimacy, they asked their Juliets to pass on confidential information. Many of these women were single, often older, and working in male-dominated spaces that left them isolated. When a charming man appeared, seemingly by chance, with flowers and genuine interest, defences dropped. There was only one rule: no marriage. Even if genuine feelings developed, Romeos were warned not to propose. Marriage required background checks, which risked exposing the operation. Love, Lies, Files Once a Romeo gained their target's trust, sometimes over months or even years, they began to request favours. He might propose marriage or invent an emergency that required help, say, accessing classified documents. Some knowingly crossed the line for love. Others didn't even realise they were leaking state secrets to the Stasi. One of the most famous cases was that of Gabriele Gast, a West German analyst who fell for a Romeo named "Karl-Heinz." After years of a secret affair and staged love letters, she eventually began passing documents to East Germany, believing it was for their future together. She would later say in interviews that she felt used and manipulated, but at the time, she believed it was love. Some Broken Hearts By the 1980s, Western counterintelligence began piecing things together. Multiple arrests followed. Many of the women were shocked to discover their lovers were trained spies. Their relationships had been nothing but carefully scripted operations. Some lives were destroyed. Others rebuilt. As for Markus Wolf, he eventually defected to Austria and later returned to reunified Germany, where he faced trial but avoided jail time. In interviews, he remained unapologetic, insisting that what mattered were results, and his Romeos had delivered. "As long as there is espionage, there will be Romeos seducing unsuspecting Juliets with access to secrets," he wrote in his autobiography. "After all, I was running an intelligence service, not a lonely-hearts club." The Romeo spy programme remains one of the most audacious and controversial intelligence tactics of the 20th century.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Odds are 2-1 Rory McIlroy will want Irish stew on his Masters champions dinner menu in 2026
Odds are 2-1 Rory McIlroy will want Irish stew on his Masters champions dinner menu in 2026 Rory McIlroy puts on the green jacket after winning the Masters on Sunday in Augusta, Ga. (David J. Phillip / Associated Press) Winning the Masters means choosing the menu for the champions dinner the following year. Ben Hogan came up with the idea in 1952, but not until 1986 did champions begin honoring their heritage by choosing traditional dishes from their home countries or regions. Advertisement Bernhard Langer, a West German in a green jacket, thought hard and chose ... wiener schnitzel! (the breaded and fried veal cutlet, not the fast food hot dog). Rory McIlroy is the first player from Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland to win the Masters, having edged Justin Rose in a playoff Sunday to become the sixth player to complete the Grand Slam by winning all four major PGA tournaments. Could the traditional green jacket look better on anyone not from the Emerald Isle? Now McIlroy must conjure the cuisine — rest assured it won't be the Original Grand Slam off the Denny's menu — that will reflect his Northern Ireland coastal hometown of Holywood, near Belfast. Many residents of Northern Ireland identify as British, but McIlroy has represented Ireland in the Olympics and other international tournaments. The cuisine all over Ireland is similar. Would he dare go as authentic as Sandy Lyle, the son of a Scottish club pro who in 1989 requested haggis, a traditional Scottish dish that combines sheep's heart, lungs and liver with oatmeal, onions and gobs of black pepper and is simmered for hours in a string-bound sheep's stomach? Advertisement Read more: 'It feels incredible.' Rory McIlroy survives a playoff to win elusive first Masters Yes, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer tucked in a bib and tucked into the haggis, accompanied by neeps and tatties, cute Scottish names for turnips and potatoes, mashed and buttered. Lyle enjoyed the proceedings while wearing a kilt. 'That seemed to make quite a statement,' Lyle told the Augusta Chronicle. 'The older guys like Nicklaus had been to Scotland and knew what haggis was. But the newer ones ... they weren't too sure about it.' Northern Ireland isn't known for haute cuisine, or even for soulful peasant dishes like haggis. It's known for soda bread. And a potato mashup called champ. And, of course, a properly poured Guinness stout. Advertisement That leaves a lot of leeway for a menu, the ability — as Masters winners from Scottie Scheffler to Tiger Woods did — to default to bone-in ribeye or porterhouse steaks. Yet the British-based betting outfit William Hill already has published odds on what McIlroy will choose. The favorite at 2-1 is Irish stew, that hearty concoction of lamb, potatoes and vegetable. Checking in at 3-1 are soda bread, fish and chips, and Bushmills whiskey. Read more: Amid buzzing drones and the rise of AI, Masters tries to balance tradition and tech Champ, Irish-style chicken curry, and a dessert confection called Yellowman are listed at 5-1. Ardglass potted herring and a dessert called Fifteens are longer shots at 8-1. Advertisement This year's menu was created by last year's winner Scheffler, a Texan since age 6, and included meaty chili with jalapenos and a wood-fired cowboy ribeye. All but three of the 35 living Masters winners attended. More exotic are the menus from international golfers. Spaniard Jon Rahm in 2024 started with a half a dozen tapas, including one from his grandmother's recipes. Hideki Matsuyama, the first champion from Japan, in 2022 splurged with sashimi, nigiri sushi and Wagyu beef. Angel Cabrera in 2010 introduced an Argentine asado, well-salted cuts of meat including short ribs, blood sausage and sweetbreads cooked over an open flame. South Africans Trevor Immelman in 2009 and Charl Schwartzel in 2012 went with a spiced minced meat pie topped with an egg custard called a bobotie, a chilled seafood bar and a lamb-centric barbecue called a braai. Canadian Mike Weir in 2004 featured elk, wild boar and Arctic char. And Vijay Singh in 2001 went with a Thai menu that included tom kha gai soup, chicken panang curry, garlic sea scallops and Chilean sea bass with a three-flavor chili sauce. Advertisement Read more: 'The Golf 100' isn't so much a pecking order of greatest players. It's an index of lively profiles The least inventive? Perhaps Bubba Watson, whose menu 2013 was panned by fellow champions. "What was the worst one? Oh, it was Bubba, wasn't it?," Nick Faldo said. "When we had Chuck E. Cheese. When we had a little hamburger and a little corn and a little ice cream. I think we had a milkshake as well.' Irish stew isn't offered at Chuck E. Cheese. McIlroy can piece together an authentic and satisfying menu by mixing traditional dishes with a couple widely enjoyed standards. Watson, of all champions, can't wait. Advertisement 'Congratulations @RoryMcIlroy on a hard fought win to earn the green jacket — well deserved,' Watson wrote on X. 'Masters champion and career grand slam… not sure it gets any better!! Is it too early to ask what's on the menu for the next champions dinner?' By the time McIlroy is the featured guest a year from now, he might be holding his head even high has made McIlroy the clear favorite at 8-13 to win the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, known as SPOTY, easily overtaking early pacesetter Luke Littler, an 18-year-old English darts champion. Read more: Twenty years ago, Tiger Woods' chip shot hung in the balance, and a Masters moment was created And look who is handicapped at 3-1 to receive a knighthood before the 2026 Masters: McIlroy. Coupled with his record $4.2-million purse Sunday, such a title certainly would make other Masters champions sit up straight at dinner. Advertisement 'He might not need to win anything else to land the SPOTY award," William Hill executive Lee Phelps said. "Come next year's Masters, we make it 3-1 that he heads to Augusta as Sir Rory McIlroy.' Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Odds are 2-1 Rory McIlroy will want Irish stew on his Masters champions dinner menu in 2026
Winning the Masters means choosing the menu for the champions dinner the following year. Ben Hogan came up with the idea in 1952, but not until 1986 did champions begin honoring their heritage by choosing traditional dishes from their home countries or regions. Bernhard Langer, a West German in a green jacket, thought hard and chose ... wiener schnitzel! (the breaded and fried veal cutlet, not the fast food hot dog). Rory McIlroy is the first player from Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland to win the Masters, having edged Justin Rose in a playoff Sunday to become the sixth player to complete the Grand Slam by winning all four major PGA tournaments. Could the traditional green jacket look better on anyone not from the Emerald Isle? Now McIlroy must conjure the cuisine — rest assured it won't be the Original Grand Slam off the Denny's menu — that will reflect his Northern Ireland coastal hometown of Holywood, near Belfast. Many residents of Northern Ireland identify as British, but McIlroy has represented Ireland in the Olympics and other international tournaments. The cuisine all over Ireland is similar. Would he dare go as authentic as Sandy Lyle, the son of a Scottish club pro who in 1989 requested haggis, a traditional Scottish dish that combines sheep's heart, lungs and liver with oatmeal, onions and gobs of black pepper and is simmered for hours in a string-bound sheep's stomach? Yes, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer tucked in a bib and tucked into the haggis, accompanied by neeps and tatties, cute Scottish names for turnips and potatoes, mashed and buttered. Lyle enjoyed the proceedings while wearing a kilt. 'That seemed to make quite a statement,' Lyle told the Augusta Chronicle. 'The older guys like Nicklaus had been to Scotland and knew what haggis was. But the newer ones ... they weren't too sure about it.' Northern Ireland isn't known for haute cuisine, or even for soulful peasant dishes like haggis. It's known for soda bread. And a potato mashup called champ. And, of course, a properly poured Guinness stout. That leaves a lot of leeway for a menu, the ability — as Masters winners from Scottie Scheffler to Tiger Woods did — to default to bone-in ribeye or porterhouse steaks. Yet the British-based betting outfit William Hill already has published odds on what McIlroy will choose. The favorite at 2-1 is Irish stew, that hearty concoction of lamb, potatoes and vegetable. Checking in at 3-1 are soda bread, fish and chips, and Bushmills whiskey. Champ, Irish-style chicken curry, and a dessert confection called Yellowman are listed at 5-1. Ardglass potted herring and a dessert called Fifteens are longer shots at 8-1. This year's menu was created by last year's winner Scheffler, a Texan since age 6, and included meaty chili with jalapenos and a wood-fired cowboy ribeye. All but three of the 35 living Masters winners attended. More exotic are the menus from international golfers. Spaniard Jon Rahm in 2024 started with a half a dozen tapas, including one from his grandmother's recipes. Hideki Matsuyama, the first champion from Japan, in 2022 splurged with sashimi, nigiri sushi and Wagyu beef. Angel Cabrera in 2010 introduced an Argentine asado, well-salted cuts of meat including short ribs, blood sausage and sweetbreads cooked over an open flame. South Africans Trevor Immelman in 2009 and Charl Schwartzel in 2012 went with a spiced minced meat pie topped with an egg custard called a bobotie, a chilled seafood bar and a lamb-centric barbecue called a braai. Canadian Mike Weir in 2004 featured elk, wild boar and Arctic char. And Vijay Singh in 2001 went with a Thai menu that included tom kha gai soup, chicken panang curry, garlic sea scallops and Chilean sea bass with a three-flavor chili sauce. The least inventive? Perhaps Bubba Watson, whose menu 2013 was panned by fellow champions. 'What was the worst one? Oh, it was Bubba, wasn't it?,' Nick Faldo said. 'When we had Chuck E. Cheese. When we had a little hamburger and a little corn and a little ice cream. I think we had a milkshake as well.' Irish stew isn't offered at Chuck E. Cheese. McIlroy can piece together an authentic and satisfying menu by mixing traditional dishes with a couple widely enjoyed standards. Watson, of all champions, can't wait. 'Congratulations @RoryMcIlroy on a hard fought win to earn the green jacket — well deserved,' Watson wrote on X. 'Masters champion and career grand slam… not sure it gets any better!! Is it too early to ask what's on the menu for the next champions dinner?' By the time McIlroy is the featured guest a year from now, he might be holding his head even high has made McIlroy the clear favorite at 8-13 to win the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, known as SPOTY, easily overtaking early pacesetter Luke Littler, an 18-year-old English darts champion. And look who is handicapped at 3-1 to receive a knighthood before the 2026 Masters: McIlroy. Coupled with his record $4.2-million purse Sunday, such a title certainly would make other Masters champions sit up straight at dinner. 'He might not need to win anything else to land the SPOTY award,' William Hill executive Lee Phelps said. 'Come next year's Masters, we make it 3-1 that he heads to Augusta as Sir Rory McIlroy.'
