Today’s news in star-Ticker.
Today’s news in star-Ticker:
7.46 a.m.: Father and son accused of arson after forest fire in the USA
Authorities arrested a father and son after a devastating forest fire in Northern California last summer. According to the El Dorado District Prosecutor’s Office, the two men were charged with negligent arson. The 66-year-old and his 32-year-old son are alleged to have started a fire near tourist-popular Lake Tahoe in August, which escalated into the forest fire known as the “Caldor Fire”. The “Caldor Fire” destroyed around 200,000 hectares of forest. The emergency services only managed to get the fire under control after 67 days. According to the California fire department, five people were injured and around 1,000 houses were destroyed in the fire.
7.10 a.m.: Police action against drug gangs in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Luxembourg
With the search of numerous buildings, the police in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Luxembourg are taking action against a suspected gang that is supposed to operate a nationwide marijuana trade. The Oberhausen criminal police reported searches and arrests in Oberhausen, Medebach, Heinsberg, Lüdenscheid, Bottrop, Gelsenkirchen, Essen (all North Rhine-Westphalia), Korbach (Hesse) and Strassen (Luxembourg). In the objects, the investigators looked for evidence that should further corroborate the urgent suspicion against members of a gang that the Duisburg public prosecutor accuses of extensive nationwide marijuana trade. The Oberhausen criminal police are reportedly supported by forces from neighboring police authorities and operational units of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse.
6.11 a.m.: Another global record for journalists in custody
According to the journalists’ organization CPJ, the number of reporters in custody around the world has reached a new record. A total of 293 journalists were arrested for their work this year, said the Committee for the Protection of Journalists in New York. “This is the sixth year in a row that the CPJ has documented a record number of jailed journalists around the world,” it said. Many governments are determined to control information and are doing so with increasing audacity. China is still at the forefront with 50 journalists behind bars documented by the CPJ. Behind them comes Myanmar, where a hostile mood against reporters had established itself after the military coup at the beginning of the year. 25 were imprisoned in authoritarian Egypt, 23 in Vietnam and 19 in Belarus. They were followed by Turkey, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran.
5.34 a.m.: England tightened corona measures
The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a further tightening of the corona measures for England due to the sharp increase in the number of infections. Johnson announced access restrictions for major events. Citizens now have to show proof of the corona vaccination or a negative test before they are allowed to enter football stadiums or night clubs. In addition, the mask requirement was extended to “most public buildings”. The measures apply from next week. Until now, masks were only required by law in England on public transport and in shops. Johnson also called on the population to work from home if possible and to take advantage of the booster vaccinations.
4.50 a.m.: Federal Court of Justice is negotiating the clear name requirement on Facebook
Can Facebook require all users to use their real names for their profiles? This question will reach the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) on Thursday (9.00 a.m.). The highest civil judge in Karlsruhe negotiates the cases of two users who want to manage their account under a pseudonym. The verdict can be pronounced on the same day or later. The two plaintiffs, a man and a woman, had used fictional names. Facebook initially unsuccessfully asked her to change her name and eventually blocked her accounts in 2018.
4.31 a.m.: New Zealand wants to ban the sale of cigarettes to future generations
New Zealand wants to become a smoke-free country and ban the sale of cigarettes to future generations. Deputy Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall said that young people under the age of 14 when a law called the “Smokefree 2025 Action Plan” came into force could never legally buy tobacco products in the Pacific state. The new rules are expected to apply from the end of next year, reported the New Zealand Herald newspaper.
3.38 a.m.: New mass grave with victims of the Srebrenica massacre discovered
More victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre were found in a newly discovered mass grave in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), the grave was found near the town of Kalinovik, 200 kilometers from Sebrenica. Thus the grave is so far the most distant mass grave discovered “by far” from Srebrenica. DNA samples from the site were compared with genetic samples provided by relatives of the victims. The researchers found matches in a total of ten cases. The samples were forwarded to a specialized agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina for official identification.
3.10 a.m.: USA allows drugs with artificial corona antibodies
U.S. health officials have approved the use of a drug containing synthetic antibodies designed to protect people against corona infection. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency approval for the drug Evusheld developed by Astrazeneca. The agency warned, however, that the drug was “no substitute” for people for whom vaccination is recommended. The drug should only be used in people with a weakened immune system or those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons such as a strong allergic reaction to vaccines. In these limited cases, the drug can be given to those 12 years and older.
2.44 a.m.: Gold nuggets auctioned at high prices in the USA – largest find in Alaska
A gold nugget weighing almost ten kilograms was auctioned at high prices in the USA. The so-called “Alaska Centennial Gold Nugget” brought in 750,000 dollars (around 661,000 euros) at an auction, as the auction house Heritage Auctions in Dallas announced on Twitter. According to them, the child’s head-sized piece is the largest nugget of gold found in Alaska to date. Initially, nothing was known about the buyer. The gold nugget was discovered in 1998 in a stream near the town of Ruby by the miner Barry Clay. A hundred years earlier, the gold rush had begun in the Klondike region. A private collector bought the find from Clay at the time, and his heirs have now put the gold nuggets up for auction, as Heritage announced in advance.
2.05 a.m.: Trump’s ex-chief of staff defends himself legally against a congress subpoena
The former chief of staff of ex-US President Donald Trump, Mark Meadows, is taking legal action against the summons to the Congressional Committee of Inquiry into the attack on the Capitol in January. Meadows filed a lawsuit against the committee members and against the Chairwoman of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, in federal court in Washington. In it, Meadows described the panel’s demands for information and documents as too extensive and called on the court to override them. Meadows invoked, among other things, the prerogative of US presidents to withhold certain information from Congress or the courts – the so-called executive privilege. Several former employees of Trump claim this to refuse to provide information about his tenure. Meadows argued that the committee’s requirements put him in an “untenable position” of having to choose between the ex-president’s executive privilege and the body’s powers. The court should clarify the legal situation.
1.33 a.m.: Environmental activist Neubauer – “Every fossil machine has to be the last”
The environmental activist Luisa Neubauer has asked the new federal government to speed up climate protection. “In the next few years emissions in Germany will have to drop drastically,” said Neubauer to the newspapers of the editorial network Germany (RND). Every measure must be checked to see whether it contributes to it. “In concrete terms, that means: every fossil machine and every fossil infrastructure that is in use today must be the last one.” New natural gas pipelines and new highways should no longer exist, said Neubauer to the RND. “We now need a new policy that tackles the climate crisis with new speed and new consistency. The pressure is enormous.” The activist took particular responsibility for the new climate and economics minister Robert Habeck (Greens): “Mr. Habeck will have to deliver”. With reference to the environmental protests of the Fridays for Future movement, she added: “The movement and the people will demand it.”
1.15 a.m.: Bahn increases train offer around Christmas
In view of the corona pandemic, Deutsche Bahn is increasing its range of trains at Christmas time. “Around Christmas, from December 22nd to January 2nd, we are also running around 100 special trains, especially on the connections that are in high demand,” said DB Fernverkehr CEO Michael Peterson to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “This means that by the end of this year we will have more long-distance trains on the rails than ever before.” The special trains would be used on busy routes such as Berlin-Stuttgart, Berlin-Munich, from NRW to Berlin or Hamburg-Karlsruhe or Essen-Berlin. “If you have to travel on the days, you should be able to do it safely and with a good feeling,” said Peterson. In addition, other measures such as the mask and 3G obligation, increased cleaning on the trains, but also random checks of the 3G obligation apply.
0.09 a.m.: Biden wants to discuss Putin talks with Eastern European NATO partners
US President Joe Biden wants to discuss his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Ukraine conflict with Eastern European NATO partners. The White House said Biden wanted to hear the nine countries ‘views on the conflict in their neighborhood and “underscore the United States’ commitment to transatlantic security.” NATO is concerned about the increase in Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. The heads of state and government of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia are expected to take part in the call. Biden had previously spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj about his virtual summit with Putin.