Today’s news in star-Ticker.
Today’s news in star-Ticker:
12.14 p.m.: Raid against child pornography in the Chemnitz region
In a two-day raid against child pornography, around 60 emergency services searched dozens of objects in Chemnitz, Central Saxony and the Ore Mountains. Numerous laptops, tablets, mobile phones and storage media were secured, as the police and public prosecutor in Chemnitz announced. There were no arrests during the first deployment on October 6 or Wednesday, according to the information. According to the police, the action was directed against 35 suspects aged 16 to 62 years.
12:04 p.m.: At least one dead and seven injured during protests in Beirut
According to medical sources, at least one person was killed and seven others injured during protests in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The state news agency NNA reported one death and six injured. According to an eyewitness, strangers fired shots from a building near the Palace of Justice. At first it was unclear exactly who was responsible. The army declared that it would open fire on any riflemen.
1.43 p.m.: State election control wants to appeal against the Berlin election
The state election management wants to appeal to the Berlin Constitutional Court against the results of the election to the House of Representatives in Berlin on September 26th. In two constituencies there were violations of the electoral law that could have an impact on the distribution of mandates, said state returning officer Petra Michaelis at a meeting of the state electoral committee.
1.36 p.m.: Irregularities in 207 of 2257 Berlin polling stations
In the election for the Berlin House of Representatives on September 26, there were irregularities in 207 of 2,257 polling stations. This was announced by the state returning officer Petra Michaelis at a meeting of the state election committee. “That is a number that must scare us all and must also annoy us,” said Michaelis. On the other hand, she could state that the election in over 2000 polling stations went off without any problems.
After checking all the relevant documents from all Berlin districts, Michaelis presented a list with details of what went wrong. These included delays in sending postal voting documents, incorrect or missing ballot papers, a temporary interruption of the election process in 73 pubs or long queues in front of polling stations. Several hundred polling stations were open longer than usual.
1:28 p.m.: Austria’s ex-Chancellor Kurz takes up a parliamentary mandate
The former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who resigned due to allegations of corruption, has taken up his mandate as a member of the Vienna National Council. He now wants to support the government’s work “as best as possible” from parliament, said shortly before he was sworn in. The chairman of the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), which continues to lead the government, had already been elected parliamentary group chairman at the beginning of the week.
11.13 a.m.: Senior woman beheaded in the south of France
A 77-year-old woman was beheaded in the south of France. Security forces found the corpse of the elderly woman in her apartment in Agde, as the police told the German press agency. Her son had alerted the authorities that he could not reach her despite the usual daily contact.
The officers found battle marks in the apartment in the coastal city. There were no indications of a break-in, it said. The exact circumstances of the act were initially unclear.
10.45 a.m.: Defendant in Celle admits money transfer to jihadist group
The trial against a suspected supporter of the jihadist group Hajat Tahrir al-Scham (HTS) has started before the Higher Regional Court in Celle. The accused admitted the allegations made against him, said a court spokesman. Tassilo M. is said to have sent almost 2200 euros from Delmenhorst to an HTS member in Syria.
The public prosecutor’s office accuses him of supporting a foreign terrorist organization, financing terrorism and offenses under the Foreign Trade Act. M. is said to have sent the money to the now deceased HTS member Marko W. to enable him to procure weapons and military equipment.
9.50 a.m.: Two men arrested after breaking out of psychiatry in Spain
After the outbreaks from a psychiatric clinic in Baden-Württemberg, two of the four fugitive patients were arrested in the Spanish metropolis of Barcelona. The police had previously covered up the 28 and 36-year-old wanted persons and with the help of the targeted search of the State Criminal Police Office of Baden-Württemberg followed and located. The duo drove through several European countries on Wednesday alone on the way to Spain before the authorities went online in the evening, the Heilbronn police said on Thursday.
Also on the run are a 24-year-old who escaped from the facility in Weinsberg three weeks ago with the two men and a fourth inmate who had already been arrested, and a 40-year-old man from the open ward. This has been searched for since last Saturday. According to police investigations, these two cases are not supposed to be related to one another.
9.35 a.m.: Ex-Chancellor Kurz sworn in as a member of parliament in Austria
After his resignation as Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz was sworn in as a member of parliament on Thursday. Despite the corruption investigations against Kurz, the 35-year-old party leader remains in the conservative ÖVP and will in future lead the parliamentary group in the National Council. With the move to parliament, Kurz initially enjoys immunity. However, at the request of the public prosecutor’s office, parliament can decide whether a parliamentarian is extradited to the judiciary. However, Kurz has already announced that he wants to forego immunity.
8.48 a.m.: Latvia’s President tested positive for Corona
Latvian President Egils Levits has tested positive for the corona virus. According to the Presidential Chancellery in Riga, a quick test on Wednesday evening after Levits returned from a working visit to Sweden was positive. A PCR test is now to be carried out, said a spokeswoman for the head of state of the Baltic EU and NATO country. Levits postponed his Thursday meeting with the new Estonian President Alar Karis because of the positive test.
8.23 a.m.: Number of deaths after high-rise fire in Taiwan increases
According to media reports, at least 46 people died on Thursday in a fire in a high-rise building in the southern Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung. The number of victims could rise as many residents were trapped on the upper floors when the building burned. The fire department reported to local reporters at the scene of the fire that 46 dead were found. The salvage work continued. The 13-story residential and commercial building had burned for hours early in the morning until around 150 firefighters were able to bring the fire under control. According to unconfirmed reports, the fire broke out on the first floor of the 40-year-old house, as the CNA news agency reported.
7.58 a.m.: North Koreans in exile are suing rulers Kim Jong Un
A group of North Koreans in exile is taking legal action against the North Korean government in Japan. In a more symbolic step, a court in Tokyo summoned ruler Kim Jong Un on Thursday. The plaintiffs accuse Pyongyang of “state kidnapping” and are demanding compensation. The proceedings concern a government return program in which more than 90,000 people moved from Japan to North Korea between 1959 and 1984. Pyongyang is accused of having lured the mostly ethnic Koreans but also their Japanese spouses with propaganda from “Paradise on Earth” to North Korea.
7.31 a.m.: Tropical storm in the Philippines kills at least 30 people
The number of deaths in the tropical storm “Kompasu” in the Philippines continues to rise: at least 30 people were killed in landslides and flash floods, the national disaster control announced on Thursday. At least 13 others would be missing. The provinces of Ilocos Sur and Benguet on the main island of Luzon were particularly hard hit. Most of the victims were reportedly buried in landslides or drowned.
6.19 a.m.: Japan’s head of government dissolves parliament for new elections
Japan’s new head of government Fumio Kishida has dissolved the lower house of parliament. In doing so, he paved the way for elections on Thursday. The voters of the third largest economy in the world are called to vote on October 31st on the occupation of the powerful lower house. In doing so, they also indirectly elect the country’s next government. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled almost continuously for decades, is campaigning with its new chairman Kishida and its coalition partner Komeito. The fragmented opposition tries to oppose it in as coordinated a manner as possible. However, observers expect the ruling coalition to defend its majority in the chamber.
4.10 a.m.: Last flight of Italy’s traditional airline Alitalia
A chapter in Italian aviation history ends this Thursday: the last flight of the Alitalia airline from Sardinia to Rome is due to fly late in the evening. According to the plan, the machine from Cagliari will be expected at the capital’s airport Rome-Fiumicino at 11.10 p.m., an Alitalia spokesman said when asked. The line goes out of service with the last flight. The new state airline Italia Trasporto Aereo (Ita) will then take off on Friday. It is considered to be Alitalia’s successor, but according to the EU Commission it is not the “economic successor”.
3.30 a.m.: RKI registers 12,382 new corona infections – incidence at 67.0
There is little dynamic in the seven-day incidence in Germany. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week on Thursday morning as 67.0. For comparison: the previous day the value was 65.4, a week ago it was 62.6 (previous month: 81.1). The health authorities in Germany reported 12,382 new corona infections to the RKI within one day. This is evident from the numbers that reflect the status of the RKI dashboard at 04.14 a.m. A week ago, the value was 11,644 infections.
2 a.m.: More than 100 million corona vaccinated people in Brazil
Around ten months after the start of the nationwide vaccination campaign in Brazil, more than 100 million Brazilians have been completely vaccinated against the coronavirus. This corresponds to 62.5 percent of the target group of over 18-year-olds, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health in Brasília on Wednesday (local time). The mark should continue to rise until the end of October, also because the Ministry of Health expects the arrival of more than 51.5 million doses of corona vaccines soon.
1.30 a.m.: Four dead in Israeli air strikes in Syria
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, one soldier and three pro-Iranian fighters were killed in Israeli air strikes in neighboring Syria on Wednesday. As the state news agency Sana reported, citing army circles, positions and a transmitter mast near an airfield near the city of Palmyra in Homs province were shot at.