German police arrest 25 suspects in plot to overthrow state
Police have arrested 25 suspected members or supporters of a "domestic terrorist organization" aiming to topple the German state. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said the network was part of the "Reichsbürger scene."
In a nationwide raid, 25 suspected members and supporters of a terrorist organization were arrested early Wednesday.
Officials said the network, part of a wider right-wing movement, was already well established with a concrete plan to overthrow the German state by force and install a new government.
What we know so far
The raids were announced by Germany's federal prosecution agency and German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann. Buschmann said the investigations were directed against a suspected terrorist network with known ties to the Reichsbürger movement. He said that the raids had taken place on individuals suspected of planning an armed attack on state institutions.
Sister of Iran’s supreme leader condemns protest crackdown
A sister of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has spoken out against his bloody crackdown on nationwide demonstrations, saying her brother’s “despotic caliphate” has brought nothing but suffering, according to a letter published by her exiled son.
The letter came a day after the country’s former president Mohammad Khatami also issued a rare statement to voice support for the protest movement, adding pressure on the regime from powerful political figures.
In her letter, Badri Hosseini Khamenei, who lives in Iran, called on the country’s feared Revolutionary Guards and “mercenaries” to lay down their weapons as soon as possible and “join the people”. She said she would herself join the rallies were it not for her poor health.
Afghan Taliban carry out first public execution since returning to power
An Afghan man convicted of murder was executed in public Wednesday, the Taliban said, the first confirmation of such a sentence since the hardline Islamists returned to power.
Last month Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered judges to fully enforce aspects of Islamic law that include public executions, stonings and floggings, and the amputation of limbs from thieves.
They have carried out several public floggings since then, but Wednesday's execution in Farah — capital of the western province of the same name — is the first the Taliban have acknowledged.
IOC postpones 2030 Winter Games host selection
The International Olympic Committee decided Tuesday to postpone its final selection, scheduled for September-October 2023, of the host city for the 2030 Winter Olympics, citing concerns about the impact of climate change on potential future hosts.
The IOC, during an Executive Board meeting in Lausanne, said three interested parties -- Sapporo, Salt Lake City and Vancouver -- have been notified of the delay. One IOC executive said the final decision should be made no later than 2024.
The Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games outlined a number of proposals and potential challenges, including that "hosts would need to show average minimum temperatures of below zero degrees for snow competition venues at the time of the games over a 10-year period."
China scraps some of its most controversial Covid rules, in significant step toward reopening
China announced sweeping changes to its national pandemic response on Wednesday, the clearest and most significant sign yet that the central government is moving away from its strict zero-Covid approach that prompted protests across the country.
In a statement reported by state broadcaster CCTV, China’s State Council unveiled 10 new guidelines that loosen some restrictions – most notably, allowing home quarantine and largely scrapping the health QR code that has been mandatory for entering most public places.
Local governments had already taken steps this week that indicated a possible change in direction – including some major cities loosening requirements on Covid testing.
Reichsbürger: German 'crackpot' movement turns radical and dangerous
The Reichsbürger were, for years, a source of national derision, dismissed as crackpots.
But they're increasingly a source of concern for the security services who say they're becoming more radical and more dangerous.
Members don't recognise the post-war German state and reject the authority of its government. Despite the name, this is no organised national movement - rather a disparate set of small groups and individuals scattered across the country who are united in that shared belief.
Some print their own currency and identity cards and dream of creating their own autonomous state.
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