Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Strikes cause cancellations at airports around Germany, ex-Stasi tried for murder at Berlin Wall crossing 50 years later, and more news from around the country on Thursday.
Flight cancellations at five airports due to strikes
The wave of strikes at German airports shows no signs of abating. According to industry estimates, tens of thousands of passengers will once again be unable to travel as planned on Thursday due to warning strikes by aviation security staff at five airports.
The warning strikes early in the morning at Berlin airport, as confirmed by a Verdi spokesperson, and followed at Hamburg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Cologne airports. The Verdi union has called further warning strikes by aviation security staff for this Friday March 15th.
Due to the all-day strike by aviation security staff on Thursday, passengers will no longer be able to enter the security area. According to estimates by the airport association ADV, more than 580 flights are likely to be cancelled - including all flights at Berlin's BER - and 90,000 travellers will have to reschedule.
READ ALSO: Plane travellers around Germany face cancellations amid new strike Thursday
On Friday, aviation security staff will then strike in Hanover, Dortmund, Weeze, Dresden and Leipzig and again in Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden.
At Munich Airport, Verdi has also called on employees in personnel and goods control and cargo control to strike from 4 am on Thursday until 6 am on Friday. This mainly affects the cargo area.
Meanwhile, a three-day strike is taking place on local public transport in Frankfurt and Hesse. It started on Wednesday and is set to run through the end of the night shift on Saturday morning.
READ ALSO: Frankfurt and Hesse to be hit by three-day local transport strike
50 years on, Germany to try ex-Stasi officer for murder of Pole
A former Stasi officer will go on trial in Germany on Thursday for shooting a Polish man attempting to flee to West Berlin almost 50 years ago, a case that could impact how killings committed in the communist era are dealt with.
The 80-year-old defendant, an ex-member of the East German secret police identified by the court as Martin N., is accused of murdering Czeslaw Kukuczka at a border crossing in Berlin.
The delay in filing the charges illustrates the challenges Germany has faced in bringing East German officials to justice for crimes committed by the communist government in its bid to stop citizens from escaping to the West.
At least 140 people were killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1989, but border guards and other East German officials who have faced trial so far have usually been charged with manslaughter -- a lesser charge on which the statute of limitations would have run out in the case of Martin N.
He is accused of gunning down Kukuczka as he made his way through the border control post on March 29th, 1974, at the Friedrichstrasse train station in East Berlin, one of the best-known crossing points in the divided city.
Warning drill to take place in North Rhine-Westphalia
There will be another statewide test alarm in North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday. At 11am, the state's 6,150 sirens will wail and millions of mobile phones - even those set to silent - will ring.
A siren in Düsseldorf, set to go off Thursday at 11 am. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Rolf Vennenbernd
The warnings, part of a test to see how quickly and broadly they can be dispensed in the state of an emergency, are also to be issued again via cell broadcast. That means that all mobile phone users who are in a certain area with a switched-on mobile phone receive a text message accompanied by a shrill noise.
The warning message from the state government's situation centre will also be sent to the media, warning apps, and digital information boards.
READ ALSO: Warntag: North Rhine-Westphalia to test emergency sirens for 10th time
Germany joins operation to airdrop aid into Gaza
Germany said Wednesday it was joining an air bridge operation along with several other countries to drop desperately needed humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
The operation, initiated by Jordan, already has the participation of several other countries including France and the United States.
The defence ministry said it would deploy the German part of a joint German-French air transport squadron to participate in the mission.
The team is equipped with C-130J Hercules transport planes, said the ministry, adding that Germany's operation could begin as soon as the end of this week.
"The people in Gaza are lacking the most basic necessities. We want to do our part to ensure that they get access to food and medicine," said Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
German court sets trial date for alleged far-right coup plotters
A German court on Wednesday set the first trial date for members of a suspected far-right "terror group" allegedly behind a plot to attack parliament and overthrow the government.
Nine members of the group will stand trial in Stuttgart from April 29th, the court said in a statement.
In all, 26 people are accused of belonging to a nationwide extremist network allegedly led by Frankfurt aristocrat and businessman Prince Heinrich
XIII Reuss, and one woman is accused of supporting the group. Suspected ringleader Reuss will not be among those going on trial at the Stuttgart court.
Given the size of the organisation and the complexity of the alleged plot, regional courts in Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart will split the task of trying the suspects.
The nine men to appear at the Stuttgart hearings are accused of preparing a "treasonous undertaking" as part of the so-called Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) plot, the court said.
With reporting from AFP.
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Flight cancellations at five airports due to strikes
The wave of strikes at German airports shows no signs of abating. According to industry estimates, tens of thousands of passengers will once again be unable to travel as planned on Thursday due to warning strikes by aviation security staff at five airports.
The warning strikes early in the morning at Berlin airport, as confirmed by a Verdi spokesperson, and followed at Hamburg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Cologne airports. The Verdi union has called further warning strikes by aviation security staff for this Friday March 15th.
Due to the all-day strike by aviation security staff on Thursday, passengers will no longer be able to enter the security area. According to estimates by the airport association ADV, more than 580 flights are likely to be cancelled - including all flights at Berlin's BER - and 90,000 travellers will have to reschedule.
READ ALSO: Plane travellers around Germany face cancellations amid new strike Thursday
On Friday, aviation security staff will then strike in Hanover, Dortmund, Weeze, Dresden and Leipzig and again in Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden.
At Munich Airport, Verdi has also called on employees in personnel and goods control and cargo control to strike from 4 am on Thursday until 6 am on Friday. This mainly affects the cargo area.
Meanwhile, a three-day strike is taking place on local public transport in Frankfurt and Hesse. It started on Wednesday and is set to run through the end of the night shift on Saturday morning.
READ ALSO: Frankfurt and Hesse to be hit by three-day local transport strike
50 years on, Germany to try ex-Stasi officer for murder of Pole
A former Stasi officer will go on trial in Germany on Thursday for shooting a Polish man attempting to flee to West Berlin almost 50 years ago, a case that could impact how killings committed in the communist era are dealt with.
The 80-year-old defendant, an ex-member of the East German secret police identified by the court as Martin N., is accused of murdering Czeslaw Kukuczka at a border crossing in Berlin.
The delay in filing the charges illustrates the challenges Germany has faced in bringing East German officials to justice for crimes committed by the communist government in its bid to stop citizens from escaping to the West.
At least 140 people were killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1989, but border guards and other East German officials who have faced trial so far have usually been charged with manslaughter -- a lesser charge on which the statute of limitations would have run out in the case of Martin N.
He is accused of gunning down Kukuczka as he made his way through the border control post on March 29th, 1974, at the Friedrichstrasse train station in East Berlin, one of the best-known crossing points in the divided city.
Warning drill to take place in North Rhine-Westphalia
There will be another statewide test alarm in North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday. At 11am, the state's 6,150 sirens will wail and millions of mobile phones - even those set to silent - will ring.
The warnings, part of a test to see how quickly and broadly they can be dispensed in the state of an emergency, are also to be issued again via cell broadcast. That means that all mobile phone users who are in a certain area with a switched-on mobile phone receive a text message accompanied by a shrill noise.
The warning message from the state government's situation centre will also be sent to the media, warning apps, and digital information boards.
READ ALSO: Warntag: North Rhine-Westphalia to test emergency sirens for 10th time
Germany joins operation to airdrop aid into Gaza
Germany said Wednesday it was joining an air bridge operation along with several other countries to drop desperately needed humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
The operation, initiated by Jordan, already has the participation of several other countries including France and the United States.
The defence ministry said it would deploy the German part of a joint German-French air transport squadron to participate in the mission.
The team is equipped with C-130J Hercules transport planes, said the ministry, adding that Germany's operation could begin as soon as the end of this week.
"The people in Gaza are lacking the most basic necessities. We want to do our part to ensure that they get access to food and medicine," said Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
German court sets trial date for alleged far-right coup plotters
A German court on Wednesday set the first trial date for members of a suspected far-right "terror group" allegedly behind a plot to attack parliament and overthrow the government.
Nine members of the group will stand trial in Stuttgart from April 29th, the court said in a statement.
In all, 26 people are accused of belonging to a nationwide extremist network allegedly led by Frankfurt aristocrat and businessman Prince Heinrich
XIII Reuss, and one woman is accused of supporting the group. Suspected ringleader Reuss will not be among those going on trial at the Stuttgart court.
Given the size of the organisation and the complexity of the alleged plot, regional courts in Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart will split the task of trying the suspects.
The nine men to appear at the Stuttgart hearings are accused of preparing a "treasonous undertaking" as part of the so-called Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) plot, the court said.
With reporting from AFP.
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