The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Zero Zero Karl on a despondent mission

2022-01-14T16:46:57.446Z


The introduction of compulsory vaccination divides the country and politics. A tennis star moves the world. And the Queen rejects her favorite son. This is the situation on Friday evening.


1.

Vaccination instead of scolding

Enlarge image

A participant in the anti-vaccination demonstration, which was declared a “walk”, talks to the medical students

Photo: Sebastian Kahnert / dpa

Around 60,000 new corona infections in one day, a Germany-wide record incidence of 470: the omicron wall is here.

Nevertheless, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach sees an end to the pandemic.

In the Bundesrat, he said today that Germany has the option of ending the pandemic this year.

How exactly?

You don't have to be a genius, nor do you have to have followed the joint press conference by Charité chief virologist Christian Drosten, RKI boss Lothar Wieler and Karl Lauterbach today to know: The most effective way to fight the virus is vaccination.

Politicians have been struggling all week with the question of whether and how they should become mandatory for all citizens of this country.

In its current cover story, SPIEGEL also devotes itself to compulsory vaccination.

The magazine cover shows Karl Lauterbach as 007 on a despondent mission.

He wants the license to vaccinate, only others should implement it.

Here's a link that will presumably self-destruct in 24 hours with cover suggestions that we haven't printed.

Below that, for example, the headline: »Govern another day«. Because the chaos surrounding the introduction of compulsory vaccination reveals the leadership weakness of the new government. In his first government survey this week, Olaf Scholz said he was in favor of general vaccination but did not want to submit his own bill. He justified this with the "conscientious decision" that the deputies had to make. Members of Parliament now have to make cross-party group entries (more on how the process works here).

“Scholz' statement was intended to disguise the fact that he cannot convince his own coalition to vote for universal vaccination. He stylized his misery into a virtue," writes my colleague from SPIEGEL's capital city office, Valerie Höhne. But she also has good news: “This means that the Bundestag has become the most important authority in pandemic policy at the moment.” In crises, the executive’s hour often comes, but when the crisis becomes permanent, important decisions such as those about the introduction of compulsory vaccinations are important the hands of Parliament, Valerie thinks.

An incident in Dresden shows how fiercely the struggle is now not only in politics to find the right way out of the crisis.

In order to protect the university clinic there from corona deniers who had planned a protest "walk", medical students stood in front of the building.

They wore white coats and carried signs that read "Vaccinate instead of scolding."

However, since they are said to have violated the Saxon Corona Ordinance and the Assembly Act, they were surrounded by the police and reported.

"Chaos Royale" - also a cover title that might have fitted well this week.

  • Read the SPIEGEL cover story here: A Quantum of Fear – how compulsory vaccination is dividing the country and the government

2. No final in sight

Enlarge image

Novak Djokovic

Photo:

Paul Zimmer / imago images / Paul Zimmer

Tennis star Novak Djokovic's cause moves the world.

If you don't know the background yet, here is an overview of the key moments in one of the most curious cases in sports history.

Today, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke exercised his ministerial discretion and revoked the 34-year-old Serb's visa three days before the start of the Australian Open on grounds of public interest.

However, Djokovic can still appeal the decision in court.

Although the defending champion's participation in the Australian Open, which begins Monday, is not yet ruled out because he can lodge further appeals, it has become unlikely. Unvaccinated against the coronavirus, Djoković is a controversial figure in the country that has imposed tough rules since the pandemic began. By the way, the poorest guy in the whole game is called Miomir Kecmanovic. At least that's what my colleague Peter Ahrens from the sports department thinks. Two days ago he was drawn as the world number one in the first round of the Australian Open, but the world number 68 still has no idea whether or not to play against Novak Djoković. This makes it impossible to prepare properly for his Grand Slam tournament.

"And since Kecmanovic is Serbian and his potential opponent is the country's national hero, he can only do something wrong anyway - if the tennis superstar's visa is revoked again, it still comes to the first round game," writes Peter.

Not only the whole of Serbia, but the whole world would be looking at this party.

Kecmsnovic really isn't to be envied.

  • Read here: The Djokovic case - from tennis hero to idol for lateral thinkers and esoterics

3.

The prodigal son

Enlarge image

Andrew at the Queen's Birthday Parade in June 2019

Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

The Queen has rejected her favorite son.

Andrew Albert Christian Edward, Duke of York, known to the world as Prince Andrew, has been involved for almost three years in a sickening crime that "has the potential to turn the Queen's Platinum Jubilee into a debacle - and the entire royal family permanently." to discredit".

This is how the London SPIEGEL correspondent Jörg Schindler describes the situation.

Buckingham Palace said on Thursday evening: "With the consent and approval of the Queen," the Duke of York, i.e. Andrew, was relieved of all his honorary military titles and patronage.

He will no longer take on any tasks on behalf of the Queen and will have to deal with his legal disputes "as a private person" from now on.

There is a suspicion that the prince was part of the network surrounding the late pedo-criminal multi-millionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

And that he himself was guilty of sexually abusing a minor around 20 years ago.

This puts the kingdom in a kind of double crisis: Her Majesty's government and its boss Boris Johnson are also in the headlines because of various lockdown parties.

The media has just reported on two other illegal parties that government officials are said to have hosted in 2020.

Normally, the royal family and government would avoid getting into trouble at the same time, says Alastair Campbell, ex-Chief of Staff to former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Not without glee, he added: "That's a nice picture that the world is making of Global Britain."

  • Read here: The party is over

(Would you like to receive the "Situation in the evening" conveniently by e-mail in your inbox? Here you can order the daily briefing as a newsletter.)

What else is important today

  • »Expect the worst«

    Ukraine reports hacker attack on government websites

  • Cold progression:

    Lindner only wants to return some of the Treasury's inflation gains to the Germans

  • Minister of Agriculture:

    Özdemir calls the meat price war a "mess"

What we recommend at SPIEGEL+ today

  • The "Oath Keepers" and the Capitol Storm:

    Trump's Toughest Warriors

  • New dominant variant in Germany:

    Delta is at the end, the omicron wall is there

  • Stromio, Grünwelt, Gas.de:

    The dubious deals of the electricity godfather

  • Habeck's climate plans and the dispute over the social question:

    How red is this traffic light?

Which is less important today

A catchy tune makes history:

The video "Baby Shark" was the first to break the ten billion mark on YouTube, making it the most viewed video on the platform.

The video shows two children performing the "Baby Shark Dance".

An animated family of sharks swims in the background.

As the song progresses, the sharks try to chase the kids.

However, they fail and the children celebrate their triumph.

In case you haven't heard of him despite the apparently outstanding popularity of the shark hit: I feel the same way.

Anyway, I'd rather live behind the moon than under water.

Typo of the day

, now corrected: Plush koaola madness

Cartoon of the day:

headline with link to photo gallery

And on the weekend?

Enlarge image

Herbert Achternbusch, 1938 to 2022

Photo: Effigie / Leemage / picture alliance

His sentence "I wouldn't even want to have died in Bavaria" once triggered a scandal.

Now the universal artist Herbert Achternbusch has died at the age of 83.

Of course in Bavaria, more precisely in Munich.

“As a Bavarian rebel, the director, author and painter Herbert Achternbusch was a star of West German culture and then fell into obscurity – unjustly, of course,” wrote my colleague Wolfang Höbel in his obituary, which touched me deeply.

Although I've lived in Munich for ten years, I'm not familiar with Achternbusch's work.

So I asked Wolfgang for a tip on which Achternbusch film I could watch tonight.

He replied: »The problem is that Achternbusch is so forgotten that none of his films are currently available on a streaming service.

No one!

So you have to get DVDs.«

His friendliest and most touching film is Die Olympiasiegerin from 1983, in which he pays tribute to his obviously very beautiful mother, who is a sports teacher.

The funniest introductory film in Achternbusch's work is the harshly realistic Oktoberfest film "Bierkampf" from 1977. It was shot in the real hustle and bustle of the Oktoberfest at risk to life and limb.

Maybe you still have a DVD player at home and a video store around the corner?

I unfortunately do not.

So I'll have to read an Achternbusch book.

Wolfgang recommends »The Hour of Death« from 1975: »The book tells in a clear, original language about the eternal theme of the young, talented person from the country who comes to the big city and finds his place there in the world of artists trying to find."

Anything sounds better than the baby shark song.

Have a nice weekend.

Next week Wolfgang will take over the "Evening Situation".

Heartfelt

Your Anna Clauss


Here you can order the »Stage in the Evening« by e-mail.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-01-14

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-08T18:53:00.966Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.