today it's about the emotional TV interview of tennis legend Boris Becker.
About the verdict against the deselected Frankfurt scandal mayor Peter Feldmann.
And about the intrusiveness of Emmanuel Macron.
Welcome Becker!
Boris Becker
's first Wimbledon victory
is one of the childhood memories that are burned into my memory.
How excited everyone was back then!
My parents, our neighbors, whether tennis fans or not.
Back then, Becker brought a whole country into childish joy.
Last night it hurt me to see the now 55-year-old
in the big TV interview on Sat.1
, the first after his 231 days in British jail.
Hearing fellow inmates threaten him, even with death.
“You're nobody in prison.
you are just a number
Mine was A2923EV,” said Becker.
'I wasn't called Boris.
I was a number
And they don't give a fuck who you are.'
I never wanted to see proud Boris cry
.
The coldness with which a prison system and fellow inmates dealt with Boris Becker is one thing.
The coldness with which fallen heroes are dealt with in Germany is another.
It shows a lack of empathy
- deception, delay in bankruptcy.
Anyone who has faced up to their offense and been punished for it has done everything for me to be looked at with benevolence again.
The focus can then go back to what someone like Becker has achieved.
Like Steffi Graf, Boris Becker inspired millions of fellow citizens, cast a spell over them, distracted them from everyday worries and often offered the very best entertainment.
Only a few who became real world stars were born in Germany in the past decades.
Boris was one of them.
And apparently he was a loving father all these decades.
Not only at Christmas time would I wish for a more benevolent look at the fallen German heroes.
That also applies, but not only to Boris Becker.
I hope he gets up soon.
Like back then, after his pike jumps.
But since I saw Boris yesterday in this open and emotional interview, so human, so reflected, I've been in good spirits.
Becker about his time in prison: "He wanted to kill me"
Salt Bae Feldman
In the
trial against Frankfurt's ex-Mayor Peter Feldmann
, a verdict could be reached today.
The SPD politician is suspected of corruption.
The public prosecutor's office accuses Feldmann of having let himself be harnessed to the carts of the local workers' welfare organization.
No matter how things turn out with the Awo:
I will always remember Peter Feldmann as the man who snagged a trophy that he hadn't fought for himself.
Last summer, Eintracht Frankfurt came home as the winners of the Euroleague final.
There are absurdly funny pictures of how Feldmann, the coach and captain of Eintracht, quite naturally stole the trophy, as if to say: "Thank you very much, stay here now."
I had to think of this scene again when I saw the pictures from the World Cup final in Qatar.
Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe, also known as Salt Bae, swooped across the pitch as naturally as if he were the Argentinian national coach – or Peter Feldmann.
He had his picture taken with Argentinian players, harassed Lionel Messi like a stalker and was left standing by him at least once.
But the most affected chef then managed to wrest the trophy from some Argentines.
With this he posed as if he had made a contribution to its profit.
According to Fifa, however, the trophy "may only be touched and held by a very select group of people," including heads of state and former and reigning world champions - chefs who are hungry for recognition have not been among them so far.
Perhaps Salt Bae should get back to its core competency:
serving overpriced steaks decorated with gold to millionaire footballers and other nouveau riche, while hopping around the meat like a dervish – all captured on camera, as in the legendary video with Franck Ribéry.
By the way, there is also a similar video by Salt Bae and Lionel Messi.
The Argentinian, celebrated for his rejection of Salt Bae on social media, also seemed very taken with this "chef".
Corruption proceedings against Frankfurt ex-City Hall boss: "You sausage will never be mayor"
Stalking a la Macron
Speaking of stalking... what's going on with French President Emmanuel Macron?
It was a bit uncomfortable how he presented himself at the World Cup final next to the Emir of Qatar and the Emir of Fifa as an enthusiastic fan
.
What was really awkward was how he wanted to personally "console" the French players on the pitch, closely followed by a photographer who is paid to capture their president in the best possible light.
France's star player Kylian Mbappé was clearly not in the mood for Macron's attempts to hug him.
He didn't even look at the President, tried to get away several times, but Macron didn't give up.
Not even Angela Merkel or Helmut Kohl were so bold in their prime when they liked to visit the German team in the locker room.
Even after returning from Qatar, Macron did not let the national team rest.
The players had actually planned to go straight home after landing in France, "because of the disappointment, the sadness and the strong emotions," as it was said.
This changed, however, after an intervention by the President.
The President wished for “a moment of community”
, explained the President of the French Football Association, Noël Le Graët.
It was a nice reception after all, around 50,000 French people paid homage to their eleven in Paris, who presented themselves on a hotel balcony in front of the Place de la Concorde.
And Macron?
Wasn't actually seen.
After the defeat in the World Cup final: France's national team just wants to go home, Macron persuades the team to welcome them
You can find news and background information on the war in Ukraine here:
The latest developments:
The Kremlin chief is meeting with his military leadership today.
Ukraine President Reportedly Meeting Joe Biden - Will US Announce Patriot Delivery?
The overview.
"There are people here who carry the country on their shoulders
": Volodymyr Zelenskyy honored his troops in the hard-fought Bakhmut with medals, words of encouragement and a minute's silence.
The shelling continued during the visit of the Ukrainian President.
100,000 IT specialists have left Russia:
Because of the war in Ukraine, many IT specialists have left Russia, the digitization minister Schadajew now admitted in Moscow.
However, they could still help the country – from the home office.
Ramelow is to leave the Left Party:
Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow is to be excluded from the Left Party, an application has been submitted to the Arbitration Commission.
The reason: his position on the Ukraine war.
Here's the current quiz of the day
The starting question today: In which countries are Bundeswehr soldiers currently deployed by the end of 2022?
Winner of the day...
... are at least for me all the e-scooters and electric scooters.
Since they have been on the streets of Berlin, my everyday life has become considerably easier.
I love these things because they get me past inner-city traffic jams quickly and reliably.
They can also be found on almost every street corner.
This, in turn, annoys a lot of people.
I must acknowledge that what makes me happy disturbs or endangers others.
For the blind, for example, e-scooters are not an asset.
Because the scooters are fast and you hardly hear them.
Those affected report that they often ran into scooters that were parked on the sidewalks.
Roland Stimpel from the board of the pedestrian lobby Fuss eV calls the lenders of the e-scooters »space parasites«.
»They want to use public space as cheaply as possible for private commerce.« This is what my colleagues Arvid Haitsch and Lukas Kissel report.
In a hearing of the Berlin House of Representatives, Alexander Jung from the scooter rental company Lime countered that the cars newly registered in Berlin in one week would occupy more space than the entire fleet of e-scooters.
According to the Platform Shared Mobility association, if the public space were distributed fairly for all means of transport and road users, the scooters would also be well accommodated.
Fair, that would mean: wider footpaths and cycle paths – and designated parking spaces for scooters where cars are parked today.
I understand that my favorite vehicles need to be off the sidewalks, that there should be more rules, more order.
That's why politics in Germany's big cities is now in demand.
So far there are only around 70 sharing stations in Berlin, i.e. collective parking spaces for small electric vehicles (and for 47,000 scooters for hire).
For comparison: In Paris there are more than 2000 scooter parking spaces for about 15,000 scooters.
They were created in a very short time on previous car parking lots.
For me, that would be the solution for German cities.
Battle For Space In The City: When Will Scooter Anarchy End?
The latest news from the night
Congressional committee votes to release Trump's tax returns:
Donald Trump must disclose at least some of his tax records.
That was decided by a House of Representatives committee controlled by the US Democrats.
Elon Musk announces resignation as CEO of Twitter:
In a poll, a majority voted for Elon Musk to step down as CEO of Twitter.
Now the billionaire is promising such a step – as soon as he has found a successor.
US authorities confiscated enough fentanyl "to kill all Americans" in 2022:
50.6 million pills with fentanyl seized, plus more than 4500 kilograms of fentanyl powder: That is the balance sheet of US investigators for this year.
They warn of the "deadliest drug threat to this country."
The SPIEGEL + recommendations for today
Vonovia - the only DAX company without a serious growth plan:
With 550,000 apartments, Vonovia is Europe's largest private real estate company.
Billions were planned for modernization.
According to the company, the group is now pressing “pause”.
What's going on there?
When will the scooter anarchy end?
The car alternatives get in the way of each other in urban centers: e-scooters get in the way of bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
Cities want to share public space more fairly, but are struggling with German law.
What's worse than too much water?
No water at all:
First came the flood in 2021, then the drought in 2022.
Now the Ahr winegrowers are pondering what the climate is doing to the wine and how they can still harvest on their steep slopes.
A visit to the oldest wine cooperative in the world.
How menopause affects my ability to work:
Sleep disorders, migraines, heart problems: millions of women experience menopausal symptoms.
Nevertheless, the topic is largely ignored in the working world or dismissed as a »private matter«.
What needs to change.
I wish you a happy Wednesday
Your Markus Feldenkirchen
