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Mikhail Gorbachev turned 90 on Tuesday, with several world leaders sending well-wishes to the former leader of the Soviet Union. The former leader of the Soviet Union and secretary-general of the Communist Party is considered by some as one of the greatest reformers of the 20th century — but remains a controversial figure at home. How did he celebrate his birthday? Still active, Gorbachev heads a political foundation and co-owns the Kremlin-critical newspaper, Novaya Gazeta . He celebrated his birthday while staying in a hospital as a precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gorbachev was scheduled to have video calls with his aides and associates who gathered at his foundation to congratulate him. He also spoke with world leaders and read messages from admirers worldwide. Gorbi and the Germans: Mikhail Gorbachev at 90 Remembering the 'Fathers of Unity' The first and only president of the former Soviet Union turns 90 on March 2. Since German … [Read more...] about Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev celebrates his 90th birthday

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) have placed the Alternative for Germany (AfD) under surveillance, according to local media. That designation gives state agents more powers for surveillance in certain circumstances, including potentially tapping the party's communications. The BfV refused to comment on media reports from Der Spiegel magazine, the DPA news agency and public broadcaster ARD. The Interior Ministry, which oversees the BfV, said it would neither confirm nor deny them. Why has there been no official statement? The BfV is apparently unable to announce the decision officially because of an ongoing legal dispute. A court in the city of Cologne last week rejected an urgent motion by the AfD to stop the BfV from placing it under formal investigation . The party said any announcement that it was being investigated would undermine its right to fight the election on an equal footing to other political parties. In response, the … [Read more...] about Germany places entire far-right AfD under surveillance — reports

Germany on Wednesday took a step towards forcing companies to take responsibility for any labor or environmental abuses in their global supply chain. A new law (Lieferkettengesetz in German) allows for hefty fines starting at several hundred thousand euros if their contractors abroad are found to breach human rights or environmental rules. The fines go up to two percent of the company's annual revenues if they exceed 400 million euros ($484 million). The companies are held responsible for every step of the way: from the raw materials to the finished product. "This law protects workers from exploitation across sprawling supply chains and protects human rights across the world," Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday, adding "In future, it will be clear that 'Made in Germany' also means respect for human rights." The SPD-run development and labor ministries initially wanted the law to also target smaller companies, but backed down in the face of strong opposition from the … [Read more...] about Germany to implement supply chain law against exploitation

Germany's domestic intelligence agency has put the opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) party under observation on suspicion of extreme far-right sympathies, according to local media. The action by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) comes more than two years after it announced it was examining public comments by party members and links to extremist groups more closely. In January 2019, the agency put the youth wing of AfD as well as the party faction linked to a prominent leader in eastern Germany , Bjoern Hoecke, under covert surveillance over extremism allegations. At the time, the BfV cited the youth organisation's stated goal of creating an ethnically pure country and efforts by Hoecke's faction - known as "The Wing" - to downplay Germany's Nazi history. The Wing has also suggested it might pursue "revolutionary" means to achieve its political aims, warranting scrutiny from the BfV, which is tasked with monitoring all extremist … [Read more...] about Germany’s domestic intelligence agency ‘suspects Alternative for Germany party of far-right sympathies’

A brain injury charity is hoping for a "cultural change" in how head injuries are treated in sport as MPs launch an inquiry into links with neurodegenerative disease. It comes amid claims the scope of the inquiry does not go far enough, "neglecting issues" at school and youth level. The sporting world also continues to learn of players and competitors who have been diagnosed with dementia , including members of the triumphant 1966 England World Cup football squad . In one study published in 2019, footballers were found to be three-and-a-half times more likely to die of a neurodegenerative disease than people of a similar age. Peter McCabe, chief executive of the charity Headway, will appear before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee on 9 March to give evidence to the parliamentary inquiry into the link between sport and long-term brain injury. Advertisement He said: "Increased scrutiny from this influential cross-party group of … [Read more...] about Brain injury charity hopes for ‘cultural change’ as inquiry examines link between sport and dementia