Florists in Thum Germany

Germany: Rare red panda cub born in Halle - Deutsche Welle

Figures... Red panda truths Dinner time ...since bamboo is a staple of both the red and the giant pandas' diet. So much so that they have extended wrist bones with thumb-like functions that help them strip the stalks. But the red panda, which has to consume 30 percent of its body weight daily, also eats bugs, fruit, eggs, bark and flowers. Pregnant females sometimes mix it up to include lizards, birds or rodents. Red panda truths Maternal instinct Red pandas tend to be solitary animals except during the breeding season, which starts in the late fall. After a four-month gestation period, the female typically gives birth to between one and four young — paler versions of herself. During their first days in the nest, the cubs have her undivided attention. At 3 months, they're changing color and beginning to nibble bamboo. Red panda truths Growing up The young remain with their mother in the nest for the first two and a half months, when she starts introducing them to the outside world and all the freedoms it has to offer. Though independent by the age of 8 months, the cubs don't leave their mother entirely until her next litter is born. Both females and males reach sexual maturity between 18 and 20 months of age. Red panda truths In the tree tops When not foraging for bamboo, red pandas spend most of their time way above the ground, moving among the trees with agility. They tend to take frequent naps among the branches as a way of conserving energy, but they also breed up high. They're at home in the wooded mountain habitats of Nepal, northern Myanmar and central China. Red panda truths Surviving in the wild With the number of animals left in the wild believed to be less than 10,000, and some suggestions putting the figure as low as 2,500, red pandas are categorized as endangered on the IUCN Red List. The main threats facing them are a loss of habitat and food sources as a result of deforestation to create space for agriculture and human housing. They are also hunted for their skins. Red panda truths Ripe old age Efforts have been ongoing for several years to establish conservation areas and projects to protect these raccoon-like creatures with a weakness for bamboo. Those that manage to survive poachers and pressures on the land they inhabit can live for as long as 14 years among the trees of their mountainous homes. Author: Tamsin Walker ...https://www.dw.com/en/germany-rare-red-panda-cub-born-in-halle/a-49418460

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: Merkel's 'mini-me' with a twist - FRANCE 24

A popular figure in local politics, AKK held several state ministerial posts before becoming Saarland's premier in 2011.She shot to nationwide attention when she scored a thumping re-election in 2017, a rare bright spot in a slew of regional poll disappointments for the CDU.It was Merkel herself who handed the short-haired, bespectacled politician a bouquet of flowers after the win.AKK then played a key role in the tortuous coalition talks that followed an inconclusive general election, winning plaudits for her determination and pragmatism in the marathon meetings.In February Merkel rewarded AKK by tapping her to become the party's number two as general secretary, luring her from Saarland to Berlin.- 'Cleaning lady Gretel' -As CDU leader now AKK is in pole position to be the party's next candidate for chancellor -- a job she admits she has her sights on.Batting away criticism that she stands for more of the same at a time when the CDU needs to be reinvigorated, AKK has said she sees no need "to undo" Merkel's legacy.But she has made moves to carve out her own profile.While praising Merkel's divisive 2015 decision to allow in hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, AKK says stronger action is needed to allay German fears about security and integration.Convicted asylum seekers should be expelled not just from Germany but Europe's entire Schengen zone, AKK has argued.And she has floated the idea of re-introducing military service or a year of national service to boost social cohesion.Perhaps most controversially, she opposed gay marriage which was legalised in 2017 and supported by Merkel.A keen participant in her region's annual carnival celebrations, AKK has over the years endeared herself with the public by dressing up as "cleaning lady Gretel".She reprised the role last year, taking to the stage complete with a smock and broom to poke fun at the political bigwigs in Berlin -- about as un-Merkel as its gets.Despite these differences, to most Germans AKK stands for continuity in a country readying for the post-Merkel era. "There's a desire for more inclusion and self-confidence in the party," she has said. "But I don't sense a desire to completely break with the current course." © 2018 AFP ...https://www.france24.com/en/20181207-annegret-kramp-karrenbauer-merkels-mini-me-with-twist

Arrest made in connection with explosion near Borussia Dortmund team bus - USA TODAY

Hans-Joachim Watzke said (per BBC). "We play for everyone -- no matter whether Borussia, Bayer or Schalke supporters. And of course we play for Marc Bartra, who wants to see his team win."Show ThumbnailsShow CaptionsLast SlideNext Slide...

See flowers in bloom on scenic garden tour

This garden, overseen by Tom and Martha Tykodi, will be one of the stops on the upcoming scenic garden tour.(Photo: Submitted photo)PATASKALA - Do you have a green thumb and enjoy gardening? If so, then an upcoming event may appeal to you.  West Licking Historical Society is holding its annual scenic garden tour from 1 to 5 p.m. July 8.   This year's fourth annual tour will stop at five local gardens, giving attendees a glimpse at some of the area's more colorful front, back and side yards.Martha Tykodi, a member of the historical society, said people can expect to see different gardening styles displayed on the tour. "One of the gardens is all annuals," Tykodi said. "Others are only perennials, and one of them is a complete vegetable garden, but only in containers, not in the ground."Some of the gardens have incorporated fountains, wooded areas and hanging baskets. One even features a "Block O" composed of flowers. Tykodi's home is one of the stops on the tour. Her great-great-great grandfather purchased the property in 1822, and some of the trees and other features date back to the late 1800s. "It's an evolution of a farm into a yard," Tykodi s...http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=C0E1D7FFD6E945DF84BCF66F7B27519E&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.newarkadvocate.com%2fstory%2fnews%2flocal%2fpataskala%2f2017%2f06%2f30%2fsee-flowers-bloom-scenic-garden-tour%2f409364001%2f&c=13430554398219070280&mkt=en-us

Green party politician remains most popular head of federal state in Germany: poll - Xinhua | English.news.cn - Xinhua

With an approval rate of 66 percent, Daniel Guenther, Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein, was the second most popular head of a federal state in Germany, followed by Stephan Weil of Lower Saxony who was ranked third with 60 percent. At the bottom of the ranking was Berlin's governing mayor, Michael Mueller (SPD), whose work was only rated positively by 27 percent of people living in the German capital's federal state. Following a big win in the European Parliament elections in May, where the Green party in Germany won 20.5 percent of votes and became second strongest political force, support for the Green party in Germany is at a historic high. According to last week's Trendbarometer, the Greens would gain the same number of votes as the governing conservative union CDU/CSU if elections were to be held. With regards to a first Green German chancellor, Winfried Kretschmann recently told the Funke Media Group that a German government led by the Greens would not involve a radical change of policy. "Nobody needs to be afraid of a Green Chancellor. We are not trumps or Erdogans or Orbans who throw everything overboard," Kretschmann told the German newspapers. The head of Baden-Wuerttemberg noted that he did not see "big differences" in alliances with the CDU/CSU and the SPD. "In socio-political issues, we make progress with the social democrats, in economic policy with the CDU/CSU". http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/16/c_138229413.htm

Chemnitz: Syrian asylum-seeker convicted of killing that sparked far-right riots - DW (English)

Daniel H.'s death, took another 8% and now has five of the 60 seats in the city council. Karsten Hilse, an AfD Bundestag member for Saxony, says last year's demos have been misrepresented. "Of course there were some far-right extremists there," he said. "But a young man was murdered, and then citizens got together who weren't far-right extremists, but just normal people like you and me, who said, 'right, this is enough now'." "What annoyed a lot of Chemnitzers is that hardly anyone talked about the murder afterwards, but only about the people who demonstrated," he argued. "But if you're a normal citizen, you go to work, you pay your taxes, and then you say ok, now I'm going on the street to say: 'I just don't...https://www.dw.com/en/chemnitz-syrian-asylum-seeker-convicted-of-killing-that-sparked-far-right-riots/a-50120472

German Man Arrested After Failed Attack on Synagogue - The Wall Street Journal

Halle’s university hospital. A senior security official identified the suspect as Stephan Balliet, 27, a German citizen from the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where Halle is located, and said he wasn’t previously known to authorities. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said prosecutors had enough information to assume a far-right motivation behind the attack, even though it was too early to make a final determination. The 35-minute video of the assault was streamed live on Twitch, a streaming platform owned by Amazon.com Inc., according to Storyful, a social-media intelligence company owned by News Corp, which also owns The Wall Street Journal. Christiane Prinz, 49, who owns a hairdressing salon opposite the synagogue, said she saw the suspect, dressed in a dark-green military outfit, launch a projectile over the synagogue’s gate into its front yard and cemetery, after which there was a loud bang. .webui-slideshow-inset a:link, .webui-slideshow-inset .webui-slideshow-inset a:visited { color: initial; } div...https://www.wsj.com/articles/two-killed-in-shooting-in-eastern-germany-11570621267

German conservative politician resigns over far-right ties - DW (English)

Now, the local lawmaker has left Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union. Robert Möritz, a local politician from the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, surprisingly announced his resignation from Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Friday, saying he wanted "to shield the party from further harm" and calm the political uproar. It recently emerged that Möritz had ties to Germany's right-wing extremist milieu, and has a symbol tattooed on his arm associated with neo-Nazism. Möritz said his resignation was about sending a signal, and that "sometimes, life is about focusing on one's true priorities." He added that he nevertheless fully subscribes to the conservative CDU's values. News of Möritz' links to Germany's far-right milieu had brought Saxony-Anhalt's government — a coalition between the CDU, center-left Social Democrats and environmentalist Greens — to the verge of collapse. On Thursday, the state's CDU issued an ultimatum to Möritz, demanding that he distance himself from the far-right or face repercussions. Read more: Right-wing extremists in Germany to face amped up intelligence The CDU governs Saxony-Anahlt in a coalition with the So...https://www.dw.com/en/german-conservative-politician-resigns-over-far-right-ties/a-51756713