Germany in Brief

Tunisian suspect could have links to Osama

A Tunisian man, who was arrested ten days ago during a police raid against a suspected terrorist group in Berlin, could be one of the key players in the al Qaeda terror network according to a German news magazine. Relying on confidential reports of Germany's Federal Police Agency (BKA), Focus magazine reported that the 32-year-old had trained Islamists from all over the world in al Qaeda recruiting camps in Afghanistan for five years and had direct links to Osama bin Laden. The magazine further said that the Tunisian, Ihsan G, had come to Germany early Feb. this year on an al Qaeda brief to "recruit Muslim students and asylum-seekers and train them in terrorist methods and strategies". The Tunisian national was found to be carrying explosives, a pistol and a forged Portuguese passport at the time he was arrested during a raid on the al Nur mosque in Berlin last week.

German Gun Laws Toughened

Starting on Tuesday, March 1, Germany is tightening its gun laws in hopes of preventing a massacre like the one that claimed 16 lives at a high school shoot-out in eastern Germany last April. Under the new law, the minimum age for sports shooters will be 21 instead of 18 and for hunters 18 instead of 16. Anyone younger than 25 must have a certificate of "mental capability to own weapons" unless he or she is a registered hunter or sports shooter. The use of hand weapons such as "death stars" or "butterfly knives" will be forbidden. The massacre last year was committed by an expelled student, Robert Steinhäuser, 19. He entered his old high school in the eastern city of Erfurt and gunned down 16 people, including students and teachers, before taking his own life. Pump guns, which Steinhäuser used in the attack, were banned last year.

German doctor resorts to unusual anti-war protest

As a form of protest against the Iraq war, a German dermatologist in the state of Schleswig-Holstein has refused to treat Americans, Britons and other supporters of the war. "I ban entry to citizens of the United States and Great Britain as well as from other countries in favor of the war, to my clinic," the 61-year-old specialist for skin and sexually transmitted diseases, Eberhard Hoffmann said. "This war is a crime." With regard to the Hippocratic oath of the medical profession, Hoffmann said, "I am obliged to help in emergency cases, but otherwise I am free to throw people out." A German military doctor is reported to have filed a complaint against Hoffmann with the relevant medical authorities and has also warned Hoffmann that German soldiers would stop going to him for treatment.

World Cup with a green goal

German Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin and the President of the Organizing Committee of the FIFA Football World Cup 2006, Franz Beckenbauer (photo) announced on Monday that the Football World Cup 2006 in Germany would set standards in environmental protection during large public events. The concept called the "Green Goal" would aim to reduce water- and energy consumption in World Cup stadiums by about 20 percent, Trittin and Beckenbauer said in Frankfurt. In addition, an effort would be made to significantly lower the amount of rubbish generated as compared to German Football League matches and to improve the public transportation system. "The environment aspect was a key topic for us. The whole world will be looking at Germany during the World Cup, we want to prove exemplary in environmental protection at such a time," Beckenbauer said.

Boris Becker in love with himself

German tennis legend Boris Becker has admitted his obsession with bodily hygiene in an interview with the tabloid, Bild am Sonntag. "I shower three times daily, at least," the former tennis star said. The blond celebrity, who has regularly hit headlines for tax evasion and romantic liaisons ever since his retirement from professional tennis, added that he viewed his body as an asset and hence took the utmost care in maintaining it in top form. For the same reason, the star said he still played tennis four to five times a week. Answering a question on whether he found himself beautiful, Becker retorted, "Men aren’t beautiful. They can be well-groomed, charming, interesting, perhaps attractive. But not beautiful." At the same time Becker admitted that he took good care of his looks and appearance and said he owned a couple of hundred suits. Becker made no bones of his vanity: "Each person should be vain. Healthy vanity is a step towards healthy self-confidence. It isn’t any different with me."

More Germans Missing in Sahara

A second group of German vacationers has failed to return from a trip they took in the Sahara in southern Algeria, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The first group -- consisting of six Germans, four Swiss
and one Dutch citizen -- has been missing since February. The second group, consisting of six Germans, has not been heard from since March 17, ever since they paid a visit to the Algerian city of Tamanrasset.