Munich's annual Oktoberfest officially got underway on Saturday as the first beer keg was tapped with the traditional cry of "O'zapft is!" ("It has been tapped!"). But another slogan is also being promoted in Bavaria this year: "O'piekst is!" ("It has been pricked!") — as doctors offer vaccine jabs against flu and COVID-19.
"With so many people coming together in such tight spaces in the beer tents, the risk of infection at Oktoberfest is higher," explained Christoph Spinner, head of infectiology at Munich's Rechts der Isar hospital. Oktoberfest coincides with the start of the annual flu season, and Spinner warned that less than a third of people who are recommended a flu jab have actually had one. Beatrix Zurek, a health expert from the city-led initiative München impft! ("Munich vaccinates!"), said: "It's our job to go where people are. And that means: Oktoberfest."
Protests against abortion and assisted suicide took to the streets of Berlin and Cologne on Saturday under the banner "March for Life." Police said some 2,200 took part in Berlin, while no figures for Cologne were immediately available. Catholic bishops were among those attending. Meanwhile, pro-choice protests were also held in both cities. Abortion in Germany is banned but allowed within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy after mandatory consultations.
Germany's highest-ranking military officer, General Carsten Breuer, was elected chairman of NATO's Military Committee on Saturday. He will take over from Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone in July 2027. Breuer, who is also Germany's chief of defense, competed against Canada's Chief of Defence Staff General Jennie Carignan. Had she been elected, she would have become the first woman to head the committee.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has convened the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leadership for an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the results of state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin. Unlike in previous state elections, Merz invited the entire party executive committee to a formal meeting. The move comes amid mounting pressure on the conservative chancellor following the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt earlier this month, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) narrowly missed an absolute majority while Merz's CDU secured half its previous result.
A senior Kremlin envoy has offered Russian help with Germany's energy supply in cooperation with the far-right AfD party. Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy for international economic cooperation, wrote on X: "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will thrive again when affordable, reliable Nord Stream gas returns through joint work with AfD." The remarks come as voters head to the polls in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sunday, with the AfD locked in a close race with the ruling Social Democrats (SPD). Critics say Germany's previous reliance on Russian gas made it prone to energy blackmail from Moscow.
A car operated by a cleaning company collided with a plane engine at Munich airport overnight, then struck a passenger staircase. The driver suffered serious injuries and was flown to hospital by rescue helicopter, police said Saturday. The accident occurred around 3 a.m. local time. Police said the driver might have been affected by a medical problem before the crash. There was never any danger to other people, and flight operations were unaffected.
Charlotte Knobloch, former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, has reiterated her call for the AfD to be banned. "A lot about the AfD reminds me today about the path the Nazis took to power," the 93-year-old told the daily Augsburger Allgemeine. She said the party "teems with Jew-haters and extremists." Knobloch herself was recently the target of a death threat following the AfD's landslide victory in Saxony-Anhalt.
Crowds rushed onto the Oktoberfest grounds in Munich shortly after the gates opened on Saturday. Some visitors ran toward the beer tents to claim the best seats after waiting for several hours. Members of the first group in line said they had arrived at 7 p.m. on Friday with camping chairs, sleeping bags and emergency blankets. Beer could not be served until the official opening ceremony at midday, when new Munich Mayor Dominik Krause of the environmentalist Greens tapped the first keg with the traditional cry of "O'zapft is."
Source: www.dw.com