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Coronavirus: Can Germany's infection protection law be compared to the Nazis' 'Enabling Act?'

Anti-lockdown protesters have compared the Infection Protection Law, proposed by Angela Merkel's government, to the law that paved the way for Adolf Hitler's dictatorship in 1933. But the two laws are hardly comparable.



"It is a very unusual day", said Social Democrat MP Helge Lindh as he approached the German Bundestag by foot Wednesday morning. He was referring to crowds of protesters gathering outside the parliament building.

Their goal was to stop the new infection protection law, intended to make it easier for the government to swiftly introduce lockdown measures in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Several hundred demonstrators defied bans to protest outside the parliament buildings and in the surrounding government district. Some protesters even tried to block access to the building, before the protests were dissolved by police.

"It must be possible to demonstrate and to criticize," Lindh told DW by telephone. "But tolerance can not go so far to accept that the infection protection law is being equated with the beginning of the Nazi dictatorship, with the Enabling Act of 1933."

Some protesters, as well as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), have repeatedly drawn this analogy. They claim the new law will give the government dictatorial powers, drawing a parallel to events in 1933. "This is blindness towards the lessons of history," said Lindh. "And it is a complete trivialization of National Socialism."

'Analogy is nonsense'

On March 23, 1933, Adolf Hitler placed before the parliament a "Law to Remedy the Distress of People and the Reich" — the law that came to be known as the "Enabling Act."

It amended the constitution, giving sweeping legislative powers to the government: "Laws of the Reich may also be enacted by the government of the Reich…Laws enacted by the government of the Reich may deviate from the constitution…"

The law passed through both chambers of parliament and gave Hitler and his National Socialist party absolute power over the German state.

"Parliamentarism was dead after that," Andreas Wirsching, director of the Institute of Contemporary History in Munich, told DW. "It was the self-abolition of parliament. And most members of parliament realized this when they voted for the law."

Almost 100 communist members of parliament had already been imprisoned, were in hiding, or had fled the country when the Reichstag convened to pass the "Enabling Act." Nazi paramilitary storm troopers were positioned at the parliament's entrance, putting pressure on the remaining members of parliament.

To compare today's Infection Protection Law to the legislation pushed through back then is "purely demagogical," Wirsching said. "The 'Enabling Act' had one goal: dictatorship. That's why the analogy is nonsense."

A 1923 precedent

Yet, today's Infection Protection Law does indeed transfer some legislative power from the parliament to the executive, the government. Up to now, the German government has mainly relied on decrees to tackle the coronavirus crisis — a practice that has been criticized by parliamentarians from all parties and deemed unconstitutional by some.

The infection protection law will now create a legal basis for the government to restrict some fundamental rights enshrined in the German constitution in its attempt to fight the pandemic.

This is not a trivial affair, Wirsching admitted.

In fact, a comparison to the Weimar Republic, Germany's first democracy that lasted from 1919 to 1933, could be drawn, Wirsching believes.

In 1923, he points out, Germany was facing a currency crisis, hyperinflation with severe economic and social repercussions. The Reichstag then passed an "Enabling Law," making it possible for the government to take financial, economic, and social measures it considered necessary.

The intention was to restore stability and safeguard democracy. "But many researchers today are critical of this 1923 'Enabling Law,' because the Reichstag handed overall responsibility", Wirsching said. And ten years later, it became a precedent for the "Enabling Act" the Nazis pushed through.

More protests to come

In 1933, the Social Democrats were the only parliamentarians left in parliament to vote against the "Enabling Act." Some of them were then persecuted or arrested.

"That is why, as a Social Democrat, it is particularly bitter for me to hear a comparison to this time today," says parliamentarian Lindh.

Lindh reached the Bundestag through a tunnel on Wednesday. He said he is still hopeful that dialogue with those protesting lockdown measures outside of parliament would be possible.

He pointed out that, contrary to the protesters' conviction, the new law clearly limits the government's powers in fighting the pandemic: All government decrees can only be temporary measures and expire after four weeks.

But the movement against lockdown measures seems to be growing steadily. According to a survey by the Allensbach polling firm, the percentage of Germans critical of the government's anti-coronavirus policies has risen from 15 to 28 % over the last three months.

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Berlin police arrest man suspected of cannibalism, murder

Prosecutors believe that the suspect had an "interest in cannibalism" after looking through his internet search history. Officials identified his alleged victim after finding a pile of bones in a wooded area of Berlin.



Berlin investigators have arrested a man on suspicion of murder and cannibalism, after discovering the bones of a man who disappeared in September.

The man is suspected of carrying out a sexually motivated homicide and had an interest in cannibalism, according to the public prosecutor.

"The suspect had an interest in cannibalism," Berlin prosecutors' office spokesman Martin Steltner told The Associated Press. "He searched online for the topic."

"A 41-year-old suspect was arrested yesterday & will be brought before the magistrate today," Berlin police tweeted on Thursday, initially saying he was suspected of manslaughter.

Later, Berlin's prosecutor's office followed up on this, saying that the suspect was in fact suspected of carrying out a "sexual homicide with base motives." Proving "base motives" is necessary by German law in order to push for a fully-fledged murder conviction, a law that's a relic of the Nazi era.

DNA match on bones found in woods

The 44-year-old victim, known as Stefan T., disappeared without a trace after leaving his apartment shortly before midnight in early September, in the Lichtenberg district of Berlin. Police released a photo of the man and asked for assistance in his search.

By October, police were looking for people who could possibly have had contact with Stefan T. through a dating platform.

On November 8th, people taking a walk found bones in a wooded area of the city's Pankow district, which turned out to be the remains of the missing man.

Authorities were led to the 41-year-old suspect after an investigation conducted by the homicide commission and public prosecutors. Investigators also used sniffer dogs in the process.

Steltner said it was unclear whether the victim also had an interest in cannibalism, but the two men, both Germans, had been in touch with each other online.

lc/msh (AP, AFP)

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No parties, no problem

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Why is Finland coping so well with the coronavirus crisis?

Of the Nordic countries, Sweden is usually held up as a role model. But in these times it's worth taking a look at Finland. The coronavirus infection rates are lower than in the rest of Europe. Why is that?



Finland currently belongs to the countries around the world which is coping best with the coronavirus pandemic. As of November 19, Johns Hopkins University recorded around 19,900 cases and 374 deaths. No other European country has lower rates.

In comparison, Denmark, with a population size of around 6 million, similar to that of Finland, currently stands at 65,000 coronavirus cases. In Slovakia, also comparable to Finland in terms of population, some 91,000 people have contracted the virus. Sweden has twice as many inhabitants, but with 196,000 infections almost 10 times as many cases.

So what is Finland doing differently?

1. Finland reacted swiftly

Back in Spring, as the number of infections skyrocketed around the world, the Finnish government reacted promptly and imposed a two-month long lockdown. Travel to and from Helsinki and the surrounding areas was banned. Schools and other institutions were closed, quickly followed by restaurants.

"Finland moved relatively quickly and comprehensively to introduce curbs on public life. It did so around two weeks earlier than other Scandinavian countries like Norway and Denmark, not to mention Sweden," Mika Salminen, director of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), told German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk Kultur. The lockdown, he said, helped to slow down the spread of the virus.

2. Coronavirus app was widely accepted

Finland relies on the capability to swiftly trace people who have been in contact with those who tested positive. To that end, an app was introduced, similar to the one used in Germany. The track and trace app "Corona Flash" was downloaded by almost every other person.

In Germany, by contrast, the app is only being used by around 22 million people — around a quarter of the population. Partly, that's because some people's smartphones are out of date and don't have the necessary capabilities, while many others are concerned about the misuse of their data.



3. Trust is key

Unlike Germany, where there's increasing doubt over the government's response or people simply don't take the virus seriously, trust in what the Finnish government is doing is relatively high. There's been very little opposition against the measures, even during the lockdown earlier this year. An EU Parliament survey at the time found that 73% of people said they were coping well with the restrictions.

You'll also be hard pressed to find protests akin to the "Querdenker" movement here in Germany, whose supporters have been out in force in several cities. "We're trying to stick to the government's rules and regulations. I think that also stems from the kind of welfare state we live in," Rosa Merilainen, a member of Finland's Green League party, told Deutschlandfunk Kultur.

Another helping factor is the relatively robust state of the Finnish economy. While economic output fell by 14% on average in the EU, Finland's only dropped by 6.4%, leaving it in a relatively stable position.

4. Technological advantages

The transition to working from home and home schooling has also been much smoother thanks to Finland's high digitalization standards. Having a laptop at their disposal is a given for the country's pupils. That's a far cry from the situation in Germany.

According to a study by the German society for digital literacy, there's one laptop for every 68 pupils. Low-income families have struggled particularly with the concept of home schooling, which may go some way towards explaining the lack of support for the German government's handling of the pandemic.


Pupils in Finland are used to working with tablets and laptops

5. No parties? No problem!

The German government recently released an online ad in which it urged people to stay at home and embrace the couch potato concept. That obviously doesn't come easily to many people. However Finland, yet again, appears to be bucking the trend.

An EU Parliament survey found that 23% of Finns said their lives had improved noticeably as a result of the lockdown earlier this year. "We're not very sociable and prefer to be alone," Nelli Hankonen, a social psychologist at Helsinki University, told the AFP news agency.

Another factor that may play a role is the personal comfort zone — how close you want to get to another person. "It may well be that the Finnish comfort zone is slightly bigger than in other European countries," said the THL's Salminen. "We like to keep 3 feet distance between us and the next person. Otherwise we feel uncomfortable."

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Tự tung tự tá(t)

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German doctor arrested on suspicion of killing coronavirus patients

A German doctor is facing manslaughter charges over two deaths, reportedly of COVID-19 patients. Police cited him as giving medication to hasten the death of one patient and to "avert further suffering."



Two patients, aged 47 and 50, were terminally ill when a senior doctor allegedly administered medication that led to their immediate deaths, police said Friday.

Authorities are still investigating the circumstances of the two deaths amid reports they were being treated for COVID-19.

The senior doctor, 44, employed since February at the University Hospital in Essen city in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), was arrested on Wednesday, charged with manslaughter on Thursday and remained in custody, city police said.

The hospital said suspicions about the deaths on November 13 and 17 had prompted it to immediately notified prosecutors and remove the doctor from duty.


The doctor was employed at the Essen University Hospital

Only in one case, said Essen police, had the accused stated that he wanted to end the further suffering of the patient and his relatives. Both patients had been in "very critical conditions" in the doctor's ward.

The tabloid newspaper Bild described them as suffering from the coronavirus and hospitalized in a ward treating COVID-19 patients.

Prosecutors said, however, they could not provide more details on treatments the patients received because the investigation was ongoing.

Seriously ill patients in Germany can request help in ending their lives under a court ruling issued last year, but it was unclear if this had happened in the doctor's case and there are several steps required before such assistance can be provided. Assisted death is an extremely sensitive topic in Germany in light of the legacy of the 6 million Jews killed and experimented on by the Nazi regime during the Holocaust.

ipj/sms (dpa, AFP)


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Năng lượng sạch: 1802 có steam locomotive, 2024 có hydrogen train?

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Siemens, Deutsche Bahn launch local hydrogen trains trial

MUNICH (Reuters) - Siemens Mobility and Deutsche Bahn have started developing hydrogen-powered fuel cell trains and a filling station which will be trialled in 2024 with view to replace diesel engines on German local rail networks.

The prototype, to be built by Siemens, is based on electric railcar Mireo Plus which will be equipped with fuel cells to turn hydrogen and oxygen into electricity on board, and with a battery, both companies said.

Siemens mobility chief executive Michael Peter told Reuters the train combined the possibility to be fed by three sources in a modular system - either by the battery, the fuel cell or even existing overhead lines, depending on where it would run.

German railway operator Deutsche Bahn has not electrified 40% of its 33,000 kilometre (km) long network, on which it runs 1,300 fossil-fuel emitting diesel locomotives.

Rail transport must be decarbonised over the long-term under European Union and national climate targets.

“Our hydrogen trains are able to replace diesel-fuelled trains in the long term,” Peter said.

The new prototype will be fuelled within 15 minutes, have a range of 600 km and a top speed of 160 km/hour.

It will be tested between Tuebingen, Horb and Pforzheim in Baden Wuerttemberg state.

The main target market are operators of regional networks that typically re-order lots of 10 to 50 trains, Peter said.

“We see a market potential of 10,000-15,000 trains in Europe that will need to be replaced over the next 10-15 years, with 3,000 alone in Germany,” he said.

Each train will cost between five and 10 million euros ($5.9-$11.9 million), creating a market potential of 50-150 billion euros overall.

The Berlin government expects green hydrogen to become competitive with fossil fuels over the long term and to play a key role in decarbonising industry, heating and transport.

Reporting by Joern Poltz in Munich and Vera Eckert in Frankfurt, editing by David Evans

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Germany hosts France, Britain for talks on Iran nuclear deal

German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass met his counterparts Dominic Raab and Jean-Yves Le Drian in Berlin for talks on the Iran nuclear deal. The trio hopes for a change in US policy once Joe Biden is sworn in.



German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas held talks with his French and British counterparts in Berlin on Monday, with the partners urging Iran to stop breaching a nuclear deal it signed in 2015.

"From our view, Iran is systematically violating the agreement," a spokeswoman with the German Foreign Ministry said. "Together with our European partners, we urge Iran to stop these violations and return to fulfilling all its nuclear obligations."

Maas met with Britain's Dominic Raab and France's top diplomat Jean-Yves le Drian ahead of an expected change of policy towards Iran when US President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in as president in January.

Maas's spokeswoman said she "confident" that a "constructive" US approach would help rein in the Iranian government, German news agency DPA reported.

The agreement, which world powers reached with Iran, sought to limit Tehran’s nuclear program to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons in return for the easing of economic sanctions.

US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018, slapping fresh sanctions on Iran.

Tehran has repeatedly breached limits on enriching uranium set in the nuclear agreement in what it portrays as a calculated and justified response to Trump's decision.


Joe Biden wants bring the US back into the Iran deal — but with certain conditions

Changing US policy

Biden, who takes office on January 20, has said he would re-join the accord if Tehran first resumed strict compliance.

He wants to work with allies "to strengthen and extend it, while more effectively pushing back against Iran’s other destabilizing activities."

But the deal did not restrict Iran's ballistic missile program nor curb its support for militia forces in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen — which Washington sees as destabilizing to the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that there "must be no return to the previous nuclear agreement."

"We must stick to an uncompromising policy to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons," he said in a thinly-veiled swipe at President-elect Biden.

European powers party to the agreement, along with Russia and China, have been trying to hold the deal together since Trump's pullout.

Iran denies that its atomic program is aimed at developing weapons.

jf/rs (dpa, Reuters)


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Green Flamingo: Portugal hopes to export green hydrogen to EU

Thanks to Portugal's high sun exposure, the nation has the potential to produce green hydrogen for Europe. The EU-backed Green Flamingo initiative may enable it to ship the green gas from the port of Sines to Rotterdam.



It's quiet around this solar farm in the back country of Portugal's Algarve region. Once in a while there's a creaking sound when the large solar mirrors readjust to the position of the sun. Sergio dos Santos hardly ever needs to interfere as the adjustment modules are automatically controlled.

Thus he finds enough time to tend his sheep, which graze in between the huge solar collectors on this 42-hectare (103-acre) piece of land, at least in spring when there are lush meadows, he says.

In the fall, the soil is still dry following a hot summer. In this warm area in Portugal's south, solar irradiance reaches 1,900 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per square meter. By comparison, in northern Germany it's only 1,000 kWh per square meter. Dos Santos is responsible for the safety of the 4-megawatt Enercoutim solar farm near the small town of Martim Longo.

Marc Rechter is CEO and co-founder of Enercoutim, and his ambitions are high. His company Resilient Group is pursuing a huge hydrogen production project. He wants to help Portugal build up a 1,000 megawatt capacity by using solar power to split water into oxygen and hydrogen through electrolysis. The project is called Green Flamingo.

The Dutchman has advised the governments in The Hague and Lisbon on this technology. The Netherlands and Portugal have only recently signed a green-hydrogen cooperation agreement. As a first measure, Rotterdam and Sines have agreed that the green gas would be shipped to the Netherlands using both local ports.

From Rotterdam, it may eventually also be shipped on to German consumers via the Rhine River. Hydrogen production will be made possible by an electrolysis facility near Sines with a desired capacity of 1,000 megawatts, using domestic solar power.


Sergio dos Santos is the man who looks after the solar farm near Martim Longo

Flamingo, dragon and octopus

The European Union is supporting the project. Green Flamingo is one of several initiatives aimed at helping Brussels meet its new climate protection and energy safety objectives. The bloc's hydrogen strategy as presented in July of this year involves creating an additional electrolysis capacity of 40,000 megawatts by 2030. Several projects are named after a color and an animal.

Besides Green Flamingo, there's also Black Horse, White Dragon and Green Octopus. The European Commission has declared these initiatives Important Projects of Common European Interest (ICPEIs).

When it comes to importing green hydrogen, countries such as Germany have traditionally set their eyes on northern Africa. According to Christoph Hebling from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), that's an important option, but another one would be "to consider Portugal and Spain because of their attractive solar irradiance conditions," he told DW.
Solar power for a song

Portugal can be credited for its low prices. A photovoltaic (PV) capacity auction in the summer registered a final price of 1.1 eurocents per KWh, showing the most favorable result across the whole of Europe. Such a low price level wouldn't be required at all, though, given current electricity prices of around 4 cents per kWh.

"With a solar power price of 1 cent per kWh, electricity producers hardly earn any money," Rechter told DW. "Instead, they're putting pressure on suppliers and researchers — that's unhealthy because we need to set up our own green-hydrogen and PV industry in Europe so as not to be completely dependent on supplies from China and other [non-EU] nations."

At the moment, a solar power price between 2 and 3 cents per kWh would make this possible, according to Rechter, who adds that a price between 1 and 2 cents per kWh will be economically feasible by 2030.

Cheap solar power is also a prerequisite for delivering an adequate supply of water. The electrolysis process consumes about 6 liters (1.6 gallons) of water per 1 cubic meter of hydrogen. Since the use of valuable drinking water is ruled out, producers have to resort to the Atlantic Ocean and desalination technology. The required desalination plants could keep costs at bay if powered by solar energy.
Big opportunity for Portugal and others

Rechter expects the initial costs for electrolyzers to drop very fast. He reckons that by 2030 a country like Portugal will be in a position to produce green hydrogen in a competitive way without losing out to producers of grey hydrogen (made from natural gas) or blue hydrogen (made from carbon). Hence Rechter warns that "investments in blue hydrogen threaten to result in total loss as green hydrogen can soon be made cheaper."

He adds policymakers are called upon to pave the way for hydrogen to be used in transportation and the gas network. Portugal's hydrogen strategy for instance includes building hydrogen fuel stations and making fuel cell buses like those produced by domestic company Caetano in cooperation with Toyota. In addition, the share of hydrogen used in the national gas network is to rise to 15% by 2030, up from just 1% at the moment. In 10 years, Portugal's electrolysis capacity is set to reach 2,000 megawatts.

In the meantime, work on the construction of the first mega electrolyzer is continuing unabated in the port of Sines. It's set to become operational in 2023. "Europe really has to get going to make sure we have a competitive industry by 2030," Rechter said. For coronavirus-crisis-hit nations like Portugal, it's a huge opportunity.

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French lockdown to ease after second peak passes

France will begin to ease its strict coronavirus restrictions this weekend, allowing non-essential shops to reopen, President Emmanuel Macron has said.

People will also be able to share "moments with the family" over the Christmas period, Mr Macron announced.

But he said bars and restaurants would have to remain closed until 20 January.

France has reported more than 2.2 million cases and more than 50,000 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

In a televised address on Tuesday evening, Mr Macron said the country had passed the peak of the second wave of virus infections.

He said that the bulk of lockdown restrictions would be eased from 15 December for the festive period, with cinemas reopening and general travel restrictions lifted, as long as new infections were at 5,000 a day or less.

On Monday, France reported 4,452 daily Covid-19 infections - its lowest tally since 28 September.

The latest seven-day rolling average for new infections in France is reported to be 21,918. That figure peaked at 54,440 on 7 November.

Mr Macron said the recent news of successful vaccine trials offered "a glimmer of hope" and that France would aim to begin vaccinations against Covid-19 "at the end of December or at the beginning of January", starting with the elderly and most vulnerable.

The French president said the situation would be reviewed on 20 January, and if infections remained low, bars and restaurants would then be permitted to reopen. Universities would also be able to accept students again.

However, if the situation had worsened, he said he would look at options to avoid triggering a third wave.

"We must do everything to avoid a third wave, do everything to avoid a third lockdown," Mr Macron said.

He later tweeted to say that all businesses forced to remain closed during the restrictions, such as restaurants, bars and sports halls, would have the choice of receiving up to €10,000 (£8,900) from a "solidarity fund" or the payment of 20% of their turnover.

He said that France's ski resorts may have to remain closed until next year because the current risks associated with the virus made it difficult for such sports to resume.

However, he said he would discuss the issue with other European leaders and provide an update in the coming days.

Ski resorts were responsible for numerous outbreaks of Covid-19 cases across Europe in the early days of the pandemic.

Mr Macron said the lockdown would be replaced by a nationwide curfew between 21:00 and 07:00, except on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

France has been under a second national lockdown since the beginning of November. People have only been permitted to leave home to go to work, buy essential goods, seek medical help or exercise for one hour a day. Anyone going outside must carry a written statement justifying their journey.

While all non-essential shops, restaurants and bars have been shut, schools and crèches have remained open. Social gatherings have been banned.

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German states agree on Christmas rules

Tighten the screws in a bid to salvage some semblance of normalcy at Christmas: That seems to be the essence of a new COVID strategy for December reportedly developed by Germany's regional leaders.




Spurred on by Chancellor Angela Merkel to come up with a "cohesive, collective answer," German state premiers have agreed on new coronavirus lockdown measures for December and probably January. They also include a mini-amnesty over the Christmas period, from December 23 to January 1, according to a draft proposal circulated on Tuesday.

After being rebuffed last week in her bid to intensify some aspects of Germany's lockdown, Merkel put the onus back on regional leaders to come up with a concept on which they can all agree. They are set to present their finalized proposal to the chancellor on Wednesday.

Here are some of the highlights from the draft proposal.

Extending the partial lockdown

In the broadest strokes, the restrictions imposed this November are set for an extension for at least three weeks, until December 20.

Hotels, restaurants and gyms will remain closed. People should stay at home as much as possible, avoiding unnecessary travel and contact.

Masks and meetings

• Private gatherings will be limited to members of two households and up to five people
• Children under 14 years of age will not be counted among the five
• Masks to remain mandatory in publicly-accessible buildings, shops and public transport
• Possible requirement to wear masks outdoors in areas where large numbers often congregate

Christmas exemptions

To apply from December 23 to January 1

• Meetings involving people from more than two households to be permitted
• Maximum of five may be increased to 10 people (under-14s still exempt)
• Afterwards, people will be encouraged to voluntarily self-isolate for several days
• Churches may be permitted to conduct festive ceremonies — aiming to avoid typical, larger services

New Year's celebrations

• Letting off fireworks in streets to be discouraged or perhaps banned in public places
• Sale, purchase and release of fireworks will not face an outright ban

Schools

• Masks should also be required in classes (currently they are required only when moving around the school, not at desks) from year 7 upwards in areas with more than 50 cases per 100,000 residents
• However, schools that can demonstrate no infections can be exempt
• The decision on implementing home schooling to rest with individual states
• When a case is registered in a class, students and teacher should go into five-day quarantine and then undergo rapid tests, provided by the government

Economic stimulus

• Existing programs to support businesses, the self-employed and clubs or societies should be extended
• States will encourage the federal government to consider extending its bridging loans for businesses in particular difficulties with no sign of reprieve — like the cultural, travel, and event sectors — until mid-2021
• Examining whether statutory health funds need additional assistance, amid lower earnings for many members, is also recommended

"We must extend the lockdown," Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder wrote on Twitter on Sunday. "Sadly the numbers are still too high. If we stop the treatment too early, we risk a severe deterioration. Then everything starts again from scratch. Better a longer lockdown now than a total one at Christmas."

New, flexible focus on caseload

However, states with lower caseloads will probably be allowed to choose to lift their restrictions even if the country as a whole could not.

"States that are not risk areas, if they are visibly able to get below 50 cases [per 100,000 residents per week] in a stable and sustained way, must then have the opportunity to ease restrictions," Manuela Schwesig, the Social Democrat state premier of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, told Deutschlandfunk radio on Monday.

Schwesig said her own state's rate, currently hovering around 46 cases per 100,000 for the previous week, would not yet qualify in her mind to ease restrictions as it was so close to the threshold. She said a number nearer 35 might be appropriate.

Even the state premier of Saxony-Anhalt, Rainer Haseloff, who has been particularly critical of lockdown restrictions, said on Monday everybody recognized "the fundamental requirement" of extending the restrictions.

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Swiss authorities suspect terrorism in Lugano stabbings

A woman has attacked two passersby with a knife in the city of Lugano. Swiss prosecutors say they suspect the incident was motivated by terrorism.



Swiss authorities are investigating a possible terrorist attack after two women were stabbed at a department store in the southern city of Lugano on Tuesday.

Cantonal police in Ticino said the women's injuries were not life-threatening and the suspect, a 28-year-old woman who lives in the area, was in custody.

"A department store in Lugano was the scene of a suspected terrorist-motivated attack on several people," the federal Office of the Attorney General said in a statement.

Police said the suspected attacker had stabbed two women, wounding one in the neck with a sharp weapon.

The incident took place in the multimedia section of a Manor department store in the center of the city.

Switzerland itself has not seen the large-scale terrorist incidents that have recently taken place in neighboring countries, such as the attacks in Paris, Nice and Vienna.

However, two men were arrested in the town of Winterthur this month over links to the deadly shooting in Vienna.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz condemned Tuesday's attack in Lugano, and vowed to work with Switzerland in a "joint response to Islamist terrorism in Europe."

dr/sri (Reuters, dpa, AP)

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