A former German spy chief jockeying for influence in Berlin faces possible expulsion from his party over what it called his embrace of far-right language and conspiracy theories.
Hans-Georg Maassen is running to lead a hard-right faction of Germany’s main opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union, which nominated him in a failed bid to become an MP in 2021.
He has become an increasing embarrassment to the party after raging against migration, alleging a range of left-wing conspiracies, sowing doubts about vaccines and recently speaking of “racism against white people”.
The CDU’s general secretary Mario Czaja said on Tuesday that Mr Maassen should resign from the party amid calls for a formal disciplinary process.
He said Mr Maassen was moving closer to the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which has come under surveillance by the domestic intelligence agency he used to lead.
“Again and again he uses the language of anti-Semites and conspiracy theorists,” said Mr Czaja.
“His constant provocations do not have any purpose except to promote his own ego. He has increasingly become a burden to the CDU. There is no place in our party for his language or the ideology behind it.”
It comes a day after terror charges were announced against five people accused of plotting to kidnap a senior minister as part of a plan to reinstate the former German Reich.
Prosecutors claimed the suspects had acquired weapons, were willing to kill and planned to fake an announcement by Germany’s president or chancellor announcing the end of its postwar democracy.
It was the second such case in two months involving the far-right scene. Mr Maassen has played down its threat and was accused of failing to address it while head of the intelligence agency from 2012 to 2018.
He was demoted from that role in 2018 after suggesting that footage of migrants being harassed in the streets by far-right protesters was fake or overblown.
The CDU’s latest effort to distance itself from Mr Maassen comes after he said in an interview that migrants were being welcomed to Germany because of “racial teaching that sees white people as an inferior race”.
“When politicians and opinion writers claim there is no racism against white people or Germans, that means political persecution of white people on racial grounds is permitted,” he said.
Mr Maassen said on Monday that he was the victim of a smear campaign and still hoped to be elected leader of the CDU’s right-wing “values union” in a vote on Saturday.
His platform includes opposing “any kind of eco-socialism and gender wokery” in the CDU.
“There is clearly a fear in parts of the political and media establishment that the values union will become a lively and noticeable political force, under my leadership, that will call for political change. That fear is justified,” he said.
The CDU suffered its worst-ever election result in 2021, losing power after former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s 16-year term. It currently leads polls amid criticism of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s handling of the war in Ukraine.
MATCH INFO
Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)
Delhi won the match by 11 runs
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
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The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
SPECS
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 2 Bournemouth 1
United: Sharp (45 2'), Lundstram (84')
Bournemouth: C Wilson (13')
Man of the Match: Jack O’Connell (Sheffield United)
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MO
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The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
