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Germany Condemns Weekend Violence, Looting in Stuttgart

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Chinese Bomber Approaches Taiwan in Latest Fly-By Near Island

TAIPEI鈥擟hinese air force jets, including at least one bomber, briefly entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone on Monday, before being warned off by its air force, the island’s military said, the eighth such encounter in two weeks. The encounter came on the day President Tsai Ing-wen oversaw a test flight of a new locally-developed advanced trainer jet as she pushes to boost democratic Taiwan’s defenses, particularly as China ramps up its own military modernization. Taiwan’s air force named the Chinese aircraft involved as the H-6 bomber and J-10 fighter jet, but did not say how many planes in total flew into the identification zone to the island’s southwest. The Chinese air force received verbal warnings to leave via radio, and patrolling Taiwanese fighters also “proactively drove off” the aircraft, Taiwan’s…

Germany Condemns Weekend Violence, Looting in Stuttgart

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s top security official on June 22 decried an outburst of violence at the weekend in the southwestern city of Stuttgart, where hundreds of people attacked stores, vehicles, and police officers following a stop-and-search for drugs.

Authorities say 24 people were arrested over Saturday night’s unrest and 19 police officers were injured.

Merkel’s spokesman said the scenes “were abhorrent and must be strongly condemned.”

“Anyone who takes part in such outbreaks of violence, brutally attacks police officers, and destroys and plunders shops cannot in any way justify it,” Steffen Seibert said Monday.

Seibert thanked police officers nationwide, saying they “should know that the German government and millions of people stand behind you.”

Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who called for “swift and tough” punishment of those responsible, said there had been a broader rise in violence against officers and rescue workers for some time. He complained of “disparagement of the police through words, and disparagement can be just as hurtful as physical violence.”

Seehofer also suggested he might file a criminal complaint against a left-wing newspaper columnist who had written disparagingly about police recently, but his spokesman later said officials were still examining the legal implications of such a move. Opposition lawmakers warned that government intervention over a newspaper column could be seen as interference in press freedom.

Germany Condemns Weekend Violence, Looting in Stuttgart People break into a shop on Marienstrasse in Stuttgart, Germany, on June 21, 2020. (Julian Rettig/dpa via AP)

The disturbances started after officers stopped a 17-year-old on suspicion of drug possession as several hundred people partied outside around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, police said. Bystanders started throwing stones and bottles, and smaller groups ran through surrounding streets breaking shop windows, according to police.

Police said 40 businesses were vandalized, nine of them were looted, and 12 police vehicles were damaged before officers brought the situation under control.

Police have said the violence had no apparent political motivation. They said the suspect initially stopped was a white German citizen. Of the two dozen people arrested, half held German passports and half were citizens of other countries.

Focus News: Germany Condemns Weekend Violence, Looting in Stuttgart

Following Deadly India-China Border Clash, Indian Officals and Locals Call for Boycotting Chinese Goods

Indian politicians and civilians have initiated efforts to boycott made-in-China products after 20 Indian soldiers died during clashes with Chinese counterparts at a disputed border region. India’s cabinet minister of consumer affairs, food, and public distribution Ram Vilas Paswan appealed to the Indian people not to buy any products from China and directed officials in his ministry to stop purchasing “made in China” stationery and other administrative items. “I want to appeal to everyone that the way China is behaving, we boycott all Chinese products,” Paswan said at a press conference on June 18. “We have to give them a strong reply for their barbaric attack.” India’s cabinet minister of social justice and empowerment Ramdas Bandu Athawale also called for boycotting Chinese products. “China is a country that deceits. India…