Germany in Brief

Perle comments rile Germany

Richard Perle, the former chairman of the U.S. Defense Policy Board and an influential advisor to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, has caused a stir while visiting Berlin by suggesting Germany should step in and persuade France to drop its current anti-American attitude. Perle, visiting the capital as part of a tour to rally European countries against the nuclear programs of "rogue" states, said Washington needed more backing to help end divisions opened up by the Iraq war between some European nations and the United States, naming France in particular. The German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has said that no one should try to make Germany pick between its friendship with American or France.

Chancellor addresses media violence

Chancellor Schröder held "round table" discussion with the Culture and Media Commissioner Christina Weiss on Monday under the banner "Media against Violence" to address the influence of television and video games on young people. Schröder said that the media had a special role in the education of German youth and that those involved must acknowledge that young people have an ability to learn from what they see. The Culture and Media Commission said that projects such as the "School Week" film teaching program would continue to use visual examples to address violence in the media and its effects.

Cologne plans to deport Muslim extremist

Officials in the city of Cologne have started legal action in an attempt to deport Metin Kaplan, also known as The Caliph of Cologne. Kaplan served a four year jail term for calling for the murder of a rival religious leader and was held in custody after his release in March while a decision on extradition was debated. A court in Düsseldorf eventually turned down a Turkish request to extradite the militant Islamic cleric to face treason charges, ruling that Kaplan could face human rights abuses if he returned to Turkey. However, Kaplan had his asylum status removed last year and now faces deportation through the German legal system.

Sontag wins prestigious literary peace prize

Susan Sontag, the American writer, critic, playwright and leading commentator on modern culture, has won the German book trade's prestigious peace prize for defending free thought, the German Publishers and Booksellers Association announced Tuesday. The 70-year-old New Yorker was chosen for the prize for "defending the honour of free thought in a world of false images and distorted truths," a statement read. The Association said Sontag, who studied in Paris, "has never lost sight of Europe's heritage and has become, thanks to her work, one of the most important intellectual ambassadors between the two continents." She will be awarded the €15,000 ($17,700) award, the 54th to be presented, at a ceremony October 12 during the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Family drama leads to four dead

A family dispute in Quierschied near Saarbrücken has resulted in the murder of a woman and her twin nine year-old daughters. The 70 year-old husband of the woman, who is believed to have committed the crime, was also found dead at the family home from what appeared to be a self inflicted gun shot wound. Police at the scene found the four dead bodies and a handgun which is also believed to have been used by the husband in the killing of the family. It is thought that the 35 year-old wife was attempting to leave her husband before the fatal shooting.

Compiled by DW staff from newswires and other sources.