Munich - some things never change: The Edge of War is Netflix posh-washing for an elite that’s still in charge today

With the country apoplectic at the entitled behaviour in Downing Street, does the world need the reputation of another Tory flop, Neville Chamberlain, redeemed? As Robert Harris’s historical thriller hits Netflix this week.

A naughty party on a lawn. Drunk posh people swanning about while oozing entitlement. Everyone acting like the normal rules don’t apply to them. Men urinating openly. Though the booze has run out, someone’s got a cheeky plan to obtain some more… No, this isn’t Downing Street during the pandemic, this is the opening scene of Munich: The Edge of War – an intriguingly pointless film adapted from the book of the same name by historical fiction colossus Robert Harris.

It would be churlish to damn a film for the unfortunate timing of its release, but as it drops on Netflix this week, it’s hard to take Munich seriously amid the howls of national indignation at the recent antics in No 10. For while the film is an attempt to repair the reputation of pre-war PM Neville Chamberlain (witness David Davis quoting what was said to a disgraced Chamberlain in 1940: “In the name of God, go”), it’s mainly a film about powerful yet inept people from privileged elites making a mess of things. I mean, tell me: what’s not to hate right now?

Harris’s promotion for the film has centred around this slightly renegade desire to redeem Chamberlain (prime minister 1937-1940), who at the Munich Conference of 1938 took Hitler at his word that he didn’t want to enter into war – only for Hitler to confound his policy of appeasement by being a bastard and not a gentleman. Every world leader ever since, including in recent years Cameron and Obama, is at some point said to be acting like Chamberlain. It’s become an accepted synonym for being weak, overly trusting or unable to grasp a situation. But where the world has been happy to designate Chamberlain as a totemic figure of embarrassing Tory failure, Harris regards Chamberlain’s failure as “noble… not squalid”.

Read more at: Munich: The Edge of War is Netflix posh-washing for an elite that’s still in charge today | The Independent

Germany: Is Germany's Oktoberfest heading to Dubai this year?

Last year Germany's famous Oktoberfest was cancelled. And this year? We're still not sure if it will happen yet in Munich due to Covid - but it looks like it could be heading to the desert...

Oktoberfest is to take place in Dubai, the largest city in the UAE, according to German media reports on Thursday.
The plan is to move the world’s largest folk festival to an area of ​​around 420,000 square meters near the Dubai Marina, Berlin Christmas market boss Charles Blume, who is one of the organisers, told Spiegel.

Read more at: Is Germany's Oktoberfest heading to Dubai this year? - The Local

Russia- Europe: Towards Relations of Pragmatism And Responsible Interaction - by Igor Ivanov

The perpetual topic of Russia-Europe relations was one of the central themes at the recently concluded annual Munich Security Conference. It is no secret that these relations have, for a long time, been in a state of profound crisis. This was not only caused by the events in Ukraine, even though their significance and consequences for both Russia and Europe should by no means be understated. The roots are more profound, related to both parties being unprepared to develop optimal forms of their current interaction.

Nonetheless, speeches and discussions at the Conference showed signs that the involved parties are demonstrating a certain readiness to develop an optimal model for relations. In his opening speech, Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier clearly said, “Europe should not put up with the ever-greater alienation of Russia. We need other, better EU-Russia relations.” Most European leaders speaking at the Conference agreed, in one way or the other, with the notion that the current state of relations between Moscow and its western neighbours is unreasonable and needs to be revised. As always, it boils down to the matter of what specific, mutually acceptable parameters new relations could have.

Read more at: Russia- Europe: Towards Relations of Pragmatism And Responsible Interaction - Modern Diplomacy

Germany: Pence met with silence after mentioning "Fuhrer" Trump in Munich speech - by Tal Axelrod

 Vice President Mike Pence was met with silence on Friday when he mentioned President Trump at a security conference in Munich.

"I bring greetings from the 45th president of the United States of America, Donald Trump," Pence said, before being met with a lengthy silence.

Pence traveled to Germany this week for the annual Munich Security Conference along with a bipartisan delegation, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

In remarks on Friday, Pence knocked North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, whom he said "still need to do more."

"The United States expects every NATO member to put in place a credible plan to meet the 2 percent threshold. And, by 2024, we expect all our allies to invest 20 percent of defense spending on procurement," he said.

Pence on Friday also blasted China and Russia in front of delegations from both countries.

"Under President Trump's leadership, the United States has also made it clear that China must address the longstanding issues of intellectual-property theft, forced technology transfer, and other structural issues in China that have placed a burden on our economy and on economies around the world," he said.

Pence later noted the U.S.'s move to withdraw from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The decision to withdraw has triggered questions about the potential impact on European security and the global strategic environment amid weakened U.S.-Russia relations.

 Read more: Pence met with silence after mentioning Trump in Munich speech

Germany: Deranged Killer At It Again: Munich shooting: Police say nine dead as manhunt continues

German police are engaged in a huge anti-terror manhunt in the city of Munich after nine people died in a shopping mall shooting.

Police are investigating whether one of the bodies is that of a perpetrator.
Three attackers carrying guns were earlier reported to be on the run. Police urged people to avoid public places.

The attack was at the Olympia mall in the north-western Moosach district. Public transport is suspended.

Police, who describe it as "an acute terror situation", say the first reports of a shooting in Hanauer Street came in just before 18:00 (16:00 GMT).

Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, told national TV the motive for the attack was still unclear.

"We cannot rule out that it is linked to terrorism but we can't confirm it either, but we are also investigating in this direction," he said.

A meeting of the government's security cabinet will be held on Saturday.

The Bavarian capital's central railway station has been evacuated.

People stranded by the emergency and unable to get home are being offered shelter by locals. The initiative was launched with the Twitter hashtag #Offenetür (open door).
 
Read more: Munich shooting: Police say nine dead as manhunt continues - BBC News

Germany: Opening Weekend of Oktoberfest 2014 - by Alan Taylor

Oktoberfest

One million steins of beer were consumed over the weekend, organizers say, as tourists and locals kicked off the 181st Oktoberfest.

The Bavarian beer festival, held on Munich's Theresienwiese, lasts 16 days and will welcome more than six million visitors from around the world.

This year, the average price of a mug of beer at any of the tents this year comes to €10.67 ($13.70 U.S.). Gathered here are some of the scenes from the opening weekend of Oktoberfest 2014.

Read more: Opening Weekend of Oktoberfest 2014 - In Focus - The Atlantic