Euro 2024 tournament gets underway across Germany
Hosts Germany thrashed Scotland 5-1 at the opening game of Euro 2024 on Friday night.Â
And since then, a host of matches have taken place across Germany.Â
On Sunday, England beat Serbia 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen, while the Netherlands grabbed a late 2-1 win over Poland in Hamburg. Slovenia and Denmark drew 1-1 in Stuttgart.Â
However, the England vs Serbia match was marred by fan violence before the game.
Fans were separated and seven Serbs were taken into custody after a brawl broke out on the terrace of a restaurant in Gelsenkirchen.Â
German police are investigating the incident.Â
On Monday, Romania will take on Ukraine in Munich, Belgium will go up against Slovakia in Frankfurt and Austria and France will clash in DĂĽsseldorf.
READ ALSO: How you can watch the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany
German police shoot man wielding weapons ahead of Euros match
German police shot and injured a man after he threatened passers-by and officers with a hammer and a Molotov cocktail ahead of a Euro 2024 match in Hamburg on Sunday, officials said.
"At around midday on Sunday, a man threatened several passers-by and police officers with a slate hammer and a Molotov cocktail," police said in a statement.
Police then shot and injured the attacker, who "may have been having a psychiatric crisis", the statement added.
Hamburg was thronging with football fans at the time ahead of the Euro 2024 match between Poland and the Netherlands.
However, police said there was no indication of a link to the Euro 2024 clash.
The man came out of a snack bar holding the weapons and approached passers-by and police at the scene "in a threatening manner", the police said.
When he did not comply with a request to put them down, police shot at him.
A police spokesman told AFP he was shot in the leg.
He was treated by first-aiders at the scene and then taken to hospital.
The suspect has been identified as a 39-year-old German man, the police said, adding that his motive was not known.
Police said earlier on X, formerly Twitter, that the incident had triggered a "major operation" in the city's St Pauli district.
It happened near the Reeperbahn station, more than a kilometre away from the city's official fan zone.
Rod Stewart booed at German concert for Ukraine support
British pop star Rod Stewart was booed at a concert in Germany while making a show of support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, German media reported.
The singer paid tribute to Ukraine as he introduced the song "Rhythm of My Heart"Â at his sold-out concert in Leipzig on Friday, according to the Tag 24 news outlet.
Wearing the colours of the Ukrainian flag, he dedicated the song to the Ukrainian people and army before shouting a profane insult against Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Tag 24.
As he performed the song, images of the war, the Ukrainian flag and President Volodymyr Zelensky were shown on the screen behind him.
The audience responded with a chorus of loud boos and whistles, according to several media reports.
The "Maggie May" singer has previously been vocal in his support for Ukraine and reportedly rented a house for Ukrainian refugees in Britain.
According to German media, his support for Ukraine had been well received at previous concerts in Copenhagen and Amsterdam.
Germany has been a staunch backer of Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February 2022.
Michael Roth, a foreign policy expert for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD, on Sunday called Stewart the "hero of the day".
"Thanks for your solidarity with the Ukrainian people!" he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Heute mein Held des Tages: @rodstewart! Thanks for your solidarity with the Ukrainian People! ????
— Michael Roth - official ???????? (@MiRo_SPD) June 16, 2024
Und seine empathielosen, in geistiger Putin-Knechtschaft lebenden „Fans“ mögen sich schämen. Sofern sie das noch können! https://t.co/7JoX4y2TQr
But public opinion remains split on the issue, with some fearing Germany's backing for Kyiv could risk escalating the war while others resent the amount of money being spent on Ukraine.
German far-left and far-right parties that are opposed to the government's backing for Ukraine both scored major gains in last week's EU elections.
Loneliness 'widespread' among younger people in Germany
Young people in Germany are struggling with feelings of loneliness, according to a survey. Around one in 10 respondents (11 percent) aged between 16 and 30 said they were "very lonely" in a study commissioned by the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
A further 35 percent felt "moderately lonely", with the figures varying between 33 and 51 percent depending on gender and age group.
Young women are more often affected by loneliness than young men, while loneliness is most pronounced between the ages of 19 and 22, according to the report.
The figures are significantly higher than those recorded before the coronavirus pandemic, signalling a society shift.Â
Family Minister Lisa Paus called loneliness an "underestimated phenomenon" that can also damage democracy in the long term.
"Anyone who loses trust in society also loses trust in democracy, political participation decreases, as does the willingness to vote," the Green politician told the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers, adding that, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), loneliness is just as harmful as obesity, smoking and air pollution.
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