Background

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The draft for a new basic program of the CDU as a "people's party of the middle" is ready. It is to be discussed at the party congress in Hanover (3./4. December) will be adopted. The following are the main points of the draft.

MARRIAGE/FAMILY: For the CDU, family is "wherever parents take on lasting responsibility for children and children for parents.". Marriage remains the "guiding principle of the community of man and woman". Marital splitting is to be expanded into family splitting, and families with children are to be taxed more favorably than those without children. Homosexual partnerships are recognized as relationships in which fundamental values are lived out. However, the CDU rejects equal rights to marriage for men and women and adoption rights for homosexuals.ENVIRONMENT: climate change is recognized as a serious threat to creation. The CDU aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 30 percent by 2020 and increase the share of renewable energies to 20 percent. Nuclear power plant lifetimes are to be extended.EDUCATION/RESEARCH: The CDU calls for binding national education standards. Spending on research and development is to rise to four percent of gross domestic product by 2015.SOCIAL INSURANCE: The CDU continues to call for the introduction of "solidarity-based premium elements" in health and long-term care insurance. In unemployment insurance, the duration of unemployment benefits is to be linked to the duration of contribution payments.LABOR MARKET: CDU stands by goal of full employment. Protection against dismissal should be made more flexible. Unethical wages are to be prohibited by law. Employees should have a greater share in the success and capital of companies.INTEGRATION: Germany is described as a "country of integration," and the CDU advocates "comprehensive promotion of integration". At the same time, every immigrant should recognize the central values and norms in Germany "without denying his or her origins and abandoning his or her roots". The CDU is committed to the concept of "leading culture.STATE FINANCES: By the middle of the next decade, there should be a "fundamental ban on new debt" in the Basic Law and in all state treaties. The Lander should be able to keep more money in the Lander financial equalization system. The CDU does not question the Solidarity Pact II.SECURITY: The Bundeswehr should be able to be deployed at home in the event of "special danger situations".VALUES: The CDU is committed to the Christian image of humanity. The three fundamental values of freedom, solidarity and justice remain intact.FOREIGN POLICY: The CDU sees itself as "the German party for Europe. Future EU enlargements should be based not only on accession criteria but also on the EU's absorption capacity. The rejection of Turkey's accession to the EU is explicitly not found in the draft. CDU supports Israel's right to exist and a viable Palestinian state.

Young "Boy scouts" © Sirisak_baokaew (shutterstock)

According to media reports, more than 90 U.S. Boy Scouts of America have filed a complaint against the organization.000 accusations of sexual abuse received. According to victim, abuse was part of everyday life in some groups.

Monday was the last day for those affected to make claims for compensation in the ongoing "Boy Scouts" bankruptcy proceedings.

There are 92.700 lawsuits before

Victim advocate Andrew Van Arsdale said Monday night (local time), according to the CNN television network, there are at least 92 lying in bankruptcy court.700 lawsuits before. Faced with the threat of lawsuits, the "Boy Scouts" had filed for insolvency in February to ensure their continued existence and to set up a compensation fund.

The horror is great

The association has a "social and moral responsibility to adequately compensate all victims," according to the organization's website. Victims are believed and appalled that innocent children were abused in Boy Scout programs. Since its founding in 1910, more than 130 million children and young people have joined the organization, according to Boy Scouts.

The International Criminal Court has found former Congolese rebel leader Thomas Lubanga guilty of war crimes. He recruited hundreds of children as soldiers and used them in fighting during the 2002-2003 conflict in Congo, judges ruled Wednesday in The Hague. It is the first verdict from the International Criminal Court, which began its work ten years ago.

In its first trial, the International Criminal Court has found former Congolese rebel leader Thomas Lubanga guilty of war crimes. The 51-year-old, along with others in the armed conflict in eastern Congo in 2002 and 2003, recruited children under 15 as soldiers and used them in fighting, the three judges ruled unanimously Wednesday in The Hague. The verdict could set international standards.

The sentence will be determined after another hearing. Maximum sentence is life in prison. The court found the Congolese guilty on all three counts of using child soldiers. "Lubanga, as president and chief commander, was actively involved and responsible for this," said presiding Judge Adrian Fulford. 'He also personally used children as bodyguards'."

Lubanga, dressed in a white African robe, received the verdict with a deadpan face. Lubanga has always denied his guilt. The court will also decide on compensation for the victims at a later date. Defense may appeal verdict.

Kidnapped child
Lubanga was founder and president of the rebel movement Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) and commander-in-chief of the UPC militia Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo. Judges say it has been proven beyond doubt that UPC militia sought to seize power in northern Congo's Ituri province and also systematically used children in military combat. Boys and girls under 15 were recruited or forced to fight, she said.

Witnesses, including former child soldiers, had testified that Lubanga's militia had taken children from their homes, schools, and soccer fields to military camps. Many were forced to fight with violence and drugs, they said. "Girls were also sexually abused and raped by commanders and soldiers," Judge Fulford said. He pointed out that Lubanga had not been charged with sexual violence. An estimated 30 are believed to have been involved in the fighting in Congo.000 child soldiers may have been involved.

Human rights activists hailed the verdict as a strong signal against the use of children in armed conflict. "This is a turning point in the fight against impunity for humanity's most serious crimes," said William Pace, coordinator of the Global Coalition, a network of more than 2.500 non-governmental organizations. Human rights organizations in Congo spoke of a "victory for justice and human dignity". Among the spectators was the American actress Angelina Jolie, who is campaigning for help for child soldiers. "This is the day of these children," she said.

Saved from failure
Lubanga had been arrested and transferred to the court in The Hague in 2006, and the trial began in 2009. Congo had referred the case to the Hague court itself. The court heard a total of 63 witnesses. 129 victims participated as joint plaintiffs. A total of 1.373 pieces of evidence presented. Due to procedural ies, the trial had been suspended twice for months and threatened to fail.

The judges also blamed the prosecution for the delay. Chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo had not initially made all the evidence available to the defense. Judges had also rejected some witnesses as untrustworthy.

The criminal court began its work ten years ago. Tribunal is first permanent world court to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Investigations are currently underway on seven countries: Uganda, Congo, Central African Republic, Darfur (Sudan), Kenya, Libya and Ivory Coast. The judges ied 23 arrest warrants, including one against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

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