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Rolling Stones: Police raid officials in Hamburg over free tickets

Police in Hamburg have raided a local authority and an events company over allegations free Rolling Stones tickets worth €10,000 ($11,800; £9,000) were given to local officials.

A hundred officials were given tickets after the district office approved the September concert, local reports said.
Staff at the Hamburg North district office told Der Spiegel it was "standard practice".
German officials are banned from accepting gifts.
The large number of officials at the concert had led to widespread criticism, Der Spiegel said.
More than 80,000 people attended the concert in September, with some reportedly paying €800 for a ticket on the black market.
Investigators examined computers at the district office and also raided the office of events firm FKP Scorpio following an anonymous tip-off, Die Welt said.
Hamburg North district office head Harald Rösler said the tickets were given to local politicians and office employees plus their partners, Pollstar reported.
He said staff had worked unpaid overtime, to organise the concert, which he said was the biggest ever to have taken place in the city.
FKP Scorpio said it was "unrealistic" to assume that free concert tickets could influence the authorisation process.
A company spokesperson praised the "good and very complex cooperation" with the district office and added that FKP Scorpio didn't mind if the recipients of the tickets had understood them to be a thank-you gesture, Der Spiegel reported.

House Republicans pass $1.4tn tax overhaul bill

House Republicans have passed a controversial overhaul of the US tax code that slashes corporate rates.

Thursday's vote came after US President Donald Trump made a rare visit to Congress to rally lawmakers around the tax overhaul plan.
The Senate is working to build support for its own version of the bill, but one Republican has said he is a 'no'.
The plan also faces stiff opposition from the Democrats, who say it is a give-away to the wealthiest Americans.
The Republicans' attempts to pass the most significant overhaul of the US tax code since 1986 are a critical test for the party and president.
Republicans have called for changes to the code for years, but did not have support from the White House until President Trump's election.
He has served as cheerleader-in-chief for the measure, calling the bill a "big, beautiful Christmas present" for families.
The bill cleared the House 227-205, without Democratic support. Thirteen Republicans also voted no.
Representative Paul Ryan, who leads Republicans in the House, called it a "historic day".
The White House celebrated the House vote as a "big step".
"A simple, fair, and competitive tax code will be rocket fuel for our economy, and it's within our reach," the press secretary said in a statement after the vote. "Now is the time to deliver."

What's the next step?

Analysts also expect Republicans in the Senate to pass the measure without Democratic votes and later reconcile the two versions.
But Republicans are facing some opponents within their own party, which could endanger the legislation's prospects.
Without Democratic support, the Senate can afford to lose only two Republican votes.
On Wednesday Senator Ron Johnson, from Wisconsin, said he does not support the bill and does not think it does enough to help small businesses.

What's in the plan?

Broadly speaking, the Republican proposal would slash the corporate rate from 35% to 20% and change how overseas profits and payment from overseas subsidiaries are taxed.
It would also eliminate a range of targeted benefits for individuals and families, in favour of boosting the amount people can deduct from their tax bill.
Supporters say the bill offers tax relief and will boost economic growth.
Republicans estimate that the average American family of four will see their taxes lowered by $1,182 (£895). 

Critics say the biggest beneficiaries will be large firms and very wealthy families. While many households could see lower taxes at first, over time some of those benefits would expire.
Opponents say the new version does not do enough to simplify the tax code for businesses - one of the original goals of the reform - and they say the proposal is fiscally irresponsible.
The House plan would cost more than $1.4tn to 2027, while the Senate version would cost $1.5tn, according to estimates from the Joint Committee on Taxation.

Republicans hungry for a win

By Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
After a frustrating year, Republicans desperately need a win - and on Thursday they took a significant step toward one. Clearing a tax bill through the House is just the first leg of an arduous journey for conservatives, however, and even success may come with a price.
The Senate is working on its own set of reforms and, if it can pass them (no small task, given their narrow majority), both chambers of Congress will have to negotiate a compromise bill.
If the finished product looks anything like the drafts, Republicans could be handing a potent campaign issue to Democrats in next year's midterm elections.
While corporate tax cuts will satisfy the conservative donor class, the fact that they are permanent while the personal breaks expire in eight years will make for devastating Democratic campaign commercials.
Add in that the Senate version undermines Obamacare reforms, some cherished tax deductions will be eliminated and middle-class Americans in states with high local or state taxes could see their net federal taxes go up, and it's a recipe for pain for Republicans in at-risk congressional districts.
For now, however, it seems to be full speed ahead.

How do House and Senate bills compare?

• Under the Senate bill, the corporate tax cut would not go into effect until 2019, instead of going into effect immediately.
• The Senate bill would repeal the requirement that individuals have health insurance or face a fine. That is not included in the House plan.
• The Senate bill does not allow households to deduct anything for state and local property taxes, a sticking point for lawmakers in high-cost states. The House plan allows families to deduct up to $10,000 in property taxes.
• The Senate bill doubles the amount of money exempt from inheritance tax. The House plan would also eventually eliminate the inheritance tax entirely.
• The Senate bill maintains seven tax brackets, but cuts the top rate to 38.5%, while the House would slim the number of brackets to four, preserving a top rate of 39.5%.
• The Senate preserves some popular benefits for people with medical expenses and student loans, which the House would eliminate.

      

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Zimbabwe latest: Mugabe in crunch talks over his future

Zimbabwe's long-time President Robert Mugabe has been holding direct talks with the army over his future.

Pictures emerged of the 93-year-old meeting the army chief and two envoys from South Africa at his official residence in Harare.
The army put Mr Mugabe under house arrest on Wednesday after moving in to take control.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai says Mr Mugabe must resign but sources suggest the president is resistant.

Why did the military take this action?

President Mugabe has been in control of Zimbabwe since it threw off white minority rule in 1980.
However, the power struggle over who might succeed him, between his wife Grace Mugabe and former Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has split the ruling Zanu-PF party in recent months.
Last week, Mr Mugabe came down in favour of his wife, sacking Mr Mnangagwa, a veteran of Zimbabwe's anti-colonial struggle.
That proved too much for military leaders, who seized control of the country on Wednesday.

The story in full

• The view from Zimbabwe: Any change will do
• The basics: Five things you should know about Zimbabwe
• The Mugabes and other key players in profile

So what's going on in Harare now?

It's very unclear.
Photos in the Zimbabwe Herald showed Mr Mugabe meeting army chief Gen Constantino Chiwenga and the two South African envoys from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) at State House in Harare.
Alongside them was Father Fidelis Mukonori, a Roman Catholic priest known to Mr Mugabe for years who has been brought in to mediate.
Sources close to the talks say Mr Mugabe is refusing to stand down voluntarily before next year's planned elections.


"He is refusing to step down. I think he is trying to buy time," one source close to the army leadership told the AFP news agency.
Zanu-PF officials had earlier suggested Mr Mugabe could remain nominally in power until the party congress in December, when Mr Mnangagwa would be formally installed as party and national leader.

What do South Africa and the region want?

South Africa is hosting millions of Zimbabweans who fled after the country's economy crashed in 2008. It has a special interest in seeing stability restored.
South African Defence Minister Nosiviwe Maphisa-Nqakula and State Security Minister Bongani Bongo are the envoys meeting Mr Mugabe on behalf of Sadc, which South Africa currently leads. 


They will be pushing for a democratic solution. The body, which represents 16 countries, does not support coup-led governments as this would set a dangerous precedent in the largely peaceful region, says the BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg.
The head of the African Union (AU), Guinean President Alpha Condé, was clear the AU would "in no case accept" a military seizure of power. He said he was "inviting the army to return to its barracks and return to constitutional order".

And Zimbabwe's opposition?

Mr Tsvangirai, head of the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC-T) party and the main opposition leader in Zimbabwe, said on Thursday: "In the interests of the people, Mr Robert Mugabe must resign... immediately."
Mr Tsvangirai, who has been abroad receiving treatment for cancer, also called for a "negotiated all-inclusive transitional mechanism" that would lead to "comprehensive reforms for free and fair elections to be held".
This has been echoed by another Zimbabwean opposition leader, Tendai Biti, who told the BBC: "It is urgent that we go back to democracy... that we go back to legitimacy but we need a transitional period and I think, I hope, that dialogue can now be opened between the army and Zimbabweans."

You might also want to read:

• What next for Robert Mugabe?
• Why did the army act now?
• How to tell if you're in a coup

What's happened to Grace Mugabe?

Early reports suggested Mrs Mugabe had fled to Namibia, but sources now say she is in the family compound along with senior figures from the "Generation-40" group that backs her - cabinet ministers Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere.
On Wednesday, one of her key allies, Zanu-PF youth wing leader Kudzai Chipanga, made a televised apology for criticising the head of the army as a war of words raged prior to the military takeover.


Mr Chipanga is thought to be in army custody but insisted his statement was voluntary.
Local media reports say a number of other senior members of the "Generation-40" group have also been detained.

What are Zimbabweans being told?

Zimbabwe's media usually toe the government line and today's lead stories make it clear there is a new line to follow.
There is a striking absence of tough questions about what the army is doing.
"Business as usual countrywide," says The Herald, a government-owned newspaper. Yesterday it reassured readers there was "no military takeover".
State TV and radio stations have returned to regular programming, with Thursday's lunchtime news bulletin on state TV giving little indication of the political upheaval.
Some privately owned newspapers have dared to address the possible end of Robert Mugabe's rule.
"Transitional govt planned … as Mugabe cornered," the Financial Gazette reports. "Zimbabwe scents the end of an era," it added.
"It could easily have been entitled The end of an error. A 37-year-old error," says a similarly headlined commentary in NewsDay.

Was this a popular uprising?

Not so far, no. There have been no reports of unrest in Zimbabwe, and so far this appears to be a struggle within Zanu-PF.


Correspondents say many people have accepted that President Mugabe is being eased from office. Streets in Harare are said to be quieter than usual but people are going about their business.
On Wednesday, troops and armoured vehicles encircled parliament and other key buildings.
Hours earlier, soldiers took over the headquarters of national broadcaster ZBC and issued a statement saying that the military was targeting "criminals" around President Mugabe.