as the law came into effect, its mastermind, premier markus soder, wasn't even in bavaria. the heart of bavaria's identity. but the new law has left germans divided. translation: i think it's a good thing, because it's a part of our tradition, and i'm a religious person. i don't need to hang one on the wall. sometimes i even feel a bit uneasy about the cross. but i am of the opinion that everyone should be able to decide for themselves. markus soder is the leader of bavaria's conservative christian social union. it's the sister party of angela merkel‘s christian democratic union. with state elections looming, critics say the crucifix law is designed to claw back votes from germany's afd party, whose supporters are typically right—wing and anti—islamic. translation: it's a move by the election campaign. the afd talks a lot about christian values, and i think markus soder had

markus soder is the leader of bavaria's conservative christian social union.t's the sister party of angela merkel‘s christian democratic union. with state elections looming, critics say the crucifix law is designed to claw back votes from germany's afd party, whose supporters are typically right—wing and anti—islamic. translation: it's a move by the election campaign. the afd talks a lot about christian values, and i think markus soder had to do something before the regional election next october in order to win at all costs. bell rings. outrage at the law has come from far and wide, including the head of the german bishops' conference, who said the move was never discussed with him and he doesn't support it. soder‘s also been mocked. the state premier of neighbouring baden—wurttemberg compared this photo of him to a vampire film. in an effort to wind back the critical lashings, the bavarian government said while it is compulsory for buildings like police stations, courts and government offices, it's merely a recommendation for schools, museums and theatres. t

markus soder is the leader of bavaria's conservative christian social union.o claw back votes from germany's afd party, whose supporters are typically right—wing and anti—islamic. translation: it's a move by the election campaign. the afd talks a lot about christian values, and i think markus soder had to do something before the regional election next october in order to win at all costs. bell rings. 0utrage at the law has come from far and wide, including the head of the german bishops' conference, who said the move was never discussed with him and he doesn't support it. soder‘s also been mocked. the state premier of neighbouring baden—wurttemberg compared this photo of him to a vampire film. in an effort to wind back the critical lashings, the bavarian government said while it is compulsory for buildings like police stations, courts and government offices, it's merely a recommendation for schools, museums and theatres. tiffany wertheimer, bbc news. it's the sport in which the passenger gets a rough ride. sidecar—cross will change all you thought you knew abo

markus soder is the leader of bavaria's conservative christian social union.lections looming, critics say the crucifix law

markus soder is the leader of bavaria's conservative christian social union. it's the sister party of angela merkel‘s christian democratic union. with state elections looming, critics say the crucifix law is designed to claw back votes from germany's afd party, whose supporters are typically right—wing and anti—islamic. translation: it's a move by the election campaign. the afd talks a lot about christian values, and i think markus soder had to do something before the regional election next october in order to win at all costs. outrage at the law has come from far and wide, including the head of the german bishops conference, who said the move was never discussed with him and he doesn't support it. soder‘s also been mocked. the state premier of neighbouring baden—wurttemberg compared this photo of him to a vampire film. in an effort to wind back the critical lashings, the bavarian government said while it is compulsory for buildings like police stations, courts and government offices, it's merely a recommendation for schools, museums and theatres. tiffany wert

the state premier, markus soder says the crucifix is at the heart of bavarian identity, but critics have the chief executive of brazil's state—owned oil producer petrobras has resigned. pedro parente stood down following nationwide trucker strikes that brought the economy to a standstill and forced the government to bring down diesel prices. oil workers had demanded mr parente's resignation and called for an end to the company's policy of setting prices at free—market rates, which has led to high oil prices. the european union has told the us that it's playing a "dangerous game" by imposing tariffs on european steel and aluminium. it's called the measures pure protectionism, warning it will affectjobs both in the eu and the united states. as expected, the eu has hit back with its own tariffs in retaliation — a ten—page list of us products including denim, bourbon whisky, corn, rice and harley—davidson motorcycles. our north america correspondent nick bryant reports. bethlehem, pennsylvania, used to be a powerhouse of the us steel industry. then it became a rust belt power base of donald