News of the Day: Security Vulnerabilities in Web Servers, End of Magazine 'Emma', Climate Change

Many German government websites, along with numerous other online services like blogs, shops, news portals, and hospitals, were temporarily unavailable this afternoon. Messages cited "security reasons" or "maintenance." This widespread outage is a precautionary measure due to critical security flaws discovered in PHP, the programming language used by a majority of internet services. If unpatched, these vulnerabilities could allow attackers to gain full control of websites, steal data, or use them for further cyberattacks. Updates became available at 4 PM, prompting many providers domestically and internationally to go offline until the threat is neutralized.

Alice Schwarzer has announced the closure of her feminist magazine "Emma" after 50 years, with the final issue slated for December 8th. Schwarzer, 83, emphasized the decision is not financial, despite a declining circulation. She stated, "We are leaving because we believe: it's enough!" This sentiment might be echoed by many critics, whose numbers have grown in recent years. Schwarzer's stance against arms deliveries to Ukraine and her calls for peace negotiations, alongside Sahra Wagenknecht, drew criticism, as did accusations of victim-blaming and her focus on non-German offenders in cases of violence against women. "Emma" once had 30,000 subscribers, now half that number.

The global target is to limit Earth's warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to avert the worst climate change impacts. However, the UN now projects a rise of 2.8 degrees Celsius by the end of the century if current climate policies continue. This could lead to devastating consequences, including increased floods, heatwaves, and wildfires, according to Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme. Experts point to the US, the second-largest emitter after China, as a significant factor, especially after its withdrawal from climate protection plans under Donald Trump. While the 1.5-degree goal remains officially stated, achieving it would require a massive global effort in CO₂ remediation. This involves preparing for a warmer climate, ceasing CO₂ emissions rapidly, and capturing billions of tons of CO₂ – a feat for which no clear method is currently known.

SPIEGEL readers have been actively researching the NSDAP membership files using a digital tool. The publication has now launched a new interface, a Model-Context-Protocol Server (MCP), allowing users to search these files via chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude. This enables readers to converse with AI assistants about historical documents, ask about potential NSDAP memberships, and view digitized original index cards directly in the chat, accessible with a SPIEGEL account.

The lottery for tickets to the ZDF show "Wetten, dass..?" hosted by Bill and Tom Kaulitz on December 5th has seen an overwhelming response. In the first two hours, 78,000 people registered for tickets, setting a new record, which Tom Kaulitz called "the record breaker already!"

Approximately 1.44 million files, totaling 5.8 terabytes, have been released on the dark web since Friday. A terabyte is equivalent to roughly 1,000 gigabytes.

Sports fans can watch Champions League matches tonight: Bayern Munich faces FC Arsenal at 9 PM, and RB Leipzig plays Real Madrid simultaneously. Live viewing requires a subscription to the streaming service Dazn, though live tickers are available on SPIEGEL.de. Alternatively, Peggy Mädler's novel "Selbstregulierung des Herzens," a finalist for the German Book Prize, is recommended. The novel spans decades in a village near Berlin, from the GDR era through reunification into the 2020s, praised for its elegant blend of analysis and vividness in depicting ordinary lives.

Good evening. Sincerely, Philipp Wittrock, Author at SPIEGEL's Berlin Bureau.